The Sun. — London, England, 1868-12-18 00:00:00

LIFEBOAT' SERVICES. —During the Storms of this year (1868) the National Lifeboat Institution contributed to the saving of 754 lives from various-ship wrecks and 49 vessels from destruction. The Institution also expended £14,657 in the same period o n its Lifeboat Establishments, in addition to granting £2,000 for re- wards. The Committee of the 'l ns tit u tion earnestly appeal to the public for assistance to enable them to meet the continued heavy demands on their 189 Lifeboat Establishments. Contributions will be thankfully rec eived by the London annl country bankers, and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis, Esq., at the Institution, 14,110hn-straet, Adelphi, London. TROTTING HARNESS COB, possessing ex traordinary speed, with first-class action, has been driven at the rate of 20 miles an hour fair trotting, well worth attention, is to be SOLD by Messrs. Tattersall, Monday, 21st December. RACING COB to be SOLD by Messrs. TAT TERSALL on MONDAY, December 21; very fast galloper, with fine quick action ; a perfect Lack; carries a lady; would make a first-class boy's bunter. OHN GOSNELL and CO.'S CHERRY TOOTH PASTE is greatly superior to any tooth powder; gives the teeth a pearl whiteness, protects the enamel from deny, and imparts a pleasant fragrance to the breath. Price Is. 6d.—Red Bull Wharf, 83, Upper Thames-street, London. NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE. ALGUX AMARELLA restores the Human Hair to its pristine hue, no matter st what age. JNO. GOSNELL and CO. have at length, with the aid of one of the most eminent Chemists, succeeded in perfect ing this wonderful liquid. It is now offered to the public in a more concentrated form, and at a lower price. Sold in bottles, 3s. each ; also 55., 7s. 6d., and 15s. each. including brush. Red Bull Wharf, Angel-passage, 93, Upper Thames street London. B.C. THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LANE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton. THIS EVENING, at 7. NIN r; POINTS OF THE LAW. At 7.45 KING 0" SCOTS. Mr. Phelps, Mr. E. Price, Mr. H. Sinclair Mr. Addison, Mr. H. M. Barrett, Mr. Joseph Irving, Mr. I Rouse, Mr. William Mclntyre, Mr. Jsmes Johnstone, Mr. F. Tatrle, Mr. ( eill, Mr. W. C. Temple; Miss Heath, Miss Edith Ituart Miss Fanny tcldison. and Mrs. Frank Matthews. To conclude with a Grand Ballet of A ction, entitled BEDA. THEATRE ROYAL, HA YMARKET. Sole Lessee. Mr. Buckstone. THIS EVENING, AN ALARMING SACRIFICE. -Messrs. F. Buckstone. white, Clark, &c.; Mesdames Laws, F. Wright. &c. After which, PIETRA. esers. Chippendale, Howe, Ken dal, Gordon, &c.; Miss Bateman. Mrs. E. Fitzwilliam. Concluding with RURAL FELICITY. Messrs. Buckstone, Rogers, Kendal, Weaihersby, Clark, White, &c.; Mesdames Chippendale, Burke, Wright, Fitzwilliam, Laws, Lewin, &c. • • THEATRE-ROYAL, HOLBORN. Under the Management of Miss Fanny Josephs. THIS EVENING, at 7, BLOW FOR BLOW: Messrs. Honey, ..dowper, Haynes, Arthur, 'Westland, and Parselle; Mesdames Foot ,Weathersby. Rignold. At 9.30, LUCRETIA BO ; ass Drew, G. Honey, &c.; Mesdames Minnie Sidney, Fanny Joseph DOTAL AMPHITHEATRE AND CIRCUS, HOLBORN. Tuts EVENING, The Great Carre Troupe and magnificent Stud of 50 Horses; also M. Avolo, Alfred Bradbury, M. Clifton, Captain Austin, Miss Carrie, and Eamwell's Performing Dogs. Commenee at Seven. THEATRE ROYAL, ADELPIII. Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. WEBSTER. Directress, Mrs. Alfred Mellon. THIS EVENING, DID YOU EVER SEND YOUR WIFE TO e 'MBE %WELL. Mr. G. delmore, Mrs. L. Murray. At a quarter to S. MONTE CRISTO. Mr. Fechter, Mr. Benja min Webster, Mr. G Delmore, Mr. Arthur Stirling, Mr. Ashley, Mr. R. Phillips, Mr. Stuart. Mr. C H. Stephenson, Mr. C. J. Smith, Mr. Romer, Mr. W. H. Eburne, Mrs. Alfred Mellon, Miss Carlotta ILeclercq, and Mrs. Leigh Murray. QT. GEORGE'S THEATRE (ST. GEORGE'S ITALL).—This Theatte will Open for the Season on WED NESDAY, December 23, with a powerful Company seh. cted from the leading provincial theatres. For the first time, a domestic Drama, in three acts, entitled SAVED. By IT. Such Granville. After which, the entirely new and original Ninevitish Burlesque of SARI , ANAPALUS. with magnificent scenery, dresses, and appointments. Concluding with THE BENGAL TIGER, in which Mr. T. B. Shenton will appear. Box-office open from eleven till five, CCLOBE THEATRE-ROYAL.-At 7, GOOD r FOR NOTHING. At a quarter to 8, Mr. J. Byron's original Comedy, in five acts. entitled CYRIL'S SUCCESS: Messrs. Warner, Vernon, David Fisher, Newbound, Andrews, Tindale, Hurlston, and J. Clarke: Mesdames Henrade, C. Thorne, Bremen, Berend, Hughgs, and Stepheuo. ROYAL PRINCESS'S TIIEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. Vining. THIS EVENING, at 7, THE SECRET. After which rat 8 o'clock), Dion Boucicault's new drama, in four acts. entitled AFTER DARK, a Tale of London Life Messrs. Vining, Walter Lacy, Dominick Murray. C. Harcourt, 3 G. Shore; Miss Emma Barnet. and Miss Rose Leclercq. Entirely now Scenery by Mr. F. Lloyds awl assistants. To conclude with MASTER JONES'S BIRTHDAY. Doors open at half-past 6, commence at 7. Box-office open daily from 10 till 5. OYAL STRAND THEATRE. J I.) Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs Swanborough. THIS EVENING, at 7.30, THE WIDOW HUNT. Messrs. Clarke. Belford, Joyce; Mesdames But•.sn and Maitland. After which, THE FIELD OF TEA CLOTH OF GOLD. Messrs. Thome, James, and Robson Mesdames M. Long more, F. Hughes. L. Maitland, &c. To conclude ,nth A COMICAL COUNTESS. ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE AND CIRCUS, HOLBORN. YO,OO people visited this elegant Theatre last we k. The superb horses, unanimously admitted to be matchless, and the equestrian and gymnastic performances to be the very best ever witnessed in this cr any other country. To-niuht and during the week Oscar Carre's magnificent stud of 50 performing horses. M. Adolphe Carr, M, Krembser. Herr Loyal, Herr Salamonsky, M. - Burgess, the King of Comiques; Miss Carrie and Captain Au ;itn's lightning Zouave Drill; Harry Croueste ; Samwell's performing Dogs. - -- • Open at Seven, commence at half past Seven. Morning Per form vice, Wednesday and Saturday, at Ralf-past Two. Children trader ten, half-price to morning performance only. LICENSED VICTUALLERS' GUARDIAN C R. GLENIE, of the Sporting Library, r_A • 4, Connaught-terrace, Hyde-park, London, W., begs to Fiforms hig customers, and the Licensed Victuallers in general, sat he has been appointed Agent for the above-named paper in dilition to his agency for the Sporting Edition of " THE 'SUN," led can supply the POMO on Friday evening, if required, in town br country. O. It. G. hem; to inform the Trade that de is Agent for the "ATE:3T EDITION of "THE SUN," and can supply it earlier I :mti any other man in London or Country the evening . of pulin e, Ituf'a v ii , n i . vs No a e n .o d un l e i t: L t ‘ i a. o l u r. w u it t h th a i n e.4 y . other Aii t p ,it e e rl) ,l n a s i . ly tines, and Periotheals as soon as pabliehed. Agent for the 140 .••• t; :*0.,1 Company. Orders by Doss attemird to TILE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " to be seen Every Evening by 810 at Mr. ROBERT MEAconies, Kensal New-town, THE THIRD EDITION OF « THE SUN," giving all the SPORTING NEWS of the day, may be seen at JEM ))Y MANTON'S house, " The Swan and Horse Shoe," Little Britain, City, E.C. WII O'S GR AING ER? LICENSED VICTUALLERS' TOBACCONIST, SHEPHERD'S-BUSH. T SPORTING EDITION of "THE SUN " can be seen at OR :SINGER'S Establishment, as above, every evening by Eight o'clock. THE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN " supplied, as soon as published, Every Evening, by W. ALEXANDER (late Brooks), Newspaper Agent, INo. 4, Old Cavendish street, Oxford-street THE SUN" NEWSPAPER.