The Sun. — London, England, 1863-12-22 00:00:00

-_____ CTIRISTNIAS HOLIDAYS.-HASTINGS and ST. LEONARDS, by the BRIGHTON RAILWAY. — CLt EAP RETURN TICKETS to these places will be issued on the 24th instant. by the trams leaving Vict oria at 2.5 and 6.55 p m , and London-brichze at 2.10 and 7.0 p.m., available for return on the SUNDAY or MONDAY folloat wing. and 6 30 Trains in connection with these leave Kensington 1.35 p.m. ---------- AGENTS REQUIRED. THE ROYAL INSUR ANCE COMPANY is 1 prepared to entertain a pp lications for Agency Appoint ments from gentlemen having command of Fire and Life Business. The Royal has always been conspicuous for its liberality and promptitude in the settlement of claims. Its annual Incom e is now over X 500,00 And its funds in hand exceed .£1,0),000 Transfers of Policies from other Companies received with put charge for APolicy es, whatever the amount. ddrs, JOHN B. JOHNSTON, Secretary. Royal insurance cnmpany, 20, Lombard-street. --- oz s NIET'S SILKS LYON.—Every Article of ll com merce takes its title either from the inventor or 'manufacturer, and the more perfect the production the eater is the credit which attaches to the originator. BONNET'S SILKS are said to be incapable of identifica tion in England ; but the fallacy of such an assertion is ex pos• d by the very trade mark of the firm, as exhibited by Messrs. JAY, of Regent-street. - - The followinz Interwoven mark may be seen at the end Of each piece :—" Manufacture de C. J. Bonnet et Cie., k Lyon a Injurieux." Wear guaranteed. FAMILY .MOURNING.—Messrs. JAY would respectfully announce that great economy is effected by purchasing Mourning at their establishment, 247 and 249, REGENT-STREET, their Stock of FAMILY MOURNING being the largest in Europe. Though Messrs. Jay professedly keep the best articles for Mourning and Half-Mourning—at all times the cheapest—they supply a Complete Suit of Domestic Mourning fir 2 guineas. MOURNING COSTUME of every description is kept Ready Made, 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'. 'ENGLAND'S CONGRESS, in the CHRISTMAS DOUBLE NUMBER of FUN, on IVI4_,D,NESDAY. One Penny. ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN. Under the Manatzement of Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. W. Harrison. On BOXING NIGHT (Saturday, Dec. 26), to coramelice With the Second Act of Balfe's popular opera, THE BOHEMIAN GIRL. After which, a Grand Christmas Pantomime, on a scale of unprecedented magnificence, entitled HARLEQUIN ST. GEORGE A ND THE DRAGON. Doors open at half-past Six—:ommence at Seven.. T ' 4-ATRE ROYAL DR U R Y-L A NE . Managers, Messrs. Edmund Falconer and F. B. Chatterton. In preparation, to be prcduccel on BOXING NIGH T, and played during the holidays, a Grand Csmic Christmais PAN TOMIME, written by E. L. Blanchard, Esq.. entitled and founded upon the popular Oriental story of SINTRA D THE SAILOR. The gorgeously beautiful character of ace decora tions. inclusive of more thin the usual amount ofscenical sur p r i s es and transto rmalion wonders, are ensur ed by the part fact of their being entirely designed annads mostCfoEhrreivtshetermieays, executed by the celebrated artist, Wil t l h la i eminent services have been retained w b 's e exclu sively for the Theatre Royal Drury-Lane. Thegene' ral action of the Pan tomime will be arranged by, and the whole pro duced under the d irection of, Mr. Robert charac t er s in the opening by Messrs. Tom il° 31xabtYti in tel i P vs r ,l e ' i i p tz a - 1 james, J. N eville, G. Weston, a nd Master Percy Roselle; .Misses Lizzie A ilmore, Rose Le c l 1 E. Weston, Coventry, j x . The Harlequinade will include ere the services of those popular Pantomimists (formlu f a double company) - Harry i, Clowns lr. Barnes and Mr. :I:Morris, )loleno and C. Lau. Pantaloons • Mr. Cormack and ; tdin nillsrs., Columbines. li t v b i i l . l ee,s.Hia, he l e e rai masks, devices, madame Bolen° and Mi t s r s o e m s G devices, and dresses, The musict the an li d um ar o r rLu p s e ly d bre nowned Dykwynkyn.i sselbeyct Mr. J. Barnard. Machinery Gas Illuminations by M n r ery by Mr. Tucker and assistants. Needham and assistnts ' J. Hinckley. Properties by Mr. Lawler. The dances ' Dresses by Mr. Laury and Mrs. by Mr. Cormack. and action of the Ballet will be a.. - rang - ed Messrs. H. BolenComic scenes, tricks, ,tc , invented by 0 and Cormack. Morning Performance of the Pantomime every Wednesday, at 2 o'clock. Box Office open from 10 till 5 daily. THEATRE ROYAL DRUR Y-L AN E. Managers, Messrs. Edmond Falconer and F. B. Chatterton. On BOXING NIGHT, Dec. 26. the Farce of A ROLAND FOtt AN OLIVER. Messrs. Walter Lacy, Addison; G. Lelmore, the Misses Heath, H. Leclercq, Murray. To conclude with the new Grand Christmas Comic Panto mime of SINBAD THE SAILOR ; or, The Seven Wonders of the World. Clowns, Messrs. H. Boleno and C. Lauri ; Harlequins, Messrs. J. Cormack and S. Saville ; Pantaloons , Messrs. W. A. Barnes and J. moats ; Columbines, Madame Boleno and Misses Gunniss. Prices as usual. Box Office open from 10 till 5 daily. !Mk ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole Management of Mr. Fechter. BEL DIDIONIO (a Triumphant Success) will be repeated on BoXING NIGHT, Saturday, Dec. 26, MONDAY, Dec. 28, and Every Evening during the Week. THIS EVENING, the performance will commence with a New and Original Farce, entitled THE LOST CHILD: Messrs. 11. Widdicombe, Shore, Garden, F. Charles Collett, Moreland; Misses Percy, Pauline Lezlercq, Wood, Mrs. Lee, and Miss E. Lavenu. After which, at Eight o'clock, BEL DEMONIO, a Love Story, in Twelve Tabieaux, taken from Stendhal's •' Italian Chronicle•," by Mr. John lirouviam. Principal charac ter by Mr. Fechter, supported by Messrs. Jordan, Charles, lirougham, Emery, Raymond, Moreland, Smith, Clifford, Collett, Sims ; Miss Kate Terry, E. Laveuu, 31 re, Lee, and iss Elsworthy. • The Public are entreated to take notice that No Charge Is made to the occupants of Boxes, Box-places, or Stalls, either for play bills or for the safe keeping of hat , and cloaks, and tam. 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. TFIi'ATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET.- Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr, Buckstone. THIS EVENING, A GA SIE OF SPECULATION. Messrs. Chao. Mathews, Cliipnendale, W. Farrell, 111:4 - 4 - ers, Clark, Braid, Gordon, &c. ; Mesdames Fitzwilliam, Hill, Griffith, &e. Followed by THE GOLDEN FLEECE Messrs. Charles Mathews, Compton,Weathersby, ; Mesdames C. Mathews, Keeley. Griffith, &c. With COJL AS A CUCUMBER. Mr. C. Mathews. And MY HUSBAND'S GUOST. Commence at 7. ItOYAL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. under the Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER, will OPEN on BuXING NlCTllT.—Amongst the artists engaged are Mr. Benjamin Webster, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. Paul Isedford, and Mr. Charles Mathews; Mrs. Stirling, Mrs. Frank Mathews, Miss Cottrell, Miss Fanny Josephs, Miss Wentworth, and Mrs. Charles Mathews. --- On BOXING NIGHT, the new Comic Drima of the HEN AND CHICKENS: Mrs. Stirling in her original character. Atter which, a Comical Conglomerative Christmas Absur dity, by Henry J Byron, Esq., and entitled 1863; or, THE SENSATIONS OF THE PAST SEASON, with a Shameful Revelation of Lady Somebody's Secret. New Scenery by banson and Sons. Appointments by Mr. Ireland. Music by Wallersteiu. Principal characters by Mr. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford, Miss Cottrell, Miss Fauny Josephs, &c. in itttf the BIRTHPLACE OF PODGERS : Mr. J. L. Toole " 8 original character. ,_ E N THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHcr L c- -1 " Proprietor and Manaer. Mr. B. Webster. THIS xvt.,-.mi- - fl Messrs. J. I. -. THE PRETTY ORSEBREAIi ER. - Toole, , Paul Bedford, and Miss woolgar. Bate man, B s'u t p h p e o N rt , e „,, u,,,Drama of LEAH : Bth weed of Miss Bate- Lington, Stuart, Steph'esnssros.a, -Y Ai- Arthur Stirling, R. Phillips, BB- Mrs. Billingten. Eburne ; Miss H. Simms, and To conclude with ICI L. Toole. - CT ON PARLE FRANCAIS. Mr. J. Commence at 7. L E A H. --E v- E R y NIGHT. /f riss BA'rEMAN. — E ,, j_the Nth appearancecharacter of L thA ". HIS EVENING, r s B In consequence of gTeat Tragic Actress, Miss 1 . 131.A.N , In the the umbounded success with whi c i; na ti o n of the p rinci p al character i nti l!ateman's imperso ot LEA.II has been attended. Air vi r , t 7 new Five Act Drama that it will be performed L'' VERY x* , begs to announce n ''XING until further notice. R OYAL vSTRAND Tu.,7,------ Manar, Mr. W. 11. SwanhorZ,,, r ' A T It E. THIS EVENING, MI It lAJP S CRIME. , Troney, Parselle, Belford, Turner, Miss K. s„tasrn G , • co. handers. and Miss Followed by (25th time) PATIENT PENELOpx Return of Ulysses. Messrs. lioney a nd Fenton; 1/ e%datn () r, The fS e wanhorough and Simpson. es Alter which, MT NEW PLACE. Mr. A. W o° 4 . - Commence at 7. TI.IE THIRD EDITION' OF 4, THE SUN, ,, Containing, the Latest SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, as a be had Every Evening of G. R. GLENIE, NEWS AGENT, No. 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE THIS• DAL—Morning, h. m.—Afternoon, 12h. 15m. Yo-monnow.-Morning, 12h. 42m.—Afternoon, 112. 4m. The Weather—Sun Office, Dec. 22, 1863. THERMOMETER. This day at Two o'clock Barometer-29.95. Wind—N.-W. ; fresh, and very fine. Zij ~-=---• ~~ ~~= ._~- ~snts. LONDO N • , TUESDAY, DEC. 22, 1863. The Empero r v----------g -,-,AroLvu,vs reply to the add r ess Pow the French senate i ' s, in every essential respect Qt . the wor thy of the auth or p, oject of an European ' Congress, a noble Droject ' even tho ug h it s h ou ld prove to be a da y dream . Every actio;is, beotahsserts g, i, ~ p ly has its weight. 4, G 0 he in thi s i mper i a l the so l e motive power of m y at home and abroad." A vague generality, it is with which his AI A JESTY does not zee, but on e adding as he does, im mediately, thereup,:o,n,ltednted, the appeasing of passio ns, with concord an d un e in ' slre, And further " I direet all my wishes to the moment when the great questions which divide governm ents and peoples will he pacifically solved.by Europea n Arbitrament." By the utterance of which Tohin_ to ered assurances, not only to the Imperial Senate, bi it through the Senate of France to the Govern s ten is of all Christendom, the EMPEROR has, of his Own free will, gone out of his way to endorse, to underline, to emphasise in the most distinct and Tasitive way imaginable the pacific assurances Jo very recently addressed by himself per a ovally, under his own hand and seal, to e ach and all of the European Sovereigns. A .ncl, not satisfied with even this as an intimation of h is earnestly pacific intentions, the Emperor of the RENCII recalls to mind the memorable words p ginned by NAPOLEON the Great, when in exile at S t. Helena, that to fight in Europe would be to rn ake Civil War ! " May not this great thought," • ks NAPOLEON 111. directly of his Senate, indirectly o ail Europe, ",May not this great thought [namely t 'rat t to fight in Europe is to make Civil War], tl t( nigh an Utopia in the past, shortly become a ret tlity ?" To that end, to the end if possible of re ndering it so, of rendering this Utopian notion o: th e past, a sacred reality of the future, and that by as . earnest effort in the present—the French E:ITPEROR, only the other day, propounded to lristendom his Arcadian proposition of a Grand El a;opean .Congress : what our own Laureate, as f poetical political-day-dreamer sang of nearly a quarter of a century ago, in his famous poem of z ec k s ky Hall, as " the parliament of nations, the federation of the world!" Rebuffed though the EMPEROR'S halcyon proposition has been in one or two quarters, in one of them, especially, mean ing of course our own, with a singular and a wholly uncalled-for discourtesy, the Imperial au thor of this great scheme of a peaceful Congress now contents himself with saying, in words evidencing on his part an imperturbable equanimity— "lt is always an honour to proclaim a principle tending to remove the prejudices of another age. Let us unite our efforts for this noble end, and let us only study obstacles to vanquish them, and incredulity to confound it." The perturbation with which the coming Jourdel'an was beginning to be looked forward to, will surely be in a great measure dissipated, even among the class of,the Alarmists, by the reiteration by NAPO LEON 111. of his pacific intentions thus pointedly and emphatically through his Senate to all Chris tendom. There are few public gifts more appreciated by the population of a large and crowded city than parks and open grounds. We all know how highly our London parks are valued by our toilworn arti • sans and busy trading community, while the popular affection for Hampstead heath, Clapham. common, and many other such localities has often been, loudly proclaimed on occasion of the many attempts made to encroach upon them. Such places of resort are inestimable privileges to those whose duty confines them to close and crowded shops, offices, or workrooms. At least one day in seven they can see something more than chimney tops or bleak walls. At least there are some spots within easy and uncostly reach in which, as one of our popular writers says of the miners emerging from their subterranean gloom, they can " breathe the air of earth, and look upon the light of heaven." The parks of London have been styled very aptly " the lungs of the metropolis," and although a great part of the vast city's inhabitants can only breathe in this sense once a week, yet there is no question that they conduce very much to the phy sical health as well as the social pleasures of the people. In many of our great towns, sprung up like volcanic islands tram the fervid commotion o'. manufacturing or trading life, similar advantagf2s are being provided for the people. A wise phalli throphy looking forward as well as around, pro - vid • ing for the need of the coming years as well us for the wants of the generation that is passing, has in many instance's chosen this form of expen ding vast wealth or embodying benevolent sentiments. If he who plants a tree for the benefit of posterity has a right to be called a benefactor of his kind, most assuredly he who opens so delightful and healthful a source of recreation to those who are to come after us deserves our admiration and approval. Many of our wealthy men in the leading provincial towns have greatly