The Sun. — London, England, 1863-04-16 00:00:00

f EXHIBITION of ALUMINIUM and ALUMINIUM BRONZE. 2,AN)SPECIMENS, illustrating the cation (Ornamental and Useful) of these in teresting Metals, ARE NOW ON VIEW at MATTIN BROTHERS'STR NEW ROOMS, .222, REGENT EET. Admission by Card. ITER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.- ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE WEEK. `1 EIS EVENING (Thursday), April 16 (Subscription :%;ght), will be performed, for the second time this season, .13,?ilini's favourite Opera, I PURITANI. With the following powerful cut Livira, Mdlle. Titiens ; Enrichetta, Madame Corsi ; Walton, ,t)l , n, or 13ossi ; Riccardo, Signor Gassier ; Bruno , Signor Sold' ; Giorgio, Signor Vialetti ; and Arturo, Signor Giuglini. Conductor, Signor ARDITI. After which will be produced a new and original Ballet, hi Four Tableaux, entitled LA FARFALL I! A. Com posed by Signor Prospero Diani. The music by Signor P. Giorga. Farfalletta, Mdlle. Amalia Ferraris (her first ap pearance these two years), supported by Mane. Pieroni, M. 'Mani, and M. Alessandro Paul. - IL TRO VATORE, Saturday next, April 18.—In conse quence of every place having been disposed of for its repre sentation on Saturday last, and owing to the impossibility of repeating it for some period on account of forthcoming novel ties, Verdi's favourite Opera, Il Trovatore, will be again me performed on Saturday next, April 18, with the sa unparalleled cast. Doors open at half-past Seven. The Opera will commence at Eight o'clock precisely. Boxes, Stalls, and Tickets may be had at the Box-ofllce of the Theatre (under the Colonnade in the 'layman eV, which is open daily, under the superintendence of D&r. Nugent, Prim Ten till Six ; and at all the principal Libraries and Music sellers. T" AT R E-R OYA L , D RURY-LANE.-- Lessee and Manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer. THIS EVENING, April 16, for the 356th time in London , Lorraine, Walter Lacy , PEEP O'DAY. Mes'rs. Henn' Verner, Addison, J. Graham. G. Spencer, T. Nerille, Misses Cleveland, Clara Weston, M. Hudson, &c. To conclude vith MAGIC TOYS. Valentine, Miss Lydia Thompson. Commence at 7, rir H. EA T RE-1107AL, HAY MARKET. Lessee, Mr. J. R. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, SHE STOOPS TO CDNQUER. Tony, Mr. Buckstone ; Miss Hardcastle, Miss Louisa Angel ; Mrs. Hardcaastle, Mrs. Wilkins. Atter which, an apropos Dramatic Sketch, introducing a Panorama of the Tour of the Prince of Wales in the East. To conclude with BORROWING A HUSBAND. Pamela Miss Maria Harris. Commence at 7. T HEATRE ROYAL LYCEUM OPEN, under the Sole Management of Mr. FECHTE Pw THIS EVENING, at 7, to commence with an Original Sketch, entitled A SUDDEN ATTACK. Messrs. Shore, Garden, H. Widdicomb, Miss Henrade, and Mrs. Lee. After which, at a Quarter to Eight, a New Romantic Drama, in Three Acts, and Pr3log, John entitled THE DUKE'S MOTTO, by Paul Feval a n d Brougham. The principal character will be sustained by Mr. Fechter, mu:ported by Messrs. G. Vining., J. Brougham, H. NV iddi combe, W. M'lntyre, F. Charles, Garden, Raymond, H. Butler, Dawson; Misses Carlotta Leclercq, Kate Terry, E. Lavenue, and Elsworthy. . Vining. Acting-Manager, Mr. H. Stage-Manager , Mr. G Barnett. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE Lessees, Yeas s. Linder and Vining. THIS EVENENG the drama of AURORA FLOYD. Mi , s Amy Sedgwick, Miss Henderson, and Mrs. Simpson ; Messrs. H. Roxby, G. Melville, G. Belmore, C. Seyton, Wallace, and 'athcart. After which, KILLING TIME. Mr. Ge'. Vining, Mr. C Seyton, and Miss Amy Sedgwick. To conclude with a new whimsical Extravaganza, entitled BEAUTIFUL TI AIDE ; or The Sea Nymph and the Sallee Rovers. Misses M. Oliver, Helen Howard, Hudspeth, Hen derw n, and Murray; Messrs. C. Seyton, G. Belmore, Fitz- James, Moreland, and Cockerilt. NSW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHI. — Sole Pro Dilator and Manager, Mr. B. Webster. THIS EVENING, THE TRIAL OF TOMPKINS. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford, Sefton, Miss Kate Kelly, and Miss A. Seaman. After which, at Eight o'clock, AURORA FLOYD. Miss Avonia Jones, Miss H. Simms, Mrs. Billington ; Mr. Benj. Webster, Mr. Paul Bedford M , r. R. Phillips, Mr. Billington, Mr. Stuart, Mr. Sefton, Mr. Romer, Mr. C. J. Smith. Commence at 7. fIIFIE THIRD EDITION OF "THE SUN," 1 Containing the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, can be had Every Evening of G. R. GLENIE, News AGENT, No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park. The Weather---Sun Office, April 16, 1863. THERMOMETER. Highest since Noon yesterday. Lowest during the night This day at N00n..... -- _ Wind—W. ; very fine. lIIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. TE DAY: Morning, 12h. 42m.—Afternoon, lh. sm. To-gonaaw.-Morning, lh. 28m.—Afternoon, lh. 50m. tt -1 • IF ''''''‘OlAklOF OP& loUt LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1863. One amusing fragment of intelligence is brought to us in these last advices from the American sea of war. It is to the effect that that unfortunate Admiral FARRAGUT has, after all, proved himself to be exactly too clever by half. Having contrived, as we know, to slip adroitly past Port Hudson, with flying colours at the mast-head of his flag-ship the Hartford—poor Admiral FARRAGUT all of a sudden wakes up to a recognition of the fact that he has fairly and quite deliberately trapped himself ! Fears are rife, we learn, among his sympathisers, that both his own vessel and its companion in suc cess (and misfortune !), the Albatross, may come to grief there most inopportunely. Reasonable fears enough, they would seem to be, moreover, when we learn that not only are the Hartford and the Albatross isolated from their hitherto co-operative gunboats, but that actually those far-seeing and much-contriving Confederates have no less than three rams, there, in between Port Hudson and Vicksburg, the beleaguered bat impregnable 1 liearning which, 'we cannot but look forward, with the liveliest interest, to the next news that may be brought to us from the Mississippi. All that the Federals appear to live upon just now, in the way of favourable prospects, may be epitomised within the compass of a single vague rumour in reference to the reported pre parations made or making at Richmond with a view to its evacuation. As yet the un likeliest move well imaginable, on the part of the Southerners. The Northerns, however, have so little to cling to in the way of hope, that to that most dim and vague anticipation of a some thing that may happen, they hold on '(to employ one of their own vernacular phrases of exaggeration) by the eyelashes. Richmond —perhaps—one of these fine days—may, within the limits of a bare possibility, 6. evacuated. At the feeble suggestion of Whicb , there is a cry of Jubilate from the New Yorkites and the Washingtonians. Nay, nor is this all, in their manner of revealing the extent of their credulity—in their way of believing what, in Shake sperian diction, the wish is fat her to I There come to us, this time, across the Atlantic, tid ings of something like a popular demon stration among the Federals in favour of .