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

MUST FOREIGN NEWS. WAR IN AFFGHANISTAN ! The following despatch was received in Paris yesterday from Trieste : " Trieste, Dec. 24. "News has been received from Bombay to the 28th of November. "According to these accounts, the Shah of Pei sia 'was marching towards the north with an army of 40,000 mcm and 100 cannon. " The English were, on the other hand, marching towards Afghanistan, to bar the defile of Cohat by means of a fort. " The Russians, it is added, have entered Kliiva, and destroyed Achmetzen, in Independent Tartary. " Letter from Cairo of the 15th of December announce that the Abyssinian mountaineers have expelled the Turkish population from Massora and netirikas. RUSSIA AND TURKEY. By telegraph from Vienna, under date of Satur daY, we have information from Constantinople up to the 16th. The Vienna Note had been received in that city the day previous, and Reschid Pasha had had an interview with the foreign Ministers. Re promised to do his utmost for the furtherance of peace at the Grand Divan which was to meet on the 20th, but thought that the conduct of Persia and Russia wonld render an arrangement very difficult. Both the Turkish Minister in Persia and the Per man Minister at Constantinople have quitted their Posts, contrary to the advice of the French and English Ministers. . We als% learn that the Persians and Russians have opened a direct communication. The Russian General Yermoloff is to command the Persian force. By advices from Teflis of the 2d we learn that the Persian Beglerbegs on the frontier have recoived orders to prepare quarters for the reception of troops. The Wanderer of Vienna states that the last des patches from Constantinople announce the deter mination of the Porte to carry on the war to the last extremity. The Press of Vienna has telegraphic news from Flermannstadt confirming the reported failure of the Russian attack upon Matschin. The Russian bulletin of the battle of Ougasti, in respect of which General Bobutoff claims a victory over Abdi Paella, has been published. The general admits that he lost 317 killed, of whom 9 are officers, and 795 wounded, among whom is Prince Orbelian. From Bucharest we learn.that on the 12th, 13th, and 14th inst. large masses of Russian trool:s were marching upon Lesser Wallachia. Prince Gortschakoff has taken the command of the troops in that part of the country. M. de Fonton has been appointed by the Em peror of Russia Imperial Commissioner in Servia. It is said that the Russian Court has given an evasive answer to the Servian complaint respecting the dangerous proximity of the ex-Prince Milosch to the Servian frontier. The Prussian Correspondence states that the allied fleets have entered the Black Sea to protect the Ottoman coast against any attacks by the Rus sian fleets. The Correspondence adds that already at a former period the English Government had in formed the Russian Cabinet that the allied fleets would enter immediately after the first attack of the Russians against the ports of Turkey. From undoubted information we learn that the Turks are preparing for an expedition against Sebastopol. The following is the translation of the formal and official note tranainitted to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe aad General Baraguay d'Hilliers by Reschid Paella : " It was announced to the ambassadors some days ago, by an official note, that Russian ships of war had been seen cruising in the vicinity of Sinope. The Taif steamer has just arrived from that loc lity, and it re suits from the report of the captain that on Wednesday last, 29th Sepher (November 30) three Russian three deckers, two 2-deckers, and two frigates entered the port of Sinope, and attacked a division of the Ottoman fleet anchored there ; and consisting of six frigates and three corvettes. "Although the result of the action is not yet known, considering the situation of our ships and the suo , -rior force of the enemy, it is presumed that a great disaster has ensued. • " The English and French fleets have been sent to the Bosphorus with the sincere intention of protecting the shores of the Ottoman empire. This recent occurrence proves sufficiently, that it is the determination of Ru;sia, to attack by means of her fleet those points against which operations may be best directed. The impossibility, however, of defending so vast an extent of coast without a sufficient force in the Black Sea is perfectly evident ; and although the Sultan's government has the intention of sending thither the fleet, it will be inadequate to tli object in view. "Hence, the Sublime Porte considers itself under the necessity of having recourse to the effective solicitude of the two allied governments. This notification is made accordingly and at the same time to the ambassadors of England and France. " RA evvel 4." ‘‘ RESCHID.IrbiI It appears from information received from Paris that a good deal of discontent has been manifested in the highest quarters at the course pursued by the Ambassador of France at Constantinople. With respect to the entry of the fleet into the Black Sea, it is said to be very probable that the Russian mbassador will ask for explanations, and whether it is meant as a hostile demonstration against Russia on the part of France. The answer will probably he, that the policy of the French Government has undergone no change ; that peace is still the object it desires, and that no effort con sistent with the national honour, and the independ ence and integrity of its ally, the Sultan, will be spared in its attainment ; and that the presence of the fleets is less a hostile demonstration than for the purpose of preventing the recurrence of such a calamity as that which has recently taken place. If such be the general sense of the explanation, it will be curious to see how the Emperor of Russia will look upon the " invasion" of the sea which he has been so :on; accustomed to regard as his own ex clusive plop,lrty. His fleets, if he accept that state of things, must b 3 powerless in the Black Sea for offensive urpose 4 ; and he will have to consider whether the advanta4es accruing from the con tinued occupation, or even annexation of the Prin cipalities, ar3 net morn than counter-balanced by the presence of strange and powerf squadrons in ' that sea which has been so carefuliy closed against the western nations. Prince Woronzoff, the Russian Governor in the Caucasian Provinces, has I)rwarderl to St. Peters . burg his report of the battle of Akhalzik, fought on the 20th of November by 7 and a-half battalions of infantry, with 14 guns, 9 sotnias of Cossacks (900), 17 sotnias of Militia (1,700), under General Andronikoff, against a Turkish force 18,000 strong under Ferik Pasha. The Turks were beaten after a most hard-fought battle, as Prince Audronikoff's despatch shows, accordin g to which at least 1,000 corpses .covered the field. (The Russian reports, which we received by way of Vienna, stated 4,000.) The loss on the Russian side is stated to have been one officer and 39 privates killed. General Freitaff Lieutenants Freigau and Birinkow, 6 staff officers, and 179 rank and file wounded. This is exclusive . of the loss among the Cossacks, the Artillery, and the Militia. Of the Turks there have been 12) made prisoners, and 10 field pieces, two mountain guns, two parks of artillery, some flags, and a quantity of provisions for man and beast captured. Prince Andronikoff has received the order of St. George, third class, and everybody else has been appropriately decore. This victory of an extremely superior force over the' 18,000 troops under Ferik Pasha has been thought of sufficient consequence in St. Petersburg for the Emperor and all his Court, en grande tenue, _to return thanks in the Winter P a l ace " t o th e 4ord of Lords, for the victory vouchsafed to the Russian arms engaged in the holy war for the 9rthodox faith." A similar service was performed in all the churches of the capital, and most nume rously attended by the people. The Oest. Den'sche Post of the 20th, gives an in teresting account of the views of the W a ll ac h o - Moldavian politicians. Ii is supposed that the re cent appointments o f G e neral Budberg as Imperial Commission er , an d o f M. Ch a lt sc hinski as Vi ce - President o f th e Ad m i n i s t ra ti ve C ounc il, must have caused a profound sensation abroad. The t wo T, rm •eih .