The Sun. — London, England, 1853-12-26 00:00:00

LONDON tk SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. FOREIGN TRAFFIC.—SPECIAL NOTICE. From and after Ist JANUARY, 1854, .the existing THROUGH RATES for Goods Traffic betwixt London and Paris, and betwixt Paris and the Channel Islands, will be DISCONTINUED. Goods will be conveyed, as heretofore, betwixt London and Havre, and betwixt Havre and the Channel Islands, at reduced through rates, which include all charges from the Quay at Havre to London, or to the Channel Islands, the amount of Customs' Duty and Marine Insurance excepted. Goods will be conveyed betwixt London and Havre three times a Week, each way, as heretofore.: . For particulars of through rates, and all other information, apply in London, to Mr. SIMKIN, 53, King William-street, City; in Southampton, to Mr. WATKINS, Raltway-station ; in Havre, to Mr. GILLS, 5, Rue-de-la-Gaffe. (By order) ARCHD. SCOTT, Traffic Manager. Railway-office, London, Dec. 24, 1853. THEATRE ROYAL DRiTRY-LANE. Leesee, Mr. E. T. Smith. • The Attractions of this great National Establishment for the CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS will be on a most extensive scale, un precedented in the annals of Theatricals for Novelly, splendour, and mechanical wonders, embodied by the first Artistes in the world. Magnificent Scene y, Dresses, and Decor ations ; gorgeous excite ment and Ballet unrivalled, forming an ensemble otalnt and en- chanting attraction never equalled. Mr. SUITN, the Less e ee, begs to remind his juvenile patrons that this great CHRISTMAS PANTO MIME will be prVed THIS EVENING , DEC. 26, with a DRAMA and FAR Reduced Prices as usual. THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Under the management of Mr. Buckstone. TIITS EVENING, DEC. 26, Will be performed THE HOPE OF THE FAMILY. Characters by Messrs Chippendale, Compton, Buckstone, and W Farren ; Mrs. Buckingham, Mrs. Poynter, Mrs. Fitzwilliam, and Miss E. Grey. After which, a Grand CHRISTMAS P kNTOMIME, call , d HARLEQUIN AND THE THREE BEAR; ; or, Little Silverhair and the Fairies. Columbine, Miss M. Brown ; Harlequin, Mr. J. M a rshall : Pantaloon, Mr. W. A. Barnes; Clown, Mr. H. Marshall. • 'LOYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Casaus KEAN. THIS EVENING, DEC. 26, Will be performed THE CORSICAN BROTHERS. Principal character by Mr. C. Kean. After which will be produced a new Grand CHRISTMAS PAN TOMIME, entitled HARLEQUIN - AND THE MILLER; AND Mg MEN; or, King Salamandar and the Fairy of the Azure Lake. Harlequin, Mr. Cormack ; Clown, Mr. Hahne ; pauiaioon, Mr. Paulo; and Columbine, Miss Desborough. LYCEUM THEATRE. Under the Management of Madame Vestris. i , THIS EVENING, Dzo. 26, ' Will '.:,e' performed A BACHELOR OF ARTS. Charact rs by Messrs. C. Mathews, F. 3latthews, and Baker; Miss F. Hug s. After which, an original Fairy Extravaganza , called nE UPON A TIME THERE WERE TWO KINGS. Principal cha racters by Mr. Wright and Madame Vestris. To conclude with PATTER VERSUS CLATTER. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPIII. Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celestt. B are Christmas Amusements—The Great Attraction of Lon on— .. One of the Sights of London"—The Sea of Ice and Marvvllons Adelphi E ffects in the exciting new Na u ti ca l Dra m a of n;THE THIRsT OF GOLD," every Evening—A new Grand Fairy Spec= de , NUMBER NIP. MONDAY, and during the week, the popular new nautical melo &ions, in Rye tableaux, with new scenery, the Sea of Ice, Ste.; new dresses and appointments, called THE THIRST OF GOLD, or TBE LOST SHIP AND THE WILD FLOWER OF MEXICO. Principal characters by Messrs. B. Webster, Keeley, Paul Bedford, 0. Selby, Parselle, Marsden, &c. ; Madame Celeste, Mrs. t eigh Murray, Miss F. Maskell, Sec. ; with an entirely new grand specta cular legendary Christmas piece, in two act:, with new scelnery, dresses, machinery, and appointments, called NUMBER NIP, or THE SPIRIT BRIDE. Principal characters by Madame Celeste, Mrs. Keeley, Miss Woolgar, Miss M. Keeley, Miss Cuthbert, !Miss C. Harding ; Messrs. Paul Bedford, J. Rogers, Romer, G. Let, &c ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. A. Wigan. THIS EVENING, Dac. 26, (And daring the week), Will be performed PLOT AND PASSION. Principal chari by Mr. F. Robson and Mrs. Stirling. Alter which, a new historico-geographical CHRISTMAS : TOMIME, called HARLEQUIN COLUMBUS; or, The Old 1 and the New. Harlequin, Mr. F. Moreland; Pantaloon, M : gooitez ; and Columbine, Miss Wyndham. • cters ASTLErS EUROPE'S NATIONAL AMPHITHEATREJ Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. Grand combination of attraction for the Holidays. The only Eques trian Pantomime in the Metropolis, and the wonderful Performing Elephants. THIS EVENING, DEc. 26, (.And during the week.) The New Grand Equestrian Chinese Spectacle, entitled " triE WISE ELEPHANTS OF TIIE EAST; or, THE MAGIC GONG— In which Mr. W. Cooke's wondro•is Elephants will appear. Followed by a series of Mr. Wm. Cooke's matchless scenes of Equestrianism in THE CIRCLE, by the talented artistes of this establishment. After which, a New Grand Equestrian CHRISTMAS COMIC PANTOMIME, written expressly for this Theatre, by Mr. NELSON LEE, entitled BILLY BUT fON'S :JOURNEY TO BRENTFORD ; or, Harlequin and the Ladles' Favourite. New scenery, dre-ses, decorations. and appointments, magnificent Car of Industry, &c. Harlequin, Mr. H. Hemmings ; Columbine, Mdlle. Christine; Pantaloon, Mr. Lehman; and Two Clowns, Mr. C. Adams and Mr. Croueste ; Sprites, Masters Gee and Bra thury. A MORNING PERFORMANCE on JAN. 2, commencing at two. Juvenile Night on TRURSD Y, JAN. 5, when the Comic Panto mime will commence the Performance Box-office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, 3.1 r. W. West. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. This DAY —Morning 52 min.after 9 I Evening 25 min.aft. 10 To-Monaow—Morning 58 min.after 10 1 Evening 59 min.aft. 11 THE WEATHER.—SIIN OFFICE, DEC. 25. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 41—highest since noon yesterday. 34—lowest this morning and during the night. 38—this day at noon. BAROMETZIi, 30 . 26. WIND, E.—Black frost, and fine weather. DECEMBER 26. 39 highest since noon yesterday. 29—lowest this morning and during the night. 36—this day, at noon. BAROMETER, 30'19. WIND, changed to W.S.W.—Light breeze. Last night the frost was very intense. t' ) AN Cd C* ; • ;7 : • 0 , - ' 4 •" \Y4, LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1853. " Farewell, a long farewell" to the popularity of Viscount PALMERSTON ! Exactly one year ago, on the 26th of December, 1852, lie seriously damaged his reputation for sagacity by taking office iu the ABERDEEN Coalition Government. Immediately on the arrival of the anniversary of that memorable day, on the 26th of December, 1853, the people of England learn with emotions • of mingled dismay and amazement of a yet more startling dereliction of principle on the part of their once chivalrous, high minded, and patriotic Administrator. After carrying confusion into the councils of his Sovereign by an abrupt re tirement from the Cabinet, the Noble Lord the member for Tiverton has ruined his own fame (ruined it, wo fear , irretrievably), a n d compromised still more the already notorious Ministry of the " dear" and " excellent" (notorious for. its gross and shameless inconsisten cies), by an equally abrupt movement, that of the withdrawal of his resignation. Eleven days have elapsed between these preposterously contradic tory proceedings of Lord PALMERSTON. December the 15th acquainted the world with his sudden resignation. December the 26th informs it of his no less sudden withdrawal of that resignation. In our remarks on Saturday evening, it may be re membered that we took occasion very candidly to observe that—if the noble Viscount the Member for Tiverton returned to the Cabinet from which he had become thus recently, abruptly, and voluntarily alienated, his so doing would be nothing more nor less (we could find no other phrase sufficiently expressive, or sufficiently appro priate) than literal " tomfoolery." And he has returned—and now, deliberately, we here reite rate, that his so returning can only by that one appropriate and expressive word be correctly designated. Never , before was a great reputation more wilfully doomed to s elf - destruotion. Never before was so large or so noble a popularity scattered to the winds of hea ven by an , act of more criminal and yet . more frivolOns •perversity. Latterly, the name of Viscount PAizasusroN has been spoken of by some enthusiasts as that of the probable Prime Minister of a not very remote hereafter. Henceforth we re gard this as an absolute impossibility. The latest act of the Home Secretary has been an act of political suicide. It was a miracle scarcely less extraor of the dead t o lif e dinary than that of the rai sing —the restoring of t hat enviable confidence w hi c h heretofore subsisted between Lord PALMERSTON and the masses of his fellow-co untrymen. Honestly, we do not anticip ate an y such magical or preternatural resuscitation. Viscount PAL MERSTON cannot any longer be regarded by Eng A «, • h.men otherwise than with grief and suspicion. . . it 4. _. , , xis uno ' longer the Minister, of the popu -01/,`,•3.41 .. 