The Sun. — London, England, 1844-01-04 00:00:00

a LITERATURE W ANDERINGS IN 'I HL HIGHLANDS. 2 Vols.. Bail,', London, 1843. It requires no ordinary degree of confidence on the part of an author to send forth two octavo volumes on the subject of the Scottish Highlands —a theme the most hacknied which it is possible tto conceive, which Scott, and Wilson, and Grant, and Galt, and Heaven knows how many other writers, learned and unlearned, in verse as well as in prose, have been incessantly expatiating on !lir the last thirty years and upwards. That Mr. Maxwell's confidence, however, has not been ill founded, the result of hia labours show, for he has put forth two very readable volumes, in which, if he does not tell- us anything new—as how indeed should lie?—he at least dresses up old topics in a very ingenious, workmanlike manner. Another r ecommendation that he possesses, is one which, according to Smollett, is not often possessed by English tourists—we mean, good humour. Nothing ever seems to put him out of the way. 'The is drenched through and through with the soaking mist and rain of the Highland moun tain`; if he is surprised at nightflilt in a desolate spot many miles distant from the inn where he bad calculated on the cotnlc)rts of a capital dio ;Her) and a snug, warm fire-side—no matter what be the petty, vexatious annoyances to which he tflaY be subjected, he never once loses his cheerfulness and elasticity of spirit, but, in the true spirit of a philoBophic cosmopolite, shrugs his shoulders, takes things easily, and thanks Ileaven that they are no worse. This buoyancy and sunniness of - temperament, which is evidently natural and not assumed, colours all his descrip ttichsi, and impexts an animation and piquancy t o which -cannot but conciliate the reader. ,Mr. Maxwell pretends to no research or m e th o d 'n volumes; he is no traveller, in the strict sense of the term, but wisely repudiating the idea of making us wiser than we already are, on the subject of th e Hi g hl an d s , contents hi mse l f With giving a hasty bird's-eye view of such s t c e , ne r y - RS 'happened to strike his fancy, trusting liveliness of manner and vivid descriptive Vers to eouaiterbalance the triteness of his th ein e• I{, - is work is slight and desultory to a s ig r ee; bin by dint of apt anecdote, and oeca tlu"Y by 4 clever sketch of' sonic odd, out-of le-1"Y izbaracter, whom he came across in the rurse of: his wanderings, lie has succeded in pro-- g a couple or octavo volumes, which the ( 1 0 ; e r. hurries through with eagerness, and lays shi : ll .• with regret. We quote a wild story of a 11 aiwreek near Slains Castle, which Mr. has r e l ate d r e l ate d i n an ote, on the authority of Daniel " In illustrating a sketch of this romantic castle, and the rocky headland which it crowns, Daniel has related, th e f ollowing story of a shipwreck, which f or horrible effect is not to be exceeded A very remarkable event occurred here some years ago. One very stormy a f ternoon, a vessel appeared to be work .,B' very lab or i ous l y to keep out to sea, against a " r i gng wind, w hi ch blew dead on shore. Those wh o witnessed from thence the skilful and perse vering efforts made by the persons on board to accom tt isehs in terested; ; and at length, after much uncertainty, they !!saw reason, .about nightfal, to feel assured that she In ?ad workedso far to windward as to be out of danger. the night the storm continued; and after going to rest, some of the family in the castle thought that the y.heard crie s an d sounds of distress. It was con sidered p oss ibl e that these sounds might proceed from the _ wind d ur i ng the uproar of the elements, or might be merely imaginary, the scene of the afternoon being calculated to excite a strong presentiment of danger. Again these sounds seemed to pierce the troubled air, and Were willingly ascribed to the same causes, until the repetition of them, at intervals, produced so strong a conviction of their being really signals of distress, that lights were carried out to various parts of the rocks; and every expedient for relief that humanity co uld sugg es t was a d opte d, an d persevered in for hours. The sounds were not again beard; and next mornin g no vestiges of wreck appeared. Inquiries , w .ere were made along th e coas t , w i thout bringing tidings of such a calamity. It was subsequently ascertained that a vessel had sailed from Aberdeen on the .day of th e s t orm, b ound for some port in the aft e. Was Months p asse d away, and the circumstance almost forgotten; when one fine afternoon, a party from the castle having determined on a marine excu rsion, went in a boat to explore some of the cavern s on the coast; and in one of them, to their great surprise found the hull of a vessel that had been driven driven onshore, and sucked in. Some remains es f r hoeh sufferers were also found ; and part of her and g ad been carried up by the waves, and laid high dry in the interior recesses of the shingly beach. On some oars and on some marks that left'npackages, were found which sailed from° pieces oAf b:Tredeekenhel doubt that this had been the vessel Numerous o n the day in ti question. v.esseis cargoes discovered ; and in some on p g l i a n e g es to pa o rt l s er of their rock ; were found firmly wedg - ed in cavities of the the e' while the skeletons and bones that abounded in s gloomy caves afford e d b ut too lamentable a proof it of th e effect- of storms on this perilous coast. Indeed, inust be apparent, that when a lis driven into one of the caves, her destruction vesse must be inevitable; thos e on board h ave no chance of escaping; nor can th ose afforded them." „ ;IGN AND COLONIAL QUARTERLY - "-E- • VIEW. No. V. Smith and Elder, Lomion, 1844. We -r emem b er read i ng some few years since 41.1 the Westminster Review, a novel recorn blnendationsto the effect that history, instead of a n g written, as i t h as hi t h erto been,.by men of L o n', tho ug h tful, erudite natures, like our Gib "°118) Robertsons, HaHams, Turners, Thirlwalls, r* , should be written by poets—that is to say, Y M en whose f ee li ng an d f ancy must neces 811r4 constitute the chief features in their in tellectual i diosyncrasy. In the Number before ) 11 , 4 ) in the course of an article entitled ” Ro -lance in Italy," the same recommendation is rePeated, the Reviewer observing, "did ever to anY Iri an of supreme intellect, any poet, attempt write of ? Did ever any eagle-eyed bard fast a vivifying glance on the past, and lay the l i age, misty and shadowy perhaps, but not b ess P°ving and breathing ) , before us? History erudition oitherto been merely the work of plodding' du • or of cold political speculation, the pro thueccitinotitel7ot. the scholar or philosopher. Let only undertake to write history." We say, on , the contra r y, l et the poet undertake no such 44 E, but content himself, as heretof o re, w i th ran g i ng' over the realms of imagination. His a t ll esisdeenats t, i al o lY a lawless i n t e ll ect , w hi c h spurns 0 th e restraint, and to restr i ct hi m 'vh . com paratively narrow limits within iell th e historia n i s con fi ne d , would be to _- f e tter f and cramp hi s genius, and st deprive of all v i tality. Besides, how could' Plodding research, the dispassionate and well- Illeighed ind s — g i nent—the careful balancing of con tficting P% id - • %—e nce—and the power of sternly sub jecting the nassions to the reason—which arc so indispensable to him who as • to write history ? aspires The poet's fancy would be a certain stumbling block in his path, and is w ould eq ua ll y quic, ardent feelings uc h t his vi k ew of the truth 'I As to the " romance or history" on which the Reviewer so strenuously insists, our answer is, that we do not want its "romance," but its facts --its naked, unvarnished facts —and these are best gleaned by men of " plodding erudition." In the notice of " Hayti, its Past and Present State," occur brief sketches of some of the most distinguished chiefs in its annals fir the last ..., half -century. Justice, however, is hardly done . to Toussaint, who is accused of cruelty—a ... Charge which, we - firmly believe, applies with less. truth to hiskthan to any great commander .... „_ of his day. 1 ' , pared with his merciless ene °tics, the Fre, 4 ~ he was a prodigy of benefi cence and hu :1 4 - ' ity , and yet it is principally by these men t 1 his life has been written, and those statetnei s promulgated which have led to tho se erroneous impressions of liis character. It 1 ,1 full tune that th e trut h s h ould be spoken of Tou ssaint, and the world be told that he was ni te of . the most illustrious individuals whom Prthe eighteenth century, fruitful of greatness, nd uced—a sagac i ous statesman, a skilful nd successful soldier, a consummate man Zof the world, a consistent, high-min e , - sted patriot, who tell a victim to his d re d liance disinte on le good f a i t h and honour of the French. At 4fife years of age t hi s extraor di nary man was a lt ve) pursui ng th e humble occupation of a carter. cownotity;ars afterwa r d s , h e was t h e d e li verer of his the commander of her armies, the lead . thg statesman in her senate—in fact, her ruling "ere ign ; and such was his moral influence, that even General Lacroix, who hated him ' is elm'- a Pelled to ack now l e d ge that " t h e soldiers re d to as a superior being, and the cultiva te themselves before him, as betbre hire,"nity, All his generals trembled before h is 4 and even Dessalines did not dare to look in . e I .s,ce r The death of Toussaint—or rather his :I's-Wooded murder —in a damp Swiss dungeon isis the he was ielt to txpire of cold and hunger, s-le greatest blot on the setiteheon of Napoh. On. Arun) . th at of Brescia" is a review ol a tragedy of 1. dent "me ' as ul which, it seems, has created a wse ferment throughout Italy. The hero, rern,,llla,ns of our r ea d ers may per h aps faus(r-enriljiso e l r i' Was an eminent religious re n flourished in the twelfth century, ss c af ter having boldly held forth far some years _isentt,is the corruptions of the Vatican, and the .K.ive.ral licentious conduct of the clergy, was to n v IT by tl e Emperor Frederick Barbarossa Le ban' Adrian the Fourth, wlio caused him to ged On • a gibbet, and afterwards flung into ' the Tiber. The Reviewer speaks very favourably of the tragedy of Arnold, and quotes several ex tracts which fully justify his guod opinion. The object of the elaborate article on the " Causes of Distress" deserves every praise, fin• it is to 'wow ; mend '' such a• searching investigation into our social and economical condition, as may enable us to trace out the latent causes of distress, and to discover and apply appropriate means for their removal." In the criticism on Professor Koch's " Journey through Russia to the Caucasian Isthmus," we find some slight, hasty sketches of the Cossack tribes located in the neighbourhood of the Black Sea, together with an account of the present state of the quarrel between Russia and the Circassians. The Reviewer takes a liberal view of the question, and warmly sympathises with the brave and patriotic mountaineers of the Caucasus. We quote an anecdote relative to the Emperor of Russia during one of his recent visits to Tiflis, and ,Prince Dadian, whom he had caused to be severely punished fbr having applied to his own use the money which should have been expended on his regiment:— " The rank of which Prince Dadian had been de prived was conferred on Baron Von Rosen's son, but this mark of favour was little calculated to dispel the gloom that had been cast over the Baron's family. Prince Alexander Dadian had but a few weeks before been married to the Baron's daughter, and while the parents were forced to be all smiles and affability to their Sovereign, their child was alrealy on the road to share the captivity and disgrace of her husband. He was eventually degraded to the rank of a peasant, and banished to Siberia, whither his wife followed him, and where she is probably still softening by her affectionate devotion the bitterness of merited dis grace. The Russian law, indeed, looks on a man banished to Siberia as politically dead, and his marriage is dissolved, and his wife at liberty to con tract a new alliance ; but, to the credit of the Russian ladies, be it said, few avail themselves of this law, and the victim of imperial anger, through stripped of all his worldly possessions, and shunned by those who had once sought his friendship, has hut rarely to mourn over the desertion of her who had plighted her troth to him in marriage. " That same evening a splendid ball was given by the nobility of Tiflis in honour of the Emperor. About a thousand invitations had been issued, and Professor Koch was among the honoured and happy pests. The scene must ha ve b een ga y enoug h. Ile officers, with their stars and epaulettes, were mingled with Turks, Tartars, Circassians, Persians, and Armenians, all in rich oriental costumes, and many greatly excited by a scene so unusual to them. A number of Georgian ladies had been prevailed on to :partake of the festivity, and sat in silent, stately rows, but all blazing with jewels. The Baroness Von Rosen, who had that morning bid adieu, pro bably for ever, to her child, was obliged, as wife of the Commander-in-Chief, to do the honours of the ball, and to dance the opening Polonaise with the Emperor. Both her unmarried daughters, too, in compliance with etiquette, were obliged to appear at the ball, and both, in the course of the evening, were honoured with the Emperor's hand. The Professor is surprisingly eloquent in his praises of this display of imperial affability, this solicitude to pour balm into a wounded spirit, by making the bereaved mother and sisters dance jigs and cotillions with an Emperor ! The Emperor remained only two hours, and during his stay everything went on well enough, but the Georgians, according to all accounts, are tremendous drinkers, and as the night advanced the fun grew so fast and furious that most of the ladies deemed it ad visable to make an early retreat." THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL AGRICUL TURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, Vial. IV. Part 11. John Murray, London. This periodical work is deservedly rising in public estimation, and will bear a favourable comparison with the best agricultural productions of the kind. It has several noble contributors, among these the Duke of Richmond, who fur nishes an article on the solution of bones in sul phuric acid for the purposes of manure, and the Earl of Lovelace another on the culture of mangold wurzel. Some of the best papers, too, are by Members of Parliament, and among these Mr. Pusey is conspicuous. In the present volume he has two or three articles, one of which is on the agricultural improvements of Lincolnshire and some southern counties, as compared with those of Northumberland and the south of Scotland ; and.to the surprise of our northern neighbours, no doubt, he gives the preference to the former. The firming in Lincolnshire de serves great praise for the ♦ast improve ments effected when no corn-laws existed ; the neatness of the hedge rows, the farm-houses and offices, and the general appearance of the fields are highly creditable to the spirit and in dustry of the people; but we cannot admit with Mr. Pusey that they surpass in that respect the farmers of the Merse and Teviotdale, or that it is fair to draw a comparison between farms on the barren and bleak Lammermoor hills and the flat and sheltered plains of Lincoln. And besides, if he had counted the cost—a material point— he would have found that the expense of even the very best farming in Scotland falls far short of that in England. His remarks, however, are worth extracting:— Beyond Berwick, arriving at Dunbar, you find, along the sea-coast, some of the famous farms of East Lothian. It is an extraordinary soil, for which the tenants, farming admirably, pay the well-known rents of 41. or 51. the acre, which some suppose to be the common rents of East Lothian. But ride two or three miles only inland, and you find, first, land well farmed at 21. per acre ; then land at I/. per acre—some of it very ill farmed, foul, and out of condition; then the Lammer moor Hills. which are not farmed at all, but are in the same state as Lincoln Heath when the Dunston beacon was lighted nightly. Onwards again to Edinburgh, for 30 miles through the Lothians, you will see good land most excellently farmed, but sometimes also moderate land in a very slovenly state. If from thence yoe travel along the mail-aoach road to Carlisle, on losing sight of Edinburgh Castle, you pass for 70 miles through the heart of South Scotland, over moors covered with a rank grass, which shows that they might bear something better, or among scanty corn-crops, which prove that nature has been little assisted by art. I cannot therefore place the general farming of southern Scotland or of Northumberland on a level with the farming of our southern counties, such as Buck inghamshire, but rather with that of North Devon ; nor the ge neral farming of East Lothian on a level with the general farm ing of Lincolnshire ; nor the best farming of East Lothian on a level with the best farming of Lincolnshire, because it is the best land only of East Lothian on which such noble examples of farming are given, while in Lincolnshire the barren heath and wold have been taught nearly equal luxuriance." LICENSED VICTUALLERS' AND GENERAL FIRE AND LIFE ASSURANCE OFFICE.-ELECTION OF A DIRECTOR. A meeting of the Proprietors of the Licensed Vic tuallers' and General Fire and Life Assurance Com pany was on Tuesday held at the Company's offices, 4, Adelaide-place, London-bridge, for the purpose of electing a gentleman to serve as Director in the room of John Harman, Esq., resigned. The room in which the meeting was held was crowded to ex cess before the commencement of the proceedings, which appeared to excite the greatest interest among all present; among whom were—Mr. Alder man Musgrove; Mr. Alderman Hooper ; Mr. Bleaden, the Chairman of the Company; Mr. D. W. Wire, the Solicitor of the Company ; r. Faw cett, the Secretary; Mr. Addis, Mr. Bingley, and several other gentlemen connected with the Com pany. At two o'clock precisely, C. Bleaden, Esq., took the chair. The CHAIRMAN said that he was proud and pleased to see himself surrounded by so large and so influen tial an assembly of the Proprietary of the Company. He regretted, however, the occasion on ,which they had met. He regretted the resignation of their Deputy Chairman—(Hear, bear)--and still more did he regret the circumstance which had led to the necessity of that resignation.—(Hear, hear.) In this commercial country every one was liable to the ups and downs of life. They were now called upon to fill up that vacancy, and he felt assured that they would do their duty by selecting that gentleman for the office whom they conscientiously believed to be the best fitted for the performance of those duties which would devolve upon him. They had received communications from five gentlem en , each anxious for a seat in their Direction. He felt proud of this circumstance, inasmuch as it proved how anxious gentlemen of respectability and influence were to become connected with this Institution.