- r - patfes, with an area of 10,0)0 English square miles, and a population of 3 2 5)0,0)0 souls are now, to all intents and purpose, governed as if they w ere Russi an provinces. Such of the inhabitants of the c oun t ry as are able to comprehend the state 0 f a ffairs reason thus :—When war w as d e clared in 1828 th e two Hospodars, Ghika and Stourdza, quitted the country without makin g any con diti ons , and the Czar dent .. appointed Count Pahl en Presi 0t t e Administrative Council. The Consul eenhad era Minziaki assisted in this organisation but co no sha re w h a t ever i n the government of the ad no Pahlen was succeeded by Gene- G,altukin, an d h e b y G enera l Ki sseleff, who, as 2 11E 0 i t s na lde x Ut'cil the Administrative Council, recei ve d 14 Ct 1911, 4 is higiiiieviri and administrative - matters from the commander of the army, Count Diebitsch. When, after the bloodless revolution of 1848, Prince George Bibescu, and subsequently Prince Stourdza, left the Principalities, no Rus sian or Turkish Governor was appointed, but in accordance with Art. 15, of the Constitution, the Administrative Council elected Caimakans, or Vice-Hospodars. Now, however, matters have been managed very differently. Neither of the Hospodars abdicated, "but resolved to wait and see what turn things would take." The ukase which appoints General Budberg neverthe less speaks of their resignation as a settled matter. The nomination of M. Chaltschinski to the Vice- Presidency of the Administrative Council is a fla grant violation of Art. 5 of the treaty of Adriano ple. It is a notorious fact that half the members of the Council belong to the Russian party, and by the new appointment Russia has acquired the cer tainty that all its measures will be carried. "These and many other circumstances of minor importance make the inliabitants of the Principali ties excessively anxious to know what the result of the conferences held by the Four Powers will be." The 12th was an eventful (lay for the Serviaus. The anniversary of their independence was celebrated at Belgrade, and for the first time the usual prayer aloud " for our Russian protector, the Emperor Nicholas," was omitted. The Russian Consul-General, who frequently crosses from Semlin to Belgrade, did not assist at the ceremony. On the same day Izzet Pasha, the resolute commander of the fortress, was gathered to his fathers. From a Russian bulletin we learA that after their victory at Bayunder on the 14th ult., where 30,000 Turks under Abdil Pacha are said to have been totally routed by seven Russian battalions, the Turks made an attempt to fall upon Guria, and likewise to advance from Alexandropol into the dis trict of Armenia. They were, however, repulsed with great loss by the Russians. Prince Orbeliani is also said to have routed the Turks at a village a short distance north-west of Alexandropol. Seve ral other unimportant engagements are also stated as having taken place in the vicinity of the same city on the 18th and 19th ult. General Budberg had directed the following notice to the Administrative Council of Wallachia " His Excellency the Adjutant-General Prince Gortschakoff has already informed the Administrative Council that his Majesty the Emperor, in conse quence of the proffered resignation of the Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia, has been pleased to en trust to me the functions of a commissioner extraor dinary and plenipotentiary, and t 3 invest me with the necessary powers and attributes for the government of the two principalities, under the superior direction of the commander-in-chief of the imperial troops. Being arrived at my post, I deem it my duty to commu nicate to the Administrative Council the accompanying translation of the imperial mandate with which his Majesty the Emperor has honoured me on this occasion. I entertain the hope that the members of the foun,il, as well as all other officials, impressed with the importance of their responsibilities, will conscientiously and loyally assist me in the performance of the duties of my commission, and further my efforts for the honourable fulfilment of the magnanimous views which my glorious Sovereign entertains towards this princi pality. I have at the same time the honour to inform the Administrative Council that their vice-president, the real councillor of State, M. Kaltschinsky, will forthwith enter upon his functions, and conduct the labours of the council, according to the instructions communicated to him by me. " BUDBERG, Adjutant-General of his Majesty the Emperor." The following is the imperial mandate to General Pudberg:— " After the Ottoman Porte declared war against Rus sia and commenced hostilities, the two Hospodars re solved to resign their dignities, and retire from the government of their principalities. A ctuated by our con stant care for the preservation of order in the principali ties, we have, as in former instances, deemed it necessary to entrust the government to a proper person appointed hyourselves, who at the same time possesses our confidence, and to invest him with the title of com►nisaioner extraor dinary in the principalities. He has to enter upon the performance of his duties under the direction of our commander-in-chief, according to the instructions furnished agreeably to our highest sanction. In be stowing this high dignity upon you, we at the same time inform Prince Gortschakoff thereof by a special rescript, being perfectly convinced that you will act strictly in accordance with your instrnctions, and make every effort to attain the intended object of your mis sion, which is, on the one hand, to watch over the wel fare of the inhabitants who ate placed under our pro tection, and, on the other, to provide for the necessities of our troops. The mandate further expresses the hope that the divans and councillors of the administration will zealously assist the c immissioner in the discharge of his duties." FRANCE. Among the rumours of the day in Paris is one to the effect that a creation of Imperial digni taries will take place on New Year's-day. A simi lar report circulated this time last year, and, per haps, the present may be equally unfounded ; at any rate the persons spoken of are—MM. de Per signy, De Morny, and Troplong, to he raised to 'he rank of " Pri aces of the Empire ;" and MM. Baroche, Abbatucci, and Fould to the ducal dignity. Rumours are again flying about relative to Minis ter:al changes. It is said that the Municipal Council of Paris, being seriously uneasy at the financial position of that body, had waited on the Emperor to request the suspension of several projected public works. The Emperor heard them with great attention, and then replied, that the city of Paris possessed suffi cient resources to complete all the works com menced, and, if necessary,the Government would aid them by imposing taxes on articles of luxury. The religious service, known as the "midnight mass" of Christmas has been celebrated in the chapel of the Palace of the Tuileries, at the espe cial request of the Emperor. The Emperor, Em press, and the Court attended. The celebrant was the Grand Almoner, the Bishop of Nancy. Imperial decrees nominate M. Troplong, First President of the Court of Cassation, President of the Senate for 1854 ; M. Mesna,rd, First Vice-Pre sident of the Senate, and M. Dronyn de Lhuys, General Baraguay d'Hilliers, and General Count Regnault de Saint-Jean-d'Angely, Vice-Presidents. Other decrees nominate M. Billault, President of the Corps Legislatif foe 1854 ; M. Schneider and M. Revell, Vice-Presidents of the same body ; and General Vast-Vimeux and M. Hebert, questeurs. Marshal de St. Arnaud, Minister of War, is, by decree, elevated to the dignity of Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. The Emperor and Empress visited ou last week, in the Rue de Reuilly, Faubourg St. Antoine, a most interesting institution on a very extensive scale for the education of young female children, conducted by a number of Sisters of Charity. The house contains 120 orphan girLs, 300 enfans d' asile, and 400 day pupils. This immense family was collected together, in the great school-room, to receive their Majesties, and they hailed the ar rival of the Imperial party with loud acclamations. The orphan girls then sang the Dontine Salvunt, and immediately after again burst out into cries of welcome. Their Majesties, notwithstanding the c ldness; of the day, visited the chapel, dormi tories, work-room, salle d' asile, the various school rooms, in fact, the whole establishment. The Emperor inquired most particularly into the origin and resources of the establishment, which is sustained altogether by charitable gifts. The Em peror presented I,ooof. to the house, and the Em press gave books for sums of 50f., 40f., and 30f., in the Savings Bank to twenty pupils pointed out to her as the best conducted. Her Majesty also or dered that a little cake should be sent in for every one of the children. Their Majesties, on their de parture, again received the acclamations of the pupils. DENMARK. From a Jutland journal we learn that it is in tended immediately to put the fortifications of the capital into a state of defence, such as they had in 1848, and that the necessary artillery has been provided. Also that a concentration of troops is taking place in Zealand. For some time past the fortifications of Denmark have been put into a gradual state of preparedness, particularly at Christiansoe. In spite of the temporary advantage which the Danish Ministry lately gained in the matter of the appanage for Prince Christian, they have suffered again some notable defeats in the debate ou the Constitution. The committee's amendments to the first 14 paragraphs have almost all been passed with considerable majorities, par ticularly that one which fixes that the Reichstag shall come together every year, instead of every two years : majority, 8 0 for the amendment, to 14 against it. FORTIFICATIONS AT GRIMSBY.