The Sun. — London, England, 1850-01-16 00:00:00

Luxembourg Dltto Madrid and Valentin... 2 Namur and Liege ...... 20 ... .. ... . • — Northern of France-- 14/. es.,. —dis Orleans and Bordeaux.. 7 ...-. 3%3;, ex.int s 34:x.i Paris and Orleans ...... 20 - Paris and Rouen 2O ..... — Paris and Strasbourg Rouen and flare ..... 20 Sambr© and Melt a 2O ..,. •. ••• ..... •••••• .-- Strasbourg and Basle Tours and Nantes l3 •••... Tournay, Jurbise, Lan den, and Hasselt ...... 20 West Flanders 8 34 - ••• II INES. nolonos Scrip ...... — "•-• British I r o n .. Brazilian Imperial ...... 24 / ./ 1 BrazilianCouaei&Cuiaba 30 . ......... ...... Do. St. John Del Rey 15 ...... 13 . ..... ...... :TINT 6 I'OCK BANK:, Union of Australia Ditto, New ...... ..... 2 1 / v ..... ..... ...... Union of London.— ..... 10 ...... •••••••••••• Union of Madrid .. 40 LLOYD'S SHIPPING—(THIS DAY.' LONDON. JAN. 16.—Wind N, light breeze and dul cloudy weather, with mist and frost. PLYMOUTH, JAN. 15.—Wind E.—Arrd. Kate, Fol. land, New York. LIVERPOOL, JAN. 15.—Wind E., fresh.—Std. Eleanore, Batavia; Levant, New Orleans; Lancashire, Savannah; Yeoman, ditto; Eterhead, Baltimore; James Browr•, Boston. The Guy Mannering was fioate I tc-da: - , and Laulel within the dock; at one time she had 8 to 9 Let of water in her hold, and appears very much straiLed. The fine goods have been leaved in good order. PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 15.—The gale continues from E. to N.E. WEXFORD, JAN. 14.—The Gustaf Adolph, Stralsund to Liverpool, came on shore on some rocks inside Tus kar, last night; part of crew landed. It is doubtful if any part of the cargo will be saved, from the violence of the weather. FALMOUTH, JAN. 15.—The ga'e continued with un abated violence until midnight, when it moderated, and backed to the N.E., and continues with a sharp frost. The shipping ride well. Arrd. Invincible, Baltimore. CLONAKILTY, JAN. 14.—The Emily and Louisa French brigantine, Galatz to Cork, was wrecked on the Long Sand, Rap Bay; two of crew saved. WHITBY, JAN. 14.—1 t is blowing a gale at E.S.E., With snow. The Vine, of Bristol, Marstr a nd t o L on d on , has been wrecked is the harbour; two cf crew saved. OFF LUNDY ISLAND.—Sunbeam, Cuba, for Swansea. P 11.7 .• JAN. 15.—Wind E., strong and squally.—Sld. James Daly, Africa; Caroline, Tobago. MILFORD, JAN. 14.—Wind E.S.s.—Arrd. Roderick Dho. Watkins. Cuba. SHIELDS, JAN. 15.—Wind E. to E.S.l.—Arrd. Robert M . William, Webster, Quebec. It is blowing very Strong, with snow, and a heavy sea on the bar. BRIDLINGTON, JAN. 15.-41 has blown a gale at E.S.E. for the last four days. The Pendenais schooner, of Brigham, is on the bar, but will probably be got off next tide. LOWESTOFT, JAN. 15.—A headboard, with " Nap twins, 46," in gilt letters, with some small pieces of wreck, have been picked up. BARWICH, JAN. 15.—1 t has blown a very heavy gale at S.E., with snowstorm last night and to-day, but is Q n ow (seven P . M .) muc h more mo d erate. The Ocean ueen, if Blyth, is on shore at Beach Point. ARKET NE WS.-(THIS DAY COR N - EXCHANGE—WEDNESDA Y 'A very limited supply of English Wheat has been re ceived up to our market this w ee k coas t w i se as well as by land carriage. To-day a large number of Monday's Unsold qualities was on offer, owing to which, the thin attendance of buyers, and the pressure of foreign Flour, the demand for all kinds of Wheat of home produce was i n a very depressed state at barely stationa r y p r i ces . 1,960 quarters of foreign Wheat have come fi rst I hand, yet the supply of that grain considerably ex ceeded the wants of the buyers. Really fine parcels were mostly held at full rates of currency, but all other tlkinds were lower to purchase. The sale for all descrip 2ns of Barley was heavy at Monday's decline in value. rah Was in full average supply, and heavy demand at ate rates. Oats, Beans, Peas, and Flour were very dull a nd the tern lower. ARRIVALS THIS WEEK scotch... Wh eat. X nelsk Dt o 680 hu h ' •••• rorei.,;• •• '• •' 1,910 6,460 1 5,740 Barley. I Oats, _ Malt. I Flour, Qrs. Qrsl Sacks 250 I 1,120 2,490 ZWELOUGEI /30P riT/ISCHET. /Ine Rope w ere scarce an d i n mo d erate request, at full prices. In all ether kinds scarcely any business was transacted. EL. Prime B ee f an d M RI utton were TECHAP in tt , ady demand, at last week's currencies, otherwise t'le trade was dull. Beef, from 2s 6d to 3s 6d; Mutton, 2s lod to 3s 10d; Veal, as 4d to 4s Od; and Pork, 2c 10d to 4s 2d per Blbs. A.WI,E - 7 -- wGEN CE CHANCERY. —(THIS DAY.) The Lord Chancellor, after disposing of the lunatic iPetitions on his paper, proceeded to hear the further utneets in the p ar t-h ear d appeal of Pudby v. The nc,,ln Water Workr, which occupied the Court the fo r morning.. His Lordship rose at an early hour, o .‘ r the purposo of attending the House of Lords to pro- Parliament. itOLLS' COURT.—(THIS DAY.) jlhe blaster o f th e R o llF, after disposing of th e re ar 4 r ig cau se pet i t i ons , p rocee d e d t o h ear th e f urt h er lit ill "nts in the part-heard case of Valiance v. She m o rning. which occupied the Court the remainder ol VICE .c.-CHANCERY.—(THIS DAY.) (Before the VICE-CHANCELLOR Of ENGLAND.) The ,SCARESBRECK V BRELMERSDALE. Pi e f urther arguments in Viis part heard case °cell the Coupt the wh o l e morn i ng . TY 3, f ;re the VicL-Chancellor KNIGHT BRUCE.) b tt ." Court was oc cu pi e d th e w h o l e d ay w i th hear i ng tik r f ut ., uPt petitions, none o f w hi c h p ossesse d t h e s li ghtest ire of interest. r pefore the Vice-Chancellor Wronaar.) Itt eri ?Flour sat in his private room to-day, in conse div or the inclement state of the weather, and after st )o rng of the case " In Re Loppington Parish," which K 4.7 the paper fir judgment oa a question of costs, bek r Ced to heartha the further arguments in the part e c ase of M'C a l men t v . R an ki n , w hi c h occupied %II C the r ema i n d er o f the morn i ng. -A MON PLEAS.—(THIS DAY.) (Sittings in Banco.) "lid' s DOOGOOD V. ROSE. " . 1 was an action tried btf,re Lord . Chief Justice the o et the last sittings for London, in which one of the daily etrall_, M r. Doogood, a repo t r , te r r ee upon r 601, the amount c2f ep7:lnjournals, sought h rtt t o b wiern alleged to xie teen agreed by the defend deit„ his Paid to the plaintiff on the defendant appren the " art and til Yst ° o .'„" son to the plaintiff,. to le , a r r h n (re ilie et `Y of a short-band work was also a tar t r Meruit count for and labour done on the 1 414 the plaintiff in teaching the . de'endaet's son the tit, 4hort-hand writicg. The verdict at the trial was 41 4 f,n• the def °dant, and this morning - lilir• ,ergearit 13TLEs, on the part of the plamt d iff l ho te t° t he Court for a rule calling upon the defendant i t 3 o new trial, or ell ase why there should not be a e. th P'Ski ere should not be judgment non obstante v T er he ea l) e e r whY ther e should not be a repleader.. the 4011,0 s set out that there was an agreement in PI t • trig Words (intera'ia) entered into between the 4,, of the ei ot ., p oo he defendant's son entering the service . _ ff 44 t1 .14:- -" It was agreed by and between the pliant' pQitled the defendant that they, the plaintiff and the cle und one John Rose, the son of the defendant, ‘OII - ; at the • ' f easonable time, then next expiration o a r d eli 11 gt tu k A as their act and deed, and Ve t a o anu execute 4 hip a U fo r theal and reasonable indenture of apprentice :44l` purpose binding as an appreet.ce . the 'it' s - mil Rose to the p laintiff in the way of the pier; ett.. t „sttiri profession or p business." The Learned S i 1444 'a 1; -°4ttnded that it was the business of thsedefendan tendered an indenture of apprenticeship, inui tit)! a . . , 0 It t B t ;the plaintiff was always ready and willing i -t/ 4 eV it, plaintiff quote i several precedents in point from s_stie°,l,'• lie subeeitted that this was a case in which 7 0 11 d,"„ a ct, riot been done to Mr. Doogood, who had ` lll ,,sitti e n r ' v etl• by the verdict of the jury, of the corn * The ' 1 - ..-- wh ich in justice he ought to have received. AI • --elan c e said—Looking at the h a ts wl,e, CHIEF JUSTICE h e ~,Tt . a the declaration was framed, what right t r t i ,hei o ,,r 41 ' 4 4 t• bring this action on tee ground of hal e h C ad ra dY And willing to execute the indenture, of ,In' tiv e e --Il ess and willingness he did not allege he jdge) t - h 4 the defendant notice? He (the Learned i',"ltsliearlVlt there was no reason for arresting the ee l meat t e ti t a t this ground, or for granting a new trial in it refusedB erdict being against evidence. _ e _. . a cordingiy. .t,Ce- t 4 QUER.