The Sun. — London, England, 1845-12-19 00:00:00

_---~~~ s. 4 1 . ° nor •• 3 kiting.. 4 ": 4 4 .. 3 10 ....... 4 10 foeuggish state or is by n° ; a5 , ow Hops 0, 61 lOs tO O A , —Sussex Poi, bents, 6/' ney quie t ! Ai It on the dr, - a n d 54 5 to N 3 1 at 645 to 0' of sale, in— A ' ~;!.! asks sold at 4. 4 53s for g ()v . l . e ' fi lengal ha ou buyers; st m id yellow ditto yellow,Pri has Wa s We dt' has been to sorts sre u eid n has beel, s :tee sections bs'" is sales- modjf have been , '1" 15 6d low er, WS • 9-la 3 6d, and yellow. go y lY 'Partly 5o ss, and 4)1:40 at 275 6( 1 , qnotatioio. as doing , , o tY d prices 1 10 415 6d to 111. HIS v ) base c °lll l 7 Ind Grool m vrtil -street, • io Iprisonm ent g * bad s Nl/ n* month 6 4 „ tt bad mone y tad d lk r '„,ooV need to 51S' jar his p „ os se ` o f nsequeOce 4 . s. prisoor for .14 t,1:‘, 4,15 F th hi m V hile t! '1 h o ld' or these. ' land; T hese , •,f these, A nt, - oy ster' iin Wet r simple P o n 3 COW" ) 1004 Ms Were, f rer coat, j a g on t be t b si d l 4 i n order t° ,•,o , ' tths' iraP' 4 f 0 " lir' ise won e To. aught of d $ O3 silty, abo ut'. ba d 5 10 jug a rnes Batt en' $t so i le first ai d`' hsli [lent _..,tf e ,s in chsPEpere u m the P„gif e J - d,_ ,, e kto a r ci f 0 - • ' f suo ter . 6 l 4 a the ou ID , ,j , one ° re tar°,o ad. Il e en be croft', 14 4 5 d o ' as septa rho attef ded'Y a b ible 1 04 !r aPPe lul t o ° 1 y th e / a ed on bi mine , [IS D" ?away , urbance an o fficer c fl l4 ; nfluence ruesday 151 ° ,4 /f force tl%, heir col 9 eo il s : l c , asked i isl. 6 ') 4 him 1;' - • ive outside t refused t° ,joill y 4 poll thei -1 0 . 6 niers t ba lengt h ,. ot , " e d to tu ekllo,' 103. e a e LMJ IS , . 4 01 I wll,. 41 1 b 6v c) °3e trGe s o re, ° foligeo rath er ° o re the *at tar' vasl‘ et 4 true f oe ri " e thatd elici 00 5 , a nora r°lh i l d'' enitsLw fet 6ribrds O l e Tues°ll.,Jm, 0" Ao f Lon" d, 1 e Ligh-r°3 - d vas 61 0 deo 6uslY 1 r~e , I. ace, r T e notice roA de • e sOf an d 11 , c ot , „ The 1 1 11 0 ; P vear e fo r 1 3 e t i„v nias tej 4 1 P ,1 age A tr . , stat ed police o day , o f 3utio o dent. Dee tsed b itu oiie the :fon,Pande lif e pare ntlf lied 0400 death .Ye 3te ;ol o by the 't ~_ .>., COR. family U , TRURSDA T Y.—The CIRCUL Queen A a nd the Royal were prevented, in consequnce of the rainy oiate of the weather, from taking their usual walks and angs to-day. R is Royal - Highness Prince Albert walked out this f orenoo n . g _ The M arqu i s of Lansdowne and Lord John Russell, lho arrived at the Castle at twenty minutes past ten clock last ni g ht, after having an audience of the Queen, , 4 K their depart ure this morning at a quarter-past ten 4tzlock for town. The Earl D e l awarr arr i ve d at t h e C ast l e to -d ay , 1 :1 a visit to her Majesty. The Hon. Miss Napier has arrived at the Castle, and b as succeeded Lady Caroline Somers Cocks as the Maid Bonou r in Waiting to the Queen. Lord J o h n Russell arrived at the Castle again this afternoon between five and six o'clock, and after having audience of her Majesty, again returned to town. , a h ler Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, Lady I'l4 circle Hovvard. and Baroness de Speth, will join the at dinn e r this afternoon. t The band of the 2d Regiment of Life Guards will at -e-nd d uring dinner, and her Majesty's private band will 4tterwarcls attend at the Castle. Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent left Frog mre H ouse at nine o ' clock yesterday morning, in a r riage and four, and arrived at her residence, Clarence ous e , St; Jam es ' s , a t e l eve n o ' c l oc k. The Royal Vueh ess left town in the afternoon, on her return to I s D lere House. ie ea ti ned Marquis of Lansdowne and Lord John Russell 41 'ned to town yesterday morning, from Windsor A meeting was held shortly afterwards at the 4%;"2. Lord's res id ence i n Ch es h am -pl ac e, Belgrave re. ;of t he re were present, Lord John Russell, the Marquis ,p44.4nsdovvne, Lord Cottenham, Earl Grey, Earl of .6 e1401 1, Earl of Auckland, Viscount Palmerston, g t —° Lint Morpeth, Lord Monteagle, Sir John Hobhouse, ti lL Geor e Gry, the Right Honouable Edward , the Right e Honourable Thomas B. r Macaulay, the llr Ronourable Francis T. Baring, and the Right rttlisßenry Labouchere. meeting broke up at a quarter• past two o'clock. ia d ' ter meeting Lord John Russell left his residence qi t,"fmhara-place for Windsor Castle, to have an au tosli of her Majesty. The Noble Lord returned to ast evening. Of Rarl of Aberdeen, Sir James Graham, the Earl and the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, had an t o tiew with Sir Robert Peel yesterday. t rigid Stanley arrived in town yesterday afternoon, from t to the Marquis of Exeter, at his seat, Burghley e, Lincolnshire. itt er r ', John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an ter d .ew with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yes -I:3'. at his official residence in Downing-street. tathn Wharncliffe, Lord President of the Council, was uetter yesterday. 4,'"lspatches from the Governors of the Cape of Good NZ; New South Wales, and New Zealand, were re d Yesterday a t th e Colonial-office. k l ledworth Lambton, M.P., left Farrance's Hotel, ve-street, yesterday, for Brighton. (Pr o k INISTERIAL MOVEMENTS. y• 111 a Correspondent of a Morning Contemporary.) 2 1so cunt Palmerston received visits from the Earl of 4-7,11t10n and a f ew friends after the meeting yest e rday $ 1 2 4 1 Joh n R usse ll' s . tiv Th e Earl o f Sh e lb urne an d Vi scou t L eveson h ave ar ,7,1 in t own. 41(; ,'t Earl o f Mi n t o was expected to have arrived from it , 0 Ho use, Haw i ck, North Britain, last evening, and tar o Wood, M.P., was to have arrived by the ma i l f h tois morning. tt„ Earl of Besborough is hourly expected, also the 1 1%1 44 of Clanricarde, the former from Besborough Gail ta —, and the , latter from Portumna Castle, county Ireland NO are informed that on the explanation, which, as a NC of course, will take place on the assembling of t, %eta, the following division for and against Sir T h e9l , will prove in every particular correct. tie ' , er e were for Sir Robert Peel, in support of his heiincluding the Right Hon. Baronet himself— sll.l'o Ea r l of Aberdeen. Th e Right Hon. Sidney Herbert. Rlti v Earl of Lincol%t. e Cices Graham.n, and Tirsition to those views— e Duke of Wellington. .1,-Trd Stanley , L t Duke bak e of Buccleuch. 11 41 Wharncliffe Earl • Th of Ripon. The Earl of Haddington. t:ti4° Lord. Chancellor (Lord Lyndhurst). ` i lat: n hooctellor of , the Exchequer (the Right Hon. A g ru ,. Granville ,Somerset. moilb t .7gards Sird Lyndhurst, we can state, on un %I:4Z". authority, that the Noble and Learned Lord 1 ',,,1in 0 - P l4 ted, , p're - vious to the meeting of Parliament, to t he the high functions of Lord Chancellor, owing I L 4 eertainty of his health. w''.A t ", ll ,,ke of Bedford, it is stated, will be offered the The i\ Alaster of the Horse. 7 , ; ( 44 4 ke of Devonshire will give the future Whig ,V ohi v4t his support, but will decline . any o ffi ce. 'e Duke 14113 Lord Chamberlain in the late gr ey's Administration. j a y . THE "RIVER PLATE. ouTn, DEC. 18.—The Danish brig Melitta, 4y,. 44 .4 Moller, arrived here this morning, from Buenos Pt t i , l, , liaving quitted on the 12th o f October, at which NI mesas remained in power, thereby affording _a kfi e T i etion to the intelligence via Alicante (lately kth e u t ed by the Spanish papers). The following is an 41. from a private letter, dated the 11 th of Oct. :— no doubt, be aware we are now blocka d e d by the and French naval forces. Vessels are allowed l 'ePopf:' 7evenin g of the 23d to leave the port. The most thing which has occurred latterly in this quarter is '' th ?ti; l licatior by the British and French Ministers no at G o T , i deo, with their signatures, of a manifesto against h mlo /l i e rolnent of this place, in whic the system here car- Intl ; 8 in some measure explained to thew orld. We regret 'ngly we have not the means of procuring a copy of 1 11 14? ,urnent, very few having been sent up here. You 204 k QOubt see it in the newspapers. All former accusa vtrti:gainst this Government being unauthenticated by im kiv,' Parties, or by parties of sufficient standing in society 1 ,70 ' w eight to what they say, may have been looked on ZfelatV i fference, or as " newspaper stories ;" but this ma- All g l le d by two Ministers Plenipotentiary, we think 17,,110 "Prise the European public. A great_ many foreigners „f i leave tis lace are doin so and t mbe b and lthZ We shall h be p glad to do so, g for , there seems ay no chance e o ettCrininati on of the question at issue, except •by the ,ltiv - "W of the Government of this place by force, either It io „ t or foreign ; the former is hardly to be looked for ..t k ," the assistance of the latter. " 1 11. -441 :1ge on London, 3%d. to 3 1 Ad. ; doubloons, $265 h e A -41 glist mail has not yet reached us. 0 THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. 'Lan interesting article on " Whitefield's Bones," 114 4 ° , 4r Paper of Monday evening last, the writer gives I, °l lp D edot e of that truly great and good man, which he N' Z' is new. Such, however, is not the case, for a ' l- ,;Y anecd ote of him will be found in a note 1 , 4 2 q illiams's Diary," second edition, by Hanbury, ;!4i'„tt Page 434 : it is there stated that " The Rev. G. ,"ho t h'',eld observed to Mr. Williams, that frequently he - , 4q glorified God by a life peculiarly active in his 1 was not permitted to say much for Him at death. ` r 7 t t ,%' llo l I, friend Williams,' said be, ' may probably '4l-i; f t ; e at this season. It is usually the mourning r ," (1 - i "; 44 Whose mouth is opened at that period, in order uce his own sincerity and the faithfulness of I tltith, Mr. Whit e fi e ld' s d ea th, it is well known, was 4t 4,; 11 ; and Mr. Williams having fallen into a lethargic 1,,\VD 17 , as incapable of opening his mouth for God." You allow me, Mr. Editor, to add that Jos. a 5 ll, 'l l , l , of Kidderminster, was an extraordinary per- Nh,"is natural powers were superior, and, though ` 4 ,4t4' , i rriinert , ed in business, he had assiduously culti ,N t nem ; but his piety was of a very high order, as uiery" shows. He was indeed in thin respect :ti ll ', °ll e could wish that every British tradesmen were. ;k1 1 „,' 0 be regretted that the latest edition of this very S i i;" l e work, published by Mr. W.'s descendant, Mr. rY , is now out of print. If the beauty and value Nat t. • Williams's writings were known, I am quite sure i:urther editions would be called for. Sir v tities tiog you to give insertion to these lines, I am, tw c 'urs obediently, J. C. . 3t() la, Dec. 18. - TT - It • a remarkable 14 t 1 , 11 1. 1 ' MAN AT THE —ELM.— IS 10 4,(1"4,1 the Fairy steam- . boat, which took the late 3,finister! 14 . 1 4 ( 1 j. 4 l'ora the Isle of Wight was also employed to conve ‘ ('/' 4"! lo Russell to Osborne-house for the purpose of ss, e i n g i;tpt‘irlaJest3.7. The weather being rather boister,,ns, the A ~_ advised Lord John. Russell to . lie down, e; Sir Robert c bd.',. 4 done. " Ay, ay," exclaimed litt,le John,. " Sit: , *./,`'t'a berthwill A i ,s a y ," suit me, so I'll at 'once turn into it. lz heli w 1 i , ser a, '1111.3L ACCIDENT IN A, TIMBER••YA.RD.