--Among other ports unier the eye of our Government, Grimsby has, from its peculiar advantages for landing a foe, and its unforti fled state, commanded attention. Her Majesty's steam ship Black Eagle entered the new dock on Monday for the purpose of making a survey. At present Hull is the' only fortified place on the east coast ; and, so far from this being an advantageous spot, it may be safely asserted that both Yorkshire and Lincolnshire might be invaded at any given point long before Hull or its citadel could make any resistance. The citadel at Hull is one of the most ill-adapted places on the whole coast, and incurs annually a waste of public money, without, in time of danger, being likely to be productive of any service. On the other hand, were a citadel or fortress established on the Crown lands contiguous to the new dock at Grimsby, and the like at a suitable point on the opposite shore, dispensing altogether with the one at Hull, there would be security to both Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, which no invading foe could possibly successfully break do I'm—Stamford Mercury. INDIA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. 24. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Euxine, Captain F. Meehan, arrived here at 4 p.m. to-day, bringing the heavy portion of the East India, China, Australian, and Mediterranean mails, in iarge of Lieutenant do Lisle, R.N., Ad miralty agent. The latest dates of this steamer are—Alexandria, December 8 ; Malta. 12 ; and Gibraltar, 18. She brings 47 passengers ; and among the cargo is 11. packages of gold-dust from Australia, understood to be the first importation, in any quantity, of the precious product of the Australian gold-fields by this route. These remittances are likely to con tinue, and it is probable that considerable amounts may be periodically received, as the Peninsular and Oriental Company, besides lowering their tariff of freights, have made arrangements for insurance of a satisfactory nature, which it is believed will in duce the colonial shippers to patronise the line The precise value of the gold brought by the Euxine on the present occasion is not mentioned, but it is reported to be from 20,0001. to 30,0001. sterlin g . The Australian mails, received by this convey ance from Sydney, Port Philip, Adelaide, and King George's Sound, were due at Southampton, according to the contract, on the 4th December, they have arrived therefore 20 days past due. The causes of the delay are the failure of thescrew steamer Shanghai, from the Australian ports, to connect with the homeward packet at Point de Galle, Ceylon, and also the detention of the mails at Alexandria for nearly six days, waiting for the arrival of the Euxine, from Southampton, which made a long voyage cut, in consequence of experiencing bad weather. The Bombay and Ma dras, two fine screw steam-ships of 1,200 tons and 240 horse power, are to be forthwith employed upon the Australian mail service in place of the Chusan and Shanghai, which vessels, having only 100-horse power, and being of small tonnage, are by no means suitable for the work. It is hoped and anticipated that the serious irregularities of the Australian mails hitherto prevalent on this line will thereby be avoided, and that the mails will in future be brought up to Ceylon in ample time to be trans ferred to the proper homeward bound steamer ap pointed to convey them. _ . Throughout the voyage the Euxine has encoun tered a continuance of heavy head gales, more es pecially between Gibraltar and Alexandria. On the 13th inst. she passed the Peninsular and Oriental Company's ship Indus with the outward India mail of the 4th inst., bound for Malta and Alexandria. From Gibraltar we have accounts to the 18th inst. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Indus, five days from Southampton, arrived on the 9th inst. The screw steamer Melita, 5 days from Liverpool, arrived the same day, and cleared for Malta and Constantinople. The Dryad, 17 days from Portsmouth, and the French steamer Pro phete, from Mogador and Mazagan, arrived on the 9th. The screw steamer Tiber, 61r days from Liver pool, left Gibraltar on the 10th inst. for Genoa and Leghorn. The Tuscan Government steamer San. Vittoreo, 10 days from Glasgow and two from Lis bon, bound to Leghorn, arrived on the 11th. A Spanish squadron, consisting of two frigates and sloops of war passed the Straits of Gibraltar to the eastward at 7 a.m., on the 11th inst. The screw steamer Orontes, 12 days from Alexandria, and six from Malta, touched at Gibraltar on her way to Liverpool on the 13th ; she brought from Alexan dria 298 Moorish pilgrims, returning from a visit to the shrine of the Prophet at Mecca via Alexan dria. They landed at Gibraltar en route to Tan gier, on the coast of Morocco. The French brig Beranger, of. Havre, with sugar from Bahia not being able to hold her ground during a heavy gale from the S. W., which blew in Gibraltar bay on the 12th inst., parted cables, and drove across the Bri tish schooners Onward, of Bristol, and Arabella, of London, doing damage to both those vessels, and, finally, went on shore on the North Front, where she remained. The Gibraltar Chronicle of the 14th gives the subjoined particulars of damage to shipping : "Yesterday afternoon an alarm-gun from the upper sfgnal station announced that a barque in the bay had parted from her anchorage and drifted on shore off Fort St. Philip, where she now lies. The wind had again increased after mid-day; it blew with great force from the S.S.W., and occasioned a very heavy sea. Besides the above barque (formerly a hulk, but now fitted up for the purpose of navigation), two faluchos were driven on the beach at the North Front. The Sardinian barque Ce sare, Captain Gandolfo, which arrived from Lima on the 11th inst., broke two chain cables, but fortunately rode out the gale with the remaining anchor; no assist ance could be rendered her owing to the roughness of the sea. The wind abated about 6 o'clock, and it con tinued to rain very hard without intermission until mid night. - _ _ "The British schooner Recovery, of Brixham, parted her bower anchor on the afternoon of the 12th, and on the 13th her spare anchor. Signals of distress were made, but no assistance could be rendered until the 14th, when a boat's crew from the shore assisted in recovering both anchors and cables. The Georgio Maplath, from Odessa for Cork, put in here this morning in a damaged state ; and the Gustave, with loss of main and mizen topmasts, And the whole of the rigging damaged while in a gale off Cape St. Vincent. The unknown schooner reported at anchor on the 15th under the Mediterranean Battery was the Crescent, which was dismasted on the sth inst. in a gale, about 100 miles north-east of Moga dor. Her Majesty's steamer Vesuvius went out and towed her into the bay. The Samuel and Edward re ports hilvino - seen the British barque Adventure, of Poole, from 'Cadiz, with bowsprit gone, mizen and main mast-head broken, and other damage suffered in a gale off Cape St. Vincent, 14 miles west by north." The United States frigate Saranac, Capt. J. C. Long, 25 days from Norfolk (Virginia), and six from Fayal, arrived at Gibraltar on the 16th inst. She had on board the lion. Mr. Spence (the new American Minister to Turkey), his family and suite, en route to Constantinople. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-ship Tagus, Captain Joy, reached Gibraltar on the 16th, having been detained two days by bad weather at Lisbon. She left again fcr Southampton the same night, touch ing at Cadiz, Lisbon, Oporto, and Vigo. The screw steamer Grecian passed from west to east on the 16th inst. _ Gibraltar exchanges were last quoted as fol low :—On London, at 90 days, 511 ; Paris, sf. 39c. : Marseilles, sf. 40c. ; Genoa, sf. 45c. At eight days' sight on Madrid, Alicante, and Barce lona, ft dis. ; Cadiz, dis. ; Malaga, par : Seville, dis. ; Valencia, dis. ; Spanish pillared dollars, 5 per cent. premium. P ORTUG AL. SOUTHAMPTON, SATURDAY, MIDNIGHT. By the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam ship Tagus, Captain J. K. Joy, we have dates from Gibraltar, to the 16th ; Cadiz, 17th; Lisbon, 19th ; and Vigo, 20th inst. The Tagus, could effect no communication with Oporto in consequence of the weather. This packet brings 21 passengers, and on freight 4 packages specie, value 1,1071. sterling, 1,114 half chests and 48 boxes oranges, 58 boxes eggs, 2 casks of wine, 140 serons of birdseed, 34 elephents' tusks, 104 cases of dates, and 21 packages of sundres. The screw steamer Gannett left Lisbon at the same time as the Tagus. The latter steamer on the 19th passed within the Bar of Lisbon two ves sels dismasted—one a full-rigged ship, which had lost her topmasts, hull painted green, and showing second distinguishing pendant, No. 8,620 ; the other a large brig or bark, with only foremast standing, showing first distinguishing pendant, No. 3 267. The St. Jean d'Acre and Odin having joined the British squadron at Lisbon, the vessels under Rear- Admiral Corry at anchor in the Tagus on the 19th were—the Prince Regent, Duke of Wellington, St. Jean d'Are, Imperieuse Arrogant, Tribune, Amphion, Odin, Desp era t e, V . alorous, and Cruiser. There were also three French steamers of war there —viz., Le Newton, Ebrie, and Terrore, but the two last were preparing for sea. Incredible reports had been spread at Lisbon that the fleet had gone out to suppress some ex pected outbreak. It had also been falsely stated that cholera and small-pox existed on board some of the vessels. The fleet was in excellent health, with only 19 men in the hospital, and. Admiral Corry intended taking it out for a cruise a few days after the packet left. The General Screw Steam Company's new steamer Natal, 12 days out, fromm. London, for the Cape, put into Lisbon on the 17th to repair damages. Three months' bills were quoted upon the Lisbon Exchange by this mail at 541 d. on London, bills over, and takers scarce ; Paris, 532 Amsterdam, 421 ; Hamburg, 48} ; and Genoa, 530, with little. doing. The Portuguese New Three per Cents. were at 39i to 40, and the Bank of Portugal shares iu demand, at 150 to 140 milreis discount per share, in Lisbon bank notes, subject to 21. per cent. dis count ; Oporto Bank shares, 51 to 6i per cent. premium, in metal. By this steamer we have letters from our corres pondent in Lisbon to the 19th inst. The Portu guese Cortes assembled at S. Bento on that day to record the King Regent's reiteration of his oath. The King, Don Pedro V., was also present at the Royal sitting, with his brother, Don Luiz, as Con stable of the Kingdom: The King Regent's speech upon the occasion was as follows " Worthy Peers of the Realm and Senators, — "'Deputies of the Nation, — "After the heavy blow which it pleased Divine Pro vidence to inflict upon my heart—leaving my dear chil dren orphans and the Portuguese nation submerged in mourning for the loss of a virtuous Queen it so dearly loved—my first moment pf relief is that in which I find myself in the centre of the national representatives. In their presence I have just reiterated the solemn oath which the constitutional charter requires from the Re gent during the King's minority. " This sacred oath will be by me religiously kept. " My sincere and anxious care will ever be to pro mote, in all respects, the happiness of the subjects of the King Don Pedro V., at whose side you now see me. " During the short time which intervenes before he attains his majority my every'effort will be exerted to give him the lessons of a father and the advice of a friend, that he may daily become more worthy to oc- cupy the glorious throne of his august ancestors. I will not cease to remind 'him of the eminent virtues of his excellent mother, and of his immortal grandfather, Senor Don Pedro IV. • " Meanwhile, confiding in the favour of God and in the efficient cooperation of the national representatives, I hope to deliver the kingdom of his Majesty the King, my august son, in the enjoyment of perfect peace, of its precious liberties, and in the advancement of those in dustrial and administrative improvements so necessary for the prosperity and contentment of all Portuguese citizens." This royal speech would not be replied to by the Cortes , except in a few words from the Cardinal President of the House of Peers. The Legislature was to continue its sittings until the end of the year, when the session will close, and the new one for 1854 is to be opened on the 2d of January with the usual speech from the Throne. It was reported that M. Fonseca Magalhaens was about to retire from the Portuguese Ministry, but there appeared to be no likelihood of any change in the adminis tration. Count Thomar was in the capital, with the intention of taking his place in the House of Peers during the next session. LITERATURE. A Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, with an Account of the Native Tribes, and Observations on the Climate, Geology, and Natural History of the Amazon Valley. By Alfred W. Wallace. Reeve and. Co. It is unquestionable that there is much to engage attention and impart amusement in this work on a part of the world that is not frequently made the subject of description. The author informs us that he had a desire to behold the luxuriance of animal and vegetable life in the tropics. In pursuing his purpose of starting for " some land where endles3 summer reigns," he thought that little was known of the Valley of the Amazon in comparison with the rest of South America. It is to be regretted, however, that some considerable portion of the traveller's notes and sketches were lost on the homeward voyage in consequence of the ship taking fire. However, what is here before us is suffi ciently interesting and satisfactory for the purpose in view—the better understanding and apprecia tion of that remarkable country, whose forests and rivers are the wonder of all who behold them. An able description is here given of the Amazon, the largest river in the world ; under another name the poet has thus made mention of it— "Swelled by a thousand streams impetuous hurled, From all the roaring Andes huge descends The mighty Orellana." " We were in the Amazon itself, and it was with emo tions of admiration and awe that we gazed upon the stream of this mighty and far-famed river. Our imagi nation wandered to its sources in the distant Andes. to the Peruvian Incas of old, to the silver mountains of Potasi, and the gold-seeking Spaniards and wild Indians, wh• now inhabit the country about its shores and sources. What a grand idea it was to think that we now saw the accumulated waters of a course of three thousand miles—that all the streams that for a length of twelve hundred miles drained from the snow-clad Andes were here congregated in the wide extent of ochre coloured water spread out before us. Venezuela, Co lumbia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, six mighty states, spreading over a country far larger than Europe, had each contributed to form the flood which bore us so peacefully on its bosom.",' There is a great deal of labour expended in the compilation of this work. After an elaborate de scription of the climate, geology, &c., of the Ama zon district, a table is given of the different lan guages. Altogether, this may be recommended as an original and superior composition. The Gold Rocks of , Great Britain and Ireland. By John Calvert. Chapman and Hall. After the gold discoveries which have astonished the world in California and Australia, and after the thousands who have gone to those countries in search of their treasures, it is somewhat surprising to be told that gold might‘ have been found under our feet all the while, had we only looked for it. Mr. Calvert, a mineral surveyor, who has recently returned from Australia, gives a treatise on the geology of gold in the present work, and a general outline of the gold regions of the world. Having obtained extensive practical knowledge of the mineralogical structure of Eastern Australia, and having much time and opportunity for the study of his favourite pursuit, the author became convinced, atter long consideration, of the existence of gold mines in the British islands. He caused researches to be made in the collections of the British Mu seum, and from that and other quarters he has col lected a chain of evidence winch, he hopes, will prove to the most sceptical " that the gold minera logy of England is more worthy of attention than it has hitherto been deemed to be." In the two first chapters he has endeavoured to explain why gold working in England has fallen into such ne glect. In the second part of the work is given the history of gold mining in every part of these islands ; also the particulars of the localities, dm. There are also chapters on the foreign gold regions. It will thus be seen that the work is arranged on a comprehensive method ; and should the author succeed in his researches, and prove his anticipa tions to be correct, he will certainly have the credit, if not of making a new discovery, at least of draw ing public attention to au important fact which has fallen into