The Sun. — London, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

'HE &TEE ROYAL, HAY MARKET, Tazewell season or Mr. Benjamin Webster as Lessee and Manager THIS EVENIIG, JAx. 18, Will be performed the popular and highly successful Comedy of 7 k.SICS AND FACES; or, Before and Behind ttle Curtain—by airs. Benjamin Webster, Leigh Murray. and Stuart ; Mrs. Stir :r.Era. Leith Murray. Miss F. Ma-drell, and Miss Rosa Bennett. After which, the gergeeus Extravaganza, entitle i LEO THE Tr' , BRIBLE. To conclude with the Farce of BOX and COX MARRIED and S CTTLED. ROYAL LYGEI7M THEATRE. Hader the Management of Madame Vestila. THI3 EVENING, JAN. 18, Will be performed the Comic Drama called A PHF.NOMENON 'lf A SMOCK-FROCK, Cha-acters by Messrs. C. Mathews, F. itt hews, and Horncastle; Mim F. Baker and Miss C. Mitchell. After which, the new and popular original Fairy Extravaganza, c-.'lt►ed THE GOOD WOMAN IN THE WOOD, in which Messrs. F. Matthews, Suter, Horncastle, and Templeton ; Madame Vestris, 33 Julia St. George, Miss Robertson, Miss Martindale, Miss Ellis, ll.sa Wyndham, Miss Eglinton, and Miss Rosina Wright will appear. To conclude with LITTLE TODDLEKINS. Sole Agent for the Private Boxes, Mr. W. Allcroft, 15, New 11,mi-street. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPUL Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster.—Directress, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, JAN. 18, Will be presented the powerful new Drama of SLAVE LIFE ; or, -icie Tom's Cabin—by Messrs. Allred Wigan, Cullentord, 0. Smith, :d Emery ; Madame Celeste, Miss Woolgar, Miss Laura Honey, and Mrs. Keeley. After which, the gloriously successful Comic Pantomime, called ELL GWYNNE ; or, Ilarleonn Merrie Monarch. Priucipal l'lnseuse, Mdlle. Auriol ; Clown, Flexmore. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. C. Kean. TfflS EVENING, J. 18, Will Fe performed Slaakspere's Comedy of MUCH ADO ABOUT *lt °THING. Principal characters by Messrs. Charles Kean, Her : Meadows, J. Vining, Addison, Ryder, and Graham ; Miss cth and Mrs. C. Kean. ro conclude with the new and original Grand Comic Christ ras Pantomime, entitled MARLEQUIN CHERRY AND FAIR ; or, The Green Bird, the Dancing Waters, and the • L. , ;ing Tree. Harlequin, Mr. Cormack ; Clown, Mr. Huline ; Pan t....on, Mr. Paulo; Columbine, Miss Carlotta Leclercq. ROYAL OLYMPIC: THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Farren. THIS EVENING, .TAN. 18, Will be presented LILIAN GERVAIS. Supported by Messrs. f' )mpten, W Farren, jun., Hoskins, Cooke, Edgar, Bender, and C ;Mon ; Miss Anderton and Miss H. Gordon. -Vier which, ROMEO AND JULIET; or, Harlequin Queen bah and the World of Dreams. Clown, Mr. Edwin Edwardes, with his highly-trained dogs. ~..-... ~ _ Boa-office open from Eleven till Four, under the superintendence of Mr. Edward Chatterton. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Proprietor and Manager, Mr. W. Batty. Crowded Nightly to witness the Extraordinary Holiday Attractions. THIS EVENING, JAN. 18, And during the Week, the Performances will commence with "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN ( 51st time). After which, Bat's peerless Scenes in the Arena. To conclude with the successful. Pantomime of FORTUNIO AND INS HORSE COMRADE ; or, Harlequin and the Seven Gifted Men. On THURSDAY, JAN. 20, another Grand JUVENILE NIGHT, en which occasion the Pantomime will be played—first followed by brilliant Pieces in the Cirzle, and concluding with a Laughable ARCE. Doors open at Half-past Six o'clock. To commence at Seven. Boa-orrice open daily from Eleven to Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. TEM DAT —Morning 48 min. after 7 Evening 18 min.aft. 8 To - 3fonatow—.3lorning 51 min. after 8 ( Evening 23 min.aft. 9 DAILY WEATHER TABLE. TUESDAY, JAN. 18, 1853. State of the wind and weather at each of the following places at nine o'clock yesterday morning. The stations are arranged in order of latitude. HASTINGS—N.N.E., gentle_ breeze—partially cloudy. SOIJTHAUPTON—N.,-gentle breeze—Partiallicloudy. TIINBRIDGE—N.W., strong breeze—overcast. BASINGSTOKE—N.I;V., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. GREENWICH—N., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. SWINDON—N., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. CAMBRIDGE —N., strong breeze—partially cloudy. - YARMOUTH— N.E., strong breeze —overcast. THE WEATHER.—SuN OPTICS, JAN. 18. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 33 highest since noon yesterday. 32—lowest this morning and during the night. 37—this day, at noon. BAROMETRII, 29'91. WIND, N.N.W.—Fine breeze, and sunshiny weather. ~-,..., 4 f-_ , „;, , .. : .. .. b Z 41 Wo :LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1853. It is with feelings of sincere regret that we see and hear a strong antagonistical force exerted against opening the Crystal Palace on a Sunday. We would fain believe that they who oppose this dreaded desecration of the " Seventh Day," are morally in earnest, and mean well, that they ex ercise their conscientious sense of Divine duty, and would save the nation from an extra endorse ment on its sentence to perdition ; but in the mild i t )irit of our great Teacher, we would ask the stern (!enouncers of Sunday holiday making, if i:ley individually and collectively never in fringe the sacred holiness and godly demar cation of this day, the sanctity of which is F..° strenuously insisted on by them ? We would ask the reverend gentlemen and pious declaimers who oppose the cause whether they ever join a 'limner party, or become engaged in secular mat- i;ers, whereat their " seventh-day " conduct will always bear the strictest investigation ? Do ,hey forego hot joints—let their families walk :irough the rain to church, and spend the hours ntirely in " watching and praying ?" We would sk them if they know what it is to spend six 'lays in close and heavy occupation at the desk, loom, anvil, or other common drud gery, with only this " seventh day" to call their wn. We would ask the "ladies" who denounce :lie question as something piously " shocking," if they are experienced in the unceasing toil, worry, and privations of artizans' helpmates and whether --ley remember that Sunday is the only day on which these helpmates can get Tom or HARRY to " take them somewhere in the afternoon ?" Truly as we respect the Sabbath and its insti tutions, and sacredly as we hold the principles of the Christian religion, still we cannot help think ing that those who would close the Crys tal Palace on the Sabbath are by no means advancing the sanctity of the first, or exhibiting the spirit of benevolence incul cated by the latter. The " working classes" must have some mental and physical safety-valves. Six days of labour, with monotonous application, and homes of very limited comfort, render oppor tunities for healthy and rational freedom of vital importance to the toiling population of this great commercial country ; and many whose hearts and lirains are tolerably well qualified to judge, have nn opinion that too little attention is paid to these points of " vulgar" consideration by the high and mighty of the land. The merchant-citizen can ar range a convivial party at Blackwall or Richmond —the fashionable Countess can order her carriage for- a drive round the parks—" his Lordship " can follow the hounds, or take a trip to Paris at any moment they choose--and even the tradesman can steal. a holiday now an d th en w ith out the day's P a y being missed in his cupboard ; but there are thousands in this world-famed city whose only twelve hours of liberty is on the Sunday. We )1. - ust not look for perfection in human nature --least oc an i n the uneducated and poverty iressed portio ns of our fellow-creatures. Some source of recreation, some change of habit and place, they te m it ou . ght to have,. :aid the question is, whethaelard eilergy and Legislature to den y th e l se s uset in a the right of visiting such a minci-broaden'ougsands seum as we shall have at Sydenhana, and yet per mit reeking beer-shops and dangerously-seduc tea-gardens to flourish and increase as the licensed haunts of these hard-working masses 7 There i s n, s trange inconsistency in raising an outcry against men and women seeking an inno cent and enlightening relaxation in such a place as the Crystal Palace, amid pure a i r and green fields, while the lowest public-houses in our metropolis are open by Government authority for " the sale