— . Yes -14)1, forenoon the followinci- accident occurred in the_ , er.. v VDe ll • aru of Mr. Urqukart, No. 536, Oxford-street. It ~; kl . , '8 that two men, named Moses Goddard and Henry titt l f; , were at work in the above yard in moving so f m el e clow n which had 'been piled up, when the top iece tnem l a ,"' l l.e h tr ; ik ing 'ooth men on the legs, and crushing and , -.4 3t a a t t , ' t 4 :4 the ground. Their cries were dreadfu , e _ `olltd-e° 'oeing immediately rendered, a chain was fasten 1 4,,Qar,-.)410 middle of the log, which was hauled up, but had , 4 4 ,,;;`'Y been raised e sufficiently high for the sufferers to be 'Ps the, before the chain slipped, and the timber again fell d ad ' 4l . At length, but not till upwards of half an . hour at' t , ll 'i li a psed, they were extricated, ancl . conveyed to Middle- S ro unr s Pital, where the lower extremities of Goddard were •01,',,, , t0 be completely crushed, and the thighs of Barnes t ot ~ '". It is imagined that amputation in both cases mus .e 4or tea t _ ~,, ligq i . °' "Till 'att ARCHEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIO N.—The . too,:llarY meeting was held on Wednesday evening at . w th as e tiilt4 by yin Leicester-square, when the chai _ _ r. trtit 'l' T. J. Pettigrew, Esq., F.R.S., the Cunningtreasurer.Ai oil (h°ll Croker, the secretary, read a paper by Mr. ea. afi o e Pligtiln signs and leaden tokens discovered . in ex__ e t rel& R r for the foundations of the new London-bridge. The i Th e of Tiie proportion of those found in this position we , '_',,es .e 0 ,. ; ,_ (1 . °ln as a Becket and our Lady Walsingham. Mr elanthe tl lt ."'ed the progress of the excavations now tetng made on d itee it e 0 . ~ L the old Abbey at Lewes, and particularly of the Ithi t O r Y of a singular well twenty-twO feet in depth, with lie, several leaden pipes were connected. From Mr. W. 1,4:443* Brooke was read an account of the very numerous and Imierbellsing. fresco paintings at Battel Church ! in Sussex, vphi e j; havi ng been partly relieved from the whitewash with obli to th ey were defaced by the Puritans, have been finally rei rated in its recent repairs. They were coeval with the of 114: °f Edward 1., and the drawings made by Mr. Brooke, their rhe auspices of the association, are now the only relics Notformer value and beauty. The Duke of St. Alban's is entertaining a select tole ,ith the sports of the field at Redbourne Hall, Lin tid *Lire. The Duch ess , w i t h the youthful Earl of Burford 74, __...i Diana Beauclerk, are etayilig at the Noble Duke's liihr Writ* INis of Wight THE MINISTERIAL CRISIS. ANTI.CORN-LAW MEETING. FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY. TlMES.—After an amount of hesitation which would have done credit to the judgment of a much more cautious states man, Lord John Russell has at length undertaken to form a Ministry. Nor has it been a mere pretence of coyness. As late as Wednesday evening, if we are rightly informed, hi, Lordship communicated to Sir Robert Peel that a more deli berate view of the prospect before him had confirmed the reluctance he had felt from the first, and that if Sir Robert would remain in ()Mee and carry out the opinions which had led to his resignation, Lord John Russell and his friends would render all the assistance in their power. Sir Robert, however, declined to be Premier by the mercy of the Whigs, and to enter into engagements which might possibly be the subject of future dispute. On this refusal, and finding the responsibility thus thrust upon him, Lord J. Russell at length plucked up the courage to give her Majesty, yesterday even ing, a positive answer. We may expect, therefore in a very few days to find the New Ministry fairly under way. Sir Robert Peel's perseverance in resignation is credit able or not, exactly as he chooses to follow it up in the House. If the difficulties of the case are as great as we believe them to be, and as the Premier elect apparently rates them, Sir Robert Peel has consulted at least his own case and conve nience in retiring for a while from the helm of affairs. We will not doubt that with a majority in the existing Cabinet, with so many outdoor influences and so many public neces sities to back him, he would have been able to carry a total and even immediate repeal of the corn-laws through both Houses. The retiring Premier's difficulties have not been those of execution. They have rather consisted in the re conciliation of friends—in the explanations which the measure would entail—in the adjustment of so new and bold a policy with all that has come before, and possibly with much that remains to be done hereafter. If the corn-laws must NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, WEDNESDAY.—In COM pliance with a requisition bearing the signatures of 1,145 inhabitants of this borough, the Mayor appointed a public meeting to be held in the Guildhall this day at noon, " for the purpose of considering the propriety of adopting a memorial to her Ma jesty, praying her Majesty in Council to throw open the ports for the free admission of grain of every description during the present scarcity." At the hour appointed the spacious hall was well filled, many of the leading merchants, magistrates, aldermen, and town-councillors being present, as well as a large number of shopkeepers and other inhabitants of the borough. The meeting was, indeed, one of the most numerous and influen tial that has ever been held in that ancient and venerable edifice, comprising many of opposite opinions on general politics, but agreed in their opposition to the principle of the corn-law. The Worshipful the Mayor of NRWCASTLE presided, and on opening the business, said, he considered that every restric tion upon the trade of the country was injurious to that trade ; still more, that every duty levied for the sake of pro tection to enhance the value of one species of property at the expense of the rest, while it did no service to the per sons it was intended to protect, was an act of injustice and injury to every other member of the community, more es pecially those dependent upon their labour for maintenance and support.—(Applause.) Mr. A. Nielson, an Alderman of the borough, extensively engaged in the glass trade, moved:— "That the evidence from all quarters as to the state of the potato crop, throughout the three kingdoms, is such as leads to the conclusion, that unless prompt and effective measures be taken to mitigate or obviate the calamity, these realms must inevitably in a few months experience the horrors of scarcity, amounting to famine." Mr. C. RAYNE, a member or the town-council, and a mer chant of considerable standing, in seconding the motion, observed, that no Act of Parliament had ever been more instrumental in producing unhappiness and misery among the people at large than that for levying a tax on corn.— ( Applause.) In every point of view in which it was con sidered—whether as restricting the operations of commerce, limiting the supply of the necessaries of life, or diminishing the just reward of labour—there was no infliction ever im posed on the country more odious and injurious than the corn-laws.—(Applause.) They had now arrived at a most important crisis. At the present moment the country was without a Govemment.They had Se en a strsmg Government dis solved. Until lately they might have taken a lease of its power for very many years to come; but, in a moment, under the omnipotent power of public opinion, that Government had wasted away like snow from the hedge; and it was fir the people, by demonstrations such as this, to say ivhether they would give encouragement to their leaders and friends at this critical period, and by showing a bold front enable them to take possession of the helm of affairs, and lead them on to victory.—(Applause.) The resolution passed unanimously. Mr. CRAWSHAY, of the firm of Hawks, Crawshay, and Co., iron -merchants, said, that if no corn-laws had ever been made, the failure of the potato crop would not have been a thing to disturb the safety of this mighty empire.—(Ap plause.) It was a most remarkable fact that during the last :30 years there had been a development of wealth and in dustry in the country to which the whole history of the world afforded no parallel; and yet it appeared, that while we had been continually boasting of our rising wealth, and industry, and ingenuity, and skill in everything that makes a nation great, we had yet, by some mysterious, some unfa thomable error, been deficient in obtaining the most simple, the very first and necessary element of prosperity—a suffi cient and abundant supply of food. Now, there were many articles of consumption that we depended upon the fo reigner almost entirely for, such as wool, cotton, &c. There was no restriction upon the importation of these articles, and a scarcity of them was never known. From this he inferred that if the commerce of the country were left free—if they had the whole world to draw their supplies from—the corn harvest might be deficient— the potato crop might fail—hut the people of this country would never be in any danger of famine or distress.—(Ap plause.) Let them try free• trade by the test of experience, and they would find that in a few years not only commerce, but agriculture too, would flourish under it.—(Applause.) rhe time for action had come—the time for argument had passed. They had seen a strong Government dissolved, be cause its chief dared not persist in maintaining the corn-laws, and now he hoped that the Government that should succeed them would be prepared to repeal the corn-laws totally, im mediately, and uneonditionally. Mr. Crawshay concluded by proposing the following resolution : " That this would never have happened but in consequence of the cruel and impolitic restriction on the import of grain into these kingdoms—restrictions which go to prevent any available stock of wheat being held as a resource in case of failure of harvests, and which also diminish both the power and the inclination of foreign countries to furnish supplies of grain on the occurrence of such junctures." Mr. W. B. Pnoczon, a member of the town-council, hav ing seconded the motion, it was carried with great accla mation. be repealed, and Sir Robert is wise enough to see it, there is very intelligible prudence in a sworn protectionist, hand and glove with the landowner, stepping aside for a half-session or so while a more suitable operator does the work of.the state for him. We can easily enter into the feelings of a surgeon who re signs his patient into rival hands at a crisis which his own bungling has hastened, with the intention of resuming his sway when the danger is past ; or who withdraws every time it is absolutely necessary to depart from his system. That is plain enough. The question is, whether Sir Robert Peel's resignation is mere than this,—whether it is generous as well as convenient,—whether it is patriotic as well as comfortable; and this question Sir Robert himself is the man to answer. There is somehow a strange and unpleasant sus picion that Sir Robert Peel has not resigned in that simple bond fide sense which the kind and candid have been delighted to suppose. There exists a suspicion, founded either on some thing dropped from Ministerial lips, or more probably on a cer tain peculiar estimate of Sir . Robert Peel's character, that a mere repetition of the old Conservative farce is all that is mead. The Farmers' Friend is once more to appear on the boards, rustic and lugubrious, homely and picturesque. With much bucolic grumbling, he is to submit to Lord John Russell's naked proposition for repeal. That duty done, that pledge redeemed, he is to indulge in those boundless facilities of expostulation and complaint, which a negative position always allows. He is to tell us all what he would have done for the farmers, what compensations and alleviations of their hard lot he would have provided, had it been left to him. His bosom thus overflowing with hypothetical pity, and his hand full of might-have-been bounties, he will resume his wonted sway over the tender and confiding agriculturists, and with their aid once more send back Lord John and his colleagues to the abstractions