oblivion. Rome Thoughts. This pleasing little serial has now completed its first volume. Some useful domestic information may be found in it, together with chess, riddles, arithmetic, work patterns for ladies, biographies, medical recipes, and various other matters of general entertainment. Round Games for all Parties. Bogue. At the festive season of Christmas, a - little vo lume of this description is sure to be welcome to all readers cEsposed for participation in the amuse ments here described. It is intended for the old and young, and " adapted to the understandings of children from the ages of seven to seventy." It is divided into various departments, such as games of action, games of memory, games requiring the exercise of fancy, cbc, and, forfeits. The list of forfeits is not very extensive or select, but the col lection of games is arranged :with skill and taste. CRUISING IN THE BLACK SEA. TO THE EDITOR OF THE RUif. SlR,—Nothing can be more, essential to the success of naval operations than that officers conducting them should have a perfect knowledge of the coast, set of the currents, prevailing winds, &c., in the sphere on which their services are required; as, without such local know ledge, an enemy, inferior in force, and all other profes sional acquirements, may evade our squadrons, harass our allies, and do incalculable mischief, by sudden in cursions on their coast with comparative impunity. It therefore, to me, appears most unaccountable that all our squadron should be detained off Constantinople, with the almost certain prospect of being speedily called on to act in the Black Sea, without availing themselves of the present favourable opportunity of becoming acquainted with the navigation of that sea. That such knowledge is fully appreciate(' 'by the Admiralty is evident, from Sir E. Lyons having been selected as second in com mand of our Mediterranean fleet, from having had the rare advantage, of a cruise in the Black Sea, when in command of the Blonde. It would, therefore, be unjust to consider the Admiralty the cause of the present aus picious opening being lost to the .service. Nor con I conceive it possible that it arises out of deference or fear of giving umbrage to the Czar, as the Black Sea cannot be considered as Russian (seeing that the larger portion of its coasts belong to Turkey) ; and, even were it so deemed, surely while Russian ships of war are receiving refits occupying months in our naval arsenals, with the means of becoming acquainted with our re sources, fortifications, &c., it would, indeed, be false delicacy to hesitate in giving our officers an opportunity of gaining such essential professional knowledge as cited by me. I can, therefore, only account for the absence of all our vessels, not only from the Russian, but Turkish harbours and coast, from the Commander-in-Chief's feel ing that he cannot, without instructions, send our cruisers there ; and his not having received such instruc tions to an oversight on the part of our Prime Mi nister. I would therefore suggest that a number of active, intelligent officers, of different ranks, be selected from the Mediterranean fleet, by the Admiral, and sent in several of our steamers and smaller sailing ships to visit the entire coasts of the Black Sea', with a view to gain ing every information with regard to the strength of both Turkish and Russian fortifications, and security of harbours, as well as the navigation of the coasts. I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, A NAVAL OFFICER. Dec. 14, 1853. LORD PALMERSTON- LORD JOHN RUSSELL-SIR JAMES GRAHAM. (From the Morning Advertiser.) We believe we are correct in stating that Lord Palmerston has returned •to the Home Secretary ship. The matter was finally arran g ed on Satur day evening. We could have w i s hed, for his own sake, that Lord Palmerston had never again crossed the threshold of any office in DOwning-street, ex cept that of the First Lord of the Treasury. But it is due to his lordship to say, that, though still in name only the Home Secretary, he is, to all intents and purposes, the Premier of England ;.for, before he would listen to the entreaties made to him to return, he made conditions which xirtually make him the head of the Cabinet. Lord John Russell, who has hitherto been something in the Cabinet, will hereafter be nothing ; while Lord Aberdeen will be no better than the effigy of a Premier. Never was man so besieged as Lord Palmerston has been, both by written and verbal solicitations, to return to arroffice he had quitted. The greater part of his (the Noble Lord's) time last week was occupied in reading letters, imploring him to return to the Home-office, and in receiving visits paid to him solely with the same view. But neither Lord John Russell nor Sir James Graham ventured, after their conduct to Lord Palmerston, to pay him a visit. We are assured, however—and yet knowing what we do, we can hardly believe it possible-- that Lord John actually wrote to the noble lord a letter, beseeching him to rejoin the Coalition Cabi net, and promising, as an inducement, that if he would do so, he would abandon those parts of the Reform Bill to which Lord Palmerston objected. For the sake of the character of our public men, we trust the latter statement, though so confi dently made, will be found to be without founda tion ; for Lord John Russell, we are informed on undoubted authority, behaved of late towards Lord Palmerston with something approaching to rude ness. In fact, his conduct to the latter Noble Lord has been represented to us as a repetition, under different circumstances, of that of Decem ber, 1851, when he ignominiously expelled him from the Whig Ministry. Sir James Graham, we are told, /was an aiding and abetting party in this matter ; but it is said that, considerini , the politi cal character of the Netherby Baronet, ° Lord Pal merston did not care about his rudeness. Not so with regard to the demeanour of Lord John. It was the immediate cause, as we stated on Thurs day last, of Lord Palmerston's retirement from office ; and, in sending in his resignation to Lord Aberdeen, he expressed himself in terms of becoming indignation at the conduct of Lord John. Had lord Palmerston not returned to office, this letter, which would have excited great attention, would have been read to the House of Commons, immediately upon the re assembling of Parliament ; but it is presumed the public will not, after the patch-up which has taken place, have their curiosity to see it, gratified. Incredible as the thing may appear, we have the best reason for believing that, notwithstanding the signal triumphwhich Lord Palmerston has achieved over Lord John Russell, by being welcomed back by Lord Aberdeen and the rest of the Ministers, on his own terms, Lord John Russell will not re sign. Can this be ? Can a man occupying the place his lordship so long did in the service of his Sovereign, be so utterly lost to all sense of honour, as this would imply ? As for Sir James Graham, nobody would expect him to resign under any amount of indignity that could be put upon him. (From the Daisy News.) On the tenth day after Lord Palmerston's resig nation, his deserted and disconsolate colleagues were still to seek for a successor eligible in their eyes. His vacant office had been hawked round the narrow circle of conventional eligibilities, but all of them had declined the offer. Sir James Graham was of opinion that the Admiralty was a more congenial berth for him. Lord John Russell had no desire to encumber himself again with a load of departmental business. Sir George Grey had misgivings as to the reception his appoint ment might encounter in public. So many de clinatures brought the Coalition to their wits' end ; only one other possible arrangement seemed to remain—to coax Lord Palmerston back again. And accordingly . his Lordship has had long remonstrative visits inflicted upon him by diverse members of the Cabinet, and his and their friends out of doors have been for the last few days busy demonstrating—to their own conviction, if not to that of their hearers—how de sirable it is that the noble Viscount should quietly return to Downing-street, and how perfectly con sistent such a termination of the fracas would be with the dignity and self-respect of all parties con cerned. If the resignation of the ten days, and its consequent hunt for a Home Secretary, is to end, like the figure of a country dance, with the parties who have been poussetting, swingingcorners, chasse illy down the middle and up again, resuming their places to go through the same movements again, we have nothing to say against it. Russell, Pal merston, and Gladstone, is, on the whole, a more palatable olla-podrida, than Derby, Palmerston, and Disraeli would have been—apparently the only alter native. We have nothing for it but to wait in trem bling but watchful hope till time shall