The Sun. — London, England, 1853-07-14 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Under the management of Mr. Backstone. THIS EVENING, JuLT 14, Will, be performed MARRIED LIFE. Supported by Messrs. Bucketone, Farren, Howe; Mrs. L. S, Buckingham, &c. To be followea by MR. BUCIESTONE'S ASCENT OF MOUNT PARNASSUS. To be followed by RAPPINGS AND TABLE MOVINGS. To conclude with THE BOARDING SCHOOL BALL. ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, OXFORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kean. THIS EVENING, JULY 14, Will be performed THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING. Sup ported by Mr. and Mrs. W. Lacy. After which, will be presented Lord Byron's Tragedy of SAR DANAPAL US. Principal characters by Mr. and Mrs. C. Kean. To conclude with TURNING THE TABLES. Characters by Messrs. Harley, J. Vining,, • Chester, and Everett ; Mrs. W. Lacy, Misses Daly and C. Leclercq. THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI. Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster—Direetreas, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, JULY 14, wni be performed GENEVIEVE. Characters by Messrs. Ben. Webster, A. Wigan, Leigh Murray, Keeley, Parselle, Paul Bedford, Cullenford, Woolgar, 0. Smith, and C. J. Smith; Madame Celeste and Mrs. Keeley. To be followed by THE CAMP AT CHOBHAM. After which, NORMA. To conclude with THE DANCING SCOTCHMAIT. ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Farren. Great success of the New Burlesque. THIS EVENING, JULY 14, Will ba performed LOVE AND AVARICE. Characters by Messrs. H. Farren, H. Marston, G. Cooke, and Shalders ; Mesdames Ander ton and Bartlett. After which, an entirely New Burlesque, by Francis Talfourd, Esq., entitled SHYLOCK, or, THE MERCHANT OF " VENICE PRESERVED." Shylock. 3dr. F. Robson. To conclude with THE RAILROAD STATION. Sampson Jones, Mr. F. Robson. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Sole Lessee ani Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. This popular Theatre is nightly crowded to witness its combined and unequalled attractions. The Grand Military Spectacle of The Battle of Waterloo, with all its original effects —Introducing Exer cises as at the Camp at Chobham. The incomparable Scenes in the Circle, in which that charming Artiste, Miss Emily Cooke, the wonder of the world, Ls received with whirlwinds of applause, and the Sporting Hippo Drama of The Chase, form an Entertainment unprecedented in the annals of this Theatre. THIS EVENING, Juror 14, And during the week, the Performances will commence with the grand national Spectacle of THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. To he followed by M. Par(ache on the CORDE DE VOLANTE, and succeeded by Mr. W. Cooke's Scenes in the Arena, introducing Miss Emily Cooke in her unapproachable Feat of Leaping through 16 balloons, both forward and backward. T o conc l u de with (for the 54th time) the successful Hippo Drama of THE CHASE ; or, LIFE ON THE TURF. Pox-office open daily from Eleven to Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W est. N.B.—Glorious Preparations are in progress for Circle Entertain ments. ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. THIS EVENING, JULY 14, CHUSAN and the FEAST OF LANTERNS. Fplendid MENAGERIE, containing many hundred interesting Specimens of Natural History. GoniaEv's unrivalled MILITARY BAND. Vocal and Instrumental Concert. Two Songs by Miss Cicely Nott. Solo, Clarionet, by Mons. Winne. The whole con cluding with the most extraordinary spectacle ever exhibited, " The Feast of Lantern" and explosion of Chinese Fireships. Brilliant dis play of Fireworks by Southby. N.P,.—A GRAND EXTR 1 NIGHT TO-MORROW. The emi nent Vocalist Miss PootE will make her First Appearance here. Extra diTlay of Fireworks, Flight of 500 Rockets, and brilliant Finale. Admission on this occasion, 2s. 6(1. 11 IGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. TIM Der —Morning 17 min. after 7 I Evening 44 ►nin.aft. 7 To- V oaaow—Morning 13 rain. after S Evening 47 min.aft. 8 THE WEATHER.-Sum OFFICE, JULY 14. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 71—highest since noon yesterday. 58—lowest this morning and during the night. 62—this day at noon. BAROMETER, 29 . 33. The barometer has fallen 60 points since yesterday, and is still falling. WIND, S.E.—Continuous rain all last night and this morning. THE PUBLICATION OF " H E SUN" COMMENCES EVERY AFTERNOON AT THREE O'CLOCK, AND THE LATE OR THIRD EDITION, at so wanton an outrage, so pernicious a prece dent, which might speedily be followed in their own cases. The American Consul speedily heard of the untoward transaction, and lost no time in adopting energetic measures. He applied to the Austrian Consul, who denied all knowledge of the atrocious transaction ; but inasmuch as if really ignorant he took no means to ascertain the truth, the American Consul went to the vessel and demanded an interview with the prisoner. His application was then rejected. Fortunately, however, an American corvette sailed into the harbour at the moment when the Hussar was about to sail with its captive. The American Consul had then power to enforce his demand, and he lost no time in doing so. He returned to the brig with Captain STRINOHAM. Circumstances were then altered. Prevarication or insolence would no longer answer ; KOSSTA was produced. Had he relied