of science and consolations of philosophy. The only difficulty will be a decent pretence for a quarrel; either one lumping grievance, or half a dozen smaller ones, which, on the rule that " every little makes a mickle," will add up into a no-confidence resolution this ses sion, or a counter address at the beginning of the session after. The difficulty, however, will be rather in doing the thing de cently than in doing it at all. We protest betimes against the assumption of this impossible character. The man who pre tends to be the farmers' friend at the expense of any other friendship, and to protect land at the expense of any other interest, imposes on the credulity of his dupes, as much as the " wise man " who deals in amulets and charms. In the present state of things promises of agricultural protection are worth just about as much as the notes of the " Bank of Elegance," for which a poor creature was murdered the other day, and another poor wretch will shortly be executed. If the agriculturists had one whit more sense than their cattle, they would deliver the next person who tried to cajole them with these empty promises into the hands of the police, as a common impostor. There lives not the man who can pro cure for them a certain price for their corn. Whoever under takes to do so, let the farmer shut the door in his face, and warn him off the premises, as he would the rogue who un dertook to supply a given amount of rain and sunshine, or to make all his ewes bear three lambs a-piece. Did we not know that there are still people who dream of protection, and that consequently there will still be others ready enough to turn that delusion to their own private account, we should not so earnestly deprecate the revival of this melancholy farce. But there are protectionists who may be brayed in a mortar, yet their protection will not depart out of them. The credit of the country, if not the interest of the poor simpletons themselves, demands that the nuisance of a perpetually recurrent imposture should be abated. It is disgraceful to have your Joseph Ady, in or out of Parliament, everlastingly writing to the provin cials to inform them, that on a trifling pre-payment " they will hear of something to their advantage." We have said nothing whatever to the prejudice of Sir Robert Peel's perfect right to divide the House against the new Premier on every question substantially worth a division. Nor, with our experience of Lord John Ruesell and the Whigs, can we deem it at all impossible that such questions should soon arise, even in this very session. Our expostulations only come to this—that Sir Robert Peel hav ing felt and demonstrated, for the nonce, the impossibility of maintaining agricultural protection, should never again re 'ive that heartless hoax—that exploded hutnl,mg. Should he renew his advances upon the landed interest, public opinion should stand between him and his weak and credulous victim, the " sheriff's child that can't say nay." To throw up the game of protection the moment it becomes impossible, in order to resume it at the very first opportunity, will not be fair dealing to Lord John Russell, who h now saddled with the accumulated difficulties of thirty years' error. Sir Robert Peel and his party, by their class legislation, have broken into pieces the social unity and mutual dependence of agriculture and trade. He has at last tried to put the parts together, and failed. Thus far he has shown as much humi lity as discretion in resigning the work to other hands. It would be the mere waywardness of a spoilt child to cast that mended unity to the ground, and so frustrate the intervention which he himself has solicited. CHRONICLE.—The principles of , the new Government, we need scarcely say, will be those proclaimed with such decisive clearness in the letter of Lord John Russell to the electors of London. Most warmly and unfeignedly do we congratulate the country upon the fact that we are at length to have an Administration whose great and immediate object will be the total abolition of the corn-laws. The delay which took place before Lord John Russell felt justified in adopting his final determination, and which has caused so deep and general a feeling of anxiety, will now be felt to be a powerful guarantee that the grand reform will be accomplished. Lord John Russell's hesitation arose from no doubt as to the policy which, as Minister, lie should advise her Majesty to adopt. Upon that point, after full deliberation, his mind was made up before the resignation of Sir Robert Peel. Thoroughly satisfied that the protective system is mischievous to all industrial interests in the country, and seeing at length a period arrive at which the corn-laws threatened to produce, not merely pecuniary loss, but famine and social disturbance, Lord John Russell declared, in a tone of calm resolution by which all England has been moved, that the commerce in the food of the people should be ,absolutely free. As to the course, therefore, which this eminent statesman would take, if invested with the powers of Government, there could be no doubt. But before assuming those functions, it was a grave and even embarrassing question as to the best mode of securing the success of the measure, the speedy adop tion of which was so essential. In the first surprise caused by the strange and sudden dissolution of the late Govern ment, it was not clear whether corn-law repeal might be hastened or retarded by the formation of a Liberal Cabinet. It was not clear how far Lord John Russell could calculate upon support; and with any probability of failure staring him in the face, he could not but feel, in accepting office, he was exposing the principle of free trade to the utmost hazard. At best it was evident that a free-trade Cabinet would have difficulties to contend with which no statesman could despise, and therefore it was impossible not to feel that over confidence or precipitancy might have the worst consequences. These various difficulties and doubts have been thoroughly considered, the means and the mode of carrying through the work have been carefully investigated, and the result is, that Lord John Russell is now Prime Minister. The country, therefore, will have full assurance that what the new Cabinet undertakes it will accomplish. The sagacity of the new Premier in the calculation of political forces has never been doubted, and his resolute, reliable character will satisfy all men that the battle for free-trade will not be lost through any fault of the leader. Lord John Russell is, indeed, a chief whom Englishmen can rally round with hearty good will. Unimpeachable integrity, practical wisdom, a high toned attachment to popular principles, cherished try ances tral recollections, and shown in a long seri.:::s of personal services to the cause of freedom—these are characteristics which may well inspire enthusiasm for a leader, and which will call forth whatever is best and noblest in England to the aid of Lord John Russell. It is assumed or pretended by the organs of monopoly, that a measure for tbro - wing open our ports to the importation of food must necessarily be defeated in the pre sent House of Commons. We cannot regard such a result as at all probable. Is it to be supposed that a public necessity of so awful a character as to break up one of the strongest of Govreannents, has totally failed to impress the Conservative lklembers of the House of Commons ? Have they not ir;cellects to comprehend, or hearts to feel, the evils, tt e prospect of which has overborne the hesitation of so r;,,any of their own party out of doors ? Are Members of r. arliament alone stagnant and insensible, when the whole country is alive and in movement ? It would be an insult to the many humane and high-mindedmen who sit on the Con servative benches to suppose so. If the Conservative party had no better basis than that of maintaining the poor peon y advantages which the land aristocracy derive from a monopoly of the people's food, it would be the most ignoble confederacy that ever existed in a free country. But the corn-law is in truth not connected with those ancient institutions which it is the professed object of the Conservative party to preserve. It is no support to the Church, but a danger, if its maintenance be placed on the same ground with that of the Establishment, or if the clerical order appear in the false position of struggling to keep up a regulation intended to promote scarcity. It is no support to the Throne, which is far removed from the contamination of such alliance. Nor is it a support to the heriditary aristo • cracy, whose social position and legislative privileges would be more exposed to peril by a vain effort to keep up the corn-laws than by all other causes put together. Under such circumstances, it is not unreasonable to calculute that the proposition with which the new Ministry must meet Parliament will command a majority in the House of Com mons. But if this expectation should prove erroneous, the result of an appeal to the people cannot be doubtfpl •The great bulk of the intelligent middle class,. electoral power is vested, is of one miry in whom the if the present House of Comm- on this subdect, and mind, the decision of the does not represent that moning another. • nation must be sou g ht by sum- Mr. C. LARKIN then rose amidst loud cheers, and ad dressed the meeting in a long and spirited speech. He con crested the reception he had met with a few years ago at a meeting convened by the Mayor for a similar purpose, when Chartism, rampant and riotous throughout the land, ob structed the expression of public feeling, with the reception he experienced that evening, and inferred therefrom that Chartism was now to be found "nowhere," while, in spite of the joint efforts of Chartists and Tories, those men who had put their hand to the plough and never looked back—who had been constant in season and out of season—who had gone from house to house, from village to village, from town to town, from county to county, and united almost a nation in one loud and unanimous demand that trade should be free, were at length in the ascendant.—(Cheers.) He doubted very much whether any man in that meeting could tell him, if asked, whether Feargas O'Connor were numbered with the living or the dead.—(Laughter.) But in what place was not the name of Richard Cobden hailed with rapture and pronounced with applause?—(Cheers.) In this the hour of triumph of his principles, they owed a tribute of homage to the spirit, the boldness, and ability of his eeeer tions. Having referi...l c=crtioi. in a strain of the warmest eulogy, Mr. Larkin continued :—I have said that the League would survive until its object was attained; and how near do we approach to the attainment of that object? it is within our grasp, if we be firm, daring, true. We must allow of no compromise.—("None," and cheers.) We must care for the influence of no names. We must be fascinated by the spells of no party. We must not permit ourselves to be cajoled or deceived. Whig or Tory is only another name for the public enemy. They are but different names for aristocratic factions which, for thoir own purposes, have deceived, betrayed, and oppressed the people. What are the watchwords of faction to us ? What are Mon tagues or Capulets—Guelphs or Ghibellines—Whigs or Tories to us ?—(Loud cheers.) We are contending for rights, and must not permit ourselves to be the dupes of names, or the playthings of faction or party. I care not from which fac tion we extort our rights—for, mind, we have to extort them. At the present moment neither faction is your master, but both, if you be vigilant and true, will be your slaves, ready to do your bidding. Russell must be nothing to us; Peel must be nothing to us—but the utter extinction, the com plete erasure of these accursed laws from the statute-book, must be our only object. Whoever willdo this best, mist completely, let that man be honoured with the people's choice.