The Sun. — London, England, 1851-12-18 00:00:00

h.:lnto custody . The plisoner excused his 1 -e uee by th,,,t. his wife, had not ot?!) - 11 , ° „ 11 ,, t ufhoUze 'holm., but had talc up viLh hi ~Wiflt iv - its afterward. found that the wour r, i . d r s , ght th — e k 's head were of a very serious character, S 4 pri'e was able to attend and give evidence aga s ioki lc4 rit will be a long Limo before she . willt bebeen It/111111Yree "re, the end of her nose having e ittoretora off in the course of the struggle. kltenntl addressed the jury for the dcfe i nce cad i tN - 7 that the conduct of the wife in prove her , Tte 4 t ight to palliate the prisoner's offenc9. Att'lled RECORDER then summed up, and r tte es ll . l th e Prisoner Guilty of unlawfully wounding. vrisener, upon being celled upon in the usual , 41 11 8 14 t4t ,d his wife had 1: -- ;211:ved very badly to him. ;',41 Le i rt him more than once, and set her lghlofi t/ n iva, who was imprisoned for assaul e tin n g gave her a sovereign to c lire up fr,m G, n iieete Exhibition and he did no: see her aga . i ssa.ult, when she provoked him by his child, and declaring that her rt,,yttiotodtvtarsadvvortn two of . him, as he had got 401., and time °as a brickinaker. ,tet atld he f orgave her twice. She bad left him ttiittlsentenced him to twelve months' imprison e 4 unee of Correction. IRELAND. li: 4DO ~ l 4 ll o 'l 7433 NEsnay.—Th e rumours respecting the Oa r . t he late Dr. Sadlier are as many and yaried Ositi 40 far uncertain. Yesterday, according to tieralof or speculation, the candidates 0, 13 .111. Government were limited to tw o o,. Otter. kacdonnell and Dr. Todd. The chances Vtle t : ll a re not, perhaps, diminished from the fact of c't tonertnined opponent of tho policy of d th a e t stt atr Y• The latter- although what is call( t:T l e nl the Channel a " high" churchman, is kl k) 4 k or aie a g ent l e tendency to L i b era l principles,. 1 %14 I edne"er, said to b e f r i en dly to the system , of ai -e ti liti°ll . He is, at all eventa, extremely po ll parties. 11 / 11411 11 ,lt i ttio. 1(3 1 118 DE.a.ru or A. FOREIGNER.—On Mon - N . ay z:kst the d ea d b ody of a we ll- att i re d ge ntleman, ,V 4114 f tit 35 years of age, and supposed by his . e atures to be a foreigner, was found in the ,Vuoi r 4)4(1, H ampstead -road, quite cold. He was of a e,e43raplexion, had dark brown hair, and no , Il tt 'itti t al dressed in a black dress coat, black satin trowsers, dark overcoat with velvet yl,p..' o n boots, and black hat, with maker's name, lecadilly." On searching him some silver i t S it4 lll a tir c k las ) Pocket-knife were found ; the deceased's Ne t tlio e LL ` C. Knowbe body was Mime e(' to he • • g. ,ot t cati on e district dead-house for the inquest ‘L, 144 1A T tif -44 /48 - GEORGE DUNCAN, "I( Lthei r Ikr o Dundee having resolved to present r. e b;Letaber, with some testimonial, upwards of \l/ 44411lready subscribed fur that purpose.— eritser. /„ . .loe n . IND/ r. aNic ' l lttlibt STEAMERS.—The Medway, which Ot tile," "°e yesterday, with the West India and N, 411 Iter e t b / c out above' 120 passengers. Nearly half 0 11 t1 °cited for Chagres, on their way to Cali ‘lol,l ~eoesis• ted of miners sent out by the new . Califor- LCompanies. Many of the miners are lo ) "W e West India steamer Amazon arrived . ti 4oad o ,, iJoek on Tuesday afternoon, from London L '14 4 7 ,‘ 1 14 d'r°ll Saturday last, but was obliged to hem e- Nil th e rsend on account of a dense fog.. The I.l t completed of the new fleet of . gigan shortly belong to the West India Corn txpe t a e z wa is the largest steam-packet afloat ; . she 4 :ati lit llo 4 d take out the West India and Mexican 11 1 44 ten e t r° Zitno, and in that case will . return to VOr6Yea r , t ° ll t the sth of March. She will be com 47%, am Chapman, of the Brazilian packet Tay. 1.' 4 4 0 ' 4 ' 0 %er of the gigantic packets, will be ready i l ‘;` ll 4, 4 t ? ' month's time. cilt%i t to 2l li t ells AN D MINERS.—WOOLWICH,, DEC. ° P I PanY, under the command of Captain I,tityket ) . r!gmeer3, which embarked at Portsmouth in j i „k Pes,:ffed at their destination, Bermuda, in the 4 'klo r eti pe at of November, and landed on the 4 4 4 eZ,_) 0 111; ; °41 PallY, under the command of Captain J. relieved, were to embark about the 24th Otetere:b-r-cgland, and may be expected to arrive at tf ti llzr e ipt the first week of January, 1852 Lieu kl o p a rich, rO . OraerSet is vice L ordered home from Canada, to I.4lloted Lieutenant and Adjutant p o. '4 "etr e kb 1),,, Vilth:kPr o , " I :Eit TO THE HON. MR. WALKER, th '94) 4 .7 -1 he following requisition to the Mayor Ito course of signature in that town Wi l ik tul ders i.B V of' th e 1 01ecl merchants, traders, and others cone tl.b, You r : Poyt . of Southampton, hereby request latethe Ott o day as United States Treasury, to a public dinner . tiNtq t ,"ew en " Lay suit his convenience. We do this, in r 4 tilt aPpreciation of the advantages which have . ik tiler i? i ort of Southampton by the establishment of 14iZolithiern steamers between this port and New bb `lF tt Vveeliasy the a ct rat t m t ea N7 - • i i , i as re h l i o u r g ou tu g u ht about of f whichb N e :to : 1 4 a valuable and influential member; as well 1 0 t tli,b` 4l lt ee cur most cordial feeli of kindness gre at nation of which he is so ngs disti n guished a 4 41 Nn, d Ice R at EFORM,-0n Saturday evening last : 4iitc 1, 14 ; p4,1 414 t : e to nd ed meeting of the inhabitants of Kings (isread44l'°k Place at the Prince of Wales Tavern, take into fr cons t ig e era ( t i i e o u n e 1 11, 4 ih .m°4 O the f t4 f obteui the steps c the necessary ch"litte ad dresses er o7 unclaimed letters; Mr. Wil -01444 illatjr; • Mr. si• Ware contended that the present rp , cleat for th - and quoted a late v;llll44,_retnrc 'from .e purpose, . • , 1849 0111 which it appeared that from the 1 '4 1% 7 18 4 .,„ ,to the sth o f J anuar y, 1851, the eno r_ 'ell; 'Cul. 1 0s. 4d., besides one million and a itzi ezn , th 44 ank notes, cheques &c., leaving out pro. tat , 1 3 11ci neY, was found in , letters, the owners for 'it, ro ll " Ij aci e . tra ce d by the ordinary means. By the V; t tli d ha N „ alr ned Letter Gazette," he considered the 114teitetileh Publication facilities for tracing undelivered %46t,i,Itperris`ui!eation could be got up at a trifling cost, Vot e eitia th adlcal intervals and might be sold at a Z 1.4 1 0t a v ? rea c h , of all cla ' sses. He concluded by re %l9, istrat4Y, reach agitation of this important subject. 1 41tOngly javnt, Sutcliffe, Wickham, and other gen -04 1 .0 ti;:tocated the proposition, and after a vote airman, the meeting separated. ittk it iti o r w e Ping a poor labouring tlt tnile inchelsea, while crossing the line over a residing 04 '4 , tver by the down side of the Winchelsea sand , t a spot . p 5.30 up train from Hastings, • 4111 71 .9ht0n Guardian. )I,,i kZ at ileson` i ,?uncil of Din well has elected Sir gears th r a : ° v o st of the burgh. g dui fog -bell at the Copeland. Light „ I ,;' sn (luring the fog, when the Africa mail the 'a 'nor was it until some time after the Nelea,gad i t 1 ,,, r() s that the light-keepers thought of t i'tea t C s oald haven in operation, there is little doubt that y A tis,vne,avoided the reefs, and escaped b • ett 4. "" a amage.—Giusgow PoPer• 44 1 4 h ag INPO ECEMENTS FOR THE CAPE.---The 1 4 1 1 h t niatid f 0 determined on meeting Sir Harry Qttlt r Y ate,,,r further reinforcements at the Cape by 1 1Z 1 1 .. 14 havelevessel the battalion of Rifles novr at Dover, /1 i,7 re ad ! la Bent to Dover, to the battalion, to hold `lOll. "'Med M aas for immediate t h e embarkation. It was ,itile,pitenil to send them y her Majesty's steam %tt 1 41 411,3 at P ortsmo o u u tb, but it is now decided Lf44,_legr..l'roceed to the Cape in tie new iron screw- W 1 7 41 c rew g , at to Mr. Hoffmeister, and the 4 1% 1 , 1 4 01 ,k ta roa ° ,, f the Cyclops,' just . returned from the Cape, 44411,,:t1thl ever to that ship the Megxra having will, 4 Lifted for the conveyance of troops. Like 14 4 ev erl ,e has received Grant's distilling galley, and 't vre e arafort and convenience for a regiment. i t , 44 believe 0 , 41 4 are above 600 strong.—Herald. , 4 Y k t elej e TlON 114 ' 'ht i , ti()4 °P COMMON COUNCILMEN. --At the 1`k1;414 the tha n common councilmen, on St. Thomas s 4 e vi jes will take place in the representation of t q t t oti tesig.4."• ... L angbourne—Messrs. J. Dixon and J. i t , 6 r !,rsd aleasrs. Webber, Smith, Bell, and 8ae12! . , Cripplegate Within—Messr.s. li Rfs. V) and J. Frost, resign The new candidates It.ll..littt,liont.Zock, resign. , and Jack. Cripple ,Yl44,,,_a/tdvira,.._r• T. Eldred g and Messrs. Sewel n l, • I,:k Of th ' 4 ° l2 , start. Bridge—A vacancy occurs i . tielk t roy na e death of Mr. W. Game. Messrs. J . ohn olegsrs.wr,lll stand. Aldgate—There is no resigne *,iltr a r Zalar f o z , l P e eY, Morgan, and Osmond, ha e ve issued tilyititctlrre Be:kfonsrutflrag”.of,. the fr l eem n en r . ep T y h . I present Castle t t , v44 111 . ,,,, \ Y• Caralinoi r n e . si c g u n c a u a a n r Messrs. v 0 04 %11. 111 be proposed. Vintry—Mr. S. Lepard Parker ii t !%l 4 , °ll Wi t hi Warwick and Gammon are candidates. i kt mo ,tt t taa z r e i , ,-•Mr. W. C. Humphreys resigns. V 1 17 1 : 1 ; 'll,,4 th a el e r ch azg l n e e l y ere will , be prt)pose k d. clem ln ow F a a n rr d . n 6 r ot as. 11 1 Pv i tite Z r al of Messrs. e ru s c . lem ra a n ster and Edkins. In Oc t si: tt a G - L -; Raymond in the room of Mr. T. Acocks. tit y Net ; r „.ox in the room of Mr. J. Brown ; and in 41 T, • in the room of Mr. Gadsden. There a kkVA. war Ward arising from the deathof Mr. Wylie. 