on his American citizenship or his American passport, he would forthwith have been rescued ; but with a strict regard for veracity, which might have put his Austrian captors to the blush, he declared that "he was born a Hungarian, and would die a Hungarian." This complicated matters, which were referred to the American Charge d'Affaires at Constantinople. That gentleman applied to the Austrian Minister, with whom some negotiations were entered into on the subject. Meanwhile, the Austrian captain endeavoured to transmit his prisoner privately to Trieste. The American officers were, however, wide awake, and coolly informed their astonished opponent, who had probably taken his cue from the insolence ex hibited with impunity in the Austrian territories to British subjects, that he could display equal hauteur to others speaking the same language. He was, however, speedily undeceived. The corvette was placed alongside the brig, and the discomfited captain informed that he would be held responsible for the safety of the prisoner, and that if anything happened to him, or that the brig attempted to sail, while he was on board, it would at once be fired into. Thus the matter stands for the present. But what a contrast does it afford to the vacillating and temporising policy of Great Britain during an emergency of much greater importance ? We ven ture to assert, that if America had been engaged in place of Great Britain, the Russian troops would never have crossed the Pruth, and the Russo- Turkish difficulty would, ere this, have been satis factorily and honourably arranged. When will our statesmen be taught by just experience, that the best way to preserve peace is to be always ready for war, and to make no mean or dishonour able concession in the hope of averting it ? The records of Worship-street Police Court for the last few weeks show that Mr. HAMMILL is resolved that the new law for the protection of women and children shall be fully and fairly car ried out, and that the surly brutes, who, during their drunken fits, maltreat their wives and children, shall no longer escape with comparative impunity, owing to the reluctance of the sufferers to see a husband or father severely punished, and their undue confidence in the promises of amend ment, made while the offenders are before the court, but forgotten or disregarded the moment they are once more enabled to indulge their cowardly and brutal passions. Before Mr. FITZROY'S Bill received the Legislative sanc tion, the Magistrates were unable to inflict adequate penalties on the unmanly scoun drels brought before them for sentence, their summary jurisdiction only extended to inflicting a maximum fine of 51., or, in default of payment, to two months' imprisonment, with hard labour. Incarceration was, however, seldom endured for any prolonged period. The aggrieved, but for giving wife forgot her own sufferings when she saw her once-loved husband, the father of her children, I led off to the House of Correction, and the fine was generally speaking procured by the sale or pledging of the clothes and furniture of the in jured party, who was thus doubly victimised— first, by being ferociously assaulted, and then by having to pay the penalty of the offence. The ill conditioned ruffians who thus escaped in place of exhibiting any degree of gratitude, became even more violent and outrageous in their conduct, be lieving that the wife, who had herself expiated the offence by being compelled to find the means of liquidating the fine, would endure any insult or cruelty rather than again deprive herself and her children of the little comforts which her own care and prudence had gathered around them. But it may be asked why did not the presiding Magistrate invariably send such cases to the ses sions, where, in case of a conviction, a sen tence suitable to the occasion might be pro nounced ? There a prolonged term of imprison ment might have been awarded without the party being allowed the option of escaping by a pecuniary payment. Such would unquestionably have been the most judicious course, if the attend ance of the victim could have been insured. But in the great majority of cases, the husband was enabled to avail himself of the interval between his committal and his trial, during which he was, generally speaking, out on bail, to cajole or bully his unfortunate wife into forgiveness of his bru tality, and inducing her to absent herself from court at the appointed time, so that an acquittal for want of a prosecutor was the almost certain con sequence of sending the case to the sessions. Even the very inadequate punishment of a small pecu niary fine was better than the total impunity that Attended the attempt to obtain an adequate sen tence at Sessions, and Magistrates, therefore, found that it was more judicious to exercise their summary jurisdiction, however aggravated might be the case, than to transmit it to a jury. We have witnessed the result of this unfortunate state of the law—these brutal and unmanly assaults became almost of every-day occurrence, and the shame and reproach of the people. Such was the condition of affairs when Mr. FITZ ROY, who had previously acquired high character as a legal reformer, took up the subject, and the Aggra vated Assaults Act, which came into operation the latter end of last month, was passed through its various stages under the care, and by reason of the