The Sun. — London, England, 1863-12-29 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. THIS DAY.—Morning, 4h. 38m.—Afternoon, 4h. 55m. To -voßaow.-Morning, sh. 10m.—Afternoon, ih. 26m. BONNET'S SILKS a LYON. —Every Article of commerce takes its title either from the inventor or manufacturer, and the more perfect the production tho greater is the credit which attaches to the origiato. BONNET'S SILKS are said to be incapable of identifica tion in England; but the fallacy of such an assertion is ex posed by the very trade mark of the firm, as exhibited by Messrs. JAY, of Kegent-street. The following: interwoven mark may be seen at the end of each piece :—" Manufacture de C. J. Bonnet et Cie., it Lyon Injurieux." Wear guaranteed. FAM IL Y MOURNING.--Messrs. JAY would respectfully announce that great economy is effected by purchasing Mourning at their establishment, 247 and 249, RY.GENT-STREET, their Stock of FAMILY MOURNING o• bein the largest in Europe. Though Nlessrs. Jay professedly keep the best articles for Mourning and Half- Ilete f ournSuit of ing—at a ll times the cheapest -they supply a Com p Domestic Mournirmn for 2' MOURNII,.iG COSTUME of every description is kept Ready %lade, and can be forwarded in town or country at a moment's notice. The most reasonable prices are charged, and wear of every article is guaranteed. THE LONDON GENERAL MOURNING WAREHOUSE, Regent-street (next the Circus). JAYS'. ItOYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN. Under the 3lanazement of Miss Louisa Fyne and Mr. W. Harrison. THIS EVENING (Tuesday, December 29), to commence with the Second Act of Balfe's popular opera, THE BOHE3IIAN GIRL. After which, a Grand Christmas Pantomime, on a scale of unprecedented magnificence, entitled HARLEQUIN ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON. Doors open at half-past Six—,ommence at Seven. THEATRE ROYAL DR U R Y-L AN E. Managers, Messrs, Edmond Falconer and F. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, Dec. 29, the Farce of A ROLAND FOIL AN OLIVER. Messrs. Walter Lacy, Addison, G. Delmore, the Misses Heath, R. Leclercq, Murray. To conclude with the new Grand Christmas Comic Panto mime of SINBAD THE SAILOR ; or, The Seven Wonders of th , • World. Clowns, Messrs. H. Boleno and C. Lauri ; Harlequins, Messrs. J. Cormack and S. Saville ; Pantaloons, Messrs. W. A. Barn , s and J. morris ; Columbines, Madame J3oleno and Misses Gunniss. Prices as usual. Box Office open from 10 till 5 daily. ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole Management of Mr. Pechter. BEL DE lIONIO (a Triumphant Success) will be repeated Every Evening during the Week. THIS EVENING, the performance will commence with a New and Original Farce, entitled THE LOST CHILD Mesa's. 11. Widdicombe, Shore, Garden, F. Chart bra Lee, tt, Moreland; Misses Percy, Pauline Lezlercq, ood, Mrs. and Miss E. Lavenu. After which, at Eight o'clock, BEL DEMONTO, a Love Story, in Twelve Tableaux , take n from Stendhal's " charac- Italian Chronicle ," by . Mr. John Brougham. Principal ter by Mr. Pechter, supported by 3Tessrs. Jordan, Charles, Brough,tm, Emery, Raymond, Moreland, Smith, Clifford, Collett, Sims ; llftss Kate Terry, E. LELYCDU, re 3. Lee, and Miss Elsworthy. The Public are entreated to take notice char o Charge I s made to the occupants of Boxes, Box-places, or Stalls, either for play bills or for the safe keeping of hat anti cloaks, and teat the attendants in all parts of the house are forbidden to receive any gratuities whatever. Box-office open daily from 11 to 5. Commence at 7. THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET, o u R AMERICAN COUSIN: Messrs. THIS Lessee and Manager, Mr, Backstone. EVENING, dames Angel, Snowden, Terry,' Sothern, Buckstone, Chip p e e s n kl a 1 e, Braid, Gordon, Rogers . Clark, Culientord, &e. ; DI Lindley, Hill, KING ARTHUR ; or The D a y s an d K n i g ht s Alter which, ICING of the Round fable. Messrs. Cflimmdate, Co m pton. Braid, Clark, Rogers, i Sao. ; Mesdames L. Keeley, Brough, T . 1 . 17, W r ight, Terry, Luialey , Rogers, sz t . Commence at 7. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Sole Lesee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining. Open for the Season. THIS EVENING, THE HONEYMOON. After which, HARLEQUI, LITTLE TOM TUCKER; or The Fine Lady of Banbury Cross, and the old Woman who Lived in a Sh oe an d H a d so M any Ch i ld ren s h e did n 't know what to do. 110YAL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. under the Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER. THIS EVENING, the new Comic Drama of the HEN AND CHICKE,NS • Mrs. Stirling in her original character. After which, a Comical Congtom erative Christmas Absur dity, by Henry J Byron, Esq., and entitled 186 i; or, THE SENSATIONS OF. THE PAST SEASON, with a Shameful Revelation of Lady Somebody's Secret. New Scenery by Danson and Sons. Appointments by Mr. Ireland. Music by M. Wallerstein. Principal characters by Mi. J. L. Toole, Mr. Paul Bedford, Miss Cottrell, Miss Fanny Josephs, 4:c. And the BIRTHPLACE OF PODGERS : Mr. J. L. Toole in his original character. THE ATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI.- Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. Webster. THIS EVENING, THE SPITALFIELD'S WEAVER: Mr. J. L. Toole. At / to Eight, the New Drama of LEAH: Miss Bate man, supported by Messrs. Arthur Stirling, R. Phillips, 1311- lington, Stuart, Stephenson, Eburue; Miss H. Simms, and Mrs. Billiugton. To conclude with LADY BELLE BELLE; or, Fortunio and his Seven Magi.) Men. Messrs. J. Clarke, it. Phillips, Stephenson ; Miss %Voolgar, Miss K. Kelly, Miss Patti Josei,hs, Miss L. Laidlaw, Miss Seaman. Commence at 7. LEAH. -EVERY NIGHT. MISS BA.TEMAN.—LEAH.—TIIIs EVENING, the nth appearance of the great Tragic Actress, Miss BATEMAN, in the character of LItAH. In consequence of the unbound .-(1 succoss with which Miss Bateman's imperso nation of the prir:cipal charac'er in the new Five Act Drama of L EAH has been attenued. Mr Webster begs to announce that it will be performed EVERY EVENING until further notice. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Manager, Mr. W. H. Swanborough. THIS EVENING, OBSERVATION AND FLIRTA TION. Alter which, the Grand Christmas Burlesque, ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE : Messrs. Honey, Wood, James Fenton, Mesdames Swanborough, Marie Wilton, Hughes, &c. To conclude with TURN HIM OUT. Commence at 7. 711 HE THIRD EDITION OF " THE SUN," Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, pan be had Every Evening, of G. R. GLF:NIE, NEWS AGENT, No. 4. Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park. The Weather—Sun Office, Dec. 29, 1863. THERMOMETER. Ili a day at Two o'clock Barometer-29.85. Wind—S.