The Sun. — London, England, 1863-12-26 00:00:00

AGENTS itEgur ED. T" ROYAL INSURANCE COMPANY is prepared to entertain applications for Agency Appoint ru,:nts from gentlemen having command of Fire and Life L,:siness. The Royal liar always been conspicuous for its liberality and promptitude in the settlement of claims. Its annual Income is now over ******************** 45 " , " ) And its funds in hand exceed ..................... Transfers of Policies trom other Companies received with out charge for Policy, whatever the amount. Address, JOHN B. JOHNSTON, Secretary. Royal Insurance Corn Lombard - street. Pm/Y , 29' BONNErS SILKS INON.—Every Article of a commerce takes its title either from the inventor or - hanufacturer. and the more perfect the production the grater is the credit which attaches to the originator. BONNET'S SILKS are said to be incapable of identifica tion in Eng-iadd ; 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 following, interwoven mark may be seen at the end of each p i e ce :—" Manufacture de C. J. Bonnet et Cie., a Lyon ii Injurieux." Wear guaranteed. VAILY MOURNING.—Mesers. JAY would respectfully announce that great economy is effected i,y purchasing Mourning at their establishment, 247 and 249, 'lt KG ENT-STREET, their Stock of FAMILY MOURNING being the largest in Europe. Though Messrs. Jay professedly k,ep . th e best articles for Mourning and Half-Mourning—at all times the cheapest —they supply a Complete Suit of Domestic Mourning for 2 s guineas. 3IOURNIAG 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'. I'INGLAND'S CONGRESS, in the .LA CURISTMA' DOUBLE NUMBER of FUN, on - WEDNESDAY. One Penny. ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-GARDEN. Under the Management of Miss Louisa Pyne and Mr. W. Harrison. THIS EVENING (Saturday, December 26), to commence 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 AND THE DRAGON. Doors open at half-past Six—,:ommence at Seven. THEATRE ROYAL DR U R Y-L AN E. Managers, Messrs. Edmond Falconer and r. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, Dec. 26, the Farc e of A ROLAND FOR AN OLIVER. 31emirs. Walter Lacy, Addison,G. Belmore, the Misses Heath, R. Leclercq, Murray. To conclude with the new Grand Chris tmas eve Com n ic Panto mime of SINBAD THE SAILOR ; S Wonders of the World. Clowns, Messrs. H. Boleno and C. Lauri ; Harlequins, Messrs. J. Cormac k and S. Saville Pantaloons, Messrs. W. A. Barnes and J . morris ; Columbines , Madame Boleno and Misses Gunniss. Prices as usual. Box Office open from 10 till 5 daily. ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Sole Management of Mr. Pechter. A be y r t e D ne e a c. te m d , BEL DE NIONIO la Triumphant Succes ar s) o llb on BOXING NIGHT, Saturday. Dec. 26, iNG,It , he performance will commence witlia and Every Evening. during the Week. THIS EVEN New and Orig,inal Farce, arce, entitled THE LOST CHILD: F. Charles Collett, 11Ie:?sts. 11. Widdicombe, Shore, Garden, Moreland; Misses I'ercy, Pauline Lei • erel, Wood, Mrs. Lee, and miss F.. Lavenu. After which, at Eight o'clock, BEL DEITONIO, a Love Story, in Twelve Tableaux, taken from Stendhal's "Italian Chronicle," by Mr. John Bro stipnort ,,, ,T4nam. Principal charac ter by Mr. Pechter, 1i r ,,a,, t .h.,m, Emery, It ar i L lo c' by Messrs. Jordan, Charles, c oliett, Sims; Afi s s K. „1„, flo, Moreland, Smith, Clifford, al ass Elsworthy. '''' Terry, E. Lavenu, Mrs. Lee, and The Public are entreated to take notice that No Charge is matte to the occupants of Boxes, Box-places, or Stalls, either for play bats or tor the sate keeping of hat 4 and cloaks, and 1 ,, a t the attendants in all receive any g r atuities whatever. parts of the house are forbiaden to ____2. -office open daily from 11 to 5. Commence at 7. THEATRE ROYAL HAY MARKET.- Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr, Buckstone. TO-NIGHT (Saturday\ OUR AMERICAN COUSIN : Messrs. Sothern, Buckstone, Chippendale, Braid, Gordon, H -R °=fers. Cldrk, Cullentord, &c. ; Mesdames&c. Angel, Snowden, - `'''rr3r, Lindley, Hill, &c After which, KING ARTHUR ; or The Days and Knights of the Round l' able. Messrs. Chipnendaio, Compton. Braid, Clack, Rogers, Tilbury, &c. ; Mesdames L. Keeley, Brough, Wright, Terry, Lindley, Rogers, &c. Commence at 7. J) P OYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Sole Lesee and Manager, Mr. Geo. Vining. Open for tha Season. THIS EVENING, THE HONEYMOON. After which, HARLEQUIN LITTLE TOM TUCKER; or The Fine Lady of Banbury Cross, and the old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe and Had so Many Children she didn't know what to do. ROYAL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. inner the Management of Mr. B. WEBSTER, will OPEN on BoXING NlGH..—Amongst the artists engaged are Mr. Itenjamin Webster, Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. Paul _Bedford, and Mr Chales ►lathews ; Mrs. Stirling, Mrs. Frank Mathews, Miss Cottrell, Miss Fanny Josephs, Miss Wentworth, and Mrs. Cu.rles Mathews. THIS EVENING, the new Comic Drama of the HEN AND CHICKENS : Mrs. Stirling in her original character. Atter which, a Comical Conglomemtlye Christmas Absur dity, by Henry J Byron, Esq., and entitled 1883 ; or. THE SENSATION OF PAST SEASON, with a shametul Revelation of Lady Somebody's Secret. New Scenery by Danson and Sons. Appointments by Mr. Ireland. Music by M. Wallerstein. Principal characters by Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. Paul Bedford, Miss Cottrell, 3liss Fanny Josephs, &C. And the BIRTHPLACE OF PODG ERS : Mr. J. L. Toole in his original character. NE IV THEATRE-RO VAL, ADELPIII.- sal e Proarl.tor and Mana , er, Mr. B. Webster. THIS EVENING (Saturday), TIIE IRISH TIGER. Mr, Stephenson. t Eight, the New Drama of LEAH : Leah, Mies Bate man, supported by Messrs. Arthur Stirling - , It. Phillips, Bil lington, Stuart, Stephenson, Eburne ; Miss 11. Simms, and Mrs. Billingten. To emelude with LADY BELLE BELLE; or, Fortunio and his Seven 34103 Men. .Messrs. J. Clarice, A. Phillips, Stephenson ; Misa Woohmr, Miss K. Kelly, Miss Patti josei:hs, Miss L. Laidlaw, Miss Seaman. Commence at 7. EAII.-EVERY NIGHT. ITISS BATEMAN.—LEAH.—This EVENING, 11 the 72d appearance of the great Tragic Actress, Miss PATE MAN, in the character of LEAH. Iu c,nsequence of the unbounded success with which Miss Baternan's imperso nation of the principal characer in the new Five Act Drama of LEAR has been attended. Mr Webster• begs to announce that it will be performed EVERY EVENING until further notice. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Manager, Mr. W. H. Swanborough. EVENING, OBSERVATION AND FLIRTA- Atter D x'alch, the Grand Christmas Burlesque, ORPHEUS Nesdar il ,'Y Messrs. Honey, Wood, James Fenton, 'lO co nn wanborough, Marie Wilton, II Ug hes, &c. '' 4l t with TURN HIM our. Commence at 7. THE Tina, , 4 ", EDITION OF " THE SUN," C°"t4lnin- "iel. t,,, s ORTING INTELLIGENCE, 3a.n be had Every velf--„,.t'iP G ' a. %4LZ:NIE, NEWS AGENT, No. 4, Colut ught-terrace, Hyde-park. 11..... HIGH WATER AT p s y,—Mor n i ng, 21x. LONDON BRIDGE. Tints 52ra.—.Aft ernoon , 3h. 14 m . To s' 311. 20 th. —Afternoon, 3h. 41m. The W ea ther-- Offi 31111 --- e% Dec. 26, 1863. _ - THE RMOMETEit. This day at Two o'clock ........... Barometer -29.50. ........ 52 Wind—S.