11 --DENT IN LONG. ACRE.—Yesterday i tv. 404 edford held an inquest at the Charing-cross A t l Ngt h e ath N „, eb adY of Aaron Ross, a carpenter, aged 40, NCR fro u :' in consequence of falling through the 4 1 ,4 4 re. the roof of the factory of Messrs. Horne, 1 , 6 1 4 vat the the deceased was fl • xing the purlins for the Lto lt , t a i of r rf on Saturday week, when he stepped on a pl an as is used for covering roofs prev.i -4%34 ee - lett snapped asunder, and the deceased in kNi tt of a through the scaffolding to the ground, from Nly 4 1 i :bout 30 feet, fracturing his spine. He was im 'll44n ta , en to the above hospital, where he lingered till to l a W hen he expired, leavi a widow and three i: 4 4 4 r eent his loss. Verdict, "Accidental death." 11 4N tOt is s;I'AILW AY ACCIDENT TO ME. ALEX. t r 4t a eIt nTARY OF TIIE CANADIAN LAND AND 1 t.. 11 fr,,,711 Waterloo-road Saturday evening last, when e i : to Twickenham arrived at 0(1 , 37, who was a passenger, stepped on the th him the train at that moment moved " a turn 0 4 ':_ly "e closerd of the carriage wheeled him round Qeaae th Ira th b ff —his legs were caught are footboard and e u ers d 'n this manner tthtiot,!B4.l.-Fged forwaBrd the platforma i n r Campbell, after 4114seoe;'On, extricateda himself fryll- b q. ut not before his left h 4 ;t tiwi tiv er W e as broken a above the knee, and several kitketth,,contusions sustained. Drs. Clarke and Simeon Wh o ',, l n, were immediately sent for and promptly at- T u ' r dered Mr. Campbell's immediate removal to 7 4 1ti 00 48 Tavern, where he now lies in a very favour- Lteunder the care of Dr. Clarke. ti,, q ,64'n l rat ie Ce t ot , W l4 Y stalk of one of the iron works at Lin- Ye 4 Peopiblown down in the recent gale, and some bun "ill iout of etn n n consequence, be thrown 41 li.sre. e t ehtliaa,llcita ree ion. '6l - ant THE Eta d p raa PEACE.—Yesterday a return to . k r v.t . th ere Printed, from which it appears that in ',nd 7 are 1 8742 - ustic thecommission of he q 1 , d5O . ,308 of „ J es in c here 6 trq in the _ them , have qualifled. In Wales t it t ,h 4l ;l th e ot which 857 have qualified. li tt g ,;, , ,Falaer in the commission is 3,695, and 3,188 W ates ;inere are 1,645 borough magistrates in Eng ek‘lla 71 a !) , or ail(' in Ireland 169. There are only 28 1 1 4 t a 1 4i e 1 ,,, 4 Irelatar magistrates in England and Wales, In Scotland there are 201 ersons ktt ,q 4. _ 41 unction% of which 190 are pail, and 1t• tit 11 13. 4 4, I tilt itt lY 5 Hi c EMI, I , lAt t 0 0 p e OYMENT IN ENGLAND.—There Persons 4 graphi c constantly employed in connexion c ommunication of the country. THE SUN , LONDON, LIT ERA 'PURE. LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND. Library Edit:c.m. Vols. 1., IL, 111., IV. By Agnes Strickland. Colburn and Company. It le quired very remarkable courage to adventure upon the companion of the volumes h ere re p .inting in an edition eminently calculated to extend their popula&y and confirm their reputation. Fortu nately for the students in cur historical literature, the various qualities which were essential for th© due accomplishment of such an undertaking mere found combined in the intellect of Agnes Strickland. Her resolution in carrying out the original design has been unsurpassed by any ether of her capacities as an historical writer, if we may except the most brilliant merit of her productions generally, that of a consci• entions and unimpassioned truthfulness. Among the impartial annalists who have recorded the deeds of bygone generations, whether in modern times or in the days of antiquity, she cccupies a conspicuous and honourable position. Nor can the prejudices of par tizAnship, or ire fanaticism of sectarianism, deny to her the admiration due to that veracity. Beyond the distinguishimr qualities here par ticularized, Miss Strickland possessed, from the outset another, peculiarly admirable cf its kind, and one which, under any cirurnstances, must have rendered some degree of success inevitable. She cherishes a genuine love for her occupation ; she has an enthusiasm in the prosecution of her enter prise ; she has an evident delight in turning :over the mouldy manuscripts of the riled :weal period, and ex tracting from them a store of unexpected revelations. Indeed she herself has told us repeatedly, in the words of Beaumont, that her hand has opened " the trea sures of antiquity laid up in old historic scrolls," though without adding how eagerly she has done so, or with what earnest assiduity she has conducted her antiquarian investigations. The singularly merito rious manner in which these " Lives of the Queens of England" have been brought to a state of completion is, by this time, tolerably well known to the majority of readers : in fact, the celebrity of the work has been recognised not only in this country, but by the more discerning men of letters throughout Christendom. It has risen even now to the dignity of a classic, and may be regarded as having a chieved for itself a triumph over every opposition. T he fact of Miss Strickland's popularity as an historian, or rather, we should possibly say, as an historical biographer, has been sufficiently attested by the variety of compi lations of a similar character which her " Lives of the Queen of England" have called into existence. Besides her own new serial, the "Lives of the Queens of Scotland," now being issued at intervals from the este blishment of the Messrs. Blackwood, there have been kindred volumes dedicated by other writers respec tively to the Kings and the Princesses of England. Like most imitations, however, these works have by no means equalled in any one particular the extraor dinary production originating that class of composi tions, the work which is here announced as again in course of publication. Half of the present reprint has already appeared, the edition before us being intended for completion in eight volumes, newly revised, and very considerably augmented. Anxious to impart to them every reasonable attraction and every desirable embellishment, the publishers have arranged to have each memoir accompanied by a portrai , of the queen whose history is recounted, no matter whether endowed with the royal diadem or with the crown matrimonial. Added to all this the augmen tations above mentioned comprise references to all the important collections brought to light since the ap• pearance of earlier impressions. These references, combined with the engraved likenesses first particu larized, likenesses, it would seem, taken from euthentic sources, sources in every instance duly and properly verified , cannot, we feel assured, but secure a wide and en lar g in g popularity to every suc cessive volume of the rep ublication. Apart from all adventitious interest, the "Lives of the Queen's of England," if issued in a form the most scrupulously unadorned, must by necessity have commanded the heartiest welcome from the community. With the decorations specified they must inevitably prove most acceptable. They extend in point of time over a period of no less than 652 years, and relate the fortunes and misfortunes of several illustrious dynasties. Beginning at the death, in 1066, of Edward the Confessor, they traverse the whole of the subsequent portion of our chrono• logy down to the accession, in 1714, of George the First of the house of Brunswick. Among the renowned women depicted in the series are four queens who wore the royal crown of England, and no less than thirty who wore the crown matrimonial. " What changes," exclaims their biographer herself in the very exordium of her preface—" what changes-- what revolutions —what scenes of civil and religious strife—what exciting tragedies are not involved in the details of these four-and -thirty lives!" In the histories of these memorable women we behold mir rored before us some among the most marvellous epochs in the ca reer of humanity. We see the days of feudalism revived from the dust of centuries, with the throng of barons and of serfs, each alike, in the majority, of instances ignorant of all that knowledge upon which has since been built up the fare of civili zation. We wander again through the gorgeous realms of chivalry, again we listen with rap ture to the incalculable witcheries of romance, hearing the echoed music that flowed of old from the harp of the bard and the lyre of the troubadour. We follow Richard once more into the crusades, that strewed with blood and glory the con secrated soil of Palestine. We accompany anew our Edwards and our Henrys through the numerous battles by which they strove to blend in one the dems of France and England. Having thus far in the sequence of these astonishing records — records of heroism and of criminality—we arrive in due course at the terrible conflict between the partizans of the red and the white roses—the roses of York and of Lancaster, that terrible and deadly contention which ended at length in the extinction of the once glorious and puissant dynasty of the Plantagenets. Upon the consequent accession of the house of Tudor we watch again the pulling down of the execrable system of feudality, and the building up of a new hierarchy and the model lin g of new principles of ecclesiastical government. Scarcely have we Rer ceived the completion of these remarkable enterprises than we begin to recognise the