—(THIS DAY.) I niefAre, (Sittings in Banco.) titP l ,l, 4l aeti e - t.s•N AND ANOTHER V. REEVES. t sq l4ll -a vas tried befire the Lord Chief Baron, at °tie •d • Ate ' l ' l 4 the last sittings when a verdict was tae ,! th e p i . Ito te' olaa alma for 21/. ee h ad plaielzl now moved on affidavits for a rule, calling 4 4 'Ad, —t iff to show cause why a new trial should not eh , . The ___ . debt, and was brought by aoxateti ffs ' Action was in th e 1. kid l e t w ho are printers, to recover 384 25., for !lii:_vatoideTaour done in printing some prospectutTs for _1441,67 Sout hern,Eastern and Northern . . Railway ttiZtor, 6Th the defendant was a provisional tti 4 7) th e eue particulars of demand conta•ned two ter tl ltst eri t r k at being on the Bth of September, 1845, and o r eeld "a 28th. The first meeting of the company et eti °L I th 12 h • defendant was not I sli ee t• bathe t, at which the I ,4 40attended the next meeting, on the 16th, kt rder ttl e e e was given for the prospectuses. On the erlb def,e‘3uested his name to ha withdrawn, and lig, : ite oa ": was that he was not liable for 4147:eatioti ...subsequen toe was date. The present itt o ,:t l tha t "as founded upoi affidavits, one of which et ,:t of th: witness named Collins, who was the pro -1410 the d e PlPlttli, and whose evidence tended to trititerthv ~,,,e.tedant's liability was a person utterly th --, oelief This ' • • 0, 0 ti tB4 , _, • is person said, at the trial, he it 4 l. 14 ‘., ,, t the Bollivian Government, and had lost 4 „ e o ,„ reni vav 8 'II. Pura tt i o ' . p iliation., but it appeared that he te ik , 9 ' l l l h o , _ a g his agency in Whitecross-streot Pri eeec t 3, _ 4 e t e_ rned Counsel stated that it might seem "'Re% of th while applying for a_ new trial, as the 4 YftAtid 4 Zoeed the amount of Ow yerclict, but - 2 t, SOUTHWARK.-(THIS DAY.) James Lansdowne was brought before Mr. A'Beckett charged with breaking into a dwelling-house in Harrow street, Southvark, and stealing a copper boiler. Delany Palm, constable 100 M, said that about seven o'clock last evening he saw the prisoner and another man loitering about some empty hove; in Harrow strett. He watched and saw them try several doors, but perceiving that witness was looking after them they ran away. About five minutes afterwards he passed one of the houses in Harrow-street, when be heard a cracking noise, which induced him to go is the rear. When he got there he found that the door was open, and on entering he en countered the prisoner, and pulled him out of the house, when another constable came up and secured him. Witness searched him, and found a bunch of skeleton keys on him, and close by where he first encountered him he found a copper boiler placed in a basket ready to be removed. The boiler had e-n taken from the back kitchen. After they had conveyed the prisoner to the police-station, witness and his brother constable searched the prisoner's lodgings, and discovered a splen did roult tie table, balls, dice, and all the implements used in a gambling house. James Thomson, a painter, sad he was at work Tat evening in the house, in Harrow-street, and left every thing safe at five o'clock. The copper was then fixed in the back k Mr. A'BECKETT asked who the gambling apparatus belonged to ? The prisoner replied hilxpe'f and a man named 1111 1 , but they had not used them fur some time. As fur the housebreaking, he fJund the door open and went in. Mr. APBEcrKETT commit'ed him f,r trial. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, HOUSE OF LORDS. (THIS DAY.) Parliament was again prorogued to-day to Thurs day, the 31st of the present month, when it will meet for the dispatch of business. Shortly after two o'clock the Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Breadalbane, and Lord Campbell took their seats below the Throne, robed as Lords Commis sioners, fir the purpose of proroguing Parliament. On their Lordships taking their seats Mr. Pul man, the Yeoman Usher o f the seats, Rod, was commanded by them to summon the Commons to the bar to hear the Commission for proroguing the Parliament read. Shortly afterwards Mr. Henry Ley, attended by several of the officeri of the House of Commons, ap peared at the bar. The only Member present that we noticed was Sir B. Hall, who looked ex tremely ill. The commission for proroguing the Parliament having been read by Mr. Shaw Lefevere, the clerk at the table, The LORD CLIANCELLOR, in her Majesty's name, and by her Majesty's command, prorogued the Parliament to Thursday, the 31st instant, to be then and there holden for the dispatch of public business. Several ladies were present. Since the last prorogation the two frescoes of "Jus tice," and " Henry V. submitting to Chief-Justice Gas coigne," have been finished, and considerably increase the effective appearance of the House. Added to which, the new reporters' gallery, which projects considerably farther than the old one into the House, has been completed, and to our notion, instead of de teriorating, adds to the effect of the interior of the building. Besides the Commissioners there was not a Peer present. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, TUESDAY. The Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert drove to Frogmore this morning. The Hon. Miss Cavendish, Colonel Hon. R. Boyle, Lord Charles Fitzroy, Colonel F. H. Saymour, and Mr. Birch, were in attendance upon her Majesty and his Royal Highness. Prince Albert, with the gentlemen in attendance, enjoyed the diversion of skating on the ornamental water in Frogmore grounds. Her Majesty and her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent were present. Their Royal Highnesses the Princess Royal and the Princess Alice took walking exercise in the Slopes and Windsor Park. The royal dinner party this evening included her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, Lady Fanny Howard, Baroness de Spetb, the Marchioness of Normanby, and Colonel Hon. C. B. and Mrs. Phipps. Mr. Miurice Cross (Dublin), Secretary to the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, had an interview with the Right Hon. Henry Labouchere yesterday at the office of the Board of Trade. - The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lady Mary Wood arrived in Downing- - treet yesterday evening from their residence, Hickleton Hall, near Doncaster. The Judicial Cimmittee of the Privy Council, be fore whom the appeal, "Gorham v. the Bishop of Exeter," was argued, had a private meeting yesterday at the Privy Council-oflice. There were present Lord Campbell, the Master of the Rolls, the Vice- Chancellor Knight Bruce, Mr. Baron Parke, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall, and the Judge of the Admiralty Court. The Archbishops of Canter bury and York and the Bishop of London were also present. THE GENERAL POLLUTION OF RIVERS.-It is not twenty years since sea-going vessels sent only up to Vauxhall at ebb tide for sea store; and the Thames water was accutmted the best in the world for the pur pose. Now the state of the river renders it hardly eli gible at Twickenham. As the community has increased, so have habitations ; and the smallest tributary of the Thames is, according to its volume, hardly less vitiated than the great confluent tcrrent. From first to last no care bath up to this day been taken to preserve for the people the purity of that element which was evidently intended by the Creator to be the healing nutriment of his creatures. To preserve the quality of the main trunk, it is first necessary to guard the tributary conduits; and this cannot be done without diverting from the natural fall (the course of rivers) all pollutions of what kind soover, nor without enacting municipal laws for the regu lative of all porno and dralna&e,'-',builder, BAIL COURT.-(TIIIS DAY.) (Before Mr. Justice ERLE.) Sir B. Marshall took the oath upon his appoi►,tment as Admiral of Vie Fleet. Mr. Justice Erie, after hearing two or three motions involv . ng no point of interest, sat at nisi prius, and dis posed of 6erezal underended cause?. BOW-STREET.—(THIS DAY.) Two men, nem e 1 Johnson and Williams, were charged V 4 before Mr. Jardine under the following suspicious cir• cumstarxes:— It appeared from the evidence of Police-constable Pritchard, 137 A, that about seven o'clock last evening, he was on duty in plain clothes, and while in Cannon row, Parliament -street, he saw the two prisoners lurking about. He watched them, and soon after o ards the eon / stable on the beat passed, and the two prisoners tope ! rated. As soon as the constable was out of sight, the prisoners returned, rind Johnson pulled out a key and was in the act of opening the street-door of a house, when witness took him into custody. Williams made his escape, and Johns , n was remove' to the station house, where he was search, d, and a quantity c f lucifer , matches were found upon him, also some wax, and the key. About twelve o'clock, a female came to the police station with some blanket., and said they were for a person who was locked up. She did not know his name, and from her peculiar Lebaviour, Inspector Otway directed the witness to watch her. The blankets were refused to be taken in, and she le ft with them in her possession. The constable followed her over West minster-bridge, and through a number of dark streets, until she reached a house in Webber row, Lambeth. She knocked at the door, which was immediately opened by the prisoner Williams, who re ceived her into the passage, and closed the door. The constable approached the door, and was able to see into the passage by means of two panes of glass ovJr the door, which acted as a fan-light. the constable knocked at the door, and the prisoner