—(Applause.) If Peel—Peel ; if Russell, Russell. Let us not trust in the justice, or hope for " immortal services" from any aristocracy. Let us trust in the leaders of no aris tocracy. Let us not put our trust in chariots or in horses, but in the name of the Lord—in the absolute justice of our cause, and in the integrity with which we espouse and ad here to it.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. Larkin concluded by pro posing a memoriai to the Qmeen, pointing out the danger of a famine, and praying for a speedy measure to avert such a calamity , at the same time directly attributing the present state of things to the " cruel and impolitic restrictions upon the import of grain." Mr. S. LOWERY, timber merchant, having seconded the motion, it was unanimously agreed to. Another resolution, hailing with delight the letters of Lord J. Russell and Lord Morpeth, and the consequent resignation of Sir R. Peel, as strong evidences of the progress of free-trade principles, having been carried in the usual way, Mr. BLAGBURN said, before the meeting separated, he begged to submit a resolution, which was, in substance, that the meeting could not separate without expressing its disgust at the horrible messes that had been recommended to the working classes in lieu of wholesome food, such as mangel wurtzel, curry powder, and bone water; and that, as re spected the declaration of the Duke of Richmond that he would leave the country if the corn-laws were repealed, so long as upwards of a score of commercial firms '(which he enumerated) were left among us, the Duke of Richmond would never be missed. The motion having been seconded, was put and carried with acclamation. The CHAIRMAS then declared the meeting dissolved, and [eft the chair amidst loud and long-continued cheering. RAILWAY LITIGATION. A very influential meeting was held on Wednesday last, at the office of Messrs. Amory, Sewell, and Moores, 25, , Throgniorton-street, by gentlemen interested in railway projects, with a view to the equitable arrangement of just demands, and the resistance of claims obviously made under the impression that the dread of ruinous law charges would induce compliance ; as also to ascertain the legal liabilities of committee-men, shareholders, and applicants for shares ; and further, to elicit the actual circumstances o f various ra il way projects, and which are matters far too weighty and important for individual responsibility. It was unanimously resolved that, for the accomplish ment of such purposes, a society should be formed, to be called the " Railway Mutual Protection Society." William Collins, Esq.,.P., was unanimously called to the chair. D. W. HARVEY, Esq., proceeded to explain in detail the objects of the proposed society. He stated that his attention had been drawn to the subject by friends who had received, as members of provisional committees, or as scrip -holders and allottees of shares, applications from solicitors, printers, engineers, and others, for the pay ment of large sums of money. Such applications excited alarm ; and, as they were now becoming very general, some plan must be devised by which equitable claims might be arranged, and unfair demands resisted. Nor was it less desirable that the actual condition of very many railway projects should be ascertained, as there was great reason to apprehend that many of the plans deposited at the Board of Trade, and with the Clerks of the Peace, were so imperfect, owing to the haste with which they had been got up, as to render it highly probable that not one quarter of the seven hundred plans deposited would stand the test of examination be eore a Parliamentary Committee. It must be manifest, that to embark on a sea of litigation with effect, or to institute the necessary inquiries into the state of the various project-, would be to entail upon individuals great labour and serious expense, and that, too, in a cause which involves the interests of thousands. Judging from the numerous inquiries which had been made of the solicitors since the previous advertisement, it would seem that few persons of station or property were exempt. An individual who might be bold enough to undertake such litigation would have to encounter so much difficulty from the combined resources of bodies, corporate in their nature, and possessed of large funds, that mortification and defeat must be the inevitable result. To him and his friends, therefore, it was clear that such a itate of things could only be successfully met by an asso ciation. of poi sons interested in the objects he had men tioned. Ile then proceeded, at considerable length, to detail the plan of the society. The particulars were re ceived with great interest, and met with the unanimous ipproval of the meeting. Mr. Harvey then strongly enforced two considerations upon which the friends •)f the proposed society insisted. First, that while -very member of the society would have access to the opinions of eminent counsel intended to be , aken, as also to the best advice which the com mittee and solicitors of the society could give, yet every subscriber would be at liberty to choose his own pro fessional adviser. Secondly, that no proceedings, either ,f attack or defence, would be adopted which were not obviously just, and preceded by strenuous efforts to accommodate the matter upon equitable terms. Mr. Harvey then mentioned, by way of illustration, a case which had within a few days been placed in the hands of the solicitors in whose house they were assembled. A writ had been served on a respectable professional gen tleman in the country, who had allowed his name to be placed upon the provisional committee of a projected rail way. The claim was for 1,6001. due to a printer. The gentleman consulted his own solicitor, who advised that the opinion of an eminent counsel should be taken un various points of law, as also that a barrister of high standing should be retained. It was just at the moment when the unhappy defendant was ruminating upon this preliminary outlay, that his attention was called to an ad vertisement headed " Railway litigation," and straight he came to town. He was informed that in point of law there was little or no defence, and that at all events he would obtain the best opinions at the moderate outlay of two guineas, by joining the society to which the advertise ment referred. But his great advantage would consist then in the determination of the society to shield him .rom oppression, for upon reference to the list of the provisional committee, upwards of eighty in number, more than silty were found to be men of substance and station, and who, if friendly interference failed, would be compelled to contribute their proportion, and that at their own cost.—(here several gentlemen stated that they were in the same predicament.) After Mr. Harvey had given his reasons for the liability, easy to be enforced, of the members of a commit tee, as well by creditors as amongst the members them selves, he proceeded to a class of cases still more nu merous, and, in point of law, still more difficult to deal with—that of the allotters of shares. While there was too much reason to apprehend very many projects had their origin in the professional activity of solicitors and engineers, with no other objects than their own exclu sive advantage, and as such, must be doelt with as fraudulent contrivances, yet there was no reason to doubt that there were many projects very desirable to be accomplished, and intended to be carried out in a manner honourable to all parties. The recent panic bad descended upon the good and vicious schemes with unsparing equality, and had thus exposed the one and frustrated the other. The proposed society would receive allotters of such opposite schemes in a very dif rcremt spirit: To the allotted in a, line never intended to be formed, and having little else for its object than pro fessional plunder, it would be said, "resist to the utmost;" while the allottee in a useful line, honestly pursued, would be told that, unless the committee and solicitors were authorised to tender the payment of a liberal contribu tion towards expenses inseparable from the under taking, and of which a satisfactory account would be required, such party would receive no countenance whatever from that society; but where such an overture of contribution was declined, the party aggrieved would receive the ready assistance of the society. It must be well kno 4 Nn to gentlemen present that many railway pro jects were winding themselves up, but upon terms most unfair. He instanced a case of his own, in which he had paid 2/. 12s. 6d. per share upon 100 shares, and he had just Bien informed by a copious circular that the com mittee had resolved to return 405., and to retain the resi due for divers little contingencies —among others, the pro secution of an engineer for a neglect of duty. Some men might consider 40s. a godsend, and so it would be if nothing more could be obtained ; but, for one, he was not prepared quietly to contribute 621. 10s., under the impression that it was idle to contend with a powerful committee with large funds at their disposal. But all men were not as resolute, and he would ask in what way could an individual so circumstanced protect him self so effectually as by mutual co-operation? In one case the many struggle for the many, in the other the individual for all. (Here a gentleman said he thought he knew the railway alluded to, and that he was in the same plight.) After many other remarks, to which the com pany listened with great attention, Mr. Harvey read the proposed rules, which, upon f u ll discussion by many of the gentlemen present, were unan i mous l y a d o pt e d, an d ordered to be printed. THE SCOTCH IRON TRADE. There appears to be no end of new iron works. We have just heard of several works about to be erected, but four cer tain—viz., one in the parish of Lesmahagow, another near Wilsontown ironworks, a third at Dalmellington, and a fourth near Kilmarnock—each of them will probably commence with four blast furnaces. It may be interesting to estimate the production when the projected works tire in fell opera tion. There are in blast, at present, ninety-one furnaces, and it is expected that twenty-five additional ones will be in blast in time months. Now with the several new fur naces above -mentioned, there will be in blast nest year, no fewer than one hundred and thirty-two furnaces. These furnaces will produce the enormous quantity of seventeen thousand tons weekly, or eight hundred and eighty-four thousand tons annually, which, the English production of one million two hundred thousand, will give a total pro duce of two millions of tons of pig iron annually. So large and increasing a production accounts for the grOtt accumu lation of the stock of pig iron (the stock in Glasgow is es timated at upwards of two hundred and fifty thousand tons), notwithstanding the extraordinary demand Made for this article for the purposes of railway tottipanies.