The Sun. — London, England, 1853-03-29 00:00:00

assurance, that neither labour nor expense had been spared on his part to secure the public favour. Introduc ing a new company and a new stud to the Easter sight seers, of course Mr. Cooke could do no other than bring them forward in an entirely new spectacle, which consisted of an original equestrian spectacle and drama, entitled Amakosa, or Scenes of Kafir Warfare, accompanied with new scenery, music, costumes, and decorations. The drama has been written expressly for the occasion by Mr. E. Fitzball, author of Azael, and the Prophate, and, as its name imports, is founded on events in the recent Kafir war. Its interest lies mostly in the remarkably striking and difficult equestrian feats to which it is alto gether subsidiary, and which only after a long course of careful training the spirited and enterprising manager has taught his beautiful stud of horses to achieve. The whole piece was well sustained throughout, and on se veral occasions during its progress as well as at its close elicited the plaudits of the auditory. The wonderful performances of M. Pablo on the corde elastique, which followed, were watched with the most intense interest and admiration, and not the less so the succeeding series of performances, in which the great equestrian skill of the several members of Mr. Cooke's company, and the amazing docility, intelligence, and training of his admi rable stud, were brought out in forms the most striking and varied. ST. JAMES'S. Mr. Mitchell, in his opening prospectus, announced the appearance of the renowned Robert Houdin, at Easter. This prince of conjurors duly appeared last night, when he commenced the first group of perform ances, which, we are told, are to be his last in this coun try. Robert Houdin is the most expert of his craft. He never spoils an illusion by the clumsiness with which he developes it—like some of the gentry who essay to rival him. On the contrary, he deceives the eye most completely by the coolness of his address, and the per fect finish of his manipulation. He went through his performances last night with his accustomed adroitness, and the audience applauded him as of old. OLYMPIC. The Easter novelty at this house was " a new roman tic drama," by Morris Barnett, with the attractive title of Salvatori ; or, The Bandit's Daughter. It is avowedly founded upon Scribe'? well-known opera of Marco Spada, and in adapting it to the English stage in its new shape, Mr. Barnett has retained the skilful use of material, the neatness in the construction of the plot, and the point and precision of dialogue which attest its origin. The piece introduced several actors new to this house. Mr. Marston, who has removed from Sadler's Wells to take the position of stage manager, performed the part of Salvatori with great force and fine discrimi nation. The softening influence of his affection for Bianca upon his whole being and character was brought out in a series of minute, careful, and effective touches, and the death scene at the close was impressively and powerfully given. Miss Anderton, as Bianca, deserves creditable mention. Mr. F. Robson, from the Theatre Royal, Dublin, made a most successful debut in Beca telli, and Mr. Morgan, from the Birmingham Theatre, enacted the part of Lorenzo in a style which proved him to be a careful and useful actor. Miss H. Gordon sus tained her reputation in the Marchioness. The piece has been well got up, and is, in all respects, extremely creditable to the management. It was decidedly succes ful, and will, we imagine, have a run. In the farce of Catching an Heiress, which followed, Mr. Robson showed that if not at present able to supply the place of Mr. Compton at this house, he will prove a decided acquisi tion to the metropolitan boards in low comedy. His humour is genuine, racy, and varied, and excited general laughter and applause. . Altogether, under Mr. Mar ston's management, the Olympic made a very successful commencement of the Easter season. SURREY. The Easter piece at this theatre is entitled The Spirits of the Night, or the Legend of the Lake. The complica tion of the plot almost baffled our pursuit, which was every ten minutes or so further checked by the sudden death, by murder or suicide, of one or more of the indi viduals whose continuity of existence seemed dramati cally expedient ; and as none of these—with one excep tion—came to life again until the last scene, we began to be apprehensive that the development would altoge ther fail by reason of the total want of personages to fulfil it. There is, of course, plenty of " comic business," efficiently rendered by Messrs. H. Widdicombe (a very clever comedian), Mr. A. Younge, and Miss Lebatt, and there is some really good scenery, and mechanical illu sions and effects. SADLERS' W ELLS. The favour with which the productions of the most brilliant period in the history of English dramatic litera ture have always been regarded at Sadlers' Wells was evinced last night by the selection of the Merchant of Venice and the comedy of Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, without the admixture of any pieces of more modern date. The audience had, therefore, the satisfaction of receiving such an evening's entertainment as their ancestors en joyed in the Elizabethan age, when the works of Shake spear and of Beaumont and Fletcher had the charm in deed of novelty, but cannot be supposed to have had the advantages in performance which the more ample re sources of modern theatres render it possible to secure. The house was full. STRAND. At this favourite little theatre last night the perfor mances commenced with Bickerstaffe's lively opera of Love in a Village. There were a few minor incidents which might call for a critical review, but regarding the production as a whole, great praise must be awarded to it. Every part was intrusted to a meet representative, and the principal characters were in able hands. After the opera came the National Anthem by the entire com pany, admirably rendered, and all concluded with Lee's well known musical farce, The Invincibles. It was played with spirit and propriety, and met with great ap probation. MR. WOODIN'S CARPET-BAG. Not least among the entertainments of Easter, for all who love real fun and drollery, must be reckoned the admirable monopolylogical performances of Mr. Woodin. Though engaging to meet single-handed the public ap petite for amusement, he is a host in himself, not meta phorically, but really, actually, and in downright literal language, for instead of being "two single gentlemen rolled into one," he is nothing less than one gentleman rolled out and cut up into a railway-train-full of men, women, and little boys. He is a servant-maid out of place " on account of her followers," an octogenarian old gentleman, who sings of the olden time ; a burly M.P. e , with a horror of election commit tees ; an inquisitiv juvenile of three feet nothing ; a mysterious foreigner ; ,alackadaisical young lady; and, by way of conclusion, a whole pic-nic party of .some dozen individuals at one and the same time. His peisonations are exceedingly clever, and throughout a long entertainment never suf fers the attention of is audiene to flag for a single in- stant—in itself a safe h sign of excellence and talent. THE COLOSSEUM. The Easter attractions at this old and sterling exhibi tion are as powerful as ever. The fame of the extraor dinary panoramic view of London, for which the Colos seum has so long been renowned, is too widely spread to require any addition from us. Both as a work of art and as a truthful representation of one of the most extra ordinary scenes that was ever spread out before the eye of the artist, the view of London at this place well re pays the trouble of a visit. In addition, there is the panorama of "London by Night," with the strange and pleasing effect of the long lines of streets crossing one another in every diversity of direction, lighted up by innumerable spangles of lamps, so that the plan of the huge city is as well, if not more clearly, defined than by the broader glare of day. ADELAIDE GALLERY. The old-established enchanter Jacobs has pitched his tent at the little theatre in the Adelaide Gallery. To proclaim the merits of this artificer in mechanical illusion would be superfluous. His repertoire is copious ; his dexterity unimpeachable. He talks to the audience with the confidence of your recognised wizard, and cheats them out of their senses with a diverting effron tery. The redoubtable Jacobs will no doubt be in con siderable vogue during the Easter week—the brief period of time which he allots himself in London. PANORAMAS There is an extraordinary number of this class of en tertainment open at present, and, as far as we could ascertain yesterday from a visit to some of the best of them, they appear to come in for a large share of public patronage. The taste for them appears to have been steadily on the increase for some time, and if it is carried much further, we shall not have a disposable ro om of any size for other purposes in the metropolis. So completely systematised have shows of the kind be come, that you have scriptural subjects like Jerusalem and the Holy Shrines for the pious, Granada and the Alhambra, Hindostan, Nineveh, Lisbon and its earthquake, for those who like to see countries and places marked by historical associations, the gold fields for intending emigrants, and the lives of Wellington and Napoleon illustrated for those whose tastes lean towards military achievements. Of this list the illustration of the life and exploits of Napo leon is the most recent, and certainly one of