commencement of the great effort of the middle classes to vindicate their poll- tical rights and social privileges, the struggle subvert ing monarchy for a time, and replacing it by a demo cratic institution entitled a Commonwealth. Scarcely, again, have we seen the republican form of administra tion established in the realm than we see this in its place exchanged for a military despotism, and the military despotism in its turn leading in the end to the permanent restoration of the monarchical form of government. Through these wonderful vicissitudes of fortune we come by gradual stages to the demo cratic reaction which was inevitable under the cir cumstances —a reaction which produced the deposition of James 11., the last Catholic Sovereign. Subse quently to the Revolution of 1688, we arrive at what Miss Strickland pithily mentions as the time of "the Dutch reign, the era of continental wars, standing armies, national debt, and universal taxation." As th e crowning point of the series, we have the close of the reign of Anne and the accession of the House of Brunswick: Such are the personages and the occur rences which Agnes Strickland has described in these remarkable biographies, her heroines being those four-and -thirty queens, of whom M. Guizet has said, " Great events have acted on them, and they have acted according to events." How reverently the historical writer who has undertaken this task has brought it to a conclusion, may be perceived by reference to her own very beautiful acknowledgment, whereas, he observes,.' The hope that the Lives of the Queens of England' might be regarded as a national work, honourable to the female character, and gene rally useful to society, has encouraged us to the com pletion of the task, and we should be undeserving of the popularity with which this work has been honoured, if we could look upon it with apathy, but we regard it as God's blessing on our labours and their sweetest reward." That reward she has as suredly obtained, and upon its first acquisition we hastened to offer Miss Strickland our felicitations. The proof that she has obtained it is the fact of the present reprint—ll reprint which has now half of it appeared—the fourth volume under consideration eomprising the whole of the masterly biography of Queen Elizabeth. RAVEN SCLIFFE ; a Novel. 3 Vols. By the Author of " Emilia Wyndham." Colburn. The authoress of " Emilia Wyndham" can hardly fail to interest and fascinate her readers even when, as in this instance, she selects a gloomy and unpleas• ing theme. Her manner is so earnest, and her belief in the reality of the events which she narrates is so apparently genuine, that instead of regarding her works as the fictions of her own brain, we are apt to look upon them as real histories, of which she is merely the recorder. To say this of any novelist is to accord no m ean commendation, and of Mrs. Marsh we can affirm so much in all conscientiousness. But, admiring her as we do, and justly appre ciating her powerful talents, we must confess that " Ravenscliffe," while in some respects it has fas• cinated us, has on the whole disappointed us. The story is melancholy throughout, even to monotony, but the principal characters are well conceived. The chief purpose of the work, and its most re deeming feature, is the delineation of the stern and morose Randal Langford. The natural faults of his temperament have been augmented by an ill judged education, and Randal, while yet a youth, is a complete misanthrope—" a perfect Timm), not nine teen." But however austere his disposition, his heart is sensitive, and his live for the gentle Eleanor Wharncliffe, for a time converts the misanthrope into an affectionate and happy man. For a time only. The disappointment of this affection—a disappoint ment peculiarly cruel and trying in its circumstances embitters all the genial feelings of his heart, and reduces him to worse than his former desolation. " Ravenbcliffe" is not half concluded when this incident tikes place, but, although the remAindim of the work introduces new charac ter 4, and, in fact, a new etory, the main pur pose is still the same, and oily with the con cluding pages of the third volume does the history of Randal become complete, and the moral of the story receive its full development. Viewed in this bearing, as we have said, " R ivenscliffe" presents re deeming features, The character of Randal is well pourtrayed, and the vicissitudes to which such un governed passions as his must necessarily subject their possessor are skilfully and forcibly depicted. Still the theme is mournful and its accessories are melancholy to an extreme. Eleanor Wharncliffe, the heroine, is painted in that graceful and charming manner which Mrs. Marsh so frequently employs in the portraits of her heroines. The nature of Eleanor is weak and vacillating; not endowed with suf ficient firmness to d..) right or wrong, she sacrifices her own happiness and the happiness of others. Speak log of the deplorable state to which this weak tem perament reduces her heroine, Mrs. Marsh reminds us that Angela (the heroine f one of her former delightful romances) was naturally weak and timid as Eleanor, but the strong religious principles which ruled her heart supported and directed her. In Eleanor, who is without this strength, she has at tempted, and very successfully, to show the misery that may be wrought by a weak mind, although ac companied by a loving heart and well-meaning inten tentions, if unsupported by principle. In this endea vour, also, as we have said, Mrs. Marsh has been most successful. Having thus awarded to the authoress of " Ravenscliffe " the praises which are her due, we have another, and a serious fault to find with her, namely, the theological remarks and discussions introduced into the pages of " Ravenscliffe." 'We have the greatest objection to such topics so intro duced. Practical and not theoretical religion is what we look for in works of fiction. Let the novelist show us how Christians ought to live, and not remind us, unhappily, how Christians (so called) can quarrel. One passage in this portion of " Ra venscliffe " has surprised us considerably, coming from a writer of such benevolence as the author of " Emilia Wyndham," namely, a passage in which she arrogates to herself a power appertaining only to the great Searcher of Hearts, and pronounces a large body of Christians to be, many of them, secret infidels. Sorry are we to find such remarks coming from such a writer, and we earnestly entreat the authoress, whose talents we so justly appreciate, and whose works we so greatly admire, to leave these topics for other pens, and to employ hers, as she so well can, in showing the beauty of virtue and the misery of vice. We en treat of Mrs. Marsh to give us again a novel like her enthralling " Emilia Wyndham , " like her powerful " Norman's Bridge," like her charming "Angela," or her fascinating " Old Men's Tales," or her " Wil mingtons." Glad as we always are to -welcome her productions, we shall be doubly glad to welcome one possessing the attractions but free from the faults of " Rave nscliffe." ON THE CLASSIFICATION AND MA NAGEMEAT OF CRIMINAL LUNATICS. By John Charles Buy/mill, M. 8., London; Super intendent of the Devon County Lunatic Asylum. Dr. Bucknill has, in the shape of a letter addressed to Samuel Trehawke Kekewich, Esq., the chairman of the visiting justices of the Devon ounty Lunatic Asylum, given to the public his opinions on the sub ject of the treatment of criminal lunatics, a subject which will occupy the attention of Parliament in the course of the ensuing session. The great abilities and the very extensive experience of Dr. Bucknill as su perintendent of the Devon County Lunatic Asylum entitle his opinions on this subject to most attentive consideration, and accordingly, without at all pledging ourselves to the , support of all the opinions which Dr. Buckuill has propounded, we recommend his pamphlet to the atten tive study of all those who may be called upon to take part in the discussion of any measure which may be proposed for a reform in the laws relating to this subject. Dr. Bucknill proposes among other alterations that the fact of a lunatic having been tried for a crime should not alone be sufficient to constitute a distinction in his classification, but that all lunatics of criminal propensities, whether they may have ben tried or not, shall be separated from those whose de lusions are of a harmless nature. This is a suggestion of very great importance, and one which we should wish to see carried out. We think we perceive that Dr. Bucknill, in common with almost every medical man who has written on this subject, is inclined to advocate the release of criminal lunatics on too easy terms. Be it recollected that the primary object of the incarceration of a criminal lunatic is to secure the safety of society, and the cure of the person who has violated the laws is, however important, still subor dinate to the one great object, and that, therefore, criminal lunatics should not be too hastily released ; indeed we are inclined to think that they should never, under any circumstances, be wholly freed from re straint. FALKENBURG. By the Author of " Mildred Vernon." Co - Mum. 3 Vo is This is a tale of the Rhine. The principal charac ters are English, with the exception of Waldemar Falkenburg, the hero, and a young artist, Wilhelm Norberg. The career of the latter is very ably sketched. At first he has more of the affectation