indefatigable exertions, of a private member. I The magnitude of the evil was universally admitted, but there were some doubts as to the efficiency or suitableness of the contemplated remedy. Some Hon. Gentlemen, whose indignation was excited at the atrocity of the offence, thought that nothing would operate as a sufficient check, unless the per petrator was subjected to corporal punishment, as the only penalty suitable to his brutality ; while, on the other side, many persons were unwilling to extend the summary jurisdiction of Magistrates, or to sanction further inroads on the great prin ciple of " trial by Jury." Mr. FITZROY, however, persevered. Through his zeal and energy the measure passed through all its stages, and a few weeks since came into practical operation. We venture to assert, that if every Metropolitan Ma gistrate administer its provisions in the same spirit as Mr. HAMMILL, the offence will become of comparatively rare occurrence, when men find that habitual brutality to a wife is rather a dan gerous luxury, involving very unpleasant results to themselves personally. A brief notice of some of the cases which have been adjudicated on by the worthy Magistrate since the act came into operation, will afford the strongest illustration of the fearful extent of the evil, and the necessity that existed of arming the Magistrates with additional powers for dealing with such outrages. In one case, a journeyman carpenter named HENRY DAVISON, described as a tall powerful fellow about six feet in height, "was brought up on a warrant for assaulti ng his wife. The miserable victim, a care-worn looking woman, whose right eye was shockingly swollen, and face CONTAINING THE D ER ATES IN PARLIAMENT THE SAME EVENING, With all other News arriving up to the hour of Post, AT SEVEN O'CLOCK. EXPRESS EDITIONS will be forwarded after the Post is closed by the Latest Trains. e t er!_r op: §lm o 0„ LONDON, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1853. All honour to Captain STRINGHAM—aII honour to the nation whose officers cause its flag to be respected on whatever land or sea it may float, and whose Ministers steadily and cheerfully de fend its officers for the acts which they may con sider just and proper in the high-minded and chivalrous discharge of their duties. We ven ture to assert that there will be no attempt at bullying or browbeating American diplomatists. Our transatlantic brethren are too prompt and ready to notice and resent any insult—too well prepared for war, and too willing to re sort to hostilities on any fitting occasion, to have their peace disturbed, their public tranquil lity invaded on any trivial or inadequate grounds. And what is the consequence ? The meanest citizen in the United States is respected where ever he goes, and treated with respect and consi deration. No meddling policemen —no inflated and pompous official dares to arrest the progress, imprison the person, or ransack the papers of the man armed with the passport of the United States. That is indeed a document which will enable its bearer to travel throughout the civilised world without let or hindrance. Time was when a British passport was equally powerful when the British flag was treated with reverence, and the mere name of a British subject insured respectful treatment, and af forded ample protection to those who pos sessed so potent a talisman. But that was before the " excellent ABERDEEN" represented the United Kingdom in the Congress of Nations—before the timid and vacillating policy of the "travelled Thane" taught foreigners that Englishmen might be insulted and trampled on with impunity. Let it not be supposed that we pay our own diplo matic or naval servic e so bad a compliment as to suppose that members of either branch would refuse to discharge their duty to an injured fellow-citizen with energy and efficiency if certain , of support in higher quarters. Far from it • we fully and completely exonerate them from all blame. Any deficiency of spirit on their part may entirely be ascribed to the f ac t, that they are but too painfully sensible that it is only the tempo rising policy that will gain credit or promotion from those under whose authority they are placed. There cannot be a doubt that the American Consul and the American Captain axe fully justi fied in the course which they have adopted in the untoward affair that has occasioned so much ill-blood between the Turkish and Austrian officials, and has so materially increased the exist ing difficulties. There cannot be a doubt but that the United States Government will sus tain and approve of the proceedings of its me ritorious and efficient officers, that they will re ceive thanks and approbation in place of cep sure for their manly and vigorous conduct. The whole of the unfortunate transaction, as well as the subsequent emeqe, which ended in the de plorable death of a young Austrian officer, arose from the gross and unwarrantable misconduct of the Austrian officials, who sanctioned so bold an invasion of the sanctity of the Turkish soil—so foul an insult to the Ottoman Government. The facts of the ease are simple :—While one of the Hungarian re f ugees (MARTIN • KossTA), for merly an aide-de-camp of T rot s ls KOSSUTH, and who had accompanied his illustrious chief on his voyage to America, was seated at a cafe quietly smoking, he was assaulted by: a body of armed ruffians. He