41.111f has brought low the pride of '4 fe k 'f'. ~ , - **7-..olkoej; l ‘ y and chivalric independence. il tl l4- , Vl l - ;$1 1 ,4e d the leek, by sitting down , e 4 4 ' )l- Adtiiii '' the \-, ,. L;!?5,.. 0 , ~ ~ ym December of 1852 cheek by tiiikil4 ,Ikird. JOHN RUSSELL th 6 : ,exPreraier ti a.7,-Pi s i • ~. *hi= lie had not long before been summarily THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 1853. and ignominiously expelled from the ranks of the Government—he has now, in the December of 1853, with exemplary meekness, eaten humble pie, by his fluctuating and timorous proceedings in regard to the Coalition, by throwing up office in a pet and by resuming it with an utterly incon sistent promptitude. The remarkable incident which has just been completed by the return of Lord PALMERSTON to the Coalition, or rather by his continuance in it (for the proffered resignation of the Home Secretary was never accepted by his Sovereign), has at any rate been so far useful that it has revealed yet more clearly the utter absence of principle in this strange jumble of a Government. Elsewhere will be found, placed side by side in parallel columns, the estimate of the Home Secretary, exactly as it has been given to the public, first on the 16th of December, and then on the 26th of December, in the official organ of the Administration. And a worthy organ has the Times proved itself to be of this notable ABERDEEN Coalition worthy in chivalrous and high-principled consistency ! A glance at those two comments on the character of the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton will sufficiently indicates the union prevailing in the Councils of the Administration—thus blowing almost in the same breath hot and cold through the mouthpiece of the olla podrida Government. Speaking of Lord PALMERSTON'S proffered resigna tion, the official organ of to-day remarks that it has been found " that no imperious dictates of conscience or of thity, by which alone such a step could be justified, did, in this instance, require so great a sacrifice." In that case, so much the more heinous, therefore, the culpability of the Noble Viscount in carrying disorder into the Councils of his Sovereign by so ill-advised and un necessary a step at a period of such critical and momentous emergency. But the truth of all this is, as was observed by one of our weekly con temporaries on Saturday, that " the present Ministry resolves itself into a clique of doctrinaires attempting to govern a great country by COURT favour." It is the truth —a truth mast bitter and undeniable. And among these men must now be numbered in seemingly indissoluble combination, " for better, for worse," one who has thrown away political self-respect, and an enviable popularity for the satisfaction of entering once more into the bosom of a timorous, hesitating, unpatriotic, and—there is but one word for it—Germanised Government. We greatly fear that the present will not prove to be by any means a merry Christmas to the thousands and tens of thousands of persons who, at Preston and other manufacturing districts, are eating the bread of idleness, in place of earning their own subsistence by their own honest indus try. Nor are the auguries as to the happiness of the approaching new year by any means more propitious. Those who have been " playing" without cessation for three or four months, who have spent their entire time in listless idleness, cannot enjoy their holiday with so keen a zest as their more energetic brethren who are actively engaged during the working days, and have therefore merited the enjoyment and repose incidental to the great festival. The roast beef and plum pudding which have been paid for from the fairly acquired wages have a flavour not appertaining to the produce of mendicancy, and the supply whereof had abridged the comforts that might otherwise have appeared on the tables of other working men. 808 CRA TCHITI s Goose—that inimitable bird on which TINY TIM and his brethren exulted with such exceeding joy—would not have excited such extraordinary demonstrations of delight but for the knowledge that it had been fairly and laboriously acquired, and that no reproach of CAII - no secret whisper from " the still small voice," could mar the enjoyment of those assem bled round the family board to partake of the universal feast. It would be fortunate for those engaged in the internecine contest between masters and opera tives if they would devote a small portion of their abundant leisure to considering the nature and probable consequences of the present dispute. If they would think for themselves, calmly and dis passionately, in place of accepting all the absur dities uttered by Messrs. CowELL and Co., they would clearly perceive the suicidal folly of the course adopted, and the ruinous results that must follow a continuance in the same path. Hitherto they have viewed the matter through a distorted medium—they have suffered themselves to be de luded by interested delegates, who acknowledge that they are receiving 2/. per week each for doing nothing, except occasionally spouting at meetings, or eating and drinking at " jerry shops," being about double the amount that they could obtain by their labour, even if paid according to the scale of prices for which they are contending. Let them henceforth think and act for themselves, without thinking themselves bound to render a servile and unreasoning obedience to the despotic mandates of any man or body of men, more espe cially of persons respecting whose motives so many grave suspicions may be entertained. Let those, then, who are invited to join in the onslaught against "capital " seriously inquire what that "capital" is which they seek to destroy, and also how or by what means it is that they themselves and their fathers have received better wages, and consequently enjoyed a greater com mand over the " comforts" of life than persons of a similar status in other old countries. We say " old ' countries, because it is manifest that no fair comparison can be instituted with "new" territories where the population, in place of being in excess, is palpably deficient. Accurate answers to these interrogatories will enable them to arrive at a sound conclusion on the general points at issue between themselves and their quondam mas ters. ' " Capital" then is neither more nor less than " hoarded labour "—the accumulations and savings of persons who by the exertion of skill and intelligence, industry, and economy, have been enabled to improve their positions in life, and achieve a higher point in the social scale. Every energetic and well-disposed man—every one who feels that he possesses superior qualities to the majority of those by whom he is surrounded, would deeply regret the d own f a ll of " capital. " If it were possible that such should be the case, there would be no motive to stimulate exertions, or to induce parties to engage in laudable enter prises. The people would spend thei r li ves i n a state of apathetic indiffere nce, and th eir condition Full and would speedily become truly deplorable. perfect "equality" is absolutely impossible. E ven if everything were thrown into a general fund, and that " Communism" were practicable, we should speedily find some persons elevating them selves above, and others sinking below, the general level. A single day would dispel the visions that had been indulged in. No well-disposed person, no man conscious of possessing qualities beyond those of the myriads by whom he was surrounded, would consent to do away with the legitimate re wards for superiority in any department, or, in other words, to the overthrow of "capital." But it is the use of this very "capital" that has improved the position of the working men in in this country beyond those of their fel lows in other lands. It is because the use or interest of money is cheaper in Eng land than abroad—because our master manu facturers possess greater monetary facilities than their competitors, that the produce of our looms are to be found in every country. It is that which creates the demand for labour, and enables the English operative to enjoy comforts utterly unknown to, or far beyond, the hopes of his less fortunate brethren. But that