the best. The tableaux are all remarkably well painted, and are free from that exaggeration which is sometimes so con spicuous in works of this kind. The Regent Gallery, in the Quadrant, has been handsomely fitted up for this diorama, which embraces all the most striking events in the career of the great Emperor. The panorama of the gold fields is also new and good, conveying an excellent idea of life in Melbourne and at the diggings, and giving some effective views of Australian pastoral scenery. The diorama of the life of Wellington still maintains its attractiveness, and drew yesterday a crowded attend ance. Numbers of visitors also went to see Burford's fine view of Granada and the Alhambra, which, if it at all resemble the original, must help to turn the steps of tourists in - increasing numbers towards Spain. Now that the art of phot - Traphy, and the discovery of the stereoscope have placed such resourc es in the hand s of artists for realising the most distant scenes, We may soon expect to see a new species of exhibition, superior in interest as well as in truthfulness to that at present so much in vogue. CREMORNE. Amongst the Easter festivities of this year, these favourite gardens hold out very prominent attractions to those who are fond of out-of-door pleasures. We were much pleased in visiting them last night, and in remark ing the many alterations and improvements which have taken place, and which, as summer approaches, will be recognised and appreciated, as the good taste and libe rality which have dictated them deserve. The evening's amusements commenced by an admirable ascent, effected by Chambers, in the Prince of Wales Balloon, accom panied by two gentlemen, though we regret we cannot say the descent partook of the same cha racter, inasmuch as a gentle dip near Hammer smith Suspension Bridge warned them they were fishing in troubled water, and proved that however delightful floating over the water might be, floating upon the water was altogether another sort of thing. We are, however, happy to add that the voyagers did float, they sunk not, but rose from their evening ablutions hice giants re freshed, making the bank their refuge, and quickly re traced their steps to Cremorne, where the " cold with out" was exchanged with hearty laughs and gratulations for the " warm within." The concert provided by the liberal lessee was novel and effective. The performances of the organophonic band appeared to give considerable pleasure ; and two ballads, " Bid me discourse," and " When will thou meet me," were sung by a Miss J. Braun, a new de butante to a London audience, in very superior style ; nor would we omit the performances of a boy, Eugene Rochez, which are more than usually surprising. He may well be termed the Devani of the present season, as he executes all the contortions of that extraordinary man with apparently perfect ease. A new illuminator, termed the " Kaleidescope Mag nifier," was introduced where formerly hung the tran sparency of the Queen and Prince Albert. Several are in progress for different parts of the gardens ; they will add much to the usual splendour of the illuminations, as the one shown is a perfect blaze of diversified light. The answers of Taylor, the double-sighted youth, were given, if possible, with greater 'rapidity than ever ; the dancing was as spirited as the fireworks were brilliant ; and Easter Monday closed, as Mondays usually do at Cremorne, with strong claims to pleasure-seekers' sup port for the rest of the week. THE GREAT GLOBE.' Mr. Wyld's vast contribution to the amusements of Easter—videlicet " the great globe itself and all that it inherit," as expounded by intelligent guides—attracted more than its usual share of visitors. Indeed, it may be questioned whether at any of the exhibitions of the metropolis a more pleasant hour may be wiled away than by thus, in so brief a space, traversing every clime, and visiting every country between the poles. DINNER AT THE MANSION-HOUSE. Last night a grand banquet was given by the Lord Mayor in the Egyptian-hall at the Mansion-house. The following distinguished guests attended :—The Earl of Aberdeen, Earl Granville, Sir J. Graham, Lady Graham, the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Mrs. Glad stone, Mr. Cardwell, M.P., and Mrs. Cardwell, the Mar quis of Breadalbane, the Prince of Saxe Weimar, Lord and Lady A. Harvey, Lord Ingestrie, Lord and Lady Wodehouse, Lord Blantyre, Earl and Countess Airlie , Bishop of Hereford, Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, the Attor ney-General, the Solicitor General, Vice Chancellor Wood, Hon. Dr. and Mrs. Legge, Lord and Lady Ers kine, Mr. Blomfield, Mrs. Blomfield, Baron Rothschild, M.P. Hon. Mr. and Lady Ann Charteris, Hon. R. S. Dundas, Hon. A. Kinnaird, Sir Charles and Lady East lake' Chevalier Drouet, General Jolley, Sir H. Bishop, Mr. Tupper, Mr. and Mrs. Oliveira, Mr. A. Pellatt, M.P., the Governor of the Bank of England and Mrs. Hankey, Mr. and Mrs. Jones Lloyd, Mr. J. A. Hankey, Mr. Hadow, Sir J. and Lady Campbell, Mr. Alderson, Mr. and Mrs. M. Wigram, Rev. Mr. Heath, Dr. Mortimer, Chaplain to the Lord Mayor, and Mrs. Mortimer, Dr. Wean', Mr. and Miss Williams, Captain A. Milne, Mr. John Sadleir,, Colonel Lawrence, Alderman and Miss Farebrother, Alderman and Mrs. Wilson, Alder man and Mrs. Humphery, Mr. Alderman Farncombe and Miss Stone, Sir William and Miss Magnay, Alder man and Miss Hooper, Sir John Musgrove, Alderman and Mrs. Moon, Alderman and Mrs. Finnis, Sir R. W. and Lady Carden, Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Kennard, Mr. Dillon, Mr. and Mrs. Caldecott, &c. After the dinner the healths of the "Queen," "Prince Albert, and the rest of the Royal family," were given, and most loyally responded to by the company. The LORD MAYOR next proposed " The health of the Bishop of Hereford," thanking him for the excellent sermon he had preached that day (at Christ Church). The Bishop of HEREFORD, in returning thanks, bore his testimony to the orderly and devout behaviour of the children at Christ Church, and then, in adverting to the subject of education, observed that that was now the great question in the country, and he was glad that it had been earnestly taken up by the Ministry. (Hear, hear.) The Lord MAYOR, in proposing the toast of " The Navy and Army," said that deeply as they all should regret the calamity of a European war, yet, should the country, from necessity, be engaged in such a contest, the name he was about to connect with the toast would tend to inspire confidence that all that could be done would be effected by the Executive to make the naval service as effective as possible. He gave the " Navy and Army," connecting with the toast the names of Sir J. Graham and Lord Ingestre. Sir J. GRAHAM said that the duty of presiding over the Board of Admiralty at the present moment having been confided to him by her gracious Majesty, he had been commanded by the Lord Mayor, in the absence of any admiral, though in the presence of brave and dis tinguished officers of the navy, to return thanks on behalf of that gallant profession. The duty was a proud and grateful one to him. (Hear.) The recollections of the British navy were dear to the heart of every English man, formed the most conspicuous portion of the history of this country, and were written indelibly in the annals of the world. (Applause.) In peace—and it was peace alone that he wished to contemplate—in peace that gallant profession was the protector of British commerce throughout every quarter of the world, and itself was mainly dependent for its strength on the success of the mercantile marine. (Hear, hear.) It was a subject of no jealousy, because it could not be the enemy, but was always the guardian of the liberties of the people of this country. (Hear, hear.) Should that sad event, which he could not contemplate,—should unhappily war occur, then he was satisfied the marine of England, which had been so often trusted by the people of this country, and which had never disappointed their expectations, would, as heretofore, be found the safeguard of the sea-girt shores of our native island. It had ever repelled the foreign invader, and it would do so again, should at any future time any attempt at invasion be made ; and, whether in peace or in war, the naval force of the country would, he was sure, always be ready to meet the expectations of the country, to defend its liberty, and to secure the honour and character of that flag, which "a thousand years had braved the battle and the breeze." (Cheers.) Lord INGESTRE returned thanks for the army. The LORD MAYOR then proposed " The health of the Earl of Aberdeen and her Majesty's Ministers." After uttering a warm. eulogium on Lord Aberdeen's private character, he proceeded to say, that the noble Earl's great ability and vast experience tended to inspire confi dence that under his superintendence her Majesty's Government would originate those beneficial measures which the country expected at their hands. (Hear, hear.) He knew that on occasions like the present it was the duty of the chief magistrate to put aside all party feeling, and he felt he was not departing from that rule in saying that her Majesty's Ministers had his entire sympathy as well as support. (Hear, hear.) The Earl of ABERDEEN, who was received with ap plause on rising, in acknowledging the honour conferred on his colleagues and himself, thought he might venture to say that the Lord Mayor could not invite to the splendid hospitalities of that hall any Ministers of the Crown, be they who they might, who did not respect his high office, and who did not feel warmly