show whe ther qr not the reconciliation has been purchased by a sacrifice in whole or in part of the promised measure of reform. The public, indeed, will make its remarks if Lord . Palmerston resume office. A public separation and re-union, with the causes of both shrouded in the mysterious twilight that ever broods over Downing-street, will give rise to as much damaging conjecture as a similar freak played by a married couple. Sooner or later the Ministry will be weakened by the present escapade ; a repetition would be fatal, for who could repose confidence in men who, while occupying highly re sponsible offices, quarrel a l'outrance, then kiss and become friends again, no one can, but by con jecture, imagine why or wherefore ? All this is obvious—is, indeed, the current subject of remark wherever two or three are gathered together. But little is said of an anomaly in our administrative arrangements, which ridiculous Ministerial squabbles like these are, however, fitted to obtrude on public notice. If Lord Palmerston is sought and won back it will be because a substitute has not been found for him ; and if a substitute has notbeen foundfor him it is because the men among whom it is deemed necessary to pick and choose are so few in number. Now, why is the range of choice so narrow ? Because it is thought absolutely necessary that in order to be a Minister a public man must belong to some one or other of our half dozen aristocratical connexions. He must be a son, nephew, brother of the old revolution houses of Bedford, Cavendish, and Co. ; or he must, by wealth or ability, and a long ap prenticeship of unwavering subserviency, have merited adoption into some such clan or college. The office of Minister in this country, like that of Pontifex, Flamen, or Augur, in old Rome, is prac tically attainable only by those who by birth or adoption belong to a narrow circle of families. It is high time that this servile and conventional countrysuperstitionof the sh services ouldbep of men wh utd o wn. It ocould v deprives the ser e it well ; it encourages in the privileged class a cold and supercilious habit of discouraging and repres sing rising talent ; it is continually leading to petty womanish tea-table scratchings, scoldings, and reconciliations like that which is so confidently anticipated in the case of Lord Palmerston. It subjects the country to ridiculous and emasculated Cabinets. And the most provoking part of the affair is, that the Liberal section of the aristo cracy, are the greatest sinners in this respect. From the time when " All the Talents" were hooted out of office for inefficiency till 1830, the °t clannishness. Cannings , orators, steady pla us ibl e lus hi g jobbers, all who Whigs were kept under by the Tories. mainl r y m i ed in eonse quence of the greater readiness o,toeuratr.i sot In the enr athtiel t latter toregao-f to open their ranks to receive young and risi ng talent. In fact, the Tory party (so,call e d) o f the venin Whig houses had f rom ti me to time great latter half of the eighteenth and the first h a lf o f thenineteenth century, has been principally forwhommed of the of t m h morgue r g s mutineers thes till very lately re t a i ne d , i t was, odn orga nisation atio n ll itt l o . and the youn ger Pit t to put d own th e originally patched up by th e coa li tion between George hf ihi n s coalition ghreearetdp b i ta e ar t rt N y v between I n o F dp o o x osni t and itnhe n he oNconuratthet.axiinoßend whichso utP ietart origi nated getido. nated in the di scon t en t o f " the C o bh am Cousins" at the way in which they were snubbed and kept i n minor offices by th e Whi g l ev i a thans of the day. Every commanding temper a Pitt 11. his alliance would allowance b e i ng ma d e for the daring and have been of comparatively little value to George 111. but for his hereditary rank among the Grevilles and their and his father's followers. The coalition party which supported the King and Pitt has ever since been a kind of refuge for the des titute for am bitious rising politicians , who were, or feared to be, kept , e em p e t les o n, u c t oro o f f kbturs e e inp i n l an o es y ds b ,R yWh ns i „ use could b e useful, were received with open arms by the Tories; while the Whig leaders kept scowling upon every volunteer recruit as a new rival for offices in expec tancy. A deviation from th e t ra ditionary policy of the party led to their fusion with, the Canningite seceders from the Tory camp, and ulti mately to the Whig accession to office in 1830. A repetition of this violation of the hereditary practice of the' party has lately renewed , the lease of their political life by the coalition with the Peelite se ceders from the Tory camp. But unluckily these new recruits have been trained in the school of a man as jealously bent upon being the one great statesman of his party as Sir Robert Walpole (to whom, by the way,' he bore some resemblance in other points), and are of course almost as little disposed to open their ranks to new men as the Whigs themselves. Hence it comes that we find the. Coalition Ministry, like the Whig Ministry, when a 'vacancy occurs, running the round of a few place mentwho are conventionally regarded as the only eligible candidates for office, and if an arrangement cannot be made with them, giving it up in despair. And yet out-of the official circles you will not meet . with half-a-dozen men who do not believe—who do not know—that, to use a homely proverb, " there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it ;" that take any dozen of Parliament men at random, it is odds but you get as efficient a Cabinet as can be manufactured out of those who are assumed to monopolise all " official aptitude" for these high posts. Look at the Derby Ministry. A more hopeless collection of inexperienced men than the party out of which its officials had to be culled cannot well be imagined. Yet from sheer necessity, the Aristocracy standing aloof, Lord Derby was obliged so dispose of the greater part of his high offices to commoners, and all the world wondered how respectably the least promising of them acquitted themselves. Assuredly the groat Duke—the descendant and representative of the illustrious family of Smithson was the worst failure of the batch. Now, if Lord Derby, as the legsaeedlmnyeerrse.eolofFefteilttitezhfroceoorylnalic:]lLittieioovxamrnedToryism and narrow-mindednes s of politics, gained so much by co a lffii c n o ce m ed, , p w u hh l o s ap o te r compulsory extensionoigh effectt n o t btyho the leaders voluntarily l h leu e a nd r t a e ar n sr g il e oy o f of followingtho p aspirants rty ht t i o os whichd example e pu deputy ( h iipnut purposely pl Wouldl oi working member, little, - if at naturally steady goingaalleelrseyaitednn:sabove common-place), make a much lessffici a en n t y ' Home Secretary than Lord Pal merston? And yet the hereditary superstition which limits the choice of Ministers forbids his being thought of, or public man of his standing. And so Cabinets b ogg l e and boggle, as the Aberdeenites have been d o i ng theie ten days, only, it would seem, to get out of a difficulty by coaxing back a man they had re jected. What does this prove ? Their selfishness first, their folly next, and their weakness above all. SUICIDE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER. A shocking case of suicide and attempted 'murder, bearing a striking analogy in many of its circumstances to that of the man Mobbs, who was recently executed at the Old Bailey, ()mimed on Saturday night last between 8 and 9 o'clock at No. 15, King-street, Soho. In the front attic .of this house, which is in the occu pation'of Mr. Powell, a baker, had resided for !the last four months one Haeas and his wife. The man was a German, and a tinplate worker in the employ of Messrs. Farwig and Bullock, tin and japan ware manufacturers, pht o o rer f aer . ua3s l :os 6 tn , eayadel ß haher u irss p v e ome r f t ii. a gn - y s tuer: attractions.. e n e k e oi T t , nnhaFe H mrl Lan cashireas woman, aged 27, aednadnnedpsodstasiicesrl:::sdtistohfenocw,odon4inasuidbnetratwhbasalet y o w r , a3 fm aHr e kae t nt i n. m a e hHli p e as aweas t a i i . sb e o aasutha3 d4 latterly he had entertained suspicions which continually confined, and ever since the birth of the child it had been the subject of repeated taunts from her husband. It appears that a few days since Mrs. Haeas's mother, who was a stranger to London, came up from Lancashire to nurse her daughter in her confinement, and her pre sence operated as a considerable restraint upon the ill treatment of Haes. At tea-time upon Saturday, how ever,the man's bitterness again broke out, and he taunted the woman about the child. Shortly afterwards he be. came more claim, and he took the mother out with him with the view, as he said, of purchasing some necessa ries for the infant. After they had been out some time he managed, in a crowded and intricate thoroughfare, to make his escape from the old woman, and, having thus secured that she should not be present to interfere be tween him and his horrible design, he rushed homewards in a frantic state, and dashed into his apartment ah w ta i n t h h sharp-pointed de. ra breast. eias st. wife He ewasm a lt d Italian lying ninaoi observations,n sp t r h i e ng knife b ed w open tbhuther furiously r in his onuf infant yt stabbed at her with the knife. She endeavoured to pro tect the child and herself, and thus received several se vere wounds upon the fleshy part of the left arm and side ; but fortunately none of them were of a decidedly fatal character. She screamed " Murder" with great violence, and succeeded in making her way past the man on to the stairs, where her strength failed her,, and she fell exhausted and faint from loss of blood. 