--whom is it supposed ? Why, of no less infamous a personage than General BUTLER! Admiral WILKEs would have been bad enough, had he been selected as the object or hero for another ovation. But—General BUTLER ! Why, the force, we won't s ay of folly, of absolute audacity on the part of the Federal population could certainly no further go than this. The acclamations greeting General BUTLER the other day in the midst of his err husi astic fellow-citizens are nothing less than an outrage to our common humanity. As such they will be regarded, too, not alone in Englanehelaut far and wide throughout Europe. And when the New York journals can say, as one of them actually does, in 80 man y words, that " General BUTLER'S d,nunciations of England, and his predictions of retribution for the wrongs she has committed, were received and echoed with the utmost enthusiasm at the Academy of Music"—(the Hall, surely, of Dis cord and not of Harmony)—the only sentiment in spired, on this side the ocean, will be those of simple, unmixed, unmitigated contempt. Of all the pre- Pastarous exhibitions yet made in the glare of pub licity by Yankee bounce, that of which this de. niffiletrattuu in favour of General BUTLER and against Enigma was the most sig nal e xemplar, i w ithout any do u bt at all about it, the most utterly ridiculous. Here is the Federal Government worsted by the Southernreb e i s systemat i ca ll y nearly every time since the outbreak of the civil war. Here is the Federal Army, wretchedly generalled, cruelly discomfited, perpetually outmanoeuvred, time and again brought by the foe into some de plorable fix, upon occasion so utterly routed that there is no adequate word besides the newly-coined one of stampede, by which to give expression to the mere pace of their scattering! Yet—before the tide in the Federal fortunes has given any indication whatever of even a tendency to turn—the Fede rals themselves are going to do, we don't know what all ! To enumerate in plain words a few of the little exploits they have now complacently chalked out for themselves—they are going then—almost immediately--(ZaDKIEL was not at their elbow to supply them with the precise date)—to re-establish the American Republic one and indivisible! And simultaneously with the ac complishment of that little feat, to absorb the two Canadas, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfound land, the whole sweep of the Hudson Bay Com pany's Territory, British Columbia, and Vancouver ! Such are absolutely the meaning of the cool pre dictions enunciated by the Federal wiseacres at this grand demonstration of theirspro Gen. BUTLER and con Great Britain ! Mrs. GLASSE% recommen dation, in regard to the hare, never probably occur ring to the Federals, while they talked thus glibly about the goose they are evidently bent upon cook ing for that old_ man of the sea, JOHN BULL, that SINBAD among the Nations. It is precisely in the same sublime spirit of exaggerated self-complacency that one of the aspirants to the Presidential chair in succession to Mr. ABRAHAM LINCOLN had it put put forth, a brief while since, that ke would never consent to be PRESIDENT of part of the States, but must have them all, without any reservation whatever, owning allegiance to his supreme magis terial authority. So now, precisely in a kindred spirit, your true Federal, not content with exulting over what is to him the dead certainty of a Re union very soon between North and South—must needs blow a fanfaronade in honour of the absorp tion into those re-United States, of all the British possessions but just now enumerated ! Of such a revivified American Republic as that, there can be ene only suitable President—to wit, Gen. BUTLER himself ! The supreme commander of his maritime forces being, as a matter of course, Admiral NVILKEs ! His aptest Secretary of State, we would suggest, moreover, might be Mr. G. F. TRAIN ! His Chaplain in Ordinary, or extra-Ordinary, no other than the Rev. Mr. BEECHER The /VeW York Herald, let us hint, the Official Gazette of the new Government ! And then, probably, we should see—what we should see! Earl RUSSELL'S indignant remonstrance and the firm stand taken by Lord LYONS in regard to the seizure of British vessels have produced the desired effect. The instructions to Federal cruisers that have been drawn up and were published yesterday, are only a revival of the ordinary regulations adopted by belligerent Powers in regard to neutrals, and which have hitherto been so b g rossly v i o l ate d y Ad m i ra l WILKES and others. In all probability this result has been in a great measure brought about through motives of expediency. The Government at Wash ington were more influenced by the fear of a colli sion with British cruisers than animated by the feelings of justice or desirous of obeying those laws of courtesy which ought to regulate the actions of all great Powers, whether in war or peace. Admiral WILICES, whose overbearing insolence has been the source of so much comment, has had to undergo the mortification of looking on while two steamers, known to be destined for Confederate ports, were convoyed by a British frigate from Barbadoes. Had no English cruiser been in port the vessels must inevitably have been seized, Admiral WILKES having announced his intention of capturing them directly they left port. In fact, one of them having made an attempt to go out, the Vanderbilt imme diately got up steam, whereupon the English steamer dropped anchor and demanded the protec tion of the frigate, which the Captain of the Phaeton immediately accorded, and forthwith communicated with Admiral WILKES, and the steamers left port without further molesta tion. This circumstance proves the necessity of our having a large fleet in the American waters; and there are plenty of idle ships in our dockyards which might be made available. Precautions of this kind would do much to prevent the arrogant assumption and insolent interference of American commanders. Had a fifty-gun frigate like the Phaeton been in the vicinity Commodore WILKES would never have dared to interfere with the Trent. He would then have found discretion the better part of valour. It is all very well for the American Government to make promises, but to be certain of their being kept it is prudent to be in a position to compel their observance. Indeed, it is more than probable that while Mr. STUART is assuring Earl Runlx of his desire to meet his views, his secretary may be writing private instructions to commanders of Federal cruisers in direct contravention to their public orders. Earl RUSSELL'S letter is an admirable one, so far as it goes, and mare decided and determined in its tone than his lordship often is in similar cases. He says that he is glad, on the part of our Government, that the orders have been rescinded which regarded any interference with neutral vessels. He then goes on to say, with something threatening in his manner, that had they been sanctioned by the Government of the United States, they would have called for prompt and firm remons t rance on our put. This is 1 exactly the style in which the Cabinet at Washing ton must be treated in order to arrive at any satin_ factory conclusion of a vexed question, or to enable us to maintain an incontestable right with dignity and decorum. His Lordship then authorises Mr. STUART to intimate to Mr. SEA'Aitro that "to order vessels, though apparently and prima facie carrying on a lawful trade, to be systematically seized on the high seas , without any preliminary search, and without the discovery during suc h suspicion of