The Sun. — London, England, 1863-04-02 00:00:00

LORD PALMERSTON IN SCOTLAND. ! -11.- GLASGOW, Wednesday Morning. After the conclusion of the proceedings at the entertainment given last night by the operative classes in the City Hall to Viscount Palmerston his Lordship, accompanied by the Lord Provost, Mr. alglish, M.P., Mr. Buchanan, M.P., Mr. Cowper, M.P., Mr. Crum-Ewing, M.P., Mr. Evelyn Ashley, Mr. Kinnaird, Admiral Hope, Mr. Sheriff Bill, and others, attended a ball given in his honour at the Corporation Galleries, where the re ception accorded to his Lordship by a brilliant as semblage was most enthusiastic. This morning, Lord Palmerston, attended by the Lord Provost, the Right Hon. William Cowper, and the Hen. Evelyn Ashley, was present at a breakfast given to Admiral Sir James Hope, by the President of th e G a i ter C lub, Mr. John Burns, of the eminent firm of Messrs. George and J. Burns, at his residence in Park-gardens. Among the members of the Club present were Sir James Hope, the Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, Re'v• Dr. M'Lcoti, Chaplain of the Club, General Mecdowell, Mr. George Burns, Colonel Bayley, lt.E., Captain Ceimmo, R.N., Air. Edward J,rees, Mr. Cleland Burns, Major nay, the Rev. J. Honey, Mr. D. Macnee, Mr. S. Stewart. Among the guests, besides Viscount Palmerston, the Right Hon. W. Cowper, M.P., the Hon. E. Ashley, and the Lord Provost of Glasgow, were Capt. Farquhar, R.N., Col. Farrington, Capt. Stewart, R.N., Rev. Dr. M.Duff, Rev. Dr. Buchanan, Rev. A. M'Ewen, the Rev. Dr. Robertson, Sir E. Colebrooko, M.P., Mr. Pender, M.P., Mr. Crum Ewing, M.P., Mr. Crum-Ewing, jug., Col. Kiuloch, and a number of ladies. Fifty gentlemen sat down to a most ele gant del euner, at which Mrs. Burns presided. A guard of honour, composed of the seamen of her Majesty's ship Hogue, lined the entrance to the mansion. After breakfast, on the motion of the President, Lord Palmerston was elected an hono rary member of the Gaiter Club. Viscount PALMERSTON, having added his name to the list of members, said— I am very proud and flattered to be associated with such a distinguished body. (A laugh.) lam informed, though gaiters have an intimate connection with legs—(a laugh)— that no gaiterman is allowed to speak upon his legs. (A laugh.) He may speak about his legs, but not upon his legs. (Continued laughter.) Now, as we in these days never show our legs, inasmuch as trousers would conceal even the gaiter if we wore it, you will excuse me if I am very short in my thanks. I can only assure you that, whether I wear long gaiters or short gaiters, my memory of 3 our kindness will be long, and not short. (Loud cheers and laughter.) The noble Viscount then left with Mr. Cowper in the Lord Provost's carriage, and was followed by the Hon. Mr. Kinnaird, M.P., and the Hon. E. Ashley to the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. On the platform his lordship was received by Mr. Dalglish, M.P., Mr. Merry, M.P., Dr. Strang, the City Chamberlain, Mr. Latham, and Mr. J. B. Thomson, superintendent, and proceeded by the ex press train at 10 30 to Edinburgh. The train reached Edinburgh at 11 50, and his lordship was received on the platform of the Waverley Station by the Lord Provost. At one o'clock the freedom of the city was presented to Lord Palmerston, in the Queen-street-hall, which was filled by ladies and gentlemen. Among those present were the Marquis of Dalhousie, Lord Deas, Lord Aedmillan, Lord Curriohill, Sir David Baxter, the Lord Advo cate, 31. P., Mr. Black, M.P., Principal Candlish, Sir W. Gibson Craig, Sir H. Moncrieff, Sir J. Douglas, the Hon. B. Primrose, Mr. Chas. Cowan, and Mr. Wm. Chambers. The entrance of Lord Palmerston was hailed by repeated shouts of hearty acclamation. The LORD PROVOST, in presenting the burgess tieket to the noble Premier, said;— My Lord Palmerston,—Anxious to mark your lordship's visit to this metropolis by the most honourable tribute of respect which it is in our power to bestow, we have invited your presence here to-day for the purpose of presenting to you the freedom of this ancient city. When we revert to the bone; and distinguished career through which your lordship Las passed, we account it no small privilege to have the op portunity of testifying on this occasion our acknowledgment of the manner in which your lordship has for the last 57 years unceasingly devoted your whole energies and great powers of mind to the prosperity and welfare of your country. But, as the corporation of a city which saw and fostered the dawn of those talents which have since raised your lordship to such wide-world distinction, we have a peculiar gratification in asking your acceptance to-day of a compliment which we think you will not esteem the less that it is paid, not b the leader of a great political party, but to a statesman whose one object throughout a long lifetime has been the security and honour of this great empire. Since your lordship left the roof and guardianship of our distinguished Scottish phi • losopher, Dugald Stewart, more than 60 years ago, your life has been one of toil and tumult from which you may be said never to have rested, but which has now led you to the first place and the highest honours. In almost all the conflicts of that eventful and often stormy period you have borne a foremost part; but we see you here again to-day, verging on four-score, in the full possession of bodily health and strength, with intellect not enfeebled and, better than all, with heart not embittered. It is sometimes a matter of apparent regre:; that the asperities of political life rage so high that the power which union is said to afford appears to be endangered ; but it is no less a fact—and I believe your lordship will bear me out when I say it—that one of the great causes of the prosperity of this country is the very existence of party. Liberty of speech and freedom of thought —those grand watchwords of our Constitution—would be come but dead letters were they to be continually employed in the servile echo of one opinion or of one course of policy, and the interests of the nation are never more successfully consulted than when they have undergone the refining pro cess which Parliamentary discussion is so eminently calcu lated to bring to bear upon them. The abCities required for the careful guidance of political party are of the most dis tinguished order. Upon them hang the result of this ne cessary disunion, whether it shall be for good to the country or for evil, and fortunate indeed is that man, and rare are his abilities, who even in the foremost ranks of party can so rise above its prejudices a nd inf l u ences as (be sides preserving the attachments of his friends) to attract also to himself the goodwill and admiration of his oppo nente. It is this position, my Lord Palmerston, that wo congratulate you upon holding—a position rendered illus rious from the fact that it has been attained by uniform integrity of purpose, and loyalty of heart, which through out your long and brilliant Parliamentary career have never once faltered, nor yielded for a moment to private or even party impulses. It is your great privilege, if your life has been one of unremitting toil in the service of your country, if the periods of freedom from care and anxiety have been to-you but few and short—it is yet, I say, your privilege to know that the country you have served so faithfully in youth, in manhood, and in advanced years has not been un orthy of this lifelong devotion—that it stands higher than it has ever done before in all that can add to dignity and power, and that it rewards its great men with the most honoura ble of human prizes—a nam e distinguished on the pages of its history, which will five for ever. The list of honorary burgesses of this city on which we now desire to record your lordship is no mean one, and we think that in the companionship of men illus trious in science, in litera ture, and in art, of men who have won their laurels on the battle-field, and of men who like yourself have raised for themselves lasting monuments of political fame, we think that by the side of Hampden, Johnson, Peel, a nd Napier, you will not hesitate to h ave your own name inscribed, and on our part we are proud to perform an act this day which imparts an aiditional lustre to that list which we seek by every entry to render more valuable and more honourable. The reading of the address was followed by lou d applause. Lord PALIVIERSTON, who was greeted with the most enthusiastic cheers, said : My Lord Provost,—l can assure you that I attach the greatest possible value to the gift which you have just be stowed upon me, not only for that which is its intrinsic value, but more especially for the kind, and, I must intruth s ay, the far too flattering manner in which you have couched those expressions that have accompanied the gift you have bestowed. There cannot be anything more gratifying to a public man ; there cannot be a greater reward for any exer tions which he may have made in the discharge of his public duties to his country than to receive, as I am doing upon the present occasion, testimonies of approval and of good will from large, influential, and highly respected portions of h,s fellow countrymen. (Cheers.) It is the greatest incen tive to those who are beginning their career, it is the most highly prized toward for those whose career has nearly run its course, and you are therefore not only conferring a great favour upon an individual, but you are, if I may