interested in the welfare and prosperity of the great city over which he presided. (Applause.) He begged the company to believe that those feelings were largely shared in by her Majesty's present Government. (Hear, hear.) If at any time her Majesty's Ministers would rejoice to meet such an assembly of their fellow-subjects as the one now col lected together, they must especially do so on the present occasion, when all the great interests of the country were prosperous and flourishing to a degree almost unparal leled, and when the Cheers) bdy of the people were con tented and happy- to It en w de a a s vo t u h r e to bus r i e n s e e s r s v o o f her Majesty's Government p n a t ol s a n i o l d t , p i r f e Lo in s s e i b t l o e, a s t s o ig e n xt t e h n e d c t a h u o s s e e s b o le f s sings . He national n a should pros perity, . perity, but, whatever p this portion might be assigned to hu mane agency, they woulddowoerllstoofrmecaoull.ectmtheaatra)goHode Providence had blessed the efforts h eonthoaftpothliatitcawlaospinnoiotnst, e ye p t la h ce e t o h r ou ti g m h e t for was the lelx aware s a s r i b it e e tre jes ld ear n ue o s t t beendeoauvtouorf ofsehaesronmtao satyy,sthGatovietruwmouleudt to preserve the state of peace without the aid of which they would never have enjoyed the blessings possessed. Neither did he think it superfluous the to they -now that it would be their endeavour also to p rotect and, extend, as far as lay in their power, th e commerce of this country in every quarter of the globe. (Cheers.) , The LORD MAYOR proposed " The Hous e of Lords,' and connected with the toast the name of the President of the Council, Earl Granville, observing that never in the history of the country had that august assembly numbered among its membe rs so man y distinguished persons, more ennobled by their virtues than by their rank ; and its conduct was such as to entitle it to the esteem and confidence of the country. (Applause.) Earl GRANVILLE, in acknowledging the toast, said he believed that there was no mathematical maxim so generally received as that they could not insure the per manence of their political freedom or individual inde pendence without the continuance of the representative government they enjoyed ; and he thought it was almost as general an opinion that the second branch of the Legislature was necessary for the good working of the system. (Hear, hear.) What the Lord Mayor had just stated was, in his opinion, true, that the House of Lords at the present moment held a very considerable position in the good opinion of the community. Such had not always been the case, for some very few years ago bitter speeches in reference to the House .of Lords were made at public meetings, and hostile pamphlets were written, with such titles as The Peers or the People —What will the Lords do ? While others put the ques tion still more ominously, as follows :—" What shall be done with the Lords?" (Laughter.) He believed that that feeling was now entirely changed, as was evidenced by the tone of the public press. (Hear, hear.) A few months ago they had read in the public prints an elo quent defence of the House of Peers, made by Lord Derby at Liverpool, a town only second to the great commercial city of London. The noble lord, on that occasion, said that he could not take on himself to say that every individual in the House of Peels was the model of a legislator ; and, within the last few weeks, one of his own colleagues (Lord J. Russell) had made, he was afraid, a similar admission, when he said he did not think that every peer was in fallible. (Laughter.) He was not inclined to argue the point against a man whom he had taken, since his first entrance upon political life, as his guide upon all con stitutional questions. But, were he disposed to contest the point, the very wcrst place he could choose to do so in would be the city of London, where that noble lord's great qualities were fully appreciated, and where all political parties agreed that the fact of his being the re-_ presentative of 'so large a constituency was an honour both to the electors and the elected. (Cheers.) Not being himself one of the ornaments of the House of Peers, he might be permitted, without the reproach of egotism, to say that there existed among that body men who yielded to no class in the country for the liberal and comprehensive view they took of all the great questions most necessary to be settled at the present time, and who felt the responsibility which attached to them as members of an institution endeared to the country by those historical traditions which possess so much weight with Englishmen. (Applause.) The Duke of ARGYLL proposed " The health of the Lord Mayor." (Applause.) He said that that was to him the first time of his partaking of what his noble friend had truly called the splendid hospitality of that ancient hall ; and he could not partake of that hospi tality without having great recollections brought to his mind with regard to the past, and great hopes with re gard to the future. He could not help calling to mind those parts of our history when the liberties of the Eng lish people were fought in these municipal institutions ; and, as regarded the future, he cherished the hope that the progress of commerce over the globe would contribute to a new era in the history of human affairs. He was not one of those who believed that the time had yet arrived when they could hang the bugle in the hall, bend their swords into ploughshares, and convert their spears into pruning-hooks ; but he thought that the progress of commerce over the globe, carried on mainly by the great people of this country, and by that other great people who had sprung from the loins of England,—he thought that the progress of com merce, especially if conducted by high principle and in a Christian spirit, would finally lead to the great diminution, if not extinction, of those wars of am bition which had hitherto desolated the world. But it was not a selfish interest in the extension of commerce, but rather to the character of their merchants, that they must look for this blessed consummatioi. It was to th Lat character they must trust, not only for the security of their institutions, but their influence over the other nations of the world. (Hear, hear.) They had great and noble examples of the highest development of the English character ; and, above all, they had it in that great man who, from commanding the armies of Eng land, had been called to command her Senate, and who, a few short months ago, had been carried to his final resting-place under the cathedral of that great city. (Hear, hear.) The Poet Laureate, who had written some touching lines to that great man's memory, said— " Not once or twice in our rough island story The path of duty was the way to glory." Though those words referred to the glory acquired in war, he conceived that they were equally applicable to the glory aoquired in the avocations of peace ; and, as he believed there had been great and noble develop inents of character among the British merchants, he trusted that that character would still be maintained, and he rejoiced to give the health of the present Mayor, because he believed his lordship represented in his cha racter those virtues which he hoped would long con tinue to adorn the merchant princes of England. (Cheers.) The LORD MAYOR, after acknowledging the compli ment paid him, gave "The health of the Chancellor of the Exchequer." (Applause.) He stated that the Chancellor of the Exchequer always occupied a post of great difficulty, especially if he had a surplus ; and therefore, notwithstanding the right hon. gentleman's great ability, he needed all the encouragement which the expressions of their sympathy could give. (Cheers and laughter.) The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER returned thanks. He said he was aware that there were other feelings besides admiration and respect which might be excited by the position of a Chancellor of the Exchequer, and he fully believed that the pre dominant sentiment in the minds of all humane men towards the person whose duty it was to fill that office was one of sympathy and commisera tion. (Laughter.) From his own brief experience he could speak as to the anxiety of different parties to share in the treasures which, as they imagined, it was in the power of the Chancellor of the Exchequer to diffuse over a smiling land, and their desire to participate in some imagined surplus of the public revenue very com monly outran the care to inquire whether that surplus existed, or what was its extent. (Laughter.) The difficul ties imposed on a Chancellor of the Exchequer were such, that nothing but the kindness and indulgence of his fel low-countrymen could induce him to face either the labour or the responsibility of the exercise of his office. The existence of representative government had intro duced into this country a spirit of strictly examining the financial administration ; and he did not think that a matter to be lamented, for he regarded well-weighed and matured public opinion as the most powerful assistance that could be afforded to the holder of any office in the discharge of its duties. He was convinced, too, that whether or not he might succeed in dealing with the great and complicated subjects that fell under his super vision, the decisions and proceedings of the Govern ment would be brought to a candid tribunal ; that they would enjoy the benefit of an impartial and even indul gent judgment ; that it would be believed that they were sensible, at any rate, that they had a character to lose, and that