interested themselves in any effort made towards opening parks and pleasure grounds for the people. Many of our large centres of industry possess such an advantage, and it is heartily to be wished that fewer were without it. Among those thus favoured is Birmingham, whose beautiful Aston Park has been the subject of much gratification to all classes of visitors. It is with considerable regret, therefore, that the public have recently seen some transac tions brought to light which appear to render doubt ful the right of the people to retain their park. It seems, according to the correspondence lately pub lished, that when the park was first opened to the public its proprietors were the members of a joint stock company, formed not indeed for purposes of profit, but with a view of securing the hall and park, which had long been coveted by the inhabi tants of the city. One of the earliest public intima tions of the scheme was a letter addressed to the Earl of SIIAFTESBURY by Mr. RATCLIFF, then Mayor of Birmingham, in 1853. This letter was written with the object of obtaining her MAJESTY'S promise to open the park is person, and the advan tages which the park opened to the large body of artisans who thronged that thickly peop.ed district. This letter produced a subsequent communication from the Home-office, in answer to which the Mayor entered very fully into the matter. This reply, which was read at the meeting of the Bir mingham Town Council held last week, enables us to understand the original aspect of affairs. Mr. RATCLIFF tells the Home Secretary that the main Capital of the company was raised by means of shares of 21s. value, issued to working men. Others \ w ere donati o n s h ares , th e h o ld ers o f w hi c h c l a i me d either profit nor privilege. The remainder of the " Pitta c Wa s to b e r a i se d by th e i ssue o f a t hi r d c l ass of sha res, which were chiefly taken by the middle classes for th e sake of obtaining a voice in the mana g eme nt of the park. It was also provid e d in th e deed of settlement proceed with if the company should prove nab to the with the scheme, they might tender e the to whole council of the borough upon ul payment of the liabili t i es ''' then existing. Such a clauso a ppears to offer a C reditable solution to the present havingdifficulty. It app ears that the purchase money never b een f ully obtained, her MAJESTY was asked, with all the „ Pomp and circame stance of State, to o p en a p la ce for the genera recrea tion which i nT afew pr y es e e a n r t s semaasy c o o r, l onger to be unwilling, property. he very naturally, that the inhabitants of the borough should lose their treasured _. park,_ iiip tooks on the eitzlez step of addressing. Sir C. B. P r in order that the matter might reach the Qu E ,, s. The reply to this communication contained a wells merited reproof. It expressed her MAJESTY'S sur prise that she had not been correctly informed on the matter, and expressed her expectation that the citizens of Birmingham would not delay in securing the park as a public possession. This very natural and sensible advice does not appear to commend themselves to the good people of Birmingham. The royal hint has not been taken, and the members of the Town Council seem to be decidedly unwilling to fulfil the pledge partly given on their behalf by their th f ormer M ayor, whose acts end writings on i matter they never opposed or co etradictcd, At the late meeting, too, resolutions were pro posed—one to the effect that the matter be re ferred to the Baths and Park Committee, with instructions to consider any proposal made for the purchase ; the other was that the Council should take steps to purchase Aston Hall. The discus sion as to the relative merits of those proposals was long and animated, occupying several hours, and engaging numerous speakers. One gentleman boldly declared that the town was compromised, and that after bringing the QUEEN to Birmingham and representing to her MAJESTY that Aston Park was for the people, it would be disgraced if the Council did not purchase it, let the price be what it would. His remonstrances failed in their effect, and by a preponderance of 29 votes the resolution for referring the question back to a committee was passed. "We cannot but share the hope expressed by Sir CHARLES PHIPPS on behalf of her MAJESTY, that the wealthier citizens of the town of Birmingham will not suffer such dis credit to fall upon their town, as the loss of this park would infallibly occasion. The sum re quired, though perhaps large for the purpose, is not large for a town like Birmingham, and it would ill become one of England's great manu fecturing centres to be accused of parsimony. Their eloquent member, who is always ready to proclaim the right of the poor, had better read them a lesson. Indeed, if he sets them the ex ample by heading the subscription list it would be only consistent. Let Birmingham look to its laurels, or the general public will begin to believe the professions made on behalf of the working classes, especially as concerns the opening of this Hall and Park, to be no more sterling than their manufactures were wont to be regarded, and con sider them mere " Brummagem wares." Every now and then the readers of the public papers are horrified and disgusted by the account of some shocking act of cruelty, and some wanton case of malignity comes before them that seems more suited to the doings of fiends than the delibe rate deeds of men. A most frightful instance of barbarity has just been brought before us by the energetic efforts of that praiseworthy Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It is most satisfactory to reflect upon the result of their la bours, and the amount of good that they do is almost incalculable. Still their services effect more benefit in so far as regards preventive measures, and it is of importance that the subject be consi dered in the light of adopting remedial ones. The knowledge that at any time a case of cruelty may be detected and brought to justice doubtless deters the commission of many crimes ; but when the danger has been braved and the act perpetrated, in spite of all warning and regardless of detection, it is neces sary to reflect a little on the nature of the penalties inflicted. It is very much to be regretted that for some reason or other the sentences on these mis creants and ruffians are never half severe enough, and do not in the hundredth degree come up to a fitting idea of retribution. The case here cited is most revolting, and indeed it is almost toe horrid to d well upon. Two labourers were charged with maltreating a dog in the most cruel fashion. They were flaying it alive. Mr. PRATT, who prosecuted, very properly demanded the heaviest possible punishment, truly adding that this case was one of the worst ever brought into a court, It was proved by witnesses that the " prisoners were actually en gaged in cutting off the skin from a dog while alive." It was also shown that it was not till some disturbance overtook them that they desisted, and threw the animal into the sea. The Chairman of the Bench said that he had never heard a " more gross case of cruelty in all his experience." All this was very true, but the conclusion drawn from such