and unlimited supply of intoxicating -irinks, and where men may transform themselves into desperate and disgusting animals, without any Paraded expostulation against the evil issuing trona quarters redolent of "purple and fine linen." possible to be " righteous over much," and twoe suspect that those who so fervently endeavour depriv e the working classes of a decent and Yatural rec • reation hope for it , _ .on the only day they can piety. The,,e are in this morbid condition of partie s 'to Bee " the would doubtless rejoice attending their parisl7order of people " ;rig the Bible to their churcham family' regularly and read- Christian-like allowances foYr'tblit we must make e position and feeling contingen: ci rcumstances of order," and not " draw the IsTriollgthis "lower itish discipline too tight." Sever n ii of Agnenernw pulsion in religious legislation only tyenadntdo for m eithei the reklellious brute, or still more detest, able cunning hypocrite, and we believe that a judicious secular privilege on a Sunday afternoon would produce more practical good to the indivi dual and society generally than all the doctrinal sermons that are fulminated against this privilege. Bigotry and Intolerance are frightful incubuses on the back of Religion ; but it is to be hoped that the strong arms of Reason and Humanity will thrust them off in this question of social policy, and open the gates of Health and Know ledge on the " seventh day" without fear of eter nal condemnation for so doing. The. "harsh voice and arrogant manner" of Mr. RIGBY have again become remarkable through the familiar pages of the Quarterly. The Right Hon. Gentleman has, in the current number of that periodical, ingeniously contrived to satisfy an old grudge against the author of " Coningsby," by depreciating the abilities of the ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer. Latterly, indeed, the energies of that veteran intellect would appear to be almost exclusively devoted to the concocting of the sweet draught, or rather, the bitter dregs of vengeance. It was in this manner that the reading public was at once amused and pained to observe that criti cism upon the last and, in many respects, most brilliant addition to our historic literature, in which criticism so many charges of plagiarism were ostentatiously advanced against Mr. MAC AULAY. Supposing even that the objections made to the volumes of the Whig historian had been justified by the circumstance of their being merely specious—supposing that the cantankerous allu sions now made to the financial policy of the Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer were authorised in every particular by their accuracy—it would still remain to be proved that the course pursued by the reviewer in either instance had been dictated by prudence, or characterised by even the semblance of magnanimity. The associate of TAPED—the ac quaintance of TADPoLE.—the factotum, or what you-will of the.most Honourable the Marquis of Moraforrx, that Grand Seigneur of the volup tuaries and Patrician among the Sybarites—N - Imi°- LAS RIGBY has ripened, it is true, during many long years of leisure, into more than respectable scholar ship : but, amidst all his learning, it would seem that he has dipped but slightly into the wisdom of the greatest of our uninspired philosophers. Otherwise he must infallibly have encountered that profound and beautiful thought which nearly three centuries ago was expressed by FRANCIS BACON, the Great Lord VERULAM " Cer tainly, in taking revenge; a' man is but even with his enemy ; but in passing it over, he is superior; for it is a prince's part to pardon." Pardon, however, NICHOLAS RIGBY cannot com prehend to be a luxury. Rather with him the luxury is to retaliate. Years flit by, while he is looking eagerly out for an opportunity. At last —when, with an ordinary man, the offence, how ever grievous, might be supposed to be forgot ten—the opportunity arrives, and the bone (very stale by this time) is picked, and the crow (grown very aged even for a crow) is plucked. Assuredly—if Dr. JOHNSON loved, as BOSWELL tells us he did, a good hater—dear to the heart of the lexicographer would have been the Right Honourable NICHOLAS RIGBY. While the Quarterly is thus scattering ashes on the head of the late Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, and while the reviewer, in that very act, is unconsciously heaping coals of fire upon his own head, by storing up for himself future reasons for remorse, the Edinburgh is man fully avowing its exultation at the downfall of the DERBY Administration. The tone of the two leading Quarterlies is, to say the least of it, signi ficant. In the remarks of the Whig organ it is possible to discern a certain degree of consis tency, whereas in the diatribes directed against Mr. DISRAELI by its contemporary, the organ of Toryism, the inconsistency is something re markable. It should have been remembered, surely, that too much was due to the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Buckinghamshire on the part of the whole of the sympathisers with the late Cabinet, to allow of the open deprecia tion of his services without the most glaring cul pability of ingratitude. His courage, his tact, and his really surprising ability, under circum stances of very extraordinary embarrassment, elicited, it will be remembered, the eulogium of some of the principal members of the popular branch of the Legislature. Lord JOHN RUSSELL, as the Leader of the Whigs, com plimented the Right Honourable Gentleman on the great talents he had displayed as Chan cellor of the Exchequer. Sir JAMES GRAHAM, as the leader of the Peelites, spoke in equally encomi astic terms of the energy and skill with which his political antagonist had conducted, during an anxious session, the business of the country, in the lower branch of the Imperial Parliament. Mr. DISRAELI might then, possibly, have antici pated something, at least, like courtesy or even forbearance in whatever allusions might be made to himself by the old Tory Quarterly. If so, he counted without his host—he forgot he had writ ten " Coningsby." There was the rub. 0 ! these personal jealousies, leading to such jealous personali ties, when will the political atmosphere be clear of them ? when can the toils of administration be conducted without necessarily rousing the bile and acrimony of partizanship against the statesmen constituting a Government ? It is amusing to see the overweening confidence inspired in the Edinburgh, now that the Whigs are again in office, even though it be under the patronage of the Peelites. All the Ministerial difficulties of the age are settled, if we are to bow to the force of its convictions—and that simply because England is endowed with the great talents concentrated in the ABERDEEN Administration. Would to Heaven we could as readily coincide in the correctness of the opinion ! Would to Heaven that we could believe as firmly as the Edinburgh appears to do in the certainty of the British Em pire being henceforth, at. least for a considerable time to come, blessed with a Cabinet strong enough, and united enough, and liberal enough, to fulfil all the long-disappointed hopes of this gene ration. The genius of the men we recognise. Their administrative abilities we appreciate. Their ex perience we respect. But hitherto theyhavethought so very differently upon some of the most vital questions of Reform, that, seeing them now sud denly allied without any sort of explanation, and associated with each other within the limits of an abruptly-organised Cabinet, we are com pelled to doubt for once the integrity of their policy, the solidity of their views, and the sin cerity of their principles. We remember, for example, that a little while since and Lord PAL MERSTON was expelled from Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S Cabinet with every token of indignity, and re placed by Lord GRANVILLE, with every sign of a really ignominious estrangement. And yet we see this same Statesman, hitherto presumed to be so manfully and chivalrously independent, meekly swallowing the recollection of so many and such enormous insults, and calmly sitting down with a chastened spirit at a Council table presided over by the:Earl of GRANVILLE, and where the seals of thePoreign Office are held, only for a time it is true, hut still held by no other than Lord JOHN RUSSELL ! Seeing this, it is surely only rational on our part to acknowledge ourselves