be allowed to say so, performing, though not, perhaps, with all discri mination upon this occasion—(cheers)—a public duty in bestowing these encouragements and rewards upon those who are engaged in the public service of the country. There are circumstances, both personal and general, which make this gift peculiarly acceptable to Imse.ehltt three happy as you have observed, within citythis Universit p y of Edin happy years of life, receiving t f h r e om burgh part, and, I will say, most valuable part, of the instruction which I have received—(cheers) —and, therefore, from recollections of " au ld lang syne," I value the gift which you h a v e conferred upon me. (Cheers.) I can't but remember, also, that the city of which T have now the honour to be a member enrolled amend the list of eminent and distinguished men is a city one of the most famous in the history of the world for its traditional glories and achievements. " (Cheers.) Local pride and local tradi• time have an inestimable value. You, the people of Scot land, are now part of a great nation, the nation which in habits the United Kingdom, but long may you continue to treasure up in your minds your own peculiar traditions, t istory, and glory, and though you may be, as I know you will be, for ever loyal and affectionate subjects of our common Sovereign, and in kindly broti erhood with every portion of the United Kingdom, yet continue to be in your hearts Seotchmen -(cheers)—and cherish in your minds and in your recollections all those glorious tra ditions which are connected with the history of your peculiar portion of the British empire. (Cheers.) It is, therefore, with great pride that I find myself enrolled in that list Which you have adverted to in what you have stated to me. Municipal institutions are deserving of the highest veneration and respect. They are founded on re mote antiquity—they are the basis on which everything that is good in free institutions is built up and perfected, (Cheers.) They give to man the privilege of local self government. They educate locally the people of a country, so me afterwards to take part in the large concerns of the nation, all to be able to form a correct judgment of the con duct of those by whom the national affairs are guided, They instruct and enlighten the mind, they practise the human intellect in all those exercises which render it manly and energetic, and they are, therefore, deserving of the highest possible commendation and encouragement. (Cheers) I am, therefore, proud, my Lord Provost and gentlemen, to have become a member of your illustrious body, and I can assure you that I shall, to the latest day of I my existence, preserve and value the gift you have placed in my bands. There are topics adverted to in your address in which I most heartily and cordially concur. You have well said that the vital spirit, if I may use the expression of free institutions, may be said to be party spirit; everything in nature that is still and stagnant becomes vitiated and corrupt. It is only movement, contending and conflicting movement, which keeps the course of nature healthy and active ; and so it is with the mind of man, whether it be in . _ science, in literature, or in politics; as long as the mind of man is free, as long as every one is enabled to form his own opi nions and to express them, and to endeavour to convince others _ that he is right, so long will there be differences of opinion, so long will there be conflicts of controversy, but that is a healthy instead of being an unhealthy condition, and more specially with regard to politics it is the way in which truth is arrived at, it is the way in which the public good is secured. (Cheers.) If there were but one party, in the country, I will not sly if there were but one party, because if there ougbt to be but one party, and that one party ought to be the party of the nation, the party of the country, the party whose great object and whose watchword is the public good. But there must be necessarily differ ences as to the mode in which that public good is to be pro moted ; there must be differences in regard to the measures which are most conducive to the national advantage, and it is those differences to which you advert when you say pro perly that the existence of party spirit and party politics is essential to the working of a free Constitution. If, indeed, all public men were agreed to follow one leader, to acqui•' esce in the will, opinions, and recommendations of one set of men, there would be much danger for the public liberties of the country; but that never can be in a country like ours, where discussion is free, where every man may enter tain what opinions be likes, may express them where and when he chooses, and carry them into action, subordinate always to a due respect for the law of the land. But there is one condition which may and ought to be attached to the exercise of this party spirit, and that is that men should act upon what, I believe, was an old Dutch proverb—namely, that they should agree to aiffer ; that difference of opinion should not involve personal hatreds and animosities ; the most intense conviction which man may entertain of the soundness of their opinions should be accompanied by chari table indulgence for those whom they believe to be in the wrong. It was said, and well said, I believe, of Mr. Percival, that though he was one of the most strenuous advocates for the opinions he entertained, although he was one of the most energetic debaters in the House of Commons, he never carried his party feeling in the way of personal dif ference beyond the door of the House of Commons in which the struggle took place. (Cheers.) Well, there is nothing can prevent men who are honestly and zealously enrolled in the list of political parties from entertaining, with regard to those who differ from them, the kindest personal feeling (Cheers.) In fact, they are striving to bring their anta gonists to their own opinions; and those who wish to con vince others must endeavour to convince them by the sun, and not by the wind; not to make them wrap their cloaks more tightly areund their shoulders, but to endeavour to win their hearts by the warmth of friendship and persua- sion ; and therefore, even on the narrowest view of party politics, which must be founded upon a desire to make one's opinions prevail, those acrimonies and animosities which in former times too often from various circumstances disfigured the arena of political action, ought carefully and steadily to be avoided. I beg again, gentlemen, to aseute you that I value. in the highest degree the honour which you have con- (erred upon me to-day, and that among all the fortunate cir cumstanc,es which may have happened to me in the course of my life I shall esteem the occurrence of this day one of those most deserving of being borne gratefully in mind. Three cheers were then given for Lord Palmer ston, and the proceedings terminated. His lordship then proceeded to the University, where a large assemblage had collected, in order to receive the honorary distinction of LL.D. The ceremony took place in the library hall. His lord ship was received with repeated acclamations. The degree having been conferred with the usual for malities, an Address from the students was pre sented to the newly created doctor. Lord PALMERSTON in reply said : Vice-Chancellor and Gentlemen,—l can assure you that the honours which have been now conferred upon me doubly by the seniors and juniors of this University are dear to my heart, both from the considerations of the present and from recollections of the past. It sometimes is the lot of a man who has been long absent from the scenes of his early youth on revisiting them to find himself a stranger, unknown and uninvited, and to have the mortification of seeing that those scenes which he had left prosperous and thriving have be come neglected, decayed, and, possibly, deserted. How very different is my condition this day. I revisit, after a long interval, scenes dear to me by the recollections of early days, and find myself surrounded by greeting friends. I find those scenes which were thriving and prosperous in my early days more thriving, more prosperous, more distinguished, if possible, than they were at the period to which I allude. (Cheers.) It is pleasing to me to revisit this building in which, during three winters, 1 was daily and constantly bestowing that earnest attention upon the instructions which I here received, which I am convinced the young men I am now addressing are equally, and I hope with like advantage, in the habit of giving to the predilections of their instructors. I had the good fortune of attending this University at a period when there were in it the most dis tinguished instructors—l won't say more distinguished than any that have since been enrolled among its profes sors. I imbibed the lessons of wisdom from that eminent man, Dugald Stewart. (Cheers.) I had the advantage of the instructions of Playfair, classic's were taught 'by Dalziel, natural philosophy by Gregory, and chemistry by Hope. There was at that time an abundance of learning in every branch and department of intellectual superiority which gave the greatest possible opportunities to those who chose to avail themselves of them by cultivating their minds and laying in a stock of knowledge useful to them during the rest of their lives. (Cheers.) The system of instruction pursued here differs from that which is given in the English Uni versities. Cambridge for