of superiority than the evidence, but, led on and incited by his passion for the beautiful, and by his ado ration of Lilian Cameron, his genius bursts forth from its trammels, and he attains a renown almost unparalleled in musical composition. Helen Mac lave is the only really estimable character in the work, and it is to be regretted that her fate is not equally fortunate. Falkenburg, the hero, is a strange individual, his disposition veering between the mean and the exalted. By turns hea debases himself to the lowest pleasures, or seeks todevote: himself heart and soul to his country's cause. Unfortunately his ambition cannot be gratified. He can find nothing worthylof his mind,:and he is at last:most:unsatisfacto rily united to the vain and selfish Lilian Cameron. The scene is at first in Germany, the characters are afterwards introduced in a London season, and finally they return to Friederichstadt. There are several other points of interest in the narrative, and a great deal of under play is carried on by the Grantleys and their designing friends. There is throughout a vigour and expression of style which is not often met with in works of fiction, and the author displays great knowledge of society both at home and abroad. THE MONTH. By Albert Smith and John Leech Messrs. Albert Smith and Leech have provided " a feast of fun" for Christmas parties in the present month. As a specimen we give the following " Song for the Times :" CAB ! AlR—Trab, trab, trab. A cab I lives by driving, And well I makes it pay— A business nice and thriving, I drives with my old grey. With lots of blessed tongue, And simple force of lung. Cab! cab! gab! cab! I knows my game, And swindles old and young. Cab! cab! &c. The beaks has took the trouble To regulate our fares; But if we charges double 'Taint them—you see—as cares. 'Taint nobs in cabs as pass, But what they call the mass. Cab! cabl cab! cab! so on we goes, And does the Middle Class. Cab! cab! &c. It's grconhorns from the country; As best I likes to drive; Their 'rithmetic I on try, And multiplies by five, Or women folk who dare To offer simple fare. Cab! cab! cab! cab! they're easy done, You've only got to swear. Cab! cab! &o. I sometimes meet with rum 'une, I'm quite polite to such; Folks often talk of summons, It seldom comes to much! What's every one's affair, Is no one's—you're aware. Cabl cab! cab! cab! to lose their time The folks don't seem to care. Cab! cabl &c. When opposition's talk'd of, On rules of justice plann'd, Our profits to be baulk'd off, My pals and I won't stand. The driver's heads we smash, And through their panels dash. Cab! cabl cab! cab! to interfere With wasted rights is rash. Cab! cab! &c. Then on we'll go, like winking, Till some one puts us down, The dread of women shrinking, The thieves of half the townl They'll stop us—l dare say; But—till they find a way— Cab! cab! cab! cab! like Jolly dogs, By Jove! we'll have our day. Cab! cab! &c. THE FAIR CAREW ; a Novel, in 3 vols. Smith and Elder. There is an attracting interest in these volumes, although the tale is simple and the style has nothing uncommon. Their merit consists in the true delinea tion of the characters, and the natural consequences which follow from the events. The heroine, Selby, is a charming creation. Placed in the most trying cir cumstances that could possibly exist, surrounded by many conflicting claims, with an unprin cipled father and a scheming mother, she con- THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 1861. trives to secure the esteem of all, and ever,tuAlly to convert enemies into friends. The story ex , rophfi , -s the miseries which ensue from family feud's and the great an x i e ty and incalculable suffering which mystery and concealment must ne cessarily engender. 'lle Luttrells are a powerful race ; long pro:parity and remarkable successes con tribut3 to render them supercilious and unbending. Prejudice is rooted in their minds against the wife of a cousin never seen by them, and of whom little is known, although rumour is busy to her disparage ment. Hartley, the heir of the house, determines to ascertain the validity of this censure, and seek out its object. The daighter of this repudiated relativo is the fair cousin, the interesting heroine. Attracted by her beauty and grace, Hartley continues his visits, and, at last hopeless of overcoming the storm at home, he is privately united to the object of his affections. The delight and pride of the mother at thus securing the tribute of homage, and receiving the advances of the son of her haughty relations, is most ably depicted. The subsequent adventures of the unfortunate bride, who is left unrecognised for three years, are very in teresting; and the perusal of the whole novel is highly satisfactory. AMERICAN NEWS. (B Y ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) ARRIVAL OF THE ATLANTIC. LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY, DEC. 17. By the arrival of the United States mail steam-ship Atlantic, West commander, we have received advices from New York to the 6th inst. She has brought aboaB22,iioo dolls. in specie on freight. The Atlantic sailed from New York at noon on the 6th inst., and arrived in the Mersey at seven o'clock this evening. The United ;States steam-ship Humboldt, Lines commander, which sailed from Southampton on the 20tb ult., arrived at New York at two o'clock A.M. on the sth inst. The Royal mail steam-ship America, Shannon commander, with the mails of the 22d ult. from Liver pool, arrived at New York at ten o'clock r.m. on the sth inst. The screw steam ship Glasgow, Stuart commander, sailed from New York for Glasgow on the 6th inst. The screw steam-ship City of Manchester, Leitz commander, sailed from Philadelphia for Liverpool on the 4th instant. _ _ Kossuth landed at Staten Island shortly after the arrival of the Humboldt, and met with a brilliant re ception. He stated that he was indisposed. The Washington papers state that the President, on learning the firing into the steam-ship Prome theus by an English brig-of-war, ordered a compe tent force to be dispatched to San Juan to protect American vessels. _ _ The last accounts from Northern Mexico state that Albalas, the Mexican General, with 2,000 troops, was preparing to attack Caravajal, who was stationed at Comargo. In the Senate on the 3d inst. a discussion took place relative to the reception to be given to Kossuth, and angry words passed between the Members. Last advices from Havannah state that Thrashier had been sent to Spain in a merchant vessel. The New York stock-market iwas firm, with an upward tendency for most securities. Money was in good demand, with an increased supply. Exchange was not active. Bills on London HI- to 101 pre mium .; Paris, 5121 to 5 13" 5 , ; Antwerp, 5 15; Amster dam, 414 to 411 ; Hamburg, 364 to 36i ; and Bre• men, 78i. The cotton-market, which had been depressed pre• vious to the receipt of the Humboldt's arrival, was u little firmer. Sales for the last three days 4,500 bales. In consequence of the closing of the canal naviga tion the markets for all descriptions of breadstuffs have an upward tendency. Ashes without change. Iron is less active, 200 tons Scotch pig sold at 20 dolls. 25c. ; 20 dolls. 50c. six months. Freights to London, 5,000 barrels of flour at le. 6d. Heavy goods 20s. to 225. 61. to Liverpool. Flour, ls. per barrel. Cotton, 3-16ths of a penny per lb. NEW ORLEANS, DEC. 5. The sales of cotton this morning reached 3,000 bales at steady prices. News by the Humboldt, pub lished in the evening papers, strengthened the market. The receipts are 150,000 bales ahead of last year up to the same date. Stock on hand, 110,000 bales. Strict middling sold to-day at 71. Sterling exchange, 9to 101. Freights of Cotton to Liverpool, 13-32nds. Charleston Cotton, 1,100 bales, sold at 61 to 81. Better prices were obtained after the receipts of the Humboldt's news. SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. Arrived at New York, Humboldt steamer, from Southampton; America steamer, from Liverpool; Queen of the Ocean, from Bri►tol. Arrived at Baltimore, Alexander, from Liverpool. Arrived at St. John's, New Brunswick, Industry, from Liverpool. Arrived at Philadelphia, J. F. Hall, from Liverpool. Arrived at Savannah, Gipsey, from Liverpool. Arrived at New Orleans, Saunders, trona Liverpool; Pumtusituk, from Bordeaux. The British brig Unity, from Algae Bay, at New York reports having shipped a sea, which killed the captain, Salter, and a seaman named William Gibble, and washed overboard the first mate, who was, howl vcr, fortunately recovered. CONCERT AT HANOVER-SQUARE IN AID OF THE HUNGARIAN CAUSE. On Tuesday a concert was given by Miss Kate Hickson, at the Queen's Concert Rooms, Hanover square, in aid of the funds of the Hungarian Com mittee and of the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland. The concert was held under the patron age of Lord Dudley Stuart, M.P. it is satisfactory to be able to state that the concert was extremely well attended, there being scarcely a s ingle s eat in the large room left unoccupied. Th e f o llowing artistes generously gave their gratuitous exertions on the occasion :—Vocalists--Miss Louisa ryne, Mrs. W. Weiss, Miss Kate Hickson, Mi ss p yn e, Miss Allain, and Miss Poole ; Mr. Wright on, M r , Swift, Herr Stoffregen, and Mr. W. W e i ss . I nst rumentalists — Pianoforte, Mdlle. Coul o n, M r. C harles Salaman, and p M i . a t ti Orosz; ; concertina, M. A . , R r. Conductor, Mr. Charles Salaman. The programme included some of the most admired airs from the works . of . Mozart, Schubert, Meyerbeer, Donizstti, and Pawn!. The Magyar national son g , 4, P re i s - 7ir and Ebr Magyar," was sung with effect by from the enthusiasm which it created H e rr Stoffr . egen, 6111/tlYtyagyrioovioet. cello, Signor and was of course encored loudly. garian cause still lives in the hearts Of the people of this country, and that the absence of its great hero has not lessened the intensity of f ee ling in its behalf. Mr. Wrighton sung " Madeline" and t he " Rose of Tralee" with his usual depth of feeliq V at a t s h e e v H ide a n n t . , and sweet ness of voice, and had to r e p eat b ot h i n obedience to the universal call of the audi ence. Mi ss Kate Hick son sang the " Nobil donna," f rom t h e ffuguenet . s, and "It segreto per esser f e li ce ," f rom the Lucrezia Borgia. She was encored i n th e l a tter, and was most warmly cheered on h er appearanc e. The in strumental portion of the p rogramme ha ve variety and spirit to the amusement of th e even ing ; a grand fantasia on the pianoforte, with H unga rian airs, by M. Orosz, being especially notic ea bl e f o r the rapidity, variety, and brilliancy of its e xecu ti on . The Misses Pyne, Miss Allain, and Miss P oo l e , an d the a rtistes, were well received, an d th e nu other numerous audi ence retired highly gratified. ous REUNION DES ARTS.