cheapness of money arises from its security, and if that " security" be taken away, th e " cheapness " and facilities will follow, and, England will, be outstripped in the race by nations where the many h ave l ess f ree d om and cannot enter into the injurious combinations here tolerated. The increase of wages beyond the ware which the masters could afford to pay would produce a similar result. In either cas the working people would enjoy but a short-lived triumph. They could not go on without the use of that capital which they are making such strenuous exertions and submitting to so many privations to divert into other channels. Let them ponder over these things without passion or pre judice, and we venture to assert that they will soon perceive the absurdity of their conduct, and endeavour while there is yet time to effect a re conciliation with those who have been, and if per mitted will still be, their best friends. They may become a little sadder, but they will be very much wiser men, and will speedily be enabled to repair the grievous error into which they have fallen. MINISTERIAL MOVEMENTS. (From the Observer.) Lord Aberdeen left town yesterday afternoon for Windsor Castle, to have an audience of the Queen. His lordship returned to London last night. The Duke of Newcastle, it has been stated, left Lon don on Thursday for his country seat. This is incorrect ; his Grace did not leave, but has remained in daily at tendance at the Colonial-office. Lord Granville arrived in town on Friday, the day after the Cabinet had their long sitting of 5 hours and a half. The noble earl remains in London. Sir Wm. Molesworth is detained from joining a circle of friends in the country, and remains in town. The Earl of Clarendon returned to London yesterday from Windsor Castle. The Right Hon. William Gladstone, and Sir James Graham also continue in the metropolis. Lord Palmerston has attended at the Home-office within the last day or two. His Lordship's Under-Se cretary. of State, the Hon. Henry Fitzroy, came to town in the middle of the week. Sir George Grey, who arrived in town in the early part of the week from his country residence, Fallodon, Northumberland, took his departure last night for Fallodon, Sir James Emerson Tennent, Secretary to the Board of Trade, was expected in town last night from Italy, COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, DEC. 24. The dinner party yesterday included the Duchess of Kent, the Earl of Clarendon, the Lady-in-Waiting to the Duchess of Kent and the Baroness de Speth. _ _ The Band of the Ist Life Guards attended in the Castle during dinner, and performed the following com positions : March on H. Russell's Song, " Cheer, Boys, Cheer" Overture or Introduction (Casilda) Duke of Saxe Coburg Glee, " Mynheer Vandunck" Walzer, " Sylvan" Tinney Fantasia, Sur deux Motifs de Dom Sebastien Donizetti Polka, " Glocken" Herzog Galop Masquerade (Corsican Brothels) Prased Her Majesty's Private Band afterwards attended in the evening, and played the following selection : Overture, " La Barcarolle" Selection, " Seraglio" ... Duo, " Marco Spada" Auber The Queen and Prince walked in the Home•park this morning. The Earl of Clarendon left the Castle this forenoon for London. DEC. 25. The Queen's Private Band was in attendance at the Castle yesterday evening, and performed the following pieces : Overture, " Oberon" Weber. Introduction, " Marie" Herold. Andante Minuetto, Trio and Finale (Sin fonia) The Queen and Prince, the Prince of Wales, the Prin cess Royal, and Princess Alice, the ladies and gentle men of the court, and the domestic household, attended divine service this morning in the private chapel of the Castle. The Duchess of Kent was also at the service. The Hon. and Rev. G. Wellesley officiated, and ad ministered the holy sacrament. The Earl of Clarendon returned to London on Satur day from Windsor Castle. Despatches were sent to the Governors of Ceylon and Hong Kong on Saturday from the Colonial-office. Her Excellency the Countess of St. Germans dis tributed blankets and warm clothing to 280 poor persons from the parishes of Castleknock and Chapelizod, at the Viceregal Lodge, on Friday. Sir William Molesworth does not accompany Lady Molesworth into Yorkshire, being detained in town by his Ministerial duties. DUBLIN, FRIDAY.—The Lady Mayoress is im proving rapidly from the attack of measles under which she has been suffering since her ball. The Hon. Henry G. Howard has left town for Paris, where he has pntered on his duties as First Secre tary of Legation, in the loom of Mr. Jerningham, who proceeds to the Swedish capital as British Minister and Envoy. The King of Hanover sent 501. to be distributed amongst the poor of the parish of Kew on Saturday, to enable them to enjoy the pleasures of Christmas. His Highness Prince Leopold of Saxe Coburg and suite arrived at Mivart's Hotel, on Saturday, from Germany, en route to Windsor Castle, on a visit to his illustrious relatives the Queen and the Prince Consort. The Prince is expected to proceed to Southampton to-day, to embark at that port for Lisbon, on a visit to the King Regent of Portugal for a month or six weeks. The Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford have arrived at Trentham Hall, from Lilleshall. The Earl and Countess of Morton, Lord and Lady Aberdour, and a numerous family circle, are passing the holidays at Dalmahoy House. In France things go on very quietly. The Em peror and Empress are to bo seen everywhere without any escort, and employ themselves in alleviating the distresses oi privations of the more indigent classes. No doubt some who were disaffected to the Government have been among the recipients of the Imperial. bounty ; and herein consists the peculiar tyranny of the system of the Em peror, for surely no infliction can be more cruel than thus " to heap coals of fire on the head" of an enemy." APPROACHING MARRIAGE.—We understand that a matrimonial alliance will shortly take plac3 between Richard Naylor, Fsq., the wealthy and well-known pro prietor of Hooton Hall, Cheshire, and Caroline, second daughter of the late Rev. Robert Tredcroft, rector of Taagmere, Sussex, and niece of the late Henry Tredcroft, Esq., of Wareham Court, and of . Sir John Brooke Pechell, Bart. MARRIAGE FACILITIES.—The late Rev. Mr. Schultz, of Cullenswood, Dublin, celebrated within the last three years of his life in that locality 3,649 marriages. A few minutes, a few shillings, and a bride and bride groom, were all that the reverend personage required for each ceremony. He found credible witnesses when re quired for a small additional fee. THE LATE GENERAL GODWIN.—WO understand that General Godwin, shortly before his decease, prepared a narrative relating to his position as commander-in-chief of the expedition to Burmah. The work will be interest ing to the army, and we trust it will very soon appear.— United Service Gazette. CHARITABLE DONATIONS FROM THE •EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH.—The good feeling of the Emperor of the French towards this country has been manifested in a way that must secure for him a corresponding sentiment of respect. The Emperor has ordered the sum of 700 f. to be paid by Messrs. Orsi and Armani, merchants in London, for the benefit of the Dreadnought Hospital establishment in the Thames. Not a day passes, at this inclement season of the year, as we learn, without the receipt, by the same gentlemen, of like instructions. Scarcely any of our bene volent institutions appear to have escaped the kindly con tideration of the Emperor. We could desire to particu larise the different objects of his Majesty's munificence, but fear we may already have said more than we are war ranted in doing upon a subject involving so much delicacy. PRIVY COI:MOM—The Parliament, which stands pro rogued pro forma until the 3d of the ensuing month, meets for the despatch of business, it is expected, as usual, the first week in February. The precise day will be fixed at a Privy Council, to be held by her Majesty at the Castle at the close of the week. SPECIE.—The specie movements of the week have again been heavy. The arrivals have consisted of about 660,0001. in gold from New York, Australia, &c., and the exports are estimated at about 400,0001., of which a large proportion was silver for the East. EMIGRATION.—The Emigration Commissioners have advertised for two vessels to carry emigrants to Victoria. One is to be ready for Melbourne on the 7th, and the other for Geelong on the 10th of February. TIISBAUD'S ExHinrriorr.