The Sun. — London, England, 1851-01-17 00:00:00

nA RLBRO%STREET.—(THIS DAY.) (. I. .-1.1 .it. ••,.. • • • woman, who has been couvicte t at b liies from thi s court ior vagrancy, wa, s brAtg ; t nEfore fir : Hardwick charged with being drunk and begging, ttlso assaulting Webb, one cf the Mendi,,ity con gables. Webb s t ate d that on the prey ' ous evening, a'Jout. b lf- Aattsix o'clock, ho was proceeding alert flhe h® Bond. ect, t isaw the prisoner, whom ho knew to ba a note -43 vagrant, and who was exceeding'y drunk. go lip several gentlemen, and heard her is teralf• mo te coarse than polite demand alms. The gent:emc• !epalsed her, when she went into Albema - le - street 41(1 accosted several more gentlemen, who rot'uscd to give her t k_ ta money, ced abusing whereupon sh COMMt , E ; L.' In the most fi:thy terms. Witness then took aer q ' t° custody, and on the way to the statloa sha struck afLseveral times in the face. T d ic tile priso ner d en i ed the: charge, an d sa id th e Men ton! ° fleet's were always t a k tt g her into custody fur lag at all. Il l iers ast ford p rove d more than fifty former conv i ct i ons te,ai the prisoner, and also that she had been tried at Middlesex Sessions and committed for six months. lati !r• HARDWICK sentenced her to one month's im "onatent in the House of Correction. 1, D RURY-LANE THEATRE. Ar r. Su an's new comedy, The Old Love . and _the was produced here last evening, and achieved an ae ls i apwasutakeable success, testified by the enthusiastic foli a je and hearty laughter of the audience. The Au wing iS the plot :—Captain Sidney Courton (Mr. (k r. r , a °n), the nephew of Sir Algernon Courton_ rmi, tied lively Camilla has fallen in love with the cha da nav i l e lY Camilla Ha thorn (Mrs. Nisbett), the Isl a -6 "‘" of the rough, worldly, old country Squire de Ythorn (M r. B arratt) ; but as Sidney i s ent i re l y th at on his uncle, he suggests to Camilla old i s a ne should ingratiate herself with the the klaronet before he ventures to mention 0:1 Attachment to him. Her father and herself are effe ctual) a .visit at the Baronet's residence, and she does so h i ec tually the Baronet's good opinion thathe vih rn i; e h lf , s f alis in love with her, and makes_ her an offer, care s , !to the great chagrin of old Haythorn, un- Trial omously rejected. In an interview with Miss ° I I Tet i. Mrs , Taman), a blunt, but kind-hearted his °f el:ee a h u n ' e learns that Camilla has been in the habit youn g o ff ice r, whom he suspects to be teaeePhe,Bw a , and on w h om h e i s determined to be sc ent of ,_bY discarding him. The lovers get Sir Al tu is plan, and determine to circumvent is ~ . .gernou Major substituting as the object of h alarti: a ti t aier Stock (Mr. Emery), a rough old atcl c 'forMartinet Sidney Courton. The Major arrives, x lo v i o d t zZ u f l soon induces the old fellow, who is a the second time to believe that she The IL ll , l , tve no objection to become Mrs. Major Stock. Justi ea — "ets feeling he has done his nephew an in k,. Bottles all his estates upon him, and now N't j t ° i r Stoc k is cast off and Sydney accepted as the U na , r x „' !yen by old Haythorn himself. In the mean• foiln.lss Trimmer, the old maid, turns out to be a lota t - a r a flame of Sir Algernon's, who had Rae' t. l . lloved her dead, and cherished her memory, Yo tin a n ."' e r intercession he consents to the union of the the a ' a P e °l , le, and all ends happily. In addition to th e ii47e characters, we have Stubbs, the agent to A ber ow let, quaintly acted by Mr. Artaud, and Pe aso r y Bounce, his housekeeper, admirably ins thou asted by Airs. Walter Lacy, who, al - °bir d 1 0 lam e f rom an acc id en t as to be With; t° use a era oh, yet went through the part k ris Rreat spirit. The burden of the piece falls upon viva'e'isbett, and the vvayward,volatile, witty, rattling, a ta el°lls, Yet warm-hearted Camilla, could not have had ittlipepeeur: niO fittingt representative. 'Never did Mrs. Nisbett, e fascinating than last evening, never d newaie.t better. M rs . T am did appeared in, to her , a ited Te of char ac t er , in the part of Miss Trimmer , b e ait which she may make her own, as we have as el en the stage now who could act it nearly Pres ; ` el : t Its she can. Mrs. Ternan is at the tate gt moment what Mrs. Glover was . five end ford y years ago, and in the Lady Minnie.% Mil -8 a nd the M rs. G enera l D ar t mou ths would be cel_atip P r° Behable. M r . B arra tt prove d himself an ex hati ntact °r by his performance of old Haythorn ; he d linet a broad and hearty at:,le, and a rich an . raat e ll : us humour which point him out as the legi . ti- Was ex uec essor of poor Strickland. The t h e . s l t e y e tl o ajor r time eellently performed by Emery, w aon,,tna Most sententious of Baronets, and Andpeer is th e most gallant of lovers. The comedy iht e e ra _ a , tk ably well built, and carefully written ; the Is agreeably kept up throughout, and . the tlaßogtllle'hal r ways neat, terse, .and perspicuous, is fre had 3 ' rt twit and sparkling. Mr. Sullivan has • a great success, it• The and he has fairly earned -.Lie come dy is admirably put upon the to stageti the drawing-room scene is quite equal d to b e tasteful drawing-room scenes we use le u enZ e tan a c i t t e ll : v ent-garden under the Vestris manage . - exterior of Sir Algernon's mansion is 1 1 7 beautif u l . ' f :llelusio n of All the artistes were called on at the the play, and then came loud :calls fr e r re the author, who bowed his acknowledgments at t ;; :de e d. privat e box. The theatre was very well (th e ' I RLIAMENTART BANQUETS.—Lord John Russell rh , l :irst Lord of the Treasury), as leader of the Ministerial fo r 4 1 the House of Commons, has had invitations issued ride ea" grand Par li amentary full-dress banquet, at his o ffi cial raj nee in Downing-street, on the 3d proximo, to the seve ill T h en:Thera of the Administration and Court having seats P r '."at assembly. The Marquis of Lansdowne (the Lord l t _ as ident of Par the Council) will give a grand full-dress I,"entary dinner on the 3d proximo, at Landsowne Hou se, er t l e la lge party of Peers. Lord Stanley (who is expected to te on ' °ln town on the Ist of next month) will give a sump citj banquet to the Duke of Richmond and a numerous it la of Protectionist Peers on the 3d of the ensuing month, mansio n in St. James's-square. p4At Meeting of the Middlesex Magistrates was held o rt erd aY at the Court-house on Clerkenwell-green. Re etil vi ere received from the governors of the different to ntin e p ri sons and county lunatic asylums, and the usual 'ne dated cunty biness was disposed of. Mr. Pownall dil s chairm an .tanis ne leor e f T xaGHT O'CLOCK P.M., JAN. Is —This h avin ilg the w ea th er came i n w ith a sharp biting eh),' a tendency t o f ros t. About eleven o'clock A.M. dark I „, est ua g begat to rise, with heavy squalls from the south idedqbe wind increasing with extreme violence, accompa h"tl "Y deluges of rain. It is feared mach damage has e'elo e t n " by the violence of the storm. It is now nine x,x , and the elements are somewhat less boisterous. 14 a. 111"tir ESCAPE OF THE HON. W. PoRTMAN AND el dest A NKIs•—On Saturday as the Hon. Wm. Portman, George - lna Lord Portman, and Mr. Henry Bankes, son of kes, Esq , M.P , were returning from Blandford, rnttn, u then , to hunt at Br . yanstone, the seat of Lord Port- Wash a: ° ,,rae became unmanageable, and demolishing f the Ward on e l :'„by a kick of the leg, threw Mr. Portman to th e the on "Rad under the cart, Mr. Bankes being ejected horseback M anner by a kick on the ancle. The groom on re en then Procured assistance, and the gentlemen were ti fou " , vd to 13 ryanstone. It is satisfactory to add that, boa ' ll t heY were considerably bruised and wounded, no es were broken ~_alTedhe Marchioness of Hastings has been sudd enl y tiaon away from her seat at Efford, near Lyminton, in o f he lashire, to Dublin, in consequence of the alarming illness o n i, r . eldest son, the Marquis of Hastings. The Marquis had att ar arrived at Dublin with his regiment when he was the 1 .„ e ; (1 , w ith a low fever. He was immediately taken to te nt ` o tuence of the Duke of Leinster, and an express was Th e I f for the Marchioness to proceed at once te tLe, r e !'ioness was about to receive a number of distin ra v'sitors, among whom were Lord and Lady Howe,. Of th e a nd Lady Brougham &c. Lord Howe is the guardian Ma , r enioness's chil - d;en. 1 uEw s D Xe eeru AND GENERAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC a tXih e „ .11 ° 11 , SUSSEX -HALL, LEADENITALL-STRIET..- The Was en "r i alversary of the opening of this valuable institution Wiiii•;tie eoret e s u last evening by a ball. which took place at m e in l e fts, St. James's-street. This institution offers to and e 'era and subscribers the advantages of an extensive and d'ell % elected library, reading-rooms, and evening classes, breekring the sessi on lectures ar e delivered on the various ha s l u s ts art, science, and polite literature. A new feature toeff f - „'":, ueen added to the benefits already imparted by the eve re ,V,n- Free lectures are given to the humbler classes hve F ri Free evening, and they have been attended by lie- Wa s e e - e " and 700 persons. The gathering of last eye e ning ntl . tr oea - o a verY brilliant description, including many ot f the institution, and numbered nearly 400 ladies and i te ' hae n• Dancing was continued until a late hour. euseß E "SECESSIONS FROM THE CAUBC_II. OF ENG i " -- n ~was made matter of boasting by , Si r John Ha res a ` c " bY. the Rev. Mr. Bennett himself, in their cor gonl'elont e t .