—This society gave last nigh' its sixth and final soiree for this season, the entertainment being brilliantly and numerously attended. There was a very great assemblage of our best and foreign artists, as well as the amateurs. In the first part Beethoven's quintett for piano, oboe, clarionet, horn, and bassoon was most admirably played, with the finest and most delicate touches on piano, by Mine. Goffrie, Messrs. Harding, Boose, Wenn, and Snelling. The solo on cornet by Signor Maffei, on flute by Mr. WustermannOlr.! 3 rollmick on piano, (fantasia by Thal berg), were very beautiful andmuch applauded. The second part opened with Beethoven's trio in D by Mr. Goffrie, Miss and Mr. Chipp, which was executed in a mo s t masterly man ner, and Mr. Goffrie 's violin throughout was most beautiful. The Schubert's and Cummer's duett by Mr. John Day and Mr. Chipp , and solo cn harp by Mr. Chatterton were most exquisitely performed. Whilst other solos and songs by Miss Mary Rose, Miss Bennett, Miss Lavinia, Miss Magner, Miss Messent, Mr. Kloof , Mr. Has, every one individually, were mo4,enthusiasti c ally applauded Haas, Mrs. Wallach, and and, successively encored , finishin g the evening at a very late hour with great éclat. GRAND SOIREE AT NORTHAMPTON:--OR Tuesday night a soiree, upon a scale of considerable magnificence, was held in the Corn Exchange of this town,ito commemo rate the opening of a new suite of buildings, destined for the occupation of the Northampton and Northamptonshire Me chanics'alvne been stitute Institute. little Th es The company, cloraspts;y, who were i n f u ll d ress , number than 800, and the principal nobility and gentry resi denthdin the neighbourhood , the families of the i c h o e u l ld d e higher and middle classes, and those of a great number of the operatives in the town. The splendid ball, r w a h te ic d h w w it a h s theetvheersgcreeneeneo,faud a proceedings, psion rofuof beaut was tastefully deco iful banners bearing appropriate devices. Earl Fitzwilliam, K.G., pre sided, and among the noblemen and gentlemen who Bur , rounded him on the platform were Lord Althorpe, Lon Henley, Lord Wodehouse, the Rev. Lord Alwyne Compton, the Earl of Aboyne, the Hon. G. Fitzwilliam, Mr. Vernon Smith, M.P., Mr. Layard , l the distinguished traveller, the Mayor, of Northampton, Mr. Charles Knight, Mr. George Cruikshank, Dr. Conolly, the Hon. R. Watson, the Revs. T. W. Barlow, C H. Hartshorne, E. T. Prust, G. Nicholson, T. James, and many others. Some excellent speeches were delivered, and the proceedings went off with great satisfac tion to all present. NEW PHASE TO THE FUGITIVE SLAVE- LAW.—Scme of the Southern papers claim that, under the provisions of the Fugitive Slave-law, " aiding and abetting the escape" means writing, speaking, and publishing against slavery, as it induces the escape of slaves, and is therefore a penal offence. ----- The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland has been pleased to appoint Sir Robert Lynditon Newman, of the 71st High land Light Infantry, to be his extra aide de camp, vice Cap tain Conway Seymour, who has retired from the army. EAST INDIA COMPANY. Yesterday a quarterly general court of this company was held at their lieu in Leadenliali-street ; Shepherd was in the chair. The minutes of the lat court hiving 'wen read and confirmed, The CHAIRMAN announced that the warrants for the half-yearly dividend on the Company's stock would be ready for delivery on the Gth of January next. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION OF GUZRRAT. Colonel DICKINSON, pursuant to notice, rose to move— " That it be suggested, for the consideration of the Bombay Government, whether the same sy.tematio ar rangement which has so long been acted upon in the north-west provinces of Bengal, for the repair and ex tension of the communications in the interior of districts by a cess on the amount of the Government jumma, or tax, levied and appropriated t xelusively for that pur pose, the disbursements of this cess being managed by a local committee, might not with equal advantage to the public b. , introduced throughout Guzerat " For the all-important abject of affording to the in habitants of Guzerat those means of internal cow- munication for want of which the great body of cul tivators, and those engaged in the transit trade, have so long been compelled to dispose of their surplus produce and merchandize at a ruinous disadvantage ; with the paramount view, it may be thought, also, of enabling British India, in the event of a commercial crisis, through the resources of this productive region, to meet the eventual demands for that superior species of indigenous cotton which forms the staple of this portion of Western India, and of it alone, I have long and most strenuously urged upon the Court of Directors the expediency, not only of a much greater outlay for immediate requirements, but for th© adop tion of some systematic arrangement for securing to the public a more equitable portion of the revenue set apart for local amelioration than has hitherto been vouchsafed to this proverbially disregarded province. Surrounded as our possessions in Guzerat are by those of states in subordinate alliance with the Eng lish Government—in consideration also of the greater length of time since they have been under British rule, it will, I hope, be thought that no sub-division of the Bombay territory could, with the same advan tage, as well as with the same claims of its native community, be selected for the small measure of con sideration now solicited, to the want of which, or of some such popular infusion into the formation and councils of our municipal institutions is, I incline to think, mainly to be ascribed the neglected state of the public ways generally, but especially throughout those districts to which the present motion refers ; and as the measure now submitted for consideration is is accordance with one that has been in beneficial operation for many years in another part of India, to the benefits of which the late Lord Auckland, when Governor- General, has borne unqualified testimony ; and as it is no later than last year that the Revenue Board of Madras recommended that an annual sum be allotted to each district throughout that presidency for the mainte nance of branch and district roads, it will not, I hope, be imputed to me that _I have on insufficient grounds brought forward the present motion. To bear me out in what I have on this and former occasions advanced in proof of the imperfect state of our communications throughout Guzerat, as well as of the means almost everywhere at hand for their im- provement, I shall proceed to quote from various au thorities of recent date, including the professional reports of those most competent to enlighten the pub lic as regards such details, than which no stronger testimony could be adduced of the formidable impedi ments so afforded to commerce, as well as of the at- tendant hardships of that numerous and industrious class whose cause I shall never cease to advocate until the work of amelioration is in good earnest com menced, and until a somewhat better guarantee is afforded fur its continuance than in those professions which experience has taught me but little reliance can be placed. _ Mr. LEWIN seconded the motion, but said he should be sorry to see the cess collected as at Madras, where it operated as a great hardship, while it opened the door to very considerable peculation. He had never seen an indisposition on the part of the local Govern ment, or of the Board of Directors, to expend money in local improvements, more especially in roads, for good roads were essential to the revenue. lie had, however, seen a great deal of money wasted on what were called improvements, and he should be sorry to see the Board authorise the payment of a sum of money for the purposes proposed by his Hon. Friend, unless they knew bow they were to be carried out. The CHAIRMAN said, it appeared to him that his Hon. and Gallant Friend had not said much as to the specific matter of his motion. He had detailed