Williams instantly ran down stair-, and concealed himself in a closet in the kitchen. The door was opened by the woman, and the constable took the prisoner into custody. There were several men and women in the house, who were well known to the police as suspicious characters. Inspector Otway said, the house which the prisoners attempted to enter was an empty one, and it led to the backs of the houses in Parliament-stree`. The prisoners denied all knowledge of each other, and Inspector Otway said, if they were remande I, he could prove that they had both been convicted, and had only recently been liberated from gaol. Mr. JA RDINE then remanded the prisoners until Fr day next. MARLBRO - -STREET-(THIS DAY.) A COOL DEFENCE. —Thomas Webb was brought be fore Mr. Hardwick, charged with having stolen a pair of trousers:value 65., the property of Mr. W. Sealy, clothier, Totenharc-court-road. George Baker, a shopman in the employ of the pro secutor, deposed that about seven o'clock on the previ ous night he was in his master's shop, when a man came and told him that a boy had stolen a pair of trousers from the shop door. Witness ran out, and saw the prisoner running towards Francis-street with the trowsers producei under his arm. He pursued him, and after a sharp chase succeeded in overtaking the prisoner who immediately threw the trousers away. A man picked them up, and afterwards gave them to witness. A constable at that moment came up and took the pri soner to the station. The prisone-, in defence, said the weather was cold, he was in rags, and seeing a comfortable pair of trousers hanging at prosecutor's door, he thought he might as well take them. Mr. HARDWICK committed him f trial MANSION-HOUSE.—Last evening a splendid dinner was given by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to his civic brethren and their ladies. Covers were were laid for 70. Amongst the guests we noticed—Lord John Russell, M.P. ; Mr. J. Masterman, M.P., and Miss Stone; Lord Mayor of York and Miss Wilkinsor, Mayor of Stafford, Si; John and Lady Key, Sir W. and Miss Magnay, Sir Georg e an d L a dy C arro ll, Si r J ames Duke, M.P., and Mrs. Hill; Mr. Alderman Farebrother andr,the Misses Farebrother, Mr. Alderman Humphery, M.P., and Mrs. Humphery, Mr. Alderman Gibbs, Mr. Alderman Hooper and MY. Hooper, Mr. Alderman Musgrove and Mrs. Musgrove, Mr. Alderman Moon and Miss Moan, Mr. Alderman Carden and Mrs. Carden, Mr. Sheriff Lawrence and Mrs. .Lawrence, Mr. Sheriff Nicoll and (his sister) My. Allen, the Commissioner of Police, M r . C . Pearson, 1'.1'.; Mr. Under-Sheriff Mil lard and Mrs. Millard, Mr. Under-Sheriff Wire and Mrs. Wire, the Rev. Charles Marshall (chaplain to the Lord Mayor) and Mrs. Marshall, Mr. W. D. Staring, and Mr. 15. H. Stone. After the dinner a magnificent ball was given in the Egyptian -hall to about 500 gue, , ,,ti, who had been previously invited. Supper was served in the old ball-room at twelve o'clock, and Cie company sera rat,:al at a late hour et' the meriting. TUB REPEALED NAVIGATION' LAWS.—IMPORTA— TION OF EAST ,INDIA. PF.ODUCE.—A vessel arrived at St. Katherine DA!ks, f.-om Rotterdam,ha 3 brought an entire cargo cf rattar, comprising 18,237 bundles of the article. These rattans are doubtless of East India produce, and would, under the laws of navigation recently in force, have been inadmissible to ju e i n t tr e y o , m b e u i t n a to re fo n r o ewe, under e th n e Repeal - titledto A th ef e w pr h i i v e i h leg h e, as although imported from Europe. Another vessel has, we find, also arrived i n t h e same docks from Rotterdam, laden entirely with the same description of merchandise, comprising 15,794 bundles of the article. The 'Lyre letters speak of business being active in the marktits, but cotton and coffee were the tso arti cles chiefly attracting fittsptiO. the fact was that the result of this case might make the HAYMA.RKET THEATRE. d(fendlntli4hle for other claim, amounting to 3,0004 On the love of a high-born leelv f ir her serf, Mr, The CounT fare ito grant a rule, thinidng that the Sheridan Knowles founded one cf the most beautiful affidavits were not strong enough, on the ground of stir lonfohis_drames.,.Lo,ve: an , d !, the Charlespat of t r he u. prize; but they wished it to be understood that their de- Ay hasw crceteu by su .. cision would not prejudice any subsequent andication to ) tnat ever seen the play can irget fir r Countess the Court in respect (1 other actions of a similar nature 4 ago rat the defendant. of D t p 11'i-et-born enstcin ? On th e l ove o f a 11'-born lady for her serving -man Mr. Buckstone has founded one 1 of the most lively and bustling of ccniedies, Leap Year, and again is the heroine created by Mrs. Charles Kean, with equal taste, equal grace, equal feeling, equal propriety, and equal effect ; her Mrs. Flora Fiowerdew is as perfect a specimen of the highest order of comedy as is her Countess of Eppenstein of tragedy. Having written Married Life, in which no lovers are introduced, Single Life, in which none but lovers are introduced, and in which every male who figures in the piece, be he gentle man or serving- man , pops the question to some fair damsel, with whom he eventually pairs off, Mr. Buckstone in Leap Year reverses the plot of Single Life, for in his new comedy the ladies pop the question to the gentlemen, and all are at the end paired off, save an old bachelor, who is in every sense of the word the odd man of the piece. Mr. Buckstone's own account of his comedy is as fol lows :—" This comedy was suggested by an extract from an old volume dated 1601, and entitled An Act to amend the Laws of Courtship and Matri monie.' Albeit it is now become part of the com mon law in regard to the social relations of life, that as often as every Bissextile year cloth return, the ladyes have the sole privilege of making love unto the men, which they doe either by wordes or lookes as unto them seemeth proper; and no man will be en titled to the benefit of clergy, who cloth refuse to accept the offer of a lady, or who doth in any wise treat her proposal with neglect or contumely.' We know no particulars relating to the " old vo lume" alluded to by Mr. Buckstone, but we trust that if from its pages he can gather hints for the construc tion of another comedy as amusing as that which was produced here last evening, under the title of Leap Year, or the Ladies' Privilege, he will by no cacaos suffer that said old volume to quit his possession. ' At the opening of the comedy we find a certain rich young widow, Mrs. Flora Flowerdew (Mrs. Charles Kean) who is obliged, ere three days expire, to take unto herself a husband on pain of forfeiting the whole of the wealth which she has inherited from her husband, for such are the terms of his will. A warm hearted Irish girl, Miss Sally O'Leary (Mrs. Fitz william), is residing with her, and is indefatigable in her endeavours to provide suitors to please her, but Mrs. Flowerdew frankly acknowledges that she has never been in lore, that she will not marry unless she can love, and that she is determined to sacrifice her fortune rather than give her' hand where she cannot give her heart. A variety of suitors are introduced, among others Captain Mouser (admirably acted by Selby) a foolish foppish officer in the army, whose father had been an attorney, and who on being rejected brings in a regular bill of costs and charges against the widow, the taxing of which by Miss O'Leary creates much farcical fun; Mr. Dimple (Mr. Buckstone) a vulgar " gent, " cousin to the widow, who being taken into the house on trial threatens to dismiss all the servants and ends by coming home at night very, very drunk, :indeed, and is in conse quence summarily ejected ; and a very ner vous old gentleman, Sir Soloman Solus (Mr. Keeley), who offers his services to save the property by marrying the widow, being perfectly willing to part from her at the church door, and never see her again, his only object being to contract some matrimonial alliance by which he may free him self from the advances of Miss Desperate (Mrs. W. Clifford), who having been told by an astrologer that unless she shall be married before she shall have com pleted her 49th year, she will not live to see her 50:h birthday, has fixed upon poor Sir Solomon to save her from her doom, and persecuted him accordingly. These are in turn rejected. The widow, however, loves, loves without at first being aware cf it, loves ardently, devotedly loves her own footman, William Walker (Mr. Charles Kean). Walker has been taken into her service without a character, and ! it is evident th a t hi s m i n d an d hi s education are both ! above the common order; it would also appear, from divers poetical quotati ons i n w hi c h he indulges, which were always aptly introduced and exquisitely recited by Mr. Charles Kean, that he cherishes a hopeless passion for his mistress, but he never abates!one jot or tittle of that deep respect which is her due as his mistress, and only manifests his regard by a thousand little attentions to her comfort and pleasure; neatly mended pens are always laid on her writing desk, choice flowers are carefully placed within her reach, and her