instance—to which I went after I had passed three winters in Edinburgh, has its advantages; the system here is adapted to the country and the circum stances in which it is afforded. Here instruction is given chiefly in lectures. Young men don't live within the walls of the college. They are left in a great degree to their own self-control and the energy of their own zeal for instruction, and I am bound to say that system has been eminently suc cessful. The conduct of the students of this University has been always marked by good, moral, and social discipline. (Cheers.) This shows that freedom is not abused, and the result of instruction given has been the rearing of a vast number of most valuable and eminent members of society in all branches of knowledge, in all the professions of social, civil, and political life. (Loud cheers.) In the Uni versities the system is different. They also are adapted, per/ haps more than yours, to the circu mstances in which withintheir inthsteruwcatilolns o i f s t g h i e ve E n ng a l n is d h utonitvheorseeittwesh.oNaertetheedrue y educated Y terns have their merits : there need be no jealous to disparage the system pursued b the oth e e l r e . uey ß h o e th tw s g ee sh ftii s them ur ; h b e o d t w h isthreitnhsetrmucettihr.ortd,s moulded by h i c h and fashioned human mind th i e s p in ur e p d o u se ea s tin of ga life, v as an t d n b u o m th ber ha o li - e w m b e e n en w e h m os in e e c n a t r l e y er succes sful birth. to honou ra bl e to themselves and use f u l t o the country of the ir (Cheers.) For e that my ifown I hpaavret bgeeenntlemen, I am proud successful in public life, if I have been enabled to steer my the general manneraaat meetehla ctoeursapproval y l of to my my fe o l w lo n w co co n u s in c u i t e , a ry n n c in y et e wa n n l yd , (cheers)—it has been because in those passed in this city I was furnished three years which by able men with charts and compass, which taught me how to steer my course, to avoid many of the d angers to whichthe voyage of life is ex posed, and to pu rsue i n sa f ety that career l p wh ri ich i l was des tined to follow. (Ch eers .) Th ose general your system of education an d th e instructionnof princise ples which men which I have mention e d i ncu l cated, and which a able man have been dull ind ee d if h e did not i mbibe, those prin_ aR ciples expanding the mind t aug ht t h a t lib erality of sent i meat which perhaps in those days was not so generally (lit. fused as it is in the days in which we live, and those prin. ciples were of the utmost importance in guiding men not only in the concerns of private life, and of more limited pub lic action, but in those greater and more weighty concerns which devolve upon men charged with the administration of public affairs. (Cheers.) The noble viscount then re ferred to the progress which Liberal principles had made since he left the University, and urged the students not to neglect the golden opportunities which were now afforded them to acquire the varied knowledge which their Profes sors were so well able to impart. After some further observations his Lordship resumed his seat amid great applause, and the pro ceedings terminated. ThE BANQUET. In the evening a grand banquet was given in the Music Hall, George-street, where a large and in fluential company had assembled. Among those present were the Duke of Argyll, the Earl of Dal housie, the Earl of Southesk, Lord Airlie, Lord Fife, Lord Dunfermline, Lord Elcho, Sir William Dunbar, Sir J. Gibson Graig, the Lord Advocate, M.P., Mr. Cowper, M.P., Sir D. Brewster, the Solicitor-General of Scotland, Sir W. Johnstone, Dr. Guthrie, Admiral Erskine. Grace was said by Dr. LEE, and thanks were re turned by Rev. Dr. GUTHRIE. The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been given, Admiral ERSKINE returned thanks for the Navy, Colonel ANSTRUTHER for the Army,and Lord Elcho for the Volunteers. The LORD PROVOST then rose to propose the toast of the evening, and was received with much cheer ing. His Lordship said : I now rise to propose the health of one of the most dis tinguished men this country has ever produced, and in honour of whom we are assembled here this evening—Vis count Palmerston. (Great cheering.) I cannot tell what may be the feelings of the noble lord on revisiting this city, one of the scenes of his early youth, but I may be permitted to say, on the part of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, that his visit to them on this occasion is hailed with a pleasure little short of enthusiasm ; that they are proud that this their city has had some share in the education of a genius which has since been the subject of astonishment and admiration, not alone to his fellow-countrymen, but to every part of the world that knows the name or has heard of the constitution of Great Britain. (" Hear, hear," and cheers.) I feel that it is fortunate, not only for me but for all of us, that the noble lord's visit should have happened when the asperities and, indeed, the activities of political parties are so far allayed as, in a very considerable degree, to allow men of all parties to join in expressing to your noble guest feelings which are not those only of his own party but of the nation. (Cheers.) It would be a task, my Lords and Gentlemen, of no ordinary magnitude were I to attempt to give even a brief sketch of that illustrious career which (began at an age of almost incredible youthfulness) has lasted with unabated vigour throughout a whole lifetime, and has never reached a more brilliant point than now—when advanced years have spread a venerable halo around it, without robbing it of one grain of its energetic usefulness. I am almost amazed, when I revert to the very earliest days within my own re collection, to think that, even then, when this century had numbered but a few years, the name of Palmerston was dis tinguished in Parliament, and I believe I am correct when I say that as far back as 1809 the noble lord actually filled the honourable and onerous office of Secretary of War, and continued to fill it for 18 years with an assiduity and ability which has scarce had its equal. (Loud cheers.) The next great field of our noble guest's labours was an office which has won for him a wurld-wide reputation. I allude to the Secretaryship of State for Foreign Affairs, and in this office I may assert the, whatever differences of opinion may exist with regard to the principles which guided the noble lord and the party over which ho now presides, there is but one opinion as to the great diplomatic powers and consummate ability he brought to bear upon the multitude of difficult and often perplexed questions which time after time de volved upon him to unravel and set at rest. (Much cheer ing.) If I were to attempt to indicate what it is that draws so much of the confidence and almost affection of the coun try towards our noble guest, I would say it is the prevail ing conviction that the leading idea in his mind, if not also the ruling passion of his soul, is a jealous anxiety that this country should be secure and honoured by the nations. (Cheers.) This anxiety, although it has gained the noble lord the deserved admiration of his country, has also brought down upon him the reverse from those foreign rulers who are most hostile to this country, and who regard him as a sort of impersonation of what they fear. A truth finely ex pressed by one of his most illustrious opponents, Sir Bulwer Lytton— " This line his tomb may boast, " Who hated England hated him the most." (Loud cheers.) It would, however, be a great injustice to say that the noble lord's zeal for his own country was ac- companied by hostility towards other countries. On the contrary, next to his desire to uphold the honour and inte rests of his native land has been prominent his zeal for the freedom and progress of our neighbours. (Renewed cheer ing.) As Premier of this great country, the noble lord com mands a respect far beyond the circle where he is so deser vedly regarded with profound admiration. Throughout all classes his exertions in behalf of the country were highly appreciated, and he begged to give his health with all the honours. The toast was drunk with the utmost enthusiasm. Lord PALMERSTON, in responding to the compli ment, said : My Lord Provost and Gentlemen,—l need I am sure not tell you that my heart is warm with feelings of the deepest gratitude, mixed with not unreasonable pride, at the reception which I have met from you this evening. I may indeed say that the kindness which I have experienced in those parts of Scotland which I have visited within the last week has made the deepest impression upon my heart and mind. (Jheers.) We all know the high and noble qualities of the Scottish people. We all know their warmth of heart, the steadiness of their attachment, their loyalty, even when mistaken in its object—(cheers)—and any man must feel proud, indeed, at receiving tokens of goodwill and regard from a nation possessed of such eminent, brilliant, and distinguished qualities, but I come before you not for the first time as a stranger. I have, indeed, to-day been honoured by the bestowal of a character I did not possess before, and I am now entitled to address you as fellow citi zens of this great city of Edinburgh. (Cheers.) But when I look around me and see the distinguished assembly which I have the honour of addressing ; when I know the amount of station, of talent, of attainment, of all those qualities