-W. ; moderate, and cloudy. oft ttg. LONDON, T UESDAY, DEC. 29, 1863. The defeated b y t he Feder 1 a s, again turns out to be the conquering Confederate. General LONG STREET, k no wing full well , how most adroitly and energetically reculer Pou, mieux sadist, instead of now being found (as reported by the last mail) to have been in every waY Worsted , proves to have retreated, only in or der the more effe ctually to t ti l e e veryid still aet ad vance. Gathering up h is strength io h of his partial withdrawa l, and strati g more by the aid of certain timely reincc 'tternent s , ho is now seen to have turned at the ri ht moment upon the pursuing force of the near Pear Station on the Cumberland u„.11 and Moreston Railway, and to have driven th ose same Federals back Lally the distance of half a mile ! Evidently—by the very incident of his turning thus upon them, as though brought to bay—evidently "taking them aback" as well as driving them back that full half-mile in conse quence! Brief and fragmentary though the intel ligence brought to us this while by the Columbia, it is impossible not to recognise from it, how exagge rated were the exultant accounts transmitted east wards across the Atlantic by the last Yankee Tele grams. According to those accounts the second great captain of the Southern Army—for LONG STREET stands next in repute to th e C sn f e d era t e c ummander-in-Chief hims elf—had been not only defeatedhadell by the opposing forces of the North, b u t into veryue brought, by them, after hi s ac t ua l d e f ea t, ties. The rious, if not into most perilous situation,difficul nevertheless, by the very next mail turns t to be, as we have seen, essen tially and entir,,lydiff e i rout. General LONGSTREET, in his withdrawal b u the superior f orces op posed to him, retiring all the while, as he himself was Perfectly wall aware, upon the reinforcements despatche d to his assist anen by his Commander ! And no s ooner do which c reversal. The rei nforcements join hen: t h an his movem ents ar e at s l ow retreat is tu rned into a rapid ild i pursuit of LONGS TREET by the peaeraiav:..rsi abruptly ce. Th e changed, at Pear St a tion, on the Cumberland Gap and Moreston Bill war into a p ur suit of t h e r ede- rals by LONGSTREET. For nearly a mil e it is con., tinued, the Confederate Cu ief endeavourin, 6. the same time, though, US is proves, ineffectually, to In the Times of last Friday there was a letter which especially deserves attention at this season. It refers to the " Refuges for Homeless and Desti tute Children, at Bloomsbury." The appeal made by the Secretary on behalf of this Institution is one that earnestly demands notice, and it is to be hoped that it will not prove unavailing. A better meats of bestowing help can hardly be chosen, for the claims of these little wanderers are manifold, and must speak with irresistible force to all who are impressed with the imminent necessity of providing a refuge for these young unfortunates. It needs no stretch of imagination, and requires no scope of fancy to depict the horrors of their situa tion, and foretell the danger of their future course, if left unaided and neglected in the wilder ness of the world. From the class here provided for spring up the dark family of crime, for it is a notorious fact that more than half the evil charac ters who infest society are first led astray by the temptations of idleness. It is a sad thing to reflect upon, and makes the painful case more distressing to feel assured that had timely help been afforded, and a place of shelter at hand, many of those being now regarded as outcasts from society, and herded with miscreants and ruffians, might have become respectable members of society, doing their duty in the station to which PROVIDENCE had called them. Mr. WILLIAMS mentions in his letter that they have already been of great service to the objects of their labour, and that during this year they sent out from their Institution no fewer than eighty boys to various British Colonies, and he adds that had these remained behind they would most probably have " preyed on the public" for their support. In this instance we may well say that these boys thus timely succoured have been taken from the evil to come, and so far as human foresight can divine the future, have been enabled to provide for themselves in a manner honest in the sight of all men. It is very much to be regretted that 20 more boys might have been similarly sent abroad lately, but that the funds of the "Refuge" would not permit the out lay. The state of the finances are so deplorably low that unless timely aid is imparted, many poor Claimants will be refused admission; It can hardly de that this appeal will be neglected at this season ° : yi e l learitable feelings and kindly sentiments. Those are rich in this world's goods can do no better - than invest some portion of their abundance in the furthest,nCe of this good work. It is sure to flourish when se mi , their tempting means of expense have failed, au when all their showy surroundings It h a ve vanish e d the fashion of this world is about ass44(l from them, they will be able e l 're of love to the poor and h e lpless with e fle c t to on pass tliis feelingsoffering et sati s f ac ti on an d d e li g ht, t h a t more splendid and brilliant achievements could never afford ti '" l - It is not for mortals to command success, but they are bound to do their best to desere, it, and it is spread of evil to promoting the leave the young every population loose in th e streets to learnnery kind of mischief, and grow up ri p e and pro m i sing scho lars of sin. The cause of humanity and th e voice of reason are potent to the side of charity in this par ticular instan ce , an d it will be a deplorable calamity and a disgraceful reflection if such a society as 3 this should fail, or even become shorn of its power t o impart aid and assistance, and to those so greatly in need of help. It is impossible to over estimate or exaggerate the importance of shielding the young from all hurtful influences, and the vast advan tages thatresult from their being properly provided with suitable employments. If private contribu tions do not appear sufficient the G evernment should do something in aid of such an institution, and the money they bestow will be a saving in the end, for many of those who are now succeured would, if left to themselves, become adepts in crime, and thus be burdens on the State by swelling the ranks of the criminals whose cost entails such a serious expense upon us. Every social ad vantage and every Christian feeling are on the side of this Institiution; and now that the want has been made known, let not the call be unheeded. A fearful responsibility will rest upon those whose lives are lapped in luxury, and who leave their fellow -creatures to perish of cold and want in the streets, still worse to grow up prolific in crime and fruitful in works of evil. It ma y be difficult to settle which is the best means of providing a remedy for the sad state of the adults of our population, who are hardened in iniquity ; but let us remember that had a helping hand bee❑ stretched forth to them in their early years they might now be walking their earthly course in rec titude, and bringing up their children in a spirit worthy of those who hope to make their offspring honest and faithful children in this world, and heirs of a better inheritance hereafter. With the young now around us no such excuse can be made ; they are open to good impressions, and eager