favourite books are always placed ready for her perusal. It is therefore, natural that she should take an interest in this servant, natural, toe, that when others find fault with him she should defend him ; and it is not until in a mere spirit of banter her Irish friend alludes to her pre ference for the shoulder knot that she becomes aware of the real state of her heart. She at first rejects the idea of the possibility of her being in love with Walker as an absurdity which she attempts to laugh off, but her passion is too strong to permit her to continue long in this state of self-deception, and she at length becomes fully aware of the true state of her position. The acting of Mrs. Charles Kean in this scene was perfection ; never has the conflict be tween pride and love been more exquisitely delineated. She determines to make Miss O'Leary her confidante, has commenced her confession, which, however, her pride will not permit her to finish, and, bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter, she declares she has been quizzing all the while, and abruptly quits the room. She then sends for Walker, and orders him to quit the house instantly ; not to reply, but to go. He suspects the cause, but restrains his feelings ; yet throws such tenderness into his manner of bidding her adieu, that it is evident even to her, not withstanding his outward show of respect, that her passion is returned. In the meanwhile the next heir becomes clamorous for the pro perty, but one day is left for her in which to decide, and he refuses all compromise, declaring he will have all or none. She now avows to her friend her love fur Walker, and Miss O'Leary asks why does she not marry him ? At first she re volts at the idea of such a mesalliance, but her argu ments being overruled by the warm-hearted Irish girl, she says that the thing is impossible, because she cannot propose to - Walker, and she is very sure Walker would never propose to her. Miss O'Leary provides a remedy ; she reminds her that it is leap year, and in order to show how matters ought to be managed, she herself proposes to Mr. Dimple, and is accepted. 'Walker, who has come for his box, is forthwith ordered up into the drawing-room by Miss O'Leary, who, taking Dimple with her, quits the room, and leaves the lovers (we may now call them so) alone. Here was a position full of danger and difficulty, the lady is to propose marriage to her own footman ; and in any other hands than those of Mr. and 'Mrs. Charles Kean, these dangers and these difficulties would not have been overcome ; but so admirably was the scene acted by both, so full of natural grace and modesty was the acting of Mrs. Charles Kean in making the avowal, and so true to nature was the manner in which, the avowal made, she at once rushes away, leaving her lover as though she were afraid both of him and of herself, that this the most dangerous was also the most triumphant scene of the piece. This serving man proves, however, to be no serving man at all; he is the heir, the person who re fused all compromise, and who has adopted this disguise in order to study the character of the young widow. All the others are paired off except Sir Solomon, who is surprised to find that by a stratagem concocted by Mrs. Crisp (Mrs. Keeley), the widow's lady's maid, Miss Desperate has been palmed off upon the fortune hunting Captain Mouser. The piece was very strongly cast, Mrs. Keeley taking a small soubrette part, and Clark making the most buttony, lisping, and laugh able of page'. At the conclusion there was a loud call for the principal performers, and the curtain again drew up on the final tableau, after which the comedy was announced by Buckstone for repetition every evening, amidst the enthusiastic applause of a house crowded to excess in every part. LITERATURE. THE A l ` - :GLO-SAXON: No. V. Toe Anglo- Sqxon having completed the first year of his existence as a quarterly, commences the year 1850 as a mmthly. The pre,sent number, albeit occasionally disfigured by affectations (as are all the publications cf the Young England school), is ou the whole admirable, ard eminently calculated to esta blish amity and good-will among all Anglo-Saxons, an object which the writers in this periodical have deeply at heart. We particularly admire the friendly feeling displayed towards our transatlantic Anglo- Saxon brethren, with whom we would fain see an enduring entente cordiale established. An alliance between England and the United States is the most natural, as well as the most profitable, alliance that either country could enter into. We are delighted to find that the Anglo-Saxon takes up the defsnee of that honour to the Anglo-Saxon race, Sir James Brooke, against those psuedo-humanitarian calumiators who seem to imagine that " ev:l speaking, lying, and slandering," are al l fair, provided the person slandered has the mitifortune t o be a white, and that "picking and stealing" are positively virtuous, provided the pickers and stealers be blessed with a black skin, from which emanates a scent more strong than agreeable. We extract the following from this admirable paper : " Among t.:e calumnies which have been spread, we must mention one, which is the most scandalous as it is the most false. It has been said that Sir Janes Brooke has attacked these pirat3s fa. the Government reward, whereas it must be well known that the reward is only given t the officers and men employed in her Majesty's service. The great expense cf the expedition is at the Raja's private cog, and so far from his deriving any benefit from the slain or the captured, we know, on the best authority, that to save bloodshed, the Baja paid the full Slave -mark e t price of the captives who were rescued alive in the conflict. Moreover, his first act was to restore all the prisoners, without retaining hostages, to their homes and to their families, with the assurance that, in all peaceful and lass fal pursuits, they would ever find in him a f.iend an a protector. One 'Ado child was found among the cal tives, deserted in the boat; this, with some others, was car( fully provided for, and placed under the care of Mr. M'Dougall, the wife cf the excellent mis sionary at Sarawak. having p I - formed these gratifying deeds of mercy, Sir James, with all the officers of the fleet, the resident. , , and many c f the natives, proceeded to lay the foundation beam of the first Christian church in Borneo, the erection of which the Raja has promoted and encouraged with all his heart. The Rev. F. T. M.'Dougall, who bad been educated as a physician, was most diligent in his attendance upon the sick and the wounded, who had returned from the expedition, and 1 we subjoin M r . M'Do uga ll' s account of the ceremony of laying tbc foundation of the church : — " " Sarawak, A ug . 2 8, 1849. This has been a happy day to me, as it has pleased God to allow u., after many delays and difficulties, pub lieiy to lay the foundation of our church. At one o'clock the Raja and suite, and all the naval officers, in full dress, together with all the English residents, assem bl e d at t h e Mission ; an d we th en w ent in procession to Church-hill, where the workmen's shed was dressed with evergreens and the flags of the Albatross ; and the foundation sleeper, an uncommonly beavy block o f i ronwood, slung over the trench into whichit was to be lowered by the Raja. It was a delightful service to me: may God prosper our work! We put all the Victoria coins we could collect into the heart of the sleeper, and over that was nailed the inscription, to be replaced, if need be, by any more suitable one the committee may sugg es t.' " Mr. M'Dou ga ll also expresses hi s trust that the day is not far dist int when our wild people, like the New Zealanders, whom I fancy they much resemble, will be ' come a most interesting and powerful Chri s ti an nat i on; ' and he further observes, this last expedition up the Rejang and Sarebas has, as I anticipated , gon e f ar t o s o i p o e n n a a m m o o ng most e the x tribes te asi y e of t i h n o te i r o e t s e t r i i n o g r, fieldnho whose o o t n h o e m Ableirsa and wealth seem to be, from what has now been heard and seen cf them, far greater than was bef ire imagined.'" We cannot close this notice without calling the attention of the public to the exquisite beauty of the type with which the Angle-Saxon is printed. As a specimen of typography . the present number is perfect. It is illustrated by a lithograph of the monument proposed to be erected to Alfred, at Vantage, and by an engraving from Mr. Blaikley's large historical picture of Alfred the Great dividing his loaf with the beggar. BRADSHAW'S GENERAL RAILWAY DI RECTORY, SHAREHOLDERS' GUIDE, MANUAL, and ALMANACK for 1850. This useful work, which may be considered as par excellence the Railway Annual, co n t a i ns complete lists of the directors, engineers, secretaries, and prin cipal officers of all the railways in the kingdom, of the amalgamations and leases of lines, with the rent and tolls of the same, together with the guaranteed stocks, and dividend or interest payable by each line of rail way, Under the head of " Shareholders' Manual" we find an