'She was removed into a room on' the ground floor, and medical assistance was immediately sent for. Without loss of time Mr. R. E. Martin, of Frith-street, and Mr. J. F. Clarke, of Gerrard-st., surgeons, attended and dressed the wounds, after which she was removed to the workhouse in Cleveland-street, where her case met with prompt and able attention from Mr. Hutchinson, assistant to Mr. Jones, of Soho-square, the surgeon to the workhouse, under whose care she still remains. In the meantime the police entered the attic in King. street, in order to secure the perpetrator of the outrage; but here a dreadful scene presented itself. The floor was literally a pool of blood. Haeas lay partly on the bed with his head nearly severed from his body. The carotids on both sides were completely cut through, and so were all the structures of the neck down to the cer vi,cal vertebra. It was unusually extensive for a self inflicted Wound ; and it is needless to say that he was quite dead. The police have found both the knife before referred to and a razor smeared with blood, and there is no doubt, from the appearance of the wounds, that those on the woman were inflicted with the knife, while his own throat was cut with the razor. It is somewhat singular that the infant, which is a very fine one, has escaped without injury. It was completely drenched with blood from the mother's wounds ; but it was otherwise unhurt, and is now doing well at the workhouse. Mrs. Haeas is also progressing as favour. ably as, under the circumstances of loss of blood, excite ment, and her recent confinement, can be expected. She is, however, in a very low and weak state, and cannot yet be pronounced to be out of danger. The body of Haeas remains locked up in the attic at No. 15, King-street, where it awaits the coroner's in quest. Mrs. Haeas had had one other child, but it died about four years ago. THE OFFICE OF PRINCIPAL CLERK TO THE CITY CHAMBERLAIN. the office of principal clerk to the Chamberlain of the City of London, having resigned thal appointment, the Mr. Benjamin Scott, who for several years has committee, in relation to officers and clerks, have come e h d a a s l heldetintentionte. r to a report upon the question as to the desirability of committee proceeded : in the matter of the T alterationhe committee, either after he duties f full ll or consideration expenses of theoln; making :1 l oi T e nffi h gc a eatsn your. matter, thus reference, and being attended by Sir John Key, B art , fCrohmammberr.laßienn, j h a e m i i n n foj eo m t s t, us co tt m la m t uhneitdinTehi of relinquishing his, situation of principal clerk to the Chamberlain at the end of this year. We were subse quently attended by Mr. Scott, who, upon beim:, asked, Stated that' he ' had resigned his situation of prin cipal clerk to the Chamberlain into the hands of Sir John Key, but that he continued to hold it for the convenience of the Corporation and the Chamberlain, until the close of the present year. e T ctai i t i or a i: si t fe w ,ptr l oa i o e nv n diad w p i appoint og Mr. nfCo heardfor aiutlthe situation, M e rl r iv, a m having ,ha Chamberlain eyinnn ett the intimated (whoaptoe upon d thehi Ivacancyaiss sub ' j ‘ shallinten assisted Mr. Benjamin Scott in the performance of his' duties for the la s t seven years), to b e his successor as principal clerk to the Chamberlain, and having heard Mr. Scott upon Mr. Payne's capabilities for the dis charge of the duties of the situation, we concur in that appointment, believing , that the Coal and Corn Finance Committee will have no difficulty in giving their ap proval under the deed execated by Sir John Key and his sureties, for the regulation of the office of Chamber lain ; the duties and emoluments of the Principal Clerk to include those of Clerk of the Auditors of the City and Bridge•house Estates. . subject we concur with him in the following arrangement : Mr. win. Payne, principal c1erk...... 500/. per annum. Mr. Wm. Walker, cashier(as at present) 5411. /, First Assistant Clerk 2911. 91. 1911. „ Third Assistant Clerk "That of on t h c e o L fe .tu rri r ;ig s 1911. ~ • 1371. ~ Additional Clerk lOOl. ~ SFeoctiornthd Assistant tt Clerk kk during n e n g gs ,t f h u te r h t me h e os r uutb t h o j eoc c ft e r Ao t i fu f yge August, os h ts a ,i n t ag i n mt h t e h e uecncourse rr o l a f ci o onn u , sr thereon, and hearing Mr. Scott, we are of opinion that and upon con f err i ng w ith the Chamberlain so d iffi e d l e i c ' b re W e a r dt a e iuo t the Chamberlain should make such arrangements as should enable him to continue the office open for busi ness during the month of August, in which Mr. Cham berlain concurs. " All which we submit to the judgment of this Hon ourable Court. (Signed) "HENRY JOHN LIAS (Chairman). JOSEPH PERKINS. VIM. BARNES. T. J. HOLT. JOHN ANNUL IL L. TAYLOR. JAS. M. BARNARD. F. E. FRINNEBY. C. GAMMON." VIENNA. —The mercantile advices from Vienna men tion that under the new regulations of the Government re garding the payment of duties, all persons paying in notes instead of silver must do so at a premium of 15 per cent.—that is to say, for every 100 dollars due they must pay 115, if they discharge the amount in paper. The measure is, therefore, a virtual increase of the pressure of taxation to that extent. At the same time they are not likely to get much silver, as its premium in the market is 151 to 4, while that upon gold is 20k. The present notice applies only to the month of January next, Pnd new notices will, it is assumed, be i s sued from time to time to me e t th e fl uc t ua ti ons i n the discredit of the inconvertible circulaticn. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 25. The Fairy screw tender to the Royal yacht went out of harbour yesterday morning to the measured mile to try a new propeller, manufactured at the steam factory of this dockyard, under the superintendence of Mr. Murray. The principle of the new screw is similar to that of Griffiths—the pitch, &c., being the same, but, the ball at the centre is dispensed with. Two runs were made at the mile, the average result of which gave a mean speed of 12j knots, or one quarter of a knot less than has been obtained by Griffiths' patent itself ; but the engines worked at one stroke less per minute yes terday than on the first-named trial. The Fairy returned shortly before 11 a m., and came on the slip the same evening to have the central boss attached ready for another trial. The Princess Charlotte, 104, was replaced at the moorings up the harbour yesterday. The Sidon, 22,_ paddle-frigate, Captain Goldsmith, is ordered to prepare for foreign service with all despatch ; very probably fur the Mediterranean. The Sprightly steam tender, Master Commander Allen, sailed yesterday evening for Sheerness . with volun. teers for the Boscawen. The Navarin (Russian corvette) went out of harbour yesterday morning, and anchored at Spithead to reship her powder and shekl. She sailed from Spithead this morning, and saluted the national and Port Admiral's flags, which was returned by the Victory and Garrison battery, with an equal number of guns. The Dutch frigate Palembang weighed from Cowes Roads this morning and passed through Spithead. A court-martial will be held on Tuesday on board the Victory, to try a marine artilleryman for theft on board ship. The Lord Duncan, R. G. Barton, commander, ar- rived from Port Nicholso n , New Zealand, at 3.45 p.m., yesterday, and land e d 11 boxes of mails, and proceeded to London. She sailed on the 16th of September. ROYAL MARINES. Colonel Commandant Menzies, K.H., is in command of Portsmouth • garrison and district during the tempo- rary absence of Major:General Simpson, on leave. First Lieutenant Ward has p rocee d e d to Sheffield to relieve Captain Coake on the recruiting service. Second Lieutenant Festing, of the • Artillery compa nies, with 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, and 25 gunners, are held in readiness to