•; There is a singular feature in the Scotch iron trade not generally known, but which must be rectified before the trade be put upon a secure ba,sis.,7,We allude to the fact that, although the rails now universally used are made of malleable iron, there are in Scotland only sufficient malleable works to convert the produce of fifteen furnaces into that description of iron. The Scotch ironmasters are also shut out from the benefit of the numerous English malleable ironworks, which may be said to be supplied with pig iron of their own manktfacture. The total quantity of Scotch pig iron takeii to England, and manufactured there, is so trifling that it is not equal to the produce of nkore than a very few of our blast Ibrosti4 The late high prices, we fear, will be found tbhive had a most if injurious effect upon the titib, both by stimulating the production to 1!1\ erfoi t trious extent, and t: cuttin o the . export a I , ,tig iron` for, uncle!: 'End hew duties imposed by the Zollverein, foreigners cannot afford to take our P i g except at low ,pflets. And When. it is :;membered that in 1842 (the lait year in which the Continental e#poits Were considerable) the amount of pig iron &ported from illasgow alone was seventy thousand tons, it will be seen how important it is to cultivate this branch of the trade, - And this can only be 'erected by keep ing pri.cGs moierate. It is it liaihiltl fact that, since 1842, the exportation 'Pig iron bas all but ceased. Under thes• cliec :oe price of course r part uM stances, we are at a loss t . ? conceive 1 -- uw tto will been erect e d as li ta ny iron malleable iron Works as there are pig iron w or k s , t h e trade, i b s e to ex b p e o d rt is e p d o i se b d u ? ,, f u . we fear, will suffer great depression in consequence of the constant accumulation of stock. On acco un t o f t h e many nt S il ho th ul e l ,; has railways in course of formation or projection, there must be a great demand for malleable iron; we are, therefore, sur prised that this branch of the trade has hitherto escaped the attention of our capitalists.—Glasgow National s rwa a h i i d low he ah ya had t rp t oa e j inedde projects, s d , Mr. CHRISTMAS, o f R aymond- b u ildi ngs , Gray's Inn, reason to apprehend, o w f er w e hi e e xi hrethmeerleywtoo much a upwardsros t an t y h e f i n t o a o n , c o e o 0 i o . of t v o a w r a i o r d u s s v ele n o t u s s , suspiciousmihn their origin, and not less so in their management. He strongly urged the great importance of calling upon the promoters to satisfy their subscribers as to their present state and prospects. He thought every honest provisional committee would readily respond to the inquiry. His clients and he were most ready to give their fullest support to t a society, the ob jects and intended rules of which he entirely approved. Several gentlemen present were anxious to open their budget of grievances, oom and some pointed allusions were made company ypraolso to p os ing th a e d ß ire oy ct al lin v n o t r o th E o x f ete s r p , ai t u o a line in Canada, and Railway, but the Hon. Chairman intimated that no reasonable time would be sufficient for the detail of rail way grievances. The rifles having been agreed to seriatim, Sir W. LoWttoitV moved that D. W. Harvey, Esq., should be appointed the president of the society, and that the thanks of the country were due to him for having originated thi s impottant Undertaking, Which was unamiously adopted by acclamation ; as was also the appointment of Messrs. Amory, Sewell, and Moo res , to be the illoiititots i and Me. FL P. Davis ; of the firm of Sir JohniGuest and Co., to be the treasurer of the so ciety. Upon the acknowledgment of the honour done to his firm by their appointment, Mr. Aitoitt observed that he and his partners had been primarily induced to connect themselves with the society by its great public utility and the peculiar legal condition of railiVay projects; and he desired that it should be fully understood that while the advice of their firm would be cheerfully given to every member, that there Wits notithie3bselsitgiihrtoeostr hoeblciogualtdiognivtoe engage their professional ser vices. Upon acknowledging a vote of t h ank s to the chairman, that gentleman, o b s erved t h at h of his cordial approval of the society was the immediate payment If his subscription. This etanaple was followed by uptivaras.of forty gentlemen ;present, and a list of nearly one hundred persons, chiefly residing in the country, wits given ins DItEADPVL lieciDET ';.0., I • Pyomsa.--Yesterday character, occurred on board the Oliphant steam -paeket, 110 W lying Hi the Pool. The name of the person to whom the accident occurred is Archib: l „ 4 4 .C.ia,,a, i , , , u0 Wiui ivi.T. , ;..., c1T_',.."12.7fd unon the morning; in ecCiderit of a very serioni . . which had to GreetVestern railroad, as a stoker. Yesterday morning, he lying with his knees and a portion of was He had been at the engine -room engine Murray, a t r t o e r : oll ar d ni i e n tip g otirb t ti o it i nihr lt hid iih s e I duties itbgnien seioloirtinitobni evening: the n a ginas i into tt e o s: u : 1 it jai i ii s e a i when found the poor fellow his body upon the burning Clade .w rs it b n e i l n ea it t . h th e fi re,, fi be re in ,, g en: ink th ed e "le th P e r r hie ell'as7n4:thitelisi:ghlvesa3t f d ri o t or ht l i t u h y e b fu ji r r n n e ed e t li w ei as og ie ll4 n i g up he was quite senseless, and was immediately conveyed to the br , --" ' ' ,--- —.p.m!, wnere it was stated hope of his recovery. It appeared the poor fellow was subiect to fits, and it is supposed that brie hid come itPoii.hitii befOre he Eoiild call ibt assistance. tlnfoittinatery, Ciisiles iti a ' married man, and his wife was on deck at the time of the accident, having •,:Z;LC id see min oil The Shriek, 11 9 wevet, proved too much for the poor woman, and she no* lies at her lodgings, in Paul-street; Irinebury, in a very dangero u s st a te. titAsoott , 4 A`' . ;104014 T4APE DEC.. Io.—Since this day Week tneie navo been several itietnationa iiiiiilteil but we q uote the price exactly as A that date —say 728.6 d. nett. To. day a sale was - made at the above figure, and another at 765. credit—buyers scarce. A considerable parcel offered at 745. was not disposed of. We are sorry to hear of a failure in Liverpool connected with .this trade,--Glasgow National. ALACKFRIARE-PIER. AND THE WATEBUBIIN STEAM BOAT COMPANY. - -Yesterday trforning Waterman No. 8 stopped at this pier as wile! ) btit was not permitted to land any passengers. One passenger, named Martin, jumped off the boat on the pier, and succeeded in landing unknown to the police. The mato not being able to fasten the boat' in the usual way, he threw a rope round the beams which sup port the pier, but a couple of the Thames police got in one of their boats, and were about to cut it away, when it was with drawn. During yesterday thousands of bills were distributed in Bridge-street, Fleet-street, &c., to the effect that the pub lic could go to Greenwich, from Blackfriars Free-pier, for Id., by the Watermen steamers. STEAMER FOR DENMARK.—There is now building by our celebrated townsman, Mr. R. Napier, and nearly finished, a splendid ircn steamboat, of 240-horse power, and 300 tons register. She is commissioned by the proprietors of the Christian VIII. (formerly the Vulcan of Glasgow), and is intended for the passage between Kiel and Copenhagen. She is expected to prove one of the finest and fastest boats that has ever left the port of Glasgow; and we are g l a d to find, from such a vesse l b e i ng ordered by our neighbours. of Denmark, that they begin ie valiie time and comfort not lees than we ounelyes do.--Glaggow Courier. DARING ROBBERY IT A SILVERSMITH'S.--Thurs•- day afternoon, between four and five o'clock, a young man having the appearance of a sailor, deliberately broke a square of glass in the shop window of Mr. Griffiths, silversmith, of Piccadilly, and stole a silver funnel, with which he de camped. A boy, who observed the transaction, gave infor mation to one of the shoptnen, but the thief effected his escape. TEM REMOVAL OF QUEEN-SQUARE POLICE OFFICE,---The new building for the police-office in Vincent square, Westminster, is nearly comploted. and will be opened for public business soon after Phriatvnas, when the present inconyanient:place -in..QUeen-equare r'rill be given up. _The police station in the New-way is air, N 1 10 removed to the' back of the new office in Roc4eilter-i ow. THE SUN, LONDO.N, FRIDAY EVENING DECEMBER 19, 1845. FRENCH RAILWAY NEWS. (From the Railway Express.) PARIS, TUESDAY, DEC. IB.—The adjudication of the Lyons and St. Quentin lines were the great topic of intdr est, until the Ministerial crisis in England took place, when every other consideration gave way before it. Prices were steady, though rather tending downwards, when the startling intelligence from your side of the water gave an impulse to their descent, which has since continued. The set tlement of the account is expected to pass off favourably, and if so, I consider a rise must inevitably take place. The Paris Bourse is rarely all down or all up for more than three days consecutively, and there fore I look for an improvement. I still, however ; consider the market, though getting stronger, far from settled, and think that before Christmas the quotations will again decline. Trade is exceedingly bad here, and the givers of etrennes (New Year's gifts) will this year, it is said, be found but few in number compared with former years : and still it is from this custom of giving handsome presents on the jour de ran, that many of the fancy trades of Paris derive a considerable portion of their profits. The quantity of goods sent to the provinces for this period of the year, is really astonishing. With trade low, and money scarce, bond fide purchases cannot be expected in railway shares, and without real investment the market must go down. Let it be remembered that the Strasburg, Nantes, and Lyons shares are yet to be placed, and that will take some little time. I mentioned in a former letter the embarrassments of M Isot, the agent de change, and his being obliged t o res i gn hi s situation. He has since fled from Paris, and, melancholy to say, his brother has blown out his brains. Both were highly honourable men, but got involved in difficulties from M. Falcon's failure. This afflicting affair caused a very general feeling of regret in this city. The St. Quentin Companies are in great consternation here. They feel that they have acted most foolishly in not entering into terms with Rothschild, as whatever one of them obtains the line, is certain to see its shares go below par immediately. Rothschild declares openly that he will send in a tender lower than3B years (how much below that period is of course a se cret), and defies any company not to lose money if oppcsed to his Northern line ; the several companies ere now endeavouring to make some arrangement, but the matter is most difficult, as the law here is most severe in such cases. Before the books and lists were deposed, everything was fair and allow able, now it is almost impossible. The directors could, it is true, make terms for themselves, but that would be to throw their subscribers overboard and cover them with dishonour. By some ingenious turn, however, the matter may be ar ranged. The change of Ministry in England is looked to here with great interest. There is no doubt that it exercises much in fluence on the lines of the French railways ; for as nearly half the subscribers in some of the lines are English, any thing affecting the amicable relations between the two coun tries would very materially lower the prices of such lines. Hitherto the effect has not been exceedingly important. HALF PAST FOUR.