° with the ishol of London, that nobody had tLe roui either of Mr. Bennett's two congregations to his eek e u f f cll ., of Rome. Neither the rev. gentleman no gentl e -- ""e baronet, can boast of this any longer. Two and boin f Rstabi. th is e mbers of o o f ne of them an architect of distinction — St. Barnabas' Church, have quitted the Rom e I , B " h ir e nt and " become reconciled to the Church of „ were formally received into the Romish com munion 'a riunday last. We are enabled to add, that other ey of persons filling a prominent place in the public to e ' and members of the same church, are expected to follow 1 Inediately,...Adv e rtiser. Apr, -LTERATION OF COF FEE .—A microscopic ex hasanation of 34 diff eren t q ua li t i es o f co ff ee so ld in London s• l ately been made, which sh owe d th a t w ith three excep pna the w h ole were adulterated. Chicory was present in bl ins tances, with the frequent addition of roasted corn, .2ana, or p o t a t oes, an d in some cases the quantity of coffee w as not more than a fifth of the whole article. Tu s. T he - SOUTHAMPTON. BOARD OF GUARDIANS : t adjourned inquest was 'resumed for the fourth time yes tem an at the Guildhall, Southampton, when the jury re tuned a v er di ct t h at t h e d ecease d "Died f rom natura l e sea. and that the guardians of the poor are censurable for hot affording her relief in the last stage of her disease." t A ^ NARRow EECAPE.—On Friday a man named lijah Whittaker, when crossing the railway on his way Ir,ont the union-house to Writtle, at midnight, to procure the Uattendance of a surgeon for a sick inmate, obser v ed some in g which he supposed to be a parcel lying across the rails. stooping to pick it up he discovered it to be a man '"aePe He immediately awoke him from his bed of danger , when h e stated his name to be Turner, from Roxwell. But for the timely intimation of his dangerous position his life would, there is little doubt, have been sacrificed, aeveral lug gage trains passing over the spot during the night. Such R e m.. should remem b er that the trains pass over all the - sleepers" upon the line. -Essex Herald. TUE SISTER OF BURNS.--We Teally wonder that, 7 e n . ;le her Majesty's advisers prompt her to bestow pensions o ' o 9/. per annum each upon Madame Belzoni, and Mr. l e le, the author of Paul Pry, they should pass over Mrs. Se egg ' the 'arviving sister of our great national poet of (Aland, Robert Burns. Now that her Majesty has become ehs yearly visitor t o t h e north, such a grant could not but be teemed a worthy compliment to her Scottiele subjects.— ` 448 9910 Ccmaitutional. INDIA CHINA. CHfNA. rsre :I - 9 2 I\l OVeLitber. ILO Ltiali StOlti:tr Euriv(rci n too morning of tiv - J Ilth, conveying advici. - .s from Eng land to the 24th of September. Nothing of importance had occurred duriug the month. . IN DI A . A summary of the rnlitical and military gcnce has bt.on alreany published in a telegraphic message. from Trieste. We add, however, the follaw ing particulars : ...I'he Gevernar-Gcwral, accompanied by Lady DA homie, arrived at Lahore on the 28th of November, and the Nortb-Western papers are of the illurni natieLs and fetes with which the Viceregal advent Las been welcomed. Lard Dalhousie will remain eight or nine days at Lahore, end is expected about tho 15th of December at Wuzeeraload, where the if:- terview with Ghoolab Singh is to take place. Mr. J. Lawrence will accompany the Governor- General to Peshawur,' Sir H. Lawrence going only as far as Wuzeerabad, to be present at the interview with the Maharaja cf Cashmere. The health of the troops in the Punjlub and Uppi.r Provinces is but little improved. According to the published returns for the week ending the 21st of November, there were 1,204 men in hospital out of the 7,448 composing the garrison of Lahore; nearly half of one regiment (the Ist European Fusiliers) were on the ; and in the 4th Punjaub Infantry 406 out of 894 were in hospital. On the 19th of November the Wuzeeree Hill tribes attempted their long thraatened attack on our outposts on the Bunnco frontier. On the 18th they had assembled in large masses on the Koorum river, with the declared inten tion of invading our frontier. They came down at night into the Goornutee pass, and towards morning sent forward a detachment, which advancing from the pass overran and set fire to three of our villages. They were, however, unable to make head against the fire kept up by the guards, who, in anticipation of the attack, had been placed in the towers of these villages, and were driven back with considerable loss after fifteen minutes' firing. The main body finding their advanced detachment so roughly handled, and having learnt that our outposts were well supported, immediately dispersed, and the frontier is now quiet again. The Seikh State prisoners, Chutter Singh, Shere Singh,and Aotar Singh, are to be immediately removed from Allahabad to Calcutta. The transfer is likely to save a good deal of anxiety as to their safe cus tody. Sir W. Gomm arrived at Calcutta and as sumed command of the Indian army on the 6th of December. The following notification was issued on the cccasion • " The Hon. the Court of Directors having in a dis patch, dated the 2d of October, 1850, announced to the Government of India that they had appointed General Sir William Maynard Gomin, Knight Commander of the Most Hon. Military Order of the Bath, to be Commander-in-Chief of the • East India Company's Forces in India, and an Extraordinary Member of the Council of India, and having forwarded copies of the commissions for these appointments to the Government of India, and the said commissions prescribing that the said General Sir William Maynard Gomm is to take upon him the said Command-in-Chief and office of Extraor dinary Member of the Council of India upon and from his assumpti , n of the command of her Majesty's Forces in the 6 East Indies,' and the said General Sir William Maynard Gomm having informed the Hop. the President of the Council of India in Council that he aS sum, , d the command of her Majesty's Forces in the Ecst Indies on this date, it is hen-by notified that Gene ral Sir William Maynard Gomm has assumed the office of Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of rta , East India. Company in India, and that he has this day taken his seat and the oaths as an Extraordinary Member of the Council of India. under the usual salute from the ram parts of Fort William. " By order of the Hon. the President in Council, " FRED. JAS HALLIDAY, " Secretary to the Government of India." Sir Charles Napier was at Loodiana on the 30th of November, and is expected at Bombay about the end of the year. During Sir Charles Napier's 18 months' administration 45 officers of the Bengal army have been brought to trial, of whom 14 have been cashiered, 6 dismissed, 7 lost rank, 5 suspended, and 10 reprimanded ; only two have been honourably acquitted, one acquitted, and four pardoned or their sentence commuted. A considerable sensation has been excited by the discovery of fraudulent entries to a very serious amount in the hooks of the North-Western Bank of India ; these frauds were, it appears, committed in 1848, and only detected very recently, the accounts of the bank having been 'passed as correct, and pub lished every half-year during the interim I During this period the actual deficiency in the assets has been fraudulently concealed by false entries. The present apparent deficiency is generally attributed, not to any misappropriation of funds, but rather to an " ingenious" and hitherto successful endeavour to work the bank through a crisis, by concealing its ac tual losses and the real state of its affairs from the body of constituents and shareholders. The general feeling which was excited against the judicial courts of the East India Company by the recent attempt to subject Europeans to their jurisdiction has been materially strengthened by their proceedings with reference to Lalla Jotee Persaud and his colleagues. It will be remem bered that when bail to the amount of 2,000/. was taken at Calcutta (half on his part, and half on that of his legal advisers) for his appearance at Agra by the 19th of November, Jotee Persaud memorialized Government, to the effect that the time allowed was insufficient for the performance of so long a journey, according to the native rates and modes of travelling, or with due regard to his health and comfort. He del not arrive at his journey's end till the 24th, and on rendering himself up on the following day the Court at Agra decided on escheating half the amount of his recognizances, against which his counsel, Mr. Lang, in vain protested. The defendant paid his share as a matter of course ; but Mr. Lang refusing to comply with the order of the Court, chose rather to have his property seized, which was promptly done. On the following day, when Mr. Lang appeared in behalf of Jotee Persaud, and was about to address the Court on the part of his client, he was stopped by an order to say all he had to say in Hindoostanee, which was the only language recognized by the Court. " Thus," says the Delhi Gazette, " ended the first essay of the first English barrister who has sought to exer cise his vocation in the Courts of the Motussil." Un der the circumstances of the . case no impartial person in India would consider the fact of Jotee being even tually found guilty by one of the East India Com pany's Courts any proof of his actual guilt, every one at all acquainted with native character being well aware that when a party under ban of the Govern ment is tried in a Government court, false witnesses will rise up against biro in numbers sufficient to in sure his conviction, without any actual subornation of perjury or corrupt practice on the part of the judge. The operations of the Bengal Railway Company have been much impeded by the delay of Government in providing the necessary legislative authority to take the ground for the line ; thus the progress of the works is confined to such • portions of ground along the course of the line as belong to parties with whom the