The Sun. — London, England, 1853-08-25 00:00:00

.TEST FOREIGN - .LNt. \ V FRANCE. hers a Emperor is still at Di e pp e w h ere , it appears, delighted with his reception. On Monday _ l ', l _ ° ?;fling, the E m p eror an d E mpress were presen t t, the la unc h of a vessel. The whole of the popu lation was on the strand to see their Majesties. An t'strade was raised near the vessel for the Imperial t a ' r 3tr• The E mpress l oo k e d excee di ng ly w ell. oud shouts g ree t e d t h e i r arr i val, an d th e Empe ror came forward, and, with his hat off, saluted the crowd, "It is stated," says the Patrie—" That 4.. ae_ Emperor and Empress will be absent from 20 5 days, and that after their Majesties' return to 4- c aris they will successively visit Fontainebleau and i n °m „ Piegne. It is expected that the Emperor will The interval pass one or two days in Paris." its fi rs t Constitutionnel devotes nearly the whole of first page to extracts from and remarks on an `"0113-naous pamphlet, purporting to be by a Bel gian, on the marriage of the Duke of Brabant with a Austrian Archd uc h ess . Th e author, who, al though a Belgian, expresses regret at the separa- On of Belgium from Holland, thinks that Belgium :,31 never be, strictly speaking, an independent _ s tate, and th a t i t must e i t h er b e con f oun d e d w ith 1 0 1 1 dependent up o n some n e ighbouring and more b Nrtailt government. France appears to him to e the State which should possess or protect Bel ,stlln, but he i mag i nes that from the marriage has just taken place, it must necessarily fall iutWill separate the arms of Austria. The marriage, he says, separate Belgium still more from Holland, and a defiance to France. The Constitutionnel ex t▪ racts very long passages from this pamphlet, z e f t rrYing out this text of the writer, and although It i declares th a t it d oes no t i n any degree identify itself with the ideas expressed in the work from .w ch it quotes, the remarks that are made show that some importance is attached to them. t. he journ e y o f th e E mperor i n th e nor th ap p ear s, „a . ):.; 1 the Con s tit u ti onne l, t o h ave b een pos t pone d, u'uu. it is n ow a l mos t certain that the Empress will y him. M. Duhamel, Prefect of the Pas , I V Calai s , h as announce d to the Council General de manded approachi ng v i s it o f th e i r M a j es ti es , and he francs f rom th e C ounc il a cre dit of 10,000 es for their reception in all the department, a nd a further credit of 2,500 francs for furnishing the a partment at the Prefecture for their Majesties' r eception. The Moniteur says—The Emperor of Austria, Whose attention had been called to the manoeuvres • ' 3 aterY, has been pleased to have his army repro tented at the French camp. Th a t m i ss ion has - u p , e4 2 l entrusted on the designation of the Emp eror Freis Joseph himself, to Prince Jablonowski, 51. !• a a j l e d st M y ; arshal, Grand Master of the households of their. I mper i al Hi g h n esses the brothers of his to Colonel Baron Leykam, brother-in law of Prince Metternich ; to Colonel Baron Smola ; and to Colonel Aubin. Prince Jablonowski and t he officers who accompany him have just arrived in P ar i s. M. Fortoul, Minister of Public Instruction, has 7 4 . Q /eased a circular to the archbishops and bishops 4 .7 the Galli c i an Ch urc h pointing out to their atten en the f act t h at re li g i ous music has of late years e‘tla eedingly degenerated in the church service in Fr ance, and that the cause of decadency must be f t i nd in the fact that no special school has hitherto s 44 sted fo r suc h i ns t ruc ti on . _That deficiency is now about to be supplied by the establishment of 4 school for religious music, vocal and instrumental, under the direction of M. Niedermeyer, in the Parish of St. L ou i s d'A n ti n , to which the Minister of State w ill accord 5,000 fr. a-year from the credit a llowed f or th e Fi ne A r t s , an d from the department l i a f . Public Worship a sum of 18,000 fr. a-year. This 2t sum is to be divided into thirty-six half fre• admissions of 500 fr. each. The late General Count de Montholon was born Paris in 1783. His father was Colonel of the e nthibvre regiment of dragoons, and Master of t he Hounds to Monsieur afterwards Louis XVII I. The Count de Montholon commenced his military career when he was still a child of 10 years of age, 44 Corsica.. In 1797 he entered a regiment of light t, a ' vai r3r- He made the campaigns of Italy, Ger -any, Poland, Spain, and France ; he was at Aus terlitz, Wagram, lena, and Friedland, and was five times wounded. In 1797 he was attached to the a tae of Berthier and in 1809 he entered the House hold of the Emperor, by whom he was made Cham berlain. During the hundred days , he became Aide -d e -C amp -G ene ral to the Emperor, was pre sent.... at W a t er loo, and followed the Emp eror to St. ttelena. He had the honour . of being named the h ad testamentary executor of the Em p eror, and ...k t his writings and papers deposited in his hand s. • speculation at the Bourse yesterday was confined railway shares. Government .Rentes were neg lected. The Three per Cents. opened at 80f. 35c., a nd• closed at 80f. 45c., for the end of the month. ;Q A e Four-and-a-Half per Cents. closed at 105 f. 4.°0 - • Orleans Railway Shares, 1,297 f. 50c. ; Rouen, 1 ; 1 00£ ; Havre, 520 f.; Great Northern, 906 f. 25c. ; Par is and Strasburg, 982 f. 50c. ; Paris and Lyons, 972 f . 50c., Lyons to the Mediterranean, 830 f. ; Western of France, 750 f. ; Bordeaux And Cette, 645-- ; Great Central, 562 f. 50c. ; Lyons to Geneva, N„ 4 7, f• • Sardinian Victor Emmanuel 510 f. ; Shares Bank of Credit Mobilier, 890 f. . TURKEY AND RUSSIA. kecordin g to advices of the 17 th from Bucharest, n ews +l, was said to have arrived from Constantinople a that --e Divan had on the 13 th unanimousl y re t to advise the Sultan to accept the Vienna m ediatory project. to T he letters from Vienna contain overland ac ae.Prite, which seem to confirm what had been re letl+ved here by the telegraph from Trieste. One Frankfort of the 20th, in the Post Ampt Gazette of ) 3 'arikfort, says :--" According to a letter from oe l i l , eharest of the 17th, intelligence had been re -1,1- there from Constantinople, that in a sitting of t o wle 13th, the Divan had resolved unanimously c ounsel the Sultan to accept the project of medi ation Ti drawn up at Vienna." T he Posen Gazette announces tha t the Em p eror th Russia is no longer expected at Warsaw, and at will not visit Poland this year. 4, - ;" A - letter from Trieste of the 20 th states that th e 4- ri ustrian war schooner Artemisia has sailed for _Coif of Volo to cruize against the pirates. ch, letter f rom Galatz, 12th, in the Breslau Zette ".; says :—" A Russian commission a rrived nie aya since at the mouths, of the Sulina, f or -t ged to examine the river, and propose a p lan ~,,Proving its entrance. A French Colonel of ei g r,eera, named Magna, has been for the last ar ; uaYs at Kunkowitza, a frontier town of Bul tie', near Galatz, directing the works of the for thru_ltions. He has recently made a journey o bY l ighout the whole of Bulgaria for the same Jeat." The ITALY. t , Queen of Sardinia visited Sarzana and Leric: thee' 1 8th, and returned to La Spezia on board . Malfatano steamer the same evening. Her —l. ll, 4 J e stY was everywhere received with great de ebrations of loyalty and affection. p ape l r e . Special Committee for the reimbursement of th e Innney in the Papal States, has notified to . ( 2 Public the withdrawal of 500,000 scudi whi c i'" oo L) of paper money from circulation, In• ell has been replaced by an equal amount coni. ''' , 2, 11 , 1 e , Pontifical Go ve rnment has recently pub - NN'n financi a l d ocu ments, which have excited U O4 - ' l, tention, owing to the rare fact of publica - Aart;°,, , ' a II 3T kind, for the Court of Rome is not o ver Such things. The first of the documents kiAlbj•on is called "Bilancio Generale della Pub ; ---tirrninistrazione del triennio dal 1845 a/ 1847' the 0 - o ,'`' ll dget, in fact, for those three years ; and d li g a et P fo 1858 her, ca:aft the to ee T bst a b u e l'Esereizio del r r ev l e B n s ti 3 v . a per be denied that these publications of the lug a t he finances is a step in advance, proceed ant of a a Government which shuns the 4 eitv ;L a y) and has been a decided enemy to pub -01. any kind. bThe Diario SPAIN. Es p a nol states that the Duke a in and N . o ll .... ehe ss de Montpensier ar e t o arr i ve in Madrid iieraber for the accouchement of the Queen. . _ te ll y J oaquin Jose de Csuna, Minister Plenipo of p l arY and Envoy Extraordinary of the Republic Our'Ill) had arrived at Madrid. T he accounts from Madrid are of the 19th inst Tv:9le Three per Cent s , were d one at 441 ; the New at7-per-Cents i r .at 237 ; the ebt of the first ° -1 6 and that of the se D cond, at 5 5-16 class,. th4-( 1-v ices fro MOROCCO. m Morocco o f th e 9 t h i nst. state that iroperial troops have obtained signal advan ea over the insurgents in the interior. Two of . th e fatedrebel chiefs have beeff captured, and decapx eri:t bMequinez. The Emperor, who is still 1 4 , —g, has sent for his eldest son, who governs % ge part of the empire. On the coast there is li_geeed deal of activity in commercial affairs. A 15ociltisb steamer has arxived at Larache for the pur e of exploring the rivers of Morocco. 1 413 b_ tRALITY OP S IR R . PEEL. —The parish church of ranon, 'Warwickshire, has been restored at an expense 2)000/. The remains of the late Sir Robert Peel are „stlllie,d tore.the liis son, the present baronet, on being zatied r a subscription, at once said—" Gentle flstead of permit name upon the list as a sub- INt 4t 1.1 if o w n erllme to see your plans carried tnYCO;t: I shall be most happy to do so." w~„~. S~ xd 3 sa 11 I°l i 6 S/ / 7. 