—Everything has been buoyant to-day, and the tendency has been decidedly upwards. The Northern opened nearly 20f. higher than yesterday, and drew every thing up with them. The report is, that M. de Rothschild is likely to come to an arrangement with both the Fampoux and St. Quentin lines, and that the whole three will be under his management. This news, if true, would, no doubt, send up the prices of the three lines considerably. MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMP- TON RAILWAY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sin,—The Directors of this Company have read with great surprise a statement in your paper of yesterday, to the following effect : _ _ . " One of the most energetically urged projects of the late railway mania season, was the line purporting to be from Manchester to Southampton. Fire and six pounds premium were freely given ; and when Mr. Hudson joined the direc tory, and had 25,000 shares allotted to him, it was thought to be without limit to the value of its shares, and was to carry all before it. The impracticability of getting over the Cotteswold hills was overlooked, and plans and sections were deposited with fall confidence of success, and yet circulars are now issued abandoning the line from Swindon to Cheltenham, and disconnecting altogether Manchester and Southampton. The shareholders are now asked to sign a new deed, and agree to new stipulations." — The Directors are at a loss to conjecture upon what authority a statement so extraordinary can have been propagated, and they instruct me to give it the most direct and positive contradiction. They have not issued any suck circular as you allege, nor have they abandoned, or for one moment entertained the slightest notion of abandoning, that part of their line between Cheltenham and Swindon, or any other portion of it; on the contrary, the deputy-chairman and the so licitor are now upon the line, prosecuting the usual ar rangements consequent on the deposit of the Company's plans for the entire scheme. Equally unfounded is it that "the shareholders are now asked to sign a new deed and agree to new stipula tions ;" no "new deed" or "new stipulations" have been either required, or are intended. The statement that when Mr. Hudson joined the di rection he " had 25,000 shares allotted to him," is also utterly at variance with the fact • the arrangement in question being simply this, that the Midlands Company, and not Mr. Hudson, in his individual capacity, take a certain amount of capital in the Manchester and South ampton line. It is to be regretted that statements tending to mis lead the public and the shareholders should be put forth without due inquiry, which, if mad. in this or any other instance where explanation is desired, would be cheer fully and frankly responded to by, Sir, your obedient servant, JOHN WHEELER, Secretary. 19, Great George-street, Westminster, Thursday, Dec. 18, 1845. . [The statement - alluded to came to us from authority upon which. we have always placed full reliance. We, however,-tninrritin Whteler's contradiction.—En: Bun.] NO COMPROMISE-NO SUR RENDER ! TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Sirs,—The enclosed was issued, I believe, yesterday. I have taken the liberty to intrude the nonsense upon your consideration, believing, as you do, that such par ties are doing good to the popular cause. Should you think it worth commenting upon, an article upon the subject, in your paper by Friday will oblige many of your readers.—Your obedient servant, Bath, Dec. 17. A. To the Landowner!, Clergy, Yeemanry, Tradesmen, and other Inhabitants of the county of Somerset. The Committee of the Wincanton and Yeovil Society for the Protection and Defence of Agriculture and Native In dustry, as the representatives of the First District of the County Association, feel it to be their duty to call your im mediate attention at this eventful crisis. The enemies of our cause say that protection can no longer be defended, and that we have no leaders. This is a weak invention of the enemy—don't believe it. Sir John Tyrrell has proclaimed to the farmers!of Essex that a base attempt at a further betrayal of your interest has been made iu the Cabinet by Sir Robert Peel, but that he has been opposed and defeated by that illustrious hero, the Duke of Wellington, aided by Lord Stanley, Lord Wharn cliffe, Lord Granville Somerset, Mr. Sidney Herbert, and others his late colleagues. The attack will now be made on you by a united body of Revolutionists, Radical!, Free traders, and Whigs, headed by friend Bright, Richard Cob den, and by Lord John Russell—by that man who has just had the audacious impudence to proclaim to the citizens of London, that we are bordering on famine, and on the strength •f that unwarrantable falsehood has demanded of her Ma jesty that the ports be immediately opened for the admission of all kinds of foreign grain, and that for the future corn, meat, butter, cheese, and all other foreign agricultural pro duce shall be admitted duty free. Brother farmers of Somerset—yeomen of England—will you submit to the ruin of your properties, and the starvation of your labourers, on the lying pretence of impending famine, at the bidding of Cobden, Bright, and Russell? Never. Then let your rallying cry be—long life to the hero of Waterloo—success to the illustrious Duke of Wellington, his Grace the Duke of Richmond, William Miles, Esq., and the united body of British yeomen. Gentry of Somerset, we call upon You at once to stand for ward and take that part in the approaching struggle which public duty demands. You have too long been restrained by a treacherous leader, but the spell is now broken. Yeomen of Somerset, we call upon you as you value the success of your cause and the safety of the country, to be firm—to be resolute—to be determined. But at the same time be steady—wait events—act with judgment, caution, and discretion. Look well to your leaders, and be not de ceived by disguised enemies or doubtful friends. Beware of those who talk of compromise. Our watchword is—no compromise—no surrender. Pledge yourselves to no man ; rest on your arms well prepared until our illustrious Com mander-in-Chief again gives the word—" Up boys and at them."—By order of the Committee, 1.1. G. ANDREWS, Hon. Sec. Aimpton, near fiherborne. ATTEMPT TO MURDER A PoLICEMAN.—About eleven o'clock on Wednesday night, as policeman Turner, N 210, was going down White Hart-lane, Tottenham, and while passing a field, the property of Mr. Robinson, Clay Wall, farmer, he heard two men in conversation. He looked throlegh the hedge, when he observed that they had a sheep in the the cornet of the field, which was being pressed down by one of the men, who was kneeling upon it, and who appeared in the aet of tying its legs. Turner instantly leaped over a gate and proceeded towards the men, who, upon seeing him, ran away. Turner pierstitel them and overtook one, when after a struggle he overpowered hitn. His companion hear ing from him that he was seized returned to his assistance, when taking a knife out of his pocket, exclaimed, " him, I'll do for him," and, at the same time, plunged it into the leftside of the policeman. The blow caused him to fall. While on the ground one of them forced the staff out of his hands, and with it struck him several violent blows on his head, from the effects of which he was rendered in sensible. About an hour afterwards it was reported at the Tottenham station-house by the visiting sergeant that Tur ner was nowhere to be seen. Sergeant Butcher, in conse quente, sent Frith; N 217, and Davies, 301, in search for him. About one o'clock they heard the spring of a police man's rattle in the above field, In which they found Turner trying to mime himself; being almost senselees: and his hat was by his side, cettpletely broken in. They conveyed him to t j i:: station-house, when it wad etiseovered that the knife with which Turner 11;.'l been stabbed had passe.) through his thick leather belt, his twe Coat; and waistcoat, and leene fretted a fib. The incision in the belt was .;:!. )out an inch widei and seemed as if it had been done with a pig sealig h terer's knife. Dr. Hall was immediately tailed in, who stated, that but for the protection of the belt, the knife must havo inflicted a deadly wound: . • liErrnucTilii Finn AT llTANnvronTit—Yester;. day morning, shortly before one o'clock, a fire, wiiieh for the great alarm in the neighbourhood, epice of three noie:: caused broke out upon the extensive belonging to Idr. R. Bell, raw.thill proprietor and lucifer-match manufacturer, situate in Garrett-lane; Waudswotth. It originated in the saw-mill departniefiti a building seventy feet long by fifty feet wide. This contained a large quantity of timber, pro ! pared for making into matches. Owing to the c o mbustible nature of the stock, the progres s of the fire was inconceivably rapid, and in less than half a n hour after the first discovery the flames could be seen from the different metropelitan bridges. Pour engines belonging to the town were quickly at the scene, and were followed by the _So l uT o w s ar st k b t r , i d a g n e c i roa d brigade engine, with a nother from Chn a lso those belonging to the County and West - of r 2ngland C o mpanies. The river W andle was immediately in tho rear, from which direction the fi re men set to work most vigorously ; but it was nearly five o'clock before they had succeeded in extinguishing the flames. By that period the contents of the place in which the fire began were destroyed, and the build ing nearly consumed. Several of the adjoining premises are a l so severely damaged. The cause of the fire is unknown. Mr. Bell was uninsured for stock, but the buildings - were in sured in the County Fire-ofricc LITERATURE. THE EUI?OPEAN LIBRARY. Vol. I.—LIFE OF LOI?ENZO I)E' MEDICI. Whatever restrictions may still ho placed upon com merce, the days of monopoly in literature are past. The narrow streams of knowledge, hitherto confined to an exclusive circle, have at length reached the mighty ocean that fertilises the universe. Science, history, phi losophy, all the chief branches of learning, once the peculiar study of the scholar, are now understood and appreciated by the multitude. Notwithstanding the faults of modern Governments, education has made rapid and unceasing progress, and were Governments gifted with more penetration, its progress would be even greater; they would, for their own sakes, seek to en courage the growing spirit, did they reflect that "by education men become easy to lead, but difficult to drive •—easy to govern, but impossible to enslave." Whatever tends to advance the cause of instruction, whatever tends to enlightenithe minds of the people, must he re ceived with cordial and unqualified approbation by all who have the general welfare at heart. It is with such a feeling that we receive the first volume of " The European Library," a work whose avowed object is "to elevate the national mind, and to refine the national cha racter." In the prospectus the writer observes— " That the highest efforts of human intellect, emanating, as for the most part they have done, frone men of the people, are perfectly intelligible to the people; and that, for the fu ture devotion of the public mind, nothing is needed to pre sent to it, in a tangible form, the combined mind of the past. As it is, our men and women—and this applies not merely to the humbler classes—are taught to read, but there are then scarcely any books for them. They hold the key to the world of thought, that world so vast, so beautiful, giving to those who enter it a new existence, but the lock is far above them. The proprietor of the European Library' will place it within their reach, will habituate the minds of all to sonic of the most perfect emanations of the human intellect. This it is proposed to effect by reproducing, in a series of volumes, in one language, in one uniform shape, of outward form elaborate, of inward most exact,' the great literary works of every country, of all time; the ipsissima rerba of our own authors, and the full spirit and meaning of those who wrote in mother tongue." If these promises are fulfilled this will, indeed, be a valuable acquisition. We have