contractors have been able to negotiate private arrangements. The interruptions from this source have not, however, been so serious as they have been represented to be, or as English precedent would lead one to anticipate. Land in India is infinitely less valuable than in England, and the public spirit of the Hindoos generally . in duces them to give it up readily al. any public work executed under Government auspices. In this case a peculiar inducement (and in this country a very effective one) has been afforded by the promise that the names of those who give up their ground volunta rily are to be perpetuated by being inscribed on some one cif the bridges or other works to be constructed thereon. The electric telegraph is progressing ra pidly, and the entire line will he laid down (is far as Diamond-harbour by Christmas. The progress of laying down the wires (which are cov ered with resin and protected by earthenware pipes) is at the rate of about three miles a day. An almost fatal accident has happened to Mr. Knight, the aeronaut. He made his second balloon ascent from Calcutta on the 25th of November, and was passing at a great height over Calcutta towards Dum Durn, when the balloon was observed by many persons watching it through teles copes suddenly to collapse, and descend with great rapidity; and violent oscillations. It fortunately fell in a rice swamp. Mr. Knight was taken up sense less, and for some days was not expected to survive the shock he had sustained. He is, however, now re covering. The Slizatn's affairs continue in state quo, and he is still his own Minister. The contributions hitherto levied on his subjects have, owing to his laxity in en forcing payment, produced sums in driblets so small as hardly to amount to one-sixth of the assessment ; meanwhile it is stated that the Resident, acting under instructions from Calcutta, has intimated to the Nizam that unless the sum due to the Company's Government he paid on the given day (December 31, 1850), all official intercourse between this representa tive and his highness must cease straightway. If this menace is seriously meant, it is presumed that the Supreme Government has resolved on acting in the event of default. The Commander-in-Chief of the Madras army, Sir George Berkeley, arrived at Hy derabad on the 7th of December, and it is surmised that his visit has reference to the present crisis of the .Nizam's affairs. Sir C. Napier has written to Bombay to secure a passage by the moil-steamer that leaves there on the 3i of January, but it is considered doubtful whether he will be able to reach Bombay by so early a date. Sir Willoughby Cotton will also leave India by the mail of the 3d of January. A public entertainment is to be given to him in the Town hall en the :31st of December, at which his successor is els() expected to be present. Sir Willoup,hbe's administration will long be gratefully remembered by the Bombay army ; in his intercourse with those under his com mend, and in the dispensation of his pwronage, he has been uniformly remarkable for impartiality, firmnes', and kindness. In Canton all was quiet. Nothing further had been heard respecting the rebels. They would, pro bably, in Chinese fashion, be bribed into quiescence. In the impart market the business done had been considerable, and at improved rates for some articles. Our wivices from Shanghai do not come down to a later date than the 13th of November. The de mand for imports had fallen ()ff. Of tea extensive purchw , es had been made both at Canton and Shanghai. The total export to this date of black was about 3 000,001 b., and of green 1 ; 500,000lb., in excess of the export to the same period last year. It was not expected that the season's supply to Great Britain would be larger than the last. Of black the export to America will be double what it was the previous year. n silk there had been little alteration. It con tinued to be pushed forward to market. The total export to date was about 10,000 bales and 1,000 cases. Exchange on England continued to rise, and was unusually high-ss. to ss. ld. per dollar. The change in the navigation-laws had occasioned freights to fall to an unprecedented low rate. Many of the American vessels employed in the Californian trade proceeded to Hong-Kong,?after discharging ;heir cargoes at San Francisco, and were ready to accept of any rate of freight rather than meet with detention. The rate to Great Britain was about 21. per ton, and it may be lower. In harbour, her Majesty's ship Hastings, the flag ship of Admiral Austen. Her Majesty's ship Amazon sailed from Hong- Kong on the 19th of November, .ia Manilla, for Sin gapore, to remain on that station. Her Majesty's steam-frigate Sphynx left on the 25th for Amoy and Shanghai, with stores for her Ma jesty's vessels on those stations. The Cleopatra, Captain Massie, was expected from the Indian station early in January, to relieve the Hastings. At Nhampoa—Her Majesty's brig Contest. At Canton—Hon. Company's steamer Phlegethon. At Amoy—Her Majesty's brig Serpent. At Shanghai—The - PilOt. The Reynard left Shanghai on the 9th of Novem ber, on her way to Hong-Kong, intending to call at Ningpo and Amoy, to give the Bishop of Victoria the opportunity of visiting the missionaries at those paces. The latest' dates at Hong-Kong were—from Eng land to the-24th of Sept.; Calcutta, Bth of October ; Bombay, 13th of October; Singapore, 3d of Novem ber ; Manilla, 10th of November ; and Sydney, 7th of Sept. PROPOSED LONDON .AND SUBURBAN 1?.4 iestEa . ,:ay ;:i t::. of the p-irish of St. Pancras was held bt the Prince Albert Tavern, Great Collc , ,e-Arect, Camden Town, with a vica to cxplainiag th, riLt. - ,tre and advauttAges of the London and Sabot !in 13.rik, and soliciting tho co. operation of the inhabitant t. The meeting was convened in reply to the following requisition, which bed been signed by ne:;,rly f,tur hun dred of the it:ll6.l,itants of the vrish of St. Pauermt:— " TO THE DIRECTORS THE LONDON AND SUBURBAN BANK, "My Lord and Gentlernea,—We, the uutiersigned in habitants of the parish of St. Pancras, being sensible of the want of banking accommodation in this neighbour hood, and having considered the proposal to establish u bank at the West-end, on the ..icotcti principle, request you to depute some quslithai persons to attend a meeting of the inhabitants of this parish, to be held shortly, fully to explain the nature and advantages of the proposed bank." Mr. WARREN was called to the chair, on taking which he said that Mr. Archibald Kintrea was in attendance at the meeting on behalf of the directors of the bank, and was pretared to explain its objects and to answer any questions which might be asked by any of the gentlemen preseat. Mr. ARCHIBALD KINTREA. said, in attempting an ex planation of the Scotch banking system, and of the de sirableness of having it introduced into England, he must beg the patience and forbearance of the meeting for two reasons; first, because of his inexperience in addressing large assemblies, and, secondly, because he bad only had a few minutes' time to cast together a few imperfect ideas on the subject. Born and educated in Scotland, he might, however, pretend to some acquaintance with it, and his subsequent experience in London, as a merchant and manufacture r, entitled him to speak with some confidence as to the imperfections of the system in operation in the metropolis. He appeared there to affirm, emphaticelly, that to the banking institutions in Scotland must they attribute the prosperous condition of his native country, and the intelligence and energy which so proverbiaby characterised his countrymen. A century and a half ago the system took its rise at a period when the ener gies of that country, so long depressed by vexatious re ligious and political troubles, were beginning to be di rected to objects which would advance the comfort and prosperity of the people. Previous to that time Scot land was out little removed from a condition of semi barbarism, and the circumstances of the mass of the people were wretched in the extreme. The inventive genius, however, of William Patterson, a Scotchman, and author of the too celebrated Darien expedition, aided by an English gentleman, John Holland. opened up a new era. They established the Bank of Scotland in 1695, and from that time a new hope was infused into the people; the means were given to them of turning their industry to a useful and profitable account, and the result had been that the country had been enriched, the arts and sciences had been cultivated, and the share holders of the various banks had enjoyed large profits with Vto most perfect safety. That the intelligence of the people of Scotland was the result of her banking in stitutions might easily be proved by a reference to the condition of Ireland. There the• people were literally without money, the circulation being less than 1/. per head per annum. They were positively in a condition of primitive and uncivilized barter, without the means of sxchanging wealth, if !created, and consequently without the necessary stimulus and reward to exertion and per- severance. Ile held a strong opinion that the miserable and degraded condition of Ireland was in a great degree to be attributsd to the waist of a sufficient circulating medium, because Scotland was in a similar condition pre vious to the noble and patriotic exertions of Patterson, and but for her banking institutions would, he confi dently believed, even now be quite as impoverished es Ireland. At the revolution of 1668 Scotland was much in the,condition of a newly-discovered country ; the laud, na turally poor, was left. unimproved; produce of any kind was limited, and the people were indolent and slothful in their habits. Nothing could be done without money; not that he meant gold coin, which was wealth itself, but money as it ought to be—the representative of