mistaken, hitherto, in dreami ng, as before indicated, of Lord PALMER STON s manful andchivalrous independence. Again, we remember, of course, as the country cannot fail to remember, that, in 1846, Lord JOHN Rus- SELL was opposed to coercive measures for Ireland, while Sir JAMES GRAHAM was strongly in favour , • of them—w e remem b er, too, that, in 1850, E L Lord JOHN was the p r i nc i pa l originator of f siastical Titles Bill, while Sir JAMES was its principal antagonist-a n d yet now, in 1853 , , r w in e see these two eminent me n enrolled together the same Administration, as though their opinions were identical in regard to the light method of governing Ireland, or as to the wisest course to be pursued in sustaining the fabric of Protestantism.. Seeing this, we cannot be deemed unreasonable if we hesitate to place implicit reliance on the vitality or the s t a unchness of ca t t heir om poli un tical principles, We We might extend " damnable itera tion." swenesibmleigt the crotchets, the tion." a poi ni nr t to hair-splitti ngs , and the economic subtleties of the neW CHANCELLOR of the Ex CH.EQIYER. Enough, however, has been said upon these supposed antagonisms and latent contradictions in the ABERDEEN Cabinet—and more than enough. All we can do now is, to await with nervous solici tude the unfolding of its somewhat entangled and enigmatical policy—while the Edinburgh is exulting over the rise of the ABERDEEN Adminis tration, and the Quarterly is strangely exulting over the downfall of at least one member of the late DERBY Administration. It is under these somewhat confused auspices that the nation is watching the instalment of a Cabinet with two Prime Ministers, half-a-dozen Leaders, a hun dred projects, a thousand difficulties, and an indefinite number of principles. Every now and then individual facts are turn ing up in different departments which im press our minds far more strongly than statistical tables or tabulated results. The story goes of the late Premier, that when in the Ministry before, with Lord ALTHORP, and when it was deemed necessary to obtain a coercion bill for Ireland, the latter undertook to introduce it ; he duly went through, therefore, a numerical statement of crimes involving violence, which ought to have been most convincing. Lord STANLEY, however, perceived that no im pression was made upon the House, and no sooner did his turn come than he banged down the lid of the red-tape box, and, exclaiming to one near him " This will never do," began at once a few such tales of horror as soon carried with him even the business-like assembly at St. Stephen's. And Lord STANLEY was right. Figures may give us some idea of the extent of an evil, but individual cases alone can make us sensible of its quality. We were much struck vgth this while noticing two melancholy examples of the mischiefs of entire illiteracy which occurred almost together in the newspaper reports. One of them wears, indeed, at first sight, the aspect of the ludicrous. CATHERINE TAYLOR, an Irishwoman, was charged before Mr. JARDINE, at Bow-street, with obtaining money from two servant girls, under pretence of telling their fortunes. The Court was convulsed with laughter while the girls gave their evidence. In addition to the usual crossing of the hands with the money of one of the dupes, the impostor retires again to consult her " Book of Knowledge ;" on the second visit she ascertains the length of the girl's purse—half-a-sovereign and a shilling—and, of course, the latter is told that " the more she has, the better for the charm." After the girl had held the money in her hand for a minute or two, the fortune-teller took it, and "appeared" to wrap it up in blue paper, tying it round three times with a piece of enchanted string, and pnce more with a piece of hair which the girl was to pull from the left side of her head with her right hand ; she was next to put the money in her bosom for three minutes, then to take it out ; after which it was placed in a white handkerchief, and four or five knots having been tied in the handkerchief, and pulled tight by both, she was to take off her garter, and tie the handkerchief round her leg for two hours. While she was tying it, the impostor told her that she would be married twice, and meet with many misfortunes. The other girl's fortune was then told, with equally ludicrous ceremonies, though of a dif ferent kind ; the second girl being promised that three wishes should all come true. To accom plish this, the prisoner had taken away a bundle of her clothes (a shawl, a shift, a petti coat, and an apron) to be charmed and returned. It is most superfluous to add, that the vagabond never did return, and that the first girl, after waiting with religious exactness the appointed two hours, on taking off the handkerchief, and un tying the tightly-drawn knots, found to her dis may only a couple of farthings. It is fortunate for the public safety that the girls were not too much afraid of the " wise woman" to describe her, at their mistress's instigation, to the police. To a question by Mr. JARDINE, both girls replied that they could neither read nor write. After laughing unavoidably at the fooleries of the case, what reflecting mind can resist a melancholy re flection on such mental degradation at the present day and in such a country as ours / We must feel that something is seriously wrong when our domestic servants can, after all, be so grossly ignorant. It will seem as if the community was answerable for not preventing, what might have been well-formed minds, from growing up such helpless mental cripples, the dupes and the en couragers of such absurd frauds. The other case is the reverse of comic, and fur nishes, indeed, an awful illustration of what may be the appalling consequences of gross ignorance. It is that of the unfortunate EDWARD HURLER, recently executed for the murder of his wife. Hero was a man of naturally superior intellect ; for though when he came to Newgate he was un able to read, yet he, quickly learned, with the Chaplain's help, to read the Bible fluently, and found it a great source of consolation in his last hours. How different might his course have been had he learned to read it in youth i He was, on the contrary, utterly left to himself by a father who deserted his wife and lived with another woman, and by a mother who lived with an other man. He followed his own incli nations entirely, without, probably, ever hearing the duty of mastering evil passions suggested to him ; his Sundays were spent in utter dissipation, and he never thought of attend ing on any religious instruction. Hence, accord ing to his own account, he appears to have killed his wife in a momentary excitement of feelings which had never been controlled from childhood. It is impossible to avoid the impression that, in the case of such a man, a reasonable amount of early education might have saved two lives, and pre vented a fearful crime. While, then, meditating on one case in which ignorance was the encouragement to imposture and fraud, and in another the cause of murder and a miserable death on the scaffold, the inquiry will press upon us, is the community doing what it can, either locally and volun tarily, or through its recognised organ, the Government, to prevent or abate such ignor ance as this, with all the frauds and violence so directly traceable to it ? Are we adequately im pressed with the superiority of the school-room and the lecture-room over the prison and the gallows, as the preventives 'of crime ? That criminals of the worst class are not wanting in the most edu cated and even refined classes, is obvious enough. We need not adduce instances, but this only shows that temptation may be too strong and self-control too feeble under the most favourable circumstances, and is, therefore, rightly viewed, only as an argu ment, almost irresistible, against leaving our poor frail nature to resist its evil impulses with no ad vantages at all. As well might a general refuse to fortify his camp, because some fortified camps have been carried by a determined assault. We fully perceive and acknowledge, however, the difficulties in the way of Government educa tion ; and on this question at least, though one of the most urgent, are quite disposed to "give our new Administration time," simply because we have as yet seen no plan which it could hope to carry. Indeed, it was but the other day we. noticed a striking case of the efficiency of volun tary