already many useful works appearing in a popular form, but not enough to satisfy the increasing demand. By furnishing the best standard works, English and foreign, for the moderate sum of three and sixpence, "The European Library" will ensure general favour. A work intended to promote knowledge, and improve the minds of the multitude, could nut have opened with a fitter subject than the life of Lorenzo, " the Magnificent," who, renowned as an author, a statesman, and a scholar, is yet more celebrated for his fostering love of literature, and his earnest en deavours to diffuse it among the people. Roscoe's " Life of Lorenzo" has been r ea d an d a d m i re d f or years. A t itsfirst appearance it ezeitid the admiration of the chief scholars of England and Italy ; it was translated into foreign languages, and has long been a favourite with the learned. It now appears in a cheaper form, for the benefit of the general reader. Thi s i s a most complete edition, and leaves nothing to be desired. It is adorned with a portrait of Lorenzo, and includes not only his his tory, but his poems. It is prefaced by a life of Roscoe, which is not the least interesting portion of the work. It represents the career of successful genius. We see the poor boy, who carried vegetables to market, become one of the first literary characters of the day, courted and admired by all: that his success was merited will be admitted by all who peruse this, his principal, work. Written with the impartiality and accuracy of history, it combines many of the minor details and anecdotes which renders biography so interesting. It commences with a sketch of the origin of Florence, and concludes with the down fal of that celebrated republic shortly after the death of Lorenzo. The Florentine Government was pure re publican, yet the family of the Medici possessed more than regal influence; the secret of their power was not to seem great but to be so; they ruled all the affairs of the state while ostensibly they were but private citizens. These maxims were implicitly obeyed by Lorenzo, who by his prudence and moderation greatly increased the influence of his family, and raised Florence to a height of prosperity before unknown. Had fortune placed him in a humble station, his poetical genius might have rendered him celebrated, but born to hold a conspicuous place as the head of the Medici and the chief of Florence, his talents proved him worthy of his position, and have transmitted his name to the ad miration of posterity. Situated as Lorenzo was, a man of narrow mind and ambitious views might have sought to aggrandize himself ,by destroy ing the liberties of his country, but the illus trious Medici had a nobler ambition. Ms talents were great, and the good he effected boundless ; by his prudence and judgment he contributed to the good government of Florence, and became the arbiter between rival nations. Often did he fix the balance of power—often by his influence terminate, by his fore thought prevent, a war. his great aim was to unite the states of Italy in peace and concord, that they might by their union check the incursions of their ambitious neighbours. This was no easy task ; the party feuds and jealousies of rival states were hard to reconcile, but Lorenzo persevered so well that he succeeded in pro moting a general peace. It was said of him, " that he converted into iron what he found fabricated of glass." But it is not alone as a politician that Lorenzo is re markabltl—his love of peace was surpassed by his love of learning—the immense wealth he had acquired by mer cantile affairs was employed in procuring works of art, in reviving old ma i:! ,, ,eripts, which had otherwise perished—in adorning Florence and in favouring the path of genius. The arts and sciences efehich had long de clined, revived beneath his fostering care. It was his chief de!ight to fly from the toils of busi ness, to leave the direction of Florence and the disputes of foreign sovereigns, and to enjoy in retire ment the conversation of the men of genius whom be ad mired and understood. Truly did he merit the title of " Magnificent;" under his auspices Florence became the favoured seat of learning, poetry, painting, sculpture; all received an impulse from his care; under his patronage genius flourished. One his most celebrated proteges was Michael Angelo. Being anxious to promote the study of the antique, he appropriated his gardens to establish a school for that purpose; the results were most favourable, as appears from the following " To this institution, more than to any other circumstance, we may, without hesitation, ascribe the sudden and astonish ing proficiency which, towards the close of the fifteenth cen tury, was evidently made in the arts, and which, commencing at Florence, extended itself in concentric circles to the rest of Europe. The gardens of Lorenzo de' Medici are fre quently celebrated by the historian of the painters, as the nursery of men of genius ' • but if they had produced no other artist than Michelagnolo Buonarroti, they would sufficiently have answered the purposes of their founder. It was here that this great man began to imbibe that spirit, which was destined to effect a reformation in the arts, and which he could, perhaps, have derived from no other source. Of a noble, but reduced family, he had been placed by his father, when young, under the tuition of the painter Ghirlandajo, from whom Lorenzo, desirous of promoting his new establishment, requested that he would permit two of his pupils to pursue their studies in his gardens; at the same time expressing his hopes that they would there obtain such instruction as would not only reflect honour on the institution, but also on them selves and on their country. The students who had the good fortune to be thus selected, were Michelagnolo and Francesco Granacci. On the first visit of Michelagnolo, he found in the gardens his future adversary, Torrigiano, who, under the di rections of Bertoldo, was modelling figures in clay. Michel agnolo applied himself to the same occupation, and his work soon afterwards attracted the attention of Lorenzo, who, from these early specimens, formed great expectations of his talents. Encouraged by such approbation, he began to cut in marble the head of a faun, after an antique sculpture, which, though unaccustomed to the chisel, he executed with such skill as to astonish Lorenzo; who, observing that he had made some intentional deviations from the original, and that in particular he had represented the lips smoother, and had shown the tongue and teeth, remarked to him, with his ac customed jocularity, that he should have remembered that old men seldom exhibit a complete range of teeth. The docile artist, who paid no less respect to the judgment than to the rank of Lorenzo, was no sooner left to himself, than be struck out one of the teeth, giving to the part the appearance of its having been lost by age. On his next visit, Lorenzo was equally delighted with the disposition and the genius of his young pupil, and sending for his father, not only took the son under his particular protection, but made such a pro vision for the old man as his age and the circumstances of his numerous family required. From this time till the death of Lorenzo, which included an interval of four years, Michelag nolo constantly resided in the palace of the Medici, and sat at the table of Lorenzo, among his most honoured guests; where, by a commendable regulation, the troublesome distinctions of rank were abolished, and every person took his place in the order of his arrival. Hence the young artist found himself at once associated, on terms of equality with all that was ' illustrious and learned in Florence, and formed those con nexions and friendships which, if they do not create, are at 'least necessary to promote and reward superior talents. His leisure hours were passed in contemplating the intaglios, gems, and medals, of which Lorenzo had collected an asto nishing number, whence he imbibed that taste for antiqua rian researches, which was of essential service to him in his more immediate studies, and which he retained to the close of his life." The life of Lorenzo is most interesting to contemplate; it shows how much may be accomplished by one indi vidual, and how great is the glory of him who benefits others instead of aggrandising himself. To Lorenzo was not decreed the useless pageantry of the monarch, or the empty glory of the conqueror—his high ambition was to promote the welfare of his country, his greatest happiness to advance the cause of learning. During his life he was beloved and respected, and his memory is dear to the lovers of genius, which owed its great glory to his care. KING'S COLLEGE, LONDON.—We are glad to learn that the council of this college have lately determined upon founding scholarships for the several departments of this institution, with a view to the encouragement of diligence in the study of divinity, and the various branches of literature and science. Some of these scholarships are confined to the lower classes of the school, whilst others of a higher value are ope.: to the senior students of each department. 8.--On Tuesday last, Henry Bishop, having attempted war .fi . ned s. l s / t . re a e zd fo c r o a s n ts , , is b s y au t i h t e on co li i i m a t r y y Magistrates ri I wBDEAR Ia sitting brr ;In W - atio' o g u ' t • of L . ;s Pritchard, at Starry, arising_. a to kisi her: In default of payment he waS Committed to St. Augustine's far a n intb,—leentish Observer. The late Alexander Murray, Esq., M.P. fot Kirk cudbright, late of Broughton, North Britain, also of Orleans House, Twickenham, Middlesex, and of Killybegs, Donegal, in Ireland, died, leaving personal prope r t y i n E ng l and an d w ithin the province of Canterbury estimated at 8,0001. By his will be has left to his wife, the Right Hon. Lady Ann Murray, the whole of his estates, real and personal, whereso ever situated, and for her own absolute use; and also ap pointed her sole executrix of his will, which was dated 17th ofMay,lB36. WINDSOR STEEPLE CHASES.—These annual events havejust been fixed to come off on the 14th and 15th of April next. 'Viscount Neville and the Hon. R. N. Lawley, of the 2d Regiment of Life Guards, and Albert Ricardo, Esq., of Titnest Park, have consented to act as stewards. From the large amount of the stakes to be run for, and the charaeter of the horses which will be entered, some first-rate sport is anticipated. The Earl of Wilton leaves town for Egerton Lodge, Melton Mowbray, to-morrow. His Lordship has no inten tion Qf returain to tRIPI M stated patorclity. _. ..Y N _ , _ COURT-MART PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAT.—A generil -- ci.*%7 T 411 1% 441 0 sembled this day at the Royal Marin e inrt....atisibi of gunner John Hull, of the Artillery Companies( of the Royal Marines, on the following charges, to which the _nri • soner (a very fine young man, of about twenty-seven yeafs of age) pleaded not guilty. Ist Charge. In having attempted to go out of his quarterm at Fort Cumberland, on or about the night of the 6th day of December, 1845, when confined thereto for a former offence, and for having disobeyed the lawful command of (1212) George Pratt, Corporal 68th Light Infantry, his superior officer, in refusing to go to the guard-room when ordered so to do by the said George Pratt, Corporal, the non-commis sioned officer in charge of the guard. 