-G. R. GLEN lE, Sporting Library, 4, Connaught-terrace, Edgeware-road, lelivers the LATE EDITION of "THE SUN" at the earliest possible moment after leaving the press. He is able to deliver jepies in Town; the Suburbs, and in many parts of the country at a comparatively early hour the same evening, say 40 miles by 9.45 o'clock Orders by pos tpnnetually attended to THE LATEST EDITION of " TfiE suN supplied as, soon as published, containing all the LATEST NEWS and SPORTING INTELLIGENCE, by H W HARRIS, Newspaper Agent, 4, Blackfriars-road, London, S. QPORTING.—JOHN ROBERTS supplies the 1.3 LATEST' EDITION of " THNI SUN" as soon as pub lished.-4, Bath-street, City-road, E.C. T HE "SUN" NEWSPAPER-G. B. GLENIE delivers the LATE EDITION at Chelsea, 7.40; Kilburn, 8 ; Starch-green, 8; Woolwich, 7.30; Uxbridge, 9.20; Watford, 9.45. THE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN' at JAMES SPEEDY'S, "The Weltington,"Wellington-street, Strand. • 9pHE LATEST EDITION of " THE SUN." I I. IT iLMES begs to inform his friends and the public p•elierally that he supplies the LATEST EDITION of "THE S LIN " as soon as published.—No. 10, Hampstead-road N.W. ;VILE LATE EDITION of "THE SUN " at L J. SMITH'S, 39, Bow-Htreet, Covent-garden. THE LATE EDITION of " THE SUN" at W. SMITH'S %, Camden Stores," 78, Park-street, Camden town. THEATRE-ROYAL • DRURY-LANE. (loin Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton _____ • .•-•• THIS EVENING, at 7, NINE POINTS OF THE LAW. And at a quarter to 8, KING 0' SCOTS: Mr. Phelps; Messrs. Addi soh, Barrett. J. Irving, H. Sinclair, E. Price, John Rouse, G claiming, W. ➢l•lntyre, and W. C. Temple; Mesdames Heath, Edith Stuart. Fanny Addison, and Mrs. F. Mstthcws. Grand Ballet of Action, BEDA. THEATRE- ROYA L. HAYMARKET. THIS EVENING, AN ALARMING SACRIFICE. Messrs. F. Buckstone, Clark, &c. After which. PIETRA: Messrs.Chippen do.le, Howe, Kendal, Gordon, he.: Miss Bateman, Mrs. K Fitz william. And RURAL FELICITY: Messrs. Buckstone.Rogers, Rendal,Weathersby, Clark, White, &c.; Mesdames Chippendale, Burke, Wright, Fitzwilliatn, Laws, Lewin, &c. Commence at 7. PRINCESS'S THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager. Mr. Vining. THIS EVFNING, at 7 to commence with THE SECRET. At 8, AFTER DARK, R. Tale of London Life: Mr Vining, Mr. Walter Lo.ey, Mr. Dominick ➢larr:Ly; Messrs. C. Harcourt, J. - G. Shore, Maclean, IIolston; Miss Emma Barnet and Miss Bose Leclercq Concluding with MASTEK JONES'S BIRTHDAY. • THEATRE-110YAL, ADELPHf. TUTS EVENING, at 7. DID YOU EVER SEND YOITR WIFE TO CAM 13 LL. Mr. G. Delmore. Mrs. L. Murray. At 7.45 iIO 'IE ('RISTO. Messrs. Fechter, B. WebSter, G. Delmore, A. Stirling, R. Phillips, Stuart, Ashley, Stephenson, C. J. Smith, W borne, B. Romer; Mrs. Alfred Mellon ; Miss C. Leclerc% and Mrs. Leigh Murray. GLOBE THEATRE-ROYAL. Tnts Ey; NINO, at 7. GO' )D FOR NOTHING. At a griarler to 8, QYRIL'S SUCCESS: Messrs. Warner, Vernon, David Fisher, Newbound, Andrews. Tindale, Hurlstone, J. Clarke; Mesdames Henrade, C. Thome, Bremen, Berend, Hughes, and Stephens. ROYAL STRAND THEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manageress, Mrs. Swanhorongh. THIS EVENING, at 7.30, THE WIDOW HUNT. Messrs. Bel ford, Clarke; Miss Bufton. TUE FIELD Cle THE Cs OTII OF GOLD : Messrs. Thorne, James. Fenton; .V esdames Maria Longmore, B. Goodall, Lydia Maitland. Claire, and Hughes. To conclude) With A COMICAL COUNTESS QUEEN'S THEATRE, LONG -ACRE. Manager, Mr. W. H. Liston. TIM EVENING, at 7, THE LANCASHIRE LASS: Messrs. Irving, L. Brough, Stephens, Wyndham, Clayton, and S. Emery tlemlames Hodson, Montague, and Nelly Moore. And THE STRANGER, Stranger than Ever. Mr. L. Brough, mi ss Mon tague, THEATRE-ROYAL, OLYMPIC. Tins EVENING, at 7, SLASHER & CRASHER: Messrs Atkins, Vaughan, G. Vincent, &c. ; Miss Lennox Grey and Mrs Caulfield. After which, at 7.45, THE YELLOW PASSPORT : Messrs. H. Ne ille, G. Vincent, E. Atkins, H. Vaughan, H. Cooper, and H. Wigan; Mesdames Furta,do, Lennox Grey, and Caulfield ROYALTY THEATRE. Under the Management of Miss 1L Oliver. THIS EVENING, at 7.30, A LOVING CUP. Mr. Dewar, Miss M. Oliver. To be followed by THE RISE AND FALL OF IIC HA RD III.; or, A New Front to an Old Dicky: Mr. Dewar Vr. Danvers; Miss Collinson, and Miss M. Oliver. To con • elude with THE ULOCKMAKER'S HAT. PRINCE OF WALES'S ROYAL THEATRE. Under the Management of Miss Marie Wilton; THIS EVENING, TAME CATS: Messrs. Hare, H. J. Montague, Blakeley, Montgomery. and Bancroft; Mrs. Buckingham White, Miss C. Addison. and Miss Marie Wilton. After which, WHO SPEAKS FIRST 1 Messrs. Montague and Blakeley ; Miss C. Addison. ROYAL SURREY THEATRE. Lessees, ?Messrs. Shepherd and Creswick. I'ms EVENING, THE WIFE'S SECRET. 1- it Walter Amyott Mr. Creswick; Eveline, Miss Paancefort After which, TIME TRIES ALL, ROYAL AL 11AMBR A PALACE. THREE BALLET', Promenade Concert. Band of GO. Begin at 8. la. Box-office open from 11 to 4. CHRISTY MINSTRELS. St. James's Hall, Every Night, at Wednesdays and Saturdays, at 3 and 8 all the year round. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, Regent's-T,ark, OPEN daily (ex cept Sundays). Admission, ls.; on Mondays, 6d.; Children under twelve, 6d. TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. " THE SUN " WILL BE PUBLISHED AS USUAL ON CHRISTMAS DAY. 0•74 • • 4 s•:^ -., • • LONDON, FRIDAY, DEC. 18, 18G8. Ministers will, collectively, be put upon their metal if only by reason of their individual antecedents. The Premier, to begin with, is known intensely and essentially as an innovator. He especially has Her- culean work before him, to the performance of which he is solemnly pledged, for the accomplishment of which, in point of fact, he has been made Premier, so to speak, by acclamation, and for the carrying through Parliament of which the immense Liberal majority at his back has been sent to the House of Commons by the electors qf the United Kingdom. Mr. GLADSTONE'S energies will be sufficiently occupied for some time to come, in the maturing of his as yet vaguely foreshadowed plans for the disestablishing and disendowing of the Irish Church as an institu tion, the foundations of which were laid as nearly as possible three hundred years ago. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in hii department, is hardly less dis tiuctly pledged than his leader is pledged in the matter of thelrish Church, to have eipecial regard to the eco- nomical employment of the national revenues and to diminish in every reasonable way that can be devised the aggregate amount of national taxation. The First Lord of the Admiralty, if he, as a civilian, has been selected for any particular reason to undertake the duties of that high and responsible office, has cer tainly been chosen with the express intention that he shall do his very utmost towards guarding against the continued prodigality of our expenditure in the operations of our dockyards, without, of course at the same time in any way recklessly jeopardizing the maintenance of our maritime efficiency. The President of the Board of Trade, again, distinguished as he is among the champions of justice to Ireland— earnest advocate as he is of the interests of Peace even to the length of identitying himself years ago with those who are the recognised exponents of the principles of Peace at any Price—devoted I as his attention and sympathies have long been to the design of ameliorating s.) far as may be found practicable the condition of the vast population of India now subject directly to the sceptre of the English SOVEREIGN—is above .a 1 what he was so very conspicuously thirty years ago, and it might even be said what he was then, at the outset of his political career, almost:exclusively, the eloquent and devoted advocate of those great economic prin ciples which are at the heart of what is popu larly known as Free Trade. To the furtherance yet more and more of those beneficent princiPles wherever they may still be applied afresh, he is pledged now, as he has ever been, he is pledged now, if possible, more than he has ever