-IV. ; light, and cloud, . . „ , LONDON, SATURDAY, DEC. 26, 1863. Mr. TIIACKERAY'S death is more than a serious loss to Lit era t ure . It i s a l oss i n i ts way quite irreparable. For, TIIACKERAY was indisputably one of the Great Originals not only of Englis h Literature, but of all Literature. He was essen tially unlike any writer who had gone before him. He stood altogether apart among his own contem poraries. He is never likely to be succeeded, by an other—no matter how rarely gifted that other might be —who could hope in any reasonable probability to be regarded es qualified to fill up the vacancy I , t ft by this Great O r i g i na l, a b rupt l y l e f t b y hi s I'7ented di sa pp earance f rom the very midst of us this l ast Ch r i stmas E ve. As a humorist, in deed,-Air T RACE was one just si m ply su i gener i s . ' 4 " h appiest moments he has, in the charm ing, easy grace been e s of his coll oqu i a l s t y l e never passed' Never did even Madame DE SEVIGNE or liortAcE WALPOLE prattle with so delightful an ah4u , o nment to the confidences of friendship or of familiar correspondence as this great manly genius could in holding converse with his reader, by the h our together, chapter after chapter, to any length , just i n ore other phrase ad libitum. It was at ales etiraes especi a lly to oar thinking, that he was at his best that h e S was and will ever rem ain un rivalled. lop laughing, as PorE depic ts him, in his snap BEL eh L a A i l r, was no more delightful than was TuacicEhAy at these moments, loosely arrayed, so to speak, in his robe de ellantbre—his stalwart feet thrust into the pantougles. In verse or in prose, it was all one him, at such golden periods, it being just the more s imply impossible to say in which he was' THE SUN. LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECWWBER 26,M1863. delectable, whether in prose or in verse. Witness this in regard to the former his " Mahogany Tree,' his " Cane Bottomed Chair," or his " Peg of Lima vaddy." Witness it, in regard to his prose, among his miscelloneous trifles, his description of a first night with a Child at a Pantomime—several of the choicest of his Snob Papers, nearly the whole ":;,of his (for the most part inimitable) jottings by the way as Mr. ROUNDABOUT. We have been tempted to give precedence, thus, to his wonderful powers as the most carelessly conversa tional and discursive of Humourists, because, in regard to those peculiar qualifications of his as a humourist, we are disposed to regard him as standing quite apart from all other humourists, as quite matchless in his way, among the masters of our literature. But to that literature, he has the glory of having contributed n noble and highly elaborated mast er o e r v t e .epioereethan e. Ai oneeeter estimate of a great writer and ofh s works was penned we believe than one pu never was forth the yesterday in the Times and transferred last evening to our columns from those our chief contemporary. The three works upon which THACKERAY'S repu tation will rest are , be y ond an y doubt, the very Vanity Fair," a ‘ cl "The Newcomer." the "History three r e H e etehreyr E s sp ec ified — " i o fi n e d d—‘ ," and It was the first of those three that of itself, immedi ately upo n its appearance, made THACKERAY'S reputation, as a great novelist, as a great satirist and humorist. It transformed him at once after a long and laborious, and at the very outset of it, an obscure a pprenticeship to literature, from a mere miscella neous contributor to the periodicals, daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, into one of the very fore most writers of his time. It gave him a prominent and a permanent place at once among the most distinguished Authors of the Victorian Age. That position he has since secured to himself in per petuity. He has carved out his niche in our lite rary Walhalla. Perhaps the most nearly perfected of his masterpieces is the second among the three already specified. It is—that " History of Henry Esmond"—in every way an exquisite per formance. Yet in the third of THACKERAY'S three greatest novels, in his two volumes of " The New comes," he has contributed to English Literature the noblest, the loveliest of all his creations in the character of Colonel Newsome. It is a creation as complete in its way—and one in every way as charming—as the Uncle Toby of STERNE, or as the Sir Roger de Coverley of STEELE and ADDISON. In one particular—probably in several particulars, but in one we are absolutely certain—Mr. THACKERAY'S genius was by the vast majority even of his admirers, altogether mis-apprehanded. Granted that it was inevitably the genius of a satirist, it was one far more gen;al, more kindly, more gentle in its humanity, more tender in its inner sensibility than the world at large deemed it to be. It was a genius that, even where most caustic, was never cynical. "With THACKERAY, the satirist's flying shafts of ridicule tickled into laugh ter—never rankled like those of SWIFT, poisoned with a malignant and even devilish scorn, or like those of ROCHEFOUCAULD, barbed with a poignant and wicked wit. In signal evidence of his generous temperament, he was throughout life the kindliest of critic. The inimitable genius of the greatest of all our English Humourists, CHARLES DICKENS, had no more cordial appreciator than the very one who approached him the most nearly amongst his own contemporaries, namely, THACKERAY. Blun dering adulators of THACKERAY might bring him into invidious comparison with that great Master- Humourist—not so THACKERAY himself. THACKE RAY was the one at all times the most cordially to recognise the truth that no such comparison could in reason be instituted, that as a humourist, as the greatest among all those great humourists, who can at their own pleasure command our tears and our laughter, CHARLES DICKENS among English novelists stands apart, beyond all comparison. Yet —echoing that truth from the written and spoken criticisms of THACKERAY himself—we can, with that simple but emphatic proviso, recognise as the very next among modern humourists the great writer recently deceased. The finding of the court martial which was held for the trial of the charges against Col. CRAWLEY is in every way most unsatisfactory, and it will have been with unfeigned regret that many have perused it. It seems most extraordinary that such a deci sion should have been come to, and it is one which is in every way most detrimental to:the future well being of an army. It has established a sort of pre cedent, as it were, for the harshest and hardest measures to be dealt out to those of an inferior grade in the army. The most ardent advocates of Colonel CRAWLEY can hardly deny that his con duct towards the unfortunate Sergeant-Major LILLEY was fraught with the most unhappy issues, and surely it would have been as well to have inti mated something of that sort in the terms of the finding. Those who have carefully perused, and well weighed over the circumstances of the case as disclosed in the trial, will feel that the decision lately come to by the Court on this subject, is a remarkable one. It is enough to excite the strongest feelings of indignation to reflect that a man, who was proved to have acted in the manner in which the Colonel did, should be thus exonerated from all blame and sheltered from all censure. The tidings will go forth to the army ; it will be heard with feelings of shame and humiliation. It was not proved even that an offence had been committed which would have justified the detention of the Serjeant-Major in his close confinement, and therefore the severity to which he was subjected was doubly blameable. It comes to this, that, if it is to be tacitly agreed I,( _ l that officers of a certain rank and associated w 11 those of unbounded influence, are to have thei r _ . e aalpractices winked at by those in autho rity, am . It.. " the general feeling of the public calls for an inquiry, nt that they are to be judged by a different 'ward to th a t o f meaner i n di v id ua l s , it is time that the au whole system of our Army be r '' reconstructed. It may be very convenientto adopt measures of expediency, and attempt the sm uggling system in matters . 