very much in the language he used in June last the defi cient state of the. roads in Guzerat. Upon that occa- sion be (the Chairman) had quoted the official reports of a director, and the opinion of a private merchant who had just returned from Guzerat, which went directly to contradict the statements of the Hon. Proprietor ; and, in fact, he could only account for the different statements made by different persons with regard to the same locality by the supposition that some of the correspondents must refer to a period of three or four months of the year of the monsoon, when the roads are wholly impassable. He was now further fortified by the report of Mr. Davis, the col lector at Guzerat, who stated that the extreme dis tance from the great cotton district of Broach to the place of export might be taken as about 30 miles ; while the average distance was about 15 miles. The communication throughout, he said, was perfect, and always open, except during three months of heavy monsoon weather. Mr. Landon had also stated that the nature of the soil was such that during the fair season carts could travel everywhere, and that even if better roads existed they would not be used during the monsoon, and it would therefore be a waste of money at present to expend more upon the roads ; for to make them passable during those three months it would be necessary to raise them, and lay out a very considerable sum. With reference to the particular motion, it must be remembered that this cess was not a compulsory levy of 1 per cent. on the jumma. Pre vious to that araangement parties were compelled to keep up the roads in their district, but instead of paying the amount which was thus required of them, and wbich,was always uncertain, it was proposed to them that they should pay 1 percent. on the jumma. They concurred in that proposition, and this 1 per cent., therefore, was not an amount paid out of the revenue, but was in excess of it. There would, in his opinion, be no justice in extending such a system to Guzerat, and, indeed, he thought it would be most inapplicable for the purpose. The lion. Pro prietor having given utterance to his desire to for ward the interest of the people, be suggested that he should leave the matter in the hands of the Govern ment, who were extremely anxious to carry out every measure of improvement. Colonel Dlcxnesou, in reply, complained that the remarks of the Hon. Chairman and the authorities he had quoted had been confined to a very small portion of the great district of Guzerat. He believed that the chairman was in error with reference to the three months' bad weather. He knew that the rains were frequently very alight, and that the return of the only year which be had been able tc procure gave the fall of rain as only 18 inches. Another argument in favour of assigning to the natives of Guzerat a more prominent share in this branch of municipal adminis tration, is the similar boon which was seventeen years ago conferred on their brethren on the island of Bombay, which, by elevating some of the more in fluential members of the different casts to the dig nity of the justices of the peace, placed them as it were upon a footing of equality with their European fellow-subjects exercising like vocations in private life—and it must be a source of no small satisfaction to those persons by whose persevering exertions (foremost among whom was the late Sir Charles Forbes) that tardy recognition of their claims was acquiesced in by the Legislature to learn, that many of those native gentlemen have manifested a most exemplary zeal and fitness in the discharge of the magisterial duties so assigned to them, involving, as these do, a voice in the rate of assessment for the repairs and improvements of the public ways, as well as on the multifarious details of its appropriation. Major OLIPHANT said, that the fact was, that in the wet season the merchants did not travel, nor did they want to travel. if they were anxious to send their merchandise in wet weather, the necessary roads would no doubt be made ; but that was surely a matter for the consideration of the local Go vernment, and not of gentlemen residing in London. He spoke with some knowledge of this matter as an engineer officer, and he was of opinion that it would be a waste of money to expend it on such a purpose. Colonel DICKINSON, in reply to Major Oliphant's remark, differed in Coto from his Honourable Friend behind the chair, and deeply lamented that by mistaking cause for effect, the cause which he bad, and should never cease to have, so much at heart, should not have received a larger share of, his sym pathy and valuable co-operation. The motion was then put from the chair, and lost by a large majority. The court adjourned. .41 QUEBEC tjE e somewhat of thneonv uel bull"c C at holic been recently e Church. It prohibits the ladies of their communion from in dulging in the profane amusements of waltzing and p o lk a i ng 25.—Aby theprelates Ludicrous as such an order may seem in England, it i s a very serious affair here, and may open the eyes of th e R oman iECNov.N issued ov. Catholic laity to the tyrannical theocracy under which they live. The ladies of the upper classes of French Canadians have been hitherto accustomed to take their share in all the innocent diversions which form the passe- temps of our 'winter evenings, and among which the waltz and polka are not the least considered and cherished. They are now forced to re linquish these amusements, under the pain of ecclesiastical censure, and final excommunication. CiHEAP OMNlBUSES.—Yesterday a new feature in the cheap omnibus system developed itself by vehicles starting from near the corner of Ilungerford-street, Strand, and car rying passengers all the way to the Bank for a penny, and on to Shoreclitch for twopence. SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM THE MORNING FAPIAIS OF TIII3 DAT. TIMES.—The Chairman 01 the East India Company, in adaressing last Monday the select candidates for the civil service of India, admonished them, in remarkable words, of th e responsibilities to which their profession was now subjected by the improvements of postal inter course. "Remember," sai.l he, " that the days are gone by when it required months, or even years, to re view in England the proceedings of our administration in India. Even now the facilities of communication bring you almost nadir the immediate control of public opinion in your native country. There is now no longer concealment in distance, and in a brief period we shall have the mistakes of incompetence and the offences of indolence so speeded to us by electricity and steam that the errors of the Courts of Delhi shall be as patent and 03 promptly before us as those of Westminster -hall." This prophetic monition fell, we trust, wiih due weight on the ears of the audience; but it did not, perhaps, t•Callr to the speaker that the capacity and cu:lt:et of the whole Indian Go vernment would be - brought, by t he operation of the same circumstances, n to the vtrY test of which he was warn i ng its yongest officers. Iu these days no Administration can shift the respensi bility of failure from itself to its subordi aates The same telegraph whi c h a pp r i ses t h e directors of the mis conduct of a collector or a judge will inform the Bri tish public of the gener a l a bili ty of the directors evinced in the conditio n o f I n di a . I f productive I." p vincss remain without roach, fields with ou t water, and ports without cotton, the " control of publie opinion" will be exercised upon that body from which these sup plies are expected, and the chairman and court of the company will infallibly be put to that trial which in the case of their own officials they already discern. We live in times when a tree is judged by its fruits. No person conversant with the subject will deny that the acquisi tion and maintenance of our empire in the east reflects extraordinary credit on those who achieved such a mo nument of enterprise and power; but India is not what it might be, and its resources have hitherto failed us exactly at the point where they are most indispensable. We get little or no cotton from a country which is confessedly as well qualified to produce it as Georgia itself, and when we invastigato the causes of the detalcation we discover that the whole territory is without roads for the car riage of agricultural produce, and the whole population without energy sufficient to speculate in the improve ment of its field crops. If no push our inquiries further, we are assured that a vicious system of taxa tion so cripples the means of the farmer as to leave him helpless in the hands of the collector, and that native enterprise has altogether vanished under a Go vernment which closes every opening to native ambition. Whether this reasoning be correct or not, the original proposition at any rate remains, India can not rear its own natural produce fur exportation, and the published accounts of its governors distinctly inform us that a considerable revenue is so entirely absorbed in an imperfect administration as to leave no appreciable fraction fur works of public use or popular advantage. If the evil does not lie in the general impossibility of the problem, it must be sought for either in the in judicious assessment of the revenue or in the faulty system of the expenditure. We believe the latter cause is in reality operative to a very ma terial extent. "No man," as an accomplished essayist once