which make men eminent, themselves ornaments and use ful to this country ; when I find from this great and dis tinguished assembly these marks of personal regard, I need not say that the reception of this evening will be deeply en graved on my mind, and never can bo forgotten to the latest day of my existence, (Cheers.) These meetings are not simply social expressions of personal or political goodwill to an individual, they are, I may say, political institutions. Political, not in the narrow sense of party, but political as bearing upon the good of our country, and upon the inte rests of the nation in which they take place ; because,when those who are engaged in the service of their country, whether civil, military, or naval, know that, when th e y return to revisit their fellow countrymen, if it be thought that they have steadily and earnestly to the best of their abilities performed their duty, they will be received with kind and affectionate tokens from their fellow countrymen. There cannot be a greater encouragement to exertion and laborious application in the performance of their duty. It has, well and truly, often been said that no man in the public service can hope to do more than perform his duty. There are no doubt great temptations to a man fall ing short of that amount of exertion, that degree of labour that may be necessary for the strict and full performance of his duty; and therefore I say that nation judges rightly and acts well when it finds out anyone in its service who has done his duty to mark such a case with its approval and stamp it with its approbation. (Cheers.) I come not before you, as I have said, as a stranger, for I have been L connected with the city of Edinburgh by early recollections of affectionate friendship, of valuable information, of educa tion which have benefited me during the whole of my subse t quent life. It was in this city that I was imbued with • principles of action and with habits of investigation and reflection, which bave been of the utmost possible advantage to me in all I have had subsequently to do. I had the good fortune when very young, just after leaving school, and before going to the English University, to pass three years with that eminent man Dugald Stewart, and in his house __ _ had thb privilege of associating with a constellation of men of genius and attainment in every department of science. There were Playfair, and Brougham, and Horner, Sir James Hall, Francis Jeffrey, and a multitude of others, whose names are familiar to you. There was also Miss Edgworth, not belonging to you, but eminent by her literary attain ments. There were the two Grants, men well known in the sphere of politics since; and such a society was calculated beyond anything to forward the ideas of a young man just beginning his education ; and I look back to that period with the most affectionate remembranot; and the asso ciations and friendships which then were Zontracted I shall ever regard as the most valuable of my life. (Cheers.) Well, gentlemen, I have said I think I may consider myself as a sort of an Edinburgh man. (Cheers.) You have been pleased to say that it is nut simply in that cha racter that I receive the welcome I have met with this evening. You have been pleased to advert to the course which it has been my lot to pursue in public lite. Well, I can assure you that if in the transactions in which it has been my lot to be engaged any good results have ensued, so far as I have been concerned, they have been greatly owing to those inspired ns which I drew in my early years from my associa tions here (cheers) ; but I must say in justice to others, as a source cf pride and satisfaction to myself, that if these events have, as I think they have, turned out on many occasions advantagesitthoatshe been countryowowing g ei t t! l i t e n r e in co o - u o r po d ro om tio e n st o ic f or foreign interests, f t o h r e tun e ea groot d it v aa n h t a a s g o been o f a n o i t y i ng i good in council with men disti n g uished for their ability and their talents. You see here , m y Lord, on my right hand t t o and act, ab-lle men have w h it a n d w th h two of those with whom I have had the pride axd satisfac tion of acting—one of them is Lord, as I was going to call him from old associations " Panmure"—k.cheers)—but my Lord Dalhousie, who at the time of the greatest possible difficulty, conducted with unexampled success the manage ment of that great service—the army ; the other ie. the Duke of Argyll, who I am proud to have as a colleague at the present day, one of whose talents and abilities and eminent position as a publi c man , it would be presump ti on i n me to speak to you, as y ou k now t h em as well as I do. P e rmit me to say that wh en I te ll you I value most highly the ap probation which has been expressed by assembly, this august the value whi c h I a tt ac h t o i t i s i n a great degree increase d by the fact that there are now within these walls men who THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 2, 1861 have themselves been engaged in the transactions of public life, who know by their own experience what are the diffi culties, unknown to the world and the public at large, which have to be overcome by those who are serving their country. (Cheers.) No man had a more difficult task than my noble friend Lord Dalhousie—he had to conduct the affairs of the army during the Crimean war, to carry on operations thou sands of miles away, with every difficulty of transport and local supplies. He did it with an energy which reflected the highest honour upon him, and was attended by results most honourable and advantageous to the country. (Cheers.) The Lord Provost has been pleased to say the policy which the Government of which I have had the honour of being a member pursued hasbeen a policy of peace when peacecould be maintained with honour—(chaers)—but a policy of self- respect where self-respect may have been called into action, As my noble friend Lord Elcho has well told you, there is no better security for the maintenance of peace than that the world should know that, although unwilling to provoke ag- gresbion, and determined to deal with others as you wish others should deal with you, nevertheless you are prepared, if you should be compelled to do so, to resist aggression, to repel insult, to maintaiu your rights, and assert your dignity at whatever cost that may be done. (Cheers.) To the honour of this country be it said that, although we are usefully divided, I will say, into political parties, although in Eng land, as in every free country, there must be great divisions of opinion, there must be classes of men who honestly and conscientiously advocate certain principles and aim at cer tain ends, while others, with equal honour and integrity and sincerity, direct their aim to other and opposite objects—to the honour of the nation be it said that when national inte- rests are at stake, that when the national security is in question, either with regard to preparations of foresight or in regard to actual exertions of strength, party differences vanish at the instant, and nothing is seen but a unanimous and combined desire to assist the Government, doing what may be necessary for maintaining the interests and honour of the country, and therefore the task of a Government, which under other circumstances, and in a different consti- tution, would, in a moment of emergency, be attended with great and almost insuperable difficulty, that task which, by a Government cf an unfree country, would be most difficuit to perform, is for a Government of a great aad free nation like this most easy, because in performing that task they are sure of the cordial support and co-operation of the na 'ion, the Parliament, the press, and all those influences that direct the opinions and feelings of the country. For tunately, at the present moment, we have made great pro gress in those quiet and peaceful preparations which render a country able to look without anxiety or apprehension to a different condition of things. Our army and navy are in a state of efficiency which, considering their numbers, necessarily upon a peace establishment, never, I believe, before was equalled. There is in our army a degree of intelligence, of education, of arrangement, of equipment, of regard for the comforts of the men, as well as for the comforts of the officers, and a general combination of foresight and detail which have placed it in a better position both as regards its efficiency as a military body, and as to the condition of the soldier, than it ever was at any previous period in the history of our country. Our navy is now undergoing, in the ships at least, transition ; with regard to the officers and men it is in the most admir- able order, and you have got an amount of ieaval reserve which you never had before, which gives you a fund from which to draw, if any emergency should render such a re- source necessary. We are changing the construction of our fleet. To what amount and degree that construction shall be altered is yet a matter on which difference of opinion exists, to be settled only by experience ; but, at all events, you gentlemen in Scotland have no right to complain of the changes, because if iron ships are to be substituted for yesterday nh as w vh e ei t 1 r t so a d f ,Oleyekthea that C og l br y ee d a b e t u , fiwul built. dereota (Cheer s ng a r t e e : , t on t nda n i l u a ums security irt o . y) f wooden ones, we k now we l l, and I know pretty