7- ` or even more important things ; that but when it is a matter concern money, ;1„ .., of life and death, a question ' of truth and j owite , and an affair of suc h magnitude as this one referred to, such lax regu l a tions and con venient subterfuges will not do. If the statutes of the army are so Constituted as to acquit entirely an officer who has been proved to have acted as Colonel CretwLEY has done, and to have abstained from interfering to liberate a pri _ soner until all interference was too late, the s ooner such statutes aro altered the better,—the more creditable will it be to an army and the more cue. ducive to the interests of our soldiers. It is hard, indeed, if those who are to fight for us in every quarter of the globe, and to be banished from home for half a lifetime in some cases, cannot share the protection that we accord to our criminals. In no convict prison would such a case as that of Sergeant LILLEY have been passed over in silence, and no officer of the prison would have escaped severe cen sure, if he avoided the very possible chance of dismissal. It is ri g ht th a t a ll s h ou ld b e s hi e lded from injustice, but if de, an army sho ld a preference is to be mau come before our pri senors. Th e f r i en d s of the unfortunate subject so mismanaged, o th f ata,lithtohuigshdtihsceusisciqounirmyahyasrhesetenassured, however, Court Martial. The memo r y of h the public feeling will not ratify the decree ho the him wo sleeps in his far off Indian grave will not pass away at the bidding of authorities, and his wrongs will survive in the recollection of all advocates of honour, truth, and justice. It is on an occasion like this that we have cause to lament that the regulations of tho army and the navy are not m ore s i m ilar. The Admiralty have more power over the Courts Martial than have the Horse Guards. They are not compelled to sanction the findings, however unsatisfactory they are, and incomplete they may be. It is earnestly to be trusted that this subject will again be brought forward when Parliament meets, and, if nothing can be done to rectify the evils of the case, that measures will be adopted to prevent the occurrence of a similar calamity. Forms and ceremonies are idle things after all, "a breath can make them as a breath hes made ;" but the principles of justice are eternal and immutable, and no public institutions can be at all approximating to perfection where they are not the ruling spirit and the inspiring motive. In the sight of God and man they are of the utmost consequence, and all rules and regu lations which do not support them in their in tegrity are worse than nothing. It was objected at the first that this trial should have been in London, and certainly the result has proved the truth of the allegations of the demurrers. If when our soldiers are wronged they and their friends can receive no better satisfaction than this we may as well live in the strongholds of despotism, and submit to the stringent decrees of tyranny. It is not in accordance with the spirit of a free country that such an inquiry as that which has just been instituted should terminate after this fashion. It would be difficult to determine on what pretext the Court can fully and honourably acquit the Colonel. One thing is certain, the public will not long remain quiescent if such is to be the management of our army. The upholders of precedent, and the favourers of redtapism may go too far. If such was to have been the ruling spirit that influenced the trial, the nation might as well have been spared the expense of it. It does not appear that there is any substantial difference between the details of the case as related in the house and as testified at Aldershot ; the difference consists in the manner in which they were received. The members of both houses of the Legislature were indignant at the recital. The Court appears to have reserved its censure for the witnesses of the prose cution. The only consolation is that the adage may prove true which says that, " out of evil cometh ge ed,' , and that some sweeping changes may be made and extensive alterations instituted in the mechanism and management of our army. If such results should follow, all the sufferings of LILLEY will not have been in vain, and his death may not be altogether so deplorable an affair to reflect upon as at present. It would be difficult to say whether the course adopted by the autho rities is more unfair or impolitic, bat the feeling of the English people, so strong against all op pression, will never sanction its infliction on the bravemen who go forth to swell the ranks of its army. If this aff a i r i s se ttl e d by h ea d quar t er s, it is i n a manner which makes it worse than before, for the authorities have gone out of their way to bestow approval in a case which had called forth unmitigated censure, and given rise to feelings of universal indignation. This is not the way to s erve th e i n t erests o f t h e army , or t o maintain th e principles upon which all laws should be founded; neither will such decrees gain the respect or confidence of the country. The latest intelligence from Denmark is of con siderable importance, and confirms the worst fears of the friends of Denmark ; while the conduct of the English Government, as represented by the pub lished telegrams, is in the highest degree discredit able and dangerous. " Russia and England," it is said, "continue to exercise a pressure upon Den mark." Why has England identified herself with Russia when the interests of Russia are openly opposed to the strength and independence of any Scandinavian Power ? Both Powers represent that Prussia insists upon the abolition of the November Constitution, in default of which she will withdraw from the London Protocol of 1852, whereby war might ensue. Prussia insists. It is something new that one party to a treaty or a deed of ar.y kind is at liberty to read it according to his own interests, and that the others are to admit his right to such deci sion. The pretext for breaking a solemn national obligation made but a very few years back, and fresh in the memory of every one concerned, has, as we prophesied, been easily found, and Prussia now looks forward to making a comfortable addition to her dominions after the fashion of Posen, Silesia, and other of her provinces. She sees little in her way ; and if she ever feared English opposition to her ambitious schemes, she need do so no longer. England and Russia, we learn, have declared that, in case of war, they would not assist Denmark. This is plain speaking; and henceforth treaties drawn up under the superintendence and with the sanction of English Ministers may be held as so much waste paper. This is indeed a lame and im potent conclusion to Lord P- ALMERSTON'S out spoken words in the British Parliament—words which have proved to be mere empty sound. Such a course is