yet been —now, that is, that to his responsibities as an individual legislator and as a re cognised Tribune of the People., have been added the still weightier and more solemn responsibilities of a Cabinet Minister, a servant of the Crown, and • an affirmed Councillor of the SOVE - REIGN. Of the Lord Privy Seal nothing whatever departmentally of this kind, as a matter of course, can by possibility be said—that office, among all the offices in the Cabinet, being purely and simply orna mental. But, without in any respect speaking invidiously in either instance, it is only right and reasonable that we should add that in the case of the Lord Chancellor, in the case of the Lord President of the Council, many will look un- questionably for acts that shall justify the selection to those offices of State, of Lord DE GREY and RIPON, and of Lord lIATHERLEY. It would be idle to regard as superfluous the manifestation by these two noble lords of the justification of their selection, each of them respectively, the one as occupant of the , woolsack, the other as h ea d o f th e C ounc il B oar d— Lord HATHERLEY by his energetic furtherance of legal improvements generally, Lord DE GREY and RIPON by his strenuous advocacy of the cause of National Education. From the Home Secretary there will be eagerly looked for, now, that resolute attention to the hitherto, in a great mea sure, disregarded interests of the population at large, in the dealing by the authorities with that criminal residuum still at large, and on the loose, as one may say, in all our great and thickly-peopled cities— classes that were in a manner seared and branded as with a pen of red-hot iron by Lord MAC AULAY when he wrote of them as " Heathens in the midst of Christianity, and Savages in the midst of Civilisation." From the Foreign Secretary, now that he has been called upon to resume once more the office for which he is so peculiarly well qualified, im mediately in succession to a Foreign Secretary as popular and as successful as Lerd STANLEY—from the Earl of CLARENOON, in the light of the success and of the popularity of his immediate predeces sor, much, it is almost idle to say, will be looked for, in the way of placable and dignified conciliation in all our various diplomatic relations with the great Powers of the earth in either hemisphere. The Indian Secretary, the War Secre tary, and the Colonial Secretary, each in turn will be scrutinized by the people at large, out of an ear- I nest solicitude on the part of the latter to witness the sy - stematic and energetic development of a wise and active policy in each, respec tively, of those great and comprehensive de partments. Upon the Secretary for Ireland mere than ever, there will just now necessarily de volve a heavy weight of responsibility by reason of the vastness and of the radical importance of the great measure of innovation now about to be ap plied by the Imperial Legislature, at the direct in stance of the newly installed Ministry, to the general conduct of the Government of the Irish people. Two others only among our fifteen Cabinet Mi- nisters yet remain to be particularised the one, the President of the Poor-law Board, the other, the Postmaster-General—heads of departments, each of them, from whom no small amount of activity will be imperatively required, and that, moreover, im mediately. Mr. GOSCIIEN upon his part, has nothing less before him as a distinct requirement on the part of the public at large than the complete reorganisa tion of the whole existing system of poor law relief. While the Marquis of HARTINGTON, in his turn,will be called upon to inaugurate his accession to authority in St. Martin's-le-Grand, by the carrying out of the scheme resolved upon last session by Parliament, the bold and comprehensive scheme absorbing into thePost office system the responsibility of henceforth regulating that astoundingly swifter and subtler system of the Electric Telegraph in all its wonderful ramifications. Formsting, thus, their col!ective future, examining each of them, thus, department by department, we may with reason end what we have here said of our administrators, by reiterating, in regard to her MAJESTY'S fifteen newly-installed Cabinet Mi nisters, the remark with which we commenced, to the effect, namely, that they will most nssuredly be put upon their metal, if only by reason of their individual antecedents—enforced more especially, as those antecedents of theirs will be, and indeed are, by the urgent and, in some re spects, enormous requirements of the juncture in the midst of which they are now assuming their aggre gate responsibilities as a Government. IF we are not greatly mistaken, we shall hear before long a good deal more than we have yet heard about " a free breakfast-table." The originator of that phrase was a private member of Parliament, is a Privy Councillor and Cabinet Minister. When he announced this new programme he must have known full well that he would be, a few weeks later, holding office under the Crown, and in a position to give practical effect to his scheme. True, he is not Chancellor of the Exchequer, but he holds the office most closely allied to that post ; he is President of the Board of Trade. In that capacity Mr. BRIGHT must have abundant opportunity for inquiring into the whole machinery of taxation. We believe that the more he inquires the more he will be convinced of the costliness of a taxed breakfast-table. Very opportunely, a contemporary who makes this class of subjects a specialty has published an article shewing how excessively inconvenient and costly indirect taxation is. It is inconvenient to the importer, and therefore costly to the con sumer. Taxation checks consumption, consumption checks production, and thus the increased cost of a taxed article is far greater than the amount of the tax. This is the one fundamental objection to all indirect taxation with one exception, and the excep tion thoroughly establishes the rule. We refer to the duties on ,alcoholic drinks. These are taxed not only for the sake of revenue, but for the sake of morals. These, if sold at all, ought to be taxed to the extremest limit to which taxation will go, just because their consump- tion is injurious to the community. No such argu ment exists with regard to the breakfast table. Tea, coffee, sugar are all good in themselves. It is, therefore, wise to encourage their consumption. How greatly this is discouraged we gather from a very excellent article in the Produce Markets' _Review. Owing to the enormous amount of papers that have to be signed, and formalities that have to be gone through, all of which the merchant has to be repaid plus his commission on the extra expense, £2,000,000 worth of tea costs the public in England £3,600,000 ; that is, a revenue which could be raised directly by 2d. in the pound on the income tax, costs, raised indirectly, a sum equal to 3d. in the pound. The cost of sugar is even more flagrant. Free sugar should cost £lO per ton ; taxed sugar costs £3l. In other words, sugar which now costs 41d. per lb. ought to be sold at 11d. Put in another way, the £5,500,000 revenue returned by sugar, in round numbers costs £13,000,000, as it raises the cost of the 600,000 tons of sugar we use yearly from £6,600,000 to £19,000,000. That is, in order to obtain what would cost 4d. in the pound on the income tax, we spend what would be equal to ls. in the pound. Our contemporary estimates that the Bd. or 9d. in the pound on the income tax, which the £9,500,000Mr. BRIGHT'S " free breakfast table " would represent if levied directly, actually costs the country when levied indirectly £20,000,000, or, roughly, ls. 6d. in the pound of its income. These are startling figures which Mr. LowE will do well to ponder. _ We do not pretend that there is nothing to be said for indirect taxation, or rather that there is nothing to be said against direct taxation. It is inquisitorial, it is a