for a change from their present discomforts. If the task of providing them with help is taken up with earnestness and good will, it cannot prove wholly unprofitable; but must conduce to the good of all, blessing him that gives and him that takes, and turthering the best interests of these little pilgrims on the world's highway here and hereafter, and bringing the best assurance to the thinking mind and the treating heart that they have been given the surest means of so passing through things tem poral that they finally lose not the things eternal. The monthly report of the Central Executive Committee of the Lancashire Relief Fund to the General Committee will be looked at with some in terest. The months of winter are now sufficiently !advanced to enable us to appreciate in some degree the effects of the inclement season upon the employ ment as well as the health of the people, and as yet such statistics are tolerably satisfactory and reas suring. We learn from the report now before us that during the last month there has been an in crease of 723 in the nuruber of the recipients of relief from the Board of Guardians, and of 1,957 in those solely dependent upon the Local Committees. At first sight these figures are somewhat startling, but when we come to compare them with those re presenting the state of affairs last year at this time we shall see no grounds for discouragement. The total number in receipt of relief in the last week of November, 1862, whether from Guardians, Local Committees, or both conjointly, was 448,955. Dining the last week of the November just past it was 170,850, thus showing a decrease of 278,105. Various reasons are assigned for this diminution, such as the increase in the goods manufactured, as well as the number of hands needed to prepare the inferior quality of cotton; and also the natural mor tality among the cotton hands, which has not been supplied by the usual relays of new workers. No less than fourteen thousand are, it is estimated,engaged in other employments in the cotton districts, and we must of course add to these the numbers who have emigrated from the country, although this item is not alluded to in the Report. From whatever cause it may arise, however, the fact of the numbers in receipt of relief being re duced more than a quarter of a million in the twelvemonth is one full of hope and consolation, more especi a lly at the season of the year which en tails increased wants in the way of food and clothing, so that the condition of our metropolitan poor has been such as to create some anxiety among philanthropists. The committee, with the foresight and good sense which have throughout distinguished their proceedings, are not inclined to make too sure of the continuation of the present condition of affairs, even although they have to record a consi derable increase. Looking forward and beyond the immediate sphere of action, they see reason to an ticipate some considerable fluctuations in the amount of employment. The price of cotton has hitherto risen so much as to increase largely the amount of capital employed both in the import and the manufacture. Various circumstances con nected with the importation of cotton have increased the absorption of the precious metals, thus producing, as we have seen, a rise in the value of money. The natural result of the temporary check which this rise offers to the specu lator is diminished employment, and at the same time the committee look forward with some anxiety to a fall in the price of cotton, owing to increased imports and lessened factory work, which, however great its ultimate advantages, might cause consie derable temporary embarrassment. With a view to the increased demand on their resources, which such an event would certainly cause, the committee have been careful to keep a considerable sum in hand, having now altogether a balance of .£355,526—thus having a provision which enables them to face the prospect of a darker day without uneasiness. They add a hope, moreover, such as we have often expressed, that before the sums at their disposal shall be exhausted, and the relief given by the public works is at an end, " a steady and per manent augmentation in the supply of cotton may be expected." Such an anticipation coming from such a quarter, and put forward on the responsi bility of those who have every means of obtaining correct information, and would certainly not speak without good authority, will, we hope, tend greatly to re-assure those persons who persist, in spite of all that has been done and is doing, in taking a gloomy and altogether desponding view of the prospects of cur cotton trade. We are told that in anticipation of the coming revival a number of new mills are now in course of construction—a fact of itself of no slight importance, as promis ing favourable auguries. The workpeople them selves appear to entertain the same opinion ; most of those who have emigrated into neighbouring counties, or accepted other employments, having made their arrangements of a temporary nature, so as to be able to resume their old labour when the better days come again. The Public Works Act has not, it seems, as yet done all that was expected of it, being cumbered with unnecessary formalities, although the report informs us that the Govern ment have shown every desire to simplify matters. More in this respect remains to be done and should be done promptly, if the cotton hands are to derive from it the relief it was intended to give. Shou'd the necessary alterations be made, so that a large number of loans may be arranged without loss of time, we may hope that the greater number of workmen absorbed by these works may neutralise, in some degree, any increased distress caused by the fluctuation of the cotton trade. Altogether the pro spects of Lancashire are as !Night as we could hope, and thanks are emiueutly due to the gentlemen whose patriotic labours have contributed so much t 5. the re li e f o f t h e di stress, as we ll as t o th e alievia -1011 of unnecessary alarm or exaggerated fears on the Pa-, of the public. CHAB, Lxs RE , the whimsicalnoAtii) E 8 << Hard Cash" (according to on of a revi e wer in the Athen c vum), con tains gold th at rin gs ta bl e , silver of irupureoitt clear music as it falls on the coinage,upon private and di r ty copper. It is a l o ve story' an attack l madhouses, and a satire on the medical profession, The the base silver must be looked fo l r ov . u e story is the pure gold, asy lums, the satire ou th e raedicea faculty the . chapters on asy- Is capper, eross the river, in order, if possible to get into the rear of the retiring Northerners. Failing in that effort, to effect an opportune passage of the river, General LONGSTREET was compelled, i.t seems, to hold his hands, as it were, in the very midst of his success. Though at the same time, as the last curt sentence of that portion of the usual jumble of telegrams, we have the significant intimation—" More fighting is expected." Fol- I owed, under a later date (the 18th) by the yet 'more striking intimation, " The Fighting with General LONGSTREET is still progressing." Mean- i time the tables