4 ) C Oll5 f ti e tor n 9 e :t10 1.1 lava 1 3 f*'l(l,l ,00: 1 1 15 ° 4 ~ g• 0 00- [3 ; II 0 00 1 °° ; 10 01 p er 51 105 pe OJ i ; 100 3 ' P° . 5 1 to v e r Os ; 10 0' Per 1141 ; , a ge b uee o lA P V Ss (14 ii pl 7ll , ,bole ,tiov° 0 :11 `o 4.1.; PO I o d , 1 0 dd; van 0 0 , sg y 0 40 o () a) w s, tO r' or f 1 ,4 her i rat. e' r f "c e if sc ,9 ' re r e ? o p% g l 3 o el l 13 1 11 '00' otO i THE CRYSTAL PALACE. The recent melancholy accident, involving as it did so serious a loss of life, has attracted to the progress of the works at Sydenham an unusual degree of attention. The public have been pained to hear of so distressing an occurrence in the execution of an undertaking dedicated peculiarly to themselves. Its accidental character the coroner's inquest has placed beyond a doubt, and the general sympathy excited is manifested by a subscription list which we hope will receive, wide and liberal support from the benevolent. Nearly all enterprises of the same extent are attended with casualties of a similar description, less severe and therefore less startling, it is true, but still in the aggregate heavy and sad enough. The wars of former times hardly involved greater sacri fices of life than those through which civilisation now pursues her course of peaceful and material progress. On the sea, in the mine, on the railway, or in the construction of public works, it is every where the same. We read of these mishaps, and are shocked by them for the hour, but the requirement s of the world soon cl-se in around us again, and the un dertaking, with all its risks, which yesterday made so many orphans and widows, is going on more rapidly than ever to-day. This constancy of industry to her purpose- -this courage that will not be put back from what it has once resolved to achieve—this nerve which finds fresh hands to accomplish what others have perished in attempting—are surely instructive things to look at and consider aright. Such a spectacle may now be witnessed at Sydenham. The extraordinary novelty and boldness of the work to be performed taxes to its full measure that adventurous spirit, bordering almost on rashness, which distinguishes our artisan class. Labouring away, often on the most precarious footing, at heights varying from 100 to 150, and even 200 feet, where one false step is instant death, the workpeople of the new palace, perched aloft on scaffold ing and girder, look more like flies than men ; nor can one fancy how, in such situations, any presence of mind or energy can be spared by them from the first and most necessary duty of self-preservation. The completion of the upper galleries now enables visitors to understand the difficulties of working coolly at such giddy elevations. However great the provisions made for security under such circumstances, it is impossible not to be struck with the audacious confidence which must be habitually exer cised by the men. Take, for example, the fifth gallery tier on the north front of the centre transept, and look down. You are on the level from which men and scaffolding tumbled together last week, and can conceive how awful the smash must have been. The old building in Hyde Park would not at its highest point have reached to your feet, and yet you are only where the great arch begins to spring. It is the gigantic design of the new palace which renders all the details of construction so formidable and perilous, which makes such calls upon the nerves of those employed on it, and which invests the progress of the works at this moment with such ad ditional interest. While that design existed merely on paper, or was only realized up to a certain point, it was impossible fully to appreciate its magnitude and gran deur. Now the sense of both is impressed upon you, not only by the state of the works, but by the labours of the men employed. That such a building, so vast, so novel, so full of light and splendour, and so majestically placed, should be rising near London for purposes of public instruc tion and recreation ; that it should be undertaken as a commercial speculation, and that it should engage such a variety of talent in its construction and em bellishment, must fill with emotion every man, how ever ordinary in sentiment, who now pays a visit to Sydenham. More significant evidence does not exist anywhere among us of the progress which this country is making. After a period during which between servile imitation on the one band, and gross vulgarity on the other, the taste of the people languished, we are at length, in the way we like best, supplied with a true realisation of that progressive spirit which, gathering all the knowledge and strength it can from the paSt and the present, faces boldly and hopefully the future. The industrious classes "of this metropolis understand well the importance and the grandeur of an institution which will be at once their palace and their university. On every holiday they repair in crowds to the building, watch its growth with curiosity, and anticipate the new pleasures which it will place within their reach. The interest which they thus manifest in its progress is not inferior to that which they displayed in Hyde Park, and every appearance seems to promise for the undertaking an unprecedented success From a quiet country retreat Sydenham has suddenly been converted into a centre of attraction, where great hotels are run up in a few weeks, where innumerable building speculations are on foot, where new railways push their way for a coming traffic, and where the majesty of the people is to esta blish itself in its own Windsor. Wherever you go an a clear day around London, the palace attracts your eye. From Blackheath, from Richmond, from Hampstead, and from every other elevated situation around, it is plainly discernible. Such a structure requires no advertisement, but proclaims itself. When it was first started, we ven tured to predict that it would cost a million sterling. We were contradicted at the time, but we adhere to our estimate. If that amount is not exceeded, large as it is, there seems no reason to doubt that it will, with good management, prove a fairly remunerative specu lation. The demand for exhibiting space alone already insures a sctisfactory return for the money, and our best manufacturers and tradesmen feel that they cannot afford to be unrepresented in a building where all that is wonderful and excellent in nature or in art will be collected into one focus. As the whole under taking assumes its final shape and dimensions it is clear that there will be no choice left, and that people must go there ; the palace itself, the terraces, the exquisitely diversified grounds, the fountwino, and bhe noulpiur. ,• objects that cannot lose their hold upon the imagination until they are outdone. They appeal to all alike, and the scale upon which they have been formed, while it for bids any idea of rivalry, leaves nothing further in the way of grandeur or effectiveness to be desired. Sir J. Paxton has, in this respect, shown an instinctive appre ciation of popular taste, which derives its highest and most unqualified gratification from the largest and sim plest manifestations of splendour. Of the millions who now-a-days are enabled to indulge in the pleasures of sightseeing a very small proportion indeed examine what attracts them in an inquisitive and studious spirit ; yet, to such the Crystal Palace will open up an immense field for observation. Even Professor Owen warms into enthusiasm when he describes how much the palm ontologist will learn there. Before the sculptor and architect will be displayed complete illustrations of every style and school in their respective professions from the remotest times and countries. This centre of the high tides of commerce through the world has already, within a year and a half, furnished the largest ethnological collection that has ever been got together, and in that department alone how much new informa tion will oe conveyed of the varieties of our species, and of the habits which give to each its distinctive character and interest ! In natural history and geology, also, the amount of instruction popularly and attractively imparted will be enormous ; nor must it be forgotten that by the easiest and simplest process of education— that acquires through the eye—the multitude will be able to bring down to the latest date a knowledge of those brilliant discoveries which have rewarded in so many different branches the patient researches of modern science. Such are some of 'the general results, which the pros pectus of this undertaking, indeed, warranted us to look for, but which the present advanced state of the prepa rations at length hold out a near and certain prospect of being amply fulfilled. To satisfy the reader of this we need only refer to the stage of progress at !which the works have arrived ; and first, of the building. The west end is still the most advanced, being glazed and almost entirely painted up to the centre transept ; the galleries and staircases are finished ; the flooring for the most part laid, the foundations of some of the fountains prepared, and even a few of the plants ready to take their appointed places in their new home. The style of internal decoration decided on by Mr. Owen Jones is now clearly and most favourably displayed, and it is impossible to award too much praise to the effect of the colours, which, spreading along the vaulted roof of the nave, seem to lift it still higher than its real distance from the eye, and in crease its grandeur. A striking appearance is presonted by the spiral staiscaseswhich communicates with the uppengalleries at the