zeal where Government efforts had failed. A good school-room, built and aided. by grants, was given up by the parties who received them ; a poor man applied to the Borough-road Training School to be educated for a master ; he was re fused as incompetent Nothing daunted, he set to and educated himself, hired the unoccupied school-room, and has now the best school in the place. All would regret any general system which superseded such a man as this. We do need, however, if it be possible, some means which shall give a reasonable education to all. We fear that the plan has yet to be discovered. What with the unseemly zeal of religionists for their sectarian badges, and the real danger of paralysing our noble voluntary efforts, we can excuse any Government for only partially attaining its earnest wishes. Meantime, much can be done by indi viduals. A wealthy man who will lay out a thou sand pounds in building a good school - room where one is wanted, and a hundred a-year or so in supporting th e sc h oo l (th e sc h o l a rs had better pay the rest), and who will see to its general efficiency as his own concern, is one of the best benefactors of his country. Repealing also the Taxes on THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY _EVENING, .JANUARY 18, 1853 Knowledge would be one of the most effective edu cational grants . possible, and ought not to delayed for a session. It would conflict with the preju dices of no sect, would aid instead of relaxing voluntary efforts; and benefit trade as much as education. Let .it be remembered that the two facts we have mentioned above are but individual illustrations of the great statistical one, that 90 per cent. of our criminals cannot read sufficiently well to be the better for what they read. COURT CIRCULAR. WINDSOR, JAN. 17. Her Majesty and the Royal children walked in the grounds adjoining the Castle this morning. His Royal Highness Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Leiningen, went out shooting this forenoon, attended by Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, Lieutenant- General Sir Frederic Stovin, and Lieutenant-Colonel F. H, Seymour, The Rev. Dr. Philpott left the Castle to-day for Cam bridge. A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the Foreign office, Downing-street. The Ministers present were the Earl of Aberdeen, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Duke of Argyll, Viscount Palmerston, Lord John Russell, the Duke of Newcastle, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir James Graham, Sir Charles Wood, the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, and Sir William Moles worth. The Council sat two hours and a half. A deputation from the Protestant Alliance, concern ing the persecutions in Tuscany, had an interview with Lord John Russell yesterday at the Foreign-office. The deputation consisted of the Earl of Cavan, Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, M.P., Rev. Charles Kemble, Colonel Alex ander, the Rev. Dr. Steane, Mr. Josiah Conder, Mr. J. Cook Evans, Mr. R. B. Seeley, Captain Giberne, and Mr. John Macgregor. Mr. W. P. Robertson, consul-general of Ecuador, had an interview yesterday with Lord John Russell, at the Foreign-office. Baron Brunnow, the Russian minister, transacted business yesterday at the Foreign-office. Mr. Ingersoll, the American minister, was present at the dinner given on Thursday by the Earl of Aberdeen to several of the corps diplomatique and members of the Administration. Dispatches were received at the Colonial-office yester day from the Governor-General of Canada and the Ge vernors of the North American Provinces, and also from the Governors of Labuan and the Falkland Islands. CASE OF THE MADIAL A deputation from the Protestant Alliance had an in terview yesterday with Lord John Russell, at the Foreign office, on the subject of the persecutions now carried on in Tuscany. The deputation consisted of the Earl of Cavan, Hon A. Kinnaird, M.P., Rev. C. Kemble, Rev. Dr. Steane, Colonel Alexander, Mr. Josiah Conder, Mr. J. Cook, Evans, Mr. R. B. Seeley, Captain Giberne, and Mr. John Macgregor. The Hon. A. KINNAIRD briefly stated the circum stances attending the arreft and imprisonment of the Madiai, and the efforts which had been made in vain for their release. He was glad to find that the report of the death of F. Madiai was unfounded, but the prolonged confinement of these persons, and of some thirty others known to be imprisoned only for their religious acts, seemed to be a case in which Britain was called upon to interfere authoritatively and in the cause of outraged humanity. He understood that Sir H. Bulwer had been actively, though quietly, engaged in his endeavours to pro cure a remission of the sentences of those prisoners, and that the Prussian Government were disposed to press the demands already made' by a special envoy deputed for that purpose. From individuals, also, in our own coun try, of the most exalted rank, representations had been made to the Grand Duke, but without effect, and al though hopes of a liberation of the two prisoners were distinctly held forth to the deputation from the various European Churches which lately visited Florence, yet their illegal confinement was still prolonged—new vic tims were daily added to the number of those in gaol, and the Tuscan Government (urged no doubt by other Powers) now appeared determined to see how far intol erance could be carried against religious truth. The Roman Catholics in this country were, he believed, quite divided in opinion upon the rights of this case, many of them being indignant that such persecution should be resorted to as a means of advancing their religion. The honourable gentleman having stated the leading fea tures of the Madiai case, and alluded to others of whiCh it is but a sample, expressed the earnest desire of the deputation that some distinct application should be made by the British Minister at Florence, for the immediate liberation of all these prisoners, and that this should be supported, if necessary, by an intima tion to the Grand Duke, that if by his commands the rights of conscience and of humanity were thus outraged in his dominions, it would become the duty of other civilised States to withdraw from diplomatic relations with Tuscany. A short statement of the foregoing facts, and a translation of several legal documents connected with the trial of the Madiai, were then put into his lordship's hands. • Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that, with respect to the particular case of the Ma.diai, his sentiments were very much in accordance with those of the deputation. The prosecution had been instituted under the law passed in 1786, which was an enlightened time. He approved of the course pursued by the late Government upon the subject; and, from dispatches received by the present Government, it appeared that Sir H. Bulwer was still anxiously employed in the case ; but with respect to any further steps which it might be considered proper to take in communicating with an independent sovereign, his lordship begged to be allowed to reserve his opinion. The deputation, having thanked his lordsh.p, then withdrew. WEST INDIA MAILS.—The Royal Mail steam-ship Parana, with the West India mails, was signalled off Southampton this morning. POST-OFFICE NOTICE.---The following notice was issued by the Post-office authorities yesterday, viz. : " Cape of Good Hope, Mauritius, Ascension, &c.— Notice.—lnformation having been received that the packet which in due course should have been des patched from Plymouth on the 15th inst. is not yet ready to sail, supplementary mails for the Cape of Good Hope, India, &c., will be made up until further notice. ROYAL BANK OF AIISTRALIA.—Yesterday, a meeting was held before Master in Chancery Richards, to exa mine Mr. J. N. Smith (firm of Campbell, Smith, and Co., Australian agents), Mr. Duncan Dunbar, Mr. Fal coner, of the London Chartered Bank of Australia, and Mr. Millikin, of the Bank of Australasia, relative to the disputed charges of Messrs. Smith and Campbell, the late agents of the Royal Bank. Attention having been called by Mr. Walton to a certificate of Mr. Orr, of Sydney, touching a certain portion, amounting to some thousands, of Messrs. Smith an d C amp b e ll' s accounts, Mr. Roxburgh and Mr. H. Harris, for Mr. Wryghte, the official manager, insisted that they had no advice on the subject. After a discussion of two hours the Master intimated that the parties might agree to the • proposed reference of the question involving about 27,0001., to two merchants, on the understanding that if they found that Mr. Orr was authorised to make the certificate, it should be binding on the official manager,'otherwise that it should be void, and that his examination into the matter should be proceeded with. SHIPS FOR AUSTRALIA.