have at the very least, we know for certain, been turned. They have been turned so unmistakeably, that not only is LONGSTREET known to have changed his position as the pursued into that fef the pursuer, but the Federal forces are ascertained to have deserted Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and, with those "'coigns of 'vantage," the 'whole country side between the latter and Ring gold. The result here, is, for all the world, as much of an anti-climax in its way, after the late evidences of Federal exultation at so many Northern successes achieved, and at so many consequent Southern defeats, if not even most . calamitous di sas t ers —the result her e, we say, i s of its kind quite as much of an anti-climax es the abrupt withdrawal of the Federal main army, under MEADE, back again across the Rapidan at the very m oment when people had been taught to believe that LEE and his Confederates had been trapped by the said MEADE—either to a surrender like that of MACK at Ulm, or, to a crushing and overwhelming defeat in pitched battle like that suffered by the Austrians and Russians together under their twe emperors immediately after Ulm, upon the foughten field of Austerlitz! Pre cisely at the very moment when the more credulous were preparing to witness a single meal made, off-hand, of LEE and his army, LSE's formidable antagonist and Ms army withdrew together, very quietly indeed, back again across the Ra pidan ! And so, now, also, quite as absurdly, in opposition to the immediately preceding accounts given to us by the Federal authorities, the defeated turns out to be the defeater—Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, being withdrawn from by the Northern troops almost as hastily as Pear station Itself—that pear, in NAPOLEONIC phrase, turning out to be very ripe indeed, ripe even to dropping. While such is the latest phase of the war as recog- 1 nisable in the actual military movements, the fury of the mutual antagonism engendered by the war between the Federals and the Confederates appears just now to be intensifying rather than in any way whatever assuaged. Judging from the tone in which Mr. LINCOLN'S amnesty proclamation has been denounced by one and all of the Southern journals that have yet commented upon it, but more parti cularly by the press of Richmond, that document appears to be regarded unanimously among the Con federates as more infamous and more exasperating even than its notorious predecessor! That proclama tion by which the President of the once United States of America gave the signal for a Servile War by the announcement of what can alone be aptly designated as a Penal Abolition. Inso much does there seem to be a sort of evil fatality about the official acts and words of Mr. LINCOLN as the last of the United States Presidents, that this latest proceeding of his, so far from in any way preparing the road for anything like a settlement, seems to have been only too signally effectual already in rousing the Southern people en masse to fresh evidences of their combined zeal and dogged deter mination. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. TEE FEDERAL EXECUTION IN HOLSTEIN. ALTONA, DEC. 25. A general and brilliant illumination took place in this town yesterday evening. The maintenance of public order is entrusted for the present to a volunteer force of citizens. Up to yesterday the Federal troops have occupied about one-fourth of the Duchy of Holstein. The Civil Commissioners have issued the following additional proclama • tions " We, the undersigned Federal commissioners, having undertaken the government of the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg in accordance with our proclamation of yesterday in the name and by order of the high German Confederation, herewith make known as follows for the general information and observance. "1, Our seat of business will in the town of Altona until further notice. All communications to ns are to be sent to Altona, addressed To the Federal Commissioners for the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg.' " 2. All tribunals and officials in the duchies of Plolstein and Lauenburg are herewith directed to report henceforth only to us in all cases in which reports have hitherto been addressed to the Ministry for the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg, or to one of the general Ministers in Copenhagen. " 3. The police authorities of the duchies of Hol stein and Lauenburg are in consideration at present circumstances, always to report immediately upon all-important occurrences within their district bearing upon public security and order, and in addition to send in an account every fortnight of ail public matters in their district, until further orders to us direct. We further earnestly recom mend the police authorities of the Duchies of Hol stein and Lauenburg to exercise precaution, and, if requisite, force for the maintenance of law and order in their respective districts during the pre sent agitated time." The signatures follow. "The suspension of sovereign rights occasioned by the assumption of the Government of the Duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg by the under signed Federal Commissioners requires, without further explanation, during the existence of this state of affairs omission of mention of his Majesty King Christian IX. of Den mark i❑ the prayers of the Church. In reference hereto, and to bring about uniform procedure in the same, as also for the avoidance of possible interruptions to divine service, the Federal Commissioners feel themselves therefore called upon to order that from henceforth and till further orders, no mention of the Sovereign of the country is to be made by name when the prayer for the Government with its councillors and servants is put up—all clergymen are to govern themselves accordingly." POLAND. KONIGSBERG, DEC. 28. The Courier de Wilna confirms the news of the arrest of the Abbe Mackeritcb, and announces that a gunner of the fortress of Wilna, named Casimir Sytcboucb, who had passed over to the insurgents, was shot on the 22d inst, in the marketplace of Wilna. The same journal also announces the execution of a Podolian noble, M. Maurice Dnybacki, accused of havingitaken part in the revolutionary organisa tion. M. Doybacki was executed on the 11th Dec, in the moat of the Citadel of Kieff. SPAIN. MADRID, DEC. 28 (Evening). The papers deny that there is any truth in the rumours of a Ministerial crisis. PORTUGAL. LISBON, DEC. 28 (Evening). The Channel fleet is at Madeira. A few cases of scarlatina have occurred on board the Black Prince. The Oporto Railway is completed, and opens next month. Great cold prevails in Pot tugal. FRANCE. REPORT OF MARSHAL RANDON. PARIS, DEC. 29. A report of Marshal Randon, approved by the Emperor, has been published to-day. It decides that general officers on service, no matter how employed, shall be legally relieved of their functions as soon as they have reached the age of 70. The illonzteur of this morning publishes the reply of the Sultan to the Emperor's invitation to the Congress. BOURSE, Dec. 28.