structure at each terminal point, and which, climbing up lightly round tall central co lumns, look at a distance like so many gigantic snakes worming their way upwards. The basement, set apart for machinery in motion, and for other purposes, dis plays an immense amount of heavy work accomplished. The Pompeian Court is rapidly approaching comple tion ; and the decorations of many of the rooms have been finished These already possess extreme interest, and reflect the highest credit upon Signor Abotf, the Neapolitan artist, to whom the execution of them has been entrusted. It is not without a sense of hu miliation that we are here enabled to see illustrated with what admirable taste the ancients adorned the interior of their dweilings, and our house painters will be brought into sad disrepute by the compari sons which this court unavoidably suggests. A promi nent position on the north side of the west transept has been assigned to the bronze cast of the eques trian statue of King Charles at Charing-cross, Mount ing to the upper gallery at this end of the building, the visitor has an overwhelming impression produced upon him by its dimensions as seen from that point. Though shorter than the old palace, the additional height of the nave, and the manner in which the mono tonous succession of columns is broken down by projec tions, make it appear much longer. A curious effect is also secured at this great elevation by the 8-foot wide gallery, which extends on either side, and which, car ried through circular connecting pieces in the structure, assumes the appearance of an immense tubular chamber suspended aloft and stretched out as far as the eye can reach. The central transept has not recovered from the effects of the late accident, but the two huge ribs which span its width on the north side give some faint idea of what it will be when completed. An arched space, 120 feet across, 208 feet high, and 380 feet long, insures for this part of the building an architectural grandeur of which mere description can convey no adequate idea. The eastern half of the palace, though less advanced than the western, is by no means in a backward state. Here are the workshops of Owen, Jones, and Dighy Wyatt, and the courts which they are busily preparing for the illustration of the great schools of sculpture and architecture, ancient and modern. These are all necessarily inclosed against the weather, and other large portions of the spaces not so occupied have been roofed in. There is, however, a good deal of glazing still to be done here, especially at the end, and much to be effected also in the completion of galleries, floors, staircases, and painting. The courts under Owen Jones's charge are progressing rapidly, those for Nineveh and Egypt being well avanced, and many of the most in teresting objects in their places. He has not yet gathered into them all their properties, and it is only in a general way that their future arrangements are indicated ; but the sloping walls, supported by stolid THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 25, g )ds, the huge pillars covered with hieroglyphics and the finished model of the Temple of A b Simbel, help one to a tolerable idea of what is intended. The Greek and Roman Courts are also having quietly gethered into them their respective treasures of ;art ; but the foundations of the Fountain of Lions is still the chief outward and visible sign of the Sydenham Alhambra. In a gallery overhead the chef d'ceuvres of the great masters in different countries and ages await their final distribution. Mingled together, theypresent little in their pre sent state for useful description ; but a time will come w hen, properly arranged, their extraordinary beau ties will be duly appreciated, and when oppor tunities for comparison and study, never previously at tainable even by artists themselves, will be placed within reach of the humblest classes. Mr. Digby Wyatt's courts on the south side of the nave are not so far advanced as those on the north. He commenced his work late, and is rather behind-hand in consequence. Within the last two or three months, however, his department has begun to show considerable pro gress, and we have no doubt that it will be worthy of him. The same love of art which leads his col league to build up the god Ina to a height of seventy feet, and to exhaust a whole rainbow of colours in painting him, induces Mr. Digby Wyatt to collect within and around his workshops an amazing collection of Christian monumental sculpture. Bishops, knights, and abbesses appear there from all the cathe drals in the country, and it is to be hoped that the display of them may give rise to no suspicions of sacrilege. THE SHREWSBURY AND BIBMINGHAJI RAIL WAY COMPANY. THE INDIA BILL. PROTEST AGAINST THE THIRD READING. Dissentient,—Because, in a case where Committees of Inquiry on the Affairs of India have been appointed by both houses, it is inconsistent with reason, authority, and precedent that this law should be passed without awaiting the reports from such committees, and a com munication of the evidence already taken. Because, such a course tends to degrade in public opinion the committees thus recklessly set aside, to les sen the weight of all Parliamentary inquiries, and to de prive the house and the public of the power of comparing the new enactments proposed with the evidence given by experienced and trustworthy witnesses. Because, the interval between the Ist day of August, the day on which the present bill was brought up from the House of Commons, and the present time has not been sufficient to admit of that calm deliberation, equally requisite for the exercise of the judgment of this house, for the maintenance of its dignity, and to give weight to its final decision. THE COMPANY V. THE HON, R, H. CLIVE AND OTHE RS, Yesterday, before Sir W. P. ,Wood, the Vice-Chan cellor, at the Bull Inn, Cambridge, an application was made for an injunction, on the part of certain share holders of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Company, to restrain the defendants from acting as directors of the above company, or in any way dealing with the property thereof. The Solicitor-General said that this was a bill filed by the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Company against the numerous gentlemen who were, or had been, directors of the co m p any, and he b e li eve d that all the defendants appeared. The object of the application, the notice of which was dated the 16th of the present month, was, that the defendants, Robert Henry Clive, Joseph Walker, Henry Hill, Richard Smith, Thomas Jefferies Badger, Frederick Pratt Barlow, Thomas Bulkeley, dCihreaertleosrs ofEm Robertethrye,eompaty, i Roy, or such of them as were might also be so removed, i n case h e h a d not a l rea dy ceased to be such director, and th a t t h e sa id G eorge Knox, and sai said e George removed Knox from being ht gm such directors, and th a t th e the said other defendants might be, in the meantime, restrained from dealing with the plaintiffs' property or effects, administering their affairs, or otherwise acting as the plaintiffs' directors, and that the said defendants might be restrained in like manner from permitting the said George Knox to attend, and that the said George Knox might be restrained from at tending at the offices of the company, and from having access to or in any manner interfering with the books or documents of the company, or otherwise than as an ordinary shareholder, and under such inspection as would preventing him from erasing, altering, or other wise improperly dealing with the same ; and that he and the said other defendants might be restrained in the like manner from moving any of the books or documents of the company from their office ; that the defendants, Henry Hill, Thomas Jefferies Badger, and Joseph Walker might be restrained from voting at any meeting of the company in respect o f th e said company's shares transferred into their names as trustees ; that the de fendant Henry Mortimer might be restrained from voting at any meeting of the company in respect of the said shares so transferred into his name ; and that the di rectors, generally, might be restrained by the like order and injunction from presenting to the half-yearly general meeting of the company, for the purpose of the com pany's seal being affixed thereto, any register of the shareholders or stockholders of the persons deriving title under a fictitious and colourable transfer of shares. Mr. Rolt, Q.C., for the defendants, said, that the copy of the bill had been delivered to them on the 19th o inst., which y w , s a o s m o e n o Friday n l d a a s y t a Portionho f c t h h a e r a affidavits stationT h e a affidavits withd vit s f r c a h n a d r , g e w d h i g e e h n h t l e e m s h e could hardly be supposed to have been guilty of, and which they were able indignantly to deny and answer. At the same time, of course, a great deal of care and consid eration were necessary in ascertaining the facts, and, as these gentlemen lived in different parts of the country, it was quite impossible that they could get their affidavits ready in time. The Solicitor-General said, if an undertaking were not given to hold no meeting and not to deal with the shares in the meantime,' he must go into the case to show that he was entitled to an interim order. Mr. Rolt said, there was no intention of dealing with the shares. His Honour—ls there any objection to give the un dertaking, then ? The Solicitor-General said, the complaint was, that there had been fraudulent creations and transfers of shares. There had also been a meeting summoned by these very defendants for the 14th of September, and, unless he had some undertaking