any strong e vidence of suspici against such vessel, would be to subject the mercantile marine of neutrals to a system of oppression and annoyance which no neutral Go. vernment could be expected to tolerate." This is the most fitting l anguage i n w hi c h to express the extreme dissatisfaction that the conduct of the Federal navy has given in all quarters. Lord RUSSELL thus concludes his letter to Mr. STUART :—" The unjust seizure under urgent circumstances of a neutral vessel may be considered as one of the occasional bur dens which a state of war may impose upon a neutral, and it may be partially compensated by the condemnation of the captor in coats, or in costs and damages; but the indiscriminate and general seizure of merchant vessels without previous search converts an occasional exception into an in tolerable rule. " It is desirable that you should ascertain from Mr. Seward whether the Government of the United States admits the principle that her Majesty's mail bags shall neither be searched not detained. , ' That phrase which characterises the converting of an " occasional exception' , into an " intolerable rule" is a most happy one, and most aptly epito- THE SUN, LONDO mises the whole policy of the Federal comnlanders , and the general tenonr of the instructions given to them at headquarters. Also the paragraph that relates to the mail-bags is a most important one. Reference is made to this subject in the course of the instructions, where a stipulation is made that "no official seals or fastenings of . foreign authorities are on any pretext to be broken." After further directions it is said that all such parcels are to be delivered to the consul or legislation of the foreign government to be opened, upon the understanding that whatever is contraband will be remitted to the prize court or Secretary of State at Washington. Mr. SEWARD has shown unusual good sense in- giving these instructions to naval Federal officers, and it is to be hoped that they will be attended to both in the letter and the spirit. One thing attracts notice, and that is that all the fuss and pretensions that have been made have not gained the point of preventing traffic with the South. In spite of innumerable precautions, we learn that Charleston is enjoying a larger direct foreign trade than she has ever had before. This proves that the most violent measures are not always the most effective ones, and that a more con siderate policy from the outset would have been the wisest and best course for the Washington Go vernment to have followed. Among the notices of motion dropped on Tuesday . owing to the rising of the house, was one by Mr. SHERIDAN with regard to Fire Insurances. The hon. member last night expressed his hope that the Government would make some arrangement re pecting these notices, but he also indulged in the anticipation that the financial statement, which we are all anxiously awaiting, might render his own motion superfluous. There are certainly few sources of taxation which more imperatively demand relief, and Mr. GLADSTONE could hardly dispose better of a portion of his surplus than by removing this obnoxious and unfair impost. It is, in fact, only another form of property tax, charging a man's property in proportion to his prudence, his caution, and all those qualities which the Legislature is bound to encourage rather than to levy duty upon. The mere principle of the tax is unjust and censur able; but the rate at which it is levied is simply preposterous. The insurance offices, as we all know, charge in proportion to risk, but the Government fol lo-ws a plan of Its own, sometimes being so moderate as to charge only 100 per cent, at other 'times rising in its demands to 200 or 300 per cent. Thus if the office charge at the rate of 2s. 6d. per cent. on the amount of the insurance, the Government duty on that half-crown will be 3s. 6d., raising the sum aid as security against fire to a height which is a very serious discouragement to men of property. The consequence is that the greed of the Govern ment, as is so often the case, defeats itself and large amounts are insured in Hamburg and elsewhere where there is no duty, and thus a good deal of busi ness that should, by rights, be transacted in London is carried to foreign offices. It is not to be expected that men who wish to insure for tens of thousands will be very willing to pay mcre than double the amount claimed as a a fair investment by the office, knowing all the while that for these large sums disbursed yearly they will get not one penny of value. A merchant may insure in Hamburg for £lO,OOO for less than half what it will cost him in London to insure for £5,000, and it is not pro bable that under these conditions he should put the matter in the hands of his countrymen when foreigners conduct their business on more reasonable terms. The duty on fire insurances has long been complained of, but the complaints have been passed over, and less pressing claims disposed •f, while this very urgent reform was left uuheeded. We are inclined to regret that Mr. SHERIDAN'S motion has not been discussed before the Budget came on, as a strong expression of public feeling on the subject might have had weight with the Chan cellor c f the Exchequer. That brilliant but eccentric financier does not always think fit to give us what we most need. Perhaps he thinks we shall appreciate his gifts the more if he keeps us a few years in eager expectation. It is very possible he may think it more advisable to take the duty off some elaborate luxury used only by the upper ten thousand than to relieve us of this heavy burden, which presses most severely on those com mercial classes which Mr. GLADSTONE professes to favour. We must hope, however, that the financial statement will carry out Mr. SHERIDAN'S anticipa tions, by abolishing a duty so contrary to every sound principle of fiscal legislation. Every branch of insurance should be free of duty, and every encouragement should be afforded to commercial prudence, instead of obstacles and impediments being thus placed in the way. The Government certainly take no part in protecting property from fire. The ela borate system of our Fire Brigades, the well appointed engines and efficient men, are not regu lated under any Government system, or with official help. It is a matter of business between the in surers and the insured. The owner of valuable pro perty is unwilling to incur the risk of damage or destruction without some compensation for the loss. The office, in its turn, accepts the risk and provides the means of protection. Why should the Government step in to take the lion's share by imposing a tax which doubles the expense of the one party without adding to the profits of the other. Were such interference of frequent occurrence in commercial transactions the trade of London would certainly not be what it is. We shall look with interest for Mr. GLADSTONE'S views on this matter, hoping they will be in accordance with the doctrines of common sense and justice. SURREY THEATRE. The success predicted for the "sensation" drama " Jessie Ashton, or London by Day and Night," is now being verified nightly, and an ample return will be the reward of the great exertions of I Mr. Shepherd, the sole lessee of this favourite place of amusement. As a specimen of stage "mounting," the drama is a perfect masterpiece, as nearly every other