—The market has been firmer, and the business, though rather limited, shows a slight improvement in prices. Threes, for the Ac count, are now at 66fr. 55c. Mobilier have ad vanced to 1,047 f. 500. Railway Market quiet, but firm. The market receded before the close, and left off as follows : 41 per Cents .. Do. end month.... 3 per Cents Do. end month 66 45 Credit Mobilier 1042 50 Do. end month 103 7 50 Bank Shares 3275 Credit F wader 1235 Roman Italian Loan 7l 75 Do, end month 7l GO New ditto — Do, end month — Russian Austrian Spanish Threes 52 Rome Debt .• •• 511 Deferred RAIL' 'AYS. Cash. Account. 977 50 .. 972 50 971 25 .. 972 50 Orleans Northern New ditto Lyons and Mediterranean New ditto Geneva Smthern 682 50 .. 680 Western Eastern .... Sardinian...... Austrian ...... Low bard ........ 525 .. 523 75 North of Spain Saragossa .. 615 617 50 Ditto to Barcelona .... 300 .. 302 50 932 50 .. 931 25 300 - .. - - ANOTHER DEFAULTING RATE-COLLECTOR IN LAMBETH.—A week has not elapsed since the con viction at the last Surrey Sessions of Richard Turner, late one of the rate-collectors for the parish of Lambeth, for the embezzlement of no less a sum than £l,BOO, on which con viction he was sentenced to penal servitude for the term of four years. The parochial authorities have continued their rigid examination of the books and accounts of the other rate collectors, when, with respect to one of them, Mr. W. IL Manners, defalcations to the amount, it is said, of upwards of £l,OOO were discovered. ,In consequence in structions were given to the police to apprehend the offender, and he was taken into custody on Saturday night by police constable Swington, 155 L, the same officer, singular to say, who captured the delinquent already convicted. The prisoner Manners was at once conveyed to the police station at Kennington-lane. He was brought up at the police-court yesterday, and was remanded. CLOCK MAKING.—" Benson's great piece of clock work is certainly a marvellous achievement in clock waking, both as regards the workmanship, and its capacity under difficult circumstances for time measuring."—Meshanics o Magazine, Sept. lb, 1862. Clocks by the first artists of the day for the drawing room, dining room, bed room, library, hall, staircase, bracket, carriage, church, turret, railways, warehouse, counting house, musical, and astronomical. Church and turret clocks specially estimated for. Benson's illustrated pamphlet on clocks (tree by post for two stamps) with descriptions and prices, enables those who live in any part of the world to select a clock. Also a short pamphlet on cathedral and public clocks, free for one stamp, p r i ze medal and honourable mention in classes 33 and 15. J. w . Benson, 33 and 34, Ludgate-hill, London. Established 1749, Watch and clock maker by special warrant of ap pointment to ILEX. the Prince of Wales, AMERICA. [REUTER'S TELEGRAM.] GALWAY, DEC. 29. The Atlantic Royal Mail Company's steamship Columbia, from Boston and St. John's, arrived here last night with 9 cabin and 40 steerage passengers, and 25 mail bags. (By Telegraph to St. John'B.) NEW YORK, DEC. 17 (Afternoon). Upon the afternoon of the 14th inst. General Longstreet, who had been reinforced, turned and attacked the pursuing force of the Federals near Pear Station, on Cumberland Gap and Moreston Railroad, throwing the Federals back a distance of half a mile. General Longstreet simultaneously executed a movement to cross the river and to get into the Federal rear, but failed to effect a passage across the river. More fighting is expected. Southern journals state that by a Confederate reconnoissance it has been ascertained that the Federals have deserted Look-out Mountain, Mis sionary Ridge, and all the country between these places and Ringold. The Federal force at Chattanooga was supposed to be intended for the pursuit of General Long street's force. Advices from Charleston to the 15th inst. state that the shelling of the city continues with trifling damage. An accidental fire had occurred iu Fort Sumter, killing 10 and injuring 30 men. The Federal brig Perry has been captured near Charleston. The steamer Ceres was destroyed off Beaufort. The .New York. Herald has nominated General Grant as candidate for the next Presidency, and has put forward as an electioneering cry that he would demand from England an indemnity for the depre dations of privateers, and would expel the French from Mexico. COMMERCIAL. Money easy. Gold, 50; prem. Exchange on London, 1641. Stocks advancing. New York Centrals, 1331; Illinois, 1191. Cotton steady; middling Upland, 82c. Breadstuffs advancing. NEW YORK, DEC. 18 (Afternoon). The steamer Ella Annie has captured the Chesapeake with three of her crew in Sambro Harbour, Nova Scotia. The Chesapeake was taken to Halifax for judicial decision. The British autho rities have ordered the arrest of the pirates who seized the Chesapeake. The Richmond press denounces President Lin • coin's amnesty proclamation as an infamous docu ment, which will but arouse the Southern people to new zeal and new efforts. The Federal House of Representatives has passed e resolution by 93 to 64 that the war should be prosecuted so long as the rebels are found in arms. Money easy. Gold 511, per cent. prem. NEW YORK, DEC. 18 (EVENING). The fighting with General Longstreet is still progressing. Union citizens are leaving Knoxville. Money easy. Gold, 52 per cent. prem. Exchange on London : Bankers' bills, 166. LIVERPOOL, DEC. 29. Further advices to the 19th inst. received here via St. John's state that there was no fresh news of importance, Gold was quoted 52 per cent. prem. Exchange on London 116. Cotton quiet, at 82c. Crude petroleum, 30 to 31 ; refined,44 to 451; U. S. 6 per Cent. Bonds 105. Illinois Shares 119. Erie 1081. POINT DE GALLE, DEC. 1. The United States steamer Wyoming has gone to Christmas Island, in pursuit of the Alabama. MR, ANTHONY TROLLOPE, Mr. Anthony Trollope, as the novelist of com mon sense, writes with a shrewdness and a sobriety, yet with a rush and fullness of thought that satis fies the intellect while seeming but to tickle our curiosity. He is an immense favourite with the most intelligent class of novel readers. He never soars very high, nor digs very deep, but he hardly ever disappoints; we can always rely upon him for a good story well sustained, full of life and not defi cient in ideas. In one respect he reminds us more than any other writer of Defoe. It is a common• place of criticism that Defoe wanted imagination, that never was there so great a writer of fiction who so palpably displayed such a deficiency. It would be difficult to define what is meant by this, because nobody has yet been able to define what is meant by imagination. Imagination is the terra incognita of the mind. One metaphysician describes it as memory, another as reason, another as passion, a fourth as a combination of the three. The philc sophers cannot agree as to its nature, and we are not now going to digress into a discussion of what it really is. We dare say that on a close analysis Defoe would be found to have imagination of his own acting according to its own laws. We are now, however, speaking popularly, and according to the phrases of popular criticism, Defoe with all his great power was singularly void of imagination. He could call up a scene or describe a series of events with a hard prosaic accuracy, which, how ever it might command our interest, is supposed to be independent of imagination. On this level stands Mr. Anthony Trollope. He abjures ornaments, avoids the play of fancy, is purposely plain ; but on the good road, straight and level and well beaten, he bowls along at a rattling pace. He may not suggest much ; but he is so clear that we do not feel the want of suggestions. He has something to say and he says it fully. He never spins a yarn into gossamer. Out it comes, sharp and clear and solid, with a force of manner which in Yankee slang is called " vim," and in English slang is known as "go."