temptation to dishonesty, too often not resisted; it is, moreover, almost impossible of application to the poor. The idea of levying an income tax on a labourer earning £1 a week is chimerical. So that if we abolish indirect taxation he goes tax free. At the same time we could very well afford to give up a considerable portion of the revenue derived from the working man, if we could only reduce the expense of raising the revenue from the middle class. Surely we need not grumble that our poor neighbour goes free, if his freedom costs us nothing. We ought even to be prepared to pay a little • more than we do for the sake of economy. Our contemporary suggests that Mr. LOWE should retain the income tax at 6d., reduce the expenditure £3;000,000, and with the extra £5,000,000 which he would thus secure abolish the sugar duties. Is there any one who would grudge this extra 2d. of income tax ? We paid it cheerfully to recover a score of prisoners in Abyssinia ; we could hardly grudge it for the sake of our poor in these hard times, when pauperism threatens more and more to overwhelm us as a flood. LATEST INTELLIGENCE. (REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.) FRANCE. PARIS, December 18. The Marquis de Lavalette has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing the Marquis de Moustier, whose resignation has been accepted. Also M. Ferado de la Roquette has been appointed Minister of the Interior, and M. Gressier Minister of Agriculture. The Marquis de Moustier has been made a Senator. The Illoniteur says :—" Notwithstanding the counsels in favour of moderation and peace which the Great Powers had tendered •at Constanti- nople and Athens, the suspension of diplo matic relations between Turkey and Greece could not be prevented. The latest telegrams an nounce that the Envoys of both countries have received their passports, and were pre paring for their departure. However much this rupture is to be regretted, there is still room for hope that the co-operation and unanimity of the signitary Powers of the Treaty of 1856 will suc ceed in diminishing and restraining the conse quences of this rupture." ROUMANIA. BUCHAREST, Dec. 17 The draft of the address in reply to the Speech from the Throne has been agreed to by a majority both in the Chamber and in the Senate. Demete Stourdza has been appointed diplomatic agent of Roumania at the Porte. A decree orders a slight increase of artillery. INDIA. AM) AUSTRt.LIAN MAILS. SUEZ, Dec. 18. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Mooltan, from Calcutta the 24th of November, arrived at 5 p.m., yesterday. THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 1868. CORRE SP PARIS. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) PARIS, THURSDAY, December 17. has become too evident that the worst must be appre ended in Algeria. The natives have sown but apart of ;heir laud, and the disasters of last year must almost necessarily be reproduced after the fine season. For some time past the natives have been flocking to the northern regions in the hope of obtaining some subsistence from priblic charity. They have been compelled to take refuge in European territory to avoid dying of hunger. The Arenir .Nationale says : " The Mayor of Blidah naturally felt himself much embarrassed by this increase of the floating population, and in conse quence addressed himself to General de Wimpffen, com mandant of the province of Algiers. That officer replied by a letter to the prefect of the city, in which he declared, in military style, that 'on no point of the province did there exist any extraordinary distress.' We have yet to learn what the General understands by the epithet ` extraordinary,' with which he satisfies himself so easily, and which he does not justify by any precise fact or document. • During the past year it has been a very ordinary thing for Arabs to die of hunger, but perhaps that circumstance does not suffice to justify the measure recommended, or rather prescr;bA, by General de Wimpffen:—` If the police of Elidah,' says he, ` arrests individuals in a state of vagrancy, they should deliver up such individuals to the judicial authorities, who will pronounce on their fate ; and these vagabonds will suffer the penalties imposed by the law.' We see here the natural result of the idea of an Arab kingdom, which has been, as we foresaw, still more fatal to the natives than to the colonists." The Council of War at Blidah, Algeria, has condemned an Arab to death, and his wife to twenty years' imprison ment, for murder and cannibalism. Five natives were implicated, and each of them, beyond doubt, had partaken o: human flesh. But though the crime was committed everal months ago, they were all in good health—a result which hardly bears out the dictum of the Governor- General of Algeria, who declared that cannibalism is invariably followed by disease and death. M. Ferdinand de Lesseps has declined the official candi dature which the Government offered him for the Corps Leg,islatif. The independent papers rejoice greatly over this result, and they have some reason for it. The Government can get no able men on its side, except the few who fill the highest posts. All the first-rate journalists and officials go over to the other side. Three French ships of war cast anchor before Cadiz, in order to protect the interests of French subjects during the insurrection. One of these has since withdrawn, but the others remain. The Council of the Order of Advocates of the Imperial Court in Paris has decided that a subscription shall be opened among the members of the bar to erect a monu- ment to M. Berryer. The duel between M. Paul de Cassagnac and M. Lissa. quay, which was marked by such fury, has foujid its way in due course to the Correctional Tribunal. The principals and their seconds were all fined, M. de Cassagnac receiving in addition a sentence of six days' im prisonment. _ _ A frightful scene took place at Mars_illes the other day. The police were endeavouring to arrest an Italian ruffian who had made a desperate attack upon one of his associates, when suddenly the offender drew out a knife and stabbed the first police agent three times in the breast ; and, the companions of the wounded man hasten ing to his assistance, two more of them were struck in the abdomen. A fourth would probably have suffered the same fate if the spectators had not seized the miscreant and disarmed him. The wounds are dangerous, but, it is hoped, not mortal. The establishment of a new religious sect in Russia is announced. Its code is not yet complete, but it com mences by a very fair collection of impossibilities. It honours celibacy, forbids the use of brandy, and proscribes the love of dress in young women. The sect deserves every encouragement, but its stipulations are not such as are likely to attract converts. But applause of celibacy and condemna tion of extravagance in dress are admirably consistent. The Paris ladies are terribly in need of some such provisions. The luxury of dress in this capital surpasses all precedent ; the latest new thing is a jupe composed of twenty skirts, one overlapping the other, and all of different colours. The wearers of these absurdities will completely outdo the rainbow, which, indeed, they left behind long ago. A perambulating spinning•wheel seems t 3 have been the ideal they had in view. _ _ _ December has been ushered in by storms, which:have caused great devastation throughout France. From the exterior the intelligence of disaster is equally abundant. At Fritzlar, in Bohemia, a steeple was blown down, and killed sixteen persons, besides wounding many others. The Court returned from Compiegne to-day. THE WEATHER TABLE.