opposed alike to English feelings and interests, and is part, we suppose, of the new sys tem of foreign policy, which may henceforth be known as the RUSSELL code. If Prussia is to be suffered to withdraw from the Treaty of 1852, and to make war upon Denmark be cause she refuses to abandon the Constitution, universally popular among her people because the English Government refuses to support its ally, the last shadow of our old prestige abroad will be gone, and henceforth Prussia herself may be more feared than England. At Copenhagen meanwhile affairs are in a state of most anxious uncertainty. The KING wished to obtain a suspension of the obnoxious constitution, and proposed assembling the Rigsraad, just prorogued, for the purpose of ob• taining their sanction to such a measure. The Ministers, of whom the able and patriotic M. HALL is President, refused to assume the responsibility of such a step, and declared that they would accept war in preference, even should Europe leave Den. mark unaided. The Ministers were probably in fluenced by the consideration that no concession on their part short of a complete abnegation of Danish autonomy and independence would satisfy the greed of Prussia. Every point yielded has been the signal for a fresh demand. The withdrawal of the pat en t o f M arc h i s f o ll owe d by a d e m a nd for th e abolition o f th e N ovem b er cons tit u ti on — t h e evacu a tk'n of Ho!stein is the forerunner of a threat to withdraw fromfrom the treaty which guarantees the King's succession. Prussia knew what she was doing evert when her proceedings seemed most reckless and defiant, and counting on England's non-intervention,zeapdtatfoepr mbyorsatelpprineshsuerredoenmDen mark,their she has to this . difference with the resignations, which b hi n h ev e ne Dbauennejansbhlaellcient: M in istry, owing g h is Majesty has yet M. BALL is a _o supply t h eir places. The he possesses in nreastiigonnatitlioniosoof th e il] I : o l 3 i u n c i h stry asof a high degree that firmness and patriotism so essen tial at this crisis. We cannot but hope that the old Ministers will resume their offices, and that King CHRISTIAN will not add to the difficulties and com plications which beset him on every side by the selection of now and untrained advisers, Hol stein is, of course, enthusiastic, not being wise enough to see that the other members of the German States are not all so very well con tented with their rulers and their Governments, that they should be objects of political envy. Prussia herself is a curious specimen of model inter nal organisation, and the idea of her Ministry taking up the cause of disaffected subjects and pleading misgovernment as an excuse for intervention, would be ludicrous, if it were not so serious. It is an instance of the old adage about Satan reproving sin, and Herr Von BISMARK had better remember that he is setting a somewhat dangerous example. Prussia, by her present conduct, is incurring a real danger. Though England may refuse to recog nise every obligation, there is another great Power , who may find in the "idea"rlessof Danish timorous independence the pretext neces saryoe in de of p w for an amalgamation of the Rhenish provinces with the domains of the Emperor of the FRENCH. Prussia is rushing headlong into war, not foreseeing what that war will probably bring for her. Her English friends, wiser than she is herself, are anxious to preserve her from such a risk—more anxious than they are to maintain the honour and fulfil the duties of their own country. But this may be carried too far. Whatever may be Lord RUSSELL'S theories, however much we may be bound by diplomatic entanglements or dynastic alliances, the total abandonment of Denmark will not be permitted by the English public. The voice of popular indignation will make itself heard even by courts and cabinets, and the approaching sea sion will put some awkward obstacles in the way of Prussian aggression and Whig subserviency, if it reflects in any degree the sentiments of the nation it represents. MR. JUSTICE SHEE, (From the Law Times of to-day.) Lord Westbury has done a great deal more than given us a good Judge—he has affirmed a great principle, and established a precedent. It is now dec'ared, not in words only, but by act, that reli gious creed shall not bar the path to professional promotion—that English lawyers shall be free to worship God after their own fashion, without being therefore subjected to exclusion from the honours they may win by their ability and social worth. Let all due praise be given to Lord Westbury for this achievement. It was not an easy one; it required some moral courage, for influential remonstrants were at his ear, and a numerous class among the uncultivated public were sure to be wrathful. But he has already reaped the reward of his resolve to follow the dictates of his own tolerant, because larger and well trained, intellect; the praises that have been awarded are much greater, and the abuse really less, than could have been anticipated. All the journals whose praise is worth having, without distinction of party, have raised a shout of applause, avowedly because they look upon it as the confirma tion of the principle of religious liberty ; while the only fault finders have been the few narrow-minded organs of readers still more narrow-minded than themselves, and even they have muttered feeble complaints with bated breath. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. AMERICA. SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. 26. The Hamburg American Company's screw steam ship Saxonia, Capt. N. Trautmann, from New York at 12 a.m., on the 13th inst., arrived off Cowes at .5.50 p.m., and went on to Hamburg. She brought 16 passengers for this port and 44 for Hamburg; 90,000 dols. for England, 1,500 dole. for Hamburg, and a full cargo. Her news is anticipated. Fine weather and variable winds were experi enced the greater part of the voyage. Off Sandy Hook the Saxonia passed the American ship John M. Wood ; in lat. 47.40 N., long. 34.3 \V., the ship Lady Millon, of London, bound east; arid off Port land the clipper-ship Scarsfelt, bound for Hong kong; the American ship, 3d pendant 6,251, and the English ship, 3d pendant 6,590, bound west. DENMARK. RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTRY. COPENHAGEN, DEC. 25. The Ministry have tendered their resignation, which has been accepted by the King. Russia and England continue to exercise a pres sure upon Denmark. Both Powers represent that Prussia insists upon the abolition of the November constitution, in default of which she will with draw from the London protocol of 1852, whereby war might ensue. England and Russia have also declared that they would not in such a case assist Denmark. The King wished to obtain the sanction of the Rigsraad to a suspension of the constitution, and to assemble that body for the purpose. The Mi nisters thereupon declared that they could not assume the responsibility of such a step, and would rather accept war, even should Europe leave Den mark isolated. Several members of the Right have been asked by the King to form a Ministry, but have all de declined. HAMBURG, DEC. 26. Advices from Copenhagen arrived here state that Sweden advocates the withdrawal of the November constitution. It was believed that a Ministry would be found by Baron Scheel Plessen, Herr von Criminil, and Count Maltke. The King observed yesterday to the officers of the army and