—Times. The Governor-General of India. Truth Stranger than Fiction. (Front the Edenburgh Witness.) The following striking statement, which we have from a moat intelligent correspondent, is full of in. terest :—" More than half a century ago the affairs of a worthy draper in the town of Coleraine, in the county of Londonderry, got embarrassed. He sent his son, who assisted him in the business, to Man chester and Leeds to arrange with his creditors. The young man was harshly received ; and, after having failed to effect a settlement, arrived at Liver pool on his way home. His honourable spirit was lacerated by the treatment he had met with, and, dreading still more the disgrace and reproach he expected to encounter on his return to his native town, he, in a fit of desperation, enlisted as a pri vate soldier. The young draper's regiment was ordered out to India, where his good conduct soon brought him into notice, and the excellent educa tion which he had received paved the way for his promotion. He rose step by step until he reached the rank of colonel. He served his country with honour, and in course of time gave two sons to the military service, having first given them to the Lord, and imbued their youthful minds with Cnriu tian principles. Their valour and military accom plishments shed lustre on that earnest piety by which they were characterised. The two young soldiers to whom we refer were Sir John Lawrence, now the Governor. General of India, and the late Sir Henry Lawrence, known as the saaiour of Lueknow. Both of them have done honour and good service to their country, and neither of them were ashamed of the Cross of Christ. It is gratify ir g to find that neither piety nor humble birth will prevent talent and worth from reaching the highest offices and honours in the gift of the British Crown. The grand uncle of the Governor-General of India still lives as a respectable farmer in the 11 north e of the county of Antrim, about two miles fro:. _ v fashionable watering place of Portru bh, mi:est from the Giant's Causeway. LITERATURE; The Seven Ages of Man. Described by William Shakespeare. Depicted by Robert Smirke. L. Booth. We presume that we are to regard this beautiful little limp-bound quarto volumette but as the pre cursor of a far nobler work of a similar character, now fast preparing for publication by Mr. Booth. The celebrated Shakespeare Gallery, that is to say, which that enterprising publisher now announces as almost immediately forthcoming. In it, that is in the Gallery thus declared to be upon the eve of making its welcome and timely appearance— timely we mean as in opportune anticipation of the approaching ShaksperianTercentenary—no less than ❑inety-eight Photographs of Engravings from Pictures by the most eminent of English Masters, Pictures every one of them, of course, illustrative of the Dramatic Works of William Shakspere, are to be comprised. In truth—a noble gallery ! A superb preliminary celebration of the glory of S hakspere's genius —before the actual advent of the date of the grand tercentenary anniversary ! Meanwhile, as an avant courier to this far grander undertaking of the Shakespeare Gallery, there has just now been issued from the press by Mr. Booth, a charming collection of photographs of the seven beautiful pictures by Robert Smirke, illustrative of the immortal description (act ii., sc. vi., of " As you Like it") the wonderful descrip tion of " The Seven Ages of Man" These Seven Ages dating aceording to Arnold's Chronicle, ed. 1811, p. 157), the First (" Infancy") from birth to Seven, the Second (" Childhood") to Fifteen, the Third (" Adolescence") to 7wenty-Five, the Fourth (" Youth") to Thirty-Five, the Fifth (" Manhood ") to Fifty, the Sixth (" Maturity") to Seventy, the Seventh and last (" Old Age") leading to Death through second childhood and extreme de crepitude. Prefixed to the little series of these same charming photographs from Smirke's original paintings, are two other photographs represent ing the head of Shakspere. One of them, a minute fac simile of Droeshout's well-known Engraving, the other of a slight outline sketch of the still better known Stratford Bust. As for the seven photographs after Smirke, they are everything that could really be well wished for, in that way, as photographs—having been, every one of them, most carefully, one might almost think, tenderly manipulated. It is curious to note, by the way, two very glaring errors of Smirke's own making as an illustration of t h e words of Shakspere—mistakes made by Smirke in conse quence of his flourishing himself in an essentially close-shaving age ! One is, his portraiture of the Soldier " bearded like the Pard," as a smooth-faced warrior with the faintest suspicion of the merest hint of a most delicate moustache ! The other being Smirke's still more ridiculous limning of the Justice with " beard of formal cut"—of a cut so formal, indeed, that it (the beard) is cut off altogether! Nothing this Christmas-tide could well have come out more exquisitely a propos, as a little gift book, than this gracefully thought of set of embellishments to one of the most world famous fragments of poetry—" familiar in our mouths as household words"—from the Dramas of Shakspere. Faith—Hope—Charity. Illuminated. By Mrs. F.. G. Delamotte. During the last few years there have been issued to the public in this country many brilliant evi dences of the revival of the long-neglected and at one time, indeed, almost abandoned art of illumination. At the head of this revival has unquestionably stood Mr. Owen Jones. Others have co-operated in various ways with that eminent master in the art of colouring and general illumi nation, whether as applied to Books or to Build ings, whether in connection with Printing or with Architectural Decorations. And thus—by the combined efforts of many fellow labour ers in the same good and lovely work of illumination, the reviving art has long since begun to flourish anew in earnest. As signally indicative of which, it would really be enough to direct attention—as we have here in truth much pleasure in doing— to these three exquisite exemplars of the artist's cunning skill of hand and exquisite taste as an illuminator. If we were to make a choice of one out of the three, we should be compelled to acknowledge that Mrs. Delamotte has fairly be