they were actuated by a spirit of honest patriot ism, and 'a desire to give effect to those principles which had been adopted of late years, and had manifestly tended to augment the prosperity of the country. (Applause.) The LORD MAYOR gave " The health of the President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Cardwell," observing that that right hon. gentleman had earned for himself, by his intelligence, industry, and ability, a high position in public opinion. Mr. CARDWELL said that he had not had the least idea, until he heard the words fall from the lips of the chief magistrate of the City of London, that when the health of that august assembly, the House of Commons, was to be proposed to the great municipal body now collected together on the present festive occasion, the duty of acknowledging the toast would be assigned to a member of the house holding a position there so incon siderable as he did. Nevertheless, by the office he filled, he had the honour, in regard to trade, to be the servant of men whose fleets had covered every sea, and whose enterprise was subduing by peaceful conquests the utmost limits of the world. (Hear, hear.) That enterprise they were not satisfied should tend only to their own advantage, but, with an enlightened spirit, they were making their commerce the pioneer of science, art, and civilisation, and the handmaid of Christianity itself. (Applause.) And let him ask, why was it that this great extension of their trade had been accomplished, and why was it that they wore now assembled in that festive hall the greatest commercial community in the world ? Precisely for the same-reason that the House of Commons was the great refuge of liberty banished from other countries, and was the great conservator of freedom and happiness for all the other nations of Europe. (Hear.) It was, as had been eloquently ob served by Sir J. Mackintosh, in consequence of the freedom of our institutions, and the scope which they afforded for the development of energy and industry, that Great Britain held the proud position she did among the nations of the world. (Hear, hear.) It was that spirit which had constituted the House of Com mons, based, as the noble duke (the Duke of Argyll) had told them, on the ancient municipalities of the country ; and in the House of Commons, as well as in the municipal communities, it was the native energy of the British character and the unfettered power of British ability which had established the Government of this country. Requesting the assembly to accept his acknowledgments on behalf of the House of Commons, he concluded by expressing a hope that that body would always deserve the confidence of an assembly of British people such as the one he then addressed. (Applause.) Several other toasts followed, after which the company retired from the dining-hall. HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The statement that her Majesty's Theatre had fallen into the hands of the Co vent Garden management, it seems, has proved quite correct, notwithstanding the contradiction given to it. Mr. George Becke, solicitor, of Bedford-row, in writing to a contemporary, says :—" Mr. Gye has requested me, as the solicitor of Mr. W. S. P. Hughes (to whom pos session of the property was delivered by the Sheriff of Middlesex on the 26th of January last), to inform you 1. that your first announcement, stating the letting of the theatre to Mr. Gye, was correct ; and also that a con tract was signed at my office on Tuesday last, by which Mr. Hughes demised the theatre to Mr. Gye from the 25th of the present month." FURTHER RIOTS AT BLACKBURN.—We regret to say that 2 fioanunprpßt Friday al r e ari r cds k r a i by o utmrs that n , a r r inaa i s rn i dg n ge g ,t hbhoaoauttdvrthye. the e o orra f fegi bes t amyi h ei dni e og eitnht e eva l :hi e rdtnmy c hg t , ee i t o ntowL n : bheto h eigreh a seflae v anlynd e tet: aedr o nmfa c eodvp c ar u ean. d dl rrict laittn eed h l eg t e, drapers and grocers, residing in Blackburn, had voted to t o h n e rr n h u u m r s b d e a r y o m f 8 0 O r n f i o n r g M , large majority by which he headed his opponent almost from the opening of the poll. Saturday night was fixed upon for attacking the houses of these persons and taking a revenge. Between half-past 7 and Bon that night the son of one of them, a young man name d , James Johnston , w as attacked by a mob in Penney- 2 s t ree t with bludgeons and brickbats. He was badly beaten, and sought refuge in the house of Mr. Smith, the ironmonger ; but the mob followed him there, beating him about the head with Mr. Smith's poker, and leaving him covered with blood and insensible on the hearth. The houses of several other persons were at tacked, and their windows and window shutters were destroyed with stones. A person in one house fired upon the mob and wounded one of the " Hornbyite" or Conservative ruffians. Not less than 11 small shot had been extracted from the man's face and body yesterday. The military were sent for, and a company of 80 of thp remain a n i n e g n m e t n h t e arrivedtown. at Thell o m n a Saturday at e s werenight, y who ee r still y swearing in 400 special constables. The small police force were unable to cope with the mob, whose move ments were aided by the darkness of the night, the street lamps not being lighted. Only one of the ruffians was brought before the magistrates yesterday, and he was simply bound over to appear at the sessions. WEDDING AT TAMLAGHT RECTORY, COUNTY DERRT.— We had great pleasure in witnessing the happy event of the marriage of the Rev. Edward Groome, rector of Beaulieu and Drumcar, in the county Louth, with Har riet Maxwell, daughter of the Rev. Maxwell Carpendale, rector of Tamlaught, and granddaughter of the Very Rev. Thomas Carter, late Dean of Tuam, which afforded so much happiness and enjoyment to all the people in the neighbourhood. The church was beautifully deco rated for the occasion, the pillars being t a stefully encir cled with i v y an d evergreens, w i t h Gothic arches up the aisle.—Derry Sentinel. ►0 all all 1 all Ai 3 ;t. 100 ;t. 100 9 12 .0 1 ;t. 100 k) 34 ;5 all ;5 all it. 100 38 48 it. 100 ;t. 100 i 0 47 '5 17i 10 all it. 100 6 3 i 5 16 io I all it. 1100 5 all i 0 M. 100 .6 13 .6 6i 8 all 8 5 !0 17i O all .0 10 >t. 100 ft. 100 ft.. 100 ;t. 100 >t. 100 LO 8 !6i all .3A all :0 all ;0 6a O all >t. 100 O all O 15 .. I 16i ?,5 19 20 all 50 all 20 13 10 21s. 10 1 3t. 100 25 20 25 11i It. 100 100 5 all it. 100 ft. 100 5 I all 6 41 all 3i I all 5 all 7i 2 65 all 6i all .0 all ;0 all it. 1100 5 I all .1140 t. 1100 6j I all it. 100 .6 6 it. 100 it. 100 ;t. 1100 'OO 1 5 211 10 0l all 6 3 1.2i1 all .2i all .2i 8 1 it. 100 3t. 100 6i 5 9 all 5 all 2 all 3t. 100 ?,0 all 'it. 100 .5 9 8 all .0 all 10 10 25 all 10 1. .0.6 all 0 all 5 3 '. 100 i 57 1 105 THE SHARE MAR BRITISH RAILWAYS tr.i . Paid, 400 0 8! .4 I all 1 I 28 qil all n 181 ft. 100 it. 100 i 0 all 0 all 0 all 0 45 :5 all 5I all 15 all 1.8 1 all !O all 15 all m 8 $ all it. 100 i 0 all RAILWAYS. Aberdeen A.mbg. Nottng. Bost & Eastn. June__ IBirmng. Wolverh. Stour Birkenhd. Lancsh. Cheshire Juuct......1 'Do. Chesh. & Birk, £5O & £25 Cons.. , Do., £2O Bristol & Er.eter.. Caledonian. Chester & Holyhead Cork and Bandon.... Cork, Black. & Pass. Dublin &Belfast June. Dundee Perth &Aber. deen Junction Do. New East Anglian (£25 L. & E. d; L. & D.) ..... Do., (.£lB E. & 11.).., Eastern Counties .. . Eastern Union, Class, A. late E. U. 5h.... Do., ..... Do.; B. & C. East Lancashire .. East & West Ind. Dk. & Binning. June Edinburgh & Glasgowl Edinb. and Peebles + Edinb.Prth.&Dundee l Glasgow & S. Western Great Northern Stk Do., A. Stock Do., B. Stock Gt. Sth. &West. (Ire.) Great Western Win South-Eastern. Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds Lancash. &Yorkshire Do., Fifths Do., Wst. Riding Un Leeds Northern ... . . Liv. Crsby. & South - pt. London & Blackwall Lond. Tilb. & Sthend. Lond.Bright.&S.Cst. London & N. Western' Do. Fifths Do. ,10/.Sh.,M&B c London & S. Western Do., £50........ ...... Do. Lncindrry.&Coleraine Lrdndrry. & Ennisk. tlanch.Shef. &Lincln. Do., Man. &Lin. U r. Midland .... .. Do. Birming.&Derb Midland G. West. (Ir. Do. Shares .......... Newcastle & rlislo.. Newmarket............ Do. Bury Extension: Newpt.Aberg. &Htfd Newry & Enniskillen Newry Warrenpoint & Rostrevor Norfolk Do., New..... Northn. Counties Un North British North Devon, No.l Do., No. 2... Do., A D e ferred . Do., B Guaranteed North Staffordshire... North Western N. & S. Westrn. Junc: I Oxford Worcester Wolverhampton Scottish Central Scottish Midland Shrewsbury & Birmg Do., L. & N. Westu Guaranteed Stock Shrewsby. & Herefd Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. Min.) Do. Halves, do Do. Oswes try Shropshire Union South Devon South Eastern South Wales S. Yorksh. River Dun I Do . Stockton & Hartlepl. Thames Haven Dock and Railway Vale of Neath Waterfd. & Kilkenny Waterford&Limerick West Cornwall Wmbledon &Croydon Woodford ..........• • • . York Newctl. &Berw. Do. Extensions...—. I Do. G.N. E. Purchase York & N. Midland.. Closing Prices this day. 29 - 30 61 9 104 7i 64 d 21 -• 22 3i -- 2A d! 101 -- 105 1 64 -64 A , 21 -- 22 18i -19 i, -. lip 8 - 9 Si -- 4 3i 4 12i -- 13 10 - 11 76 - 8 716 - 726 54 --• 57 73 - 75 32 -- 34' 61 -- 63 80i —81 i 46 -- 48 122 - 124 107 -- 108 90i 914 61 -- 74 92 -- 94 13 -- 13ip 74i -- 74 Si -- 3 -34 d 15' -- 164 44 :i - d1 8 - 84 8- 5 p 47i - 484 , 100 - 102 62 - 64 64 - 66 70 - 75 18 - 20 9- - 10 14 - 15 3i - 3 (1 204 - 213 77 - 77; 361 - 861 12§ - 131 4 -4, 19 - 21 2 21 15 —15 i 9 94 29 31 9i 9i i d Par 681 - 6i - - 58 - 59 PREFERENCE SHARES, Aberdeen Do., No. 2, 7 P. c Bris. do Ex. 4 p. e. St Do. 4 p. c. Shares Caledonian £lO Chester & Holyhead) Guar. 5 1 per cent... Cork &Balaon 5? p.c. Dundee Perth&A.ber. deen Junction EastA nglian (£3los) 6 per cent.......... .. " , Do. (25) 7 per cent.. Do. (£7l7s) 7 p. ct.. Eastern Counties Ex tension, 5 p. C. No.l Do., No. 2.. ..... Do., New 6 p. c. St. Eastern Union, Seri . Guar. 6 per cent... EastLaucish. 