—The departures from the port of London for the Australian colonies during the past week have been large. Five ships have sailed for Port Philip (Victoria), of an aggregate burden of 2,306 tons ; four to Sydney, of 1,456 tons ; one to Adelaide, of 563 tons ; and one to Swan River, of 258 tons—making a total of 4,583 tons. Exporters continue very active, and freights are still rising ; 61. per ton is being paid for measurement goods to Port Philip and Adelaide, and for a vessel now laid on for the former port, 81. is said to be asked. HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The difficulties which have arisen in obtaining a charter for the new joint stock company'intended to resuscitate the fortunes of her Majesty's Theatre, are said to be removed. The Wagner trial, in which Mr. Lumley claims immense damages, is not yet decided. We are glad, however, to hear a rumour that the "Benvenuto Cellini" of M. Berlioz may be one among the novelties given at her Majesty's Theatre during the coming season.—Athenceum. GENERAL LYING-IN HOSPITAL, YORK -ROAD, LAMBETH. =Yesterday the quarterly general court of the gover nors of this charity was held at the hospital in the York road ; J. S. Somers Cocks, Esq., M.P., in the chair. From the minutes of the sittings of the committee it appeared that a district ward has been opened for the reception of single women, that they may be as separate as possible from the married. The financial statement was to the effect that for the last year the income was, including 4001. subscriptions, 1,6661. 6s. 3d. ; and the outlay 1,3041. Os. 9d. ; leaving a balance of 3621.55. 6d. of income over expenditure. The balance upon the whole account is 5021. 9s. 3d., out of which there are to be paid debts to the amount of 4091. 10s. 3d. During the year 5001. were invested in the Three per Cents. The out-patients for the year were 478 ; the interim pa tients for the same period were 261, of whom 187 were married women. This statement was unanimously adopted. The governing and medical officers were then separately thanked for their past services, and re-elected to their offices ; when the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman. ROYAL NAVAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.—Yester day the quarterly general court of the members of this society was held at the Thatched House Tavern—Sir Watkyn Owen Pell in the chair. The minutes of the last court having been confirmed, the secretary brought j'erward the financial statements for the quarter and for the year ending December 31st, 1852. From these it appeared that the income for the year, including a ba lance of 92215. ls. ld. from the previous year, and sub scriptions to the amount of 926/. 17s. 6d., was 3,791/. 13s. ld., 'and that the expenditure was 3,6221. 10s. 51d., of which 1,8961. was disbursed in grants. The balance in favour of the institution is 1691. 2s. 7d. The amount of stock possessed by the institution is 36,195/. 12s. 2d., of which 1,2881. 10s. was invested last year. These statements were confirmed, Lord Waldeg,rave was elected. vice-president; in the room of Sir Thomas Briggs, de ceased ; and the memorials from the families of deceased members were taken into consideration, after which the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman. BANQUET TO THE AMERICAN MINISTER AT BIRMING- • HA3l.—lt is understood that Mr. Ingersoll has accepted the invitation to a public dinner at Birmingham, and, according to present arrangements, it will take place next Friday. His Excellency is expected at Perry-hall, the seat of Lord Calthorpe, to-day. MONEY AND COMMERCIAL NEWS. CITY, Two o'CLocx. The sales of Cotton at Liverpool yesterday were estimated at 10,000 bales, of which 2,000 American were taken on speculation. The market was ani mated, and closed firmly. The sales comprised 6,000 American, 700 Pernam and Maranham at 51d. to 7d., 2,000 Bahia at 50. to 60., 200 Egyptian at 6d. to 9d., 600 Surat at 3kd. to 4d., and 130 Sea Island at ls. Bd. to 2s. 2i.d. per lb. Railway Shares were depressed, and the heavy stocks declined one to two per cent. _ _ The arrivals from Australia are boming fast upon us, and there is an abundance of gold. The sums lodged with the Bank of England for security are large ; and, although they may not immediately be brought into the account, and may have first to pass through the refiners' hands and then to some amount be shipped. to the continent, itis impossible to conceive that there will not be gradually a large addition to the Bank reserves. The Calphurnia, from Melbourne, does not bring later dates, but has 56;000 ounces of gold on board ; and the Anna Maria, from Sydney, 23,290 ounces ; and ships had left, at the date of the last advices, with more than a million and a half sterling on board. The new " diggings" at Owen's Creek, 180 miles from Melbourne, were said even to surpass former discoveries. In the City there is still a general talk about the Bank of England, on Thursday next, further advancing the rate of dis count, and the discount brokers are allowing 2 per cent. for money on " call"—a proof that, tempo rarily, at least, there is more want of accommoda tion. Should the Bank put up the rate to 3, as its Lombard-street competitors are asking 24, large sums now kept idle, in anticipation of such enhancement, would no doubt be imme diately brought into play, and thus immediate relief would be afforded, for it is impossible to believe there can be any real scarcity of cash, when the Bank has so much in its vaults, or when discounts are but 2 S per cent. The monied interest has been shorn of its profits materially of late, and naturally makes an effort to increase them when occasion serves. In this sense the sooner 3 per cent. is charged the better, because an end will be put to further doubt, the exchanges will rapidly advance, and 'money will flow in rather than be withdrawn for more profitable employment else where. With good harvest prospects there would appear to us to be scarcely a chance of money here after ruling dear. The glut of gold will ultimately bear down every effort of the monied interest, and though we may regret such an issue if speculation be encouraged, we cannot feel surprised at, nor can we imagine, any means of averting it. The second best thing that can be done is to direct the specu lation into the safest channels. At Hamburgh last Friday, the rate for bills on London was steady at 13 2. Gold was at 424. Stocks were firm, but R a il wa y Sh ares d epresse d. Bills on Amsterdam, Petersburgh, and Frankfort were in much request. The supply on other places was large. There was no change in the value of gold. Discounts were 21 to 3 per cent. Colonial produce and grain were both dull. The English funds were looking heavy at the commencement of business, but are better since. Consols for transfer have been quoted 99i and for account 99/ having been rather se ll ers s i nce at 99 1 , and being now buyers at that price. The New 3i per Cents. realise lon Bank Stock is worth 224 k to 226. Exchequer Bills are worth 60s. to 645. premium, and India Bonds 775. pre mium. The Foreign Market is still rather heavy. The Spanish Certificate, however, is an exception, being up to 5 and 51. The New Deferred Stock is worth 22i to 23. Portuguese Small Bonds are at 40i. Mexican have been 23/ to and Grenada De ferred 12 to /. The Committee of Spanish American Bondholders received this morning, by way of New York, the subjoined letter of Mr. Mocatta, their Commissioner with the Ecuadorian Government, dated— "Guayaquil, Ist Dec., 1852. "In my last respects I informed you that I fully anticipated sending you something definitive ; but not withstanding my repeated urgent applications to H. E. General Urbina, I have only at a late hour obtained a letter from him, of which I send you a copy—you will perceive that I am promised to be enabled to remit you by the ensuing steamer satisfactory accounts, in which I shall use every effort not to be disappointed." Here follows the translati on o f th e P res id en t' s letter mentioned above : " Guayaquil, let Dec. 1852. " My worthy friend and sir,—"Lhe unexpected arrival of the mail from the north urgently requiring the de spatches to go forward by the steamer, which, as you will be aware are of great importance, and having at the same time received a Cabinet messenger from New Granada, that equally requires my immediAe attention—all this prevents me to give you an official reply to your esteemed communication ; but, so soon as I have discharged the pressing duties which this day has brought me, I shall feel great pleasure in writing to you, that you may be able to send satis factory accounts, by the next packet, to your consti tuents.