wealth. It, was necessary that the labourer shoull be supported while tilling the soil, and implements were required; but there was no money. The banking system volunteered to rouse and direct the dernaarit energy. There was abundance of natural wealth, and the int.ks found a symbol which represented the real weaith, and thus furnished the means of enablin g the a g ricul,urist and the manufacturer to procure implem ents and ma chinery, and to maintain their labourers in the produc tion of food and manufactures. The borrowers of that representative money were speedily enabled to repay the loan with interest; wealth rapidly increased on all sides, with equal advantage to the borrowers and the lenders, and thus the system had continued to tho present tune, increasing yearly in its magnitude, and in an equal ratio increasing the prosperity of the country, until they now find Scotland, the land of the Colts, to be but little in ferior in all respects to England itself; which bad had all the benefits of a naturally rich soil, of a into climate, and was, besides, the inheritor of cen turies of Saxon enterprise and greatness. The Scotch banking system might briefly be explained as follows: Deposits were received from the poorest, for which a re spectable interest was paid. Thus all classes were em braced in the system, and the interest which was paid for the deposits was found to bo a strong incentive to saving and frugal habits, producing a great moral effect, and, placing within the reach of all the certain means of ob taining, sooner or later, the position of having what was called a stake in the country. The chief feature, how ever, was the cash-credit system, an arrangement by which a specified sum was placed to the credit of an in dividual, upon which he might draw as his business re quired, paying interest upon the sums drawn out; and this credit was granted to him on the condition of his finding the satisfactory security of two or more friends, as • might be agreed upon between him and the bank. He was also expected to make repayments as be was able, and in all respects he used the sum placed to his credit as his own legitimate capital. A small capitalist trader, or a young man, whose previous well-known good habits might have acquired him friends or relations willing to lend their names towards procuring him the means of starting in life, had by this cash-credit system placed at his command a ready money capital by which he might enter into markets as advantageously and as successfully as the wealthin-.t capitalist, and he gets rid of the ruin ous necessity of resorting to usurious money-lenders, whose assistance was never obtainable excepting on terms which rendered success in business utterly impossible. In these two principles consisted, in point of fact, the essence of the Scotch system of banking. It would, of course, be expected that he should show wherein that system so essentially differed from the English system. This he should now do, desiring thatit might be clearly understood that he did not wish it to be inferred that the English had not appreciated banking institutions, or that they were ignorant of the value of banks as an engine for calling forth the energies of a people and de veloping the stamina and resources of a country; but he did wean to say that on compering the two systems, the Scotch and the English, he thought he was entitled to sa y, speaking from a practical experience of both, that that in Scotland was infinitely superior to whet they had its England as respected the smaller class of tradesmen and working people. He knew perfectly well that a capitalist with 10,000/. could go to Lombard-street, or Princes street, in which all the banking accommodation of the metropolis was centred, and procure assistance on good mercantile bilis to at least twice the amount of his capital, but he (blr. Kintrea) had no desire still farther to increase the already overgrown resources of the rich c apitalist. His anxiety was tor quite a different class of people —he wished to see strengthened and assisted those w h o , labouring either by head or hand, formed the bone and sinew of this mighty empire. H e wished to see something done to improve the falling condition of all those who were included under the denomiration of the industrious classes; not that he !would seek to de that at the expense of the capitalist, but that he should simply wish to see intro duced into this metropolis a system which should afford assistance as readily and as economically to the man who had only 500/. in business, a shopkeeper for instance, or a little usanufacturer, as could the 10,000/. capitalist from his Lombard-street banker. He did object to the Eaglish system, inasmuch as it offered no inducement to people of limited income to accumulate their small savings, and that it refused to have any transactions with a tradesman unless he could afford to keep a con stant balance of some 2001. at his credit in the bank, upon which in most cases ho neither received interest nor accommodation, or, if interest at all, at a rite so in significant us to be inappreciable. How different was the s cotc h system, where as small a sum as 1/. was re ceived as a deposit, and upon which a fair interest was paid, and where a person accumulating those small savings over a course of years might reasonably expect the after count enance end su pp o rt of the bank should he withdrawbusiness. Basic shis Z n he gsh'rthepurpose of entering into advantages held out by the Scotch system to the g eneral p ublic, t he inducement to hold shares in humble opinion, Scotch bark was, in hi s (M r . Ki n t rea ' s ) sh much greater tha n i t was un d er th e purchase One's capital was n o t so l oc k e d u p by • the Scotch bank shares as i t was by the i system. purchase of English bank shares, because the cash credit system ena bled a bank safely to accommod a t e its own shareholders in pr eference to all ot hers; at any rate to something like the a mount of shares held by them. Besides, th s e p w r a o s fi tgs generally an ythe a a carried small o m s upon su a , large amo unt of deposits , e specially deposits for long periods, as which the Scotch sys tem attracte d to itself, must be prin cipallytradingeholcdaePris"lthweamsselves. m A u e c c oh Accordingly i r n e contributed f w o hubenyrde thatee s paid from 7 to 10 per cent. per annum on the paid-up capital of their shareholders, besides piodica and all this too w done with the most p erttct saf ety , as was proved by the fact thaa during the last century an d a half, cm ears l bonuses to a l ar g e amount, bracing a period notorious for its numerous civil and religious commotions, a el21:1 net exceeding 40,0001. was all that had been lost to the community by Scotch bank ing failures, and these failures, too, it was to he re membered, were confined solely to private bankers who had not the responsibility of accounting to a large pro prietory, and wbo, doubtless, used the credit of the bank in the furtherance of their own private transactions. He could conceive no more secure investment for capital than that afforded by a joint-stock bank Ott the Scotch principle. No doubt many English bnitk failures were !?tf.Diei could be pointed nut and fresh in the minds of these present, but few of them e c fO nn und thet the utmost recklessness were so be etiticl among joint-stock companies, an-t rnwenhfdeerrerexestdrutsecvh''aji;irtiwnnotcou'itc°letk. had characterized the conduct of the managing body. That was the case in Liverpool in 1847, where the manager of a joint-stuck company ad- MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Stu,—The friends of the above Bill are now on the alert, in the hope it will this session become the law of the land. Your readers will recollect that, after the most senseless opposition from the University of Oxford and all the high Church bigots in the country, who fought side by side to maintain the canons be queethed to lei by the Roman Catholic Church, the Bill r.s, , ed the House of Commons with a large ma jority during the last session of Parliament. It is rumoured that the Earl of St. Germans will introduce the Bill early in this session to the House of Lords. For the last two years this has been de layed until it was said to be too late. Why was it, then, it was thus delayed ?—and Common. sense answersthat there was too much lukewarmness in some of its supporters, whilst its enemies were more active and united in throwing in every impediment against it at every stage. Who could have thought that Mr. Roebuck should have been found fighting for the canons of the Roman Catholic Church? Yet so it was. But with the aid of the Liberal press, let us hope for the best. It will at any rate be a curious thing to see, amidst the present excitement, certain parties turn round to do battle for the musty old canons of our Roman Catholic ancestors. Probably the present unpopularity of the Roman Catholic priesthood may modify the fierce hatred of the Universities against those persons who dare im pugn those remains of Popery which are left to us as a legacy by the Romish Church ! During the discussions on this Bill, during the last year, it was proved, over and over again, that there was not any scriptural authority to prevent a man's marrying the sister of his deceased wife. . Let us, then, hope for the best, and we shall soon see the extent of the opposition against which we shall have to contend; at any rate, the whole of the Bench of Bishops are not opposed to the proposed new Marriage Bill. There are two or three, perhaps the most illustrious names amongst them, who will as suredly be its advocates in Parliament. The canon law, according to Lord Coke, once actually prohibited marriage between cousins, as far as the seventh degree, and between spiritual re lations, such as sponsors and god-children, upon the supposed