scene is one of the most elaborate description. The "cellar in the old house" tnisnega.t th at vel r n y striking and original picture, and the m this equ alg sceneit is w the exterior ave on e o o f f t t h h e e samem osttelling build situations of the drama, viz., the first escape of Jessie Ashton, and the bravery with which .liss Panncefort descends the rope from the uppermost part of the " Old s liouse" to the river is perfectly astonishing. Space precludes us from entering into all the other striking features of the drama, but we cannot omit to mention the admirable manner in which the "fire at the Golden Tankard" is arranged, and the extreme truthfulness and beauty with which the last scene--" New Westminster-bridge, the River, and the Houses of Parliament by moonlight' —is painted. As a scenic illusion it is one of the most remarkable ever seen, and of itself will be con sidered quite sufficient to repay a visit. It is rumoured that the late director of H r Majesty's Theatre is preparing for publication a " History of the Op era " d ur i ng the period o f hi s con nection with that theatre. Such a work cannot fail to possess great interest for the musical and artistic worli, since the mate rials for its composition must be of extraordinary value, in cluding personal anecdote, correspondence, and other de tails of varied character. CRYSTAL PALACE.—ONE SHILLING DAY.—Yes' terday the admissions on payment were 1,650; ditto by season tickets, 808; total, 2,458. N, niußsDAy ;O,TEINING, APRIL 16, 1863 THE T rREECE, A letier from Athens of the 3d inst. gives the following details of the proceedings of the Senate in respect to the adoption of the Prince of Denmark as King of Greece : " ATHENS, April 3. " In the sitting of the 30th of March the Senate unani mously proclaimed Prince William of Denmark King of Greece. The text of the decree voted by the Assemb'y is as follows : _ _ _ " Art. 1. Prince Christian William Ferdinand Adolphus George, second son of Prince Christian of Denmark, is proclaimed Constitutional King of the Greeks, under the name of George 1., King of the Greeks. " ' Art. 2. His legitimate successors shall profess the or thodox law of the East. ' Art. 3. A commission of three members, selected by he National Assembly, sha I proceed to Copenhagen to offer the Crown to the Prince in the name of the Greek nation.' " Immediately afterwards the members of the Assembly proceeded in a body to the Cathedral, where a solemn Te Deum was chanted, and 101 guns announced the cere mony, presided over by the Archbishop of Athens, sur rounded by his clergy. The members of the Provisional Government, the holy synod, the archbishops present at Athens, and all the high dignitaries and officers of the Government attended. " Whea the Te Deum was over, the President and the representatives, as also all the members of the Provisional Government, proceeded to the square in front of the Palace, where a review of the troops was held, to the shouts of Long live George 1., King of the Greeks ? " At night the city was illuminated. " Another decree rendered by the National Assembly refers to the cession of the lonian Islands. It is couched as follows : " ‘ The Second National Assembly of the Greeks at Athens-- " ' Taking into consideration the declaration made in the speech of 11.31, the Queen of Great Britain, pronounced on the opening of the British Parliament, concerning the ces sation of the protectorate of England over the lonian Islands, as also the communications on the same subject made to the Provisional Government by the Envoy Extra ordinary of the said Power, a benefactor of Greece ; "' Making it.elt, after the election which has just taken place of the King of the Greeks, the interpreter of the wishes of the nation, decrees : "' 1. The Greek nation expresses its ardent wish to see the Greek State cf the lonian Islands united as soon as possible under the constitutional sceptre of George 1., King of the Greeks, to Greece, which is now free. " ' 2. Thanks are offered to her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain by the Greek nation, for the benevolent in tention she has already mani'ested as regards the accom plishment of the ardent wish of the Greek nation. ".' 2. The Executive Power is caarged to communicate this decree to the proper quarter.' " THE MISSISSIPPI. The Mississippi ("father of waters") is by far the largest of North American rivers. Rising in the small lake of Itasca, on the verge of the middle table-land, at an elevation of 1,500 or 1,600 feet, it runs southward through the great central plain, re ceiving numerous accessions from either side, end, after a winding course of 3,160 miles, falls through a swampy delta into the Gulf of Mexico. Its main tributaries on the right or Rocky Moantain Bide, in wiiich they take their rise, are the Missouri—a river even longer, larger, and having more effluents than the Mississippi itself—the Arkansas, having also many effluents, and the Red River; R bile on the left its chief tributary is the Olio, with its numerous feeders from the western slopes of the Alleghenies. Between the Reeky Mountains on the west, and the Appalachians ou the east, lies, therefore, the great conjoint basin of the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio, having an area of more Clan a million square miles; containing every description of soil and scenery—prairie, barren, and woodland; watered by innumerable streams and several navig able rivers; and possessing every variety of climate, from the coldly temperate highlands of Nebraska to the sub•tropical warmth of the Gulf of Mexico. Tee Missiksippi, we have said, has a winding course of 3,160 miles, but if the Missouri be taken as the main stream, its length is 2,260 miles ; while that of the Arkansas is 2,000, and the Oeio more than 1,000 miles. The breadth of the Missouri and Mississippi at their confluence is about half a mile, and the main stream downwards is very little more. Though gentle, the current is by no means sluggish; and thus, during floods, from the melting of the snow in the higher latitudes, the rivers sweep downwards immense quantities of mud, driftwood, and other debris. The Missouri is said to be navigable " from the Great Falls in the Rocky Mountains to the sea, a distance of 4,000 miles; the Mississippi, from those of St. Anthony, 2,240; while the Ohio, being connected by a system of canals with Lake Erie, and thence to Lake Ontario, carries out a water communication between the Gulfs of Mexico and St. Lawrence." The Delta of the Mississippi, which projects itself forward into the Gulf of Mexico, is a low and unhealthy region, nearly 14,000 square miles in area, and full of lagoons, creeks, and pestilential marshes.