well, who r ß h u o t s e i r e o w which my noble friend (Lord Elcho) has so eloquently exp - tinted upon—that noble army of volunteers—(cheers)—noble more peculiarly fr om th e circumstances which led to its creation. In a former period, when there was a hostile army collected upon the opposite shores of the Straits, when every week might hav e b roug h t you an invasion of 200,000 men, it was not wonderful that the nation should rise in arms, and that you should have hundreds and thousands of volunteers ready to stand forth to defend their country and their homes ; but these volunteers have not been called out by any such imminent emergency. They armed themselves upon a quiet and calm calculation; they saw—and when I say they, I say the nation —the people of the United King dom saw that, consistent with those burdens which could alone be supported in peace, we could not maintain that amount of army which might be sufficient on the sudden outbreak of war to perform the duties at home and abroad which it would be required to discharge. Well, then, the public spirit of the nation induced the youth of the na • tion voluntarily to take up arms, to prepare and discipline themselves for military service— not to meet an enemy that was coming to-day or to-morrow, not to repel a sudden and expected invasion, but calmly and quietly to lay in a store of national defence which might appease all future alarm on the part of the people of this country, and m.ght teach other nations, if any other nations did want to be so taught—(a laugh) —that it was a better and a more advantageous thing to be at peace with Eng land, to trade with England, and to carry on good fellow ship with England, than to put England to the test to show how it could defend itself. (Loud cheers.) Well, gentlemen, our policy has be en a po li cy, no doubt, of peace, because, with one single interruption, we have, for a great number o f years, mai n t a i ne d peace with the whole of Europe. That interruption was the Crimean war; but the nation judged the conduct of its Government, and deemed that that war was justly and necessarily undertaken. (Cheers.) No doubt all war is an evil, but it is an evil which sometimes leads to good, and the result of that war, without going into detail, must be admitted to have been politically advantageous to the interests for which it was undertaken. There was one circumstance in that war which distinguished it favourably from other wars of much longer duration in which this nation has been engaged. In former times we, with our troops and officers, our soldi ers an d sailors, met the troops, the offi cers, the soldi ers and sa il or s of our nei g hb our o n the other side of the Ch anne l in hos tile conflict, man opposed to man, bayonet t o b ayonet, b roa dside to broadside ; but in that Crimean war w e marc hed together like good fellows and friends. Th e only contes t was a contest of emulation as to which of th e t wo shoul d best perform the duties whica de volved upon th em . W e began the war as allies, and we ended it as friend s . ( Cheers. ) Then, I say, there was a double triumph, Th ere was the triumph achieved over the my against whom we con t e nded, and we gained also a glorious enemy against na tional antipathies and old stand - victory over an c i en t an d ing rival r i es. (Cheers. ) I say that our policy has been a policy of pe ace . Y ou, my L ord Provost, have stated that, with du e regar d to the maintenance of peace, we have in Europein assisting other exerted a mo ra l i n fl uen ce nations who were s truggling for institutions simi lar to our own an d endeavouring to obtain that freedom w hi c h they sought and valued. Gentlemen, that is true, an d looking back to the history of past years I thi n k t h e country has no reason to repine at the res u lt o f t h e po li c y which its Government, backed by the feelin g o f th e nation, has pursued. (Cheers.) Time was when E ng l an d stood out , like the rock of Dumbarton, alone —" a sin g l e em i nence, w ith black grounds around it ;" the only country th a t possessed the inestimable blessings of a free and r e p resentat i ve co nstitution. Matters are now en tirely ch ange d . Th ere is hardly a single country in Europe that has no t i n some shape or other, with some modification or other, i ns tit u ti ons for med after the pattern, or at least upon the principles, of her constitution; and we are proud to say that some of those nations are greatly indebted for the benefits they enjoy to the assistance and countenance which they received from the Government of England. Greece owes its separation and independence to a former Government—th a t o f Mr. Canning—but still that was to British infl uence co - o p e rative with Russia and France. Belgium, Portugal, and Spain are also greatly indebted t o the diplomatic and other assistance of England for the free constitutions, the Parliamentary Governments which those three countries now so happily possess and enjoy. If it be honourable to a nation to contribute to the happiness of mankind—if glory consists not so much in forcing nations by blood and plunder to submit to a yoke they detest as in diffusing happiness and prosperity—then I say that we, the British nation, need not look with regret upon the efforts and influences which we have used in assisting those nations who are exerting themselves to obtain the blessings of free and Parliamentary institutions. We have recently given our moral influence to the Italians, who are struggling for freedom. (Cheers.) There unfor tunately still weighs on a part of that beautiful and noble land an incubus in what ought to be the capital of the kingdom. I can never believe that error and wrong can be everlasting. I cannot but believe that truth and justice must in the end prevail, and therefore, much as I lament the shorn position of the Italian kingdom, I cannot but believe that a brighter period is in store for it, and that a time will come when all those who are concerned in regulating its destinies will feel that it is for their advantage, as well as for the advantage of the Italians, that Italy should be in full possession of its capital. (Loud cheers.) There is, gentlemen, another part of Europe which deeply engages the feelings and sympathies of these islands—l need not say that I mean Poland. (Cheers.) Would that it rested with the English Government to de cide the destiny of that noble people I If wishes, if diplo matic interposition, can have any effect, those wishes and that diplomatic and friendly interposition certainly will not be, and have not been, wanting. (Renewed cheers.) But I presume that even the most enthusiastic admirers of that noble Polish nation would hardly, under the circumstances of the times, expect or ask that any forcible intervention should by this country be undertaken. (Hear, hear.) We cannot but hope that the united opinion of all the Powers of Europe may have an influence on the mints of those with whom it rests to determine the fate of Poland, and that benefit will still arise out of the calamities by which that country is fur the moment oppressed. (cheers.) I wish I could tell you that we anticipate any very early termina • tion of that most lamentable struggle which is going on among our kindred upon the other side of the Atlantic. We must all deplore that unhappy war. The most unhappy of all wars is a civil war, but any interference on the part of the nations of Europe, so far from extinguishing the flame, would, in all human prolability, have only made it burn fiercer and with greater heat. When the passions of men are deeply enlisted in the contest in which they are engaged —when foe is opposed to foe, and on the point of striking his antagonist, any friend who interposes would only fare the worse for his interposition, but would not avert the blow levelled by the one against the other. I think the people of the United Kingdom have judged that their Government has determined rightly in not attempt ing intervention. A great and most estimable part of our population has been suffering deep distress. That distress has been less, perhaps, among you in Scotland than in the districts south ; but even here, in - Glasgow, and in other places great misery has been experienced by the ces sation of the supply of the great staple of our industry. But if we had attempted by forcible means to bring that supply which, owing to the contest, has been withheld from us, I am convinced that, instead of dimin shing the pressure we should have increased it, and should very much have in creased the evil which we intended to alleviate, and the re suit would have been that the country would have blamed us for having taken a wrong view, and having adopted a policy ill-suited to the circumstances. I trust still that this calamitous war may soon have an end. I cannot but think, when the passions which excited that war have had their vent--and all passions must have their vent—and when the results of that war shall press more and more heavily upon both parties engaged in it, that without intervention, which they would resent as an affront, their own good sense and their own proper feelings may lead them to peaceful inten tions, and that arrangements may be made which will put an end to that dreadful bloodshed and that wide-spread de solationof which the American continent has now for nearly two years been the scene. Gentlemen, I can only assure you that the policy which we, the present Government, pursue is founded upon