wildered us ! "Faith" with its deep blue sky studdea with golden stars—" Hope" with its delicious sprays of May-blooms, here the pink, here the white blos soming hawthorn—" Charity" garlanded with holly and ivy, the holly with its scarlet, the ivy with its blue-black berries ! They are each of them eminently beautiful, and published, as they are, together, they seem to bring out their very dissimilar graces and splendours all the more vividly to the beholder's appreciation by the mere force of contrast. Manhattan—Scraps from his Last Letter, " STILL ALIVE!" The last words that were spoken by the late Daniel Webster were, "I still live." It was con sidered very remarkable at the time that he should have possessed such extraordinary knowledge up to the last moment of his life. The sentence has been preserved by the Whig prosterity, and filed away among the archives of great sayings by our great American men, such as " The Union, it must and shall be preserved "—by Jackson ; " Don't give up the ship "—by Lawrence ; " All men are born free and equal, except niggers"—by Jefferson ; " Mil lions for defence, but not a cent for tribute "—by General Washington. " I shall live," was good in its day. It applied to Webster then; it applies to the great Democratic party now. It has been sup posed to be dying for some months, but it has said "I still live," upon two recent occasions. " EPIGRAM ON OLD ABE." Some months ago the following epigram appeared. It is doubly applicable since the. last proclama tion : " Honest Old Abe, when the war first began, Denied ' Abolition' was part of his plan I Honest Old Abe has since issued decree, The war must go on 'till the slaves are all free. As both can't be honest, will some one tell how, If ' Honest' Abe then, he is Honest Abe now ?" " MR. LINCOLN'S LONG FEATHER." A very curious statement has been made by a person who must be upon excellent terms with Minister Adams. I presume the person is Beecher. He says that when Mr. Seward was absent in the West skylarking with Lord Lyons and the other foreign Ministers, Mr. Lincoln got excited and went to letter-writing. He addressed a letter to Mr. Adams. It contained this : What do the British Government mean ? What do they want ? Do they really want war ? It may be the most disastrous thing in the world for us ; and it is certainly what we most earnestly desire to avoid; but if those rams are permitted to leave England the people will force us into war, whether we wish it or not. We shall not be able to con trol their exasperation, and the British Government ought to understand this. Mr. Adams was delighted at getting a letter in the hand-writing of the President. He called upon Earl Russell and said : I do not call upon your lordship in my official capa city. But 1 have received a plain, outspoken, sincere letter from President Lincoln, which, though addressed to me as a private epistle, and not as an official document, I am sure was not designed to be withheld from your know ledge. Earl Russell listened attentively, an d Adams concluded : This is not diplomacy, your lords hip, but the honest, straightforward dealing of a plain , blunt, honest man, as is Mr. Lincoln. Within twelve hours after the order for th e detention of the rebel rams was promulgated, and to the President is duo the credit of effecting what cap that he will keep it Seward could never ha, o done. Old Abe consider:, at h h e er in his gets back to Illinois after his Russell 0 Is— ho made that letter public ? Was it Minister fasten it upon the .british Secretary, thisP locked res d o e long I n , . ) 7 antfire r l he question . Iv I Adams, or Mr. Lincoln, or Earl affect memory as it does not t hi h s e ,l, had a copy furnished to him ; his .e could hardly have retained the exact words, .4 t f: Miurt eitrailiat HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, Dec. 28. The Right Hon. C. P. Villiers arrived at Osborne on Sunday, and had an audience of her Majesty. Dr. Watson and Dr. Jenner also arrived from London. The Queen and Princess of Wales drove out this morning. The Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred went out shooting, attended by Lieutenant-General the Hon. C. Grey, Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. D. de Ros, and Lieutenant-Colonel Keppel. The Right Hon. T. H. S. Sotheron-Estcourt M.P., and Mrs. Sotheron-Estcourt, have left Farrance's Hotel for Estcourt, near Tetbury. The Hen. Capt. Elphinstone has left the Bruns wick Hotel, Jermyn-street, for Newport-Pagnell. Major and Mrs. Wombwell have left the St. George's Hotel. Madame do Pereira and family have left the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn-street, on their return to Paris. Mr. M'Cann, M.P., and Mrs. M'Cann have left Brown's Hotel. M. Gonnod's " Faust" has been produced at New Yhrk, with Miss Kellogg as the heroine. TRACTION ENGINES ON COMMON ROADS.—A ape' cial meeting of the waywardens of the Faversham Highway Board was held yesterday for the purpose of con sidering a resolution, of which notice had been given a the previous meeting, to the effect that in the opinion of the Board the use of locomotives on the public highways le dangerous and inconvenient to the public, and therefore that an application be made to the Home Secretary, under the powers of the 24th and 25th of Victoria, cap, 70, to pro hibit the use of all kinds of locomotives on any highway whatever within the district. The motion was supported by Mr. Carter, the deputy-chairman, who contended that the engines were altogether unsuited to the roads in the district, and that their passage to and fro was exceed ingly dangerous. An animated and lengthened discussion took place, from which it appeared that steam traction and ploughing engines were now most extensively used in Kest, there being as many as 20 working in that district alone. It was also contended that there was more danger by the passing of traction engines by night than by day. Several of the owners of the engines, including Messrs. Aveling and Porter, of Rochester, who have made upwards of 100 of the engines, attended, and argued against the suicidal course proposed to be adopted. On a division only two hands were held up for the prohibition, and more than 50 against it, Lord Harris, who is a large Kentish landholder/ voting with the latter. THE QUEEN AS A RULER,--Of the deep and ready interest which the Queen has manifested in every great public event, whether calamitous or glorious , which has occurred during her reign, she has given mor e than one memorable proof. We most of us remember a re. markable letter from her Majesty to Lord Palmerston whic h , was read in the House of Commons on the occasion 0 ' certain Ministerial explanations between that noblenial and Lord John Russell, in which she intimated bet pleasure that no important despatch should be issued from the Foreign Office until she should have been mad e acquainted with its contents, and her pleasure taken thereupon ; and it is well known that she required to be kept thoroughly informed as to the nature and the ground s of every Ministerial decision on the great questions of th e day, so that, without in 'the least degree hampering the action of the Cabinet, she might be able to exercise an inde" pendent judgment on the course of affairs, and to discuss them intelligently with her advisers.. During the Crimean war her sympathy with each day's tidings was painfully intense ; no one who witnessed it can ever forget the eager ness with which she questioned every competent messenger from the scene of danger as to all the details of that heroic struggle, and the prompt and spontaneous tenderness with she sought to alleviate the sorrows both of sufferers and mourners can never be effaced from the memories of either. There was a vigilant solicitude in her every word an d action throughout that sad and terrible crisis of our history which perhaps did more than any other incident in her reign to endear her to the nation's heart. It was a perfect corn' munity of feeling, reaching from the hovel to the throne.