pre mises is most dissatisfying. The prisoners were condemned to two months' hard labour. This is a mere farce of punishment in comparison with what such characters deserved. There should be some imperative infliction to such cases as these that no magistrate can alter, and from which there can be no escape. This will be the only sure and certain way to put down such a disgrace to humanity as the occurrence, much less the repetition, of these offences most assuredly is. In the first place there should be some disgrace attached to the penalty in flicted, to that the offender may not have the oppor tunity of treating the affair as a joke when the term of his incarceration is over. In the instance of the " garotters" the plan now in vogue of affixing to the sentence the penalty of flogging, appears to have been in some way successful, since far less is heard of the exploits of these nocturnal assailants, who had become at one time inseparably asso ciated with the perils and dangers of the night. When the attention of Parliament was drawn to the question, there was great opposition at men tion of the proposal for instituting flogging as an addenda to the sentence on these offenders. Doubt less the same objections would be urged were the energetic reformers of the law to propose a similar infliction on the perpetrators of the cruel deeds re ferred to. Notwithsteending such demurrers abound ing, it is to be earnestly trusted that there will be found discerai ng legislators to take up the cause when Parliament assembles. The near approach of this period is a source of satisfaction to ra a•iy as well as Mr. COBDEN ; and they confidently look forward to the opportunity that will present, itself to those desirous of amend ing errors, rectiriving mistakes, and adjusting diffi culties in the wierking of the decrees of justice. It is a solemn an-3 sacred duty to society to put a stop to such violation of all laws, both human and divine, as a r e infringed by the doers of the dark deeds rii luded to. It is a grave responsibility which rests on our Legislature that our laws should be changed and altered until they are sufficiently strong to deter those Who are evil disposed from the commissi o'n of such crimes. It would be a great ad vantage to the cause of civilisation, and a special service to the interests of humanity, if prompt and decided, measures were adopted. It is a scandal to an Is ge, with its vaunted improvements and its astou e ding discoveries, that there is no statesman who 'can device, and no legislators who can carry out, laws:that are potent enough to militate against barb erians and check the course of brutality. No pair s should be spared, no prejudices should be allo wed tostaud in the way of the necessary change and imperative remedy. As BOILEAU observes of a .faulty production—Fingt foia sur le metier rem ettez touvrage. Again and again should the effot t be made, until it is an established fact that a stric t and severe discipline is effected, and that a system of terrorism prevails that must in time create a salutary effect and produce a beneficial chaz - .:o. To inflict a trifling penalty upon men so destitute of the commonest feelings of humanity, and so dead to all sense of shame, and then , t o la en !ore', far heavier p ena l t i es upon t h ose offen ce i s a tr i v i al theft to which they vir rdeeamlnzat odfriavesntabrvyintghefapmrielyss, seems m , incongru ous justice. It will not do to rate property tt and th t) as the only thing that is to be protected ; that may and is high eve it in ;an i' t:lard excell ence. It ' be. y necessary, but there is much th a t ran k s th e s p t o r e p a r d e a o c f h abou point of real worth tabhenefdodrsieffusion cf . knowled ge and idle educa tion becoming the great social re generators, if it is known that the law takes no • (MC:: cognisance of THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 22, 1863. I cruelty as a crime. It cannot be a misdemeanour or a folly; it is a grave and serious commission of wrong which the offender should be taught to consider of' vital consequence to himself and his welfare, rendering him amenable to the severest possible penalties which his fellow countrymen can inflict, and exposing him to the wrath of a still greater and more terrible tribunal hereafter. When barbarities are committed that the readers who study savage life can hardly credit, it is time the country takes the alarm, and that from the benevolent and philan thropic who abound among us, some should stand forth to take up the case of cruelty in its worst features with a zeal that will be worthy of the cause, and with the spirit which will not shrink from any ordeal to which its efforts may be subjected. All improvements meet with opposition, but the pilot who weathers the storm is not stopped by the raging of the hurricane nor the roar of the waters, and the reformer who stems the abuses of his age must persevere through good and evil report until success attends his efforts, and after the happy issue of his labours he may behold the end that crowns the work. LITERATURE. The Life of William Blake. By the late Alexander Gilchrist. Two Vols. Macmillan and Co. It was Glorious John who wrote in Absalom and Achitophel the witty and imperishable distich— "Great wits are sure to madness near allied And thin partitions do their bounds divide." Of the miserable truth imbedded in the poetic am ber of which couplet, William Blake, the hero of Mr. Gilchrist's posthumous biography, is as surely one of the most extraordinary illustrations any where discoverable. There, too—in Blake's instance —the partition was not only thin indeed ; it was of the very thinnest ! And this thinnest of all possible partitions between the bounds of G en i us and of Madness was, moreover, as it appears to us, perforated like the section of a honeycomb, like the framework of a colander, like the skele ton of a leaf. Besides, it should be said, the pro portions in which the Genius and the Madness of Blake's nature or idiosyncracy stood relatively to each other, were, to our thinking, such, were so widely contrasting, were so painfully dis proportionate in the predominance of the one over the other, that when the two, t.e., the Genius and the Madness, through the medium of that thinnest of perforated partitions (still to em ploy Dryden's simile) became mingled together, the drop of Genius, so to speak, got to be so diluted in the surging ocean of Madness as tc be hardly recognisable, save upon the subtlest researches being instituted by what one may call the very chemistry of criticism. Already, since the recent publication of these two singularly hand some volumes —volumes the superb " getti ng up" of which reflects the very highest credit upon the publishers—we have remarked a disposition, on the part of a good many among the ablest of our cont emporar i es , to exaggerate i n an astounding man ner , in a manner to ourselves alto gether incomprehensible, the infinitessimal modicum of Genius in any way (at any rate to our limited apprehension) discernible in the intellect of William Blake. Born, this Pictor Ignotus was, it appears, in the November of 1757, though we should most assuredly have expected him to have been born rather within the month of March,for mad as a March hare he certainly continued to be, off and on, all through his eccentric life, until the time when (within three months from the completion of his seventieth year) he breathed his last on Sunday, the 17th of August, 1827. Seventy miserable, anxious years, moreover, they must have been to poor Blake—in the flesh. For, all through his career he was constrained to exercise the most rigid economy—sometimes even being driven to the direst straights from a lack of the mere bare ne cessaries of existence. We have said, advisedly, that in the flesh, his life of seventy years duration must have been full of, and running over with, wretched ness. But—in the spirit—enjoying, in that way, the privilege of all madmen, he doubtless had many ex quisite consolations. To begin with,he—in common with another Pictor Ignotus, to wit, Benjamin ili Robertain Hayden—to Blake believed with, like Haydon, William himself. 