our belief that we are the faithful expon ents of the feelings and sentiments of the English peep). I believe, and all indications have confirmed the conviction, that in that judgment we are not much mistaken—(cheers) —and I will say this, speaking as I now do to an assembly not composed entirely of men of one political party—l will say in the spirit of an Englishman—that I am convinced that if circumstances should lead to' . a change in those who administer the affairs of the country, and that if the men who now sit opposite to us, and are politically our antagonists, though not personally our enemies, should take the places which we now ,occupy, they would, both from their per sonal feeling, but, more than all, by the effect and pressure of public opinion in this country, pursue a course much the same as that which we ourselves pursue. (Cheers.) I say it not to their disparagement, but to their honour, for I hope, and trust, and believe that the honour and interest of the country would be safe in their hands. Ido not, at the same time, tell you that I look forward with any great or particular impatience to the moment when they will be put to that which, I trust, would not be to them a severe trial. (Laughter and cheers.) Ttie noble lord concluded, amid loud cheers, by repeating his grateful acknowledgments for the kind reception they had accorded to him, and sat down amid loud cheering. The other toasts were " Her Majesty's Ministers," proposed by Lord Dalhousie, acknowledged by the Duke of Argyll ; the " Two Houses of Parliament," by the Solicitor-General for Scotland,acknowledged by the Duke of Argyll and Sir W. Scott, M.P. ; " The Clergy of all Denominations," by Bailie Cassels, responded to by the Rev. Dr. Lee and the Rev Dr. Guthrie; " The Lord Provost and the City of Edinburgh," by Lord Palmerston, and re sponded to by the Lord Provost ; " The University of Edinburgh," by the Earl of Airlie ; "Lady Pal merston ;" " The Members for the City,'' responded to by Mr. Black, M.P. ; " The Ladies," by the Right Hon. W. Cowper, M.P. The company did not separate till a late hour. ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—NoRwIcs, April 1. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Williams.) SINGULAR CHARGE OF ABDUCTION. Frederick Burrell, 21, a clerk in the Royal Arse , nal at Wooiwich, was charged with having on Jan 20, from motives of lucre, fraudulently allured taken away, and detained Jane Burrell, a person under 21 years of age, she having a present legal interest in certain real estates i❑ Norfolk, out of the possession and against the will of her mother, Mary Ann Hyder, and of her guardian, William Silver Ryder, with intent to marry or carnally know her, the said Jane Burrell ; and Henry Richard Burrell was charged with aiding the said Frederick Burrell to commit the aforesaid felony. Mr. Bulwer and Mr. Sims Reeves appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. Metcalfe and Mr. Drake for the defence. This was a very singular case. It appeared from the opening statement of the learned counsel for the prosecution that the young lady's mother had, since the death of her first husband, married Mr. Hyder. The girl was sent to school at Norwich, and when she returned home to Fakenham for the last Christ- IMO holidays—when she was between 15 Ind 16 years of age—she went to the house of the elder prisoner, Henry Richard Burrell. She remained there several days against the will of her mother and Mr. Ryder. On January 16 Frederick Burrell came down to Fakenham, and on the 19th of the same month Mrs. Burrell, the wife of the elder pri soner, Jane Burrell, and Frederick Burred left Fakenham for London. Only one through ticket was taken for London, but two other tickets were afterwards procured for London at Dereham sta tion, a little farther on. The party reached Lon don on the evening of Jan. 19, and on the following day the prisoner, Frederick Burrell, was married to Jane Burrell, she being his own niece by blood, both the prisoners standing in the relation of uncle to her. Oa Jan. 6an affidavit had been made by the prisoner, Frederick Burrell, for the purpose of obtaining a marriage licence, in which it was con tended on the part of the prosecution that he had made two false statements, as that the young lady was 19 years old, and that she had no parent or guardian living. The case against the second pri soner, Henry Richard Burrell, was that be had taken the parties to the railway station, that his wife went to London and witnessed the marriage, and that he was fully cognisant of and assisted in the whole transaction, of which Mr. and Mrs. Ryder were kept in complete ignorance, although Mr. Hyder was the young lady's legal guardian. Evidence was adduced in support of the prosecu tion at great length, the cross-examinatien being directed to show that the young lady had not been very comfortable at home. The points insisted on for the defence were that the prisoner Frederick Burrell had not been actuated by any fraudulent intention in carrying away his niece ; that the young lady had passed out of the custody of her mother in consequence of her telling her that she could not remain at home, and that she was not in the care and custody of her guardian. The jury, however, found the prisoners guilty. Judgment was reserved in order that the opinion of a court above might be taken upon the points raised. In the meantime the prisoners were ad mitted to bail. Richard Roberts, who pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to murder Eliza Hunt, at North Lop ham, was sentenced to five years' penal servitude The prisoner, who seemed much affected, had to be assisted from the dock. CIVIL SIDE. (Before Lord Chief Justice Erle.) COE V. WISE.—THE RECENT GREAT FLOOD IN THE FENS. This was an action brought against Mr. F. T.Wise, in his capacity of clerk to the Middle Level Drain age Commissioners, to recover compensation for in juries sustained by plaintiff on the occasion of the recent great flood in the district traversed by the Middle Level Outfall Cut. The declaration stated that the Middle Lever Commissioners were charged with maintaining certain cuts, and embank ments, and were negligent in that respect, the result being that the lans of the plaintiff became submerged, and remained flooded for some time. The defendant pleaded not guilty, and that the plaintiff was not possessed of the said lands. Mr. Keane, Mr. Douglas Browne, and Mr. Phear appeared for the plaintiff; and Sir F. Kelly, Q.C. (specially retained), Mr. O'Malley, Q,C , Mr. Met calfe, and Mr. Newton for the defendant. Mr. Keane, in opening the case on the part of the plaintiff, said the substance of the complaint was that last year lands in Marshland were invaded by water flowing ihrough the middle level drain to the Ouse, that they remained submerged for a long time, that great injury was done, and that the cause was the neglect of duties imposed upon the commis sioners by their acts of parliament. The middle level is part of the great level of the Fens, and is hounded on the one hand by Morton's lane, on the other part by the Bedford River ; on another part by the river Ouse, and on the other part by Marsh land, a district about nine miles in width. The attention of the Court in the present case would be occupied with Marshland and the river Ouse, which fell into the sea below Lynn by a great number of sinuous courses. The Ouse is the natural channel of the middle level, and for a longtime the drainage of the middle level found its outlet into the Ouse by means at one period of Salter's Lode, and at another by another drain. It was conceived that it would be greatly to the advantage of the middle level if one straight cut was made across Marshland for the purpose of conveying down it to the river Ouse the waters which were in the course of nature seeking the river, and thence to the sea, from the whole of the middle level, which comprises 140,000 to 170,000 acres, and received a vast mass of water from up-lands, perhaps to the extent of 200,000 acres more. As this enormous body of water so col lected was to be discharged into the Ouse, and as this wag the problem which was to be solved by the commissioners, the mosteffectual way of accomplish ing the task was the construction of a continuously straight cut eleven miles in length. This drain traversed marsh land all the way till it reached the Ouse, so that it was carried through the territory of other people, and who were not in the slightest degree benefited by the alteration. In fact, the cut was a kind of invasion of the Marshland district, and it was provided by what was called the wisdom of Parliament that every care should be taken by the commissioners to protect Marshland. The cam- missionets were Lonna by their acts not merely to construct their works, but also to maintain them in -•- a good and efficient state until relieved from the duty, which, he contended, they had neglected. The Commissioners Act under which the cut was constructed provided that the walls and banks should be paddled so as effectua.ly to prevent the waters of the cut from passing or soaking through the same; but this had not been done. Well, having con structed the cut the commissioners had also to erect a sluice to keep out the tidal waters, and it would not be necessary for him to impeach the design of this sluice or to contend that it did not do its work effectually in the first instance. So long as it was maintained in a good and substantial state there was no danger; but