authority of the Levitical code ; and to such an extent was this error carried, that, according to the same authority, a divorce might have been obtained, on the ground that the husband bad stood godfather to his wife's cousin. Surely, then, now is the proper time entirely to brush away these Romish canons as mere cobwebs, and having nothing whatever to do with the pure religion of the Gospel. It is now, as I have before observed, generally known that marriage with a deceased wife's sister is nowhere forbidden in the Scriptures; the words in Leviticus which are referred to being—" Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her lifetime" —(chap. xviii., v. 18); which, it must be understood, expressly to confine the prohibition of such a mar riage to the lifetime of the wife; and, as there is no consanguinity or blood relationship between the par ties, therefore there is no physical ground for the prohibition. It is well known that the similarity of person, feelings, and habits frequently points out the sister as the most natural successor of a deceased wife ; whilst undoubtedly she is the fittest person to take charge of the motherless children, who, under her care, are rarely exposed to the proverbial harshness and injus tice of a stepmother. The law as it now stands is producing the most extensive demoralization among the lower classes; it having become common, since the passing of the late Act, for men to go through the ceremony of marriage with a deceased wife% sister, and afterwards, when it suits their purpose, to deny its legality and repudiate its obligations. The marriages thus prayed for are well known to be tolerated with or without dispensation, in almost every other Protestant as well as Roman Catholic country in Europe, and without producing any ill ffects.; or , diminishing in the slightest degree the freedom of domestic intercourse, and therefore the restrictions Upon these marriages in our own statute book is a standing reproach upon the English nation ; and lirociaiming as it does to the whole world, that in tha opinion of the Legislature the people of this coun try are less under the control of religious and moral principle than those of any other Christian country, and need restraints upon their conduct which are found to be unnecessary elsewhere. These sentiments only require to be again circu lated prior to the approaching struggle in the House of Lords to insure success, and the patient sufferers under the prohibition will have then, I hope, to con gratulate each other that the new Marriage Bill is at last become the law of the land. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Regent's-park, Jan. 7, 1851. ALFRED. Another fatal accident occurred on Tuesday morn ing at the railway station, Ingatestone, whereby John Wil son, an engine -driver of the company, unfortunately lost his life. The driver of the goodstrain got off his engine, it is supposed to expedite the passing of the train, when, by some extraordinary oversight, he got between the two trains. He was giving some directions to the driver of the passenger train, when the engine of the goods-train caught him, and jammed hint between the trains, and, unfortunately crushed hint to death. YeSterday, at Ingatestone, an inquiry took place respecting the death Of the deceased, when the jury announced, through their foreman, that they were of opinion that the stoker of the goods engine was guilty of much blame for moving his engine before he had the proper signals to come on, and not seeing when he did so that the points were clear., They, therefore, returned.a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Henry Hampshire. ExrLosioN or G - As.—Between twelve and one o'clock yesterday, an explosion of gas took place, which was nearly being attended with very serious consequences.. It appeared that the New Great Central Gas Company were laying down some of their pipes in Moor-lane, City, when through some accident, the gas was allowed to escape from one of the mains. In the course of a short time, the back premises of No. 20 were filled with gas; ,which, being ig nited by some means as yet inexplicable, exploded with a great noise. This explosion was immediately followed by another in the shop of Mr. Bryant, a pork butcher, at No. 19, which blew out nearly the whole of the shop front and win dow frames, as well as splintering the posts of the shop door. Fortunately the shop and back premises were empty at the time, so that no one received any injury. The churchwardens of a parish in Yorkshire have returned the following answer to the circular received by them from the National Club :—" The churchwardens of know their duty too well to require instructions how to perform it front London clubs and preaching Dokes. There fore, after reading Mr. Bellamy's printed circular, they have unanimously resolved to burn it, and have burnt it ac cordingly." [ADVERTISEMENT.] —CONSUMPTION, BRONCHITIS, &c.—Just published, price 2d., by Dr. CRONIN, M.D., a Report of some of th most formaiable forms of Disease of the Throat, Lungs, Heart, and Stomach.—" The success of 1)r. Cronin's treatment in tile cure of those afLetions which have hitherto generally baffled ev,ry attempt at cure, although the Oral talent had been applied to, and the most consummate skill had been exerted for that purpose, is most satisfactorily shown in this report."--Prcface.—Wertheim and Co., Paternoster row ; Hugnes, St. Martin-lc -Grand ; and at the auth,r's residence, 14, Leicester-place, Leicester-square. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 17, 1861. vsnced the large sum of 400,000/. to one itidividual, ! V! , riprieni i;rcrt.l.pficr.o , or C“nse!ti. of •o! 6;„.• : when Oa lAi•atilitti wilt) had recssved so farces amount of that company's capital. fisaatno bankrupt, in the seneral wreck of mcreantia: houses in taint met:aural:lle year, the bank was or course co.apelied to suspend payments. lie (Mr. Kilares) might aka refer to the extraordinary case of lasnainersley 's hank, although a private bank, where the prin cipal proprietor advanced the capital of the firm to a plausible adventurer in the soap trade, who, withoat pratensious to either lisowiedge of his busiuess, or genius in management, recklessly squan dered the money in erecting extravagant wotits, and even fitting out armed vessels for the safe couduet of tallow from St. Petersburgh, and by this notable scheme 80,000/. was lost to Elammersley's hank, He ought to version that one great safeguard of the Scotch hanks was this—that a provision was generally made in the e'esil of copartnery, that when a spseified portion of the elicit', say one-fourth or one-third, was lost, the share hoders should be called together to consider their posi the. One Scotch bank already existed in Louden, and, if :be reports of its success which had reached him were correct, no farther proof could be required in corrobusa tion of his assertion, that the Scotch banking system aas superior to that now in operation in England, and Oat the tradesmen in London were willing and anxious ta lend their support and encouregeinea t to banks mainly designed for their accommodation. In proui of what tradesmen of moderate capital could accomplish, he might mention the case of the Commercial Bank of Scotland. That bank was established principally by shop keepers, anti was popularlycalled the" Shopkeepers'Bank." Its more aristocratic competitors loudly prognosticated dead failure, but the Shopkeepers' Bank not only took up a high position, but it greatly distanced all the others in the number of its branches, and its siaareahad sold at2so per cent, premium. Up to the present time the suburbs of London had not had all the advantages and facilities to which they were entitled ; the retail trade of the me tropolis was rapidly extending to the suburbs, and, in the absence of banking facilities, a class of men were rapidly springing up who discounted, in a private manner, upon large security, and at a most usurious rat" of interest. Loan Societies, too, of which the less said the better, were greatly on the increase, and it was high time that the suburban tradesmen should have the same attention as the City capatilist. It was, accordingly, proposed, forthwith, to establish a chartered bank, to be called the " London and Suburban Bank," which should consist of four chief suburban branches, with smaller receiving houses, and that this bank, so much needed, should be on the Scotch principle, which he had already described. A most respectable and influential board of directors had been obtained, and a large number of shares had already been applied for ; and, in a short time, it was expected, the bank would be in operation. That it would effect a great and lasting benefit could not be doubted, and those whom it was designed to be nefit ought, even on a selfish principle, to lend it their countenance and support.