—As the holidays are about to commence,- this establishment will, no doubt, meet with that patronage it merits, and which the Messrs. Tussaud are so anxious to deserve from their visitors, and endeavour to produce those subjects both interest ing and instructive. The latest addition to this museum is a model portrait of the Emperor Nicholas the Ist, his costume being that worn by the Russian Guards, deco rated with numerous military orders. At this particular time much curiosity is excited by the visitors to inspect this despotic tyrant, who has endeavoured to deprive the Turkish empire of two of its most productive pro vinces, as well as strike a fatal blow at its sovereign power. The figure is admirably executed, and app ears a faithful likeness. -- CHRISTMAS FOR THE POOR.—One of the most gratify ing sights it has been our lot to witness took place this morning at the Soup Kitchen, Ham-yard, Str James's. The committee of that institution having determined to give to the really deserving poor a dinner to celebrate the return of this most auspicious festival, and their bene volent intentions having been most charitably seconded by the nobility and gentry, they were enabled to carry out their philanthropic object to the fullest extent. The distribution of food commenced accordingly at nine this morning, which consisted of 4 lbs. of roasting meat, 2 lbs. of pudding, a half-quartern loaf, and 2 ounces of tea, &c., the same being distributed in the most orderly manner, through the excellent arrangements of the superintendent, which reflected the greatest credit upon the management of the charity, and elicited the highest encomiums from all who witnessed it, CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES IN HIGH LIFE The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk are entertaining a succession of distinguished visitors at Arundel Castle, Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland are surrounded by a large party at Trentham, Staffordshire. The Duchess of Argyll, and the Marquis and Marchioness of Stafford have joined this circle, from Lilleshall ; Lord Frederick Leveson Gower has arrived from town ; the Duke of Argyll, who was called to town on public business, re turned on Saturday. The Duke and Duchess of Richmond have a select party visiting at Goodwood during the holidays. His Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar has joined the circle. The Duke and Duchess of Cleveland are dispensing their princely hospitality to a numerous and distinguished party at Raby Castle, Durham, where the greatest fes tivity will prevail until after the second week in the ensuing month. The noble Duke and Duchess have caused their annual bounties to the deserving poor on the family estates to be distributed during the past week. FESTIVITIES AT HATFIELD HOUSE.—The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury have a brilliant circle as sembled at the famiy seat in Hertfordshire. The Mar quis of Lothian, Lord and Lady John Manners, Lord and Lady Rokeby and the Hon. Misses Montagu, Lord Robert Grosvenor and Miss Grosvenor, Lord Cran bourne, the Dowager Lady Cowl e y, L or d Binelani, the Hon, Captain anfMrs. Mortimer West, the Hon. Wil liam Wellesley, the Hon. and. Rev. Gerald Wellesley, The Hon. Miss de Ros, Sir Wm. Fraser, Mr. Drum mond, Mr. Johnson, &c., are among the recent visitcrs. A grand ball was given by the Marchioness to the no bility and gentry of the county ; and the noble Marquis has given his annual entertainment to his principal tenants, as customary at this season of the year, in the splendid marble hall, at whioh nearly 150 guests sat down to a sumptuous repast. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Mary are ex pected to honour the noble Marquis and Marchioness with a visit early next month, when a distinguished circle will be invited to meet those illustrious personages. The Marquis of Lansdowne is surrounded by a: select party at Bowood, Wilts. The Earl and Countess of Shelburne, and the Hon. Wm. and Lady Louisa Upward are staying with the noble Marquis. The. Earl and Countess Amherst are seeing company at Knowle Park, Kent. The noble Earl and Countess have had warm clothing and a bountiful supply of beef and other provisions distributed among the poor of. Seale and adjoining villages during the past week. The Earl Fitzwilliam is surrounded by a large family circle at Wentworth House, Yorkshire. On Wednesday last (St: Thomas's day) the deserving poor anti the labourers on the Noble Earl's estates were pre4ented with excellent beef, proportionate in quantity tfilo the number in each family. The Earl and Countess Howe have a select part met at Gopsal Hall, Leicestershire. The circle is corned to members of the family. Early in the p as t wee the poorer families on the Earl's estates have been presented with clothing, &c., suitable to the season. The Earl and Countess of Harewood are receiving a succession of visitors at Harewood House, Yorkilure. The necessitous poor have been liberally thought of by the Noble Earl and Countess, and not a deserving family have escaped their considerate bounty. The Earl and Countess of Derby are seeing company at Knowsley, near Prescctt. We are happy to learn the health of the noble earl has of late greatly impriwed. The Earl and Countes3 of Zetland will be very gay this Christmas at Upleatham•hall, Yorkshire. Thi hall is full of company, and the festivities will extendiover the next three weeks. The Countess (Dow.) of Pembroke is at Wilton-h near Salisbury, where the Earl and Countess of william and Lady Selina Meade, the Earl and Com Bruce, the Right Hon. Sidney and Mrs. Herbert, have met for the Christmas holidays. Viscount and Viscountess Combermere have a party at Combermere Abbey, Cheshire. Lord and Lady Braybrooke are receiving a succe, of friends at Audley-end, Essex. use, illan tess l&c., GREAT FIRE AT ESHER. On Friday night an alarming fire broke out in are called the Royal Paper Mills, at Esher, Surrey fire was first discovered at 10 o'clock on Friday by one of the stokers employed in the works, na Blake, who proceeded to the second floor of the warehouse and found what he imagined to be a few smouldering. With the aid of a can of water he thoi he had succeeded in putting the fire out, but in the co of a few minutes afterwards a body of flame came thrc the flooring of the warehouse above, which clearly i cated that that storey was also on fire ; he gave an al and then run off towards the town for the engi Having proceeded about half-wsy, he met an officer despatched him to call the engines, and returne assist at the mill. Although he had been absent a few minutes, when he came back he was just in to seo the roof of the building fall in, and then the assumed such an aspect as to threaten every part o extensive property with destruction. The persona charge of the mills made an attempt to get some of manufactured paper out of the warehouse ; but t' efforts were comparatively useless, and the flames rug forth in such bodies as to ignite almost simultaneoi that Ine light 'lied rag rags tight rse only ime fire 1 the the whole of the rag sto res in th e f ron t p rem i ses . From this point the flames extended to the machine-house, in which eight powerful engines were at work. The fire at this moment presented an awful appearance ; the flames issuing from the windows and curling around the pile of buildings forming the centre of the mill. The engine from Esher parish arrived and was set to work, but.the water which it discharged produced no effect on such a body of fire. The engine from Claremont Palace !text arrived, closely followed by another from Teddingiton and one from Twickenham, when those in charge of Ithe machines tried all they possibly could to preserve ithe centre of the building, which contained much valuible property, and had nearly 100 windows on the four sides. For some time it was hoped that their efforts woulc. be successful, but the wind, which was blowing strongly from the south-west, drove the flames into on of the floors, and the consequences soon became ap parent: Mr. Spicer, the magistrate, on fi n ding hat the fire ' was progressing, sent his engine to the t spot, which was also set to work, the hose 134ir% directed to the tallest building, to cut off, if pos sible, any further extension of the fire, but the flanhes, in spite of the, exertions of all present, continued' to spread. The engines from Kingston and Richmond /text arrived and the whole force was admirably directed by Mr. Selfe, the agent of the West of England Firelnimr ance Company. That officer had the engines distributed round the blazing pile, and they were efficiently worked from the mill-streams which were full of water. Ifot withstanding, however, before three o'clock on Satur day morning every part of the centre building and;the left wing, together with the machine-house stretching over the water, were enveloped in flames, and as the fire broke through the roof and rushed out of at least ].50 