-THIS DAY. IILTEOLOLOGICAL 11EFORTS. THE INS. Chang and Eng, known all over the world as " The Siamese Twins," are expected to arrive in Edinburgh this week, and intend to appear before the public. Their last visit to this country was in 1830. With the exception of the time taken up in a trip to the Continent of Europe, they have since resided in the United States. With the competence realised during th eir successive tours through the Old and New Worlds, they retired to the county of Surrey, North Carolina, having previously neen married to sisters of the name of Greenwood, daughters of a clergyman in North Carolina. The marriages were celebrated in November 1842, and each of the twins has now nine children, some of whom accompany them on their present visit to Europe. The object of their voyage to Europe is twofold, and is of a rather melancholy character. They have lost their pro perty through the recent American civil war, and find it necessary to resort to the same expedient by which they were originally put in funds. And they have, further, arrived at a time of life when they are forced to contem- )late the day of their death as not remote. Born in 1811, ;hey are now in the 58th year of their age, and the ')ossibility of one dying before the other brings witi. it considerations which must render an event, serious at all times, particularly trying to them. They have accord ingly made up their minds to submit to a surgical opera tion, if the surgeons of Paris are prepared to undertake the unprecedented task of severing the living ligament,by which they have been connected for nearly sixty years. The purpose of the twins in making their first stay in. Edinburgh is to have a consultation with Professor Syme and others of our eminent surgeons before proceeding to Paris. SHAREHOLDERS' PROTECTION SOCIETY. On Thursday afternoon a meeting of shareholders In rail ways and other joint-stock companies was held at the London Tavern, for the purpose of considering what steps ought to be taken to protect them in the present state of commercial affairs. _ _ Mr. W. BROOKS, on being called to the chair, said there were thousands of shareholders suffering extreme distress, not only in the metropolis, but in all parts of the country, on account of the liabilities they bad incurred in connection with joint-stock companies. He had re ceived many representations and many suggestions and sehemes for the relief of the present distress. Some persons had suggested a philanthropic system, such as the Society for Protecting Young Women. He did not think there was much sympathy for shareholders out of doors, and much esprit de corps among their own body. When companies were started, shareholders; implicitly followed the directors, and at length they found that their confidence had been abused, and they fell an easy prey to the lawyers. In time past lawyers were a plague, but liquidators were a great deal worse, and he knew cases in which liquidators had most shamefully squandered the property. A lawyer went up to a court and received his 6s. Bd. or 13s. 4d., but a liquidator received twelve guineas a day for his attendance. No wonder, therefoie, that the assets of companies mysteriously disappeared. At present the law was in a most disgraceful state, and frauds of the grossest and most abominable character were per petrated, concocted by men in what were called respectable mercantile positions. Shareholders were plundered, and the ill-gotten gains were appropriated to the purchase of estates, or to obtaining a seat in Par liament. Such men were received into society because they were successful, and the plundered shareholders had no remedy. There had only been three or four prosecu tions in connection with these frauds, only three convictions. Of these two had received her Majesty's free pardon. In one case her Majesty's late Secretary of State had released the person connected with the frauds on the Leeds Bank because confinement did not agree with him, and because within twelve months he had lost a few pounds of flesh. During that time there had been twenty seven premature deaths among the plundered shareholders, seven of them being suicides. He thought that attempts ihould be made to obtain an alteration of the law,particularly in the matter of winding up. The chairman concluded by suggesting that a protective association should be formed, expressing his conviction that there were persons at the Board of Trade who would give valuable assistance in carrying out the scheme. Dr. Tnom, after giving some startling facts in reference to practices in various joint-stock companies, and suggest ing remedies, proposed that an association should be formed to be called " The Shareholders' Protection gociety." Mr. R. N. NAsH, in seconding the resolution, expressed hope that the association should embrace all companies. Several gentlemen expressed a fear that the shareholders would scarcely be found to join a common association, preferring to act together in individual cases of failing companies. On the other hand, it wan ratrougly -urged that it would be very desirable to make the experiment, inasmuch as no very serious risks coeld be incurred. The Chairman then put the resolution, and it was carried, it being arranged that any person paying two guineas a year should be a member of the society. The society was then declared formed, and Mr. Brooks was elected chairman. Dr. Thom, Mr. James Beal, and Mr. J. L. Nash were appointed a committee to carry out the arrangements. The nominations of the new Ministers will take place at the beginning of next week, and so far no opposition is threatened in any case. On Monday Mr. Gladstone will be nominated at Greenwich, Mr. Bright at Birmingham, the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the University of Loudon, Mr. Goschen in the City, Mr. Forster at Bradford, Mr. Stansfeld at Halifax, the Attor ney-General at Plymouth, and the Solicitor-General at Exeter. Mr. Cardwell will be returned f , )r the city of Oxford on Tuesday. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM OF POLICE WATCHING.— At the Marylebone Court-house, on Wednesday, a meeting of the delegates appointed by the various metropolitan parishes to form a deputation to the Home Secretary respect ing the necessity for a change in the system of controlling the police and the better watching of the metropolis, was held, under the presidency of Professor Marks. The form of memorial decided upon provides for a withdrawal of police supervision from the Government, and placing it under the control of the ratepayers. To prevent mismanagement arising from the control being placed in the care of mino rities, it is proposed to divide the metropolis into four sections—north, south, east, and west—each division having a governing body for its own locality, and a central body to be established, to be appealed to by any or all of the sections when necessary. SIR, W.LTKIN WYNN AND THE PEERAGE.—The cAszt,otry Advert,ser says :—" We have had an opportunity of perusing a letter addressed by Sir Watkin to his friends and supporters, of which the fllowing is a copy :—` Dear sir, I beg to thank you most cordially for the kind way in which you have assisted in returning me for the seventh time as your representative in Parliament. It is a position which for more than a century and a half has been the most prized distinction of my family; it was preferred by my great grandfather to an earldom, by my father to an earldom, by myself to a peerage. Times and circumstances have undergone g eat changes, but one thing has never changed, the heartfelt gratitude of the House of Wynnstay ;o the electors of Denbigh.—l am, sir, your grateful servant, WATKIN WILLIAMS `WYNN.