6 p. cts ,Edinb.Prth.&Dunde( 5 3 / 4 per cent_ Glasgow Sa S.Weste: guar. 5 per cent. Great Noithn. 5 p.c. Do. 5 p. c., Redeem.; at 10 p. c. prem Gt. Southn. diWestn. (Ireland) Eighths... Gt. Westn. (Berks & Hants Ex. 5 p. c.).. G. West. fixed 4i p c. Lan. & York. F. £2O, Do., 6 p. c., Stock London and Brighton Guaranteed sp. c.. Do. Pref., 5 p. c. St. Do. Convertible, 6 p.' c., 1852 . ....... . Do. New Guar. 6 p.c.l London & S. Western, Con. Thirds Londonderry& Coler. Shares Condy. dr Ennis. a Sh Manch. ,Shef., di Lin., i Shares, No. 1 Do. New, £10... Do., 26. ... Marypt. &Carl. 4 p. c. Do. 2 4 , per cent ....... 1 1 14 18} Mid. Consol. 6 p. c. St. Do. Consol. Bristol dr Birm. 6 per cent Do. Pref. 4 t i per cent Norfolk Extension Do. Guar. 5i per ct Do. Way. Val. 5 p c North British North Staffordshire Oxford Worcester dr, Wolverh. £15,6p. c.' D... Shrews& Birm. N. G. Shrewsby. & Chester, (Nor. W. Min),B p. c. Do. 5 per cent.. South Devon . !Do. New S. Eastern (Reading Ann.,) of £1 0%61 1 S.Yorksh.4p.c.Guar. Waterfd.&lCilk.6p.c.l York Newcastle and Berwick, 4 p.c.Pref Do York& N.Midland H, & S. Purch los' - 1081 LSi -19 i ( d - ---- 4 3 4 - 11 p - 1 p - 15 - 19 31- 3 ia = iii - 111. 8i 8 i 8 i I ri .05 107zd d—ii P 1.50 152 ad ad IEO - 153 31 13 10 - 11 13 - 13 i 31 - 8 -- 9 10i -- 114 p 148 —l5O - xci l i 22. #23 P 1 109 111 25a —26 i * 10 / li Ili 17 —18 i 11 15 1 par P 26} 261 20 21 id par 1 1.01 -103 6 - P - 106 x d 149 x d 1 d— — pa 1 1 r 1 41 -- 51 2 -- 2i p 21 -- 2 did 5 —6 p 1i -- 2ip 1 -- lip i - I P 1 71 - 4f 1 1 ,1 h a 5 -- 36 - 14 - - 18 - 42h 42 - 33h - 4h -. P - 20 - 9 ti i 4. 1 idis 94 id FOR: A.utworp&Rotterdam BelgianE^stn. Junct. Charleroi & Erquolin. Dijon andßesangon Dutch Rbcnish East Do. Extension Gt. Indian Peninsula Gd. Junct. of France Gt. Western of Canada Shares Lucca & Pistoja sp.c. pref... ....... Luxembourg Do. (Railway) Do. )o. (Canal)... Do. 6 p. a. prof Lyons dr Mediterran Madras Namur & Liege (wit] interest) Do. (ex interest) Northern of Fritnee Do. 201. 3 p. c. Bda. (fmy. B. & Ams. Shs : Norwegian'PrunkPrei Paris and Lyons , Paris and Orleans Paris and Rouen Paris and Strasbourg ParisCaen &Cherbrg. Quebec &Richmond..l Rouen and Havre.... Sambre and Meuse... Do. 56 p. et. pref.... Southern of France.. Upper India Scrip ... West Flanders......., Do. 5 per c. Western of France... West. of Switzerland Zealand.. .0 3 5 3 ;(;) all !O 6 !Co 8 ,h) all ?Co 1 5 all 80 7 51 1 20 15 10 10 5 2 6 3 10 20 7 20 20 all 0 1 all A all !CO all ET S. Bas neag done this day. 1011 64j i 4 21i 123 2 107 1 90 1 13 pm 74t 5 4i i 15i 16 4 1031 4f 31 118 171 i 90 B9l 90/ 73i 4 31 52i 3 77i 6 7i 36k 15i i 684 9 124 I 58 4 71 Pi= 1/ 14/ Ima 127 6i 1101 1091 9 81 2 91 18ip 43i 43 - §irl iopl LINES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS. RAILWAYS. Leasing Compans. Closing Prices this dity. B 'ord and Bletchley Birm. & Oxfd. guarante2 Do. winout gr Birm.Wolv. & Dudley guar. Do.wthtgoar. Buckghamsh. ClydesdalaJc. E. Lincoln. gr. 6 p. cent Glstr.&Dn.Fr lirtlpl. Dk. Railway Hull & Selby. Do. Shares. Do. i Shares. Lon.&Greenw Do. Preference Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent Do. 6 y - ,r Ct Maucb.Bztrn add latlock diddle ,bro' & Redear Midld.Bradfd. Northern and Easternsp.c. Do. 6 per ct.. Do.Fixedsp.c Prest. dzPyre Do. i Shares. Roystn.& Hit. Do•Shepth.St. Shef. Roth. & Goole g.5.p.c S. Staffordsh WearValleygr 6 per cent Do Wilts &Som: 13usines this day. Loudon N. Wesi Gt.Westn Do' 30 -31 29i -30 i Do Do L. &N.W, Caledon 30 - 31 29 - 30 104 -106 521 -53 Gt. Notrho Gt. Westn. Yk. New. & Bervr Y.citN. Md Do 'l5l - 153 323 - 333 111 - 113 551 - 561 27 - 28. 131 - 141 251 - 261 19 - 191 26 - 27 ' 21- - Si Do S. Eastern Do Norfolk Do Lu. &N.W & Midld Stekton Darlingt. Midland ' 105 - 1:061 E. Count Do 64 - 66 L. cit 1\ . W &LIAL Yk Do Gt.Northn Do Lancash.ds Torksh MrMClcan Stockt. & Darling Do 149 - 151 148 - 150 1— ad, 132 -- 33 102? 103? IGt.Westn. 103 2 MINES. 1 all Agua Fria 1 —l4 p 10s. all Anglo Californian _ 4 4 p 10 2 Australasian 20 5 Australian 5 6 p 1 all Australian Cordillera p 14 1 all Australian Freehold. 1 dis— a p 1 1 all Ave Maria a dis— a p 1 all Baden (Gd. Duchy of) par a p 1 all British Austrin. Gold 4 4 p 20 13.5 British Iron 7 9 35 241 Brazilianlmp. (issued at £5 pm 4l 54 30 all Do. Cocaes & Cuiada 44 44 44 a 20 15 Do. St. John Del Rey 30 —3l 1 1 Careons's Creek par 40 all Cobre Copper 47 49 47 1 1 Colonial Gold 24 24 • 14 Copiapo 5l 64 all Copper MM. of Eng BO 90 85 25 all Do. Pref. 71 p. cent 8 9 p 5 all English and Austin Copper Smeltg. Co l4 1 d 34 20 all General l7 —l9 2 all Great Nugget Vein_ 21 —2l p 43 3 all Great Polgc 3th 1 all Lake Bathurst 4 iii— par 1 all Liberty P 1 all Lond.&Californ. Gold Quartz Crush. Co — 1 d 1 all Mariquita Ad— par 10 9 Mexicau&S.Americn 8 - 81 1 all New Granada 4 - 1 p 1 all Nouveau Monde ll —13 p 5 1 Port Philip p l4 1 all Qmirt4 Rock 4 die 4 p 50 all Rhymney Iron 23 —25 p 244 15 Do. New 7 8 30 10f Santiago de Cuba 7 8 1 all South Australian — 10 7 Tin Croft ...... 28a all United Mexican 64 -63 61 1 all Waller par — 4 p 1 all West Granada 4 3 p 1 all West Mariposa 1 die A p 1 all Yuba par # p 14 JOINT-STOCK BANKS. 40 all Australasia 9l 93 92 11 50 all British N. American 20 2 Chrtd. Buk. of India, Australia, & China 14 —24 p 100 25 Colonial — 100 20 Commercial of Loud ... 10 English Scottish and Australian 2l 24 p 20 121 Lond. Cuart. Bk. of Australia 44 —44 p 50 20 London and County 50 10 London Joint Stock _ 100 20 Lond. & Westminster 20 2 London Bank of Aus tralia and India 50 221 National of Ireland 25 all Oriental Bank of Corporation 571 581 584 9 8 71 25 5 Do. New — 100 25 Provincial of Ireland 10 all Do. New — 5 1 Royal Australn.Bkg & Gold Imp Co aclii 4 p 25 all South Australia 5O 52 25 all Union of Australia 76} 774 77 21 Do. New 8 9 50 10 Union of London 174 40 all Union of Madrid.. • MISCELLANEOUS 100 35 t astralian A gricult. 98 -- 103 100 99 102 100 20 4 Australsn.Pciac.Mall 10 1 Australn. Royal Mail - - 381 Belt. American Laud ... 100 324 Canada — 5 1 Crystal Palace — ••• 63 1 4 2 Crystal Pal. of France 20 1 Eastern Steam — 1 1 Electric Teleg. of Ir — 15 14 Gen. Steam Navigat — 100 50 General Screw Steam 20 21 Irish Beetroot Sugar 1 all Nat. Pat. Steam Fuel 10 2 Netherlands Land — 20 21 Nrth.ofEuropeSteam 50 all Peninsular & Oriental 844 4 50 25 Do. Do. ... 454 100 60 Royal Mail Steam . . 77 8 25 25 South Austral. Land 52 54 52 1 1 Subms„ Telegraph 5 2 Univeral Emigration and Colonization.......- 100 284 Van Diemen's Land 23 24 24 31 24 31 birb 12bition. ST. ALBAN'S RACES. (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) ST. ALBAN'S STEEPLECHASE. Guipure . Sam Hood Three ran. Won in a canter. MARKET NEWS-(THIS DAY.) COLONIAL. The Colonial markets re-open to morrow.] TEA.—The market has been steady, but the deliveries have fallen off. _ _ _ _ —. SuGAR.----The quantity of British Plantation landed last week at the East and West India Docks was 279 hhds, 5 tierces, 12 barrels. There were taken for home con sumption 599 hhds, 27 tierces, 76 barrels. The stock in the same place is 4,028 hhds, 736 tierces, 591 barrels. RUM.—The quantity landed last week at the East and West India Docks was 272 puns, 33 hhds. , There were taken for home consumption 195 puns, 24 hhds, and ex ported 25 puns, 73 hhds. The stock in the same place is 8,654 puns, 648 hhds. TALLOW.—P.Y.C. is 44s Gd per cwt. on the spot, and town 46s 6d. HAT MARKETS. SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay . , 3/ 153 to 4/ 123; clover ditto, 4/ Os to Si 5s ; and straw, 1/ lOs to 1/ 14s per load. Supply but moderate, and trade firm. CIIMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, 3/ Os to 4/ 163 ; clover ditto, 3/ 10s to Si 8s ; and straw, 1/ 12s to 11 16s per load. Trade steady. WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, 3/ 10s to 4/ 108 ; clover, ditto, 3/ Os to 5/ lOs ; and straw, 1/ 8s to 1/ 12s per load. A full average supply, and a steady demand. LLOYD'S SHIPPING-(THIS DA Y.) LONDON, March 29.—Wind this day at Noon, N.E., light breeze, and fine clear weather. DEAL, March 28.—Wind, E. by N., very fine. Arrived —King Oscar, Hayti ; Stiftreintmann Harigraft, New York. Arrived from the River, and sailed—Kew, for Hobart Town ; Eu, Melbourne ; Virginia, Port Philip ; Gotland, do. ; Harpley, do. ; Sea Witch, Shanghai ; Emma, Pernambuco ; Maria Agnes, Barbadoes ; Brisk, Antigua ; Miramichi, St. John's. LIVERPOOL, March 28.—Wind, W.N.W. Arrived — Emma Fields, New Orleans, making a little water ; Glen yon, Savannah ; Cambria (s), Boston, &c. Sailed—Vis count Sandon, Bahia ; Alice Gill, Montreal ; Onnie, Mel bourne ; New Margaret, Rong Kong • liannah, Rio Janeiro ; Onward, New Orleans ; Cornelia, New York ; John Hancock, do. ; Fred. Willim IV., Boston ; Dykes, Halifax ; Fingalton, do. ; Commodore, Quebec ; Sarah Mary, Montreal. PLYMOUTH, March 28.—Wind, E.S.E. Arrived—Cal cutta (s), Calcutta, &c., and Cape of Good Hope. Sailed —Abegail, Quebec. Thirteen of the crew and some of the passengers of the Duncan Ritchie, Leith to Port Philip, have been landed here by the Agneta Juliana, they having abandoned that vessel in a leaky state, in let. 49 N., long. 6 W., leaving the master, officers, and remainder of pas sengers on board. • PORTSMOUTH, March 28.