elaborate account, carefully compiled by Mr. John Er:wards, of the Manchester Stock Exchange, showing the rise, progress, and present position of railways of the United Kingdom, in cluding those established in British possessions land dependencies abroad, and also of such foreign railways as have been most known in this coun try. Every railway shareholder, and every one intending to invest money in railways, should study attentively Bradshaw's Railway Directory. It is illustrated by a map of Great Britain, with all the. lines of railway laid down. WEBSTER'S ROYAL RED BOOK for January, 1850. This is the most perfect Court and Finhionfible Guide that has ever appeared. The " Street Guide" is very comprehensive, and the alphabetical list of names full and complete. The improvements in troduced into the Red Book of 1849 are continued in the edition for 1850. The work is printed in a clear type and is got up in an elegant manner. DIAMOND DUST. (From Eliza Cook's Journal.) Mate-ial objects become so eltwimd with the Oren tens our joys, and whose tra nqu il b eaufes have soothel our sorrows, eamnoarY; th e seenel O m have witnessed speet so like t'_:a° , ,old and v a l ue d friends, that the pang c.f separat i on from them amouits to agony. i d Remorse h u e r rr s the echo cf a lost v i r t ue . an a s t sre Those who cry the It:Aulest have generally least to sell. Gue:t3 are oft-in invit2cl to witness he ostTnta'ion of the ho: t. The poet yearning aft•-r sympathy may at least eojoy one consolation—tao thought Pat many kindred spirits, ei tho eh u n unknown . to ea him, know an d l ove hi m, and parti pwe i his sentur t.. There is no rea!ady more severe than habitual dis content. NEW REFORM BILL. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR,—I send you annexed a copy of a letter I have addressed to the editor of the Inquirer, occasioned by his remarks'on a new Reform Bill in his paper of the 12th instant, and if you think it worth a place in your more extended publication I shall feel obliged by your inserting it when convenient. I am, Sir, yours respectfully, Thorne, Jan. 15, 1850. W. WRIGIITSON. TO THE EDITOR OF THE INQUIRER. " Sir,—l have read the excellent remarks in your eading article of the 12th instant, on a New Reform Bill, but I do not think that a five-pounds occupation franchise would materially improve the constituency. If you refer to my letter which you were kind enough to insert in your paper of the 25th of August last, you will there see an intellectual quali fication pointed out, which would bring within the pale of the Constitution all the parties referred to by you, as soon as they had attained their majority, and could show, by going through a simple and welt-de tined educational test, the probability that they were capable of exercising a sound discretion in the elec tion of a Member of Parliament. A five-pounds occupation qualification would, I think, do nothing of the kind. We don't want the property qualification lowering, but the intellectual qualification raising, for the greatest dunce in the kingdom, if he be not quite insane, may now vote if he happens to possess 40s. a year in freehold property. Bat let every man (not being a pauper nor convicted of crime) who can work out correctly rule-tf-three questions in arithme tic have a vote, and you may then safely do away with all other qualifications; and by this simple means the constituency would be greatly improved not only in intellectual strength but moral worth, a vast impetus would be given to self-culture (the best of all culture), and no one could reasonably complain For want of universal suffrage, as ignorance and crime would be the only disqualifying causes. "‘ Then, indeed, the absence of a vote would be regarded as a shame and a disgrace, not to the Legis lature, but to the individual who, by his own default, was excluded from the privileges belonging to his fellow-men. There would be but little difficulty in applying the test and bringing the system into opera ion. It would also possess this recommendation, that it would contain within itself the elements fur the future extension of the suffrage as occasion should arise. It would be perfectly safe, for a higher qualification could scarcely be suggested, and it would be satisfactory to the great body of the work ing classes, whose discontent and dissatisfaction at their present condition is fraught with the utmost danger to the community in general.'* " And to prevent the new franchise from being un satisfactory or troublesome to the voters at present on the register, I would suggest that they should all continue on the register during the remainder of their lives, whether they part from their present qualification or not ; but that all new candidates for the elective franchise should be examined by the rule-of-three test, and then that they also, when once on the register should remain there for life. " This plan has been submitted to one of the most eminent and influential reformers of the present day, who in reply said--' I know no better test for the franchise than that which you point out, hut do not doubt, if proposed, we should find as many objections is there are to the plan proposed by Mr. Hume. For my own part, impoifect as our proposition is, I do not think it would be wise to abandon it, unless we could see our way to carry a better.' " I have long considered the test I propose the best adapted to improve the electoral body ; I li ive never beard a sound objection advanced against it, .ttiel as I think the adoption of it would benefit the nation, I shall be much obliged if you can find room ARGYLE ROOMS. Festivities and d anc i ng go hand in hand at this period of the year, and there is no room for wonder, therefore, that this att ract i ve and elegant resort is now considered in the zenith of its popularity. Not a night passes but its Promenade and galleries are thronged with gaily a t t i red votaries of Terpischore, who rattle through quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas with a gusto and energy that warms and enlivens the coldest and dullest o f mankind. La dense hitherto has been considered amusement peculiar to our volatile Gallic neighbours, but nothing is so catching as dancing, and with th e rapid intercommunication that now exists between the two nation., it is by no means surprising if that is one of the many habits we have recently imported from the continent. It is, however, only right that rational and healthy tastes should be readily encouraged, and since " tripping it on the light fantastic toe," which certainly partakes of that character, has become so general amongst the middle and loweral asses of society, it is the duty of all who have it in their power to support those esta blishments where this pastime can be indulged in hich are th e best regulated and the most appro priately managed. Now any one who has ever paid a visit t o t h e rooms must have b een struck with the strict decorum that is always enforced, while the urbanity and polite feeling and attention of those whose task it is to conduct the ceremonies, must have been no less worthy of his remark; nor i s mere danci ng th e so l e attraction, inasmuch as music of the highest order is plentifully provided for the entertainment of those who, like the Chinese, think dancing a labour to be performed by servants, and prefer looking on to the labour it demands. M. Laurent, junior's, skill and ability as a musical con ductor i s we ll known and appreciated in the metro polis. Il e i s second only to Jullien in his style, a n d to the l over of orchestrial music, or the devotee of la danse, we say, go to the Argyle Rooms. The annual soiree of the Whittington Club and ME , ropolitan Athenaeum took place last evening, and was most numerously attended. The proceerlinga were opened by a brief and appropriate address from the Preiident, M r . C. L us bi ngton , M.P. Af ter an excellent selectio n o f mus k' , i n wh i ch Mi ss R a i n f orth, Miss Anne Homer, a n d ot h er f avour i te p er f o r mers di splayed their thill, and an i nterva l d evote d t o the inspe c ti on o f the picture 3 and various works t f art with which the upper rooms were crowded, dancing commenced, at eleven o'clock ; and, altheudi, freon their number, somewhat straitened for room even in that capacious salon, the votaries of Terpsichore were, at the period of our ee parture, doing ample justice to the strains of Putnain's band. This escMent and increasing institution already !mint 07ti sixteen hundere 1 members, and will, doubil es , from the admirable arrangements of the establishment, and its happy and unities-) combination of lit erary and scientific and merited success which i ts friends instru c tio n w ith social enjoynlint, ola!aia tli t v, permanent and supporters anticipate. The announcement of the re-election of Mr. Lushingt )ri t) the presidency for the ensuing yt a- vas received with extreme approba tion. His devotion ti the interests of the institution was on the present occasion more conspicuous than thst of the vice-president. , , none of whom attended to support him, in consequence (we suppose) of the inclement state ef t'.e weath er . Th e Whittingtonian s d eserve success in their career o f soc i a l areelioratior, and t h ey have our best wishes fur its attairment. As a pr oo f o f t h e i r good and thri v i ng d omes ti c arrang ement, it may be mentioned that the profits to the general fund resulting from the dining and refreshment department amounted on the lass quarter to 2004 `Or tt,is letter in your paper. " I am, Sir, yours respectfully, " W. WRIGHTSON. " Thorne, Yorkshire, Jan. 14, 1850." * The Sun Newspaper, July 11, 1849. THE METROPOLITAN COMMISSION OF SEWERS. — Yesterday a court was appointed to be held fur the pur pose rf making a district sewers rate on the Ranelagh district. After waling fur an hour, however, the num ber cf comreisioners required by the Act cf Parliament t) attend could not be nnistercd, and in conaecinence the court Was adjouratti till Friday neat. ADDRESS PRESENTED TO MR. BUCKINGHAM AT ALLOA. At the close of Mr. Buckingham's course of lec tures at Alloa, on the evening of Thursday, the 20th December, 1849, and in the presence of a large number of his friends and admirers, the following Address was proposed, in the name of the committee of management, by the Rev. P. M'Dowall, and una nimously and cordially adopted by the meeting, in the United Presbyterian Church at Alloc. "TO JAMES SILK BUCKINGHAM, EF.Q. " Honoured Sir,—At the conclusion of this, your third course of lectures, delivered in Alloa during three successive seasons, to large and deeply inte rested audiences, we beg leave to express to you our gratitude for the valuable information which we have received, and for the high intellectual enjoyment which we have experienced during each of these three courses, from the commencement to the close. " It is interesting to sit at the feet of a traveller who has visited many foreign lands, it is peculiarly interesting to sit at the feet of of one who has perhaps seen more of the surface of the globe which we in habit than any man now living. " Some travellers, who have seen much, want powers of observatior. But Providence has blessed you with the rare talent of collecting and treasuring up rich stores of information, regarding almost every object, and every event coming in your way, that could interest and instruct your fellow-men. " Some travellers can collect information, though they cannot communicate what they have collected. But all of us here present, and thousands elsewhere, can testify to the admirable talent for description, and that natural easy eloquence, which gives all your hearers almost as vivid an impression as if they had been fellow-travellers along with yourself. " Some travellers, who can both observe and com municate, are tempted to confine their information to themselves. But you have felt it to be the en joyment of your heart, as you have made it the work of many laborious years, to spend your strength for the instruction and moral elevation of your fellow creatures. " In these courses of lectures, embracing, as they have done, so many momentous topics connected with political economy and the science of government, it was to be expected that your opinions would not, in every point, coincide with the opinions of some of your hearers. But even the few, who sometimes were conscious of diversity of sentiment, could not but admire the manly frankness with which your views were stated, and the gentlemanly good feeling which rendered it impossible for even the most sensitive to take offence, " We do not profess, Honoured Sir, to be ignorant of your eventful and useful history. As the friend of Eastern India and its countless population, we have observed your self-sacrificing exertions to promote good government in that vast and important depen dency of the, British empire —exertions which were praised by statesmen when they were in opposition, but which have been forgotten by the same statesmen now that they are in power. "As a Member of the British Senate, in two seve ral Parliaments, we have admired Sour successful efforts in originating and promoting many impor tant measures of moral and economical reform. And as a philanthropist, in the important depart ments of education, and temperance, and peace, and enlightened human freedom, we have been de lighted with your laborious exertions—through the press in your ,voluminous writings, and by the platform in your admirable lectures—to enlighten the human mind, to improve the human heart, and to increase the aggregate amount of human happiness. "We are aware that, like many other philanthro pisti before you, who were in advance of the age, it hss been your lot to labour long for the benefit of mankind, with very little patronage from the power ful, and with much pecuniary loss to yourself. But you enjoy the divine satisfaction of doing good; and as you have already witnessed many of the blessed fruits of your labours, so you may cherish the joyful assurance, that the precious seeds of wisdom and morality which you have sown so extensively over the surface of society, shall, in due time, through the blessing of a bounteous Heaven, produce an abundant and happy harvest. "As you have intimated that this is likely to be your last public visit to Alloa, it is with much sin cere regret that we have now to pronounce to you, Honoured Sir, the painful word—FArtsweee! To the respect and veneration which we cannot but che rish for you as an instructor, we feel that your fre quent visits, and your familiar intercourse, have war ranted us in adding the confidence and affection of friendship. Although we should not be honoured with another visit, we shall continue to take a deep and an increasing interest in your benevolent and self-denying labours ; and we can assure you, dear Sir, that if our warmest wishes are gratified, your life will be long, and useful, and happy. "It is our earnest and united prayer, that Ged may spare you, and strengthen you to labour for many years to come, fur the illumination of this world's ignorance, and fe. the rnitigetion of this world's misery ; and after your earthly labours shall have come to a close, may you, with your dear part ner in life, and your beloved family, be admitted at last, through the grace of our Divine Itt.deerner, to that • better country,' from which ignorance and mi sery—and sin, the cause of both—shall be for ever excluded. S . gned, in the name and by the appointment of the meeting, "WILLIAM FRASER ) Minister, Chairman.' I atr, Sir, your obedient servant, Bruton-street, Jan. 15. C. E. SCOTT, TO TRH EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE. Sir,—When Mr. Greener assures me that his pro fessional report on Sir Claude Scott's gun-barrel was published without his knowledge, it would be unbe coming in me to disbelieve his assertion, or to doubt his word, by requiring the proof he says he possesses. I, therefore, claim equal credence when I assure him that Messrs. Deane were not directly er indirectly cognizant of the contents of my letter, or of my inten tion to write in their defence when I first sent it for publication. You may suppose the then not a little pleased when a pamphlet subsequently reached rre, entitled " George and John Deane's defence of them selves and their guns, from charges brought against both by the Company of Guntnakers and others. In this they allege great ill-will towards them, thus jus tifying and disposing of the " bold imputation " lam charged with. It would seem that I have lessened Mr. Greener's consequenee, having " transposed Evans and Clive into the position held by himself and Mr. Greenfield." Unknown to every party in Birmingham, where, to the best of my recollection, I never passed an hour in my life, I could but . suppose them to be nulli se cundus." Colonel Hawker is really answerable for this slur; it was from his letter I gleaned the names of Clive and Evans for perfect workmanship ; with such a testimonial in their favour they can go on and prosper, for they want none other. I cannot so easily part with Mr. Greener's profes ; sional report denouncing this barrel as of " spurious composition," although published without his know ' ledge. It is not what is or what is not the best metal to be used, the real question being—Did Deane employ a cheap manufacturer, or the reverse ? If the former, he is guilty ; if the latter, then, as stated in my first letter, Purday, Lancaster, and others are liable to a similar catastrophe. I pin him to his own words, "spurious composition," and proof of this must not be evaded by a treatise on "lami nated steel." Why Mr. Greener well knows, which I did not until recently, who the manufacturer of this barrel is. He denies the charge. The barrel itself (I am told) denies it. Has he not, and is he not, employing him at this very moment P I can tell the sporting world that he stands unrivalled, and is employed by all the first gunmakers of this metro polis. Why, then, continue insinuations as to the in feriority of Deane's materials, unless it be to support high prices and to annihilate low ones ? I plead guilty to the charge of " bias ;" show me the man without one. I have a " bias " for fair competition, I have a " bias" for the best article at the lowest price, for Adams, Deane's