windows, it produced a terrific spectacle. The persons working at the engines kept to their posts, and many thousand gallons of water were momentarily scattered over the fire, but without,the least succ ess , an d a li ttle the shortly afterwards mill came dow n , ti before 4 o'clock the roof the middle building fell with a crash'oor after resembling floor of t h aclap same of partthunder and then the fire rose to an extraordinary height. Great as the fire now was it soon became larger ; for the ma chine-house, being composed principally of timber, °Ube coming fully ignited, sent forth a tremendous sheet of fire, which set in flames' the chemical houses, and at the same time the roof and floors of the left wing (130 feet long) fell in. The flames at this period were drifted across the mill-stream almost to the edge of the South-Western Railway, which caused the engine-drivers to stop on proceeding either up or down the line with the Christmas luggage and other trains. Finding that those parts of the mill on fire must of necessity be consumed, the engineers directed the full force of water against the boiling houses and the large steam engine house, by which means they happily pre vented the fire destroying those dep ar t men t s or i n j ur i ng 'the steeping-houses. In the last-namedjsome tons of rags were in the coppers, but they have all been saved. A raghouse at the rear has likewise been saved, and so has the pulphouse, in which eight pulp machines were at work. The devilling-house, with the poWerful ma chinery for tearing the 'rags, has, however, been de stroyed. By the disaster upwards of 250 persons will be thrown out of employment. The origin of the ca lamity is unknown. The place where the fire broke out was inspected about an hour before, when it seemed perfectly safe, and no smell of anything burning could at that time be detected. The buildings were all in sured in the County Office, and the contents in several other offices. SUSPECTED MURDER AT EAST ACTON.—The body of a boy was discovered in East Acton, on Tuesday, under circumstances which led to a very strong suspicion that a murder had been committed. After muck difficulty, the police have succeeded in identifying the body, It appears that a man named George Meddows, a horsehair curler, residing in Clerkenwell, whose son, aged 14 years, had been missing for the last eight weeks, having read in the police'Hue and Cry a description of the' body found at Acton, immediately. hastened thither, and identified it as that of his missing son. According to the father's statement, the deceased, accompanied by another boy, named George Jackson, left the warehouse, where they were employed on the night that he was missed, to go home and prepare his (the father's) tea. While they were proceeding homewards with that view, they were ac costed in old-street by a man in a •cart, who asked either of them to accompany him for the purpose of holding his horse while he made a call a few doors down. Deceased accepted the invitation, and jumped into the cart. The other youth was following him, when the man said, " Oh, no, one is sufficient," and then, turning the horse' s head, drove rapidly towards Shoreditch, and was quickly out of sight. From that time nothing snore was heard of deceased, until his body was found in the manner described. According to the statement of the boy Jackson, the man who took away deceased was a tall, stout man, with a full face, and dressed in a fustian coat. He could not describe the cart, but the horse he stated to be of a dark colour. As regards the unfortunate victim, his father, who has a large family, says that he was the best of boys, and exceedingly regular in his habits and hours. It is painful to consider the many rumours that are circulated concerning deceased's . death, upon which there is but one impressiOr—that he hag been the victim of brutal treatment and savage murder. The police are strongly of opinion that, after having been kept and starved in some filthy den, he was ultimately got rid of by a blow which was discernible over the right eye.— Observer. I MONEY MARKET AND COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, TWO O'CLOCK. This being a holiday in the City, the public places of resort are closed, as well as the Stock Exchange. The railway meetings announced are the follow ing : Company. Date. Place. Dundee and Arbroath Dec. 28, Dundee. Lake Constance and Basle Dec. 27, St. Gall. The amount of railway " calls" for January is as follows : Date due. Call. Shares. *Antwerp and Rotterdam s£l 0 50,000 Cornwall Dublin and Drogheda, Pref. £25 1 2 10 18,500 East Lanc. New 4 per cent. stock 1 1 0 unkn *Frankfort, Wiesbaden, and Cologne 10 2 0 80,000 Gt. North of Scotland, let Pref 2 2 0 60,000 *Hamilton and Toronto Shares l4 5 0 40,000 Limerick and Ennis 1 3 3 18,900 London, Tilbury, and Southend l6 1 10 60,000 "Paris and Orleans Bonds, 1852 1 4 0 600,000 *Royal Danish *St. Andrew's and Quebec, Class A 6 2 0 80,000 *Western of France, 401. Bonds, July, 1853 York, New., and Ber., G.N.E. Pur 1 110 unkn. *Zealand £1,456,156 * The proportion called by foreign companies is 1,186,250/., but the holdings of English proprietors are not known. MARKET NE WS-(HIS DAY.) [This being almost a close holiday in the metropolis, the only markets held today were the following :—] SMITHFIELD. Last week's imports of foreign stock into London last week were seasonably good, the total supply having amounted to 5,165 head. During the corresponding period of 1852, we received 2,711 ; in 1851, 3,094 ; in 1850, 1,325; in 1849, 781 ; in 1848, 892; and in 1847, 2,013 head. IMPORTS INTO LONDON LAST WEEK. ' • From Beasts. Sheep. Lambs. Calves. Pigs Rotterdam— 127 ... 854 42 Ostend — ... 404 149 Harlingen 736 ... 2,720 ... Antwerp Gluckstadt l3 - ..• Total ... 876 ... 4,058 ... 226 5 The yearly comparison of weekly imports is as under : Beasts. Sheep. Lambs. Calves. Pigs. 1852 304 2,157 ... 250 ... 1851 4Ol 2,343 332 18 1850 lB4 ... 945 ... 186 ... [849 396 ... 224 ... ... 161 1843 6l ... 823 10 The supply of foreign stock on offer in to-day's market was seasonably good, but in very middling condition. Fresh up from our own grazing di s t r i c t s , the receipts of beasts were small. For a holiday market, the attendance of buyers was tolerably good. The few prime Scots, &c., moved off steadily, and in some instances prices were the turn in favour of the salesmen. In other breeds of beasts only a limited businesi was transacted on former terms. The fresh arrivals were 400 short horns from Lincoln shire, and 160 Scots from Scotland. We were very scantily supplied with all breed of sheep. Downs commanded a steady, though by no means active ,inquiry, at full currencies. Otherwise, the mutton trade was in a sluggish state, on former terms. Prime small calves moved off steadily, at full prices. In ferior calves sold at Friday's decline. The pork trade was firm. In prices no change took place. Per Sibs to sink the °fa's. s. d. s. d.l Interior Beasts.... 3 2 to 3 4. Second quality.... 3 6 3 10 Prime large oxen 4 0 4 6 Prime Scots, &c. 4 8 4 10 Inferior Sheep ...3 0 3 4 Second quality ...3 6 4 4 Prime case.-wiled. 4 6 ! 4 10 s. d. s. d. Prime Southdown 5 0 5 -2 Large crse. calves 3 6 4 2 Prime small d 0... 4 6 '5 0 Large hogs 3 4 4 0 Small porkers 4 2 (4 10 Suckliugcalves ..22 0 gs 0 Quarter old pigs 21 0 g 6 0 FOREIGN STJFTItT.- 8ea5t5......... . 104 ....•....... •• 98 f the supplies and prices of fat Smithfield Cattle Market, on d this day, Monday, Dec. 26, ink the offals. Dec. 27, 1852.1Dec.26,1853 TOTAL SUPPLY. Beasts .......... sheep ..• .. •• •• 7,60'1 131 A statement and comparison o 1 stock exhibited and sold in Monday, Dec. 27, 1852, au, 1853. Per 81bs, to si s. d. s. d. ,s. d. s. Coarse and inferior beasts ... 2 Bto 2 10 3 2to 3 4 Second quality ditto ... ... 3 0 3 2 3 6 310 Prime large oxen ... ... 3 4 2 6 4 0 4 6 Prime Scots, &c ... 3 8 4 o'4 8 410 Coarse and inferior sheep 3 6 3 8 3 0 3 4 Second quality ditto .. 310 4 2.3 6 4 4 Prime coarse woolled ditto 4 4 4 6 4 6 410 Prime Southdown ditto 4 8 410 5 0 5 2 Large coarse calves 2 6 3 6 3 6 4 4 Prime small ditto ... 3 8 4 2 4 6 5 0 Large hogs ... 210 3 6 3 4 4 0 Neat small porkers ... 3 8 310 4 2 410 Beasts... ... ... 2,271 1,612 Sheep ... ... 9,500 7,600 190 130 Pigs ... 210 220 SUPPLIES ON SALE, Dec. 29, 1851.—Beasts, 2,846 ; sheep, 14,590; calves, 214; pigs, 240. Dec. 30, 1850.