'Nay—in this, (who, by the way, h a d ‘ike belved in b th et a t t er di o r ff est th o a f n in p t o e o l r le liyn intellectual curses, the ambition of a great genius, with scarcely any parti c l e o f gen i us at all through the aid of which to realise his aspi rations)—better off than poor Haydon, William Blake not only believed in himself, but found others (infatuated people, as it seems to us, we must confess it !) who believed in him also. Varley, for one, and divers other clever men, abler and wealthier men than Varley. It should be pre. raised at once, however, before we pen another syllable about the strange, erratic, bewildering hero of this biography, that we must not be sup posed to imply other than the ful!est and the most cordial appreciation on our part of the rare and noble powers here applied to the task of writing Blake's Life, and of analysing his various works, both pic torial and literary, by the gifted biographer—since unhappily deceased—that ripe scholar and large whose worthier privilege, as it to be the Biographer of Willi am appearta to u s gentleman, i ts Etty the Royal Academician. The late Alexander Gilchrist, to whose indefatigable industry and as siduous devotion to the task he had voluntarily selected as the last and crowning labour of his own life, we owe this highly elaborated Life of William Blake—the deceased Mr. Gilchrist has undoubtedly, in this posthumous work of his, offered another notable contribution to the art-literature of Eng land. Whatever our estimate of Blake, the hero of the biography, that at least, in honest truthfulness, must be here asserted in regard to this final literary achievement bequeathed to the public by Mr. Gil ahrist as the writer.of so very singular a biography. Thanks, moreover, to the earnest co-operation in a labour-of-love upon a labour-of-love—thanks, we say, to the earnest co - operation of Mr. D. G. Ros setti and of Mr. W. M. Rossetti, in collecting toge ther the materials here compacted within the compass of the secund of these two volumes— the literary performance now before us, as a whole, appears to us, as such, almost as satisfactory as though it had been watched, as a completed work, through the press by Mr. Gilchrist himself. What ever friendly devotion could do, to the end of per fecting Mr. Gilchrist's hardly completed labours upon this his "Life of William Blake," has certainly been done (Mr. Gilchrist's widow may securely laying that comforting "unction to her soul") by the affectionate zeal of men as gifted and as peculiarly w e ll qualified for the task intrusted to them as th e M essrs. R osse tti. R e tu rn i ng , how ver, to the work itself as a work of art, wo must frankly acknowledge that it is to our view the veriest puzzle among puzzles. To say nothing whatever of the man's " Life," look, we would simply ask, at his works—look at his pictures! look at his writings ! Here, of course, the very pick of those works, of the drawings and of the writings of William Blake, the very choicest among them are here, we say, as a matter of course, pre sented to ue, manifestly with a view to command our admiration. Several among the ablest of our contemporaries, as already hinted, have forthwith, thereupon, at once, and quite in continently, gone into a sort of ecstacy of admiration. Paeans have been chaunted to the memory of the genius of Blake, to the memory of his g e n i u s b o th as an artist and (ye Gods !) as a Poet. For ourselves, we have come to the examination of the " Life of William Blake, Pictor Ignotus" (and so be it, in perpetuo !)—we have come to the examination of these selections from his Poems (!) and other writings, and of these foe similes of the very choicest among his pictorial productions, with a judgment altogether unbiassed. And having now scanned the two volumes, these two splendidly appointed volumes, upon which the eminent publish ers , the gifted biographer, the fair editress, and her i two distinguished colaborateurs in perfecting so fur b could be perfected the present posthurn ous biography having now very carefully scanned these two attractive volumes of the Life of William Blake by the late Alexander Gilchrist, we, for one, certainly can affect no sort of admiration whatever for the mad genius of William Blake himself, assuredly none what ever for his doggrel verses, nor yet for the grotesque and often hideous productions of a pencil that seems to have had the capacity chiefly of jotting down, in black and white, so many fantastic nightmares ! A sample or two of Blake's poetry will be quite sufficient for our purpose—as affording a perfect justification to every syllable we have written, here, about it. Take this vary amaz ing production, for example, from p. 33 : THE LITTLE BOY LOST. Father, father, where are you going ? O do not walk so fast; Speak, father, speak to your little boy, Or else I shall be lost. The night was dark, no father was there, The child was wet with dew ; The mire was deep, and the child did weep, And away the vapour flew. Can anything be—more distinctly—drivel? Or take the pendant to it— THE LITTLE BOY FOUND, The little boy lost in the lonely fen, Led by the wandering light, Began to cry, but God, ever nigh, Appeared like his lather, in white. He kissed the child, and by the hand led, And to his mother brought, Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale, The little boy weeping sought, Or let us excerpt from page 40 the subjoined jingle : SPRING. Sound the flute! Now 'Lis mute; Birds delight Day and night, Nightingale In the dale, lark in sky,— Merrily, Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year. Little boy, Full of joy; Little girl, Sweet and small; Cock does crow, So do you; Merry voice, Infant noise; Merrily, merrily to welcome in the year. Little lamb Here I am ; Come and lick My white neck; Let me pull Your soft wool; Let me kiss Your soft face ; Merrily, merrily we welcome in the year. Or again at page 57 the following : THE FLY. Little Fly, Thy summer's play My thoughtless hand Has brushed away. Am not I A fly like thee ? Or art not thou A man like me ? For I dance, And drink, and sing, Till some blind hand Shall bru,l2 my wing. If thought is life, And strength, and breath ; And the want Of thought is death ; Then am I A happy fly, If I live, Or if I die. About equivalent