—(Cheers.) He felt gratified that so many gentlemen were anxious to be placed among them. He was happy to find that those who had recently joined them were glad to increase the extent of their connection with the Company, and he trusted that their connections would be increased more and more. He congratulated them on the increase which had taken place in their prosperity in the course of the past year, and he hoped the same success had and would attend them in all their efforts.—(Cheers.) He was convinced that, all were desirous of doing the best they could to promote the success of their under taking, and whatever difference of opinion there might be as to the eligibility of the various candidates, he felt assured that there would be nothing personal in the discussions which were about to take place. Every gentleman would, he trusted, receive a patient hearing, for they were all engaged in one general object. He was happy and proud to preside over such a meeting, and he would call upon the Solicitor to read the advertise ment convening the meeting. Mr. D. W. WIRE then read the advertisement convening the meeting, which ww, for the election of a Director, in the room of John Harman, Esq., re signed, and the Directors recommended John - Addis, Esq., of Freeman's-wharf, Southwark, to fill the vacant seat at the Board of Directors. The SECRETARY then read the addresses of the various candidates, viz., one from Mr. John Addis, dated Freeman's-wharf, Dec. 12, 1843 ; another from Mr. 13. Bingley, dated Shoreditch, Dec. 13, 1843; another from Mr. J. E. Bromley, dated 17, Commer cial-road, Dec. 13, 1843; another from Mr. Charles Salisbury Butler, dated Lodge, Upper Clapton, Dec. 15, 1843 ; and another from Mr. Joseph Morgan, dated Dec. 16, 1843. The SECRETARY then read a letter from Mr. Bromley, dated Jan. 2d, 1844, resigning in favour of Mr. Addis, on the ground, first, that the claims of Mr. Addis were very powerful ; and secondly, be cause he thought the wishes of the Directors ought to be deferred to. Mr. D. W. Winn then rose and said, that he felt it was his duty to state, that in his opinion the names of two gentlemen had been mentioned as candidates who were disqualified under the provisions of the paragraph tobe found at the 57th page of their deed of settlement.—(The Learned Gentleman then read the paragraph alluded to, which set forth that no person could be eligible to hold more than one office, except that Directors might also act as Trustees.) Now there were two gentlemen, whose names he need not mention, among the candidates who already held offices in the Institution, and which, in his opinion, would prevent those gentlemen going to the poll.— (Cheers.) The SECRETARY then read letters from Mr. Mor gan, and from Mr. Butler, retiring from the contest. The letter of Mr. Butler stated that at the time he had announced himself as a candidate he was net aware that Mr. Addis had been recommended by the Board of Directors ; and he earnestly requested the Proprietors to support the nomination of the Board of Directors, as the most likely course to promote the welfare of the undertaking. The CHAIRMAN then called upon any gentleman who had anything to say, in proposing any of the can didates, to come forward, as the present was the time when hey would be heard. Mr. EvANs, who was received with loud cheers, had very great pleasure in proposing John Addis, Esq., of Freeman's-wharf, to fill the seat at the Board of Direction, rendered vacant by the resignation of John Harman, Esq.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. Addis was no stranger to that institution. He had been qualified to sit at that Board six years ago.—(Cries of " No, no.") Well, then, five or six years ago.—(Cries of " Only two.") At all events he had been qualified for a long time. He had lately become even more in timately connected with this institution.—(Cheers.) He had insured his own property in the institution in 1839 and 1840, and he had recently intro duced to the Society many of his highly re spectable friends, who had also become share holders.—(Cheers.) He proposed Mr. Addis, a gentleman of equal standing with Mr. Harman, as his successor. Mr. Addis was a member of the Corn Lord Portman, Mr. Langston, M.P., Sir Charles Lemon, ii.P., are also contributors—a good sign that Lords and Members of Parliament begin to see that they must bestir themselves, and that the corn•laws cannot last for ever. There are several articles in the present Number interesting, not only to farmers, but to the general readers, among which we would direct attention to that by Capt. Weddrington "On the Agriculture of Spain," and to the " Past and Present State of Agriculture in Ireland," by 1)1 r. William Blacker. and that disunion in the Board of ManageMent was the certain destruction of any Company. Before their application to him, he was unacquainted with either of the pr esen t candidates ; he believed both of them to he highly respectable and honest men.— (Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman who had spoken last had talked of honesty. Did he suppose that any one came there to act- otherwise than honestly ? (Cheers.) He believed the great body of the licensed victuallers deserved well from society, for the nume row; excellent institutions they had founded, and the ' valuable charities they had created.—(Cheers.) He respected the body highly, and it was his anxious wish to see all their praiseworthy en deavours prosper.—(Cheers.) He was in favour of Mr. Addis as a Director, principally because he was recommended by the Board of Directors, and he was also well calculated to work and co-operate with that Board.—(Cheers.) It was by electing such men that they would raise the character of the Institution, in crease their connections, and enable them to gain a hold upon the public, that nothing could shake.— (Cheers.) In his opinion they ought not to elect any man a a less standing than the one they had lest, — (Cheers.) They ought to have men of rank and cha racter in the City of London in their Direction. Mr. Addis was connected with some of the first persons in the City, he was also connected with the corn trade, the distillers, brewers, and others who were likely through his exertions to benefit this Institution, in crease its business, and thereby extend its usefUl ness. Such being his opinion he felt compelled to support the election of Mr. Addis as a Director. He did not know that he had any thing else to say, or that he should wish to say. He hoped they would take these matters into consideration, believing that they also came from an honest heart, and put forward by a man who had no connection with one class or the other, but who only wished to see his shares - paying five per cent. instead of four. The CHAIRMAN asked if Mr. Addis wished to ad dress the meeting ? Mr. ADDIS said he had nothing to say. Mr.. BINGLEY then rose. He hoped, as his worthy proposer had stated, that he stood before them with a face of honesty, and with a feeling that was always desirable, that of promoting the welfare of the institu tion. The first point to which he had to draw their attention was the assertion that he was disqualified under a clause of the deed of settlement in the 57th page. He knew that doctors differed both as to the nature of a complaint, and the mode of cure ; and it was the name with lawyers ; they also were of dif ferent opinions. lie believed this matter had been discussed on the last occasion. The plain clause said that a man should not hold two offices at one and the Exchange, second to none of the gentlemen con nected with that establishment; and the greater the number of gentlemen like Mr. Addis whom they could get to join them. the greater would be the influence and extent of their institution. A new and vast field would he opened to them, and they would reap an abundant harvest. Mr. Harman was connected with the trade of a brewer, and if any ' one connected with a firm of brewers—if a Barclay, a Hanbury, or a Whitbread had ceme forward, he should have paused before he proposed Mr. Addis. They had determined to issue 30,000 new shares. Ile knew the difficulty of getting fresh members of the trade to take new shares. It was of importance that those shares slnuld be advantageously distri buted, and, therefore, it was important that they should cultivate new interests from fresh connections so as to place them to advantage.—(Cheers.) Mr. Addis had been strongly recommended by the Board of Directors; in that recommendation he heartily con curred. It had been said that they were about to make an attempt to throw the trade overboard.— (Cries of " Yes, yes !" "No, no !" cheers and counter cheers.) He would not concur in any such effort. —(Cheers.) What object could the Directors have in view but the promotion of the prosperity of the Institution, and the associating with themselves a gentleman with whom they could concur on all occasions ?—(Cheers.) This, he thought, was most important for the Society. The Proprietary, at large, in his opinion, ought to be thankful, o their Direction for pointing out a gentleman so highly qualified as Mr. Addis. He would not endeavour to depreciate the claims of the other candidates, but when he looked at the claims of Mr. Bingley as connected with the trade, and as having sat at the Board of Di rection, and still open to re-election upon -the City Committee, and no doubt, if a resignation took plaec of a gentleman connected with the trade, he knew of no person who had greater claims than Mr.Bingley ; he thought the present, however, was not. the period at which Mr. Bingley should press his claims. He had given his preference to Mr. Addis, and he was happy that his nomination would be seconded by a gentleman of the City Committee. If the Proprietary wished to see their shares at a premium, they must dissemi nate their new shares, such a course being adopted would greatly enhance their profits.