—Beasts, 3,169 ; sheep, 15,500 ; calves 127 ; pigs, 360. NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL. Since our last report immense supplies of meat have .hanged hands, and prices have been well supported. To day we were scantily supplied, and only a limited business was transacted, as follows : Per 81bs by the carcase. s. d. s. d. Beef, inferior 3 0 3 2 Mutton, Inferior Do., middling 3 4 3 8 Do., Middling_ Do., prime large 3 10 4 0 Do., prime Do., do. 5ma11....4 2 4 4 Veal Pork, large 3 4 4 0 Pork, small s. d. s. d. 32 3 4 .3 6 4 2 .4 4 4 8 .3 4 4 8 .4 2 5 0 • WOOL. There has been about an average business doing in Eng. lish wools, at full quotations ; otherwise our market is in a very inactive state. The imports have amounted to 70 bales from Bombay, 27 from Leghorn, 51 from Monto Video, 100 frem Australia, 110 from the Cape, and 63 from Glucksta,dt. LLOYD'S &HIPP' NG.-(THIS DAY.) LONDON, Dec. 26.—Wind this day at Noon, N.W. ; light breeze, and fine, sharp, frosty weather. PLYMOUTH, Dec. 24.—Arrived—Thomas Mitchell, from Calcutta ; Heroine, Algoa Bay ; Fragment, Larachea; Louise, Rio Janeiro, for Copenhagen ; Hermann, Porto Cabello, for Altona ; Jean Charles, St. Domingo, for Havre ; Jones, Antigua Sailed—Calcutta, for Boston, and several of the wind-bound. PORTSMOUTH, Dec. 25. —Wind, N.E. to E.N.E. Ar rived—Lord Duncan, from Port Nicholson, for London ; Europe, Batavia, for Rotterdam ; Prince Edward, St. Andrew's, N.B. COWES, Nov. 25.—Wind E.N.E. Arrived—Herschell, An,goctura, from Bremen. OFF S •NLComBE, Nov. 25.—Mayflower, Adelaide, S.A. PLYMOUTH, Nov. 25.—Wind E.N.E. Arrived—Sea Park, Australia ; Johannas, Monte Video ; Jabez, Anti guff. The Charles and Jane (American ship), Newcastle to New York, has put in very leaky, having been on shore. ST. DAVID'S, Dec. 2s.—The Farmer's Delight, of Sal combo, Gijon to Liverpool, has been totally wrecked on the Bishops and Clerks. VALENCIA, Dec. 23.—The Tweedside (brig), of Hartle pool, foundered 15th inst., 50 N. 13 W. ; crew saved and landed here. SHEERNESS, Dec. 25.—Arrived—Dolphin, London for Shields, with damage from collision with a collier brig below the Gunfleet. FALMOUTH, Dec. 25.—Wind, N.N.E.—Arrived —The Sir Charles Forbes, St. Andrews, N.B. Sailed—Confi dence, Callao ; Ferdinand, Martinique. LOWESTOFT, Dec. 25.—The Dorothea, of and from Wisby for London, has been assisted in, leaky, and with loss of rudder, having been on Harbro' Sand. GIBRALTAR, Dec. 13.—The Beranger, of Havre, from Bailie arrived hei e, drove, during a strong gale yesterday, across the Onward, of Bristol, and Arabella, of London, damaged both vessels and grounded. Dec. 17.—The Crescent, of Inverkeithing, London to Magador, has been assisted in here dismasted ; the Bebecca, Mazay.an to Liver pool, put in yesterd a y l ea ky, an d mus t p ar tly discharge to repair ; the Adventure, of Poole, from Cadiz, with bow sprit gone, mizen an d mainmast, carried away, and various other damage, in a gale off St. Vincent, was seen by the Samuel and Edward, arrived here from New York. DEFALCATIONS OF MR. W. B. ANDERSON.—It appears that the defalcations of Mr. W. B. Anderson, the foreign and general agent, at present under remand on a charge of forging bills of exchange, are much more serious than was at first anticipated, the entire amount involved being rumoured to reach between 130,0001. and 150,0001. THE STAMP DIITIES.—The subjoined letter contains a reply to one inserted yesterday impugning the ex pediency of the views lately expressed by Mr. Commis sioner Fane on the present state of the stamp law in• relation to bills purporting to be drawn abroad : "27, Bucklersbnry, Dec. 23. " Sir,—The remarks that I had thepleasure of forwarding to you with respect to the late case ' In re Oppenheim ' were directed to the necessity of relief being given to the holders of stampless bills of exchange, rather than to the punishment of fraud. Your correspondent Parini; lulus' sees in the wholesome terror of the law, which he believes sufficiently strong, if properly administered, to reach offenders, as much protection as society can grant, and places the bona fide discounter of a stampless pretended foreign bill drawn in this country in the same category as the holder of a forged note. The vast operations of com merce through the agency of bills of exchange renders it of the highest importance that the negotiability of these instruments should not be interfered with, and the Legis lature' by various enactments, has always insisted on their free circulation. I suggest, therefore, that as no 1 foreign bill, under the present law, can be negotiated with security as to regularity, it is the duty of the Government to find a remedy by, an alteration of the Stamp Act ; either by allowing a genuine holder on payment of the stamp to be reinstated in his full rights, or by placing a small Go vernment stamp on all foreign bills, as practised in France. In conclusion, it must be remembered that no parallel can be successfully maintained between the value of a forged note and that of an unstamped bill. The one, as a nego tiable instrument, is of far more importance than the other; in addition, ordinary care and judgment can detect the forgery, while no experience or acumen is of the slightest use in determining whether a bill has been drawn in London or elsewhere.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant, "T, R. L." LORD P AL,IIERSTON. (Prom the Times of this day.) It became our duty, in consequence of intelli gence which had reached us, to state on Friday, the 16th of December, that Viscount Palmerston had tendered his resi g nation of the office of S:Tre tary of State for th e Home Department, and had, therefore ceased to form a part of her Majesty's Government, if his resignation was accepted by the Crown. That announcement was strictly accurate,. and accordingly Viscount Palmerston has not at tended the meetings of the Cabinet which have been held since he expressed his intentton to re sign. It is, however, well known that the import ant office of Home Secretary has not been filled up or accepted by other member of the Government ;- and we have now the satisfaction to learn that the resignation of Lord Palmerston has not been defi nitively accepted, but is withdrawn, and that the Secretary of State for the Hume Department will retain—we can hardly say resume—his former posi tion in the present Administration. Explanations, honourable alike to all parties concerned in this transaction, have been exchanged, aml, as the diffi culties which had arisen between Lord Palmerston and his colleagues were limited, as we have already stated on a former occasion, to the questionoL Parliamentary Reform as dealt with by Lord John Russell, it has been found possible, without any sacrifice of principle, to -place the Government again on a united, and we hope a permanent basis. To be candid, there had been too much precipita tion on all sides in this matter. Lord Paluierston expressed his intention to resign as if some vital principle of the constitution were in dispute and the provisions of the new 'Reform Bill were irrevo cally settled, neither of which suppositions are true. This difference of opinion , was thought to be:more serious and more fatal to the union of the Cabinet than it has since proved to be by thosi; members of the Government who alone were in full possession -of the case. But no Cabinet Councils were sitting at the time, and the step appears to have been taken without a distinct communication on a question of such ex treme. importance, to all the Ministers of the Crown, several of whom were 'not in London. U . ' on a fuller consideratio n o f th e w h o l e su bj ec t , a I an explanation of the condition in w hi c h th e pr ected o f measure of Reform now 'stands, it was found that no imperious dictates of conscience and of duty, by which alone such a step could be justified, did, in this instance, require so . great a sacrifice. , The zealous mediation of the Duke of Newcastle, the sagacious and patriotic advice of the .Marquis of Lansdowne, and, we must. add, the excellent tem per and public spirit slid-cm by the Ministers, most nearly engaged in this discu ssion , h ave l e d , to this satisfactory result ; and it would have been utterly unworthy of the high position and motives of these statesmen if they had hesitated for a momeht to retrace a step taken under some misconceptipn of the cause to which it was alone attributable. 