remarked, " will work for the same remu neration under the sun of Calcutta as be would accept under the trees in King's Bench-walk." This is per fectly true, and perhaps 10,0001. a year is not more than sufficient to tempt across the Bay of Bengal such men as the Government of India may require. But when this principle is carried out through every department of an Imperial service two results are inevitably pro duced: first, the consumption of all working power upon the machine itself; and next, the extinction of all available talent in a people superseded in its political duties by an imported administration. The restriction of all State and judicial offices of importance to Euro pean competitors, and the e emareat ion thus established between a handful of highly paid functionaries and an immense native society, must of necessity be extremely detrimental to the latter, while the charges entailed by such an arrangement operate with equal prejudice on the revenue. The strength of India, in fact, is self-consumed, and contributions which aro represented as distressing to taxpayers scarcely suffice to maintain in action a cum brous aad overtasked Government. It is considered that both the military and civil services of the Company aro at present under-officered; the Sepoy regiments are notoriously weak in this respect, and the administration of justice is said to be suffering likewise from the want of hands. Yet when complaints of this nature are made, it is unanswerably replied that the finances of the Go vernment will bear no further charge, and that the taxa tion is equally incapable of extension. While this is the case with the ruling nation the inhabitants of India suffer in a still greater degree. There is no avenue of distinction open to a native gentleman, whatever may be his capacity, integrity, or ambition. He is absolutely excluded from any concern in the administration of his country. Such regulations, of which there are many examples, have invariably produced one of two effects —either radical discontent resulting in revolution, or listless apathy resulting in the extinction of all national spirit. The latter has been the case with the popula tion of India. We have kept them from all public office till they are described as no longer competent for the duty. We have withheld trust from them till they are reputed as really untrustwcrthy, and we have de graded them till they are pronounced incapable of ele vation. Wo are consequently compelled to export from England every responsible officer required for the go vernment of a hundred millions of subjects, ana we find that all the revenue which these subjects can contribute is insufficient to leave any portion for their own benefi', after liquidatirg the expenses of eu artificial administra tion. but what is this system, in plain words, but the support of a mercantile company at the cost of a noble empire? The reasons which originally dictated this policy aro both manifest and sound; but they cannot be alleged with equal force in defence of its continuance. If India, with its teeming population, its variety of cli mate, its precious products and its proverbial resources, cannot be made to do more than provide its rulers with a balance-sheet, from which all charges of public utility are practically excluded, it would be hard to make out a case for oar dominion.. This wonderful empire, as the Haileybury cadets were truly told, is now under the eye of the English public, and the English public is not ac customed to acquiesce in results so sterile. We acquit the Company of wilful misgovernment and of any systematic disregard to the interests of their subjects. They have maintained a dominion cf unexampled splendour through the perils and trials of a century. They have reared a body of officers inferior to no ser vice in the world in ability and conduct, and they have exhibited, on many occasions ; an unflinching rectitude of policy not often discoverable under European Go vernments. But the present and visible result of their administration cannot be considered satisfactory. It is possible that other systems may vield no bettor fruit, but the " control of public opinion is is not likely to stop short of suggesting a trial. India must be something more for the Indians, and more for Englishmen, too. There is no reason why it should have ceased to rear either cotton or men, and perhaps the changes which tend to regenerate the latter may beat be trusted for the reproduction of the former. DAILY NEWS.—The first want of France—the grand thing to be desired by those who look to a defini tive settlement and: pacification of that country—is, or rather was, a reconciliation between the upper and lower classes of society. It was the total breach, the wide schism, between those classes created by, or at least terminating in, the communistic tendencies of the one class and the ultra-Conservative tendencies of the other, that has ruined France, and laid its liberties and its existence at the feet of an usurper. We have often said, and we again repeat, that no ono will succeed in be coming permanent head of the French nation unless ho succeeds in Effecting this great compromise, this vital reconciliation. There was, perhaps, no person better placed to if: et this compromise than Louis Napoleon, previous to his late coup detat, or when ho first as sumed the duce of President. He was sufficiently strcng in Conservative support, and in the necessary adhesion of the wealthier classes, to have addressed the people in some other language than that of bayonet and re pression. By allowing full sc)pe and play to discussion and association, and to the ventilation of ideas, he might, whilst putting do conspiracy, have soon con vinced the Communists of fho folly of their schemes, or at least exposed them to the ridicule of all. The de mands of the more rational of the popular party could easily have been reduced to some standard compatible with society and with government. And the National Assembly, instead of being an arena fur the conflicting passions and mutual challenges of the two classes, might have been made the scene and the means of their com mon understanding. After all, had Louis Napoleon the true sense of his own interests and position, it is with the people he would have identified himself. His birth, his name, and the respect borne to both by the working classes, and by no other, suggested such a policy. But the dandy of the west end of London c,uld not stoop to be anything less than the heir of au Emperor; and so he trusted his fortunes and his political guidance to the re presentatives of the wealthier classes, all of whom placed their hopes and reposed their fealty in a very different dy nasty from his. One might have thought that when Louis Napoleon had made full discovery of this; when he had seen that the other monarchic parties would never more tolerate him, and would never let pass an opportunity for conspiring against him, or against the Republic; one would think such a conviction would have prompted the President to address himself sincerely to the people. It was, perhaps, not too late o n th e secon d of Decenabt.r . If there ever lurked a really generous and liberal ten dency in Louis Napoleon,. it must have displayecl itself then. It could not be then sa id t h at he stood the Assembly, or that he was compelled to fblone topro fess wt o awe its majority. He was mast er o f hi s actions , and re any doctrine. And y et he choosethis v s mo ment to profess in th e f ace o f the world the most ery retro grade principles of government of the two most retro grade schools. All that is bigoted in legitimacy, with all that is violent and arbitrary in a purely military government, unite to form the cha racter and political creed of Louis Nepolecn. We can conceive such a policy, if repres entative or parliamentary government was to bo continued, and if it were necessary to w i n over s ome hundred memb ers end, and a hostil e ma j or i ty . B u t P a rliaments e ar u e es a t t io a n n is,of and the word ma j o rity a delusion what use legitimist adhesion will bo to Louis q Napoleon throughout the country. We may answer at once that it will do as much harm as good, and produce as much weakness as strength. For ever y partisan who may be won from the high noblesse and the ultra-montane clergy to Louis Napoleon , a n hundred liberal men bedis- gus ted. Besides, all the charlataneric of the . President will never win over the more respectable and moderato cf either the Legitimists or of the Churchmen. That Phillpotts of Frauce,—the Bishop of Chartres,—may write circular pastorals in Napoleon's favour; and Count Montalembert may intercede for him, by alleging that people may support him without becoming appsoyers of all his acts. Bat this will not aff,ct such men as t Duo de Noailles or the Archbishop of Paris. ItAt, the very ultra section o f the Legitimists that ita-60-=/ with him and the more ultra montane of the otrespj.'Alltik" ono effect of this will be to create or to widen pfsrpebl7,ns which exists both in t h e L eg i t i mist party t iand iri . French Cburcha schism tha t , far front \ • ' .sa ytb enemies or opponents of Louis Napoleon, will ver 68- riously and widely increase them. Should, hows i etr, b e a v d eh 7 1: the apparent result be that th e Legitimists, as lend a silent and passive support to Louis Napoleon ( • • whilst the Constitutionalists abstain altogether and hold aloof alike from the hustings and from political discus