—(Cheers.) Mr. LLOYD seconded the nomination of Mr. Addis, because in doing so he thought he should be at tempting to increase the interests of the Society in a most eminent degree. Mr. FERGUSON, in proposing Mr. Bingley, believed that the candidate he was about to propose was not only an honest, but hard working and upright man. He had been a working man in support of the Insti tution ever since its commencement. He believed it would be the opinion of all honest men that Mr. Bingley ought to have a seat at the Board of Direction. Mr. TEARS bore testimony to the usefulness of Mr. Bingley, and most cheerfully seconded his nomina tion, believing that having him as a Director would be a great acquisition to the Society. The CHAIRMAN then asked whether any other gentleman had any other candidate to propose, cr wished to address the meeting. Mr. BUSH wished, although almost a stranger to the Company, yet, taking a large view of the interests of the Society, to say a few words in favour of Mr. Addis. He was glal. to hear that a gentleman of such high station and such great connexions should bz , proposed as a Director to the Company. Mr. Addis had come to 'him with the introduction of a gentleman, a Member of Parliament ; but if he had been introduced by Sir Robert Peel himself, it would not have had half the effect with him that the recommendation,of the Board of Directors had. It was his opininn. ,that the Board should be as cordial as possible, believing that the first elements to make a Company successful was the cordiality with which each Director worked with the others—(Cheers)— same time; that was to say that a man was not to be at the same time a Director and an Auditor, or a Committee-man and a Director. The moment an Auditor was made a Director, he ceased to he an Auditor, and the moment a member of the Committee was made a Director, he ceased to be a Committee-man. But the clause did not state that a man should not be eligible to offer him self as a candidate for that or any other office. If that was the opinion of the Learned Solicitor, he dif fered with him ; if the clause were submitted to three of the most eminent counsel in the land, two of them would be of his (Mr. Bingley's) opinion, and one of the Solicitor's.—(A voice—" To be sure ; when a Common Councilman is elected Alderman, he ceases to he a Common Councilman. Everybody knows that !") He knew no community of men more grate ful than a body of Englishmen, and he asked them on the sound principle of gratitude, as one who had en deavoured to promote the well-being of the Company from the very commencement, and who had originally ventured his capital in it, when it was difficult to get gentlemen to assemble on the Board of Directors, when they asked men in vain to become Directors —it was well to hear gentlemen eulogise the licensed victuallers as men, who, from what they had done in life, . deserved to be eulogised, yet after having given up eight or nine years to attending to the best interests of the Institution, if a licensed victualler asked for a seat at the Board of Directors, they told him that he had no right. to ask it. They were told that the Board of Directors thought it better that they should seek some other food, some new connection ; but if they abolished the name of licensed victuallers from the Association what would become of it ?—(Hear, hear.) They might go on ad infinitum in forming new con nections among timber merchants, and coal mer- 1 chants, or any other merchants, for the purpose of bringing new grist to the mill ; but they might go on in that direction till the feeling of the powerful body of the licensed victuallers would be estranged from it, and they would no longer possess it to guide them to the object which they so much desired. He had heard from the worthy proposer of Mr. Addis, and from another gentleman, the principle of self-election laid down, and had wondered at it; he denied that the Board had any right to give a recommendation to any particular individual. But had not the capital of the Proprietors a right to express an opinion ? The Directors had one strict line of duty to perform, that of announcing that there was a vacancy in the Direc tion, and that it was to be filled up at a given period ; if there were one thing to be more deprecated than another it was the liberty the Directors had taken in advocating the interest of any one man in preference to any other.--(Hear, and " Shame.") As long as the liberty was left to Companies, as to nations, to elect their representatives, dictation from any quarter was to be deprecated. The Directors had no right by a public declaration to signalise any individual. If they did, it became self-election. It appeared from the letters of the candidates who had resigned to-day, that. they had resigned in favour of Mr. Addis. That appeared from their letters, as they stated their re signation to be the consequence of the recommenda tion by the Board of Directors of Mr. Addis. The Society began business in 1835, but it was not till the 19th of October, 1837, that Mr. Addis became the holder of 25 shares, which were made up to 250 shares in 1811, in order to qualify him for the Direction. Mr. WIRE said these statements were not correct. It was impossible Mr. Addis could take any shares from the Company in 1841, as they had all been issued. He purchased them in the market. Mr. BINGLEY said he might have taken them at the first, when others did. He was only placing be fore them the relative position of himself and the other candidate. Mr. Bromley, in 1840, only held twenty-one shares, and it was only on the 13th or December last, that he qualified for a Director. The letter of Mr. Butler was dated on the 15th of December, and it was only on that day he qualified to be a Director. He was not depreciating either the iafluence, the talent, or the respectabily of any gen tleman; he had not a word to say against Mr. Addis ; it was the principle that he deprecated. The resignation of Mr. Harman was dated the 12th of December, and did not reach the office till that day; on the 13th the circulars of Mr. Addis, appeared. He deprecated the proceeding by which Mr. Addis must have received his peculiar information. He had been eight years the Chairman of the Committee ; he had never missed an attendanee, had canvassed every quarter of the town ; he had attended all the meet ings of the Sub-Committee; and if one thing more proved it than another it was that the Society was established by the exertions of this Committee, they were the instrument by which it became :firmly es tablished, and when a particular crisis arrived, he thought it would only have been kind and consi derate in the Direction towards the Committee, if not personally to himself, to have supported those who had chiefly contributed to the formation of the Com pany. • Now that the capital and the exertions of the licensed victuallers had quite succeeded they could find gentlemen to join them. But let them bear in mind that if they ever lost sight of the great prin ciple that it was the licensed victuallers by whom the Association was established, and that if they ceased to be interested in it, it would prove a great injury. The licensed victuallers were not to be excluded from it, or to be told that they had no right to ask such a position in the Committee till there should be a vacancy by the death or resignation of one of the Directors already attached to the licensed victuallers body, but that till then the licensed victuallers must rest upon their oars. The licensed victualler might become a member of the Com mittee. He might be a dog to fetch, but he must not raise his . views ; he must no t assume th e plumage of the peacock —he must not raise his views to the Director's chair. Such doctrine he, for his own part, never heard without heartily deprecating it, because he conceived it an insult to the trade which had beenhis Society ; because it in e ffects a the foundation d to oa licensed of victualler, t you m a y become a member of the Committee—so far shalt thou go, but no further. Upon the last occasion he was eulogised because he had not gone to the ballot, and he then in dulged a hope that he stood well with the:electors, and That be would have their itlerest at the next election. It had been said that when a vacancy occurred, among the Directors, who were connected with the trade, then, and then only--(Dissent)—should a Proprietor r i a d d s e t e i who was a member of the trade off e r hi mse lf as a can aVd sS he not t Mr. n ilsri connected n an connected with brewery withthe at t Croydon ?