—(Applause.) Mr. HALL TERRELL, solicitor, of Basinghall. street, said the only serious objection he had heard started against parties having shares in joint-stock banks was the supposed liability they incurred. In reply to that, he would call on the meeting to look at the numerous joint-stock banks in the country, having large capitals, and therefore a large number of subscribers. The pro posed London and Suburban Bank would not be formed on the same basis as those joint-stock banks now in ex istence. In the existing joint-stock banks, in the event of any deficiency of the funds, every subscriber was liable to be sued, not in proportion to the amount or number of his shares, but to the extent of his whole pro perty, 'Die proposed bank would not he attended by anything ithe that sauce amount of liability; in fact it would be , termed on a different basis. Through the - intetvention v of Sir Robert Peel an Act of Parliament was passed to regulate joint-stock banks iu England. The object of that Act was twofold—to af f..nd additional security to the creditors of any joint stock bank, and at the same time to lessen the liability of the parties who were shareholders in it. No joint stock bank could be formed since 1844 without complying with the requisitions of Sir Robert Peel's Act. in order to make the bank stable it was required by that Act that it should consist of a certain number of shareholders, with a paid-up capital of 50,0004, and each joint-sleek bank in the c,nntry was required monthly to advertise the amount of its assets ana liabilities. By the law as it now stood appli ca bl e t o j o i nt - s t oc k h an k s , no shareholder was l ia bl e t o b e sue d i n di v id ua lly, in the first instance, as f ormer ly, but the coroporation itself roust now be sued; and the shareholder could only be sued in the improbable case of a deficiency in the ge neral funds, and then he had his remedy against his co-shareholders, who could be compelled to contribute. It therefore appeared to him (Mr. Terrell) that the amount of liability incurred by any shareholder was very trifling indeed; so much so, that when a gentleman asked him one day to state the amount of his liabilities arising out of a joint-stock bank, is the event or his tak ing shares in it, he (Mr. Terrell) told him he might take as many shares as he thought proper, and for one shilling he (Mr. Terrell) would guarantee him against any loss.—(Bear, bear.) Mr. LEWIS moved a resolution alleging that there is at present no adequate banking accommodation in the parish of St. Pancras, and that from the existing banks the great bulk of the shopkeepers and professional men receive no advantage. _ _ _ _ This resolution was seconded by Mr. FRYER, and unanimously passed, as were also several others, express ing confidence in the proposed bank, and for the adop tion of measures to establish it. In answer to a question as to the locality of the bank, The CHAIRMAN said it was not yet fixed upon, but it would be in the locality where they were likely to re ceive tho greatest support. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, JAN. 16. The Queen and his Royal Highness Prince Albert took their usual early morning walk. The Royal Family took walking and pony exercise. in the Slopes and Windsor Park. The Earl of Aberdeen, Sir George Grey, and the Right lion. T. B. Macaulay, left the Castle to-day. Her Majesty's private band attended in the Castle yesterday evening after dinner, and performed the following selection : Marcia Funebre, Rondo, Allegro vi vace ; Sinfonia Turkish March, " Ruins of Athens" Beethoven. Divertissement, "La Propbete" A Cabinet Council was held at half-past two yester day at the Foreign-office, Downing-street. The Mi nisters present were—Lord John Russell, the Mar quis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Minto, Sir George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Chan cellor of the Exchequer, Sir Francis Baring, Sir John Hobhouse, the Earl of Carlisle, the Right Hon. Henry Latouchere, the Marquis of Clanri carde, a►nd the Right Hon. Fox Mamie. The Lord Chancellor arrived at the Foreign .office at half-past three o'clock, and joined his colleagues. The Council sat three hours. M. Felipe Molina, Minister of Costa Rica, trans acted business with Viscount Palmerston, at the Foreign-office, yesterday. A deputation, consisting of the Rev. Charles Hume, B.A. (Rector of St. Michael, Wood-street), Mr. .Nicholay, J. Bushnan, M.D., Mr. C. F. J. Lord, Mr. W. Rogers (Barrister at Law), Mr. C. R. Walsh, Mr. W. D. Bruce, F.S.A., Mr. T. Abraham, and Mr. A. Barnett (Honorary Secretary), had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-street. Sir George Grey returned to town yesterday from Windsor Castle. Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening from the Colonial-office for the Governors of the West India Colonies, and also for the Governor of Gibraltar. Lord and Lady John Russell had a dinner party yesterday evening, at their residence in Chesham place. The company consisted of the Earl and Coun tess Granville, Lord Seymour, the Right Hon. Sir Robert Adair, the Right Hon. T. B. Macaulay, Lady William Russell and Mr. Arthur Russell, Sir John Herschell, Mr. B. Hawes, M.P., Mr. Rich, and Mr. Charles Dickens. ?fay DEATH OF LORD WILLIAM SOMERSET. We deeply regret to announce the death of Lord William Somerset, brother of Lord Fitzroy Somerset, and uncle of the Duke of Beaufort, who expired ou Tuesday last, at his residence at Clifton, after a severe illness of several we.ls' duration. The deceased nobleman, who was in holy orders, was fifth son of Henry. fifth Duke of Beaufort, and was born 2d September, 1784. Ile married 29th June, 1813, Miss ElizAbeib Mulysivux, eldest daughter of the lute Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Molyneux, Bart., by whom, who died in August, 1843, he had issue seven sons and daughters. His Lordship was a canon of Bristol, which he has held hince 1822, and rector of the valuable living of Llanguttoch (Brecon), appointed in 1814, and Tormarton (Gloucestershire), appointed in 1826. In September, 1844, his Lordship again married, but does not leave issue by that marriage. The families of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, the Marquis and Marchioness of Cholmondoley, the Earl and Countess of Galloway, Lord and Lady Fitzroy Somerset, Captain Somerset, M.P., Sir W. C. and Lady GeorgiaLa .Codringten, Sir Walter R. and Lady Mary Farquhar, Lady Harriet Mitchell, the Hon. F. and Lady Charlotte Calthorpe, Mr. and Lady Louisa Finch, Lady Elizabeth Orde, and many other families of rank are placed in mourning by the lamented decease of his Lordship. .T i'v i PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CHADWELL-STREET, IS LINOToN.--(From a Correspondent.)—On the 11th inst., the ladies connected with this congregation presented their pastor, the Rev. Walter Smith, A.M., with an elegant pul thtehesedltu'-tdieesnyuifnghisze s a a l c ‘ r v e h d i c o l ffi i h c e e. ha i‘ s i c r i . is s p u lly it e h d p i o n ss d e i s s : pit gown, to mark their approbation of his personal wort h, and chargingf ses, in a high degree, the quality of an effective preache r of the Gospel. His discourses are characterised by a style of thought of no common vigour. At the same time they com bine the piety and fervour of a devoted servant of the great Head of the Church, with an uncompromising a dherence to the fundamental truths of Christianity, as r eveal e d in the in spired. writings. It is cheering to the friends ot . evangelical this talented young minister, religion to see that under the spiritual supe!.intend. ence of course of formation, which promises, ere . long, to constitute an aMitional bulwark to our common faith against the ag gressions a new congregation is in r . apid either of Popery or ingdelit,y.—Advertiser. ROYAL THAMES STEAM N AVIGATION COMPANy.— Yesterday the claims against th i s company were proceeded with. IS A V IQ-. INT.6LL IGEIN CE +~ Clitira!tar. The S;;l'eful s:eurn-sloup, altqr an absence of nearly fifteen month., rcturn , nl io port on the 6th insettet from N'lt - )1,4, where she bed been relieved by ;he Dragon. Tnis v.aFtei it is thought, likely to rejoin the AnmirEl when lievcd by the Scourge from tbis port, which will take place shortly. The Powerful, 84, has been inspected by Sir William Parker, who had a long exercise or small arms and great 1 guns, after which he paid a very (le erved compliment to the Hon. Captain Diodes t .. .rt tee rifiviency in which he found her, and the high state of discipline of her crew. She will mall prob,bility sail en Saturday for Gibraltar, and will call at Algiers; she will also touch at Lisbou on her way hotne to take on board coy invalids that may be waiting for her. The Ripon, with the Indian mails, reached port this afternoon. Nobody expected to see her so soon; indeeti the only means of accounting for the arrival of the ma:i so much before her time is the rapid passage made on the other side of the water by the Oriental from Calcutta to Suez. On Monday a very heavy shock of earthquake was felt in the island. DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON. In Malta Harbour—The Queen, 110, Captain C. Wise, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker, G.C.8., the Commander-in-Chief; Ceylon receiving ship, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Edward Harvey, Super intendent of Malta Dockyard, and second in command; Caledonia, 120, Captain T. W. Carter; Superb, 80, Cap tain E. Purcell; Powerful, 84, Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas; Ganges, 84, Captain H. Smith. Steam-frigates —Firebrand, Captain T. 0. Knox; Scourge, Lord F. H. Kerr; Terrible, Captain Hope; Spiteful, Commander Sir T. Carmichael. Research and Auxiliary (late ten ders to Volage), Porcupine, Ardent, and Spitfire steamers (laid up in ordinary). On a cruise—Racer, 12, Commander Beddocs. At Naples—Dragon, H. W. Gifford. At Corfu—Growler steam-sloop, Commander Stod dart. At Patras—Frolic, 16, Commander N. Vansittart. At Constantinople—Antelope, Lieutenant Smith. En route from Malta to England—Resistance troop ship, Captain Bradshaw. MAIL STEAM-PACKETS. At Malta—The Merlin, Lieutenant J. H. Turner. En route from the lonian Islands and Greece to Malta —The Triton, Lieutenant C. J. P. Glinn. En route from Malta to Marseilles—The Medusa, Lieutenant J. Bathurst. En route from Ma:seilles to Malta—The Medina, Lieutenant Darby. En route from Malta to England—The Oberon, Lieu tenant R. B. Harvey. PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION COM PANY'S FLOTILLA. At Southampton—The Pasha, Queen, Erin, Indus, Euxine, and Pettit:ger. At Malta—The Ripon. En route from Malta to Southampton—The Sultan. Between Constantinople and Trebizond—The Tagus. UNITED STATES SQUADRON. At Naples—The Independence frigate, hearing the flag of Commodore Charles W. Morgan; Mississippi steam corvette, Captain Long ; Constitution frigate, Captain Conover; Cumberland, Captain Latimer. FOREIGN SHIPS OF WAR IN PORT. The French steamer Eurotas; yachts, the Sapphire, Gondola, and Firefly; the Russiau brig Ennee. PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 16.