embark in her Majesty's steamship Cressy at Sheerness. Second Lieutenant Thomas John William Henry Rawlings, of the Portsmouth division, has been per , witted to resign his commission. - WOOLWICH, DEC. 24. rth APPOIN TMENTS. Lieut. Aur Bagley (1853), recently promoted from mate of the Sampson steam-frigate to the Racehorse, 14, sloop, at Devonport. Master John J. Brown (1846), to the Cressy, 80, screw steamship, at Sheerness. Surgeon James Bankier, M.D. (1834), to the Monarch, 84, guardship of ordinary, at Sheerness. Chaplain Rev. John Gurney (1853), from the Leopard paddlewheel steam-frigate, to the Cressy. Chaplain and naval instructor, Rev. John J. Harri son, M.A. (1840), from the Minden store-ship at Hong kong, to the Leopard, vice Gurney. Paymaster, Edwin A. Smith (1840), to the Poictiera flag-ship of' Captain Superintendent Peter Richards, C. 8., at Chatham. Cleik in Charge, Edmund A. Rowe (1848), to the Cyclops steam-frigate at Sheerness. Assistant-Surgeons—George V. INUDonogh (1849), recently additional of the Cumberland, 70, flag-ship on the •North America and West Indies station, to the Cressy ; 0.. D. M'Carthy (1853), to the Cressy ; John Andrews (b.), M.D. (1843), from the Minden, store-ship at Hongkong, to the Royal Hospital, Plymouth ; Arthur M'Clure (1843), recently serving in the Banshee when serving as a mail packet on the Mediterranean station, to the Impregnable flag-ship at Devonport. Second-Master, William Henry Obree (1851), from the Gossamer so the Saracen at Devonport, making ready for surveying service. Clerks—Edward D. Herbert (1848), recently serving in the Vestal, 26, on the North American station, to be secretary's clerk in the Boscawen, 70, fitting at Chatham as flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., on the same station ; William S. E. Freeman (1849), recently serving as clerk-in-charge of the Spy on the West Coast of Africa station, to the Waterloo, 120, flag-ship, at Sheerness ; William H. J. Brown (1849), from the Medea, steam-sloop, to the Boscawen ; George Jeffreys ,(1847), to the Medea, vice Brown ; H. W. Stevens (1853), to the Cressy. Clerks -Assistants—J. W. R. P. Galworthy, to the Diamond, 28, at Sheerness ; Silas Waymouth to the Ajax, steam steam-ship, at Cork ; George Prime, to the Excellent, gunnery s hip, a t P or t smou th ; W. H. Risk, to the Cressy, at Sheerness ; A. D'Albertson, to the Britannia, 120, flag-ship on the Mediterranean station. It is expected that the vacancy in her Majesty's ship Daring, 'l2, on the North ,America and West India eta. tion, created by the death of Mr. Joseph Hoffman, pay. master, will he filled np by the promotion of Mr. Con stantine John Evans, soh of Deputy Inspector Evans, attached to the Royal Marine Infirmary at Woolwich. The Onyx, Dover mail steam-packet, second master, Rutter, left Woolwich to-day on her return to Dover to resume her duties at that station. _ ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEERS. It is intended to appoint six medical officers, one to each of the divisions of the new force now about to be raised as a reserve of volunteers for aiding in manning the Royal Navy in cases of emergency. SeVeral naval medical officers became candidates for the appointments 'ben the intention was made known, but the terms now alluded t.) in the following circular do not appear satis factory to them : • "Admiralty. December, 1853. " Sir,—Tt being intended t hat in the enrolment of the volunteers for the Coast Guard service, about to be established, that such volunteers should he examined by naval medical officers or private practitioners, I have to desire you will inform me, at your earliest convenience, whether you are willing to undertake the duty in ques tion for the division. " The following is an outline of the projected service and remuneration :-- " The service of the medical attendant will first be required at , where he will have to examine such volunteers as may desire to enrol themselves, and from which place he will continue to accompany the captain in command, and examine any further volunteers for the service. " `The remuneration for the aforesaid service will probably be to naval medical officers an equivalent to full pay (though the time will not he allowed to count as sea service), 10s. a•day for subsistence, when absent from head-quarters, and travelling expenses paid. " 'lt is contemplated that the whole period the medical attendant may be engaged will not exceed one month, or six weeks, but it is possible the medical ser vices may be required annually. "The medical appointments will be made so that the duty shall be commenced on the Ist of February, 1854. "P.S. You ar e no t t o consider & the service herein alluded to will secure you from being called upon for serving afloat." THE UNITED STATES.--The commercial advices from the United States are exceedingly satisfactory, not only as regards the New York stock market, but also as to the general prospects of trade, and the steady receipt of gold from California. The alterations in the tariff pro posed by the Secretary to the Treasury seem to have been favourably received, and, although a broader and more liberal ,movement had been looked for in many quarters, they will constitute an important step in the direction of free trade. With regard to that large por tion of our exports to America, comprised in iron and woollen manufactures, the measure, if adopted, will effect a reduction of duty to the extent of one-sixth, the existing rate being 30 per cent., and that now con templated being 25 per cent. MANCHESTER MEN AT THEIR BOOKS.—What, now, is the kind of reading favoured by these people ? My Lord Tomnoddy, lounging on his club sofa, re fuses to believe it, when he is told that these brave people, meaning to work with their heads as well as with their hands, use books that are' taken by them from the Manchester Free Lending Library in the proportion s f o ll ow i ng : —l n li tera t ur e —including poetry and fiction, essays, literary history, and encyclo pfedias—each volume is read, on an average, fifteen times a year. Works upon theology and Philosophy are next in request ; in that class each work has been read on an avera ge nine times. In history and tra a g n e of eight biography ev er y work has had an avera ge readers ; th e scientific works have _work on ha d aver age lavy, of seven readings a piece ( and each politics, or commerce may, .in the same way, _be said to have been borrowed twice. Scientific and other books borrowed by working men, that bear - upon their trades, are studied carefull y ; epitomes are sometimes made by them at home; and one or two hav e b een, or are being, bodily copied into household manuscript ! There' is a fine earnestness about all this. Then there is something very natural and amusing in the results of the librarian's notes as to the books most in request in each department. The reference library is crowded in the evening by working m en ; and their great de light and refres hment appear s t o cons i st i n an escape from routine life to dreams of romance or peril, in relieving the monotony of toil with tales of battle, ship wreck, or adventure. In a word, the imagination, even in Manchester, refuses to be crushed. The pleasure book most read during the first six months after the library opened was the "Arabian Nights." The weary warehouse men, mill hands, and shopkeepers spent their evenings with Haroun al Raschid. The next best books for them, after the " Arabian Nights," appear to have been " Ivat • hoe," " Robinson Crusoe," and the " Fortunes and Mir• fortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders," The historical works most favoured have been those most dealing in adventure and excitement. Histories of Napoleon have been somewhat more in demand than even the "Arabian Nights." Lives of Wellington and Nelson were, respectively, about half as much in request, but very popular-- slightly more popular, indeed, than that very well-read book of amusement, " Gulliver's Tra vels." Narratives of the battle of Waterloo were in yet greater demand, though still in less request than accounts of Napoleon. Next in popularity to the lives of Napoleon—and there is one man in Manchester who has even read Aiison's "History" straight through —ls a volume entitled " Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea." That volume was issued 215 times in six months. Almost equally popular was Mr. Cumming's account of his hunting adventures among lions and hippopotamuses in South Africa. Less in request, but much demanded —next, in fact, in the order of popularity among books of this class—have been Macaulay's "History," Lay ard's "Nineveh," and Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast."—Dickens's Household Words. .7'l V r 7. •7 1, f. I "rit" OV, .7 , '" 0 (.1 rit I " 0 , II T . _ THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 185 3.