2. For having at Fort Cumberland, at or about the time stated in the first charge, struck (1212) George Pratt, cor poral, 68th Light Infantry, his superior officer, being in the execution of his duty. 3. For having at Fort Cumberland, at or about the time stated in the first charge, struck (1736) Mark Lee, a private, 68th Light Infantry, being in the execution of his duty. Four witnesses in support of the charge were then exa mined. At the conclusion of the prosecution the prisoner was put on his defence, and stated that on the evening in question he had been drinking, and that he went to his room and lay down upon his bed, between the hours of eleven and twelve, and that he does not remember anything more that occurred. He further denied having struck either the corporal or pri vate, as had he done so with a weapon so heavy as the one produced in Court (a twelve pound rocket-case, not loaded, but having the shot attached), some marks must have re mained, and private (Mark Lee) who has sworn that he was struck, has also said that the blow left no mark on his person. It appeared by the evidence of Lieutenant and Adjutant Savage, of the Royal Marine Artillery, that the prisoner has been previously tried three times by courts-martial, that his character is very bad, and that he has been about nine years in the service. The Court concluded the proceedings at four o'clock this afternoon, but the decision come to will not be known until it has been approved by the Admiralty. The Court was composed of the under-mentioned offi cers :—Colonel M'Callum, Royal Marines. President ; Lieu tenant-Colonel Swale, Royal Marines ; Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, Royal Marines ; Lieutenant-Colonel Hartley, Bth (King's) Regiment ; Major Campbell, 74th Highlanders ; Captain Dawes, Royal Marines ; Captain M'Beath, 68th Light Infantry ; Captain Campbell, 78th Highlanders Captain Holloway, Royal Marine Artillery ; Captain Elliot, Royal Marines ; Captain Holder, Bth (King's) Regiment ; Lieutenant March, Royal Marines ; Lieutenant Fordyce, 74th Highlanders ; Lieutenant Elliot, Royal Marines ; 1:11- sign Deering, 68th Light Infantry. Lieutenant Adjutant Langley officiated as Judge-Advocate. ROYAL MARINE ARTILLERY.-The Admiralty have just issued important regulations relating to officers of the marines, intending to qualify for the artillery companies. instead of these officers residing in quarters in Portsmouth Barracks, as at present, and attending at the Naval College at specified hours, they are, on the commencement of next Year, to live in the college, and are to be under the same orders and regulations as the mates of her Majesty's ship Excellent, who study in that establishment for the lieute nant's commission. Officers who may have previously been cadets in the Excellent, when reported qualified for commis sions in the corps, and considered elegible to go into the artillery, are to be disembarked direct to the college, and not to either of the four divisions to drill, &c., and will at once commence the course of study ordered therein for that. branch of the marine corps. When their year of study expires, if found fit for the Artillery companies, they will join the head quarters at Portsmouth ; if not found fit, they will pass to one of the four divisions, and then commence the customary drill. Officers of marines who may be selected for the artil lery companies, and have not been - cadets in the Excellent, are to be embarked in her, to obtain instruction in and go through the practical course of gunnery, &c., previous to their residence in the Naval College. The Admiralty will probably limit the number of marine students to six. The foregoing resolutions are to commence after the ensuing Christmas vacation, and will oniy affect those coming for ward from the Excellent. In that ship and the college there are ten officers studying for the Marine Artillery. The va • cancies amount to eight.. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. Captain Henry J. Worth (1840), who was midshipman of the Venerable, in 1814, at the capture of two French frigates, and was promoted for his services on the coast of Syria, in 1840, where he commanded the boats of the Hast ings and Edinburgh line-of-battle ships, at the destruction of a magazine at Beyrout, has been appointed to command the Calypso, 20, corvette, lately launched at Chatham—to have a complement of 200 officers and men. Captain John Robb (1841), who was midshipman Naiad, and in her boats served at the destruction of an gerine brig of war, under the battery of Bona, in 1824,5ta distinguished himself at Navarino in command of the Hinde cutter, when Lieutenant of the Asia flag-ship, has been ap pointed to commission the Gladiator steam-frigate, at Wool.- wich—to have a complement of 175 officers and men. Captain George Henry Seymour, of the Carysfort, 26, at Portsmouth, has commissioned that ship—to have a comple ment of 240. DEATH OF A VICE-ADMIRAL—Vice-Admiral of the Blue James Baton died at Gosport on Sunday. He was midship man of the Alcide, at the occupation of Toulon and siege of St. Fioreazo, and was lieutenant . of the Courageu x i n L or d Ilothain's action, In 1795. his commissions are dated.. lieutenant, 18th Feb, 1794 ; commander, 1798; captain, 23cl Oct., 1801 ; rear-admiral, 17th August, 1840 ; and vice. ad miral, 23d Nov., 1841. This gallant officer was on the half pay list of rear-admirals The Avenger, steam-frigate, at Devonport, will be cora missioncd in a few days. She has been taken into dock to be fitted. ACCIDENT TO CAPTAIN BLI.LOCK.—We are sorry to hear that Captain Bullock, commander of the Porcupine, steam surveying vessel, has sustained severe injury from accident tally falling over the quay at Ramsgate. Fortunately his fall was broken by some warps that were lying across, or it might have proved most serious. FLANDERS AND DUTCH MAILS. BRUSSELS, DEC. 16.—The average price of wheat last week was 23f. 77c., and that of rye 17f. 98c. per hectolitre. Seeing that during two successive weeks, from the Ist to ;lie 15th of December, the average price of wheat has been b e t w eNi 20 and 24 francs, it follows, according to existing laws, that the exportation of wheat and flour is permitted, on payment of a duty of 25 centimes per 1,000 kilogrammes. The Chamber of Representative entered to-day on the dis cussion of the project of law on the treaty concluded between Belgium and the United States of America. The treaty was defended by M. Lebeau and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and opposed by M. Desenet and the Abbe d'Feore. The de bate will be continued to-morrow. The Senate is convoked for Monday the 20th. Yesterday the New Royal Academy of the Arts and Sciences and Belles Lettres was installed by his Majesty in person. The price of potatoes continues to fall in the Brussels market yesterday, and also at Glien and it appears that the measures taken to increase the supp, l ies, and lower the prices for the advantage of the working classm, begin to have a satisfactory effect. DUTCH FUNDS.—AMSTERDaIf, DEC. 16. Money. Bills. Actual Debt, 2% per Cent ....... •.. • 59 5951 Ilitto, 3 per Cent 72% 73 34 Ditto, 4 per Cent............... Amort Syndic, 434 per Cent Ditto, 3% per Cent •••••••• • • • • • • • • Commercial Company, 436 per Cent . • 158 N 1593 i East India Loan, 4 per Cent... Exchange on London, at sight • • • • • Two months l2 16 On Hamburgli, at sight •• • • 35 50 Two months..• • . • • • • • • 38 is 73 On l'aris Two months. .. —Dutch Papers, Dec. 17. PRUSSIAN FUNDS.—Bsittax, DEC. 13. Bills. Money. St. Schuld Sch., 3% per Cent ••• • • • 911% 97 3 Pruss. English Bonds, 1830, 4 per Cent Foreign Exchanges .. ........ Exchange on London, £1 Sterling, 2 Mouths. 6 24% 6 24% Harnburgh, 300 Marks, 2 Months. 149% Paris, 300 fr., 2 Months •• • • - -Universal Prussian Gazette, Dee. 17. BELGIAN FUNDS.—Baussms, DEC. 17. Actual Debt, 24 per Cent •• . — Rothschild's Loan, Five per Cent Lean of Thirty Millions, Four per Cent •• • • Ditto Three per Cent Ditto Thirty-seven Millions, ditto ...... Ditto, ditto, 1840 . Ditto, ditto,lB42 Ditto, 1844. ........ ....... ..... gg Ditto, 1836.. Ditto, 1838 74 1 „ - t Ditto of the City, 1832 Ditto, 1843 • • • • • • Bank of Belgium • • • • • • • • • • • • 771 —Brussels Papers, DEC. 18. THE APHROA CHING ELECTION FOR COMMON' COLIICILMEN IN THE Cur.—The annual election for common councilmen of the City of London is at the present time ex citing considerable interest in the City, the inhabitants of the vari,sus Wards having expressed their determination to oppose all the old members of the court who are opposed to the introduction of articles of food free of duty. In many of the Wards ;Jew candidates have stood forward solely on the ground of their being members of the Anti-corn-law League and as such solicit the suffrages of the electors. The contest in the several Wards i.;t expected to be the most severe known for many years past. THE MELANCHOLY AC CIDRINT AT FORFAR.—We learn from the Dundee Advertiser of yesterday that Brown, one of two men who were entombed alive in the well which they were repairing, was rescued from his perilous situation on Friday morning last, and that ;he other (Macleish) was still unextricated, but was understood izs be dead. It appears that the men were preserved from suffocaf;on by the boxings of the well keeping off the earth from then:: Previous to the accident, danger, it is said , was apprelissaded, and Macleish was in the act of ascending when the catastrophe Leslie, civil engineer, D un d ee , took ;place, thus leaving the latte r some feet higher up k than kis companion. The operations for th e i r resCAe who were orderedsuperintended a pi tt to be eMsrun but five o r s i x f eet from the well, for the purpose of getting as far down as the lower ie. most man, it being quite impossible to interfere with the well from the top. During the intervening time a communication with the men was effected Gas pipes were placed so as to admit of fluids being conveyed to them— wine, porter, soup, and tea, 'were thus occasionally supplied to them, which greatly assisted to keep up their desponding spirits in a situation so horrible and so hopeless. The sinking of the new well was carried on with great dili gence until Friday morning, when the workmen were lower down than Brown. Haring procured some boring instru ments from Arbroath, and some boiler-plate boxes froi Dundee, and having formed a tunnel from the new bore to the old well, a brother of Brown's who had come from Dundee, boldly dashed down, and about four o'clock P.M.. extricated and brought him out. On being brought to the brink there was a party waiting, who instantly enveloped him in blankets, and carried him to Mr. Barclay's house, where medical gentlemen were ready to attend to him. We are informed that he was instantly put into a warm bath, and had restoratives administered. It is said that his pulse was strong and healthy, and that he is rallying wonderfully. Undivided attention was then given to the case of Diacleigh. lle got down a small bell, and rung occasionally for consola tion, in • f orm ation, or refreshment, which he received through the gas-pipe. Some bread.was also conveyed to him through a small aperture. About; half-past eight o'clock on Monday morning, he took some milk; but he was not heard to speak or to make any mo vement afterwards. The bell had ce ase d to be heard, and it was too truly inferred that the power to ring it had also ceased. At seven o'clock on Mond ay . evening the body had not been disinterred, but ev_ery exer tion was being made for that purpose.—Ediniturgh Witness of Wednesday. ASTLEY'S THEATRIC.---The dog Emile, which caused considerable sensation .at the Theatres des Varietes and Cirque Olympique, Paris, has arrived in London. Mons. liallens, its proprietor, has made arrangements with Mr. Batty for its appearance at Astley's Theatre during the forth coming Christmas holidays. The Lord Chancellor, Lady Lyndhurst, and the Hon. Miss Copley leave George -street to-morrow, for Tur. lkidchemi.