1 . In proportion to the regret 'which we exprened when the retirement of Lord Palmerston from the Ministry seemed to be inevitable, we now rejoice to find that he has risen above a step so injurious his own reputation and the. country. If any proof were needed of its mischievous consequences, it Might be found to satiety in the gross and absurd Misrepresentations on. this subject, which !were greedily adopted both at home and abroad in pre ference to . the plain truth as we ourselveS had related it, and in the frantic exultation of the most depraved organs of faction, who fancied they saw in this change an event favourable to• their pasions or to their interests. We hardly know which we are to describe as most ridiculous and contenaritible —the Ultra-Liberal party; who affected toi hail With rapture Lord- P a l mer it on ' s secess i on f rom the Ministry, on the avowed ground that he is decidedly opposed to their own, extreme doctrines of Parlia mentarY 'Reform, or the Rump of the Tory party, who, in their utter destitution of men, of character and ability, were eager to declare their allegiance tart statesman who has figured for upwards qf 20 yi:iiis among their chief oppOnents. Applause from such lips, support from such hands, tells its own tale ; and it was alike degrading for Lord Pliner sten to descend from the position he deservedly fills among Englishmen and in Europe, iu order to head the turbulence of one faction or to gratify the rancour of another. - - But we readily believe- 7 -and for the honou l F of this country and of its statesmen we dare assert — that throughout this transaction both Lord Pal merston: and the colleagues .With whom he is again united have been actuated by higher inotives of public duty. So far is it. from the truth that turd ~ P almerston resigned on the foreign policy of the Cabinet, that we cannot doubt' the position of, our ; foreign relations at this moment is the cause of all others which chains him to the helm. . He 'p; a great master of diplomatic "subjects ; he brings to them an extraordinary amount of political expe rience, combined with ()Teat fertility of resou rces and natural energy. He contributes to the service of-the Crown not only the advice lie may tender in the Cabinet, but his eloquence and popularitY in Parliament, and the confidence lie has obtained from the nation. We may say of him, as Sir Robert Peel observed in a memorable debate,- with the courtesy - due to a great an tagonist, that we are proud.. of him even while we oppose his policy.. But are these forces, are these powers, are these - energies to, be tinned against the service of , her Majesty's overment when they are most needed - and most useful ? Is this empire, at the moment when it is about to stake its honour and its power on the hazards of 'war, and reluCtantly to takP. up .arnis for the first itinie these forty years against one of the greatest States in Europe, to exhibit to mankind the weak and pitiable spectacle of a commonwealth divided and weakened at its very heart ? We hope not, for unquestionably those who are so eager to paralyse and overthrow the Administration are virtually the allies of that foreign enemy against Whom they launch their invective, and in order to conduct the affairs of the country abroad 'with firmness and pru dence the first condition of success is Strength and union at home. In comparison with such considera tions as these, which must be obvious to every per son of common reflection and ordinary patriotism, the undefined provisions of this or that measui e of legislative reform for the next session of Parliament' assume a secondary importance, and the path of duty lies for the present along a higher and more rugged track. If we are about to enter on tie state of war, of which this generation has never known the pressure, we must prepare for the sacri fices it imposes alike on high- and low. It requires of some their lives, of many their strength, of all larger contributions to' the exigencies of the State; but, above all, it requires the sacrifice of petty dif ferences, of personal motives, and of private in tereSts, to the paramount, rights and neces-tities of ,the country. A year will have elapsed this day since Lord Aberdeen and his colleagues received the seals of office from the Queen. The nation applauded the spirit which had: brought together men so much opposed to One• another in their for mer political lives, and united them at last for the welfare of the country. But, if that union was desirable then, it is necessary now. It is cemented by past success. and by the immediate prospect of far more arduous duties ; and the anniversary of the, :foundation of the Government could not be Celebrated in a more fitting- manner than by this fresh proof that party intrigiies and even temporary differences have not dissolved it • that the spirit in which it was founded is unbrOken ; and that with undiminished strength it is 'resolved and enabled. to persevere. Lord Palmerston's return to office is not the triumph of one section of . the Cabinet over another, nor haS it been purchased by conces sions or arrangements which can produce any al teration in the course of public policy ; but it is the triumph of union and public spirit over a par tial dissension, and it gives a fresh security for the duration of a Government which is identified with the, best interests of the country. PERILOUS STATE OF RUSSIA.—From the Baltic to 'the Black Sea--from the shores of the Danube to the banks of the Phasic—extends an indissoluble bond of common sympathy—a deep-rooted hatred of Russia, which no thing less than the dread of incurring the vengeance of a despotism almost omnipotent.could have restrained so long ; and when at last the auspicious time arrives for giving vent to this feeling, .the flame will kindle wildly in the recently acquired kingdom of Poland, for there the revolutionary spark has' never been extinguished. It is true that in the southern provinces of the empire all hope of freedom has long disappeared, and terror and oppression have reigned so long, that the inhabitants of the• thinly-populated steppe have lost much of the energy of their Mongolian ancestors ; but while they may hesitate to start at once into open rebellion, they will not fail to use measures of passive resistance as a means of opposing the designs of Russia. Opportuni ties will not be wanting to insure some degree of such cess. When the presence of the allied .fleets in the Black 'Sea denies to the Czar transport for his troops from the porta upon its margin in any one direction, divisions of the Russian army will often be •compelled to march across the inhospitable steppes of the south ; and here, dependent for food and transport upon whatever a bar ren and thinly-populated,country can supply, it is pro 'bable that they will find their. wants altogether disre garded. The Tartars have► only to remove their fami lies and' their cattle out of, the line of march, to render the onward progress of the. army a matter of the utmost difficulty, if not altogether impossible ; and thus they will be able to gratify at the same' time their natural E hatred, to the Russians, and their no less natural desire of retaining possession of their own flocks and herds. Even this dejected race might be stimulated to more active measures, by the presence upon their coasts of i an overwhelmi ng fl ee t h os til e to Russia. It s impos sible to foretell what the result may bP of so novel a contingency.- -Additional Chapter .to the Second Ed i t i onof " The Russian Shore's of the Black Sea, , by Laurence ! Oliphant. LORD PALMERSTON. (From the Times of December 16.) ee enibe _ r There is something in the month of D whickseams uniformly to make Lord Palraersto_ • te his unmanageable. The constellation which presides over the winter solstice must predomina in ton horosclppe. December, 1851, saw Lord Pa lm he separate • from the Whig Ministry, with which acted for five years ; December, 185 2 ) w itri 7tb his coalition with the heads of the sam e Party a which he had quarrelled only a year bebfcrier:ct en now, December, 1853, beholds a ne w , e •' tween Lord Palmerston and his allies. The de pag Of breaking up Cabinets seems with him t 0 „ r ee assumed a chronic form. There is a n old Gfete proverb which warns us to love as it to th e about to hate, and no man has acte d up to precept better than the nobleman whose los s uce, the Coalition Ministry we this morning anti In 1:351, Lord Palmerston was separated „sty his friends because he was indiscreetly in his zeal to approve the absolutist reuses the of the 2d of December. In 1853 he niur, d o service of the public because he cannot. 11!..e himself to support even a moderate acile, u ` bee n constitutional reform. ` In both cases he 113 ' l e actuated by anti-Liberal principles, and Y.! . shall not b e surprised to hear and read that in the Cabinet ha s lost one of the most ell4usioa and Liberal st a t esmen it p os sessed. This a,eieieling:s as to Lord Palnaerstou's real principles and r , e ba t of is not altogether his ow n fault, but rather .1' S tg °- the ultra party in thi s country, which ins 1 far a 5 foisting upon him qualifications to which, 38 _ 0 . we are ;aware, .he never made the slightest pl,icp sion. It has been the fashion among the to repreaent Lord Palmerston, in home a' o no; in foreign affairs, as an ultra-Liberal states_ii)iog and many have been the speculations fer,F7oo. under him the more advanced sections of R e loolls To' do Lord Palmerston justice, these ce ne e, have never been of his raising. Affable ina n o . t o a frank and pleasing address, and a 8111 , r p0 , : dexterity in seizin g and turning to hi s aril the topics of the day, have invested it e ven much personal popularity ; but no 00 . 