—(Hear, hear, and cries of " Not at the time of his election.") According to that doctrine, the licensed victualler must wait till Mr. Float or Mr. Game was removed from the Direction, either by death or resignation, before any one of th e i r mem b ers cou ld present himself to the Society as a candidate for a seat among their Direction. Was that to be borne by the licensed victuallers ? Eulogies had been passed by some of the gentlemen who preceded him on the pre sent occasion, upon the licensed victuallers. He delighted at all times to hear such eulogies, because he believed that no body of men deserved them better —no class of men better performed their duty to the State and to society at large than licensed victuallers, and therefore it was that he deprecated their being ex cluded to make room for a timber-merchant, a corn merchant, or in fact any man with the title of mer- THESUN,LONDON, THURSDAY ,MORNING, J4.4.NUAR 4, 1844. chant affixed to his name. That title "merchant" seemed indeed, to have great weight with certain folks ; but it should be recollected that there were lucifer-match run nufacturers who might by and bye be called lucifer-match merchants, and why not consider those as more eligible than the licensed victuallers for the Direction? During his connexion with the Committee, he had discharged his duty fearlessly and faithfully, and he now appealed to the gratitude of the Company—he appealed to their feel ings as Englishmen (for Englishmen ever possessed a grateful recollection of services rendered them)—and now that he had pointed out the relative positions of the can didates, he trusted they would show to him that he had not only earned, but also obtained the reward of his exertions in behalf of the interests of the Company. Should they do him the honour to elect him, he would pay every attention to the discharge of his duties, neither swerving to the right nor to the left to serve the interest of any man, but looking solely to the welfare and success of the Society. From the frankness and liberality of the worthy magistrates on the board, he had no doubt that they would treat the hum ble publican, who might be elected to serve among the Directors with every respect, and consider him while sitting at the board as perfectly their equal there, so long as he conducted himself respectably. He ventured, then, to ask the Proprietors to reflect before they gave their decision, and he trusted that common gratitude would induce them to pause before they re jected him when he presented himself as a candidate. In February next he should in all probability cease to hold the office of Chairman of the Committee, as it might so happen be would not be re-elected to that office. He trusted, then, that they would not allow him to appear as though his long services to the Company were not gratefully remembered ; but that they would prove that they deemed an honest, humble, licensed victualler worthy to sit by the side of the worthy magis trates who graced the Board of Directors.—(Hear.) Mr. Alderman MUSGROVE said it was not his inten tion to take up so much of the time of the meeting as the worthy candidate had who had just sat down, be cause he had very little to say to them on the subject. He doubted exceedingly whether it should not have been thought entirely out of place for him (Mr. Alder man Musgrove) to address them on the present occasion, if it had not been for one or two observations that had been made by the worthy candidate. That gentleman's address was a matter with which he (Mr. Alderman Musgrove) could have nothing to do. He had felt it his duty to appeal to the Proprietors' gratitude for past ser vices. To that appeal they would make their response ; but at the same time they would probably permit him, as feeling a deep interest in the prosperity of the Institution, to say to them that they must have something more than gratitude for the past.—(Cheers.) They must take en larged views for the Institution. They should not be unmindful of their present position, which looked not only to the estimation of the licensed victual lers, but to that of the public at large,—(Hear, hear.) They had heard from a worthy Proprietor, who had spoken in the course of the meeting, that he had taken that view of the subject, and that it was after much consideration he had come before them to recommend to them the candidate who, in the judgment of the Directors, was the best fitted to fill the vacant office. The worthy candidate who had last spoken had charged the Directors with two acts—one the act of dictation, the other of ingratitude. With regard to the first, he (Mr. Al derman Musgrove) would put it to theirrespected Chair man and the Board as a body, whether they had ever attempted to dictate to the Proprietors?—(No, no.) From what he could gather on the subject, the object of the Directors, in the course they had taken in this respect, was to save the Proprietors any unnecessary trouble in ascertaining what might be their opinion as to the eligi bility of the candidates, as they had ever, from the com mencement of the Institution, been called upen to offer their opinions to the Proprietors on occa sions similar to the present. Beyond that they had never intended to go, nor in fact had they. They felt that it was due to the Proprietors that they should know their opinions on the matter, and it was only to prevent them coming to the office and asking what do the Directors think of this candidate, and what do they think of that, that the Directors acted as they had done in the matter. Beyond saving the Proprietors that trouble the Directors had no desire to exercise any in fluence in the affair. With regard to the ingratitude with which the Directors were supposed to have acted, he would answer without any personal feeling or any desire to undervalue the services of the Hon. Candidate. At the same time he was bound to state certain facts in reply to the charges which the Hon. Candidate had thought proper to make against the Board of Directors. The Hon. Candidate had stated, and the present was not the only occasion on which he had done so—the Hon. Candidate had stated' that for the benefit of the Institu tution he had taken upon himself great responsibility— that he had been its prop from the commence ment, that be had. ,risked his all, that he had stood up for it when no one would look at it, and that he had run the greatest risks for them. Doubtless the Hon. Candidate felt that such was the case himself, or be would not have told them so; but he (Mr. Alderman Musgrove) had made inquiries as to the position in which they were at the commencement. It had occurred to him that the statements which had been made by Mr. Bingley at the last meeting were deserving of the greatest consideration, and that unless those statements could be answered it would - undoubtedly appear that Mr. Bingley had not been properly treated. The Hon. Candidate had told them, that he had been one of the first to take shares, and on looking back to the book for 1835, he found that such was the estimation in which the Hon. Candidate held the Institution, that he had actually risked in it the enormous sum of 301.—(Cheers and laughter. Mr. Bingley attempted an interruption, which was put a stop to by the Chairman.) Shortly afterwards his ability and energy pointed him out as a proper person to serve on the" Committee, and he was appointed one of the twenty-four gentlemen of whom that Committee was compose,d. He was returned by the Committee as one of the three members of that body who were to be their representatives at the Board of Directors, and he had taken his seat at the Board accordingly. On taking his seat he found that the qualification necessary was the holding of forty shares, and accordingly he increased his risk by ten additional shares, which it was necessary he should hold in order to be qualified to sit as a Director. He knew these facts from having looked over the accounts very carefully before he became a Director, and he felt bound to state that the Chairman and the Directors had afforded him every facility in making those inquiries.—(Cheers.) After Mr. Bingley had been at the Board for twelve months. finding that his two companions from the Committee held each 250 shares, he, in 1837, Ending the Institution to be in a very prosperous state, took 210 shares, making, with the 40 which he held previously, 250, the number which his colleagues on the Committee had held long before. In 1841 Mr. Addis took 250 shares, at a pre mium. —(Cheers.) He was anxious to remove from their minds the idea that the Institution had ever been in a state of apparent danger. It never had been in such a state.—(Cheers.) Then, with regard to the responsi bility which Mr. Bingley said he had taken upon him self. They all knew what the responsibility of a Pro prietor in an Insurance Company was, and that the holder of five shares was as responsible for the liabili ties of the Company as the holder of 500. Therefore, all parties who, at the commencement, had been share holders, might make the same boast as Mr. Bingley, that they had been liable for it to the full extent of their property.—(Cheers and laughter.) He had no wish to detract from Mr. Bingley's merits, but it was right that they should be made aware that Mr. Bingley had not risked more than any other man. He had adverted to Mr. Bingley's having been returned as a Director by the Committee. The services which Mr. Bingley had rendered in that capacity wero invaluable.—(Cheers.) Mr. Bingley, as the representative of the Committee, had been indefatigable in his attention to the business of the institution, and, as far as his influence went, it had been exercised in their favour.—(Cheers.) Mr. Bingley had talked about their kicking down the ladder which bad raised them up. Now it seemed to him that Mr. Bingley was anxious to kick down the Committee.—(Cries of " No, no.") He had been returned to the Board of Directors by the Committee. Had he any fears as to his re-election ?