-- Victoria Maga:me for January. A WOMAN KILLED BY HER HUSBAND IN LIVER POOL.—On Saturday evening last an unfortunate occurrence took place, resulting in the death of a womb named Catherine Lewis, wife of Richard Lewis, a master carter, residing in Church-street, Soho. It appears that on the evening in question Lewis returned home and found his wife in the yard preparing provender for the horses which he kept, and the dwelling••house which adjoins the yard being closed, he asked her for the key to open the door. She was then partially intoxicated, and was unable to furnish him with the key, and getting alarmed she ran to her sister's in Bennett-street. The house in the meantime had been entered by means of a ladder, by which a man named Radcliffe, in Lewis's envie . , scaled the outer wall, and Lewis then went to his sister law's and brought his wife home. Radcliffe and a man named Williams, also employed by Lewis, accompanied the latter into a publichouse, where they had some drink, and the deceased also bad drink in the same place. On reaching home Lewis and the deceased remained together apparently on friendly terms, and nothing more was thought of the unpleasantness which had originally arisen. It seems that Lewis, when alone with his wife, made some further 21215: understanding with her respecting the disappearance 01 some bed-clothes, and while she was sitting in a chair lo° dealt her a blow on the neck with his hand, which caused her almost instant death. He made every exertion to reviv e her, but his efforts being unsuccessful, he obtained the atten dance of Dr. Taylor, Springfield, but the medical gentlemarl on his arrival pronounced lily to be extinct. Lewis, wile has been habitually a sober man for a considerable tiole, was deeply affected at the unfortunate issue of the dispat e i and when taken into custody shed tears copiously. He R be, brought before the magistrates for examination this day (Monday).—Liverpool Courier. A DELIRIUM OF NIGHTMARES.—Every supersti tion that has ever disturbed the soul of ignor ant man lent some one awful feature to the crowd of hides t f a images uprising in this man's mind, Awful Ch a ldean g°l a nd Carthagenian goddesses thirsting for the hot bloo d (i n , h um an sacrifices, greedy for hecatombs of children 01 , 3 , 1 ; s hrieking into fiery furnaces, or torn limb from HM I) savage beasts; Babylonian abominations; Egyptian 151sor . Osiris ; classical divinities with flaming swords and p a, ' impassible faces, rigid as the destiny whose type they ' O6 l ghastly Germanic demons and witches—all the drea avengers that man, in the knowledge of his own wicks of ness, has ever shadowed for himself out of the darkness - his ignorant mind, swelled that ghastly crowd until the artist's brain reeled, and he was fain to sit with his head 111 his hands, trying, by a great effort of :the will, to elo rc ., these loathsome phantoms.—Miss Braddon's Tohn 31arch mont's Legacy. BAVARIAN MORALITY AND INFANT MORTALITY' —ln Lower Bavaria, illegitimate births are one in four ; 161 the Palatinate, where freedom from vexatious I°l6 (through the introduction of the Code Napoleon) produces less proportion of crime, more contentment, and far greater, prosperity, they are one in nine—and in Saxony and F r s sia, one in 13. In Munich, in one year, there we re I,‘ r legitimate and 1,702 illegitimate births—nor is it rare 0 . the illegitimate births in one month to exceed the KW:, mate. But the worst side disclosed by t h ese s tatistics the the proportion of deaths. In the whole of Bavaria Inc).. die under 14 than over—and the number that die helot" ; attaining one year is four times as great as the mut e _ which comes next to it, grown-up people who die bet i vi d 1 4` 60 and 70. That is, in one year more than 69,00 th O es ch o l chi , - died, and only 62,000 persons are over 14. of greatest dren 63,000 were under one year, whereas between e D n o e w ra i l e c a a n rogon , s o I Sunday number of deaths above 14 were 13,000, 01 : 31 1 :i p c l h e . 60 and 70. Wilberforce's Social Life Ca ta .E i le, a salltu n A g A G l MUTINY ON BOARD TELE GOLD the crew un v L a er E ts . isne, a o no ri ~_sailed from the Mersey Monday last the Golden B 9 g t about 690 or 600 tons, the proP d e r g u tmy on the high wa s ay e which Messrs. Poole f chartered e b y y vt Messrs.ag and Co. were the consign!es. the river, and in theHesetteencntghat a day or t sa w sst:a o ek tody on a c harge °f ,nu Martintiny arrived at the police-efface in Dale' o'clock Captain thestatement cue° and m ade which led to the interfer _ street, of the police. when Liverpool, the ship was off the coast of Wales, some aeA r nf e the t io u rrnutnhtoose doe:fleet:oos. distance from Holyhead, the crew mustered and came aft, requ esting to se e hi m. He asked whet h er th e y had a n y. down upon co mplaint to m a k e, and said if they ha d h e wou ld take 16 his official slate for transfer to the log. They did not, however, make any complaint, but returned for 1 : short time forward. Afterwards they again came aft, seise: the captain, tied him with a rope, placed him in his at . ' ll o room, and stationed a sentry at the door. At the same OW_ they secured the two mates. They then reversed the course of the ship and came back to Liverpool, keeping the caP r ta t . a prisoner until their arrival in the Mersey. vessel entered the river a boat came off, and the stewarail acting under the captain's orders, got the boatman board. The captain lay upon the table in the cabin an _ d other feigned sleep, while the steward got the log-book an documents, tied them about him, and got into ',the . e . o _ o , leaving a rope hanging over the ship's side es bo sot The captain then jumped up, rushed past the sentrYc/:4 upon deck, slipped over the side into the boat, and es e to shore. Upon the receipt of this information at th t l: ce lice-station, Inspector Horne, Inspector Cairns, Det e , c __ je , Soon afte r Beattie, and 12 constables went off to the Golden and there took into custody ten of the crew. :Yestercla! the ten men were brought up at th e police-court, Wile:A. captain's statement was received , and the case adjourn THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 29, 1863,