— Wynn stay, Itu %bon , Nov. 30." DEATH FROM LIGHTNING. —A great storm raged 4.t Merthyr on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Through out the wind was very violent, and occasionally hailstones Jell with violence. Towards midday on Wednesday the sky cleared and the aspect of things was sunny in the ex• treme. It was remarked that there was an April fresh ness in the air ; but with more rapidity than even a summer storm dark thunderclouds swept over from the west, and a most terrific gale raged for half an hour, the rain and hail coming at intervals, and exceedingly vivid lightning playing around the mountains. During this storm a fatal accident happened on the hills near Merthyr. A poor old woman, a character in her way, known as Betsy Shon Evan, had gone with a couple of donkeys to the mountain in order to gather sandstone. Not returning towards night, search was made, and the dead bodies of the old woman and her donkeys were found, they having evidently fallen victims to the lightning. ' THE LATE BRADFORD ELECTION. = LETTER FROM Mn. MIALL.—The following is a copy of a letter received from Mr. Allan, in reply to one sent by the working men of Clayton :—" Welland House, Forest Hill, S.E., Dec. 10, 1863. Messrs. Andrews and Firth. —Gentlemen, causes which I need not particularly state, but for which I cannot hold myself responsible, have prevented my being able until now to acknow ledge the . address of sympathy forwarded to me through you from the working men at Clayton. I beg now to express my heartfelt appreciation of the honour they have done me, and my cordial thanks for the generous feeling they have displayed. Though surprised and disappointed at the issue of the late election at Bradford, I rejoice with you in the triumphs achieved for Liberal principles in so many other parts of the country, and now hail with satisfaction the advent of Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright, and their colleagues to power. Whether my exclusion from Parliament was fairly and legitimately effected time will shew ; at any rate, I shall not cease to labour in any sphere remaining open to me for the advancement of the political truths which I professed at Bradford, and which will always remain dear to my heart, as I doubt not they will to yours.—l am, gentlemen, yours faithfully and gratefully, gplyABD lguax," CHRISTMAS NUMBERS. Eighteen or twenty Christmas Holiday times Charles Dickens has gladdened, by his graceful, mirthful, kindly, romantic, humorous, eloquent genius. First of all, by lf.s immortal little book, The Christmas Carol." That he has never sur passed. Ile wrote it at the moment of his happiest inspiration. He has never, we repeat, surpassed it. It remains still the gladsomest, kindliest book that ever was written apropos to Christmas. He followed it up with four others of, we are almost tempted to say, diminishing merit—but any one of which would have made a new writer's reputation. " The Chimes," the next in succession to the Carol, was among these four, .intrinsically the next best. Afterwards came "The Cricket on the Hearth." Then " The Battle of Life." And, last of the series, " The Haunted Man." The key-note was struck. A whole chorus soon became audible of yule-tide carollers or Christmas story-tellers ; until—year by year, as the happy season came .ound—there poured in upon us, in shoals, small Christmas narratives, bound in all the colours of the rainbow, red, green, yellow, blue, pink, purple, illustrated, and in all other respects, saving only n the genius latent among the leaves, a la Dickens, Then there came a change. " Household Words" —Mr. Dickens's first weekly serial—in the winter of 1855, brought out a Christmas double number of its own, followed by three others, during the three succeeding Christmases. The notion thus hit upon by the Conductor of " House hold Words," grew into an institution. the nineteen volumes of that famous literary jour- cal having in the course of time, that is, by the close of 1858, run out to their completion—" All the Year Round" made its appearance. Twenty volumes of the latter have since then come out, and each alternate volume has been supplemented, almost as a matter of course, by the issuing, in a stitched blueish-green double number, price fourpence, of a collection of seasonable Christmas stories. Mr. Dickens's idea here, as formerly, being caught up by imitators without number, until there came to be a sort of Christmas literature, never before lreatnt of, that is, never dreamt of until Charles Dickens called it, years ago, into existence. At last —this year in point of fact—the originator of it all, got tired of the incessant mimicry of everything be did in this way, and saddened us all for the mo ment by announcing that last year's was really the last —was, with greater reason than was no doubt originally intended, indeed, "No Thoroughfare." Only for the moment, we say, this announcement saddened us all. For, on reflection, it was impos sible not to recognise the reasonableness and judi ciousness of the great novelist's determination. Happily, however, .by way of consoling us in the midst of our regrets at being thus suddenly left without a Christmas Tale or a Christmas Double Number by Dickens, there come to us, in a goodly, green, gilt-edged - Volume, all bound up together, the nine years'— CHRISTMAS NUMBERS OF " ALL THE YEAR Room,"--A wonderful collection of seasonable stories worthy of preservation in any, the most carefully selected, library of fiction, if only by right of their including amongst them those great originals, Mrs. Lirriper (not forgetting Major Jack man) and Doctor Marigold. A collection that is— riot a nine days, but a nine years' wonder, consist ing, as it does, of —(1859) The Haunted House— (1860) A Message from the Sea—(lB6l) Tom Tiddler's Ground—(lB62) Someboiy's Luggage— (lB63) Mrs. Lirriper's Lodgings—(lB6.l) Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy—(lB6s) Dr. Marigold's Prescrip tions—(lB66) Mugby Junction—and (1867) No Thoroughfare. THE CHRISTMAS NUMBERS OF " HOUSEHOLD WORDS" ---four in all—have simultaneously made their appearance as an opportune supplementary instalment of the issue, month by month, by Messrs. Ward, Lock, and Tyler, of that cele brated periodical. They are—(lBss) The Holly tree Inn—(lBs6) The Wreck of the Golden Mary —(1857) The Perils of Certain English Prisoners, and (1858) A House To-Let. The best of them all being the first-mentioned, namely, " The Holly Tree Inn," and this more especially by right of that .harming little child love story told by Boots—own brother of Sam Weller—about Master Walmers Junior, running off with Norah on the way to Gretna Green. THE CHRISTMAS NUMBER OF " LONDON SOCIETY"— is as light if not as appetizing as a tipsy cake, a trifle, or a syllabub. It is gorgeous in cover, profuse i❑ illustration, and full of merry conceits in the letter press. For the current season, i.e., the season of plum puddings and mincepies, it serves its purpose. It will be turned over and dogs-eared before it is done with, but when done with at this first reading will certainly not be treasured up afterwards, for its contents are in the fullest meaning of the words, fugitive pieces. its pretensions, however, are sma and therefore it serves its purpose—that being simply to wile away a winter's evening with amus ing narratives. THE CHRISTMAS NUMBER OF " CHAMBERS'S JoUß- NAL"—Called emphatically " Extra-ordinary"—is worthy of its name as well as of its associations. It has no extraneous adornment by way of attrac tion in the shape of either coloured or uncoloured embellishments. It is as full as an egg is of meat, however, of Christmas literary fare in the form of romantic, pathetic, impressive, and laughter-moving action. More than some of its gaudier contempo raries, however, it will secure to itself that best tri bute of all, an attentive reading : and, when read, it will be found very well entitled to be bound up with the half-yearly volume of the famous three halfpenny Edinburgh literary journal of which it is the avowed supplement. THE BELGRAVIA ANNUAL--Like the Belgravia itself, Edited by Miss Braddon—if weighed in the balance (avoirdupois), if looked at in regard to the bulk of its letterpress, if examined with an eye more particularly to the number and the merit of its illustrations, and, above all, if considered in re spect to the popularity