—(Cheers.) Why did he not appeal to the gratitude of the Committee ? Was it not as honour able to be returned by the Committee as to be returned by the Proprietary ? (Cheers.) The Committee was composed of twenty-four gentlemen, who possessed the exclusive right of returning three of their own body to take their seats at the Board of Directors, and who pos sessed all the powers and privileges of Directors, while in their election the Proprietary had no voice at all. The Committee had acted most judiciously in the selec tion which they had made, and he would appeal to the Committee to return Mr. Bingley again out of gratitude for the services which he had rendered to the institution, and he would ask Mr. Bingley whether, under all the circumstances, having at heart the extension of the in stitution, such a 'course would not be the most proper that could be adopted? Within the last ten months of the past year they had effected upwards of one million and a quarter of insurances against fire—three-fourths of those insurances had been brought to the office by the public, and the other fourth by the licensed victuallers. Was it right then that they should throw overboard the public ? He had never heard anything of overthrowing the originators of the Institution. The idea was absurd. Why, six members of the Board of Directors were licensed victuallers. There was their worthy Chairman, a licensed victualler—(Cheers)—there was Mr. Game, a most amiable and excellent man, and who had been of the greatest possible utility to the Institution.— (Cheers). There was their.exeellent friend, Mr. Float, (Cheers.) There was Mr. Bingley, with all his talents and energy.—(Cheers). There was Mr. Walter, a gentleman entitled to the highest praise, and a holder of five hundred shares—(Cheers). And there was Mr. Fergusson.—(Cheers). Now, looking to the position which they held as a Licensed Victuallers and General Insurance Society, he would ask, had the licensed vic tuallers any reason to think that there existed any in tention to swamp them, when they saw six such men sitting at the Board of Directors 2—(Cheers). Of the fire insurances ho had already stated, that two-thirds had been brought to the office by tha, public, and the remaind e r by th e li cense d victuallerr Then, with regard to the Life Department. Of the life policies, he was going to say, that fire-sixths, but he might certainly affirm that four-fifths "of all the business in the Life Department had emanated from the public, and the other fifth from the licensed victuallers. Why did he mention these things ? Not in disparage ment to the Licensed Victuallers, but because he felt convinced that these statements would rouse in them a greater feeling of energy, and would cause them to say, " We must go on, and not allow the public to do all."— (Cheers.) He would now say one word with regard to the important step they bad taken during the past year —one, he believed, of the most important strides any in stitution had made of late years.—(Cheers.) They had determined to issue 30,000 new shares, and he (Mr. Alderman Musgrove) was prepared to tell them, that out of those 30,000 shares, between 15,000 and 20,000 had been taken and paid for at a preminial.—(Loud cheers.) And this,'still further, he was prepared to state, that out of the number taken, four-fifths were by the public, and not by licensed victuallers. Ile himself had already al. lotted between 500 and 600 shares —not to himself— but to some of his friends whom he had persuaded to tike them. Now, those present at the meeting must allow him to say, that they could not do a greater service to the Institution than by prevailing on their friends to take a few of the new shares.—(Cheers.) Such pro ceedings would place them on a pinnacle that could never be thrown down.—(Cheers.) In all he had said he was anxious to steer an even course. lie had said nothing in favour of Mr. Addis, or in disparagement of Mr. Bingley, and he was sure, if they did not elect him, it would be from no disrespect to him. Mr. Addis was a man of influence, and would devote it to the benefit of that Institution.—(Cheers.) Mr. BINGLEY said a few words in explanation. The CHAIRMAN then took a show of hands, and de clared the numbers to be as follow : For Mr. Addis B4 Fur Mr. Bingley Majority fur Mr. Addis —4B The CHAIRMAN theft declared Mr. Addis to have been chosen a Director, upon which Mr. BINGLEr demanded a ballot. Mr. WIRE said he could not adopt that course. lie must get 25 shareholders of 12 months' standing to de mand one for him. The demand for the ballot was then signed on behalf of Mr. Bingley by the required number of shareholders (25), but on beim?: checked by the books, three were found not to be qualified to sign the document. Mr. W/RE said three names being unqualified, lie should, as Solicitor to the Company, advise the Chair man not to accept it, it being an imperfect demand. Mr. BINGLEY contended that, a demand having been put in, signed by twenty-five shareholders, ho ought to go to the ballot. The CHAIRMAN adduced the practice of the City elec tions for ➢Members of Parliament, where a demand of a poll for each of the candidates must be delivered by ono of the Livery. After some conversation on this point, .The CHAIRMAN declared Mr. Addis duly elected to serve as a Director for the same period as Mr. J. Har man would have been in office. He trusted that before another vacancy Mr. Bingley would divest himself of the office of Committee-man, it being his (the Chairman's) opinion that he would not, even had he gone to the ballot, been eligible to serve as Director. Mr. ADDIS returned thanks for the proud situation in which they had placed him, and he could assure them that nothing should be wanting on his part to do all that he possibly could to promote the prosperity of the Society. Mr. BINGLEY having returned thanks to the gentlemen who had supported him, A vote of thanks to the Chairman was moved and car ried by acclamation, and the meeting broke up. FIGHT amongst the ABORIGINES. (From the New Zealand Mercury.) On Tuesday•last, a great -number of the abori gines, amounting to more than 100 men, women, and children, passed. through the t own to Camp bell's Hill, for the purpose of holding a corro bery. It was evident from their manner that they were two hostile parties, and that one was somewhat suspicious of the other. They en camped at different places on the hill, near the old Black Swan, and held their corrobery during the night. One party consisted of the Mait land tribe, and a few of the Sugar Loaf, Wollombi, and Glendon tribes ; the other of the Port Stephen and Paterson tribes. About eight o'clock on Wednesday morning they com menced fighting in a padd oc k at the back of the Old Black Swan, and the Maitland tribe and their friends were driven by the others .to a paddock near Mr. Pilcher's house. Here the Maitland tribe rallied, and the noise they made attracted the attention of several of the residents in the neighbourhood, who repaired to the scene of action. The Maitland party had not less than six muskets amongst them, of which the Port Stephen blacks seemed to be much afraid. Mr. C. Prentice, who was on the ground, endeavoured to quiet them, or at all events to induce them to lay aside the fire-arms, and whilst he was talking to them, constables Tonge and Grant, who had been called upon by a half-caste female belonging to the Port Stephen tribe, came up. On seeing them, those blacks who bad the muskets retreated into the bush, and hid them. The withdrawal of the muskets seemed to give fresh courage to the Port Stephen party, for they immediately raised their war cry, and sent a shower of spears and boomerangs upon their opponents. The whites upon this declined to. interfere, and left the na tives to settle their dispute according to their own fashion. The Maitland tribe and their friends stood their ground for a short time, and fought with their spears and waddies, but they presently gave way, and retreated towards where the muskets were hid. They were pursued by their enemies, but the barrels of two muskets pointing from behind a tree stopped the latter in the pursuit, and another shower of spears was sent by each party. Presently one of the muskets was fired at a Port Stephen black, who was in a crouching position, and was endeavouring in that man ner to make his way to some of his friends who were fighting under cover of a fence. The ball struck him in the nose, and he instantly fell.