that nothing should be done in the meantime, he must press for an interim order. His object was that, in the interval between the After considerable discussio n u p on the de tails of the remain n t p t r im ee e is a el nd yi t n h s e day of tatnlnoadjournment, things sho u ld arrangement for adjourning, a document was drawn up and signed by the counsel to the following effect : " Copies of the affidavits to be delivered on or before n a e n s d d a c y o f p o i l e l s o w m i n r g e p . ly M to o t b i e o n returneds tandoonv o e r r in the meantime, not to deal in an y manner bS to eaft F our ri rde d ta a hy y a , nW S ex e et ptember 2, at half - past 10 , defendants un dertaking,d, the company. Books and papers t o remain at the t w h i e t h e o any a o n f yt,h or s r s h t o a r i e s s s n o e r a d n e y b e p n r t o u x r i e e s s o a f, t o t r h e belonging to of com pany's office in their present custody. The proceedings were then adjourned. Because this rash course is the more inexcusable in a case where the appointment of the select committees on India was recommended on the highest authorities in both houses, in order that " the Government should sub mit their proposition after the committees shall have made their report," and that Parliament should be ena bled to ascertain on inquiry " whether the Court of Di rectors have been faithful stewards, and whether it is wise to continue, to abrogate, or to modify the existing system." THE INDICTMENT AGAINST MAJOR BERES- FORD AND OTHERS. Because, this hasty legislation, resting neither on re ports nor upon evidence, can hardly be considered as supported by official experience or authority when within a short ,period four successive Ministers have presided over the affairs of India, and have not had time to acquire that knowledge which, however eminent their abilities, and untiring their industry, cannot but be re quired for so great a task as framing a bill for the government of British India. Application was yesterday made to Mr. Baron Platt on the subject of the indictment found at the last session of the Central Criminal Court against Major Beresford and others for conspiring to bribe the electors of Derby. Mr. Bodkin, attended by Mr. Whateley and Mr. Humphreys, the solicitors, supported the application, which was for a certiorari to remove the indictment into the Court of Queen's Bench, at the instance of Major Beresford, who, the learned counsel stated, at the time the offence was alleged to be committed, held the office of Secretary at War. Mr. Bodkin also relied upon an affidavit, which stated that the matter out of which the charge arose had been the subject of inquiry by two Committees of the House of Commons, before whom Major Beresford had been examined, and that among the difficult questions of law expected to arise, one was, how far the evidence then taken could be made use of in support of the present indictment. He also adverted to the discussions which had taken place in Parliament and through the medium of the public press, and sug gested that a special jury would be less likely to be in fluenced by popular prejudice in a matter which had been in so many forms before the public than the class of persons, however respectable, who were usually sum moned to the Central Criminal Court. Mr. Baron Platt said that, for the reasons stated, he considered it a fit case to be tried in a superior court, and granted his fiat for the writ as prayed, fixing the bail to be entered into by Major Beresford at 1001., with two sureties in 501. each. In consequence of the absence of Lord Campbell, Mr. Baron Platt disposed of this matter at his private resi dence. Mr. Coppock attended as solicitor for the pro secutor. Because, this proceeding is the more inexcusable when the late period of the session has already been relied on as a sufficient justification for postponing or withdraw. ing many other bills, from an acknowledged impossi bility of considering their enactments with that wise and cautious deliberation which is indispensable to the making of good laws. Because, it has been sought to defend the passing of this bill on the authority of a letter from the Governor- General of India, said to recommend immediate legisla tion, which letter has been used to procure Parliament ary support and to influence public opinion, though at length admitted to be a document which, not being on the table of this house, could not be referred to consist ently with acknowledged privilege or recorded prece dent. Because, the provisions of this bill are inconsistent and irreconcileable, implying mistrust in the Court of Directors while continuing them in the exercise of many important functions, in the disposal of vast patron age, and in the nominal posession of sovereignty over 150,000,000 of the natives of India, depriving them of the power of naming an assistant-surgeon or of nominat ing an Advocate-General without the approval of the Board of Control, yet intrusting them with tho Imperial prerogative of recalling a Governor-General at their own will and pleasure. Because, the union, in the same deliberativo body, of two classes of men, the one nominees of the Crown, the other elected by a constituency so indefensible as to have found no advocate, is inconsistent with all good govern ment, and can hardly fail to produce jealousy, mistrust, and discord. Because ' this unfortunate result is the more probable, where the Crown nominees will in truth appear as six living witnesses of the incompetency or misconduct at tributed to the Court of Directors ; and where s supported by the Board of Control which has appointed them, they must act as an irritating but irresistible check on the freedom and independence of their elected c , )lleagues. Because, this new constitution of the Court of Direc tors is not recommended by the success of an, y similar experiments in the British Colonies, such experiments having generally been unsatisfactory, and of Late years condemned and abandoned. Because, this bill wholly fails in providing any ade quate security for the faithful fulfilment of its own enact ments by the Home Government—an omission the more unfortunate, when it appears from the evidence , partially reported that in the following important cases former statutes have been disregarded and violated by those in trusted with their administration : 1. A lac of rupees was directed by the Charter Act of 1813 to be applied for the purposes of education. No appropriation of this sum was made until the year 1824, when the omission was brought to light by the inquiries of the Committee of Public Instruction. 2. The Law Commission, though created by Parlia ment as a permanent body to provide improved equal and intelligible laws for India, was advisedly allowed to expire after the Court of Directors had themselves announced officially that "the act of Parliament creating these offices requires that new appointments shall be made when vacancies arise ; and that it is only by another act that this obligation can be sus pended and any new system substituted." No appli cation was, however, made to Parliament on this sub- MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. Yesterday afternoon, between two and three o'clock, the inhabitants of Goodman's-fields, St. Botolph, Ald gate, City, were suddenly thrown into a state of great excitement in consequence of a most dreadful and deli berate murder of a married female named Catherine Mobbs, aged 46 years, by her husband, Nathaniel Mobbs, aged 43, a wine cooper and porter, residing at No. 7, Enoch- court, Goodman's-fields, Minories, who afterwards cut his own throat with a table-knife. The man Mobbs had been in the service of Messrs. Walter Howell and Hale, the wholesale wine-merchants of Water-lane, Great Tower-street, City, but for some time past he has been leading a life of dissipation, and while intoxicated he would return home in a state of excitement, and cruelly ill-treat his wife. They had a family of four children, two boys and two girls, the eldest being about ten years of age. Mobbs went out in the morning, and returned about half-past one in the afternoon apparently quite sober, and told the children to go out and play in the street, and nothing was heard of the man or his wife until about a quarter to three o'clock, when one of the landlord's daughters who was sitting in the front parlour, heard a cry of " murder," which was accompanied by a despe rate struggling noise in the first floor room. The girl went on to the stairs to listen, when she met Mrs. Mobbs rushing down with a frightful wound in the front of her neck. Her hands were covered with blood, and her dress was also saturated with gore. Mrs. Mobbs reached the front of the house, and fell on to the stone pavement, where several neighbours, who had been at tracted to the spot, raised her up and placed her in a chair, while several persons ran for medical assistance. By this time a young man named John Reader came to the house, and was asked by one of the family to go up stairs and see where the man Mobbs was, when a most dreadful scene presented itself to his view. The man was lying in a corner of the room with a severe wound in the throat, and the flooring boards of the apartment were literally covered with blood, which in some parts had gushed on to the walls and boxes round the room. There were two knives besmeared with blood lying on the table, and a piece of grindstone, on which the hus band had sharpened the weapons before he cut his wife's throat, and used the second knife on his own person. The room was in a state of great confusion, as if the de ceased and the wretched man had struggled together for several minutes. Mr. Rawle, of the Minories, and