—Wind, E. to S.E. Sailed — Larkin, King George's Sound • Providence, New York. S O UTHAMPTON, March 28.—Wind, N.W. Sailed—Port Glasgow, Quebec. YARMOUTH, March 28.—The William, of Sunderland, is on the Corton Sand ; is expected off next tide. NEWPORT, March 28.—Sailed—Sarah and Emma, New York. SHIELDS, March 28.—Sailed —George Avery, Singapore ; Kate Evelyn, Havana ; Adventure, ditto ; Mary Lawson, Carthagena and Quebec. Loma, March 28.—The George, brig, of Bideford, struck on a sunken rock off the Brezin, 25th inst., and sunk ; crew saved. AMSTERDAM, March 27. —The Hoop, Odessa to England, was ready to sail for Constantinople on the 21st of October last, and has not since been heard of. all 100 all 100 100 100 18 THE LA TV OF DIVORCE. The Cornaioners--Lord Campbell, Dr. Lushington, Lord lhauin nit, Lord Bedesdale, Mr. Bouverie, Mr. Wal pole, an 1 Si: Page Wood, appointed in December, 1850, to inquire in , the 14.1 v of Divorce, had just published their first report. We subjoin a portion of this interesting document : I. Your Majesty's Commissioners appointed to inquire .nto the present state of the law of divorce, and more par ticularly into the mode of obtaining divorce a vinculo raa trimonii in this country, have humbly to submit to your Majesty's consideration the following report, explaining, in the first place, what the law is, and suggesting, in the se cond place, some important alterations by which, in the opinion of your Majesty's Commissioners, it might be im proved. 11. In the first place, we would observe that divorces in England are of two kinds—the one partial, and the other total. Partial divorces are called divorces 4 mend et thoro, because they separate the married parties from each other's society without dissolving the marriage union. Total di vorces are called divorces d vinculo fnatrimonii because they dissolve that union altogether, either on the ground of some antecedent incapacity which rendered the contract void from the beginning, or on the ground of some super venient cause which having arisen subsequent to the mar riage, justifies the parties in desiring to put an end to it. 111. Divorces a mensci et thoro are little more in the eye of the law than simple separations ; they only last until the parties think fit to be reconciled ; and they are granted at the suit of the husband or wife, when the gross mis conduct of either of them, such as cruelty, adultery, or the like, have rendered it impracticable for them to live together. IV. The common law of England, which follows in this case the canon law of the Church, " deems so highly, and with such mysterious reverence, of the nuptial tie," that the causes of divorce are purposely limited to a few ex treme and specific provocations ; and the preservation of that union, so long as it can be secured, is so manifestly essential to the best interests of society, that before it can be dissolved it must be clearly established by the strictest proof that the offence has been committed ; that there is no contrivance by which the parties are endeavouring to escape from their solemn obligations to themselves and their children; that they cannot discharge their mutual duties by continuing any longer to cohabit with each other, and that the party complaining is free from guilt. Hence have arisen certain well-known rules, which the Ecclesiastical Courts have invariably acted upon; as, first, that divorce will only be granted for the extreme provocations adverted to above ; secondly, that the law will not suffer it to be obtained on the sole confession of the parties them selves ; and, thirdly, that it will be refused, even al though an offence has been committed which would other wise justify it, if collusion, connivance, condonation, or recrimination can be pleaded and proved. These rules are all of them founded on the soundest wisdom ; and though they may require some little modification, which will be adverted to hereafter when we come to consider the sug gested improvements, we conceive that in substance they ought to be maintained. V. Since the effect of a divorce a mend et thoro is not to dissolve the marriage bond, but simply to authorise, under certain circumstances, the separation of the parties, their legal rights remain in most respects what they were before ; though their moral obligations towards themselves and their children are materially altered by the impossi bility of discharging them any longer together. For which reason a divorce of this kind will neither bar the wife of her dower, nor deprive the husband of his martial rights in respect of her property. Nor will it enable either of the parties to marry again ; nor will it exempt them from the censure of the Ecclesiastical Court for living incon tinently. Nor will it bastardise the subsequent born issue ; but during the separation the court will decree a competent allowance to the wife for her maintenance under the name of alimony. This allowance ,depends on the innocence or delinquency of the parties, and is measured by the means and circumstances of the hus band. In cases of elopement, or when the wife is living in adultery, none will be awarded ; but when she is innocent, and the delinquency of the husband is clearly established, the law considers that as she is separated by his misconduct from all the comforts of matrimonial society, she ought to be liberally provided for by him. The amount is left to the discretion of the judge; sometimes a moiety of the property has been given, some times a third, and sometimes less, regard being had to a variety of circumstances ; such as the condition of the hus band, his station in life, the support of the children, and especially to the circumstance where the allowance has been a large one, whether the bulk of the fortune came origi- nally — from her. VI. Total divorces, or divorces a vinculo matrimonii, are those which annul or those which rescind the marriage con tract ; the former being grounded on some antecedent incapacity which rendered it in reality void from the be ginning ; the latter being granted in consequence of some supervenient cause, which, having arisen subsequently to the marriage, justifies the parties in desiring to put a stop to it. _ . ifql. With regard to the former, the causes for which a marriage might be annulled were much more extensive be fore the Reformation than they are present. Before the Reformation marriages were liable to be set aside upon proof of pre-contract with some other person, or because the connexion was within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity prohibited by the canon law, " which was far more restrictive than the law of God." But since the Reforma tion these rules have been altered on account of the incon veniences which resulted from them ; for, to use the lan guage of an old stntute, " Marriages were brought into such uncertainty thereby that none could be surely knit and bounden, but it should be in either of the parties power and arbiter, casting away the fear of God by means and compasses to prove a pre-contract, a kindred and alliance, or a carnal knowledge to defeat the same." Accordingly, that statute has declared all marriages to be good and in dissoluble, notwithstanding a pre-contract ; and the for bidden degrees are limited to those which the law of God defines. The only grounds, therefore, since the passing of that statute for nullifying and absolving the marriage con tract by reason of some antecedent incapacity, are relation ships within the forbidden degrees, a previous marriage, corporal imbecility, or mental incompetency. VIII. In cases of this description the Ecclesiastical Courts do not exercise, nor do they possess, a rescinding power. They have no authority, at least in the present day, to dis solve a marriage good in itself, whatever may be the delin quency of the parties. And the sentences pronounced are improperly termed sentence of divorce a vinculo matri monii, for in the cases to which alone such sentences are applicable, there is in fact, in the eye of the law, no legal vinculum or binding tie of any kind._ IX. The effects ola sentence nullifying a marriage are, first, that the wife is barred of her dower ; secondly, that the issue are illegitimate ; and thirdly, that the parties so divorced may marry again, X. With regard to divorces which rescind the marriage contract, it is to be observed that, strictly speaking, they are unknown to our law. By the law of England, that contract is indissoluble, and when once it has been consti tuted in a legal manner there are no means of putting an end to it in any of our courts. Nevertheless, the actual dissolution of such a contract, when adultery has been com mitted, is so consonant to reason and religion, that where the general law has failed to give a remedy, Parliament has stepped in to provide one specially by passing a particular law in favour of those who can make out a case which will warrant its interference. The origin of this is important and instructive. XI. In Roman Catholic times, marriage was regarded as a sacrament by the canon law ; and being a sacrament, it was deemed indissoluble. But when the Reformation came, the courts denounced, amongst other opinions of the Romish Church, the doctrine of a sacrament in marriage, " retaining the idea of its being of divine institution in its general origin," but considering it in the light of a civil contract, which, for its full completion, had always required, in England at least, some religious solemnity. The character of mar riage was thus materially altered ; for since it was no longer to be deemed a sacrament, there was nothing, on that