„ The Maitland blacks then retreated in the direction of Mr. Holden's house, and were pursued by the Port Stephen men, with loud yellings. The chase continued for about four or five hundred yards, when they came up with a black of the .Wollombi tribe, at whom 10 of twelve spears were thrown, but none of them took effect. Al length one man came up with him, and knocked him down with Ins waddle; he was then speared in the thigh and knee, and three or four coming up they knocked out his brains with their waddies. The back part of the poor fellow's head was lite rally beaten to pieces. The Port Stephen men apparently satisfied with this retaliation, gave over the pursuit, and returned to Mr. Pilcher's paddock to the man who had been shot, a n d w h o was not then dead; he died, however, shortly after wards. The Maitland blacks and their friends re treated into the bush near Stoney Creek, and the Port Stephen and Paterson tribes almost immediately left the ground, and, coming down the bill, crossed the river. Two or three hours afterwards two of them returned and buried the man who had been shot. There appeared to be about fifty men on each side. The cause of the quarrel could not be clearly ascertained. One of the Maitland men told constable Tonge that it had arisen from the Port Stephen blacks having stolen their blankets; but this can hardly be correct, as the fight appears to have been deter mined on for some time past; some of the Mait land men having been heard to say early in the week that they expected the Port Stephen tribe to come to fight them during the race week. Some of them have told other persons that the quarrel arose from the Maitland blacks having some time ago killed one of the Port Stephen tribe. An inquest was held on the bodies of the two men who had been killed on Thursday afternoon, at the Northumberland Hotel. The Coroner was anxious to discover, if' possible, by whom the blacks had been furnished with fire-arms, as there is a penalty of 201. upon any person so doing. It appeared from the evidence of constable lone; that one of the blacks of the Glendon tribe said that the arms were given to them by Mr. Scott, of Glendon, for the purpose of shooting ducks. A musket which had been hid in the head of a tree, and the lock of which was a good deal out of repair, and an empty powder-horn marked P., which had been found after the battle was over, were produced at the inquest. The jury returned a verdict of Wilful Murder against some per sons unknown, supposed to be aboriginal blacks, and the Coroner said he should cause an inquiry to be instituted, to ascertain whether the arms had been given them by Mr. Scott, and for what purpose. A post mortem examination was made on the bodies of both the men who were killed, by Dr. Sloan ; the body of the one who had been buried being exhumed for that purpose, He was buried in a very shallow grave, near the spot where he was shot, wrapped iu his blanket, and a sheet of bark laid under him, with his broken waddle by his side. Yesterday a General Quarter Session for the pre cincts and liberties of the Tower of London, was held at the Court-house, Weliclose-square, Thomas Walsh, Esq., in the chair. Both grand and petit jury were sworn, but there being no business whatever to be transacted by either, they were discharged. We record, with much gratification, that the im provement, noticed for several years past, as having taken place amongst the working classes on the ushering in of the new year, has, upon the present occasion, been as marked as upon any previous period. Indeed, although the mass of the community seemed poured into the streets yesterday, it was extremely rare to see a well-dressed person the worse of liquor, and not a great number of any class.—Glasgow Courie-. THEATRES IN ITALY.—The recent death of Cata lini renders Sinigaglia, her birth-place, a spot of interest to the musical world. The city is remarkable for the brilliancy of its theatrical performances. Last year they had Frezzolini, Barbieri, Nini, and Piombanti, as prime donne, Poggi, Castellan, and Lucchesi, as primi lento i, and Porto, as prime basso. In 1842, Teresa Brambilla was one of the p; ime donne, Ivanhoff and Lucchesi Here tenors, Tamburini, Rosi, and Fallar, basses. An at tempt was made to produce Gugliebno Tell, under the name of Rodolfo di Sterlinga, but a Government decree prevented its performance. The opera of Bonffacio di Geremei, by Prince Poniatowski, has been played with great success at the Teatro Argentine, at Rome, and was supported by Teresa Brambilla, Giacomo Roppa (tenor), and Sebastiano Ronconi, Carlo Porto, and Francesco Fallar (basses). The theatre is celebrated for the ori ginal production of Rossini's Barbiere. Sebastiano Ron coni, according to an "indignant" correspondent, has be come a superior actor to his brother Georgio ; and cer tainly, from our recollection of Sebastiano at the Lyceum in the opera of Furies°, and of Georgio, at her Majesty's Theatre, in 1842, we have uo reason to discredit his StateNOLlt. HINTS TO EXECUTORS. VERITAS VERITATIS.-Dr. Verity withheld a legacy bequeathed by Dr. Robertson to the Phrenological Society of Edinburgh, as alluded to in our first num ber, p. 41. We gi ve the following. summary from the Gazette des Tribuneaux, of the 4th and sth inst : " About two years since, a Dr. Robertson, died at Paris, where he had resided above twenty years, bequeathing a considerable sum to the Geological Society of France, and the remainder of his fortune, which was estimated at 16,0001., to the-Phrenological Society of Edinburgh; constituting Dr. Verity his sole executor. Upon the ground, however, that the Phrenological Society of Edinburgh had no legal existence, Dr. Verity absolutely refused to pay the amount of the legacy to the claimants ; and, having realised the various securities, paid over two-thirds to the heiress-at-law, and quietly put the remaining third into his own pocket. It seems, however, that no account of the actual amount of the. proceeds could be obtained from him. " But," said the senior Judge, Seguier, to Dr. Verity's counsel, " you have your pockets full of the bequeathed money ; why do you not give an account of it ?" " Doubtless," replied the counsel, " we have our pockets full, but we do not want to empty them into the pockets of those who have no right to it, who arc only a being of the imagination, and do not fulfil the first of all conditions—that of existing," &c. The Society, having instituted proceedings against Dr. Verity, prayed that an inventory of the securities on the moneys arising from the sale of them might be paid into Court. Dr. Verity resisted this in every way, raising all kinds of technical objections; and action after action was brought by the Society in the dif ferent French Courts. " What," exclaimed the senior Judge," again to Dr. Verity's counsel, " you make an appeal upon such contemptible grounds as these ? Why you want the whole of the legacy to be swal lowed up in law expenses !" These remarks of the Judge clearly show his view of Dr. Verity's conduct, upon which we need offer no remark. By the last judgment of the Court of Appeal, it has been awarded that Dr. Verity shall pay into the Court, within three days of the verdict, the value of the securities, or the proceeds arising from their sale ; in default of which, he is condemned immediately to pay into Court the sum of 1,200/., on account of the same, and 21. a day until the above sum be paid.— The joist. Mus. GiLmoures TRIAL. —On Wednesday evening, the indictment for trial was served on Mrs. Gilmour in the prison here. The trial, as we lately stated, is to take place at Edinburgh, and the day fixed is the 12th of January. We learn that Mrs. Gilmour received the intimation with the same simple unaffected demeanour which she has always exhibited in her difficult and trying situation, and she is understood to be rather pleased than otherwise that the long period of suspense in which she has been kept approaches to a termination. This trial will be one of the most interest:ng which has taken place in the criminal proceedings of Scotland for several years past.— Cakdunian Mercury. THE SOUTHERN COAST OF THE BLACK SEA. - TREBIZONDE, SEPT. 11.--Trebizonde, besides being the port of Erzeroum, Tabriz, and Teheran, has become the chief entrepOt between Central Asia and Europe, and it is nut difficult to perceive that from its geogra phical position it must henceforward maintain this im pertant character. Access to Central Asia from the eastern coast of the Black Sea is precluded by the towering range of the Caucasus, as from Syria it is ren dered inconvenient by the desert that fills up the great triangle formed by the Euphrates, the Mediterranean, and Arabia. The interval between these two approaches oseepied by the peninsula of Asia Minor, and hence the rise of Smyrna when the navigation of the Black Sea was prohibited, mid caravans traversed the length of the country from east to west ; but now that restrictions ea Euxine navigation are removed, Trebizonde, on the northern and extreme neck of the peninsula, affords such convenient access as to monepolize the intercourse with Eur , pe. Its importance is shared only by Aleppo, which supplies the southern literal of its own continent. The last year's transit trade through Trebizonde in Engli,h manufactures, when unusual obstacles existed, wag 9 3.000 bales ; of Belgian cloth, 4,600 bales. The gross exports in transit to Constantinople were in value only is little above 300,0001., while the toed imports were over 1. 