navy that he hoped still to preserve peace in accordance with the constitution. It is said that his Majesty will visit the army on Monday. It is stated upon good authority that the fortress of Rensdburg and the tete-du-pont of Friedrich stadt will be evacuated, the latter being razed. An Episode of the Colenso Trial. Soon after Dean Douglas had commenced his opening address after the trial of Bishop Colenso, The Archbishop of Grahamstown (Merriman), interrupting the Dean's argument, rose and said:— I feel constrained to make an inquiry. I hope I shall be pardoned for doing so ; and will give my reasons. I have come from a distant part of the province in the hope that I should here meet the Bishop of Natal, and that in the course of these arguments, and by our remonstrances, but still more by brotherly intercourse with your lordships, he would be induced in some measure to retract, or modify in some way, the very painful statements which we have come here to examine. But, al though he is not here present, we are exceedingly glad to find that he has employed a gentleman to represent him, but in respect to whom I should very much wish to know whether we have the hope that in adducing these proofs—the citation and the formularies upon which we found our argu ments—we are addressing one who, like the Bishop of Natal himself, would give due weight to them; whether Dr. Bleek—l believe that is the name of the gentleman ; I have never seen him before, and therefore I can have no possible objection to him ; on the contrary, I am exceedingly glad to see him here—whether he is e member of the Church of Eng land, or of any communion which will recognise the formularies of our church, upon which the whole of our arguments are fouuded. I hope I shall be per mitted to put that question—of course through your lordships—before we proceed further with the argument. _ _ The Archdeacon (Badeall] of George—l hope I shall be allowed to supplement what the Archbishop of Grahamstown has said to this effect, This is the first occasion upon which I have had the plea sure of meeting Dr. Bleek. I did not even know it was he who sat down at the table. Therefore lam sure he will acquit me of every vestige of personal feeling ; and, not residing quite so far from Cape town as the Archdeacon of Grahamstown does, I may be allowed perhaps to say that I have heard his name mentioned ss that of a gentleman, not only not a member of our communion, but of a gentleman very well known to sympathise in the very strongest way with quite the freer sort of So ciniauism. Ido not intend even the slightest per sonality ; but unless that be expressly denied, I cannot help asserting in the strongest way my sur prise at the extraordinary fact that the Bishop of Natal, a bishop of a Christian church, should have chosen such a representative. Therefore I beg to sup plement what the Archdeacon of Grahamstown has said, and to join with him in requesting that the question may be decidedly put. We do not at all wish that Dr. Bleek should absent himself in the least degree. On the contrary, I am sure I only express the feeling of the Archdeacon of Grahams town, and of the dean, as well as myself, when I say that it is our sincere hope that every indul gence may be given to him. But still, returning to the point that has been raised, I must request that the question may be put. The Bishop of Capetown—Dr. Bleek, you have heard the question put by the Archdeacon of Grra hamstown ; if you feel inclined to answer it you may do so. Dr. Bleek—l came here to perform certain for mal acts in connection with the inquiry going on, not for the purpose of any inquiry being made as to my opinions. I did not come here as a member of the church in any way, but merely to read this letter and to do some formal things. If this court is to be converted into any other purpose thari that which I am instructed not to recognise, then I have no business here. The Bishop of Capetown—The question proposed to you was, whether you, as the agent of a bishop of the Church of &gland, were a member of that com munion; or whether, if not a member of that church. you held the faith of the Church of England on these subjects. Dr. Bieek--My lord, I decline to answer that question. They have no right to ask such a ques tion. The Dean then proceeded with his address. THE DUKE OF AUGUSTENBURG.—WhiIe all Europe is in a commotion relative to the claims of this prince to the Duchy of Holstein his royal highness is said to be very comfortably and quietly enjoying himself in pursuing field sports at Coombe, near Honiton, in De von• shire.-111orning Post. REPRESENTATION OF EAST SOMERSET.—It has been determined that Mr. Ralph Neville Grenville and Mr. Richard Horner Paget shall be brought forward as candidates for the representation of the Eastern Divi. eion of Soraersetshire at the next general election, SAN DOMINGO. CADIZ, DEC. 25. A steamer has arrived here with news from San Domingo to the 7th inst. The capture of Azua was shortly expected, which would terminate the insurrection. THE BOMBAY MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Night: The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Delta, Captain J. Weeks, arrived at 7.30 p.m., with the heavy portion of these mails, in charge of Mr. Douglas, of the General Post-office. She brings 53 passengers (viz. -11 first-class, 14 second, and 23 deck), £569 ss. 6d. in specie, 574 bales of silk, 22 cases of shawls, 9 packages of ele phants' tusks, 3 cases of jewellery, 261 boxes of oranges, 9 cases of wine, ani 57 packages of gene ral merchandise. The Delta left Alexandria on the 13th instant, Malta the 16th, and Gibraltar the 21st. From Alexandria to Malta she had strong ereezes from W.N.W. to N.W., and cloudy, with heavy head sea ; thence to Gibraltar fresh N.W. breezes, with much rain ; along the coast of Spain and Portugal, light easterly winds and fair weather; across the Bay of Biscay north-easterly winds, with a north westerly swell, and in the Channel, light easterly winds and overcast, with smooth water. On the 13th, in lat. 34.39 N. long., 19.59 E., the Delta passed the Peninsular and Oriental steam ship Ripon, steering to the southward and east ward ; on the 19th, lat. 37 N., long. 3.24 E., the Peninsular and Oriental steamer Ceylon ; and same day, lat. 36,59 N., long. 1.31 E., her Majesty,s ship Racoon. Her Majesty's ships Marlborough, St. George, Phoobe, Magicienne, Chanticleer, Icarus, Firefly, and Psyche, were at Malta, and the Procris 'at Gibraltar. The Racoon, Captain Count Gleichen, left Gibraltar for Malta during the night of the 17th inst. Exchanges at Gibraltar were quoted as follows on the 19th inst. :—London, 90 days' date, 501 ; Paris, ditto, sf. 26c. ; Marseilles, ditto, sf. 28c. Genoa, ditto, sf. 3uc. ; Madrid, eight days' sight, pm. ; Cadiz, ditto, dis ; Seville, ditto, a to 7,- dies.; Malaga, ditto, par ; Barcelona, ditto, I pm. ; Almeria, ditto, par ; Valencia, ditto, par to I, pm ; Alicant, ditto, par. The Gibraltar Chronicle of the 17th has the fol lowing in reference to Sir Moses Mon tefiore's mis sion to Morocco:— "Letters from the principal Jews in Tangier re port that their venerable champion, Sir Moses Montefiore, is making satisfactory progress in the mission of benevolence which induced him, at an advanced age, to undertake a journey from London to Morocco. On his way through Madrid Sir Moses was honoured with an interview by the Queen of Spain, and was also well received