account, to render it indissoluble ; and as the reform ers were about to revise the whole body of the canon law, which had become unsuitable to a Protestant - country, they did not omit the matrimonial code. With this view various acts were passed, providing that the Crown should have full power to nominate commissioners (16 ecclesiastic, of whom four were to be bishops, and 16 laymen, of whom four were to be lawyers) to order and compile such laws ecclesiastical as should be thought convenient. " A work was accordingly composed for this purpose by Cranmer, and translated into Latin with a happy imitation of the clear method and ele- gant brevity of the Roman jurists, by Sir John Cheke and Dr. Haddon, two of the restorers of classical literature in England." This work, having never received the Royal confirmation, is not indeed law, but it is of great authority. It has been published under the title of " Reformatio Le gum Ecelesiasticarum," and the articles on the subject of marriage and divorce are peculiarly interesting, as contain ing, in a short compass, the opinions of our first reformers on matters which affect the civil rights of all men, as well as the highest of all the moral interests of society. XII. By these articles, when the husband or wife had committed adultery, a divorce was allowed, and the nu offending party might marry again. But if both were guilty, since both must fall under the same condemnation, the first marriage was not to be dissolved. Absolute desertion, pro tracted absence, mortal enmities, and lasting cruelty, were all adjudged to be lawful grounds of divorce. But reconci liation was inculcated wherever it could be obtained and s eparations from bed and board were entirely abolished. It was, moreover, recommended that adultery should be pun ished by perpetual imprisonment or transportation for life; and if the offender were the husband, he was to return to the wife with her fortuno, and add to it one-half of his own; or if the wife, she was to forfeit her jointure, and all the advantages which by law , custom , settlement, or promise, &c., she might have otherwise derived from her marriage. XIII. It is supposed that the regulations contained in this code on the subject of divorce were occasioned by the case of Parr, Marquis of Northampton, who had divorced his wife, Anne, Boucher, for adultery , in the Ecclesias tical Court. For, according to the custom which then prevailed, it is probable that divorces had no certain and immediate effect beyond that of a legal separation from bed and board. A commission, however, was appointed to inquire whether by a divorce on this ground, that is to say, on the ground of adultery, he was not so divorced from Lady Anne, that no divine law prohibited his mar riage. The marquis was too impatient to wait for issue of the commissioners' researches, and in the in terim he married again, Elisabeth Brooke, daughter to Lord Cobham. Two years afterwards, the commis sion made answer to the queries put to them, " that the band of wedlock being broken by the mere fact of infidelity the second marriage was lawful.' After that, the Parlia ment of 1551 confirmed this answer by declaring that the 4 marriage of Northampton and Elisabeth Brooke was " law ful, as by the law of God indeed it was, any decretal, canon ecclesiastical, law or usage to the contrary notwith standing." But since this statute was repealed by a law passed in the following reign, " nothing is left of these proceedings except the advised and lasting belief of Cran mer and his associates in Reformation, that a more exten sivxie l v ibe . rt A y pp of are di n v t o l r y c , e oug infa h e tto it b w e as all al ow lo e lv d e . d for n y t i r r teh l te 6o; ll- , half a century. For it has been observed by Sir Joh n s S e to rva dd t a io rt— n— a t n h d at th f e r r o e m is t s h o e m y e e r a 7s l o s n so fo , r u a n s t s i e l n t t b in e g stronger an marriage was not held by the Church, be ther and sstill E on ar g f er s case n se ie o e t ne h;l r d oo b f by the s la ; w a , nd to ano indissoluble.tidtherefore was one is the lang u age t hpuels. process ndleossl6)tyhntfhe canon ecclesiastical r dte a s sj mtu among d u n mu iastical authorities non a discrimination is emfadles97l;etwFeeern by pro cess of annulling matrimony, remedies dissolving and the or supposed to exist, in the spiritual have s av in e t a t v es a e ys wo b r e d e s n :-- re ; 'st ng, then existing, or courts. The canon therefore require the be handled and debategdurFetortem. wherein matrimony is required to be dissolved or annul caus led, we strictly charge and enjoin that in all proceedings in teianostnt especially a s pb t w e r leneShuentyyii weightiest, cases divorce and nullities of marriage, good circumspection and advice be used, and that the truth may as far as possible • be sifted out by the depositions of witness and other law ful proof, and that credit be not given to the sole conies glean; of the parties themselves, howsoever taken upon oath, either within or without the court." XV. The Church, however, was still anxious to dis courage as much as possible a second marriage after di vorce ; and accordingly it requires, by the 109th canon, that "in all sentences pronounced only for divorce and separation a mewl, et thoro, there shall be a caution and restraint inserted in the said sentence, that the parties so separated shall live chastely, and neither shall they, during each other's life, contract matrimony with other person. And for the better observance of this last clause, the said sentence of divorce shall not be pronounced until the party or parties requiring the same shall have given good and sufficient caution and security unto the Court, that they will not any way break or transgress the said restrain or prohibition. ' XVI. Now the very fact of enjoining a prohibitory - bond implies that the marriage, which the bond was intended to prevent, would have been valid. It is so laid down by the learned and judicious Dr. Hammond, with great clearness, for he says, That requiring a bond does infer that this marriage, after a Christian divorce, is not looked on by the Church as an adulterous commission, but rather as a matter of dangerous consequence ;" and such would appear to have been the prevailing opinion of our ablest divines of the 17th century. XVII. While the Church of England disclaimed, as a body, the doctrine of indissolubility, it is probable that many members of it adhered to the old opinion ; for when the case of Foljambe (who, after a divorce, had married a second tim e li v i ng his fi rst wife), was brought before the Court of Star Chamber, it was there held that the second marriage was void " because" according to the report of Moore, " the first divorce was but a mend et thoro and not vznculo matrimo n ii ; an d J o h n Whit g ift, th en Ar chbishop of Canterbury, said that he had called to him at Lambeth the most wise divines and civilians, who all agreed on this." Now this determinati on was inconsistent with the opinions of the reformed divines in the " Reformatio Legum," it clashes with the case of the Marquis of Northampton, and it cannot be reconciled with the ecclesiastical constitutions of 1597 ; and it was also opposed to the practice of the laity for at least half a century. Accordingly, Mr. Ser geant Salkeld, lays it down that " divorce for adultery was anciently a vinculo matrimonii, and, therefore in the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, th e opinion of the Church of England was, that after a divorce for adul tery the parties might marry again. But in Foljambe's case, he adds, Anno 44 Elizabeth, in the St ar Ch am b er, that opinion was changed. And Archbishop Bancroft, (it should be Whitgift) upon the advice of divines, held that adultery was only a cause of divorce a mend et thoro." The doctrine of indissolubility was thus not only re-estab lished, but it operated in this country with a rigour un known in Roman Catholic times ; the various fictions and devices in the shape of canonical degrees and alleged pre contracts, which then afforded so many loopholes of escape from its severity, having been each and all put an end to at the Reformation. XVIII. It may be reasonably doubted whether the de cision in Foljambe's case was assented to by the Church of England as a body, for the Chamber of Convocation in the succeeding year re-enacted, word for word, the ecclesiastical constitutions of 1597; these as subsequently confirmed by James 1., are now a substantive part of the ecclesiastical law of this kingdom, being in fact the well-known canons of 1603, which have never been repealed or disturbed. In the year 1604, the statue of bigamy (1 Jac.l., c. 11) was passed by the Legislature, making that offence felony ; but con taining an express proviso that the act should " not extend to any person divorced by sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court." Now we can hardly suppose that the Legislature intended to declare, in one and the same breath, th a t bi gam y was felony, and yet that a second marriage after divore, living the first wife, was not to be considered in that light, unless it conceived that the sentence passed in the Ecclesi astical Court had worked a dissolution in the marriage contract. XIX. How far the conduct of the laity may have been affected by these proceedings, it is difficult to conjecture. What was the practical rule respecting second marriages in the reign of James 1., or in that of his son, or during the time of the Commonwealth, we are but little informed. Mr. Spence has conjectured that, in early times, the Court of