9 00,0001. The last item includes the Russian trade to Georgia, chiefly in English beer and spices (3,4001), and grain from the Danube and Russian ports for the consumption of the pachalic (32,000/.) The district of Janik, extending ever 240 miles of coast, of'which Samsoon is the chief town, may be cited as aim example of the st a te of ad m inistrati o n in this por tion of Turkey. Janik is to this coast what the Banat is to Transylvania —widely extending plains, of strong and rich soil, are diversified by mountainous features peadirr to the rest of the pachalic. More than one- . thhd of this distri c t h as b ecome t h e pr i vate propert y of the Hasnadar family, who for thirty years have con ducted is administration. Its chief productions are hemp, linseed, tobacco, and silk. The hemp, of which absta 25,000 quintals were raised lastyear, is not allowed to bo exported. This article is subject to a levy of 7,000 quintals annually, free of charge, after which the remaining crop is appraised and purchased by the Pacha for the use of Government. To make up the Govern ment quota of hemp every individual is taxed propor tionably, and those who do not grow their share pay a commensurate value in money. Little could be said against this imposition, did it, as at its institution, exempt frem military service ; but it appears singularly unjust, since the privilege it once conferred on this agricultural population has been forgotten. The con scription is now as rigorously enforced in Janik as else. where, and recruits for the Redif are frequently seen chained by the neck in companies of 100, who have their irons knocked off only at the moment of embareation. About 30,000 bales of tobacco are yearly raised in Janik. The duty is farmed by the Pacha from the Porte. Last year the Porte disposed of the duty for 125,000 piasters, when subsequently the Pacha resold his right at a profit of 160,000 piasters more. After this duty, which is on the green produce, there are additional custom-house duties on exportation.. Silk, which might be extensively brought forward, is burdened with internal duties on the raw produce to the amount of 23 per cent ; but, even under present restrictions, is slowly improving both in quality and in the manner of reeling. Besides these and other taxes on produce, there is Vie Saliahn, an irregular exaction of 100 piasters on each male adult, occurring three times or more in the course of the year ; and another most oppressive griev ance—the felling and preparing of timber without charge according to the demand from the arsenal at Stamboul. So much for administr a ti on i n J an i k, the kernel of the first' pachalic of Trebizonde. I shall next illustrate a few traits in the character of its governor. A few months since some Austrian leech merchants purchased a firman conferring on them a monopoly fur the fishing of leeches in Janik during a single season. 70,000 piasters were paid to the Porte for this privilege. When the firman was shown to the Paella of Samsoon, that functionary at once informed the merchants that un less they consented to other terms, he could promise that their speculation would be a losing one ; and thereon proposed that the merchants should sell their firman to him, and that he (the Pacha) would then undertake to furnish leeches at the ordinary price paid to the peasant collectors, namely, 20 piasters for each oke. The Pacha then offered 5,000 piasters for the firman that a week before had cost the merchants 70,000 piasters, and the merchants knowing that otherwise they ran a risk of losing their whole outlay, accepted the Dacha's terms. The Paella thereon soon fulfilled his promise as to the large supply of leeches he could obtain—his stock amounting in a few months to 5,000 okes, which he sold to the merchants at 20 piastres the eke, as agreed upon. lie obtained this supply by compelling the peasantry of the leech district to furnish, on pain of fine, a certain amount of leeches weekly, and fur which he paid at the rate of 21 piastres the oke. By this manoeuvre ho pocketed sxactly 395,000 piastres, which otherwise would have been shared between the speculators and the pea sant collectors. For the truth of this nefarious story I can personally vouch, and there are others of equally recent date and oppressive character which could be au thenticated. And why, it may be asked, do not those Austrian merchants complain in such an instance to the Porte? Yes; and in the course of their business go next year to Janik and have their trade ruined by the same Pacha or his successor ! I agree with such sufferers, that whosoever's duty it may be to oppose such an abuse, it does not fall on them individually when at the expense of their interest. What I have said of Janik applies in general to admi nistration throughout the other portions of the coast. These frontiers were not included in the enactments of Gulhane, nor is it probable they ever will be. Arbitrary government, theretre, and the old system of impost lions, are everywhere in force, and monopolies, although nominally abolished, still virtually exist in the hands of the Pachas ; while the produce, as regards foreign ex portation, is additionally burdened with the compensa tion duties of the European treaties. Corruption and force are the prevailing features of the local administra tion. The internal taxes of the Porte are mostly farmed and paid in advance by the Pachas, who are afterwards left to exercise an unlimited exaction over the people. As a natural consequence of the above state of things, the head Government suffer in their pecuniary interests equally with the general mass of the population. In demnity is sought from the griping measures of the Pachas by evading the external duties that remain in the hands of the Porte. In such instances, Russia, by the conduct of her local agents and the nature of her treaty, suffers herself to be the instrument by which this further demoralization is effected. The article of wax, for io stance, of which the Pachalic furnishes about 20,000 okes aanually, being supplied alike from the Russian shore, exporters purchase certificates at the Georgian stations, declaring that the wax is Russian produce, and so pass it at the Stamboul Custom-house at 3 per cent., avoiding also the internal duty. The payment of the 3 per cent. is all that can happen in such an instance, but by the reflected system of underhand compromise car ried on by Russian agents at the chief Custom-house, it is seldom but they can compromise the matter for less. Notification certificates—an it mahaber—are intended to guard against such fraud (the certificate is necessary previous to exportation, and has to be returned within a certain period, endorsed from the head Custom-house, stating that the internal duties were paid on the articles specified) ; but, however effectual this check may be to the subjects of other Powers, it is none to the Russian, or the native who relies on his assistance. Although the dill'erent branches of this subject would admit of considerable enlargement, I believe it will be needless to t-ay more to prove my assertion as to 'the degree of existing mal-administration. It affects a divi sion of the empire regarding which but little is known, yet where inure than usual interest should be attached, as well from its relative position as the energies it is stilt capable of receiving, and the increased importance the locality has acquired from commercial events.—Times. On Thursday afternoon a coal engine belonging to the East Ilett•n Coal Company blew up, whilst proceeding up the Hartlepool Railway, and a poor woman, who was upon the engine at the time, was killed upon the spot. Both the engine- Man and stoker were severely scalded. On Tuesday night last, Sir Walter Riddell, Bart.,. was returning to his residence at the Palace, Maidstone, when, on passing the mill-head of Messrs. Mercer and Parton's mills, the Hon. Baronet met a man and woman, and immediately afterwards heard a splash in the water and a cry of distress. Sir Walter hastened to the spot, and seeing something on the surface of tl.e water, which is at this spot about aix feet deep, and runs with a rapid current under the mill, withcut hesitation he plunged in with all his clothes on, and succeeded in saving from a watery grave the woman whom he had passed just before. —Maids tone Journal. MORTALITY AMONGST C 111 LDREN.—Measles, ac companied with inflammatory symptoms of a very severe cha racter, are very prevalent amongst children in the crowded dis trict between Great Coram-street and Russell-square. This contains many close and confined courts and ill .ventilated houses, and severe fatal cases have occurred wit hin the last few days. In the neighbourhood of Battle .bridge and the Fever Hospital, and particularly in the close and ill-drained districts adjieent to Maiden-lane, cases of confluent small-pox have been very common the last few days, many of which have proved fetal. PROPOSED CONFERF.NCE Or DISSF.NTERS.—It will have been seen from the Patriot and the Nonconformist that a General Conference of those who are decidedly opposed to the union of Church and State has been de termined on. The proposal originated in the midland counties, and has been acceded to at a meeting of leading Dissenters in the metropolis. We augur well from this combination of purpose. Let all Nonconformists unite, and they will ultimately triumph. We dare not promise the Provisional Committee the active and open co-opera tion of the Wesleyan ministers; but we can confidently assure them that they will hare the best wishes and the ardent prayers of many of these gentlemen for the sue . cess of their labours. The lay members of the Wesleyan ehurA, however, are under no restraint which needs preclude them from acting out their convictions in any way that may promote the cause of religious freedom. We trust, therefore, that when the list of the Provi sional Committee appears, we shall have the pleasure of seeing several Wesleyan names upon it.— IV cskyan Chronicle. A WELSH VERDICT.—The result of the Coroner's ito nquest on the body of Mr. ion of the Thomas who was supposed have been murdered, was the fidlowing verdict " "[hat the said Thomas Thomas, on the 19 th day of December, in the year aforesaid, in a certain brook, called Marks. running between and dividing the ' prlia,,r,i,sylatr, in n)f the said county, was found dead. fi l hangel-rheaycorn aforesaid,TainsadtLtliale sard Thomas Thomas died from a concuss brain, occasioned by . but l m whether onthe the said Thomas Thomas upper part of the left side of blow • received the said blow by a fall from a foot-bridge o ver the said brook, near a pl ace a his received forhead hy ; where t .a h s e i s n ai a d dTanhgovmroasusTsthaotme, or Thomas was so found de a d, which w how other w ise, no evidence thereof doth appear to the said jurors. And that the said Thomas Thomas was, at the time of his death, in the 71st year of his age," 'r. ~ , r 'k • eit of LI of .th• ' of i I irj Pi - 0* idg' j