knowing the course of the liver, knowing that there was a scour, knowing that it wason the concave side, and that all these influences had a perpetual tendency for evil, it was the duty of the Middle Level Commissioners to have kept up a perpetual, anxious, and constant observation as to what was going forward, nor merely above, hut below the sluice. They did not do so, and the con sequence was that the sluice was now no more. He might call upon the other side to account for the fact that the sluice had given way, and why he tidal waters passed up the drain, and inflicted damage to the amonnt of £60,000 or £70,000 ; but he would prove that there was neglect. About the 28th of March, 1862, holes were observed in the wing walls of the sluice, and some attempts were made to meet and overcome the danger with which the district was threatened. They were successful up to April 28, but the holes then appeared again, and this time they were much larger, being 15ft. deep and 4ft. wide. Applications were made for materials, men, &c., to endeavour to fill them up, but the at tempt failed, the sluice fell through, and the ruinous results complained of followed. The work was superinten[ed by Mr. Lunn on behalf of the Middle Level Commissioners; but where did the jury suppose Mr. Lunn was all the time? Why, in a committee room of the House of Commons, where the Middle Level Commissioners, by a strange ly ironical combination of circumstances at the very moment that nature was impeaching the efficiency of their existing works, were soliciting a bill to con fer upon them much larger powers. The e!uice failed about half-past nine on the evening of the 4th of May ; then the neaps were decreasing ; but in a few days they began to increase again, until they reached a height of 16 feet 6 inches on the 12th of May. They then forced an enormous breach in the banks of the cut, and about 6,000 acres were sub merged. The learned counsel contended that cer tain works might have beencarried out witich were not effected, and that especially something might have been done at St. Mary'sßridge, but that it was not done, At last they did get to St. Mary's Bridge, but it was too late, St. Mary's Bridge having given way ; some barges moored together accidentally broke loose, ran against the piles of the bridge, and carried it away. Relays of men might have been employed night and day upon the first alarm being given ; for not only was the commissioners' notice called to the danger, but some of the commissioners laughed at the notion that there was any cause for alarm. The waters made, as he had stated, an enor mous breach on the 12th of May to the serious damage of the persons whose lands were conse quently flooded ; and he should be able to prove that the banks of the cut had never been properly pud tiled, and, still more, that the omission to puddle was knowing and wilful. He should first call a set of witnesses who would prove the facts relating to the accident itself; then some scientific witnesses, to state what might in their opinion have been done to save the sluice ; and lastly, he should adduce evi dence as to the damage done. Evidence was then commenced, and from the great number of witnesses in attendance on each side— some of them gentlemen of high scientific status— it is expected that the case will occupy the time of the court for the remainder of the week. Mr. J. Smith, engineer and contractor, who su perintended the cons ruction of the sluice under Mr. Brogden in 1846, was called to prove the cor rectness of a model now produced of it. Samuel Smith, sluicekeeper at the Marshland sluice, described the progress of the holes in the middle level sluice from their being first observed on the 28th or 29th of March. I❑ cross-examinatio❑ this witness admitted that :he sluice had stood satisfactorily for 15 years, and that five years since a hole which appeared on the west side of the sluice was not attended with serious results. Mr. C. Bacon, a farmer, living at St. Mary's, about about a mile and a half from the ruined sluice, also described the progress of the disaster. Mr. H. Little eat pressed his opinion that the tidal waters might have been checked it they had been taken in hand in time. The banks were in a weak state, and he had seen the water percolate through them. He examined the banks where the breach was made and the puddling was not perfect. By puddling the damage might have been averted to a great extent, and by making a dam at St. Mary's Bridge a breach might have been altogether pre vented. In cioss•examination the witness said Mr. Leatha, who had acted as contractor at the Port land Breakwater, and Mr. Hawkshaw, president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, were brought down by the commissioners. He could not say whether he heard it stated that they had been or dered to go to any expense to preserve the country. Eventually a pile dam was constructed at St. Mary's Bridge after the lapse of six weeks and four days and the tide was stopped out. The witness was also examined to show the difficulties and failures experienced in connection with the failure of the Marshland sluice in October, although the services of an engineer of the eminence of Mr. T. Page were secured, and although the water-way was of less width. On being re-examined the witness said he thought a dam might have been constructed at St. Mary's Bridge in three days. The case was proceeding when our parcel was despatched. NORTH WALES CIRCUIT—CHESTER,March 31 CIVIL SIDE, (Before Baron Bramwell.) BOOTHROYD V. CHAFFER.-BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE. Mr. M'lntyre appeared for the prosecution. The defendant pleaded his own cause. The defendant lived at Otley, Yorkshire, and was a journeyman under his uncle and brother, and was paid according to the paying of the work they executed. The plaintiff resided at Staleybridge. It appears that defendant had met with the plain tiff at Otley, while on a visit to his sister, and an intimacy sprung up. It was carried on for some time after she left his sister's, where she remained for six weeks. When the plaintiff returned home his sister accompanied her, and remained for about a fortnight. The defendant came after the plaintiff in about a week, and had some conversation with her father about her. He said that during her visit an intimacy had sprung up between them, and he should like to make her his wife, and he hoped that he would have no objection. Her father stated that they were both old enough to know what they were about, and if they were determined it would be of little use his objecting to the matter. They walked out together on several occasions, and he stated that his brother, bis uncle, and himself were in partnership, and that they had large "jobs," up to any amount, without having to draw on account, and without having to get any material on credit, and no doubt they would be very comfortable to gether. His mother would have to live with them, and she was anxious that they should be married. On his second visit he wanted to get married, but the plaintiff's father told him not to be in such a great hurry ; they could be married almost as privately, and with less expense, by going to the office of the registrar as by license, and it would be time enough for the marriage to take place about Christmas, and that would give time to make every necessary preparation. The plaintiff 's father was to make them a bed as a gift when they got married. In consequence of the correspondence breaking off the plaintiff's father wrote to the de fendant for an explanation, when he returned one of the plaintiff's letters unopened, and said that if he received one hundred he would do the same, and gave as his reason that si - .e was not a pardoned and accepted child of God. The defendant con tended that he did not tell the plaintiff's father that he was a partner with his uncle and brother, but that he was merely a journeyman, and had not worked three full weeks since November last. Several lon g l etters written b y th e defendant were read court. , which aff or d e d con siderable laughter in His Lordship thought that the plaintiff ought to be very gl a d t h at s h e h a d got out of the serape of marrying such a man. He did not see what great dial of damage it had done to the plaintiff. He trusted they would give some fair and reasonable damages, if not it would be looked upon as dis approved, but he congratulated her sincerely in having got out of the scrape. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff— damages, £5O. Importing Tea without colour on the leaf pre vents the Chinese passing off inferior leaves as in the usual kinds. Horniman's Tea is uncoloured, therefore, always good alike, Sold in packets by 2.280 agents. STATE OF SYRIA. An occasional correspondent, writing from Damascus on the Bth (long before the incident mentioned in one of the telegrams which we pub lish) gives the following details : " After an absence of more than a year, on returning to the two provinces of Beyrout and Damascus, I have much to say as to the changes which have taken place during that time. In the province of Beyrout all is for the better, peace is everywhere secure, and wealth everywhere increas ing. The presence of Cabouli Effendi has doubtless much to do with this, but it is incontest ible that no governor, in this or any other province, has done so much for the public good as Kibrisli Ahmet Pasha has done since he has been here. In every portion of the province his energetic and well-directed eff r is have produced ameliorations, but in the eyes of the Arabs he has done for Beyrout what Napoleon 111. has done for Paris. Instead of leaving felons to rot in gaol be has sent gangs of thorn to work in every direction in opening up roads, breaking stones, and macadatnizing,and oue can now go and see his friends, to or from his place of business, on thoroughfares inferior to none of the best kept European cities. The police of the province has, ever since his arrival, been regularly paid, and is now being or ganized on the regular system of gendarmerie. Much also might be said about the changes in the Mountain. t)aoud Pasha has seen much of Europe; he desired to do all he could for the amelioration of the province which was en trusted to him, and he established a good government where mine previously existed—for the system which formerly prevailed under the Druse and Christian Beys and Sheiks could not be called a government. I arrived at Damascus, passing through the sublime gorge of the Barada, over the level carriage road which the French company has made. The site of the present road was once impassable even on toot. The river, now confined to one aide, formerly rush ing over rocks, under piers, and bush and overhanging trees; it has, however, lost none of its beauty, and above and below where the rocks close in before the ravine opens into the plain of Damascus, the road passes through orchard groves and gardens, as well laid out and kept as those of Lombardy. The road then passes through the green prairie of the Merje, until it brings you to the broken pavements and mud walls of the Damascus streets. One cannot help thinking wnether if Ahmet Paella was vali of Damascus the streets could not be better kept, and this brir gs us to think of the state of the province of which this is the capital. Perhaps if Ahmet l'acha were here, he would have as lilac: time to thing about road-making as the present vali apparently has ; for, frame all I can learn, the time of all the administrators here is occupied incessantly in finding an expedient to get over some monetary crisis or another ; at one moment it is the Hadjis, at another a move ment of troops, at all times an inadequacy of means to meet the expenses of Government. Why our province should be left without the means of paying its police, while another has a surplus, I cannot say. However, in other respects the state of the province is better. The Druse refugees from the Haraoun no longer come to levy tribute in Cocto Syria as they did last year, and the whole of the winter these Arabs have scarcely made a successful raid. This is due in part to the effect produced by the operations of the army in the Haraoun this last summer, and in part and chiefly to the efficiency of the gendarmerie which has been recently organised in this province, This force is formed into two regiments, one mobile, and one local, or ordinary police, the entire consisting of 18 squa drons of cavalry and four companies of infantry. The moveable gendarmerie rendered great service this year in the Haraoun—the entire of one squadron has received medals for the part which it took in the battle in which Beg was killed. This affair was, so it has been described to me, one of those affairs which continually take place along the Desert, but on a scale so magnificeLt as to be called a battle. When a caravan travelling on the border of the Desert, sees a gazer of hostile Arabs approaching, the leader of the file of camels begins to describe a large circle, which is gradually curved until the string of camels are coiled up into a mass, in the centre ofiwhich, six or eight musketeers will, after the camels have been made to lie down and their legs are bound, bid defiance to a hundred Arabs. The latter having but their lances and swords, it requires pluck and ensemble such as they seldom possess, to rush upon and dismount and pass on foot the living barrier which surrounds the defenders of the caravan. The writer of this letter once found himself in this position, when, however, two Arabs dismounted, ran and threw themselves under the bulwark o t camels, and cut ting the strings of seven of them carried them off with their loads. However in the affair of which I am treating, 75 infantry, 60 of the regular cavalry and 85 gendarmes, form ing the escort of provisions for a detachment posted at Mczza, seeing a cloud of Arab and Druse horsemen ap proaching, the infantry availed themselves of a patch of rocky ground, and the gendarmes—entirely consisting of Kurds —resorted to the tactics of the desert and surrounded themselves with the camels, taking up a position, so that their fire aided in the defence of the position of the infantry and helped to cover the regular cavalry. In this way during several hours they witestood the attacks of nearly 2,000 Druse infantry, some of the Bedouin tribe Waidesto, and the flower of the Druse horsemen, refugees from Lebanon. The latter had already found out during more than one en counter that the Kurds and Algerians composing the mov able gendarmerie do not give way quire so easily as the Chris tians upon whom they were accustomed to rush sword Le hand, and disperse with facility, an,i on this occasion as the Druses were endeavouring to carry away their dead, the Kurds, undaunted and raising their lances above their heads, rushed upon and dispersed them, as they would have done the ➢la ronites. As to the Bedouins, finding at the beginning of the affair that the rides:and conical balls of the Zouaves created an unexpected danger for their mares, they became at once mere spectators from a distance. On this occasion Hattar Bey, the author of the massacre of Hasbeya, was killed Every man of the Nizam and gendarmerie engaged in this affair received a medal and one lire gratuity, and the officers a month's pay. COUNTRY MARKETS. ~,, _ N EWARK—WEDNESDAY. A. moderate quantity of wheat offered to. day, and fine sorts unchanged • inferior is p er qr lower. Barley was scarce, and on the decline. Oats in favour of the buyer, and beans same as last week. White wheat new, 50s to 64s ' Barley, grinding.. 29s to 32s Red do. 47s to 50s Oats, old, .. 27s to 30s Old white 595 to 62s New do 22s to 24s Bed do.. 53s to 57s Beans.. 43s to 46s Barley, malting.... 385 to 42s Beans, new.. 34s to 385 Peas, ....335 to 38s. HULL—TUESDAY. A small supply of English wheat to-day, which met a slow sale ' at about last w ee k' s currency. Foreign quite neglected. Beans steady. Barley of really choice quality was not quotably lower, but secondary sorts is cheaper. Oats dull, and peas declined Is. Wheat.... Old white.... per qr sos Od to 52s Od Old red 1) New white .. „ New red .... „ Barley.... English malting 32s Od to 38s Od Grinding 27s 6d to 298 Od Seal and Oderbruck Holstein and Danish 2Bs Od to 298 Od Grinding 2Bs Od to 31s Od Oats English, old 268 Od to 28s Od Archangel and Riga, per st osl2 id to 13d Friesland and Dutch osl3d to 0813 id Swedish and Danish 051 2 3 / 4d to 0813 d Beans ....English, old, per qr 4ss Od to 46s Od New pigeon 42s Od to 41s Od New tick. 4os Od to 42s Od Egyptian Peas ..Foreign boilers ... .......... 36s Od t._ 38: Od Grinding Tares ....Spring ............... —s Od to —s Od Indian Corn 33s Od to 34s Od Linseed, feeding 52s Od to 56s Od crushing Linseed cakes (Hull) £9 15 0 to £lO 0 0 Foreign Bl5 oto 9 0 0 Rape cakes 6 5 oto 610 0 Bones 5 5 oto 510 0 LYNN--.TUESDAY. A good attendance of growers to-day, and an average show of wheat. A slow demand at a reduction of is per qr. White 50s to 52s I Barley. 37s to 40s lt,d .. 44s to 47s 1 Grinding....., ..32 0 t o 33 s Beans .38s to 42s I Oats New 36s to 38s I Peas.. —s to —s Births. GOODE.—On the 31st ult., at Farnham, the wife of Major Goode, 64th ltegt., of a daughter, MAPLETON.—On the 31st ult., at Norfolk-square, the wife of Dr. Mapleton, of a son. SCHROEDER.—On the Ist inst., at 24, Grove-end-road, St. John's-wood, th e wife of Mr. H. S. Schroeder, of a S T w A i l f N e F o o l ltj a H p daughter. s s t t ., ain at fo T r e th d , di 4 n t g h ton ia , d S r . a N s V L ., ig th h e t Cavalry, of a daughter. ;in °n Ch th ar e le l a st it ill . Marriages. CLARK—Rorzn.—On the 31st ult., at the Holy Trinity, Paddington, George, eldest son of Mr. George Clark, of 50, Albany-street, Regent's-park, to Mary Anr , eldest daughter of Mr. Henry Roper, of Kentish-town. HOLDEN—HARRIS.--On the 31st ult., at Si. Mary's, New ington, Mr. Frederick Holden, of Kennington, to Ann Jane, youngest daughter of Mr. J. R. Harris, of Dobson terrace, Kennington. Deaths. ABRAHAM.—OH the 31st ult., at 161, Adelaide-road, A. Abraham, Esq„ formerly of Liverpool, aged 65. ALDERSON.—On the 28th ult., at Warrington, Henry Alderson, Esq., aged 57. BADDELEY.—On the 30th ult., at Rampside, Lancashire, Charles Holland Baddeley, Esq.,- Captain H.M.1,A., of Wigston Hall, Leicestershire, aged 72. COCRTENAY.—On the 31st ult., in the Albany, Vice- Admiral G. W. C. Courtenay. ECKERSALL.—On the 30th ult., at 26, Edwardcs-square the Rev. Charles Eckersall, M.A., aged 65. GRIMALDI.—On the 28th ult., at Hernden House, near Sandwich, Stacey Grimaldi, Esq., F.S.A., aged 73. MorFam—On the 29th ult., at Witney, Oxon, T. J. Moffatt, Esq., aged 63. WATERPARK.—On the 31st ult., the Lord Waterpark p aged 70. London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDREWS, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TnE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County of Middlesex.—Thursday, April 2, 1863.