by the Marquis of Miraflores, the head of the Spanish Ministry, who gave him letters to the Spanish representative in Morocco. On presenting these letters Sir Moses, it is said, obtained the liberation of the two Jews who were lately scourged and imprisoned on account of a squabble with a Moorish servant of the Spanish Legation in Tangier. It is also stated that at the close of the interview the representative of Spain handed to Sir Moses Montefore a despatch to the Moorish Minister in which he announced on the part of his Government that he withdrew from further prosecution of the proceed ing against the two unfortunate Jews now imprisoned at Saffi on the charge of being con cerned in the death of the Spanish collector. Armed with such a document it is not likely that Sir Moses will experience much difficulty in obtaining from the Moorish Government the release of the accused. At the same time the benefit to the Jewish subjects of the Emperor of Morocco of Sir Moses Monte fiore's benevolent intercession will not, we hope, be confined to the liberation of the three or four pri soners to whom his attention has been specially di rected. The interest he has been able to awaken in dif ferent Christian Governments on behalf of the African members of his race has led, we are told, in some instances to instruction being given to the repre• senatives of those Governments in Morocco to pre vent, if possible, the rude and summary processes of Moorish administration being pressed unfairly against the Jews. A despatch in this sense from the Italian Government to its representative in Morocco has been read to the principal Jews in Tangier. The exertions of Sir Moses Montefiore, therefore, besides their immediate effect, have pro bably secured for his race valuable protection for the future." SLUGS IN AUSTIIALTA.—The following is an extract from a letter addressed to Mr. Tomkinson by a northern sfeckholder :—" I saw yesterday for the first time a species of slug, millions of them in a body, moving south-west, and stripping the country as they go. It was only a few days ago the shepherd first noticed them. They had cleared yesterday about one and a half mile long and from a half to three quarters wide ; they move in a straight line and compact body. It is to be hoped that something will turn up to consume them, or . the consequences will be very serious. I also nottcedyab. es tercliy the return of the grasshopper birds. In the sena) of grasshoppers, of which I have not, n9tice,dusatnray: they will, let us hope, take to the slugs."---# 504 / 6 • A `• 'tan Register. STATISTICAL SOCIETY, At a meeting of the above society, held on Tues. day, Dec. 15, Professor J. E. T. Rogers, of Oxford, read a paper " On the continuous price of wheat for 105 years from 1380 to 1484." The writer ob served that the prices of wheat annexed to his paper were taken from a series of farming accounts of Hayford Warren, in Oxfordshire. The series is complete, except for the years 1380, 1383, 1386, and 1390. The prices, however, for these years are supplied from Weedon, in Bucks, a place sufficiently near for the purposes of comparison. It will be ma nifest, Professor Rogers remarked, that during the whole of the period before us prices of food were, with few exceptions, remarkably low. They were far lower than those which prevailed during the 14th century, and that part of the 13th during which accounts of farm produce have come under my inspection. The harvest during this time must have been exceedingly abundant, more so in all likelihood than, mutatis mutandis, they were in the early half of the 18th century, a period which has always been cited as characteristically pros perous. Of the 105 years, 21 alone are relatively dear; in them the price is above 6s. per qr. These 21 years are-1389 90, 1400-1-2, 14089, 1416, 1418, 1428, and 1429 ; 14324, 14378, 1460-1, 1477-78, 1480-81 ; and in only two of these was the price indicative of famine, namely, 1390 and 1438. The highest price is much below that at which wheat was sold during two or three years of Edward 11. and Edward 111. In considering these prices the value of the coin in which they are ex pressed has to be considered. The coin of the time was of customary fineness, a pound of silver contain ing lloz. 2dwt. of pure metal and 18 dwts. of alloy. But the currency was twice degraded during the period. Up to 1412 the pound sterling was equal in modern value to £2 6s. 6d., and in 1412 it was di minished to £llBs. 9d., and in 1464 to L 1 1 ls. At the commencement of the period reviewed by the writer, the price of common labour was generally 3d. per day; of artisans, such as carpenters, masons, and sawyers, 4d. About the end of the first quar ter of the 15th century these kinds of labour rose respectively to 4d. and to 6d., and so remained to the close of Henry VIII.'s reign. On the other hand, the price of lead, wrought iron, and brass, slightly falls—the price of these metals was about 3s. 4d., Id., and 3d. per lb. respectively. Wheat was, I have no doubt, observed Professoe Rogers, the habitual food of the people. Of all the prices of grain the most abundant are those of wheat, barley, and oats; of these again the largest infor• mation is that which can be supplied for wheat. Labourers rarely used oats, except on occasion in their porridge. The breadth of wheat, barley, and oats grown on the land from year to year, occupies by far the largest of the acreage. Most malt was used at harvest, when, as now, wages for day-work were very much higher than at ordinary times. Corn was reaped at ls. to Bd. per acre. Rye was a rare grain. The Heyford prices of wheat were then compared with the prices at Hornchurch in Essex, and Stert in Wilts. As might be expected the divergence of prices is greatest in the cheap years. It is a well known economical law that the prices of wheat, or of any other absolute necessary of life, decrease in plentiful years at a very different ratio from that in which they increase in dear ones. The price of labour appears to have been higher in London than in the country by 25 per cent. A table of the prices of wool at Alton Barnes, in Wiltshire, was appended to the paper. It was noted that disease amongst locks in the middle ages perpetually destroyed one-fourth of the number kept. With respect to the productiveness of the land it was stated that a crop of 30 bushels on average land under modern culture is by no means excessive; land under tillage in the present time yields two and a half times more than in the days of our forefathers. It was during this time that the class of small farmers rose ; the fact is traceable not only in the suggestions of legislation and history, but in the change made by owners of land in the manage ment of their estates by a bailiff. Between the last thirty years of the 14th century and the first forty of the 15th this practice is almost univer sally abandoned. The landowner ceases to culti vate his own land, his rents are gathered in by a collector, and a farmer cultivates the soil for his own profit, at a fixed rent, sometimes for a long term, but with his landlord's stock, which he is pledged to restore, or its equivalent in money, at the expiring of his tenancy. After a short time, however, this practice ceases, the tenant finds stock himself; and occupies an estate either under a lease or very often by purchase. THE FIRST GREY HAlR.