another medical gentleman, were soon in attendance, and no time was lost by them in temporarily dressing the wounds ; but such was their condition that it was deemed expedient to place them in separate cabs, which was accordingly done by city police constables 526 and 577, who conveyed them to the London Hospital, where Mr. H. K. Deben ham, the house surgeon, rendered every possible atten tirn, but the female expired as she was being placed on the surgery table. The man was sensible, but his wounds were not so extensive, although the windpipe is partially cut through. No hopes were given of his recovery when he was first examined. As the man was being carried to the cab he exclaimed, •' I did it, I did it." The wound in the neck of the female is very long and deep, extending from ear to ear. The house surgeon ordered the body of the female to be conveyed to the deadhouse, and the man, after his injuries were dressed, was taken into the ward, where he was placed under the care of two nurses and a policeman of the city force. Mobbs was a most desperate character, and was called in the neighbourhood, among the lower class of persons, " General Haynau." Mobbs is a man about 40 years of age and a jobbing wine-cooper by trade. His wife was of about the same age. The children of the murderer were removed by the city police to the unionhouse, where they will be much better taken care of than they ever were during the lifetime of their unfortunate mother. They appear to have been most grievously neglected, and were the objects of much sympathy. Their cries on hearing of the horrible fate of their mother were most heartrending. CREMORNE GARDENS.—The Scottish fetes, wb ich, for some seasons past, have been successful in the metropo lis, when Lord Holland's Park was thrown open for them, and royal patronage smiled upon them, are to be repeated this year, and Cremorne has been the spot selected for the representation of these favourite na tional sports and pastimes. The first of these fetes takes place to-day, and doubtless large numbers of the Sens and daughters of Caledonia will flock to these favourite grounds to enjoy what to them will indeed be national festivities. The advance of the season causes no diminu tion in the number of the patrons of this popular place of entertainment, and yesterday an immense concourse assembled to witness the aerial ascent by the Italian brothers upon the double trapeze. The balloon ascended very steadily at about seven o'clock, and the brothers were seen hanging beneath the car, the one suspended by one leg, and holding the other in one hand. A safe descent, thongh of a somewhat novel character, took place about nine o'clock in Kensington , where, guided intrepid freight the light of the gas, the balloon a nd its freight reached terra firma quite securely. ENFIELD.—The twelth estate purchased for allotment amongst the shareholders of the Conservative Land So ciety has just been made, at the ancient market town of Enfield, Middlesex, on the Eastern Counties Railroad, close to the old edifice occupied by the Earl of Essex, now used as the station. Enfield is remarkable for its salubrity, the soil being gravel, and is celebrated as the residence of Edward the Sixth, and afterwards of Queen Elizabeth, who held their Courts at this place. EAST INDIA HOUSE.—Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East India House, when Major-General William Staveley, C. 8., was appointed Commander in Chief of the Company's forces on the Madras establish ment. CAUTION TO TRADESMEN.—FORGED 5/. NOTES.—III• formation has been received by the police of an exten• sive issue of forged 5/. notes. The engraving of the note is very good, and would deceive the most expe rienced judges, especially the Britannia in the corner ; but the water-mark is badly executed, and appears to have been impressed after the paper was made, and the note has not that crispness of feel and whiteness of colour so peculiar to Bank of England notes. The three edges of the notes are cut, the other appears to have been torn, and different to the usual fray-edges of the genuine Bank of England 5L notes. THE FOG.- During Tuesday night a dense fog, appro priate to November but unusual in August, settled down in the valley of the Thames, and was the occasion of much confusion and inconvenience, but fortunately not attended with any accident. The above-bridge river boats did not commence plying so early next morning as usual, from the danger to navigation arising from the i:penetrable mantle which hung like a shroud over the From m et t h h e e r, river. As the morning advanced the fog began gra dually to va n i s h, an d b e f ore 10 o 'clock it had disappeared altogether, and e a t t h i e n g sun e a t b broke the e out in effulgent rays. ay o s F unhealthy state f the atmosphere for some days, the fog was expected, and created no surprise. DOCKYARD AND SOMERSET-HOUSE CLERKS.—It is re ported that Sir .tames Graham is about to introduce a new plan of appointing clerks to the Admiralty Depart ments of Somerset-house in future, which he considers will prove highly beneficial t o th e service,—namely, by promoting the hard-worki ng dockyard clerks to that establishment. It has long been our opinion that such a system would prove of great advantage to the service, and ought long since to have been adopted. A dockyard is the place in which a newly-appointed Admiralty clerk s hould certainly commence his official career.—P l ymouth, Mail. CONFESSION OF FLACK TEE MURDERER. The Essex papers inform us that this wretched crimi nal, who was executed at Ipswich on Wednesday last, made a full confession of his guilt. It would appear that on the night previous to his execution he expressed a wish to make a statement, when he said to the chap- lin and to the governor, "it was me that did the mur der. There was nobody else with me. All I said about Moore was false. When I got to the rectory the door was fastened. I knocked. Mrs. Steggles came to the door. I knocked her down when she reached the kite ken. I struck her with my fist. She fell. When down she cried out violently. I then took a small case-knife belonging to my folks. My little brother called it his. I cut her throat with it, I think, in two places—at least I cut twice. I then knocked her on the head with my boots, or high-lows, the same that were produced at the assizes. I kicked her seven or eight times. I knew she was not quite dead. when I left her and went up stairs. I took the pistol out of the rector's bedroom, and hid it in the Mill Mount ; and the coin taken from the same box as the purse I hid in the lane leading from the road going to Mr. Pulbam's house. I went up-stairs with the intention of plundering the house. I took the purse and its contents, three sovereigns, and a sixpence found in a box—the same box that held the purse. The pin produced at the trial I know nothing of. The knife I took from the same box as the purse I took a little gold brooch, I b e lieve, from the same box, but I will not be sure. I left it on the outside of the window at the back part of my father's house. When I ran down stairs, after being up about ten mi nutes, I went to the kitchen and looked at the deceased. She was lying on her back. I did not see her move, but found she was breathing. I then kicked her two or three times more on the head. Immediately after I left the house. Returning by M rs . Ford's fields, in the second field I washed my shoes, which were a little bloody, I'm the ditch. I kept the footpath, except going on to the Mount, all the way until I got to Mr. Sal mon's meadow, which I crossed and I left the coin b y the brow of the ditch in the lane, as stated before, under a tuft of grass. From thence I went home. I went and got my mother a pail of wat er . My brother John and mother asked me to g o up to. Mrs. Francis's. I went. I returned and stopped at home until I got my dinner. I say most positi ve l y no one had an y hand in it but myself. I h a d thoug h t of d o i n g the deed some days, even a f ortnigh times dreamed about doing it , and ' before. once that I had done it, and that I was not found out. Z went to the house with the full intention of m ur d ering Mrs. S teg gles, and . to get what money I could find I had INin of the house before on a Sunday—either $ fortnight or three weeks before, intending to do it , b u t could not. I did not see any person about to prevent my doi n g it. Ido not know that I had any spit e aga inst Mrs. Steggles, but there always appeared som e thi n g on my mind until I had done it. None of my f am ily knew of my having I s everal committed the murder. They did not know that I had any more money than usual. As another proof of the awful state of ignorance of the family of Flack, it is stated that soon after the extreme sentence of the law had beeninfiicted, the father who was at work at Bury St. Edmund's, purchased of a hawker in the streets what purp or ted to be the "last dying speech and confession" of his son, observing that he would keep it as a memento for the rest of his life. SERIOUS COLLISION IN THE TYNE.