—Page's " Introductory Text-Book of Physical Geography." —This day published by the Messrs. W. Blackwood and Sons. THE PE TERHOFF. The English steamer Peterhoff, a prize to the Vanderbilt, has arrived at this port. She was sent to Key West for adjudication, and thence here, as her cargo would bring more at this port when sold than at Key West. She is an iron steamer, of about 1,000 tons burden, brig rigged, and of a modern build. From the time of her loading in London Admiral Wilkes has had his eye on her, and from all we can learn was pretty well assured that be would capture in her a lawful prize. It ap pears that the would-be blockade runner was not caught in the act of attempting to run it, nor was she ever on the ground near a blockading fleet; but it was known that she had a rebel mail on board intended for Richmond, and that at one time a rebel colonel was on board as a passenger, but just previous to her quitting her last port the bearer of despatches left, but allowed the mail and de spatch bag to remain on board, with instructions to forward it to its destination. Among her passen gers were several chymists with a full stock of medicines and drugs; but these very much valued articles are said to be marked for Matamoros. Upon the whole the case is a very complicated one, and many suppose the vessel will be cleared. But yet it must be that Admiral Wilkes has good grounds for sending her in as a prize, or he would not have seized her. For the present communication with the vessel is interdicted, and but little can be found in relation to the case.—New York Herald. TIIE RETIREMENT OF CAPTAIN ROBERTSON OF THE 4TH DRAGOON GUARDS.—Reports are current on good authority, relative to the sale of his commission by Captain Robertson, which require explanation. If these are to be relied on, Captain Robertson has been treated with unusual harshness. He had requested, we are told, and ob tained leave of absence from his duty, until the sth of the present month. He had all but effected an exchange into an infantry regiment at the Cape, anxious to pay off the lia bilities which oppress him with the sum he w,.uld thus receive as the difference in the value of the commissions. Unfortunately, while just about to complete the exchange he was arrested for debt and placed in Kilmainham prison. Then it is stated that the authorities of his regiment waited upon him in the prison, announced that his leave of absence had been cancelled, and told him that he should " either join or sell." Under this pressure Captain Robert son had no alternative, He " sent in his papers," sold his commission, and is no longer an officer in her Majesty's service. " FUN'S SPIRIT COMMISSION. Daniel Chequers, first witness.—ls a clerk in the City Know anything of spirits? Rather. Prefers whisky, though rum and water, with three lumps of sugar and a slice of lemon, ain't bad. Not that kind of spirit I Oh I very good ; another party. Yes;. has heard of mediums. Wishes they were circulating mediums. Wouldn't he go in for them I Not at all ; oh, no I The go vernor promised to raise hit screw last Christmas; didn't do it, though. Thought him a screw. (The Com missioner here stopped the witness, as his evidence was be coming irrelevant.) Never heard a spirit rap; thought a spirit deuced lucky if it always had a rap. Knew he hadn't sometimes, especially just before his money was due. Had seen a table go round—a whole room, for the matter of that. (On being asked when this manifestation took place, wit ness at last confessed it was after the sixth tumbler o: whisky and water, when celebrating Alec M'Reekie's birthday. Upon which ho was ordered to retire ; whereupon be became abusive, and wished to know what the Commis sioner was going to stand ? Plantagenet Millefleure—ls in the Guards. Don't seem to care about spirits. Doesn't know a medium; why should he? Mediums don't give dinners and parties; then what's the use of knowing them? Thinks Home a humbug; rather a cad than otherwise. Howitt ? never heard of him ; not in the army—perhaps in the militia, or a volunteer. Objects to volunteers on principle : the regulars all do Supernatural agency I never heard of it. His agents art Cox and Co., the Craig's -court men. Nothing to do with them ? Well, can't help it. Objects to being botherel any more; has an appointment at the Rag, and can't stop any Queer. (Here the witness sauntered out.) th , , 1 1j - ffUrt t/Irtnar, 0.1 HER MAJESTY. WINDSOR CASTLE, April 15. The Queen, accompanied by her Royal Highness the Princess Helena, and attended by the Hon. Harriett Phipps, drove out in a carriage and four yesterday afternoon. Mt-.jor General Seymour attended on horseback. Her Majesty, attended by Lady Augusta Bruce, drove out this morning. Colonel Hon. A. Hardinge was in attendance. Their Royal Highnesses Prince Leopold and and Princess Beatrice went to London, and visited the Zoological Gardens, attended by Lady Caroline Barrington, and Captain Sir W. Hoste. Captain Hon. F. Egerton, R.N., arrived at the Castle yesterday. Lord Cremorne and Captain Sir W. Hoste have succeeded Lord de Tabley and Lieutenant-Colonel Kingscote as Lord and Groom in Waiting. The Marchioness ot Dy has succeeded the Duchess of Athole as Lady in Waiting to the Queen. THE SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM. The following were among the company present at the South Kensington Museum at the private view of the presents to their Royal Highnesses the P,ince and Princess of Wales : Dukcs,—Roxburghe, Sutherland, Rutland, Somerset, Devon-hire. Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. Mar,uises.—Donegal, Drogheda, Ailsa, Westmeath, Lon donderry. Earls.—Vane, Cadogan, Cottenham, Craven, Dartmouth, Fife, Enniskillen, Galloway, Bathurst, Effingham, St. Ger mans, Lauesbotough, Bantry, Sefton, Eldon, Dtaart, Gainaborough, Caithness, Granville, Wicklow, Grey, Erne. Tankerville, Lindsay, Camperdown, Hopei oun, Mornington, Stanhope, Powis, DeGrey and Ripon, Monson, 1 1 Home. Dowager Countess of Jersey; Countesses—Zetland, Gainsborough, Ranfurly, Cowper, Airlie. Viscounts.—Middleton, Gage, Enfield, M.P., Canterbury, Andover, M.P., Nevi'', Torrington, Donaraile, Lifiord, Strangford, Galway, M.P., Hamilton. Archbishop of Canterbury. Bishops.—London,. Winchester, Exeter, Oxford. His Eminence Cardinal Wiseman. Lords.—A. H. Trevor, Brougham and Vaux, Cremorne, Claud Hamilton, Belper, A. S. Churchill, M.P., Sudeley, Delamere, John Manners, M.P., Clarence E. Paget, M.P., Taunton, Harry Vane, Robert Clinton, I itzhardinge, De Freyne, Blantyre, Gran' ley, Downes, Sondes, Tenderden, Thurlow, Redesdale, Carew, Chelmsford, Keane, Dormer, Wharncliffe, Lyndhurst, Colchester, Rivers, Truro, Lennox, M.P., Wensleydale, Muskerrey, Raglan, It, Montague, M.P., Proby, M.P., Vaux of tiartowden, Fermoy, M.P., Vivian, Bateman, Walsingham, Carrington, Clyde, Henley, M.P. Ladies.—Mackenzie, MacDougall, Charlotte Schreiber, Shelley, Rolle, Bruce, Eastlake, Bryant, Lowe, Jenkins, Lewis, Grant, Stewart, Rowe, Lamond. Baronets and Knights—Bulwer Lytton, M.P., P. O'Brien, Henry end Lady Rich, J. P. Boileau, John Mel lor, Hugh Cairns, M.P., Massy Lopes, M P., W. Farquhar, M.P., W. P. Gallway, M.P., J. V. Shelley, M.P, W. Scott, M.P., W. Wallace, J. B. Byles, J. P. Wylde, G. Forster, M.P., W. J. Alexander, M.P., G. S. Mont gomery, 11. J. Strhcay, M.P., B. W. Bridges, M.P., E. Lai:cheer, R.A., J. Trelawny, M.P., J. V. B. Johnstone, W. J. Hayter, M.P , John Ogilvy, M,P., Alex. D. G3rdon, T. E. Colebrook, W. G., Joliffe, M P., James Prior, Ed ward J. Mildmay, Sir A. and Lady Weldon, J. E. D. Acton, J. Matheson, M.P., Francis Scott, W. M'Arthur, Colin Blackburn, F. W. Heygate, M.P., J. Burgoyne, K.C.8., W. Davison, H. H. Bruce, M.P., W. Athetton, G. P. Lee, H. S. Keating, W. Dunbar, M.P., Charles and Lady Rowley, William Russell, M.P., F. Madden, M. W. R dley, M.P., C, E. Eastlake, P.R.A., W. Topham, E. Kerrisoo, M.P., W. Page Wood, F.R.S., Richard Levinge, M.P., J. Fakington, u.e., A. W. Buller, M.P., J. Ferguss MT., C. Compton, Lawrence Palk, M.P., Stafford H. Northcote, M.P., CT. Bowyer, M.P., General Sir E. MacArthur, Lieutenant-General Sir H. Bentinck, K.O B. Right Honourable s.