—The Birkenhead iron steam frigate, Master-Commander Aylen, has been put out of commissian, and will go into the basin. The Fairy steam-yacht, Muster-Commander Welch, has been hauled into the Camber, to have the steel screw, with which she was tried some days since, un • shipped, anti to ship a three-fan screw for trial. Sne did not answer so well as was anticipated with the steel w,crew. Naval matters at this port are exceedingly dull. The Fantome, 12, Commander Gennep, remains at Spithead, w eatherbound. The Cyclops steam-frigate, Captain the Hon, G. F. dustings, is and has been for some time daily expected from the coast of Africa. When the Birkenhead ar rived, it got wind that she was detained at St. Helena on a Court of Lquity, but no one seems now to know how such news cauld have arrived, as the Admiralty know nothing about such detention. Captain Lord Edward Russell (brother of the Pre mier) has tihon up his appointment to the Vengeance, 84, which has cast off her mourning and tesiimod her wonted appearance. The Jackal, steam-tender to the Gladiator steam frigate, Captain Adams, captured a slaver with 270 nt groes on board, just prior to the departure of the last mail from the coast of Africa. PLYMOUTH, Jail. 15.—Her Majesty's vessel Rosa mond, from Woolwich, arrival on Saturday, went up harbour, and was placed at her moorings as a reserved steamer. The Samson steam-vessel has her coal on board, and is now lying at her sailing moorings. The crew of the Crane packet will bo paid off on Friday. The Avon steamer arrived from Portsmouth on Mon day. When the weather moderates she will convey to Woolwich Lieutenant Robertson and party, who navi gated the Rosamond here. Her Majesty's ship Bellerophon, 78, Captain Lord G. Pauiet, now in Barnpool, has been dismantled, and her rigging being defective is sent to the yard. • The screw steam-vessel Propontis, Captain Glover, arrived in the Sound at 8 15 P.M. on Monday, having made the passage from Blackvvall in 35 hours. At four o'clock on Monday evening, 10 miles east of Start Point, she overtook and passed her Majesty's steam-vessel Avon, which arrived subsequently et this port. The Cape of Good Hope mails this morning were placed on board the Propontis, but she did not, start at 12 A.m. in consequence of the state of the weather, which con tinues very heavy from the south-west. Captain Thomas, of the American ship Brunswick, which sailed from Havre for New Orleans on the 29th of December, with eighty passengers and a general cargo, reports that she "left the Downs on the 6th inst., and encountered strong gales from W. to S.W., up to the 9th. On the morning of the 9th, off the Casketts, lost one man overboard ; in attempting to save him swamped a boat, another man being washed overboard at the same time; got over the second boat, manned with four men , ad when about to shove off a sudden squall from W.N.W. struck the ship. This boat's crew were saved with great difficulty, and the second boat lost; much damage being done to the sails, running rigging, &e. That night experienced very heavy gales from the westward. Put into Plymouth on the 13th to repair damages, the wind still blowing heavily from the westward." WOOLWICH, JAN. 16.—The Resistanw, 10, troop-ship, Master-Commander Bradshaw, arrived at the dockyard at a quarter past eleven o'clock A.M. to-day, towed by the Jasper steam-vessel, and was made fast at moorings alongside the Sulphur hulk vessel, and the three compa nies of the Royal artillery are to land at ten o'clock A.M. to-morrow. The Apollo, 8, troop-ship, Commander James Raw storne, arrived at Woolwich Dockyard at twenty minutes pass eleven o'cleck, towed by the Monkey steam-vessel, and was brought up at mooring alongside the Nymph hulk vessel. She will land the companies on board at ten o'clock, A.M. to-morrow, when the whole of the five companies arrived from foreign service will march up to the garricon, headed by the band of the Royal Artillery. Captain Crawford, of the Gth battalion, had the com mand of the Royal Artillery on board the Apollo, the non-commissioned officers and men returning from Jamaica beiongit , to his company being!sB. The non comrois;ioneti officers and men of Captain Morris's company only numbered 33, but, as was previously stated, Q. portion. was lett at the detached stations of Honduras and Nassau, and they will come home when an oppor unity of a passage by is freight :hip offers. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S—YESTERDAY. Considering the dullness that has so long prevailed at tho Corner, the betting this afternoon was uncommonly brisk; it turned chiefly on the Chester Cup, and occa sioned a few changes in the quotations, the chief outlay being on Rhesus, The Italian, Lady Evelyn, Haricot, and The Knight of Avenel. The Derby movements were remarkable only for the spirit with which the Prime Minister, Newminster, and Constellation were backed. Closing prices:— LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE. 12 to 1 agst Mr. Vever's Vain Hope—taken CHESTER CUP. 15 to 1 agst Mr. Treen's Rhesus—take 16 to 1 30 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Wallflower—taken and afterwards offered 33 to 1 agst Mr. Lleiklam's The Italian—taken 33 to 1 agst Mr. Pedley's Cossack—taken 1,000 to 25 aget Mr. J. Brown's Haricot—taken 1,000 to 25 agst Mr. Combo's Trouncer—taken 1,000 to 25 egst Lord Chesterfield's Lady Evelyn—t 1,000 to 25 agst Lord Egliuton's Knight of Avenel—t 1,000 to 20 agst Sir J. Hawley's Vatican—taken 1,000 to 20 agst Mr. Howard's Brother to Dough—t 500 to 10 agst Mr. Glen's Damask—taken 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Carew's Eva—taken THE GREAT MATCH. 500 even laid.between Voltigeur and Flying Dutchman (not p. p.) DERBY. 7 to 1 agst Mr. Raiford's Prime Minister —taken to 1501. 13 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Newminster-14 to 1 taken freely 35 to 1 Si gst Mr. Meiklam's Constellation—Wien 40 to 1 agst Mr. J. Clark's Marlbo rou g h Buek—taken 40 to 1 agst Sir J. flawley's Confestior—taken 50 to 1 apt Lord Z et l a nd's Lightfoot -- taken OAS . 15 to 1 agit Sir J. Hawley Vermuth—taken 25 to 1 agst Lord Water!ord's Perdita filly—taken HUNTING APPOINTMENTS. Southdown bds., Mon., Polegato Station; Fri., Ram Inn, Firle---10i. Crawley and Horsham hds., Tilgate Lodge; Wed., NuthurstVilla g e ; Fri., Wivelsfieid Village-- 102. Cheshire lids., Mon., Abbott's Moss; Wed., Dun ham Massey; Thurs., Twemlow Hall; Sat., Beeston Sir W. W. Wynn's bds., Tues., Acton Repaid ; Vied., Styehe; Fri., Eawkstone; Sat., Prees-10i. Mr. Conyer's hds., Mon., Hatfield Heath-10i. Herefordshire hds., Tues., The Bacho; Fri., Axon bury Priory-101. Ludlow hds., Tues., Stanton Lacy; Fri., Wigmore Castle-10. Shropshire hds., Mon., The Fax, Albrigbton; Thurs., LNhotwood. Tiverton hds., Mon., Cruwy's Morohard Mill; Thurs., Spring Grove Yark-10i. REPEAL OF THE WINDOW-TAX. The very large amount raised e t the wieeoe -tax, approaching as it does to two miliiees, had ala see t ;or bidden us to hope that, though professedly a war tax, we should ever live to see it entirely remoi ee. ;: ; ,., tie sort of modification was all that could be expected —w e had almost said desired--in the contlitioe of eur finance ever since the war. But wh e n we come to the question of modification or commutation there are, we must con fess, greater difficulties than we have hitherto succeeded in removing quite to our satisfactiou. To tax the cu bical contents of a house would tell very hard on capa cious but homely resid e n c e s and on l arge f am ily houses in untashionable situations, besides being a ttis upon health, to which space is as necessary as light and ven tilation. A property-tax upon houses of all sorts we have already. Then, what is to be done? Two millions a year are not to be sacrificed in a hurry. In the presect state of public opinion, with a Board of Health and a Crystal Palace staring us in the face, it is equally impossible to r e t a i n t h e w i n d ow - tax w i t h its present malignant influence upon air and light. Yet to steer midway between the two i m p oss ibili t i es, t h oug h easy to prescribe, has hitherto been f oun d most difficult to cccomplish. had the window -tax been in proportion to value, like the property-tax, or a fixed charge, like the land•tax, or a fair tax upon superfluous expenditure, iike the duty on foreign wines, the nation might have become in a manner reconciled to it; but the burden and the practical anomalies of the window-tux increase con tinually, and every year adds to the reasons against it. It is now in all respects a far worse tax than when it was first laid on. One alleged principle of the window-tax is, that it is a duty on expenditure, and not upon industry. It is laid on the residence, and not on the shop, the counting-house, the workroom, or the warehouse. The labourer's cottage, the small farm house, the dairy. the cheeseroona, are all exempted. Yet a " professional residence" in Bedford. square may con tain as many windows as a house in r Parke place, and pay equal window-tax, though the rent of the former may be only 1201., and that of the latter 5001. Rates and the property-tax follow depreciation; the window-tax is a constant burden, till the value sinks to that melancholy zero when windows are bricked up, and drawing-rooms are used to hang up sage and thyme, or spread out apples and onions. Lodging-houses and some hotels have strong claims on the public consideration, but the window-tax is levied on both without the least mitigation or remorse. The poor widow who stakes the last remnent of her fortunes in opening a boarding-house may be sadly disappointed in her expectation of boarders, but one visitor she will certainly have,—the inexorable man who for her 30 windows,door-lights,skyslights, cellar lights, and air-boles, demands no less a sum than 10/. 