--A fearful coll!sion took place on Monday in Shields Harbour, by the Sir John Easthope, screw collier, running into the William, passenger steamer from Newcastle. It appears that in the afternoon, about quarter flood, the Sir John East hope came in from sea, light, and was proceeding amongst a fleet of keels and other light craft to the Spints to load when the pilot encountered the William in the middle of the harbour, lying-to to deliver passengers into a boat. The Sir John Easthope is a heavy vessel, and was propelled with her screw, and it seems was hugging the south shore for the least water. The steersman of the William tried to get out of her way by run ning in to the south, but fearing a jamb, he had changed his mind, and had put his vessel with her bow to the north, and was running across the collier's hawser, when his vessel was struck a most tre mendous blow abaft her funnel by that vessel. She was borne on the bow of the collier a few yards, and then on falling off sunk, and all her passengers, men, women, and children, were thrown into the water. A most frightful scene ensued, and, but for the cool intrepidity of the seamen belonging to the vessels, near to, who put off to their assistance, and police boats, and steamers which ran to the aid of the drowning people, a most fearful tragedy might have taken place. As it is, after a most careful inquiry by the authorities to-day, no one seems to be missing, and the only persons seriously in jured is the steersman Renwick, whose thigh is broken, and a passenger of the name of Forsyth, whose arm is also broken. The passengers, more especially the females and children, were in a most exhausted condition when brought ashore, and some of them were found to have received severe cuts, but with care they were all brought about last night. The passenger vessel lies sunk in mid-channel. She has a quantity of ship's beef on board of her. RAILWAY COLLISION AT EUXTON.—An excursion train from Leeds, by the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire line, to one of the watering places on the coast near Fleetwood, met with an accident at the junction of the Lancashire and Yorkshire line with the London and North-Western, at Euxton, near Preston, yesterday morning, and a smash ensued, which had the effect of blocking up both lines of railway for some hours, but we are informed that no serious injury was sustained by any of the passengers. The passenger train is said to have run into a London and North-Western luggage train. THE DERBY ELECTION.—We understand, that in con sequence of certain proceedings which have been taken out against the Conservatives (relative to the late Derby election), measures are preparing and writs h ave b een issued for the purpose of bringing to justice some of the pure men of Derby, professing Racal pol i ti cs ; an d we can state that other parties residing in th e b oroug h o f Shrewsbury, also Radicals, will come under the autho rity of the law, for their mal-practices at the late elec tion, and for purloining certain letters and papers be longing to Mr. John Frail.—Eddowees Journal, ... ject. The directors prohibited the filling up of vacancies, and the Law Commission became extinct by the act of the home Government, in utter contempt and disregard of that law to which alone those directors owed their own authority, and which it was their bounden duty to iobey._ 3: The various measures of law reform matured and recommended by the Law Commission by an unparal leled succession of shifts and postponements have been set aside by the home Government, or, to use the lan guage of an able and experienced servant of the company, they have been "laid on the shelf." After reciting six important measures recommended and prepared by the Law Commission, Mr. Cameron, who filled with the highest distinction the office of the fourth ordinary mem ber of Council, states that not one of these measures had been carried into *Erect by the Government. 4. The last Charter Act (3d and 4th of William IV., c. 85) conferred a power of legislation on the Governor- General and Council of India, unlimited except in re spect to certain specified cases, yet it appears conclu sively from the evidence of Mr. Cameron (2,074, 2,080, 2,084) that in more than one case an actual prohibition was issued by the home Government restraining the Legislative Council from passing certain legislative measures without the previous sanction of the Court of Directors. In the importrnt question of the lex loci for India, the law was approved by the Legislature, sanc tioned by the Governor-General, Sir Henry Hardinge, and adopted in its principle by two eminent judicial authori ties, Sir L. Peel and Sir Henry Seton, yet the directors wrote, May 1, 1845, " We think it proper to desire that no law declaring the lex loci of India may be passed with out being submitted for our approbation." This inhibi tion is considered by Mr. Cameron to be contrary to law. 5. The act of the 3d and 4th of William IV., c. 85, sec. 103, expressly prescribed that for every vacancy in the civil service four candidates should be named, and the best candidate elected by examination. The de clared object of this enactment was that India was en titled to the highest talents that England could spare, and that under the proposed system it was conceived that young men would be sent out, superior either in talents or in diligence ; yet these express enactments were never carried into effect by the home Government, and the former practice was persevered in, though ex pressly repealed by law. In 1837 a legislative sanction was given to this practice, till then illegal. The act of 1837 is stated to have been founded upon an intention of recommending to Parliament the abolition of the College of Haileybury. No such proposal was ever made, yet by its suggestion means were obtained to suspend the system of appointing to the civil service by competition, and the unrestricted private patronage of the directors, which it had been the declared intention of Parliament in 1833 to limit, has been during the last 20 years con tinued. 6. The 87th section of the last Charter Act provided in unqualified terms for the unlimited eligibility of the natives of India to all offices whatsoever, without exclu bion of any person on account of caste, colour, birth, or religion. The declarations of the statesmen responsible for the act of 1833 all concur in giving to this clause the widest interpretation. It was described as a subject of just exultation and pride that Parliament should have passed this clause announcing "the only principle on which India could be administered." Nor was it in tended that this should remain a barren declaration of an abstract truth. On the contrary. The question was asked, " Whether England could give knowledge without awakening ambition, and whether it was meant to awaken ambition, and not to provide it a legitimate vent ?" The new and liberal system thus introduced was strongly contrasted with that which had previously existed, under which it was stated by one who had been for many years President of the Board of Control, that " instances were adduced of corruption and venality, but these were the results of our own conduct ; duties of importance devolved on the natives, without adequate remuneration, either in rank or salary ; no reward or promotion was given for fidelity." It was forcibly asked, " Why complain of peculation and bribery ? we made vices, and then punished them." Yet, after these promises, and the enactment founded upon them, no sooner had the statute of 1833 been passed than a regu lation which seems to have been carefully kept back from the committee of both houses, was boldly an nounced, and has ever since been undeviatingly acted upon by the Court of Directors, the distributors of all civil patronage. This regulation neutralized the effect of the 87th clause. The covenanted service of India was declared to be exclusively confined to Europeans. To the uncovenanted, or subordinate grades of the ser vice alone, the native subjects of the Queen were held to be eligible. Thus, the unrestricted words of the statute and the gracious intentions of Parliament have been practically defeated. To no one office from which the natives were excluded before the act of 1833 have they been since admitted, though it is undeniable that during those 20 years the natives have rapidly advanc e d in education and knowle d g e, and, though in the offices they have been permitted to fill the natives hav e g i ven the highest proofs of trustworthiness and of ability. Because, the conduct of the Home Government to wards the natives, as above stated, rendered it expe dient to have guarded against a eontinuanceofsucahs abuse by a declaratory and enacting law, which has been proposed and rejected, and the only security n ow obtained for the fulfilm ent of the i ntention of Parlia ment is to be found in the u nq u alified declarati o n of the Minister of the Crow n, havin g the conduct of this bill, " that no distinction between the covenanted and ') un covenanted service is hereafter to work the disqualifica tion of any native of I ndia for public em loynient. This declaration, when taken in connection with the proposed admission of natives to Haileyb ury College the power t and to high,functions in India, coupled with re served to Parliament of amending th e present ea the e f r om year to year, will, it may b e hoped, prevent The conclusions of the commission are founded upon the report of a sub-commission drawn up by M. Collas, which states that when this transforma tion shall be accomplished, without counting the 13 old ships of the line, which will probAly have been erased from the list of the fleet, France will have 158 ships over and above the force here de cided on—viz., " 18 frigates," and 140 corvettes, brigs, schooners, cutters, and sailing transports. These, it advises, should be sold, and the pro ceeds applied to diminish the expense of the screw fleet. But if 19 new frigates and 36 new corvettes be added to the 366 vessels which M. Collas in the same report states the fleet to consist of in 1851, the excess over the force specified by the commis sion will not be 158, but 173. A reference to M. Collas's list of existing sailing frigates shows that 38 were afloat and 88 on the stocks, the latter for the most part nearly ready for