—l am, &c., (Signed) "J. M. URBINA. "To E. Maeatta, Es . q." Railway Shares have continued heavy with limited sales. Gold Mine Shares are better than at the close last evening. Australin Agricultural Shares are very buoyant at advanced rates. BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY. (From the Official List.) _ Business done. Bank Stock 3 per Cent. Reduced Annuities..... ...... 3 per Cent. Console Annuities New 31 per Cent. Annuities..... ...... .. Long Annuities, Expire sth Jan., 1860 6 7-16 i Ditto 30 Years, Expire sth Jan., 1860 6l India Bonds, £lOOO — Ditto, under £lOOO 77 Consols for Account 10th February o9i i i Exchequer Bills lid. March. Juno. £1000 £5OO 64 60 Small 6l 64 60 PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS THIS DAY. Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Ditto Small Chilian Bonds, 6 per Cent J - Ditto 3 per Cent BO Grenada Bonds, Deferred, Mexican 3 per Cent Peruvian Deferred 3 per Cent — Ditto for the Account 621 Portuguese 5 per Cent. Ditto Small Russian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Ditto 4. per Cent. Ditto Small ' lO3l Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent. Sp nish Bonds, 3 per Cent 47 6/ Ditto New Deferred, 3 per Cent 22 3 2i Spanish Passive (Converted) 54 Spanish Committee Cert. of Coup. not fun 54 5 p e Swedish Loan 2 d Turkish Loan, 6 per Cent., 1852 par Venezuela Bonds 31 per Cent. Dutch Exchange 21 per Cent B6 x d Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates.....,.... Consols Ditto February Account THREE O'CLOCK. 99 993 STEAM NAVIGATION OF THE DANUBE. We learn with great interest, from a perusal of the Pesth. Gazette, the almost incredible extent to which mercantile investment has been increased in the south east of Europe, in consequences of the security afforded by the restoration of peace and order in that portion of the Continent. The Danube Steam Navigation Company having en gaged the services of some of the most experienced men of the age, and employed them to travel through both Europe and America, in search of every improvement which could be made available in the furtherance of river navigation, are now foremost in the great work of inter national trade, to which we must look forward as the surest pledge of future peace and prosperity. The fleet of this company already consists of 85 steam vessels of the collective power of 9,517 horses, together with 300 flat-bottomed cargo vessels. These are actively engaged in the transport of passengers, goods, and cattle, on the DRnube and its tributaries, and are under the most perfect system of arrangement and supervision. The vessels are almost entirely constructed of iron, and have been built at the company's own building yard at Alt-Ofen, where upwards of 2,000 men are in con stant employment. _ The sEeaiia machinery is from the workshops of the most celebrated London and continental engineers, and that which is described as being most pre-eminently well adapted for the peculiar service of a river, abounding, as the Danube does, with shoals and bars, is from the fac tory of Messrs. John and Alfred Blyth, of London. The engines supplied by this establishment are of 100- horse power, and have been fitted on board the Gonyo and Waitzen, and are described as having imparted to those vessels more speed than has been ob tained from smaller vessels with engines of 120 ,and 150-horse power, made by other engineers of eminence. The speed of the cargo vessels has been re - ddered by these engines equal to that of the swiftest r d assenger vessel on the river. The company have given extensive orders to the same engineers for other ships now building, and have promised to have six other ves sels with engines by the same makers in operation early in the present year. Mesirs. Blith have already supplied dredging -ma chines, which are at work on the Danube, excavating - the shallows of the stream; and to the great success of these efforts may be ascribed the high expectations which - the Danube Steam Navigation Company entertain, that ere long the river navigation will, under their auspices, present all the regularity and speed of railway travelling, combined with that safety and comfort which the supe rior accommodation of steam-vessels alone can afford. THE . RECENT ALARMING CORD FRA UDS IN THE CITY. MANSION-HOUSE -(THIS DAY.) This morning, Mr. Robert Ferdinand Pries, who has been charged with extensive frauds under circumstances detailed in evidence on a previous occasion, and who has been for the last week under remand, was again placed at the bar before Alderman Sir R. W. Carden, Bart. Mr. Ballantine appeared for the prosecution, and Mr. Wontner for the defence. Mr. Dallantine having explained the form in which he proposed to conduct the proceedings said, he intended to produce a vast number of bills of lading and bills of acceptances, all of which were forgeries. It was most fearful to contemplate the vast amount of fraud that had been committed. Mr, Freshfield stated that, although Messrs. Collmann did not appear to prosecute, having been defrauded to the extent of 50,0001., a circumstance which had com pelled him to suspend their payments ; those gentlemen were, however, present to give any information that might be in their power with reference to these gigantic frauds. Huggett, the detective officer who apprehended the prisoner, said that since the last examination he had served upon the prisoner, as well as upon his wife, calling upon the former to produce certain documents, and upon the latter a letter addressed to her by the prisoner, in which he stated that he was an impostor, and that he was about to put an end to his existence. Mr. W. F. Ingelow said he had seen the letter ad dressed to Mrs. Pries, alluded to in the notice which had been served upon that lady. Objection to the production of this document was taken by Mr. Wontner on the ground that it was not in the possession of the prisoner. A lengthened argu ment ensued upon this point. Sir R. W. Carden said he should not allow any legal quibble to interfere with the full investigation of the case, and as it was not produced he should allow secondary evidence to be taken. Mr. Ingelow proceeded to say that he made a memorandum of the contents of the letter soon after he read it, and it was nearly as follows :---(e My dearest dearest Matilda, —When you have got over the first shock, you will be better without me. Teach little not to hate the memory of his wretched father. 0 God ! by what a chain of circumstances have I been led to do what I have done. lam an impostor, a swindler, and a forger. I shall take the quickest means of putti ng an end to my existence. (Signed) Yours, R. F. PRIES." Mr. Thomas Young examined—l am a lighterman, waterman, and granary keeper, carrying on business in Thomas-street, Horsleydown, in partnership with Mr. Brown. I have not had transactions directly with the prisoner. When goods are consigned to my warehouse, they are removed by a delivery order from the person landing them. The goods would be in the name of the party who entered them. If a changa of property took place during the time the goods were in our possession, it would be necessary for the person receiving the order to present it to us . ; and if we were satisfied the goods would be transferred to a new name in the event of such a request being made, such person would be enabled to obtain from us a docu ment verifying that fact. We should hold ourselves responsible to the person to whom we had given the transfer. These documents (produced) are not signed by me, or by my authority. (The documents professed to bear the signature of the house with which Mr. Young is connected.) Mr. 11. Turk, merchant, a partner in the house of Collmann and Co., said—l have had large transactions with the prisoner. Those documents (produced) I re ceived from the prisoner in November last. The names of Young and Brown were then attached to them, but what was written across was not on them then. I ad vanced large sums of money upon them. I gave then up to the prisoner upon his promise to pay the advances that had been made upon them, which was to be esti mated at 30s. on each quarter of corn. The prisoner said his object in regaining the documents was to obtain advances from other parties. Witness produced a large bundle of forged transfers, all of which he said were deposited with him by the prisoner. Witness continued—The total amount advanced upon them was 51,0001. Cross-examined by Mr. Wontner—Since the 31st of December prisoner has paid 21,0001. Re-examined by Mr. Ballantine—After deducting that amount, 51,0001. still remain due to our establishment from the prisoner. Mr. 13allantine said that would be the case on ono part of the evidence. Mr. Schulzff deposed that on the faith of those forged bills of lading, ho had advanced several thousands of pounds. The case was then remanded for a week. BOW-STREET-(tHIS DAY). SERIOUS CHARGE.