—This night when the last days of the year are ebbing away, a fair hand playing with my dark locks has discovered a gray hair—the first grey hair I I had never seen such a thing—never dreamt of such a thing 1 At my age; I could not believe it. It was laid upon a band of black velvet and placed before me. I can resist conviction no longer. There it lies, blanched and white—white as the driven snow 1 And it is my hair. It seems but yesterday that I was at school, wishing I were a man. And now to-day lam grey, and growing old. What have I done in all this time ? Have I fulfilled a man's mission upon earth—have I made any step towards it ? Have I done any good in the most in finitesimal degree, for which the world is wiser or better ? I cannot answer my own questions. I am dumb, and sitting here contemplating that white hair, with the sense that another year is gliding away, I feel that it is time in right good earnest to turn over a new leaf. I have made the re solution often before, but never under the sense of obliga• tion which now weighs upon me.—London Society. PUBLISHING BEFORE THE INVENTION OF PRINT ING.—That the Roman populace was not shut out from literature, and even newspapers, by the want of a printing-press, is certain. What their newspapers may have contained, I do not know; but Tacitus tells us that in the provinces, and even in the camp, these papers were read with great avidity, every one being anxious to hear what Thraseas had not done—as in cur day they are to hear what Louis Napoleon has said, or has not said. The exist ence of several well• known publishers proves the activity of the book-trade. Dionysius of Halicarnassus speaks of the " thousands of writers " on the single subject of the early Roman history ; and although there is of course hyperbole in his phrase of pvpicov iMcov, yet even as an hyperbole it indicates a large number, And there is no exaggeration but a statement to be precise, in the notice of the two thousand copies of the pseudo-Sibyline books which Augustus confiscated in Rome alone. Here, also, is a fact which points in the same direction. Pliny laughingly writes to a friend that Regulus has taken into his head to weep ostentatiously for the loss of his son; and ;to one weeps like him luget ut none, "He sets sculptors and painters to work, and composes an oration which he is not content with pub licly reciting in Rome, buz must enrich the provinces with a thousand copies of it—in exemplaria transcriptum milk." There is one important source of demand which must not be overlooked, I mean for school-books. When Juvenal says that the " verses which the boy has just conned over on his bench he stands up to repeat," it is clear that the Roman boys had their lesson-books, which they thumbed, tore, and lost, as their descendants have done. And it is worthy of remark, that in the Roman schools the popular poets were studied ; nay, Persius tells us that it was the ambition of poets to be read in schools ; and Nero, in whom literary vanity, as we know, was intense, gave ex press orders that his verses should be given to the boys. But perhaps the strongest indication of this activity is seen in the fact that the library formed an essential part of every house; which is very far from true of houses of our own day, even among the easy classes. . . The prices tell a similar tale. It books had been costly, they must have been rare—if they had not been cheap, they could not have been common. Thus, on the one hand, the evidence which proves that books must have been abundant, proves that they must have been cheap—and on the othet,the evidence, scanty as it is, but decisive, which proves that books werewa., cheap, points to their abundance. A learned Fren th <, e who has investigated this point of price, cosies to con elusion that the prices were lower thainha: day. Let us hear what Martial says iis us, for five deuarii w b o r olksfiegor. atE°Apuiogrtorhksootirvossilf his Epigrams was to be bought, hebot:nd_ but in a cheaper t eightpenoe)-4nd he says (nearly three shillings) elegant.xl Y or ten sestertii (a shfilling binding fir the people it euis os bout tuo l(e st aa eh v e e a authors fair conclusion p r v o e fi r t e t h . n a o t b p o a o id k . s were i' B The to one-and-eightpence). that t was soldhalf thatf o for f four s e e ps reader, doubtless, jam a swB n 'toe d buretlied i ja n his t h r i a r s t h ee n n es th s magnificent those o sdli n a O r t assert, nor insinuate, that they ever re -s which our m • cheap in th i e i3 sums sums the very mention of which would, a bibliopoles t pay cele • re ceived I: reia e vrte r ee e ddp a ata d hiu e de r t. few years ago, have flattered the attics of Grub-street to madness. Horace never got a guinea a line for his odes— nor did Petronius receive £16,000 for his romance. Livy was not so well paid as Macaulay. But the Roman authors were paid, nevertheless, and were ',raid sums greater than were usually received long after the invention of printing. NagGine for January, cr -61111 M 1 ICM CLEN (Milk HER MAJESTY. OSBORNE, Dec. 25. Yesterday afternoon, by her Majesty's command, the children of the workmen and labourers on the Osborne estate were assembled in the Servants' Hall at Osborne, where a Christmas tree, with pre sents, were arranged. At half-past four o'clock the Queen, accompanied by the whole of the Royal family, proceeded to the Hall, and, assisted by the Royal family, distributed the presents to the children, which consisted of articles of wearing apparel, books, toys, &o. Afterwards her Majesty in the same manner gave the labouring men and women great coats, blankets, &c. The ladies and gentlemen in attendance, and the Rev. G. Prothero and Mrs. Prothero were present. This morning her Majesty, their Royal High nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince Alfred, Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, Prince Leopold, and Prince Leiningen at tended at Whippingham Church. The Rev. 0 . Prothero officiated and administered the sacrament of the Holy Communion. His Serene Highness Prince Leiningen arrived yesterday on a visit. His Royal Highness Prince Arthur arrived yes terday, attended by Major Elphinstone. The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort have a large family party staying at Badminton, Gloucestershire, for the Christmas, including the Duchess (Emily) of Beaufort and Lady Geraldine, Somerset, &c. The Duke of Cleveland is in excellent health. His grace is entertaining a large number of visitors St Raby Castle, his seat in Durham. The Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch are enter taining a select family circle at Dalkeith Palace, near Edinburgh. Tha Marquis and Marchioness of Ailesbury are entertaining a numerous party at Savernake Lodge, near Marlborough, Wilts. The Marchioness (Maria) of Ailes" bury, Lord and Lady Charles Bruce, the Countess Arai Danneskiold, Colonel the Hon. Henry W, J. and Mrs. Byng, &c., are among the guests. The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury are entertaining a large party of friends at Hatfield House, Herts. The noble marquis and marchioness do not intend to give a county ball this season, but will receive a suc cession of guests until just before the assembling of Parlia ment. The Eirl de Grey returned to town on Thu rsdsy, from staying with the shooting party at Earl Cowper's sent in Hertfordshire. Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston are sur rounded by a family party at Broadlands, near RomseY Hants. Society for . Rendering Assistance to the Aged or Sick Poor. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin.,—May I tax your kindness to make known through your columns the existence of a society for the relief of the aged or sick poor. It occupies a sphere sufficiently distinctive to commend it, I think, to the support of the Christian and the charitable public, upon whom the remembrance of the poor becomes doubly imperative when to poverty are added the pangs ° f disease or the decrepitude of old age. The council is com posed of gentlemen who have given long and deep attention to questions of social suffering and reform. Many other benevolent institutions refuse relief to persons who have been or are in the receipt of parish assistance. We shall make no such restriction, while exercising every care that the bounty of the society is not abused. Local societies will be established as soon as possible, and their operation will be under the direct supervision of the council. I have accepted the office of treasurer, and sub scriptions for the society forwarded to my bankers, Messrs. Coutts and Co., 59, Strand, will be thankfully acknow ledged on its behalf by, Sir, your obedient servant, TOWNSHEND. 6, Grosvenor•place, Dec. 24, 1863. A NEW PROCESS OF PRINTING POSITIVES WITHOUT SALTS OF GOLD OR SILVER.—Th e paper is exposed to the sun in the frame under a negative for 30 or 40 minutes, and, after ascertaining that the print ing is sufficiently brought out, it is washed with water, and the operation is finished ; the image, which, when leaving the frame, is obscured, is developed by the wash ing and in a few moments takes the brightness and fine ness of the best Prussian blue, with the white parts per fectly preserved. To turn the blue impression black, it is plunged into a solution of pure caustic potash in alcohol, in the proportion of 1 gramme of potash to 300 grammes of water. The blue impression is changed in this bath to yellow, the transformation taking place in one or two nil flutes. It is then well washed with ordinary water, and over the yellow image is poured a small quantity of,the fol lowing alcoholic solution :—Alcohol at 40 deg., 100 gr. ; Gallic acid, 8 gr. In a few seconds the yellow image 15 seen to change from a yellow to an intense black, and to attain a deep tone; it is then dried without washing, an d thus becomes fixed. "WHAT, JOE! OLD JOE !! AM DAT You ?"—Tb e cause of the American war has at length been ascertained , according to Brigham Young, who says it is a " visitation from Heaven upon the people because they killed the pro' phet Jos Smith." . __ THE STATUE OF WILLIAM DARGAN has been placed upon its pedestal on the lawn of th e R o yal Dublin Society, in front of the National Gallery of I re l a nd, at th e west side of Merrion-square. A SAMPLE OF THE RIGHT ARTICLE !—The late W. E. Burton, while travelling on a ste a mboat down the Hudson, seated himself at the table and called for som e beefsteak. The waiter furnished him with a small strip e f the article, such as travellers are usually put off with. Tag" ing it upon his fork and turning it over,and examining it with one of his peculiar serious looks, the humorist coolly re marked, " Yes, that's it ; bring me some." A FOOTBALL CLUB has been established in Paris by some Englishmen, who exercise their prowess in the Champs Elysees, to the wonder of the Parisians, who CO" not understand the necessity of strengthening the legs In this way except with the object of kicking leers arnis down stairs. Bn d sr a ewat ou s a c ls! e he n ill e RAILWAY OFFICERS AND SERVANTS.—The editor of Punch (Mark Lemon, Esq.) is announced to read his benefitpo p ul a r of d t r h a e m u a t n i e i t story, ed K in Kingdom d g om Hearts Railway ar e Tor uffimepe Officers ' a ' n f d o r s t e h r .! yenta Association, at the London-bridge House Hotel, on January 19th. EXPLOSION ON THE HUDSON.—The steame r Isaac Newton, New York to Albany, was on her way on the night of the sth, with above 100 passengers on board, when a terrific explosion occurred,—the bottom of one of the boilers was thrown out, the fire hurled through the ventilator into the lower cabin, and the vessel inextin guishably fired. Six or seven persons were killed, but all the rest were rescued, The New York Times describes the scene as one of great confusion :—" When the burning coals came down the ventilator into the lower cabin, they, scattered in all directions. One gentleman, lifting a cup 01 coffee to his mouth, was struck and burnt on his hand. Another had his coffee thrown boiling over his face by A red-hot coal alighting into the cup. A lady bad her clothes set on fire. About one-third of the Born sengers were women and children, and the mo st a t ',___ 32. scribable terror reigned. The wildest rumoura ra I" mouth to ear that the boat was sinking, ortunately there oerveelon:e•d m - , id but sh i i p t •' 1 of heart-rending agony occurred. F ho checked the vide cool, brave men on board, cowardly men, and thus frantic women and shamed the coxwir:3Bsly rushed .. ossessian to prevent the the lady passengers made saved many who would ha v ve tihip e into the water. In ten guardstthe greatestan d thrown c o urag e themselves a : 7 ad. onsalel.oe 8 most fearful results. wild efforts to throw them had, fortunately, nearly all rushed was at hand —the steamer Daniel commanded by Captain John Smith aflfat flames. minutesesA. afterguardian the ss esan e g x : P : :: b i be his name —with three barges in tow. He ran up to the starboard quarters, made fast, and at once set himself to work to save the passengers. The ladies and ekildren were first passed on board. Several cowardly men tried to crowd in advance ot them, but were summarily thrust b—s.a.celvleibrlylhert°'huoe°lti.bcrrea°dle"sclier'its who sought to xescue. Selfishnes s had an exemplification on this occasion—one man had four life-preservers on his person. There were a number of valuable ho rses on b oard. One escape d an d swam to For t Wa shington, and was captured by the policemen o f L;aPt• Wilson's precinct." HOROLOGICAL PRODUCTIONS.—"Ranged around the base of the clock were the watches which Mr. Benson ex hibited, and which have been universally admired for the beauty and elegance of the designs engraved upon them._ The movements are of the finest quality w hich the art o horology is at present capable of producing."—lllustrater lf London News, Nov. 8, 1862. Chronometer, duplex, lever, horizontal, repeaters, centre seconds, keyless, spli t seconds, and every description of watch, adapted to all cliniatfe; Benson's illustrated pamphlet on watches (free by Pot ~, two stamps) contains a short history of watchmaking., with prices, from 3 to 200 guineas. It acts a s a g uide in tia"t purchase of a watch, and enables those who live in anYPa t. of the world to select a watch, and have it sent by P°'',.. Prize medal and honourable mention, classes 33 and 15. J. W. Benson, 33 and 31, LudE;ate-hill, London. E stablishe3 1749. Watch and clock maker by special warrant of . pointraent to 1 - 1,R.11, the Prince of Wales, barb and • ari e , Pe as .' L 4,84 for su r cen X 1; Po( Co / abo Ban 3 pe 3 p e Nev Indi e, ndi be Bral Di •Egy Ore( u a Di Itali ltEex Di MOO New Di Di Peru Di Port Di Di Di Ituss. Di Di oard Di. span Dii Dii Dit span .I)ft 6W e d Turk bit bit bi t bit Dit gene, -Oft Dit bit Dutd, Pren Cons( bit Ti, mark, BE lamb to Bee as 2 d. %cal T c C id thc 4 M a , 8 811, 1 ,' 1 . 12 11 ;' 1 ;;Oat to ' us 9d