0 e a j o ev superficially acquainted with Lord - 1 ,, l ei! ston's history could draw from -it el augury favourable to these versions 01 ' 0 00 Liberal tendencies. Lord Palmerston Coln pnblic life under the Ministries of Mr. p e g and Lord Liverpool, and in this high Toll 4 ,.1 0 11i he imbibed principles which he has nev er , the ir abandoned, and which seem to have regain he ap' original force ove r hi s m i n d i n pro p o rtion a s The proaches the goal of his political eare er 'e 11 0 ' - Liberalism of Lord Palmerston, such as i kep t been, has never - outrun—nay, has ha re igsl...' pace—with the demands o f th e ag e. In i • f al" quarrelled with his colleagues in the eat''''',6l lo solutism against constitutional governmen t ' has naw resigned, not from any difference of °P t be on momentous questions of foreign policy, g bu rre ifl cause he cannot make up his mind to re . ., l4) e bise' any shape—to enfranchisement or disirS T tr merit,. to ;any extension of the suffrage, or,_7 / liiet, moval of those small and corrupt borough s ▪ ,i ; e still disgrace our constitution. Like the •v ei st9 Wellington in 1830, Lord Palmerston is agni pot ..reforni, - and resigns his pl ace b eca use be svi form part .of a peforming Ministry. with' .- We do not feel disposed to comment on t 1 - p ip drawal in any spirit of bitterness or of rer to We have never believed Lord Palmerston o ft that which Finsbury and Marylebone have s l e * insisted on making him. By his secession nistry have lost a m o st a ccom pli s h e d gem ter of an able debater, a skilful an d p rac ti s ed 111 7 s te official_ business ; but the Liberal cause has I °o l l thing. We believe that among all living st a 'l e it Lord PalmerstOn is the only representativ e 0 ,0 those Tory principles which once formed the „ al it. riant creed of politicians in and out of Par li Tge ll The very zeal which Lord Palmerston has 0- 1511 0 0' for a liberal- olicy abroad,-and-for-socialin i ? r o mc 4 ment at home, has often seem e d t o vs the li r d of a mind anxious to divert attention fr0:12; 4 4r changes by concentrating it on topics less ous and less exciting. The habit of mind of a . 110 11 ster for Foreign Affairs regarding all change ni, n ilir Government rather as they would affect ou r ! er et once abroad than promote harmony and P r° :tic e at home, and the dread of weakening the Ex ec ., by rendering our external relations su borch f p' like our domestic affairs, to the direction of f A „ i tr ment; and • have tended to - increase these r ot a! Liberal predilections. No one weighs his l4 l lo more warily than Lord Palmerston ; an d Wu e oge told us in the autumn that the present was s 'o not of reform but of improvement, We . he gave utterance t o his own--sincere conf',% ' idl and at the same ti me s h owe d th e di rect i on in ;pie he was anxious to turn the minds of his colit' t ioli and the public. Sanitary reform, corr P :orl reform, the pu r ifi ca tiO n o f our a i r an d our 11 o f were regarded by him,. we imagine, as s o , y : bs diversions by which the public mind drawn off from the perilous contemplation of c '''T,e changes. We belie ve L or d P a l mers ton t o i p Tory of the old school, such as Canning ,Wa s i ,: e oo l earlier and middle life. I ns t ruc t e d by exP e ll' a rdfi ° willing" to concede much t o p o p u l ar w ill, re",, t , l deal with minor abuses, but reaante. to w,i t r, any attempt to extend the changes to which 4 5 til e an unwilling party in 1831, he sincerely 1 1 0 j pre' j doctrine- of finality which Lord John Ittinsf t e fessed. We may regret the loss- to the-0 0 : 1 4 so brilliant a cm lleague, 'but we c-annot for ` 4 7,. 5 0 . ,' ment wish that in the Coalition Governrae l e principles should have• been in the ascencin n i ;iit' feel otherwise than rejoiced that in his hont e tit s all. reform Lord 'Palmerston was left v 7l "`" . seconder. V However willing we may be to do justice c oo; Palmerston's m o ti ves , th ere are circurestanc, e '.pi` nected with his resignation which seem to i sr g eea' s ,, some degree with wantonness and caprice. . I `',.;,(it" inexplicable that, having worked step by st e r re i, . the committee of the Cabinet appointed to P il ooll the bill, it should only have been at the oel ic 4 ;00; of their labours that he made known his •` - itl", mental oljection to any scheme of reforni• 4 o/ 1 1 `also at least •'unfortunate that this secession 't lea; have the appearance of being levelled again i s ;i4: John 'Russell, the author and originator of 0 40' sure,. but, also the cause of Lord Palmerston,%o drawal froth the l a t e Mi n i s t r y. Th e p r oper bee' intimate , his aversion toi re f orm wou ld ha v "ipel'" , when Lord John Russell, in answer to gr el ' af er ll ; King's motion, solemnly pledged the " n - tilit y j ment to the introduction of a measure, and n ;•Jer e ,,,, the heads of that measure had been c° l 2. - , 1 11 and have by himself. But most of have a right to complain 'that Lord Pai n ::en s 4 should have chosen the present mornentot i oigf of our foreign affairs to take a step which o f lc' have the effect, of exhibiting before the eye of reign nations even the faintest semblanN a teci union in our councils. If war ca n be a v i 11 311 t can only be by throwing into th e sc ale the po undivided weight of our public men, and 1t e il the part of a patri o ti c Mi n i s t er t o vver„ - 1 influence at such a momen t. Alth ou gh i-ra e ole 6 ; merston has resigned on groun d s o f purell r oli' 4 ; tic policy, there will not be wanting il o o and diplomatists to represent his resignal ei eev triumph of the pacific over the warlike e' o pt . '" in our councils. There was no necessity fe r , o cipitate a step. We regret to lose our l' l r ee p bid retary„but we should regret still more to' on his own terms. I WHOLESALE ROBBERY BY A POLISH NOI O I - hot el PARIS.— Last week a foreigner, who put up at! a n j,iog" pear the Tuileries, presented himself at the 1 ' 8 .4 0 0 1 ' house of Messrs. Rothschild, at the opening of b t . t s e r eoe 3 a id gave notice that some person had e ntered 1 : 1 , ars e q duri❑ the night and taken away his watch, rad!, and pocket-book, this last containing a letter tehisebilei for 2,000 f., given by the house of MM. de 1:1° at Vienna, on the house in Paris. This her (13Ler., have stopped, if presented. Half an hour r e, shionably-diessed young man made his appear, :bet th e presented the order for payment. He was tniu rett iril o money would he paid as soon as the order co' use , from the office of one of the heads of the 10 _, j ot the meantime a police officer was sent for, and 0!„ the young man had signed hia name to a rene i P4 arrested. Being taken before the commissarY u s, pro o a he declared his name to be G--, and as as s a p of that being the fact, he showed several P,al )- %ghe e documents in which that name appearen-id %vat; searched there were found on him a geartaio sub and chain, a porte-monnaie, containing a c ae ket-b ° O f of gold, a blue silk purse, empty, and a P thea t de. containing visiting cards, with the name f, in i e lro n. Count de Rue de Ponthieu, which ari eared he had found in the street the same:noels!: Just as the search had concluder', the foreign_ e,a___,eare9, from whom the letter of credit had been stolet , gO , P , and at once recognised the blue silk purse ;I s : lee btr ee watch as his property. In consequence 0 . f./ 1 0 0 0 . , tion, the commissary of police ordered a visit t° with the prisoner to the address in the 13 , 0 de an d tbe_ t mentioned on the cards fonnd in his po ,,s t s b e ro ,, , , e c r or he de was identified as always passing am" t W--. A great quantity of valuable ... 1 : 1 4 not less various kinds was found in *the apartmen"inyestil; than 17 paletots of various kinds. Fur ther , 3 ,•Coun i t'. o o tion proved that the prisoner hnt rv o i _e s W—, a Pole by, birth, and of a high rr s "?..,. the ro in Paris principally by stealing. propertyst " a fter, a P of wealthy persons in hotels. TW O day riso t, who had been on intimate terms with tr.en his nrr vii out knowing his real character, on hheaadi 0, hearing left '° be gave notice that two large trunks also fe ued j a charge by the prisoner. These were o haract el ?i el ier full of things of a most miscellanteeelee.. The pr c i oebie which are suspected to have been;asl, , has been fully °Omni tted foi.• tri the charge of forgery and theft.—alii on't