—A man and his wife, named Coles, residing at No. 4, Little White Lidn-street, Seven-dials, were brought before Mr. Jardine, charged with having, while in a state of intoxication, caused the death of a male child six months old, with which the woman was intrusted to nurse. It appeared that yesterday evening, about six o'clock, the prisoners, who had been out drinking nearly the whole of the day, returned home in a state of intoxica tion, and directly w€ nt to bed, taking with them the child. After some short time had elapsed, the male prisoner got out of bed, and called to a woman in an adjoining room to come and find his handkerchief, as he wanted to go out, and on this woman going into pri soner's room, the man said she would find the handker chief in the bed. She then turned up the clothes at the foot of the bed, when the first object that presented itself to her notice was the dead body of the child, which ap peared to have been smothered by the "prisoners over laying it. Mr. Jardine said it was a serious charge, and he should remand the prisoners till the result of the coroner's inquest was known. FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE HARBOUR DEPARTMENT OF THE ADMIRALTY.—This morning a painter who had re sided in the Walworth-road, expired in Westminster Hospital, from the effects of contusions and fractures, occasioned yesterday by falling from a height of above 30 feet. It appears that the deceased was employed to clean the windows of the offices of the Admiralty Har bour Department, No. 15, Duke-street, Westminster, and whilst engaged in a second floor back room, cleaning the outside of the windows which overlook St. James's park, he incautiously sat on a low iron balcony that pro jected from the sill, holding the sash with one hand to steady himself. Unfortunately the woodwork in the frame was decayed, and the beading giving way, the sash came out with a jerk, causing the deceased to overbalance himself, and he was precipitated from his frail seat to the ground, a distance of more than 30 feet. SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING THE AMENDMENT OF THE LAW.—A special meeting of this society was held at the rooms, in Regent-str ee t, last even i ng , t o resume th e ad journed debate on the proposition of a committee of the, society for transferring the jurisdiction of the Eccle siastical Courts, in matters relating to the grant of probate, and of ? letters of administration, to the County Courts and the Court of Chancery, together with the various amendments moved thereon, which we have already published. Mr. Pitt Taylor presided; and, after considerable discussion, it was resolved, on the motion of Dr. Spinks, to refer the whole matter back to the com mittee for further consideration—it being understood that Mr. Pritchard, Doctors' Commons, should be added to the committee. The meeting was then adjourned by the vote of the members, upon which Mr. Stewart, ap parently with a view of making his own views the ground work of the committee's report, moved that Mr. Web ster take the chair. Mr. Webster having accordingly taken that position, Mr. Stewart moved his resolutions as an instruction to the committee, as he had vainly at tempted to do before Mr. Taylor left the chair ; upon which another motion for an adjournment was put and carried on a show of hands by 10 to 7. Mr. Stewart, upon this demanded a division, when the adjournment was negatived by 11 to 10—above three-fourths of the member having left the room upon Mr. Webster being voted to the chair. Mr. Stewart once more proposed his resolutions and the adjournment was again moved as an amendment, and carried by 11 to 10—thus reversing the majority, and bringing the meeting to a close, about 10 minutes after 11 o'clock—nearly three-quarters of an hour having been wasted in a profitless and most un seemly discussion. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN DIVIDEND.—The Lon don and North-Western dividend is currently reported at the rate of 5 per cent. p er annum only, owing to the Quarter Shares coming in for dividend this half-year for the first time. LONDON AND NORTH - WESTERN AND BUCKINGHAM SHIRE.—The Parliamentary declaration of the London and North-Western Railway Company with reference to this bill, sets forth that the cost of the undertaking is to be defrayed by means of funds they are authorised to raise by shares, and by borrowing on mortgage or bond, amounting to 35,546,9581., of which 23,951,6201. are authorised to be raised by shares, and 11,595,338/. by borrowing or shares, and of which there will remain unexpended, after deducting funds under other acts and funds for works proposed under other bills this session, a surplus of 60,0001. to be applied to the PurPoses proposed by the Buckinghamshire Bill. The schedule referred to in the declaration . 1-efers to 43 Acts of Parliament obtained by the London and North- Western for its establishment. Rio DE JANElRO.—Official intelligence has been re ceived by the Government of the discovery of a gold mine of extraordinary richness in the Serra of Botuca barn, between Iguape and Sorocaba. DEATH OF THE HON. B. C. YELVERTON.—We have to announce the death of the Hon. Barry Charles Yel verton, eldest son of Viscount Avonmore, of Belle Isle, in the county of Tipperary, and Hazel Rock, in Mayo. The sad event took place on the morning of the 11th inst., at Hazel Rock, after a short illness of only two , days. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. SPORTING NOTES.—No. CCCLXIII. Epsom, with its winter meeting will, if the weather continues fine, gladden the hearts of many of the metro politan turfites, who are tired of inactivity, with a day's good sport to-morrow. The movements of those inte rested in the result would seem to infer that the race for the Free Handicap Steeple Chase, which is over the usual steeplechase course will be confined to the CARDINAL GELD ING, QUICKSTEP, the Screw, and Half-and-Half--those being the only horses which have been backed by those in the secret ; consequently we may expect to see them pass the post in something like the order I have placed them. The Free Handicap Hurdle Race is booked as being pretty nearly a certainty for GULNARE ; Lady Bibina and Odiham, being supported, however, with tolerable spirit. The latest betting prices Quickstep at 2 to 1, the Cardinal Gelding at 3 to 1, and the Screw at 4 to 1 for the steeple chase ; Gulnare at 5 to 2, Lady Bibina at 7 to 2, and Odiham at 4to 1 for the hurdle race. Good odds against any other in either race. OUNDLE STEEPLE CHASE. The handicap for this race is considered a very indif ferent one ; and Mr. Osborne's Abd-el-Kader, Mr. Hursley's Talisman, and Mr. Hudson's Poll were de clared non-starters almost as soon as the handicap was published. TWOTEIOUSAND GUINEAS. I am given to understand that Lord Derby's Umbria] in all probability will not start for this, or any other race before the Derby. THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF. TATTERSALL'S.—MONDAY. METROPOLITAN HANDICAP. 25 to 1 agst Grapeshot. 30 to 1 Pug Orrock. 30 to 1 Lampedo. 30 to 1 Psaltery. 30 to 1 —• Snowdon Dunhill. EPSOM STEEPLECHASE. 3to 1 agst Cardinal. 3to 1 Quickstep. 4to 1 The Screw. LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE. 20 to 1 Knight of Gwynn() (taken). TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAR 9to 2 agst West Australian. CHESTER CUP. 20 to 1 Lady Evelyn (taken). 