sion, then it will become evident to the people that their cause, as well es that of liberty of all and of every kind, has been abandoned by the upper classes, and that the only hope of recovering those blessings, without which life has neither dignity nor security, rests with the working classes. Of all the convictions that could expand through Franco, we own that this is the most serif , us. For the abdication of the wealthy, the h;gh born, and the highly educated, leaving the post of danger and of duty to those beneath them—gives a now force to those doctrines which repre sent the peop!e as alone possessed of courage and of virtue, and which depict wealth and rank as the great corrupter and degrader of the citizen. This dcettine, with the state of things and of opinion on which it is founded, prevails not merely in France, but extends over Germany and Italy, through a great portion of Europe. And it is such confessions and admissions es these which give new force and vitality to parties and to causes that are led by such men as Mt azini. It is such an universal bowing of the head and prostration of the spirit which compels such spirits as li. , !ssuth—men who never rest, and who ()moot despair—it is this which drives them to look and to cry for help no longer to the cowed upper classes or effeminated educated ones, but to the broad, untutored, and uncompromising popular masses. OSBORNE) WEDNESDAY. COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen and Prince, with the Royal Children, walked and rode yesterday as usual. The Marchiones s o f El y arrival from London to succeed the Marchioness of Douro as Lady in Wait ing to her Majesty. L a d y Douro rema i n s u t O s borne on a visit. The party at di nner included the Marchioness of Douro and the Hon. Colonel Phipps. Mr. W. H. Simms had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday at the Colonial -office. Mr. Kennedy had also an interview with the Noble Earl. Sir George Grey left town yesterday for Osborne, Isle of Wight, on a visit to her Majesty. The Oxford University Commission had a meeting yesterday, at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, in Downing-street. Present, the Bishop of Norwich, the Dean of Carlisle, the Master of Pembroke, the Rev. IL G. Liddell, J. L. Dampier, the Rev. Professor Powell, the Rev. G. it S. Johnson, and the Rev. A. P. Stanley (Secretary). The Cambridge University Commission had a meeting yesterday, at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, in Downing-street. Pre sent, the Bishop of Chester, the Dean of Ely, Sir John Herschel, the Rev. Professor Sedg w i c k, and the Rev. W. H. Bateson (Secretary). The Marquis of Lansdowne left the seat of Earl Fortescue, in Devonshire, yesterday, for the Grange, Alresford, Hants, on a visit to Lord Ashburton. the yesterday jsiaur i a t i t u t s h . e Coloni a l . e G re ov r e e r c n e o iv r e o d f office, Dispatches from th we MARYLEBONE THEATRE. The performances here on Tuesday evening were for the benefit of that talented actress Miss Eliza Le Brun. The fair beneficiaire appeared as Pauline Deschappel lea in the Lady of Lyons, and seldom has the character of Pauline been more exquisitely or pathetically de lineated. The performances concluded with the Greek Slave, in which Miss Eliza Le Brun sustained the character of .ilaydee very gracefully. The house was well attended. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS. LONDON AND NORM-WESTERN RAILWAY. —Return of Traffic for the week ending Dec. 14 : Passengers, parcels, mails, &c. ... £22,022 19 2 Merchandise ... 17,828 2 6 Cattle .. 1,417 3 1 Total ... Z 11,268 4 9 Corresponding week last year ... 41,484 13 5 Aggregate, 1850 £1,114,738 2 2 „ 1851 .. 1,328,124 17 2 Note.—The returns as published are exclusive of the traffic of the Huddersfield Canal and Shropshire Union, North Union, Preston and Wyre, South Junction, Manchester and Buxton, and Buckinghamshire Railways, and of the propor tion of traffic deducted under agreement with the North Staffordshire Company. GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—Return of traffic for the week ending Dec. 14 ... .£'6,338 I 1 6 Corresponding week last year... '15,632 10 1 LIE GREAT NORTIIERN RAILWAY.... (Miles in work, 2411) Return of Traffic for the Week ending Dec. 7, 1851: Passengers, parcels, carriages, horses, dogs, and mails ... £4,346 17 6 Merchandise and minerals ... 5,784 811 Cattle ... 270 17 1 Total .. £10,402 3 8 Corresponding week, 1850 (236 miles) : Passengers, parcels, &c. ... £3,812 1 6 Merchandise, Cattle, &c. ... 3,002 13 4 Total ... .£6,814 14 10 Laircasisum AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY. (260 miles open.)—Traffic for week ending Dec. 14 £16,506 16 7 Corresponding week in last, year (260 miles open) .. ....£14,182 18 5 LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.— Amount of Traffic for the week ending Dec. 17 : Passengers Goods ... £6,771 15 9 2,123 0 Total ... ... ... £9,194 16 6i Corresponding week last year... 8,395 6 0 NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAY. (Miles open,ll2.) Return of traffic for the week ending Dec. 7 : Railway and canal ... £4,683 0 0 Corresponding week last year ... 4,514 0 0 Note. —The above is exclusive of the receipts available under the agreement with the London and North-Western Railway Company. SHROFSHIRR UNION RaiLway.—(Open 29 miles.)--Traftic for the week ending Dee. 14 : Passengers, parcels, &c. Goods and live stock ... £3lO 7 81 ... 232 15 5 Total _.. ... .. £543 S 1i Corresponding week last year ... 427 6 01- CHESTER AND HoLYIIRAD RAlLwAY.—Trafrio for the week ending Dec. 14:—. MAIN LLNI. Passengers Parcels, 11. C. and D. Goods, cattle, &c. Mails ... £823 8 11 ... 63 13 7 ... 614 6 1 ... 575 0 0 Total ... £2,076 8 7 ••• MOLD. Passengers ••• ... Parcels, LI. C. and D. ... Goods, cattle, &c. ... ... £26 16 2 ... 3 17 11 ... 121 8 8 Total ... ... ... £152 2 9 ITEIII-BOATS. Passengers ••• •.• ... £135 6 2 Parcels, 11. C. and D. ... 25 4 4 Total ... £l6O 10 6 CALEDONIAN RArLWAT.—(IS94 miles opened.)—Return 01 raffle for the week ending Dec. 7 : Passengers, &c. Goods, &c. ... £2,772 4 9i ~„ 4,759 19 8 Total .. ... ... £7.532 4 ti Corresponding week last year ... 6,855 13 9 FRENCH RAILWAY TRAFFIC. The following are the last returns of the gross re. cei N 'p o ts ß o T f ßE th it e ri N. p —i n , e r i o p F rench m al ee. 3 Railways Dec.lvryaS9:Trassengers, 167,8081.; goods, 228,6291.; total, 396,437 f. RouEN.—From Dec. 3 to Dcc. 6 : Passengers 5 9 ,7701.; goods, 74,5451.; total, 127,3191 . , HavnE.—From Dec. 3 to Dec. 6 ; Passengers, 17,122 f.; goods, 33,0301. ; total 50,1921. ORLEANS.—From Dec. 1 to Dee. 7 Passengers, 86,540 F. ; goods, 89,724 f .; t o t a l , 176,263 f. VlEnZoN.—From Dec. 1 to Dec. 7: Passengers, 37,724 f.; goods, 37,565 f.; total, 75,2921. BoßDEAux.—From Nov. 25 to Dec. 1: Passengers, 42,080 f.; goods, 65,5511.; total, 107,6321. NANTES.—From Nov. 26 to Dee. 2: Passergom 25,2091.; goods, N0v.0f...,... total, 47,899 f. MoNTEREAU.—FrOra 26 to Dec. 2: Pa ls"gersil 7,192 f.; goods, 11 ,146 f.; total, 18,337 f. A _LARMING GAS EXPLOSIoN. _B RIST OL, Dzc. 17. h If o'clock, the in a 1.. This morning, about half-past cloven n ere much alarmed by tents of Temple -street, in this c t... , i ii.sewthe report of a cannon. a loud explosion, which soundedr.iiarn Ilitchman, grocer, were The shop windows of Mr. I_l. —Thusr , . well as some of the windows of Mr. blown into the street, as these two premises the th o e .l e of explosion that the whole of the King, boot and shoemakaewf.,:tinwiongdohoorussaebsowveer.e Imauacdhdsihtiakonetne. Such was the upThaendhotuhses was s 0 0 0r m ci u bLy flooring hea llitchman was afraid it would have fallen shaken that Mr. . fo p r a c y r 3 l , ou tr r en wa h s ing to e r o n . f th chimneypieco was knocked off i n on him. flooring igh the ceiling. The windows and rent from in its th A e an d of Mr. King's house were also deal of the . portion o a lane immediately above, called Water lane,U.through and the cause of the explosion is supposed to be the leakage of a gas pipe in that lane. The gas had penetrated into the drain which runs under the premises, and mingling viith the foul air of the drain, formed an explosive mixture. DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN LlVERPOOL.—Yesterday morning (Wednesday), about three o'clock, a fire was dis covered in the extensive warehouses of Messrs. Verdun and Cullen, general merchants, St. J ames ' s street, Li verpoo l , and before assistance could be rendered the whole of the buildings with their contents, and a considerable portion of the adjacent property, were enveloped in lames. Messrs. V. and C. are also extensive cattle salesmen and corn mer chants : and the previous night no less than 1,000 barrels:: flour were taken into the upper warehouse. W e have In! inquiries on the spot, but are unable to ascertain e en r. 9,. au thentic particulars as to the origin of the duirest premises and merchandise were only partly ARGYLL Roolds.—A new adaptiotne - as rooms. waltz has been produced at these favouri te MMeems likely to It is flayed nightly with great succes-osn,a in ; the Redowi Laurent, jun., become highly popular in the t and his able orchestra thresch a is erxceedingly pretty, and the execution of the music, W g es eat deal of spirit into the of the dance, though considere'd. performed by many hidri:ftriiuceunittefroarathtehisbabllea-rouotitom, issawuell ) ii of, 01+ ;b6 10 I a iPil