manager, because he supplies it. The trade are well aware that he knows his business, and would perhaps gladly see him anywhere rather than where he is : discharge him and my " bias" for Deane ceases. I have no " bias" for hint on the score of intimacy or self-interest, for I never enter the shop more than three or four times in a year, and then just before the shooting season commences. This equally applies to Deane, whom I have rarely seen there. I come now to the most extraordinary part of Mr. Greener's letter, Can he be serious when he says, "It does not necessarily follow that because a vacuum (I call it a space) exists between the cartridge and the charge of powder, that a barrel must burst ? Well-made barrels (here a hit at Deane) will admit of very great space, and yet not burst ; two charges of powder can be exploded in an ordinary sized bar rel, the bore effectually stopped with a steel plug leaving no vent for this enormous force but by bursting the barrel, or by escaping by the small orifice in the nipple, like steam from a safety valve." Will any gentleman like to try his gun, made of the " laminated steel" he boasts of, with a large space between the charges, or with a steel plunger at the bore, to see if the powder will's come out harmless at the 'Apple ? It any one be bold enough, let me recommend him to be first supplied with a pump for the exhaustion of atmospheric air, or woe betide him. What Air. Greener's ofject is in publishing such a statement, I cannot imagine. " Mr. - Urquhart forgets that to injudicious reduction in the barrel the accident was attributed." Attributed by whom ? By Mr. Greener's unsupported testi mony, broadly contradicted by Messrs. Deane. It was not attributed to " reduction" so much as to " spurious composition." With their defence in my hand, I see no reason to retract my " panegyric," or one expression in my first letter, designated an " in congruous effusior, ' which with more propriety should be called a " disagreeable one." Henceforth I must refer objectors to MEssrs. Deane, who must be their own spokesmen, for I will neither write nor answer any more letters. Having passed the meri dian of life, it is with myself only that I am disposed to enter into controversy; I therefore bid all those whose names I have brought forward firewell. If, in the pursuit of fair play I have damaged any, it has been unintentional ; if I have bonefitted any, it is, Mr. Editor, through your instrumentality, and you are entitled to share the pleasure. I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, W. A. URQUHART. Ley ton, Essex, Jan. 14 TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE. S'r,—Seeing in your journal, of the 12th instant, a letter signed by a person of the name of Greener, of Birmingham, alleging that no danger can accrue from a vacuum between the powder and shot bring left in a gun-barrel —nay, that the muzzle may be stopped up with a steel plug, and the barrel loaded with a double charge of powder without a chance of bursting—l trust you will not permit so insane a statement to pass uncontradicted, lest a false security might thereby be engendered, and the sporting public find too late they had trusted to one of the most dangerous delusions ever put forth. What the writer's motive may be for such a st.Ae ment—whether from the most lamentable ignorance or a more questionable object, I cannot pretend to guess; the fatal issue would he the same. Allow me, then—ovith a view to give a fist con tradiction to so disastrous a theory —to lay before you the result of a series of experiments made some years ago by a friend who had the misfortune to very seriously injure his hand by the bursting of one of Joseph Manton's guns. The cause of the accident became at the time a subject of investigation, as my friend had neglected to pass his ramrod into the left barrel, after having re peatedly discharged the right, and concluded it to have arisen from the formation of a vacuum. The experiments were as follow : Exp. I. The sound barrel was loaded with an ordi nary charge of powder and shot with the usual wad ding, and a thick pasteboard wadding placed in the barrel three inches from the muzzle. On discharging, it burst open from the wadding tw o inches ttiwn wards, the pasteboard wad not having been displacet.i. Exp. 2. The fractured part was then sawn off, aid the barrel loaded as before —the pasteboard wad again placed three inches f rom the muzzle. On disch arg i ng, it again burst, about three inches down from he wadding. Exp. 3. The broken part again sawn off, and loaded as before, the pasteboard wad placed as in the former trials. On discharging, the wad was blown out, and no fracture took place; but on reloading, and placing two wads instead of one three inches from the muzzle, the barrel again burst about three inches down. Exp, 4. Tne br o k en par t sawn off as before; but now it did not bur s t un til t h e th i rd shot, and three wads had been placed three inches from the muzzle • when again ab ou t th ree i nches more was fractured, but the wads not disturbed. Thus, Sir, you see that a gun of the best manu facturer known at that ti me was b urst four times suc cessively, by only placing from one to three paste hoard wads within a few inches of the muzzle. Whbt, then, becomes of the monstrous assertion of your Birmingham correspondent, of there being no danger in a vacu um , an d equa ll y unsc i e ntific and ridiculous addition, that the explosive force would pass through the hole of the nipple ? If the Jives of sportsmen are to be placed in the most imminent peril by th e assertions of ignorant or interested individun l F, it is high time that men of science should tale the matter up, and s h ow the dangerous fallacy of giving the slight es t cre d ence to their assertions. I beg, in conclusion, to say that I am prepared, when required, to produce full proofs of the experi ments above detailed ; and am, Sir, Your obedient servant, Gloucester-place, Jau. 14. T. GRIFFIN. [The article headed " Guns with Steel Barrels," which appeared in The Sun of Monday, was copied from the Times.—En. Sun.] Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial office from the Governor of the Filikind laws, STEEL BARREL. CONTRO VERSY. TO THE _EDITOR OP THE SUIV. SIR,—As the subject of steel barrels and excessive reduction after proof has occasioned so much contra dictory discussion, I consider it but just and fair to all parties interested to give the public the oppor tunity of forming their own opinions by actual in spection of the burst barrels, which are, as nearly a s possible, in the same state as immediately after the accident. They have been sent to Mr. Witton, 82, Old Broad-street, City, with directions to show them, with the reports of Mr. Greener and the Gunmakers' Company, and the defence of Messrs. Deane, to all persons who may wish to examine them. Messrs. Deane are in error in stating I said " the right barrel had been fired several times," and hence a vacuum was caused in the left ; the fact being the latter only had been last discharged, and re'oaded carefully, five minutes before it burst with a double shot. With the evidence of the barrels themselves, and the different statements before them, the public will be able to decide on their merits, and do justice to all parties. ENSUING- Before the strife of the ensuing session has ctually commenced we are t empted to offer a few a suggese Lions up on th e method cf transacting business in the two Houses, the adoption of which might exercise a favourable influence upon the character as well as the amount of business actually performed, when we come to review the history of the session some six months hence. We do not now make the slightest pretension to having discovered any patent system of law -making, by which six months cm be made to do the work of a whole year. The recommendations we have to offer are but two in number, and we have never Jost an opportunity for a long while past of pressing them very earnestly upon public attention, atw whenever v r sotp p c o u r r t s u n n ry y g o la ti n 'e c r t e ) d in a l l t l w m h u n s t evident a nn . take b*l o te f re t s n t ei Houses, matters, that t there a i n s d anin enthoermpouroscedeidspinrog! portion between the amount of business per_formed at the comme ncement and at t h e close of a session. This disproportion is so great that it has passed into a proverb—almost into a jest. It will be remembered that some time back the Lower House took this matter into its serious consideration, and endeavoured to find out if some remedy could not be devised for what was felt on all sides to be an un doubted evil. A Committee was appointed, before which the most competent witnesses to offer suggeae tions were examined—the Speaker of the House of Commons, distinguished Members of the Fh American Cha m b ers and other s ; and finally a renc r and eport e p r esent was presented, i n which certain ch anges i n th manner of c on d uc ti ng d e b ates in England were fa vourably spoken of. But when the matter came to be consid ere d i n f ul l House, there was found to be SO great a disinclination to meddle with established