30 to 1 agst Constantine, (taken). 30 to 1 Scarecrow, (taken). 50 to 1 Indian Warrior (taken). 50 to 1 Trifle (taken). 50 to 1 Finn-Ma-Coul (taken). 50 to 1 Black Doctor (taken). 50 to 1 The Hatchet (taken). 1000 to 15 Merry Bird (taken). 1000 to 10 Talfourd, (taken.) 1000 to 10 Sanita, (taken.) 1000 to 10 Woolwich, (taken.) 1000 to 10 Banshee. 1000 to 10 Ammonia. 1000 to 10 Charity (taken). 1000 to 10 Shropshire Lass (taken). DERBY. 12 to 1 agst West Australian (taken). 15 to 1 .-- Pharos (taken). 16 to 1 Umbriel. 20 to 1 The Reiver. 25 to 1 Cheddar. THE BALLOT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SIIN. SlR,—Your very able article the other night regarding the " ballot" has been suggestive to me of the following reflections upon our representative system, which I shall be happy if you consider deserving of a place in your paper. - If all the members of Parliament were elected by an equal number of voters, the House of Commons, instead of legislating, as it is supposed to do at present, for the benefit of the various classes of the community, would have but one object in view—to develope to the utmost the resources of the country by promoting the interests of the majority of the people. Capital should be the foundation of our representative system, and not acres, or even intelligence only ; for it is upon the successful investment of capital that the bread of the labourer and artizan depends. The working man is really as much interested in the security of capital as the possessor. Thus universal suffrage would be an injury to all, more particularly to him who depends for his existence upon daily labour ; that is to say, upon the successful investment of tapital, for the votes of those who are rendered cautious from having something to lose would be swamped by those who, having nothing, are com paratively careless, and government at times would be in the hands of charlatans who have gained an unmerited popularity by deceiving the people into the belief that their interests are antagonistic to the capitalist, and who would endeavour to retain power by recklessly pandering to the unjust prejudices they have cre a ted. I imagine, then, that as the security of capital is so / , necessary to the interests of the working man, he would • willingly allow that the majority of the House of Com mons should be elected by those who have something at stake— all those we will say, by way of illustration, who pay the income tax—but acknowledging that labour has its rights, a certain number of representatives should be elected by universal suffrage ; that the requirements or complaints of the poor man could be made known, and that he might feel that he is not neglected, but has a voice in the Legislature. A Government supported by a majority elected upon this principle would be always a i popular, always a strong one ; we should never view the disgraceful anomaly of a House of Commons, supposing to represent the interests of the people, refusing to make those changes in the tariff upon which the existence of the country depended until it was absolutely intimidated by a pressure from without. Bribery would be out of the piestion, and the ballot unnecessary, for it would be so evidently to the interest of the voter to vote conscien tiously, that he would be as likely to sell his purse a nd , t the contents for a quarter of the value of the money it contained as to barter away so important a privilege. Thus, sir, as clearly as I am able, in the restricted limits of a letter, I have drawn your attention to a sub ject of great interest, which, perhaps, you may think proper more .fully to develope. in conclusion, permit me to subscribe myself, yours respectfully, C. W. S. Cambridge-street, Hyde-park.square. 0 THE 'STATISTICAL SOCIETY.—The monthly meeting of the Statistical Society was held last night in their cham bers, St. James's-square ; Lord Overstone, the president, in the chair. Among those present were—Lord Stanley, of Alderley, Vice-President of the Board of Trade ; Mr. Holt Mackenzie, Mr. W. L. Melville ; the Chevalier Hebeler, Consul-General for Prussia ; Messrs. C. Bab bage, F.R.S., C. Jellicoe, F. Goldsmid, W. Spence, F.R.S., F. G. P. Neison, and Dr. Guy. Mr. Farr read an elaborate paper on the subject of the Property and Income Tax, in which he contended that incomes, ought to be taxed according to their nature, and that it was not an English love of money but the English love of justice which had excited dissatisfaction with the existing arrangements. Mr. Babbage re-stated his well . known views, and urged the necessity for an agreemen t in certain principles before the question could be argued with the hope of arriving at a satisfactory conclusion. Trueman,Dr. Guy, Ar m l r. . N Je e l i l s i o c h o , e, th M e r c . h G ai r rm ove a , n, M a r. hd V m enb r. a m le a s e , k Elr. en. , in and th e wa d a is cfiunsasliloyn, adjourneda tos of h : zie also l too h k ara p e a t r e t r, technica c next monthly meeting. FATAL MISADVENTURE AT MANCHESTER.---YeSterdaY morning, a bricklayer's labourer, named Thomas Green wood, was charged - before Mr. Maude and other magiel• trates, at Manchester, with killing Michael Kerr, a boat man, on Saturday night. The case was one to create deep concern among all who are acquainted with the brutal and degraded position of the class to which these men belong. For no better reason than that both being partly intoxicated, they could not pass in the street without accidentally elbowing each other ; they came to blows, and went down upon the pavement. Kerr re gained his feet first, when the other kicked him in the pit of his stomach, and the blow proved fatal almost im- mediately. This took place at about a quarter to twelve o'clock on Saturday night, in Great Ancoats-street. Kerr had accompanied a woman to a grocer's shop near the place, and was lounging about when the prisoner came up. The encounter betw een t h e two scarcely lasted a minute. The prisoner told the magistrates, in defence, that the other man attacked him first, and, bay ing knocked him down, got hold of his smock, in cons& quence of which he kicked him, but had no idea it would be fatal. He was not apprehended till yesterday mor n ' ing, when Police-Sergeant Campion took him in Brewer/ . street. The prisoner was committed for trial at the Spring Assizes at Liverpool. NEW IRON SCREW STEAMER BENGAL. The Peninsult ir and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's new iro n screw steamer Bengal, C aptain Powel, arrived at Sout h• . ampton on Sunday from the Clyde, and is to be g °- ready at once for the Southampton, Malta, and Alesen dria mail service, and will start from Southampton, °P ; her first voyage to th e Mediterranean, on the 20th February. The B enga l i s the largest screw steamer an" the longest ship that has ever entered the Southampton`' Docks, and in every way a noble vessel, her tontine being 2,300, and horse-power 450. During the pascal from Scotland her performances were very satisfacte l l l although th e weather was most unfavourable. ~... Bengal is reported to have made a speed of over twe lve knots in slack water, and steamed eight knots aga inst heavy he a d w i n d and troubled sea. This is, we believe the greatest speed ever achieved by a screw propel i ; and it is confidently expected that the Bengal will, ordinary circumstances, run from Southampton to Bi e andria in eleven to twelve days, including stOppage B : o l REMITTANCES FROM THE G OLD REGIONS.—On ,he no less th an 78 registered letters were received et Limerick post-office, all conveying, remittances fr! o ul , Irish emigrants to their families and friends in the r oil . tiler country. A Galway paper (the Packet) mentions an instance of good fortune in Australia :—" W e , fo ot seen a person in town to-day who has just arrive" _ ton the Australian gold-diggings where he realised the. b t o f of 2,800/. He had in town bank bills to the aninT l e . e f 8301., for which he obtained cash. He is a n ative Ballinrobe, and a few years since was not worth as.ln ac . shillings as he now is pounds. He states that the se counts which reach this country regarding the imme nse quantities quantities of gold obtained are by no means exagger'n e f He intends to return immediately, taking out so e his his friends, b u t h e g i ves an aw f u l a c c ount of . prayed and licentious stase of society_at the diggWW"