Chancery, under its clerical chancellors, exercised juris diction to decree a divorce d vinculo matrinvonii. There is no authority, however, for this, except some loose entries in Tothill's " Transactions of the Court of Chancery ;" in one of which it is said that, in the books in Henry VIII 's reign, there are "two decrees for divorces, Terrell and his wife, and Jeffrey and Jenny (p. 61), and in another, that a bill was Sled, Bateman contra Wells, "to dissolve a con tract of marriage, and to ha% e bond np, because the woman denies to have him." These entries are by far too loose to allow us to draw any accurate conclusion from them, save that they show that parties divorced a mensd et thoro were endeavouring to find some competent tribunal which would set them free from the marriage bond, and enable them to contract a &aeon 1 marriage. Such a tribunal was certainly not found until application was made to Parliament. One of the chief grounds for the application was to prevent the fathering of illegitimate children on the unhappy husband whose bed had been violated. Accordingly in Mr. Lukenor's case, an act was obtained to b..stardise the issue born while his wife, against whom a sentence of divorce had been ob tained, continued to lire in open adultery; but it did not dissolve the marriage bond, or allow the innocent party to marry again. The first case which answered the double purpose of bastardising the issue and enabling the parties to marry again is that of Lord Roos, in the reign of Charles 11. The facts were shortly these. In the year 1666, an act was passed bastardising the children of Lady Ann Roos, by reason of her adultery, and thereupon her husband, Lord Roos, followed up this proceeding by obtaining from the Spiritual Court a sentence of divorce a mend et thoro. But these proceedings were incomplete for his purpose; and since " there was no probable expectation of posterity to support the family in the male line, but by the said John Manners Lord Roos," a bill was brought in entitled " An Act for Lord Roos to marry again," and it enabled him to do so, and gave to the children born in such wedlock the character of legitimacy, and the capacity of inheriting. XX. The case is interesting and important, as constitut ing a distinct Parliamentary negation of the doctrine of indissolubility, so early as the reign of Charles 11. The difference between the case of Lord Roos and the case of the Marquis of Northampton seems to have been this—the Marquis was barred by no restraint from marrying another wife immediately after sentence, and so there was no law by which his children would have been rendered illegiti mate ; whereas Lord Roos was prevented from doing so by the canon and the bond, from the binding cogency of which it was the object of the act apparently to relieve him. XXI. According to the historians Burnet andßalph, this bill was passed upon political grounds, and with a political object—viz., to form a precedent which would enable Charles 11. to separate from his first wife, by whom he had no children, and to marry a second wife, after that separation, for the purpose of excluding the Duke of York from the throne. However that may be, unquestionably the bill was contester: stoutly ; 17 bishops opposed, and three only supported it. But amongst those who supported it was Bishop Cozens, whose masterly argument on this subject was afterwards published in a pamphlet, and is now pre served in " The State Trials." XXII. The first example of an actual dissolution of the nuptial tie by Parliament was in the case of the notorious mother of Savage, the Countess of Macclesfield. In that case the aid of the Legislature was sought, because, in con sequence of the skilful opposition set up by the Countess in the spiritual courts , and the narrow maxims which there prevailed, she contrived to baffie all her husband's efforts to obtain a sentence of divorce a mend et thoro. The circum stances of the case, however, was so scandalous and flagrant, that it would have been an outrage upon every principle of justice to withhold relief ; at the same time it was so novel a proceeding to pass a bill of that nature, where there was not a sentence of divorce first obtained in the Spiritual Court, that a protest was entered against it by Lords Halifax and Rochester, because, as they said, they looked upon it as an ill precedent, and which might be of ill consequence in the future. XXIII. The next instance of a legislative dissolution of marriage was in the Duke of Norfolk's case. There also a sentence of divorce was refused by the Ecclesiastical Court, although the duke tried the experiment more than once. He recovered damages, however, at law, from the adul terer, Sir John Jermayne. And after his bill had been repeatedly rejected by the Lords, it became at last, in a new state of circumstance, successful in 1700. The lead ing counsel for the duchess (Sir T. Powys) complained that this was the first instance where an attempt had been made to obtain a divorce by Act of Parliament, without any sen tence being previously obtained at Doctors' Commons. And the duchess herself protested against it in these emphatic terms :—" My lords," she said, " I had rather stand charged for high treason before your lordships, than with this igno minious crime. In the charge for high treason the manner of trial and the ways of proceeding are known, and so is the punishment. But your lordships are now creating new ways of proceedings, and a new law to punish me, and this for a crime supposed and alleged to be committed seven years past, in another reign, and after public indemnities in many sessions of Parliament. XXIV. Such are the cases in which application was made to Parliament before the commencement of the 18th ... century, to g et rid of the consequences of a prior marriage. The object of Mr. Lukenor's case was to prevent the evil of au illegitimate family being fathered upon him. The ob ject iu Lord Roos's case was to continue the succession and probably the peerage in the male line. The object in Lord Macclesfield's and the Duke of Norfolk's cases was to give them that redress which the Ecclesiastical Courts had with held or refused. In none of these cases, however, w as Parliament asked, without some special and peculiar reason, to interfere in the matter. But the precedent was set_ the power was established—and very soon afterwards, that is to say, in 1701, it was so completely followed, that , without any spatial or peculiar reason, a divorce a vin cu l ; was granted in the case of Mr. Box, which may be consi dered as the first specimen of the present Parliamentary practice. From that time to this the Legislature in fact, has constituted itself a court for granting divorces a ;in cute matrimonii. joi :cL ir y. of T E h e e b pe ra t a i r t y ion l9 o , f 314 0 . 0 8 , Box, a y s s en t tr e t d h o e n the ma Lords' h in his Caionub rt of f t o.A.rKing'sdissolveeh es Elizabeth Eyre, she having lived in adultery, as he y hath e marriage with " leave to bring Court of f an c 'cl an o t b e t r a b izd ., a , definitive fullyproved sentence the e Tho bill was entituled "An act to dissolve the marriage of Ralph Box with Eli za b e t h Eyread enable him to marry again, —a titl e f o ll owed from, that time to this. The measure passed in 1701. XXVI. By these means the right to obtain a divorce d vinculo was definitively established. It was established, however, in the rudest and most inconvenient manner ; for the proceeding was a judicial one by a legislative process, and it had all the inconvenience which necessarily result from the discussion of such a ques tion in a mixed and popu lar asse m bl y. At first only a f ew divorce bills were passed — not more th an fi ve were ca rried through Parliament be fore the accession of the House of Hanover. From 1715 to 1775 their number was 60, that is to say, they averaged al , out one a year. From 1775 to 1780 they had increased to 74, that is to say, upon an average, to about three a year ; an d f rom 1800 to 1852, they amounted to 110. Two of these, viz., Lady Mac clesfield's and the Duke of Nor folk's cases, we re without any sentence ecclesiastical ; and several were withou t an y previous verdict at law • for no standing orders o f either house of Parliament required the institution o f these Parliamentary proceedings until the year 1798. thatyear Lord Chancellor L crlib h .xxvir. In Loughborough oroug called the attention of the House of Lords to the propriety of laying • down certain general rules, which should precede t h e co nsideration of every case, and with which all parties who came before them to seek a divorce should be bound to calo ply. Accordingly he framed a series of resolutions; and by these resolutions it was not only required that a sentence a divorce a niens4 et tlwra should have been pronounced before soliciting the bill, but that the entire proceedings in the Ecclesiastical Court, should be delivered in upon oath at the bar of the House of Lords. They-further required that the petitioner should attend the house, in order, if necessary that he might be examined as a witness, with reference to connivance or collusion, and also with reference to another point which has always been deemed of primary importance in judging of divorce bills, namely, whether he was or was not, at the time of the adultery, living apart from his wife, and whether he had not, by deed or other wise, released her from her conjugal duty, 'byiiithdra,wing his marital authority and protection. These resolutions, .2 i I all 15 all 50 331 2i d' 115 i IGN. 12i i 131 131 48 a 448 i 25f 2f i 361 i 14a 28k 8 42 41 2 33 8i 919