—C. P, Villiers, M.P., John Denis'n, M.P., Sir Robert Peel, M.P., :veneer H. Walpole, M.P., G. C. Norton, J. It Mowbray, M.P„ H. A. Berbert,M.P. B. Disraeli, M.P., E lward 11..rste,an, M.P., James Mon• creiff, M.P., C, Duncornbe, F. G. Headlam, M.P., E. P. Bouverie, M.P., F, Peel, N.,P., C.. 8. Adderley, M.P., W. Hunt, M.P. Honourables.—Percy S. Wyndham, Colonel Foley, R. Curzon, C. P. Berkeley, M.P., W. C. albot, F. C. Howard, F Byng, Georgo Browne, A. Thesiger, H. G. Lid lel!, P. P. Bouver:e, H. Duncan, W. B Portman, ALP , G. Denman, R. H. Dutton, W. Stuart Knox, M.P, W. W. Addington, Wilbraham Egerton, M.P,, C. W. S. Howard, Spencer Littleton, Gerard Noel, M.P., Ashley G J. Ponsonby, M.P., G. Wrottesley, F. Calthorpe, M.P., C. H. R. Trclusis, W. E. Gladstone, C. S. Lennox, M P., E C. Curzon, E. Cust, E. Curzon, Lieut.-Col. R. T. Rowley, Lieut.-Col. Coke, M.P., Miss Baring, Mrs. Law, l‘lit,b Jocelyn, Mrs. G. Campbell, G. H. Heallecote, M.P. Baronesses—Mayer de R. thschild and Noith. The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor. Aldermen.—W. Copeland, D. Solomon, M.P., R. Besley, T. Challis, T. Dakin, G. Gibbons, R. S. Phillips, Sir R W. Carden, Thomas Gabriel, Sir F. G. Moon. Ambassadors, &c.—His Excellency Count Apponyi, Count Bernstorff, the Marquis d'Azeglio, Count Wachmeister, Baron de Gros, Mr. D. Longuinoff, Commander de C, Moreira, M. de Biile, Count V. de Eckstaedt, Chevalier F. R. d'Andrada, Prince Yesenberg, Baron Donald Mackay, Marquis de Cadore, Chevalier F. dos Santos, Don Juan B. Valdivia, Chevalier d'Oliveira Silvo, Baron Beck Fries, Captain Falbe, Monsieur le Baron Billing, Stephen Min,u rus Bey, Don Mariano Jose Sanz, Marquis d'Audigee, Chevalier J. A. de Souza Correa, Viscount Cavalho, La Barone, F. de Langlade, Count Lamirni. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in Downing-street. The Ministers present were—Viscount Palmerston, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, Sir George Grey, Earl Russell, the Duke of Newcastle, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Duke of Somerset, the Rigbt Ron. T. Milner Gibson, the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell, and Lord Stanley of Alclerley. His Highness the Maharajah Daleep Singh has returned to Claridge's Hotel from Middleton, Yorkshire. The Marquis of Townshend and Mr. and Lady E. St. Aubyn have arrived in Park-lane from Bfghton. The Marehioness of Salisbury and Mr. and Lady E. Russell are on a visit to the Earl and Countess Delawdrr at Buckhnrst. Sir Alexander and Lady Bannerman and Mrs. Lane Fox are also expected on a visit to the earl and countess. The Countess Dowager of Westmoreland and Lady Rose Fano are expEcted in town this day from Brighton. The Earl of Dalhousie and Lady Christian Maul° have returned to Claridge's Hote l from Scotland, The Mit (pis al,l Marchioties6 of Tweeddale and the 1,5di.-s Hay have arrived at Olariage's Hotel, Brook street, from Earl-Stoke Park. Fleld-Marshal Lord Seaton, Lady Seaton, and family are still residing at Valetta House, Torquay, where they have been passing the winter mouths for the benefit of his lordship's health. L .ey Howard de Walden has arrived at Claridge's Hotel from Brussels. Lord Ravensworth and family have arrived at their residence, Percy's Cross, Walham-green, from Ravens worth Castle, Durham. The King of Hanover has just bestowed the gold medal of honour for art and science on the celebrated vio inist Vieuxtemps, at Paris. The races at the Bois de Boulogne on Sunday were honoured by the presence of the Emperor and the Empress. The course was crowded by an immense number of smart equipages, and thousands of pedestrians. THE IN ENV BARONET. — Tue Rev.lbert Frank land Lewis, M.A., who succeeds to the baronetcy rendered vacant by the death of Sir George Cornewall Lewis, is a younger brother of the late secretary of State for War. He was born in 1808, in the same year with Canon Wordsworth, of Westminster; but his name does not appear in the list either of mathematical or classical hon ours. In 1831 he was ordained deacon by Dr. Huntingford, Bishop of Hereford, and in 1833 was admitted into priest's orders by Dr. Grey, who had meanwhile succeeded to the bishopric of Hereford. Immediately afterwards he was presented by Sir Velters Cornewall, Bart., to the rectory of Mornington-on-the•Wye, near Hereford, worth £360 a year, and about the same time to the rectory of Gl,destry, Radnorshire, worth £350 a year, a living in the gi a ft ll o y f in th l e he P g ri i n it ee ot of Wales, but at the same time of course re fu 1860 he was nomtrtledGb7LowrdhoPawlmasersPtouinin:eo a Mi canonry nter residence in the Cathedral Church of Worcester. Sir Gilbert Lewis is married to the eldest daughter of the late Sir Edmund Antrobus, Bart,, sister of the present member for Wilton. SIR TATTON SYKES, says Bazly's Magazine, once showed puck to the father of Mr. Tattersall. H, was already in the yellow leaf, when the tw ) went together to the theatre at Doncaster, and were sitting on the back row of the boxes. A person aftem ards came in with a cigar in his mouth, which, as some ladies were in the box, he was requested to put out. The man refused, and Mr. tattersall, who, though lame, was strong, opened the door with one hand, and swung the fellow out with the other, the aged baronet immediately jumped up, buttoned his coat, and said in his mild way, " Leave him to me, sir; it he comes back, leave him to me, sir," The man came not, NEUTRAL RIGHTS AND DUTIES. Yesterday was is ued " Correspondence respect ing Instructions given to Naval Officers of the United States in regard to Neutral Vessels and Mails;" also a correspondence between Mr. Adams and Earl Russell on the subject of neutral rights and duties, arising from the incident of the seizure of the British steamer Llbuan at Matameras, the case of which vessel is still under discussion. Mr. Adams, iu the course of this correspondence, asked the British Government to interfere against the "unlawful trade" carried on by British subjects, representing that great embarrassment had arisen to the Federal Government by reason of it, and that the seizure of Labour was the rfault of that embarrassment. Ou the 10th of May, 1862, Earl Russell wrote : EARL RUSSELL TO MR. ADAMS. Foreign-office, May 10, 1862. Sir,—ln the letter I had the honour to reooive from you yesterday, you appear to me to have con founded two things totally distinct. Tee Foreign. Enlistment Act is intended to prevent the subjects of the Crown from going to war when the Sove reign is not at war. Titus private persons are pro hibited from fitting out a ship of war in our ports, or from enlisting in the service of a foreign etate at war with another state, or in the service of insur gents against a foreign sovereign or state. In these cases the persons so acting would carry on war, and thus engage the name of their S evereign and of their nation in belligerent operations. But owners and masters of merchant ships carrying war like stores do nothing of the kind. If captured for breaking a blockade, or carrying contraband of war to the enemy of the captor, they submit to capture, are tried, and condemned to lose their cargo. This is tha penalty which the law of nations has affixed to such