to this kind of poetry (save the mark !) are the choice exemplars here given of Blake's pictorial performances. Opposite p. 129, vol i., is a drawing of a spider's web, such as any school-boy, not an incorrigible dunce, might scrawl on his slate in a few minutes. In the same vol., at p. 137, there are a few wriggling lines representing a flame, and used as the tail-piece to a chapter. At p. 89 (do.) is a horrible hobgoblin of an old man, OG all fours, that the before-mentioned schoolboy's younger brother might readily have pencilled on the margin of his copybook in a moment of hallucination or of indigestion. It bears—this crawling old man in scrawling outline—a ter rible resemblance, in its way, to the effigies of the patriarch Job, as represented by Blake in a series of frightful drawings that we suppose, from the elaboration with which they are all given in a cluster, are to be looked upon as very high up, indeed, among Blake's artistic masterpieces. Job himself, in these drawings by Blake, when he is at his worst, looking for all the world as though he had the measles rather than those boils Pet Marjorie used to be so thankful for not having, herself, like the great Patriarch of old. In brief, the series of drawings by Blake in illustration of the Book of Job, are, according to our sense of the awful or the beautiful, very much, indeed, like a series of profane caricatures. The very archangels in the background of one of them—a cluster of three of which archangels will be found here reproduced in gilded emblazonry on the cover of the two volumes—look, as the phrase is, as like as two pins, to a row of double teeth, when looked at from a little distance. Let either of the two volumes be held up at the opposite side of a room, to any one who knows nothing whatever about the contents of the books, and we are perfectly well satisfied that the impression produced on the majority of individuals will be that the volume so displayed is some gorgeous work upon the science of Dentistry. According to our view of it—the work altogether is a mistake : the Life of William Blake, as we estimate it, not being worth the writing, his poems not worth the printing, his drawings not worth the engraving. As one of Cruiksbank's funniest pictures, representing a landsman dreadful sea sick, had inscribed under neath it, " A very good man, no doubt, but a bad sailor ;" so we should be, here, disposed to pro nounce upon this Life of Blake an opinion some what similar, namely, one to the effect, that William Blake also, in his way, was a very good man, no doubt, but neither a Poet, nor yet a Painter. M, JULLIEN'S BAL MASQUE. The mantle of Jullien pere seems to have de scended on his son, together with his popularity. The close of his concert season at Her Majesty's Theatre—the season itself having been an unques tionable success—was last night marked by one of the largest gatherings at a bal masque within our recollection. The re-arrangement of the theatre showed judg ment. In place of the two narrow straits on each side of the orchestra,where the proscenium contracts the space, and wherein on crowded nights the pro menaders have their bodily circulation impeded and their physical circulation accelerated by a squeeze, and an atmosphere recalling the " horrors of the middle passage," the withdrawal of the musicians entirely to the back of tile stage; gave ample scope for passing ; indeed it was the part chosen for much of the saltatory evolutions in front of the removed orchestra. The decorations of the theatre were tasteful, and the boxes well filled for such an occa sion, when the more ardent pleasure seekers prefer mixing in the revelry to looking on from " some coign of vantage." The inventor of the celebrated " Greek fire," Levi Short, died in Philadelphia on the 26th ult. MR. EDMONDSTONE, late lieutenant-governor of the north-western provinces of Bengal, has been made a K.C.8., and Colonel C. R. W. Hervey, of the Bombay Staff Corps, a C.B. MR. CONINGIIAM, M.P., does not intend to retire from the representation of Brighton until the end of the present Parliament. 'TIE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES are in a ferment, remarks the Spectator, even the judges joining in public meetings to protest against the revival of transpor tation to any part of the continent. Even as it is, bushrangers in New South Wales plunder small towns with impunity, and the colonists affirm that wherever they may be sent the convicts will sooner or later make their way to the settled districts. It appears to be beyond question that if the plan be persisted in the colonists will resist, and it must not be forgotten that even the Cape Colony, which has not begun to talk of setting up for itself, rebelltd against the introduc tion of prisoners. BACON'S FEDERAL PROGRESS MAP OF AMERICA. —Messrs. Bacon have just published another of their excellent series of coloured American maps. The one before us professes more than ordinary interest, because it shows at a glance the exact position of affairs both in Fe deral and Confederate States. There is also givon on the same sheet a great quaatity of useful in formation, amongst which will be found a record of import ant events during the war, extracts from the census, position of the American forte, North and S Stit h, &G. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. (REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.) AMERICA. QUEENSTOWN, DEC. 22. The extra Inman steamship City of Limerick, from New York on the 11th inst., arrived here at 3.45 a.m. to-day, with two cabin and 20 steerage passengers, but no specie. She landed four steerage passengers and proceeded at 4 a.m. for Liverpool. Her news has been anticipated. GREENCASTLE, DEC. 22. The Canadian steamer Hibernian, from Portland on the 12th inst. arrived here at 8.10 a.m. to day. RUMOURED PEACE NEGOTIATIONS . LIVERPL OL, DEC. 22. A private telegram received here by the Hiber nian, states that rumours of peace negotiations were current at New York. These rumours were considered very doubtful, but they nevertheless had influenced the markets. Gold, 491. FRANCE. REPLY OF THE EMPEROR TO THE ADDRESS FROM THE SENATE. PARIS, DEC. 22. Th 3 Emperor made the following reply to the address of the Senate, presented by the deputation yesterday : " Good is the sole motive power of my actions, both at home and abroad. I desire the appeasing of passions, with concord and union. I direct all my wishes to the moment when the great questions which divide Governments and peoples will be paci fically solved by European arbitrament. This wish was that of Napoleon when he wrote from St. Helens, that 'to fight in Europe is to make civil war.' May not this great thought, an Utopia in the past, shortly become a reality ? It is always an honour to proclaim a principle tending to remove the prejudices of another age. Let us unite our efforts for this noble end, and lot us only study obstacles to vanquish them, and in credulity to confound it!' The Moniteur of this morning publishes the cir cular of M. Drcnyn de Lhuys, dated Dec. 8, the sense of which agrees with the analyses already published by the journals. BOURSE, December 21.