launching, the average state of advancement towards completion being 17-24ths. The 19 frigates d grande vitesse are to be entirely new ships the expense being expressly calculated for this object, and not for conversions. These 19 new ships being added to the 56 already in existence gives an excess of 35 over the number specified by the commission ; and if, therefore, 18 are got rid of (those recommended to be sold are vessels of the old class, measuring only 1,000 tons —smaller, indeed, than the new corvettes), there would remain 40 screw frigates, and 17 large sail ing frigates, besides the 20 paddle-wheel steam-fri gates which are to be called " transports." The expense of the transformation of the existing fleet, of building 56 new ships, and of supplying the whole with steam engines, is estimated at 90,706,000 f. ; of which 55,000,000 f. are to be ex pended in the alterations to be effected in the next four years, and the remainder in the course of the six following years. It will be recollected that in 1846 the Chambers unanimously voted 93,000,000 f. specially for creat ing the paddle-wheel fleet. This sum was to be divided over a period of seven years, but in the fol lowing year the Minister stated, " that in mani fest harmony with the wish of the Chambers the new ships should be proceeded with as speedily as possible ;" and accordingly, the steam fleet was completed within four years ; and within five the commission of the National Assembly, with similar unanimity, recommends that 90,000,000 f. more should be expended in replacing it with a screw fleet. An ordonnance of the same year decreed that the future naval force should consist of 326 ves sels ; but, in January, 1851, this number was very largely exceeded. Among the larger class of ves sels there were 50 ships of the line instead of 40, 56 sailing frigates instead of 50, and 20 paddle wheel steam-frigates instead of 10, as fixed by the ordonnance. Experience, therefore, does not warrant the be lief, that, either those 10 years will elapse before the screw fleet is completed, or that it will be limited to the force specified by the commission. It will, however, be more difficult hereafter to ascertain what may be done in this respect, as the list of ships in the navy, which has always hitherto appeared in the Annuaire de la Marine, has been suppressed in the number published in the present year. The commission, indeed, loudly complains of the inferior quality and deficient quantity of the timber in store at the arsenals, and passed a resolution that the supply was " dessaserti, impuissant, et insufii sant." But, though great mismanagement had un doubtedly occurred, the opinion expressed as to the insufficiency of the quantity was probably formed in reference not so much to the ordinary consump tion as to the great w or k s th e commission had in contemplation. Several English officers well quali fied to form an opinio n h ave recently visit e d t h French dockyards, and th ey concur in the Opinion that the , supply o f ti m b er i s abundant and far larger than in our own. At all events, a deficie nc y so strongly and au th or it a ti vely stated is not likely to remain long without remedy. Again, the Government steam factories are at present barely capable of producing the amount of machinery that would be required within the time specified. The factory at Indret can p ro d uce 4,000- horse power p er annum ; Cherbourg, Brest, Roche fort, and L'Orient about 2,000 more ; and Toulon has only the means of repairing engines. But the commission recommends that Cherbourg, Brest, and Toulon should have the means of building and repairing th e l argest engines, and we understand that measures for this purpose are being vigorously carried out. The sub-commission moreover states, that the private establishments in France are in " a condition to furnish the navy with all the en gines it can require ;" but if it were otherwise, there could be no difficulty in having engines built to an amount fully equal to supply any deficiency, in England or in the United States. We are per suaded that no obstacles will prevent the speedy construction of a powerful steam-fleet, and that, according to the precedent already alluded to, it will exceed in force, and anticipate in point of time, the recommendations of the commission. If such a force could be cheated, while we per sisted in building only sailing vessels or paddle wheel steamers, the consequences might be serious, for our fleet must be equal at least in efficiency to that of any assailant, and superior, numerically, in 853. intentions of thu Legislature from being again frus trated. Because; in those cases where this statute appears to be founded upon just principles, it would seem that timidity or irresolution prevented their full enforcement. When it is considered that one of the advocates of the bill admitted that all the best and most useful measures of Lord William Bentinck met with the opposition of the Home Government, and were made the matters of censure where they merited praise, and when another supporter of the present bill has stated that in propor tion as a province of India has been long under the jurisdiction of the company its condition is unimproved and its inhabitants are unprosperous, while it is in the provinces latest acquired that success and advancement are to be found, the enactments of the present bill can not but appear inadequate and incomplete for the fulfil ment of those duties which the Imperial Legislature of England owes to the inhabitants of India. MONTEAGLE OF BRANDON. THE FRENCH NAVY.-PART V. THE COMPOSITION OF THE FLEET. (Continued.) The commission arrived at its final conclusion with respect to the composition of the fleet in June and July, 1851. At this time 27 ships of the line were afloat, and 20 building, reckoning only those ships which were considerably advanced in their con struction. The commission advises that 45 ships of the line shall be hereafter maintained-30 afloat, and 15 nearly ready for launching—in fact, a reserve upon the stocks ; and that the whole shall be furnished with screw propellers ; but whether d grand vitesse, or only with auxiliary power, the commission suspends its opinion until the Napoleon shall have been tried. _ _ Only two of the ships of the line afloat were fitted with screws. The commission recommends that 12 more of those afloat should be altered and fitted with screws ; the remaining 13 are old ships, which, though fit for service at present, are con sidered to be not worth altering, and to be only likely to last an average period of four years. Of the ships on the stocks, three, fitted with screws, to be launched in 1851, would complete the number of line-of-battle ships afloat to 30. The remaining 17 to be altered and fitted with screws would be launched to take the place of the old ships as they were condemned. By the calculations of the commission, it appears that four years are considered sufficient for fitting the whole fleet of ships of the line with screws. A resolution is agreed to, that no more ships of 100 guns on two decks should be built, as they are nearly as expensive and much less effective than three-deckers. The commission fixes the number of screw frigates at 40 ; 20 with auxiliary power (fregates mixtes), and 20 a gran& vttesse (fregates rapides). One of each class was already afloat—the Pomone and the Isly. Those with auxiliary power are to be sailing frigates, converted and fitted with engines in four years ; they are to be capable of carrying at least four months' provisions and are intended for distant operations. The 19 frigates, a gran* vEtesse, are to be built in the course of the ensuing 10 years ; they are to combine extreme rapidity of movement with perfect efficiency of war, and are intended for service on the coasts. The screw corvettes are to be 50 in number :- 14 with auxiliary power, to consist of sailing cor vettes of the largest class, with upper decks ; these are to be altered and fitted with engines in four years, and are intended for distant expeditions. The 36 ci grande vitesse are to be built in the course of 10 years, and are for service on the coasts. There are also to be SO vessels, of which 56 are to be employed on the coasts, to consist, for the pre sent, of the paddle-wheel corvettes and avisos now afloat. The 20 paddle-wheel steam-frigates are to be here after called " transports." The force specified by the commission is as fol lows : 45 screw line-of-battle ships-30 afloat, 15 a reserve on the stocks. 20 screw frigates a grande vitesse (to be built). 20 ditto with auxiliary power (to be altered). 36 screw corvettes a grande vitesse (to be built). 14 ditto with auxiliary power (to be altered). 80 paddle-wheel corvettes and avisos, from 400 to 120-horse power (now afloat). 20 paddlewheel frigates, to be called "transports" (now afloat). 