an offence, and in calling upon her Mejesty's Government to prohibit such adventures, Sou in effect call upon her Majesty's Government to do that which it belongs to the cruisers and the courts of the United States to do for themselves. There can be only one plea for asking Great Britain thus to interpose. That plea is, that the blockade is in reality ineffective, and that merchant ships can enter with impunity the blockaded ports. But this is a plea which I presume you will not urge. Her Majesty's Government have considered the blockade as an effective blockade, and have submitted to all its inconveniences as such. They can only hope that if resistance should prove to be hopeless, the Con federate States will not continue the struggle; and. that if, on the other hand, the restoration of the Union should appear to be impossible, the work of devastation now going on may cease. her Majesty's Government can only desire the prosperity of the inhabitants of the United States, whatever may be the event of the present civil war. —I am, &0., (signed) RUSSELL. Mr. Adams replied, on May 12, in a letter which concludes as follows: I pray your lordship's pardon if I submit that you appear to have entirely overlooked a plea which I am confident enough to imagine of no inconsiderable weight. That plea is, that the kingdom of Great Britain endeavour, in spirit as well as in the letter, to preserve the priti ciple of neutrality, if not of friendship, towards a foreign nation in amity with it, to which it has pledged itself. 'The precise mode in which that shall be done it does not presume to prescribe. That the toleration of such conduct in subjects of Great Bri tain as I have had the pain heretofore to expose is stalely a violation of that neutrality, is justly to be inferred from the very language of her Majesty's proclamation. For it is therein declared that pre cisely such acts of theirs as I have been compelled here to complain of, are done " in derogation of their duty to her as a neutral sovereign, and incur her high displeasure." If such, then, be the true cha racter of the proceedings to which I have hitherto called your lordship's attention, they surely merit something more of notice from her Majesty's mini sters than an intimation that they will be suffered to pass unreproved unless the punishment shall bs till,cted by the nation whom they are designed to ti.jure. The object of the government of the United States has not be , en to relieve itself of the duty of vigils , ce to capture offenders against the law; it eas rather been to avoid the necessity of applyin g additional stringent measures for their own beell' ity against British subjects found to be engaged in such illicit enterprises, made imperative by the conviction that no preventive co-operation what ever can be expected from her Majesty's Govern ment. ; it has rather been to avoid the risk of con- :ounding the innocent with the guilty, because all happen to be involved in a general suspicion ; and astly, it has rather been to remove at as early a day as may be consistently with its own safety the restrictions on the trade with foreign countries which these evil doers are labouring with so much. industry to force it to protract. Your lordship eaves me little hope of any co-operation of her Majesty's Government to these ends. Nevertheless, trust I may be permitted to indulge the belief that the time is not now far distant when the diffi culties thus interpL,sed iii the way of its progress will have been so far remeved by its own unassisted action as to relieve both countries from the painful necessity of further continuing the discussion. — Renewing, &c., (Signed) CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS. Earl Russell's reply closes the correspondence EARL AUSSELL TO MR. ADAMS. Foreign-office, May 17, 1862. Sir,--1 do not wish to prolong this correspond ence, and shall only make one remark in answer to your last letter. If the British Government, by virtue of the prerogative of the crown, or by authority of Parliament, had prohibited, and could have prevented, the conveyance in Britian mer chant-ships of arms and ammunition to the Con federate States, and had allowed the transport of such contraband of war to New York and to other Federal ports, her Majesty's Government would have departed from the neutral position they have assumed and maintained. It, on the other handl her Majesty's Government bad prohibited, and could have prevented the transport of arms and ammunition to both the contending parties, the, would have ceprived the United States of a great part of the weans by which they have carried 011 the war. The arms and ammunition received frog' Great Britain, as well as from otter neutral court' tries, have enabled the United States to fit out the formidable armies now engaged in carrying on the war against the Southern States; whi►e by means of the blockade establishes by the Federal Go vernment the Southern States have been deprived of similar advantages. The impartial observance of neutral obligations by her Majesty's Government has taus been exceedlugly advantageous to 0 61 cause of the more poAertul of the te, ci contending' parties.—l um, &c., LATEST INTELLIGENCE, (REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.) DENMARK., DENMARK AND THE THRONE OF GREECE. COPENHAGEN, APRIL 18. The Denmark of to-day says :—" The day before yesterday the question of Prince William's candi dature was the subject of an animated debate in the Privy Council. It is asserted that Prince Christian abandoned some of the conditions he formerly re quired for his son's acceptance of the Crown, but still most positively insists upon the abdication of the ex-King Otho." SPAIN. THE SPANISH CONGRESS. MADRID, APRIL 16 (Evening). The rumour acquires consistence that the Cortes will be dissolved after having voted the authoriza tion for the collection of the taxes. To-day in the Chamber of Deputies, Senor Gonzalez Bravo defended the Ministry of Marshal Narvaez, and endeavoured to prove that the Mode rate party is not dissolved, and is united in the manner required from a party when called upon to form a new Ministry. _ _ Sen:r Caivo Asencio enumerated the acts of Marshal Narvaez since 1848, which he said rendered his return to power impossible. FRANCE. THE POLISH QUESTION. PARIS, APRIL 16. The Consizeutionnelof to-day, in an article aimed Limayrac, asks what will be the consequences of the amnesty, and says : " Blood continues to flow iu Poland. Europe has not ceased to be uneasy. Will those who were the victims of the conscription be amnestied? The amnesty testifies to the noble sentiments of the Emperor Alexander. We are willing to believe it to be the first step in the path amicably advised by the great powers, mely, the pursuance of a p olic y which would insure the tranquillity of the i nterior of Russia and the repose of Europe. The amnesty is not a solution, but the hope of a solution." We are assured, says L' Opinion Nationale, that M. Adolphe parrot has addressed to the Spanish Government a demand for an amnesty in favour of the unfortunates condemned for making an at tempt at a Protestant Propaganda. We cannot doabt but that the Cabinet of Madrid wilt defer to the wishes of our ambassador, and we are happy that the initiation of this interven tion should come from the French Government. In effect, when a Protestant Cabinet advances a claim in favour of its co religionists, one can only see in that advance the inspiration of the spirit of sect; but when the chief of a great nation, the immense majority of which is Catholic, takes in hand the defence of the unfortunates who expiate in durance vile the crime of evangelically propagandizing, there is in that intervention an im p osing manifestation in favour of the p rinci p les of justice and tolerance, and an act worthy of that France which has given to the world the grand Philosophy of the Eighteenth Century. According to a despatch received by Le Pays from Cracow, the Imperial Russian manifesto of the 12th has only had the effect of imparting a new impulse to the Polish insurrection. BOURSE, April 15.