—The arrival of the Eng lish funds with an advance of s has had no influence on the market, which has again become heavy, and the business done shows a fall on the closing price of Saturday. Threes, for the Account, which opened at 66f. 40c., are now at 66f. 30c. Mobilier have also receded, being now quoted at 1,022 f. 50c. Railway Shares have also slightly declined. The market closed as follows : 41 per Cents .. 94 05 .Uo end month.... -- -- ' Italian Loan 7l 40 Do. end month — New ditto — Do. end month — Russian Austrian .. — Spani,h Threes.„ 52 50 HOMO Debt .. — Deferred 3 per Cents Do. end month 66 35 Credit M0bi1ier...,1027 50 Do, end month....loD Bank Shares 3350 Credit koncier 1220 Roman RA IL' Orleans Northern New ditto Lyons awl bleditsrranean New ditto Geneva.. Sauthern Western Eastern Sardinian Austrian Lombard North of Spain Saragossa.. Ditto to Barcelona 'AY% Cash. Account. 970 .. 970 9G5 .. 966 25 922 50 .. 925 - 883 75 - - 498 75 - 675 - .. 677 50 505 - - 472 50 .. 477 50 396 25 .. 395 25 398 75 .. 395 - 518 75 .. 520 - 515 - .. 515 - 612 50 .. 612 50 302 50 .. 300 - THE SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN QUESTION. HAMBURG, DEC. 19. The feudal party, the clergy, lawyers, and offi cials of Holstein are preparing an address in which they call upon the Prince of Augustenburg to assume the throne of the Duchies. Numbers of ex functionaries in Schleswig and Holstein who have refused to take the oath of allegiance to the King are now residing in this city, and keep up the agitation, from which the Senate wisely holds itself aloof. It has, however, induced the citizens to vote a million of marks banco for the defence of the coast against possible Danish attack. The well-known writer, Baron Dirking-Holm feld, brother of the former Danish envoy to Paris, is now residing at Frankfort, where he warmly defends the cause of the Duchies against Germany. He has recently published a pamphlet, intended to prove that, in right of his wife, Christian IX. is the only legiti mate King of Denmark and the Duchies. There is little doubt, indeed, that if the Schleswig-Hol steiners felt assured of their national rights, they would unquestionably reject the Dake of Augus tenburg. It would be necessary, however, that the concession should be made regardless of the pressure of the priests and functionaries, who think all their privileges would be secured under the reign of the Pritice. The agitation in the north of Germany only hoists the flag of the Duke of Augustenburg to separate the Duchies from Denmark and to conquer Schleswig. The democratic portion only takes part in it, because it hopes that it will bring about another directed against the Sovereigns of the small German princi palities, and the reactionary system followed in Prussia. The Austrian troops, consisting of 170 officers, 5,500 men, and 400 horses, arrived here by way of Harburg. They are made up of 2 German regi ments, 1 Polish regiment, 3 Hungarian regiments, and 1 Italian regiment; 2 hussar regiments, 1 being Hungarian, the other Czechs, a chasseur regiment, and a battery of 98 guns. The town of Hamburg is to pay 100,000 marks monthly towards the sup port of the troops. ROME. ROME, DEC. 16. The great event which chiefly occupies men's minds in the Eternal City is the step about to be taken by the Pope at the Consistory which will be held on the 21st. His Holiness will then appoint bishops to the various dioceses in the old Pontifical provinces of the Romagna, the Marches, and Umbria. The new prelates are to be distributed as follows :—Cardinal G - aidi will be Archbishop of Bologna, Monsignor Clementi Bishop of Rimini, Monsignor Cardoni Bishop of Loretto, Monsignor Vitelleschi Bishop of Osimo, Monsignor Andreali Bishop of Cagli, the Abbe Micalet, of Malta, Bishop of Citta di Castello, and the Franciscan monk Pettinati Bishop of Nocera. An opinion prevails that the Emperor Napoleon will use all his influence at Turin to cause King of Victor Emmanuel to accept the Em ben p o e i r . the Pope, but with what result time l Archbishop of Monsignor De Donnechase, the PP onlVincan show. Rouen, has been recommended Napoleon to the I've as dign i t y .... ,4 the next Consistory, co-operated with ated to that Cardinal, y n d th e M. De Bonnechase was formerly an Orleanist, at Rome in ipux and being French Ambassador with the Pop , to accept the decree expelling the Jesuits from France. He is now a devoted Bona partist, and a Cardinal. The ex-Queen of Naples has retired to Albano, where she intends to pass the winter. The King of Bavaria, while in Rowe, made every effort to re concile the King and Queen, but without success. It is rumoured that the French army at Rome will be increased by 6,000 men. 4‘-‘1;;;'i--;4i-e; ''rtv 00 ON it" rt e t, 4 .L1111,1111f1: HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, Dec. 21. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred left Osborne this morning, with Prince William of Hesse, for London. Prince William proceeds immediately to Ger many, and Prince Alfred will return to Osborne. Lord Stanley of Alderley has returned to London. Funeral of the late King of Denmark. COPENHAGEN, Dec. 18. The Berlina e 7idende publishes the following "At the moment of going to press the mortal remains of King Frederic VII. are being conveyed from this city. The immense, imposing funeral cortege moves in the calm, clear winter's day through our city amid the salute of minute gun s, the tolling of bells, and the deep-felt grief of th e whole population. The city has put on mourning . All business has ceased. The houses in those street s through which the procession takes its way a re bung with black and white drapery, and flags half mast high. In many places there are inscription s recalling the most important events in the life of the deceased monarch. " Ad parts of the country have sent representa tives to the capital to pay the last mournful honours to King Frederic, and at different points on the passage of the cortege a last farewell is raised which testifies to the affection borne by the present gene ration to the deceased, and the gratitude with which the Danish people through many future generation s will regard him." THE BETROTHMENT OF THE PRINCESS ANNA OF lIEssE, daughter of Prince Charles, to the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, took place a few days since at Darmstadt. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and a large party will meet on the 4th proximo at Knowsley Park, on a visit to the Earl and Countess of Derby. The Duke of Brabant, by the advice of his physi cians, will pass the worst portion of the winter in the envi" rons of Nice, The Duchess of Brabant will remain at Brussels with her children. His Excellency the Earl of Carlisle and suite have been staying on a visit to the Marquis of Drogheda at Moore Abbey, Mon asterevan. The Duchess (Dowager) of Sutherland and family left Stafford House, St. James's, yesterday, for Cliefdaf near Maidenhead. The Marquis of Tullibardiue left town last even ing for Blair Athole, Perthshire, to meet the Duke av i Duchess of Athole. We are informed the Duke is in a veil low and precarious state. The Earl Granville has left town oa a visit to the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne, at Bowsod Wilts. The Earl and Countess of Malmeshury left town at the close of the past week for Heron Court, near Christ' church, until the meeting of Parliament. The Earl and Countess Spencer and Ladp Sarah 3pencer will remain in Egypt until the end of January, and are then expected to go to Algiers and Spain on their WaY home. It will be gratifying to the noble earl's numerous friends to learn that his lordship's health has greatly belle fitted by his visit to the East. The Earl of Mansfield arrived at his residence► Caen Wood, Hampstead, on Friday last, from Scone Palac e ' Perthshire. The Earl and Countess of Cardigan have recently entertained a pally of visitors at Dean Park. Amongst the company have been the Earl of Oxford, Lord CourteneY, Lord Loughborough, Lord and Lady Bruce, Admiral and the Hon. Mrs. Roue, Mr. and Lady Emily Kingscote, St. George Foley, Hon, George Craven, Colonel and How Mrs. Curzon, Hon. H. Forester, Mr. George Payne, Cap t. and Mrs. De Horsey, Bcc. Louisa Countess of Seafield has arrived at the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood, from Grant Lodge, Elgin . The Right Hun. Sir George Grey is still stayiog at his seat, Falloden, Northumberland. PRINCE LOUIS NAPOLEON.—The present Emperor Napoleon 111., some years ago, enjoyed a quite exceptional popularity amongst the London cabmen, from always pay ing without a word whatever they asked of him I JUDGE'S CIIAMBERS.—Mr. Sergeant Shee, having been sworn in one of the judges of the Court of Queen's Bench, attended at the Judges' Chambers yester day. His lordship will relieve Mr. Justice Mellor, who has just returned to town after disposing of the assize business at York, where he had been sitting in consequence of the death of Mr. Justice Wightman. There will be a daily at tendance at the Chambers until the Christmas recess. At in the Queen's Bench and Exchequer Courts the judges sit the morning ; but in the other court Mr. Justice Keating sits in the afternoon. MR. JUSTICE SHEE NOT AN IRISHMAN.--11l t he biographical notice of Mr, Justice Shee which ap peared in The Sun on his elevation to the Bench it is stated that he was born in Kilkenny. This statement is, it al'" Pears, inaccurate. His father was an Irishman, descended from a family who had settled in the county of Kilkenny prior to the revolution of 1668, but came to England at au early period in life. He married a Miss Darell, belong iag to a well-known family in Kent, and hid son, now Jus tice Shee, was born at Finchley, Middlesex, in 1804. It was as a gentleman connected with Kent that he addressed the meeting held at Penenden-heath when that county pe ti. tioned Parliament with reference to Roman Catholic ono' cipation. In his speech on the nomination-day from ' 11 ! Marylebone hustings, in 1847, he said, in reply to the tan" that he was an Irishman :—I was born at Finchley ; bl ot have yet to learn that it is a crime in an Irishman to asp ic " to enter that Parliament in which Sheridan, and Gratta a ' and Canning, and Wellington laid the foundation of country's greatness." AN EPISCOPAL SWASHBUCKLER, GETTING 111 /t) A FIX AND OUT OF IT !—Bishop Polk, according to Colon el Fremantle, is the finest figure in those parts, a good looking man, with all the manners and affability o f ‘' "grand seigneur," tall, upri r; ht, and "looking much m ore : like a soldier than a clergyman." Wh e n h e h as d o ne figl itiv r .P he intends to go back to his other prof e ssion. He is a vied brave man, whereof here is a specimen incident ottr 9 . o cte u , from him by our ingenuous Guardsman, Bishel ) loquitur, in a modest yet graphic manner : "—o ell, it was at the battle of Perryville, late in the evening, ` r fact, it was almost dark, when Liddell's Brigade came it ' t(l) action. Shortly after its arrival I observed a body of lee r ' . ' whom I believed to be Confederates, standing at an angle this brigade, and firing obliquely at the newly arrive: troops. I said, Dear me, this is very sad, and mu st e stopped ; ' so I turned round, Lut could find none of , young men, who were absent on different messages; 5 ° determined to ride myself and settle the matter. Ra v ' eg cantered up to the. Colonel of the regiment which was firino, I asked him in angry tones what he meant by shooting 1116 own friends, and I desired him to cease doing so at on"' He answered with surprise, I don't think there can be , mistake about it; I am sure they are the enenlY• ' Enemy I' I said; wh y I have only just left them Jul' self. Cease firing, sir ; what is your name ?" I‘lY naT is Colonel —, of the -- Indiana; and pray , s ir, who al:" you ?' Then, for the first time, I saw, to my aa to u ishme of Yankees. Well, I saw that there was no hope ot scurity that he was a Yankee, and that I was iu rear of a regimentt o brazen it out; my dark bloutle and the increase l 5 0 to him and show you who befriended me, so I approached,l.7;tooon shook my fist in his face, sayi.lg! !: nce. , I then turned I am, sir. Cease firing, sir," Vankees to cease firing ; at d i ss gre . eably sensation, like atdown rho line, shouting in a m n y a h u o th rs o e ri a t n at d ive ca m n a te nn re e d r s t l o ow l Y . many bullets. screwing up my back, shoulders ever.ev moment. I was afraid would be between niy the same time I experienacnedd ce until I got to a small copse, when I to increase my Pa d galloped back to my me n. I ionic" the spurs in an the nearest • diately went up to . colonel, and said to him, t'lialcult ding h ow Colonel, I have reconnoitred those fellows pretty do se l l and I f i n d there is no mistake who they are ; you noel up and g o at them . " And I assure you, sir, that the slaugh t e r of that Indiana regiment was the ure alest I have ever seen in the war." additions to the collection HOLYROOD PALACE,—i t w ill afford general gra tification to the public llecti n to of e l Royal arnthat several v are aboutbe made by command of her Majesty. In the large collection i n Ham to ton Court there are a good many pictures Ra bold° o l l u y a rc uplicate portrait s o f Royal personages connected more or less directly with Scottish history, and on the attention of the Queen being drawn, through theproper official ca'rannel s, to this circumstance, and the suggestion made that some of these might be spared from the richly clothed walls of -Haar ton Court Palace to the more needful and not less Royal 5136 appropriate Holyrood, her Majesty at once acquiesced if! the propriety of the transfer, and exhibite d much pDrsone" el interest in the selection of the pictures. As the arrant ments are not yet completed, we cannot give any list of the . paintings, but may mention that both their number and their value aro considerable. We believe that, in conjune • tion with the Home Secretary and the Lord Advocate, through whom the necessary communications were mad e, Mr. Forbes of Medwyn is entitled to the credit of being 016 : means of obtaining for Scotland this valuable mark of R 431 favour. Mr. Forbes has, we bel ieve, taken much to in the matter, and his success must be very gratifying to all who feel an interest in our Scottish historical moms" ments.—ficotsmaii. I : Th datio three takes Tt with with Tt cidec as t( port' lag less M ar rate rien rem l Vhi Mar tati, thei !tor mac Usul a gi Vhi 1 1ler on e in t ha' ah' ad