15s. 10d. The rambling old manor-house occupied as a school is treated as harshly, and the operation of the same injustice tells prejudicially on the construction of new colleges and schools. The tax, then, is not true to its own principle as a tax upon expenditure. The great number of attempts that have been made to save the principle by particular exemptions only make the incon sistency more flagrant, for it is continually asked, with good reason, why is a shop exempted and net a lodging house—why a small tarmer'e house and not a small schoolmaster's? Now, both this principle and these in consistencies of the window-tax present serious difficul ties in the way of a " commutation." The old mansion, which will not let, even for a ladies' boarding-school, because, having fifty apertures for light or for air, it is charged 19/. a year to the window-tax, would only have that burden fixed on it for ever by a mere commutation. Doubtless a commutation might be made palatable, and so fer practicable, by a considerable reducticia. If a house that now pays 161. a year for its 40 windows were henceforth to pay the rent-charge of 81. a year, its occu piers would bear with more complacency the fact of another house paying tlse same rent-charge, though of two or three times the value. The numerous difficulties in the way of a mere com mutation will lead, we believe, to the surrender of the window-tax, and the substitution of a very moderate house-tax. There is reason to hope that the Chan cellor of the Exchequer will have so considerable a surplus at the end of the financial year that be can easily afford a million or twelve hundred thousand for this long-desired object. By the substitution of a house-tax calculated to raise about 600,0001. for the window-tax raising about 1,800,0001., the sacrifice of revenue will nut exceed 1,200,0001. such a tax will in the first instance fall much lighter then the present window- tax, and will not ietertele with the construction of our dee Mugs. We beg to congratulate all our readers on this great measure of relief, particularly those excellent persons who have laboured so long to improve the dwellings of the poor, and have hitherto found the Legislature itselt their greatest antagonist. It is enough that we have gone on 'or 50 years enduring the most slavish, annoying, and inconvenient limitations to our personal comfort and our architectural taste. Experience shows that up to a class of comparative influence, the most economical form of habitation is that in apartments or flats, as is now generally practised in Paris, as was till lately in Elinburgh, as was formerly the case much more than now in this country, and as we now ace revived in the model lodging-houses for families recently erected. The window-tax, which charges an increasing duty on any inhabited building, whether occupied in apartments or as one dwelling house, has almost put an end to this econo mical and convenient plain It has compelled every small family to occupy its separate house, from the foundation to the roof, or pay a penalty for being content with half a mansion. As tor the working class, the window-tax has operated as a direct command that they shall con tinue to dwell in those interminable streets of little six roomed cottages which our railway viaducts exhibit to so little advantage, instead of clubbing together for those conveniences which can only be attained in large edifices constructed for that purpose. This is only one of the many ill fruits of this—perhaps the very worst of all our war taxes. We have dwelt en them so often, that we ill at present only say that architectural antiquaries four or five centuries hence, will describe the domestic architecture of 1800-1850 us the monument of a ruinous war.— Times. ELOPEMENT EXTRAORDINARY. Some particulars of an elopement with a somewhat ludicrous denouement hive reached us. It appears that a gay Lothario, much enamoured of straw-coloured kid and eau-de-Cologne, met with a very fascinating travelling companion the other day in a railway carriage. Ad possible politeness was shown to the lady by our gallant young gent!eman, and at length a genial confidence arose between them. Ile gave the lady his address, and no doubt pictured his prospects coleur de rose. The lady was very communicative. She was none other than " the Hon. Miffs Lumley, daughter of Lord Scarborough," and " had ten thousand pounds in her own right." The gentleman's feelings became excited with the details ; Cupid shot an arrow into his heart, and the' Honourable Miss Lumley " betraying every disposition to reciprocate his feelings, the flame of lova burnt brightly. We have not heard what passed between theta from that time up to last Saturday morning, but certain it is that an elopement was planned. " Miss Lumley," evidently exhibited great eagerness, for she appeared helm her lover in the town where he resides, in a riding habit, stating that her brother was " after her," and that the knot must be tied as quickly as pos sible, otherwise it would be undone—she would be snatched ruthlessly away from her lover, and probably be for ever afterwards placed within the precincts of grim walls under lock and key. A special licence was obtained; the marriage service was performed et one of the churches, after some objections on the part of the clergyman had been removed by the clever and skilful "Miss Lumley," and " the happy couple " proceeded to spend the honeymoon in a neighbouring county. They were seated in a beautifully fitted up drawing-room in a stylish hotel, sipping champagne and " telling tales of love," when they were surprised by the arrival of Lo thario's mamma and papa. Great was the consternation at first, but the tact of " the Hon. Miss Lumley" was speedily in' requisition. She succeeded in convincing tre ton-credulous parents that she really was " the Hon. Miss Lumley ;" and that she had 10 . 0001. in her own right. With the consolation that matters were act so bad after all the parents returned \ home, where they shortly learned beyond doubt that " she Hon. Miss Lumley" was a nymph of the pave Shocked at the in telligence they again went is pursuit cf the fugitive son, whom they found in company with his loving bride at a far•famed and delightfully clean road-side inn. The duped son heard the character of his " blushing bride* with astonishment, and he accompanied his parents home , leaving " the Hon. Miss Lumley" to her own :a titetioue and resources.—Derby Reporter, Jan. 17. --- - - - MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED ITzrs s .ASTER.— s i ana considerablet fo at tendance A meeting of the inhabitants of Birmingham was held in the Town-hall, on Tuesday night, for the purpose of on sidering the propriety of petitiontibnegrePwaral lition of the law which prohibits a widower from marrying t m he ._ s . i , st t er of his deceased wi e r s e ident in B of ladies. The Mayor occupied the chair, and was supported by the Rev. J v . i ( c ) a . r A l .o il f le m r , i.i ß st e o c u t , o l r t ?f s S p t o . o :M er a , r E tin sc is : the Rev. representing r Birmingham, and D . P. various congregations of the neighbourhood. Letters were read from Mr. seeting ministers n . s ß e t ve . ssOhwßena,b Scholetield, M. l '. , Mr. Mentz, M.P., and the Rev. J. A. James (Nonconformist), expressive of their concurrence in town and the o bject of the meeting, but regretting their inability to attend. The Rev. J. C. Miller and the Rsv. J. B. Owen moved and seconded the adoption of a petition to Parliament, praying for the legislation of marriages of the class above mentioned. The Rev. Prebendary Gray, warden of Queen's College, moved an amendment to the effect—" That no peti tion upon the subject under discussion be presented to Par liament; that the marriage of a man with bis deceased wife's sister was especially prohibited by Scripture, by the practice of the universal Church, and by the opinions of divines and theologians of all ages until a very recent period." The Rev. Mr. Mackenzie, of the Scotch Church, seconded the amendMent. Mr. Spooner, M.P., supported the petition, and the Rev. J. C. Miller having replied, the Mayor pro ceeded to take the sense of the meeting. A very inconsider able number of hands were held up in favour of the amend ment, and the original motion was carried almost unani mously, and amidst great applause. ROYAL ARTILLERT.—WOOLWICH, JAN. 16.—The Resistance, 10, troop-ship, Master -Commander Bradshaw, arrived at the dockyard to .day, and the three companies of the Royal Artillery are to land at ten o'clock A.M. to-mor- The Apollo, 8, troop-ship, Commander James Rawstorne, also arrived to-day, and will land the companies on board at the same time to-morrow, when the whole of the five companies wi.l march up to the garrison, headed by the band of the Royal Artillery. Captain Crawford, of 6th b a tt a li on , had the command of the Royal Artillery on board the Apollo. There are nine orphan children of soldiers passengers on Captain Crawford's company, n Morris's company, also re turned in the ApolloWßgCK from Jamaica. or THE SCREW-STEAMER NAUTILUS.-- LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY.—lntelligence reached here this morn i n g from Holyhead of the wreck of the Nautilus screw steamer, Captain Pearson, of London, attended with the loss of six seamen and three firemen. The Nautilus was on her passage from Loudon to Liverpool, when, on Tuesday after noon, she struck on the Skerries Platters and went down, ' the captain, mate, two engineers, and one seaman only being saved.