of its well-known contribu tors, must certainly be pronounced a marvel . of cheapness. A score of years ago the notion of such an annual as this being ever issued at the price of one shilling would have been scouted as something utterly ridiculous. Here it is, however—not a no tion, but a fact. Tales of glamour—original-- varied—some of them the productions of true Lite rary artists. The enterprise manifestly lavished upon the Belgravia Annual deserves a recompense which we can hardly doubt that it will receive— namely, a very extended circulation. GOOD CHEER—Being the Extra Number of "Good Words"—owes much of its excellence as a literary fare to that generous caterer for young and old, Dr. Norman Macleod. White-breasted turkeys fes tooned with sausages, browned and bursting—sir loins of beef running out with gravy when cut— culinary bombs of plum-pudding freckled with candied peel and sultana raisins, and steaming and reeking with deliciousness—will hardly be turned to with more watering mouths by the youngsters gathered about home tables during the Christmas holidays and hollynights than will this plentiful store of Good Cheer furnished from the abundant larder from which, month by month, young and old respectively are receiving Good Wcrds and Good Words for the Young. ONCE A YEAR—the Christmas number of Once a Week—with the prettiest, daintiest cover pencilled by Mat Morgan, would be thrice welcome, if for nothing else, for an exquisite little dramatic sketch, breath ing intensely of love and home, of youth and age simultaneously, a charming little picture drawn to the life by the noble author of " The C.txtons." To the examination of this small but perfect masterpiece we commend all those true lovers of art, who in their love of art have an eye especially to those subtler touches of nature which are beyond all art, tnd which, as the Poet-Dramatist has it, makes the whole world kin. Mr. Dallas, it should be said, is the editor of Once a Year as he is also of Once a Week, in regard to which latter publication the former is as the Mistletoe is to the Oak. ToM HOOD'S COMIC ANNUAL—IS just what any one might have expected from the title of it, a capital piece of Fun, by the Editor of that ilk, widening the mouth of the reader on opening it, and shaking his sides at each turn of the leaf. The loyal staff of the merry wight who wears with so much grotesque grace the bell-hung cap of our weekly jester Fun, are here-co-operating with him as heartily in his Annual as in his Weekly outpouring of comicality. We needs must laugh whether we will or no; but at any rate, as a rule, we laugh with rather than at rom Hood and his congenial colla borateurs. MONEY LENT—in a hideous, cross-grained cover —is the title of Beeton's Christmas Annual, and in return for one of the small silver coin of our cur rency the purchaser certainly gets here money lent to him galore. Some of it is of sterling min tage, and but a very small proportion counterfeit. SOMETHING LIKE A NUGGET—good metal never coined but in the lump—is the theme of Lyulph'g new Christmas Story : that same Lyulph being al ready favourably known as one of not the least suc cessful of the Dickens' imitators. In his present venture, Lyulph—whoever he is—goes far to sustaia his reputation. CAST ASHORE ON CHRISTMAS EVE—is the nama of another tale of the like kind, but one w holly anonymous : of it, however, we can say little or no thing in the way of commendation. Not so in regard to Miss Echo's Girl of the Period Alinanack, which is wonderfully good, sparkling, merry, and graceful to a marvellous degree. The illustrations are delightful to look at—the prettiest, daintiest freaks of fancy on the part of the artist, whose pencil can draw young girls as we have not seen them drawn since John Leech, to the grief of us all, disappeared so prematurely. Extreme NV. S. W. . N. NV. W.S.W. W. S. W. S.W. E.S.E. S.W. 29 24f. 29'34f, 29'31f, 29'40f. 2918 f. 29•62 f. 29'32f. 29'27f. 29'4Gf. 29 155 f. W. B.W. S.W. S.W. S.S E. Dec. 18, 8 a.m. Nairn Aberdeen Leith Shields Scarborough Yarmouth Helder Cuxhaven Sku demises Ardrossan Green castle Holyhead Liverpool Valentia . • Cape Clear Roches Pt Penzance Plymouth Weymouth Portsmouth London .. UpeGrisNez Brest ..... . L'Orient . Roch efort Biarritz Corunna Brussels Paris Strasbourg Lyons .. S.S.W. B.W. 29'341. 2915 r. 29'54f. 29 62f. 29 63f. 29'65f. 29'69f. 29'665. 29 . 69 x. 2974 f. 29 84f. 29'93f. w.s.w. S.W. S.W. W. W.S.W. W.S.W, S.W. S.W. S.W. S. E.S.E. 'o's2 8 10 90 5 0'42 4 0'53 4 0'34 2 o'4o 4 014 - 0 'Ol 4 o'o6 3 o'o9l 4 S.S.W. S.S.E. S. S.W. W.S.W, S.S.E. S.S.E. TOulou Heart's Con tent (9 aan local time) rarldkru'rrow Barometer corrected and reduced to 32 deg. at sea level. The letter r, rising ; f. falling ; s , ste ady — indicates direction of motion of the mercury within last 14 hours. Thermometer exposed in shade. Extreme Force with its Direction during last 24 hours. Z.—calm. Weather : b. — b lue sk y ; c. — clouds, detached ; f.—fog ; h.—hail ; I. lightning ; m.—misty, h azy ; o. — overcas t, dull ; r.— rain ; s.—snow ; t.—thunder. Rain-fall, snow or hail (melted) during last 24 hours. Sea disturbance. REMARKS. On the N E. coast the increase in pressure noticed yesterday hail been succeeded by a fresh diminution of considerable extent. Read ings at all stations arc now lower than yesterday, but in the S.W. of Ireland pressure is again recovering itself. Readings are low in the N.W., and a difference of six-tenths of an inch exists between those at Nairn and Rochefort, Temperature has increased generally— about 10 deg. in Scotland. The southerly gale reported yesterday afternoon in the S. of Ireland extended to the entrance of the Channel, and lasted till about midnight ; a strong S.W. wind was also felt in the S.E. of England. This morning moderate S.W. winds prevail in the Channel, but in Ireland the gale continues from the W. Heavy rain has fallen In the S. of England and Ireland. The sky is cloudy, and it is now raining on the E, coast. Weather appears still unsettled. The sea on the Irish coast has not gone down. THE RUMOURED RECALL OF LORD MAYO. — Some of our contemporaries have reaffirmed the. accuracy of the statement respecting the recall of Lord Mayo, and have added that the letter of recall has actually been despatched to the new Viceroy. They are, however, mistaken. We have the authority of a Cabinet Minister, and also that of another dis tinguished member of the Liberal party, that the Cabinet have not taken that step. So far as the Marquis of Salisbury is concerned, the matter is set at rest by a letter from that nobleman in the Tinges denying that he is going to India. A gentleman named Rotherham, residing at Ath boy, county Meath, has been fired at near his own gate as he was returning home from the railway station. Slugs struck Mrs. Rotherham, who was sitting beside him in his carriage, in the forehead. Her life is in some danger. Bisgrove, the Wells murderer, immediately after his condemnation, begged to. see an Independent minis ter, to whom, after he had engaged in prayer, he stated that on the night in question, being quite intoxicated, ho lay down. near Cornish; he awoke, and he had an impulse, not from any feeling of revenge, or with any intention of robbery, to hill the man. Ho got up in a semi-drunken state, and went to the brook, end there ho took up a stone; he carried it to the spot where Cornish was lying, and threw the stone upon his head, and that blow killed Cornish. No one was with him. This tends to exculpate Sweet, his fellow-prisoner, alto gether, and shows that the evidence of the woman Drew was substantially correct. Mr. Justice Hayes, who is taking the criminal cases at the Liverpool assizes, does not share the opinion entertained by some of his colleagues that grand juries are useless. In his charge, delivered on Wednesday, his lord ship remarked that, whatever might be said with respect to the use of grand