usages and time-honoured forms that the old li cense of debat e was l eft undisturbed. It was stated at the time that a kind of public opinion was growing up in the House which would prove sufficient to con trol the tendency of Honourable Gentlemen to indulge in flight s o f oratory, whether their prompt ing motive might be a whiff of vanity or a spirit of faction. Certainly a change for the better was perceptible last session, .and if it be only persevered in much irrelevant matter may be omitted from the laborious compilation of Hansard. As far as better economy of time in the House of Commons is concerned, the remedy must be left to the discre tion of the Members, acting as they do under a kind of mutual control. But there is a second change of a more directly practical kind which might prove of eminent benefit in easing one. half of the Legislature, who have more work on their bands than they can accomplish, by throwing the superabundant portion on the other half, the members of which are sitting with their hands before them during the first two thirds of .the Parliamentary session. The House of Commons has far too much, the House of Lords far too little, business brought before it until the session is just drawing to a close. As matters stand at present the English Legislature is in the position of a racing boat which should only pull the four oars of the stroke-side until the goal was in sight, and then ship these to paddle in as it best might with the bow oars. Vcrlust is wanted is a steady and uniform stroke throughout. The Parliamentary usage for some time past appears to have become almost estab lished in favour of letting the great bulk of Bills take their initiative in the Commons. Now, for many purposes, perhaps for all purposes asking patient and deliberate investigation, where the privileges of the Commons are not concerned, the Peers have great advantages over any body of popular representatives. They approach questions in a calm and judicial spirit, almost impossible of attainment in an assembly the members of which are exposed to the disturbing in fluence of the political questions of the day. The law officers of the Crown in the Lower House are so ab sorbed in the occupations arising out of their public functions, as well as in the necessary discharge of their duties to their clients, that they cannot is fair ness be charged with the additional responsibility of originating and carrying through sweeping changes in the statute-book, such as the bankrupt code of last session. Other working lawyers who may happen to be Members of the House are there rather with a view to their own professional advancement than from any loftier motives ; besides, they too have their own private practice to attend to. The lay Mem bers, again, are too much under the influence of poli tical feelings to give themselves up readily to investi gations rather of a scientific and abstract character than of immediate reference to the more exciting questions of the day. But we need not confine the questions which should take their initiative in the Lords solely to points of legal reform. Wherever there is occasion to grapple with a huge mass of dis connected facts, and to deduce from them practical conclusions and recommendations, the House of Lords may, with all propriety, be intrusted with the working of the questions. There are plenty of men to be found ainon , i‘t the Peers who are to the full as shrewd as any of their fellow-subjectF. The advan tages cf official experience are, at least, all on their side. Not only would such a change as the one we recommend be for the public interest —the great end and object of ail political machinery —and of great ease to the other brbnch of the Legislature, but it would also infuse stability into the House of Peery, and conciliate for it that kind of respect which is always given to an institution which is efficiently working for the public good. If it were the object of a G , vernmentstu liouNlv, but by covert means, to aim brow at the politica) existence rf the Peerage, we know of no more efficient method to accomplish the end than to leave them without further occupa tion than to give a fermi assert to the Bills and measures tent up to them from the Commons. We are far from insinuating that such an 'elea has ever crossed the mind of a First Minister, but if Slit,L the practical effect of his policy, it comes much to the same thing in the end. We trust that during the next session some better order may be taken in this matter, for it is one of greet national importance, whether we consider the immediate dispatch of public business, or the ultimate preservation of the balance of a Constitution which, take it all in all, has worked well, whilst every other country in Europe has under gone the greatest vicissitudes of fortune.—Times. THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS. The frost continues with unabated severity, and there seems every prospect of its enduring for some considerable time longer. The theremometer at the Royal Humane Society's receiving -house, Hyde-park, which on Monday night stood at 25 5 F., fell towards the morning to 24, but as the day advanced the mer cury rose to 27, and continued at that point till after sunset, when it again receded to 25, which was the indication at half•past seven last evening. The wind, which on Monday night was chiefly eastward, with a southerly bearing, continued to blow, until a late hour in the morning, with great violence, and accompanied at intervals with drifts of sleet, or snow. Towards evening, the wind having veered more northerly, its violence somewhat abate. 3. The baro meter yesterday afternoon, in Hyde-pail stood at 29 30. The ice on the S .rpentine was 5 inchesin thickness, but on the long water in Kesnington•gardens it was three-quarters ofan inch thicker, whilst in the R,:gent's park it had obtained a solidity of six inches—in fact, in St. James's-park, as well as the foregoing, the ice has acquired sufficient strength in all parts to admit of the full enjoyment of skating and sliding, and even promenading, without any apprehension of danger from immersion, the only exception being near the bridge over the Serpentine River in Hyde -park. At that spur, during the night of Monday, a temi.estuous gale produced an explosion beneath the ice close to the arches, which shivered the frozen surface into small pieces, opening a dear way tort, ff.e;: in width, and extending the whole breathe of the river. The explosion was uceompanied will a report. siveilar to a salvo of artilh ry, and fortuntely, not tceurring in the, day time, was not attended with d sastrous re sults. With a view to prevent any petsun from ven turitg to this Mr. Superintendent Williams had eieee g barriers placed tier,. ss ee river, on both sides of the bridg-', with the wu buards, marked "Dan g rous," and eAt no from irnmer si.m oceufeed. LE , : - neo were ,lso idoevo Lire to warn Lite skaters Lot to venture witl:n the boundary. DISS PIIILUARMONIC SOCIEM—The thirteenth auniverrary of this society was coleb:ated at the Crown Commercial Inn, Diss, on Wednesday, the 9th instant, under the able presidency of Mr. ThomaT Farrel. Nearly forty members and friends were pre'ent on the occasion, including sere! al of the most influential gen th:men of the town. Aft . -r the usual 1 03 al wails, over cu.i g111%5 aT)cl songs followed c itll) oth er i n rapid suc cession, , amongst the pi,ee, that most cl armed the ear may Le noticed the spit tel overtures to 7 Massaneello, Caliph of Bagdad, Figaro, Si.c performed in a wannerla,tiauhLieghallyld creditable pianofirte. connected with the society, whose ' - w h . ie h ' a ?er a ; to the an Wears egorts il ere ably ser '. iices of Mr. Grey at the supported by the 1 LI The numerous instrum en t a l and vocal p el f )rinanees coit ! c unequivocal ;Lillis of approval feum the company, amongst whom Vie gi eate.t unanimity and good feeling prevaqed throe h t 1 g ou tie evening. The dinner r vidid f . ti the grLotest credit ou r I:11,e , ; (ivv, or _ i t i i ! , 0: :e l iibi; . ) l l , l P i llm.ta r; hose ample providync2 I f ever , . •c ' and luXur il t n i the season wit , ' the bul , j,.ct i 1,7' Iremaik at luxury table, and fully maintained the charact-r for variety and profusion acquit el for these annual dinners by the worthy predecessor of the present host. SEWERS Re.rr.—A public meeting was I eld on Monday tvening, at the Priory Arms, Priory-rear+, for t e purr o,e c f celib rairg alt, the mode most advie able to ba adopted towards attaining a principle of per fect equality of rateage with regard to the sewers rso, the inhabitants of the parish of Lambeth believing suffi cient reason exists as t ) their being exorbitantly rated as compared with other di:tricts under the:control c-f the Metropolitan Ctmm;ssionere. A resolution was unani mously i assA that a deputat'on le firmed far the pur pose of making further inquiries in the said districts where the alleged disparity is suid to exist, and report thereon, for which purpose the meeting was adjourned, preparatory to wailing on tho Conuaiasionera. THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 16, 1850.