—The market is again heavy, but without any further decline in quotations— Threes being now at 69f, 95c. The Railway Share market also without animation. The following were the closing prices 1.4 per Cents .. 97 30 Do. end month.... 3 per Cents Do. end month 69 95 Italian Loan 72 Do. end month 72 10 New ditto Do. end month 73 20 Russian Austrian Spani,h Threes 52 ; 50 Home Debt Credit Mobilier.... 1470 Do. end month.... 1470 Bank Shares - 3380 -- Credit F oncier RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleanm lO3O .. 1028 75 Northern .... - New ditto Lyons and Mediterranean 1192 50 „, 1195 -- Geneva 445 .. 445 -- Southern ...... 800 .. 805 Western Eastern ..., ....... , 535 .. 640 Sardinian .......... 467 50 .. 468 75 Austrian Lo hard North of Spain Saragossa Ditto to Barcelona .• • • 365 .. 370 -- LATEST FROM NASSAU. The fine steamer Hero arrived 'in the Mersey yesterday afternoon with dates from Nassau to the 27th ultimo, having made the run from Nassau to Queenstown in 17 days. She brings 41 passengers and a cargo of mahogany and logwood. This steamer lately ran the blockade of Charleston, with 1,745 bales of cotton and 528 barrels of rosin, under the command of Capt. Peat. She reports seeing a Federal cruiser 30 miles to the westward of Cape Clear. The following steamers were at Nassau when she sailed :—The Flora St. John's, the Annie Childs, the Pet, the Minna, the Miriam, the Ruby, and the Leopard. The latter,in attempting to enter Charleston,was chased and shelled for several hours. She, however, escaped, after throwing half of her cargo overboard. The steamer Douro has been captured by the United States gunboat Quaker City. The Flora, on leaving Charleston, was shelled by the blockading squadron without effect. One shot passed near enough to an efficer on deck, however, to cause him to feel sensibly the agitation of the atmosphere around. The steamer Havelock had arrived at Wilmington. The steamer Ruby, under the command of Captain Peat, was to sail in a few days for Havannah. The following is an abstract from the logbook of the Hero :.—Left Nassau, March 27, at 4 p.m. March 30, at 350 p.m., lat. 28 3N., long. 68 28 W., passed a vessel, bottom up, appa rently of about 406 tons burden, keel broken amid ships. April 5, lat. 5 7 50 N., long. 48 5 W., passed the American ship Nestor, steering south-east. April 11, lat. 48 13 N., long. 24 4 W., exchanged signals wicb the ship Euxine, steering W.N.W. Arrived at Queenstown at 9 a.m. on th 3 14th of April. Moderate S.W. and N. VV. winds through out the passage. Tile Hero was brought to this port by Capt. Gregory, late of the steamer Ruby, and is consigned to Messrs. Cunard, Wilson, and Co. The Federal gunboat Tioga, blockading in Bahama waters, steams 14 knots, and from the activity of her commander and her great speed she is dreaded by the blockade runners. ASSASSINATION OF A BRITISH SUBJECT IN AMERICA. —A respectable correapondent in the county of Lanark transmits the following :—" The ac • quaintances of Mr Basil Steuart (son of Alex. Steuart, Esq., Brownlie, Carluke), who left this country for America about three years ago, and finally s ettled in Texas, will learn with deep regret that he was wayl aid and shot in July, 1862. So far as can be ascertained, the circumstances of his death were as follows :—lle had been previously induce(' to join a society said to be for the protection of property; but fi n di ng afterwards that th e association so called had a different object in view, icing a strong Un ionist p art y , and not wishing to involve hi mse lf in t h e political disturbances of the country, he withd rew , when the so ciet y , at its next meeting, appointed o ne o f i ts m embers to execute the ' bloody design of secr e tl y putt i ng him to death. While out on a hunting excursion, and in going through a narrow pass, he was shot at from behind, t h e ball passing through the heart. A gentl eman of his acqua intance —a Mr. At terell—offered £lOO reward, and the chief magistrate of the place another hundred, for the discovery of the guilty patty or parties ; when, oni nvest i gat i on , it was found that ten had been privy to, and concernej in, the deed. None, how ever, would concede t o i n f orm on the actual perpetrator; and the ten were all tried, condemned, and shot. Though a stranger in a strange land, h e was respectab l y interred, and a tombstone was raised to ' his memory by Mr. Atterell, the gentleman referred to, and who belongs to England. His death, under such circumstances, is said to have been much lamented in the district in which he resided,"—Ctlas e gm Herald, (Signed) RUSSELL. KINGS AT ARMS.—Take the heralds, for example' Here are Garter Kit g of Arms, and all his m ) stio brethren, kings, berates, and pursuivants Norr o y and Clarencieux, Rouge Croix, Rouge Dragon, Portcullis, and Blue Mantle, " with hues as lively and appellations °I quaint as the attendants on a fairy court." „ For gorge' ousness of attire, mysteriousness of origin, and, in tact, fee' similarity of origin," says the am hor I have just quoted , the late Mr. Leigh Hunt, "a knave at cards is not unlike a herald." A story is told of an Irish King of 9► 104 who, waiting on the B.ahop of Killalce to surnl ol3 him to Parliament, and being dressed, as the cere moray required, in hi s h era ldi c a tti re , t o m ystifie d d the bishop's servant with his a pp eara n ce , that not knowing what to make of it, Fnd carrying off but a confused noti 4l of his title, he announced him thus : " My lord, hue is t he Kings of Trumps." I know that Garter King of Arms f 8 not a king et all, that his crown and his sceptre are men st gewgaws, and that he is an estimable old gentleu rail who gut his birth from the Duke of Norfolk, and derives comfortable income from fees paid into his office on bea Bts : hill, Ductors'-commons. I know that if I c hoose to have " arms found,". . . And, finally, I c an not shut I ni e eyes to the fact that the " King 01 Trumps" panopir -411 , 0 firework tabard, or san Benito, all scrawled over with a° 6 ` . of arms, is an abAlTd and egregious one, and is when taUcrif in conjunction with the pantaloons and patent leather° ordinary life, utterly ridi cu l ous an d pre psterous. l' l3 ° ,: c t that the las; time the herald s we re s ee n in the open air $- ( 1 at Charing-cress, mounted on dobbins from Assay's/ 5 4 pretending to blo w t rumpe t s th ey cou ld n 't extra ct so uril li v e as a whistle from, the little boys hooted them, awl re Times newspaper laugh e d them to [corn. Why am I l pressed now, by Garter and Nerroy, Clarencieux and WI/ Dragon, Portcullis and Blue Mantle f—Lickens's Year Round," •