juries, it was ob vious that they afforded to the gentlemen engaged the opportunity of acquiring some knowledge of the state of the criminal classes of the country. It was very desirable that they should be made acquainted with the sort of moral volcano which existed in the country, because gentlemen in their position Lad the means of setting in motion and en couraging everything tl at might tend t 3 diminish crimo and check in a groat measure tho cauooz which were au in contivo to it. b7r. 111.0 C.O. b.cr r.o. o'o3l 2 o'o7 - o'o7l 3 0111 5 WHAT MIGHT BE. The following remarkable article appears in the Morning Star, a contemporary which is the organ of the Right Hon. gentleman the President of the Board of Trade, who understands more about India than any other Cabinet Minister, not even except ing his Grace the Duke of Argyll : A statement has appeared in the Manchester Exa miner, to the effect that the Earl of Mayo has been recalled from India, that the Marquis of Salisbury has agreed to accept the Viceroyalty as Sir John Law rence's successor, and that Sir John Lawrence's re turn home is to be delayed for another year. W r e do not confirm this statement; but the arrangement which it describes offers a not improbable solution for the grave difficulty which was thrown by this late Premier upon his successor. To those who re gard the greatest posts in the State as mere items of preferment, the presence of the Earl of Mayo 1 0 Calcutta as Governor General does not suggest doubts or anxiety. One man is as good as another to enjoy a good thing ; and Lord Mayo is a man whom no one would object to see as happy as t he most inappropriate exaltation could make 1 1013 . ' But the Governor-Generalship is not a mere pe 3 . t " tion of honour and state. The Viceroy of India is, with certain limitations, chiefly felt in quiet times, and even then very ineffectually opera" tive, a quasi sovereign ruler over some one 0 3 " dred and eighty millions of people. Ilis veg b and barely manageable domain might at any no" ment be thrown into a ferment such as only 1118 most competent statesmanship could allay. 1 4° ra Mayo in this country never exhibited even averag e ability, and he received the grandest prize a t the disposal of the Crown, either as a consolation . O r failure, or as a reward for having taken upon 1 033- self the responsibility of a hastily declared and P re cipitately renounced Irish policy. But in India' left to govern a vast dependency on his own re, sponsibility, he can no longer be incompetent wi th impunity. Mr. Gladstone and his colleag ne3 cannot but have felt this. Whether they have e ordered Lord Mayo home or not they mot well aware that they, and not he, would 04 really responsible to the people of this country mischief were to arise from his rule in Calcutt'ci At the same time, to recall a man of Lo Mayo's inoffensive character from a post to which, according to the loosely practised principle of p at t y management, he had as good a title as auy etl ; 1, member of his party, would be an act seeminglys invidious that the Cabinet muse have arrived ve r y reluctantly—if they have arrived —at the reeel ti tion to take the step. Mr. Gladstone, of cour se ' has long foreseen • his present re s p o nsibili l in all their bearings . and the Duke ° Argyll cannot have been ignorant that th e public voice has for some time designated hi g ! for the high office which he fills. In the Cabin e t there is another Minister whose actual We l ; rience is sure to have deeply impressed him wit the responsibilities of Indian administrati on. An eminent statesman who has made the in te; rests of the natives of India the subject of 031.4 of the most burning eloquence in our languag e s 1 , 0 also one of the most prominent of Mr. Gladstoae colleagues; and there are others —such men as Se Lowe and Lord Clarendon--who, themselves se' lected on the ground of special fitness, will/ P r 1 ; bably, prove incapable of tolerating, however 1 1 1 they may compassionate, incompetency Pit'e 1; forked into an •office demanding the p r ofound es et and most apt ability. Never was a Ca bie bo brought together from which a job such as le Viceroyalty of Lord Mayo would have been .0 likely to receive indulgence. As a mere jo b l o s might have been spurned ; but a job agail inerl which the whole country exclaimed, not ho g in indignation but in alarm—a job which be set the press of India at work deriding ai" Home Government --a job which ill s to all past, and • would if ratified go far . 8 .. deteriorate the calibre of all future G ove rnor-Ge ll , rals—a job which would lead to five years of Jog lo rious sway, unless some disaster brought its iSe ti st to a sudden and fatal termination—must a P Pe tt to an Administration like the present a ped eet te , intolerable blemish in the great machine of S ta If for the working of which they are responsible• e 0 it is true that Sir John Lawrence has unde rtak fot to be answerable for the Government of India another year all anxiety as to the immediate filtio ao will be over. Lord Mayo would have to bear ea almost unexampled humiliation, because he h as b o e the hero of a State scandal in these tim es Oa . o less unexampled ; and with his disaPP: t o ante from thq scene all peril that ht li•- if, foresight could avert would pass awitY• again, it were true that eventually Lord tacl bury would succead to the Viceroyalty, a pro e r, e o of good for India would be opened up, which eviir the continuance of Sir John Lawrence in that l e portant office could not present. Sir John 1)3 0 , rence is an able and sure-footed Indian states° i d, but his ideas are necessarily cast in an old M e l o Lord Salisbury's Indian policy was not cull .6 ,, 0 0 but full of fresh intelligence ; not merely fr ee ,''bot prejudice, and superior to departmental contrei,erto courageous and enterprising in a direction hithdir untried ; not only wise, new, and bold, 10 01 tinctly adverse to all the annexationist imtaell'sci, in which even Sir John Lawrence, however CO entiously and innocently, has been by circums te d and official experience involved. Lord SOO t he appointment would mean, in the opinion o ' oo l Cabinet, all the good that might be expected °Of f r om such great and absolutely novel qua li3' as these. There was something in Lord bury's sudden recognition of the Mysor e f c o d similar in beneficent audacity to Mr. Glad s 'l c i3h courageous declaration of war against th e , de' Church Establishment ; and Lord Salisbury e signs for the material development of India °°l°e'3considered a brilli an t a d a pt a ti on o f Mr. Glad st ; 6 o' ideas of econo m i ca l s t a t esmans hip t o the ,tances of the noble empire over which it is 1 1 1e0 e to be Lord Salisbury's destiny to bear away pee; considerations, of course, deserve the firs t P o ,tiv g but it is also worthy of notice that, by desig; Lord Salisbury for this great sphere of d et ': o tih e Prime Minister would most effectually reh'iVod reckless allegations so freely made by the 0 10 organs, that he begrudged Lord Mayo ° o f D i : which he wished to bestow on some follower th a, own fortunes. Whether well or ill-founder j c oo' report which has appeared in our Manc heste o temporary is one which, for great reas eP oo c t for smaller reasons alike, would be accep t P ° the country, and full of hope for its g reet Indian empire. me m , The following also appears in the Da i l t o rtr o one of the recognised organs of the Libera l r e of s f —" There is much speculation as to th e pf t 1 which will be pursued relative to the Arieer e3r d e re India. That Lord Mayo should be sae° divi: inst. t 0 ti Part 3 158. 11 i n( ' Prece sub Of th e a t4.l 1 48 t yi Rulli Ilea c Not e R ate C ons P rot la , th A e E, t he 24 for chi It. to 5 40i 42i illii 2 1 i to :., Bar Lou and Way Rai] vise of j atta Cou agai Aus 18 811 i cleri c Gibt Serv: estai ti on Fio na , the shad th c°11:11 ca se arpo Rt CI 1 4 4