235 total. ~_~_ _~~-- some proportion at least to the degree in which our vast and wide-spread interests, dependent on naval protection, exceed those of other nations. Upon their preservation our greatness and prosperity are staked ; and, as is so often observed by members of the commission, the dispersion of forces their defence will require must be a cause of weakness, especially against an enemy who has nothing to defend abroad, who is secure from serious invasion at home, and is at liberty to concentrate his force on whatever object he may choose for attack. It is not our policy to strike out new instruments of war ; but whatever real improvements are adopted by others we are bound to provide ourselves with also. As Admiral de la Susse well observes, " nothing is improvised in naval affairs ;" and we must organize our resources and prepare our ships during peace. The latter, the most costly branch of naval preparation has never been neglected, and perhaps occasionally has been carried to excess. As regards the adoption of the screw propeller, our condition is highly satisfactory. We have a larger and more efficient fleet of screw ships--those recently constructed being triumphs of naval archi tecture—while our means of adding to the number are far beyond those of any other Power. We must follow the course of France in discard ing our paddlewheel steam-frigates and in getting rid of the small craft that now crowd the Navy List. But, looking to the past for future guidance, we may ask whether vast sums might not have been saved had the measures for rendering mer chant vessels available for the naval service been more effectually carried out t The heavier classes of ships must be in the highest degree efficient and must be devoted exclusively to the service of the State, but, as regards the smaller classes of vessels required for the coast defence, every object might be fulfilled if the merchant steam-vessels were fitted to receive an armament (as M. Daru suggests), and were thus ready at any moment to be taken into the public service. Until some system of this de scription is put into force, the enormous mass o merchant steamers must be wholly incapable of aid ing in the public defence if occasion should arise. It would be too late to fit them when the hour of need arrived._ Considerable advantage would also be gained if the Revenue cruisers and the Coastguard. service in general were made an effective part of the navy, instead of being, as at present, a totally 'distinct force. The men, it is true, have engaged Ito serve in the navy if required ; but this is a civil cc 'ntract, such as exists between master and servant„ which cannot be enforced, and the breach of it c; I n on ly be punished by an appeal to the magistrate.. Some other recommendations of the corm) aission, having reference to the arsenals and the mageriet of the fleet, require notice. Besides the erection of great steam facto ries at Toulon, Brest, and Cherbourg, the commission re commends that the State shall provide the > means of repairing steam-vessels at Algiers and a t Mers el-Kebir, if no such establishment should be formed by private enterprise. The only port that can be conveniently s applied with French coal is Toulon. equal The commission , there fore,alwa resolv es th at a supply always t i o na a i t ni l ,i a n st eci one year's consumption should at the Ocean Ports. The commission recommends that henc el 7orward. ships of the line shall be built only at !Toulon, Brest, and Cherbourg ; the ports of L'Ot 4 ie nt and Rochefort being deficient in space, and be st suited for dispatching the squadrons destined for distant expeditions, which may slip out thence uno h Served, are hereafter only to build frigates and ;smaller vessels. The commission adopts the opinion of ea e sub commission, urging that the shipwrights an other artificers in the maritime districts shall be raised for seven years, and formed into companies under a regular military organization ; that they s. be compelled to serve afloat when required (from which they were before exempt) ; that thil s mea sure shall be at once put in force, and the "no more free workmen shall be admitted into the ar senals from the day on which the military organi sation commences." This is a curious recommen dation emanating from a Republican AI is embly, chosen by universal suffrage and vote by ballot. The progress of the gigantic works at Chzerbourg have been checked by the financial conseqt to nces of the revolution. " The breakwater," says the report, " Is, we may say, finished. This work, the fix test and without dispute, the boldest ever executed by man, is un fait accompli. " The anchorage is secured, but the arsenal :and de fences are far from being finished, We must not dis guise the fact that, if war broke out now, immense sums might be lost ; a few steam vessels might speedily ruin what we have constructed with so much labour and at I such heavy sacrifices. _ _ " The Assembly has just voted the credits necessary to complete the sea defences ; it remains to COM plete as quickly as possible all that relates to the service of the fleet." The report states that there is only one thy dock finished, and that one not large enough to admit a three-decked ship. Two large basins are :already completed, but the third, which is on a fpc,r larger scale, with several dry docks and building slips opening into it, would, at the present rate, of pro gress, occupy GO years in its construction. After urgently pressing the completion of Cher bourg, the report goes on to say : " To complete ,the means of defence and aggression which will shortly place France in an advantage° us po sition for a struggle, it is indispensable that r/unkirk should be prepared to re eive a steam flotilla. The opinions of the commission with regard to the measures and policy to be adopted in case of war and as to the means of rendering the navy of France more efficient cannot fail to interest iis. It is necessary, however, to remember, with respect to the opinions expressed with reference to Eng land, that the commission emanated from the Assembly, at a time when it was hostile to Louis Napoleon, and there is no reason to suppose that such sentiments find any place in the mind of the Emperor. Still, among the 15 members of the commission, there appears to have been little diffe rence of opinion, and upon no single OCCaSI , OII was a voice raised deprecating the aspirations of e.ggran dizement at our expense, which form so ma rked a feature in the inquiry. Neither is it to be for gotten that changes may possibly occur, which would place them in power who have mokit pro minently betrayed their malevolence. [To be continued.] BUSINESS AT ADELAIDE. The following is an extract from a private letter from Adelaide, dated June 1, 1853 "The demand for all kinds of goods in conweluence of the different aspect put upon commercial afrairs by the gold discoveries has been extremely great here, and consignees have reaped enormous profits ; and although it has somewhat subsided, there still remains tend will for some time continue to be a pretty wide outlet for the disposal of merchandise. The English merch ants who have for the last 18 months shipped for these colonies must have realised princely profits, for the proceeds of their consignments, which were invariably great were remitted in gold, which at the period I allude to was 3/. per oz. Those who have been blessed with a. toler able capital during the last two years have in creased their store to an enormous extent by purchasin g gold, investing in freeholds, or mortgage. Such people have of course tenfold advantages. We are certau dy in a highly prosperous condition, but still the cry is labour. Some mechanics are actually earning as much as 2/. a day, and none under U. Every article of life is enor mously high. Our last advice from England inform us of the death of Mr. Smellie, our Advocate-General, while on a con tinental tour, and Mr. Ranson has been gazetted as Advocate-General until her Majesty's pleasure be known. It is expected here that his appointment will be con firmed by the Duke of Newcastle. Mr. Harmon is a thorough liberal. There has been a hotly-contested election here. The candidates were Mr. Stephens, who has been for eleven years the manager of the Bank of South Australia, our leading banking establishment, and Mr. Fisher, one of the first who set foot in the co bony, a resident commissioner, who has figured in all the politi ca l movements o f the colony, and has twice filled the office of Mayor. Mr. Fisher has been and is very popular. Mr. Stephens is a liberal. Notwith standing that the latter gentleman would not personally interfere to secure his election and that his bank career has made him enemies, he nearly got elected, solely 0 . account of the dislike to Mr. Fisher because of the opi nions of the latter in favour of the church grant." EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF POISONING.-Ort Wednes day afternoon last, four boys, named Edward Cartney, aged 14 years ; Cornelius Cartney, 12 ; James Lear y, 11 ; and Patrick Leary, 8, were on Sydenham-hill, not a great distance from the Crystal Palace, when they found in a hedge a wine bottle about three parts full o a light-coloured liquid, and, supposing the contents t o be gin, they drank it off. I n about anhour after all became so frightfully ill that the y were obliged to lie on the grass, and here they must have died, had not a po liceman fortunately come to the spot soon after, where he found the four lads writhing in the greatest possible agony, and nearly insensible. The officer promptly procured assistance, and removed the sufferers to Cam berwell workhouse. By the time the lads had reached the latter place they were quite insensible, and in ap parently a dying state ; but they were placed under medical treatment, and, though at first not the slightes, t hopes were entertained of the recovery of any of thorn, they rapidly improved, and were so far recovered on Monday as to be able, with the exception of the oldest, Edward Cartney, to be given up to their friends, who lived in Shard's-square, Old Kent-road. The boys state that after drinking the contents of the bottle they smashed the bottle itself, so that no opinion could b e • formed of the nature of the poison. It is conjectured, however, by Mr. King and others that it consisted of some powerful preparation for dressing sheep, and had been incautiously placed in the hedge where it had been found by the boys who have so narrowly escaped from its effects. ,ess d* x a 18 !k .~ ' w •.