resisted vicr o tousiv, and had nearly effected his eseape,' but was ul timately captured by his assailants, and conveyed on board an Austrian brig -of-war (the Hussar) which lay in the port. Great con sternation was excited among the numerous re fugees, who naturally felt indignant and alarmed greatly bruised, had been seven years married, and borne three children to her cowardly assail- After waiting up for him to a late hour the )receding night, she had gone to bed, wearied out by her protracted watching, and was actually sleeping between her children, when she was aroused by a very violent blow on the head. She re monstrated calmly and temperately at the outrage ; but the ruffian, declaring his intention of avenging an imprisonment which he had endured for a former unprovoked assault upon his victim, and that, notwithstanding his being under sureties to keep the peace towards her at the moment, grafi- ant. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 14, 1853. fled his vindictive feeling by the cowardly and brutal assault of which so many serious marks remained. The dastardly scoundrel was most justly sentenced to six months' imprisonment with hard labour, and without the option of being enlarged on payment of a fine. Last week, three ruffians named DEIGHTON, STEVENS, and BURRIDGE, were sentenced respec tively to terms of six months, four months, and four months with hard labour in each instance. In the latter case a further term of two months was ordered for an assault on the daughter, who appealed to her sottish father for mercy to her mother, " who worked so hard for them"—a melancholy commentary on the drunken violence of the moody ruffian who transferred his duty to his wife. Each case presented the same features of atrocity the same brutal and unprovoked outrages—inflicted on patient and long-enduring women. In one case the idle and profligate scoundrel, who was living on his wife's industry, seemed conscious that the law, which had previously afforded him impunity, had been altered. On being arrested on the warrant, DEIGHTON exclaimed, " What a fool I was, to be sure, not to sell off all the things before this came off ; and the new Act about women has passed too !" —a significant acknowledgment of the value of the recent enactment. The prisoners in each case appeared astonished at the sentences passed upon them. There can be but little doubt that the examples thus afforded will have very benefi cial effects in a district which has obtained an unhappy notoriety for the violent and unwarrant able conduct of married persons towards each other, and which is not limited to the male sex, the more recent case of Mrs. CARMICHEL showing that a woman can at times forget her sex, and be even more violent than a male ruffian, when giving way to unrestrained passion. If the evil can be checked, the energetic and decided con duct of Mr. HAMMILL is well calculated to arrest its progress—if not, fresh powers must be conceded to Magistrates by the Legislature to enable them to abate tke fearful nuisance. OVERLAND MAIL. We have received by electric telegraph from Trieste a dispatch, dated 'Alexandria, July 7, and which was conveyed from that port to Trieste by the steamer Calcutta. The Calcutta reached Trieste at a quarter past 11 o'clock p.m., July 12, after a run of 110 hours from Alexandria. The dispatch is as follows : " The Calcutta mail of the 3d of June has ar• rived. " Negotiations with Ava have been terminated by the Burmese envoys refusing to sign the treaty proposed to them by the Briti s h, an d d ec l ar i ng that they would not sign away any part whatever of the Burmese dominions. " They were ordered to re-consider their answer, or to leave our new territory within 24 hours. " They left it in ten hours. " It is said that Lord Dalhousie does not intend taking any other steps beyond extending the fron tiers and appropriating the country seized. " Should an attack be made on the outer terri tory, an immediate advance will be made on Ava and the King dethroned. " Trade throughout India is dull. "No news had been received from China, the steamer from Hong Kong not having arrived at Galle in time for the Calcutta steamer. LATEST FOREIGN NEWS. FRAN CE. Queen Maria Christina is about, says the Union, to take up her residence at Malmaison with her family. The president of the Legislative Body has left Paris for Bourbonne. General Yussuf left Paris yesterday for Mar seilles, where he will embark for Africa. He is charged to inspect the three regiments of spahis stationed in the provinces of Algeria, Oran, and Constantina. A telegraphic dispatch, addressed by the Minister of the Interior to the Prefects, says, that " reports from all parts indicate a marked decline in the price of corn, and that the crops are everywhere satisfactory." By an order of the Minister of Public Instruc tion, the Imperial Council of Public Instruction has been convoked for an ordinary session, which is to open July 20 and close August 11. The Minister of Marine was present on the 11th at a grand dinner given to him at Brest by the town. At the dessert he made a speech which was repeatedly greeted with cries of " Vive l'Em pereur !" The next morning he had a long con ference with the Chamber of Commerce of Brest, and afterwards proceeded to visit the forges of Villeneuve. He was to leave in the evening for Lorient. At the Bourse yesterday, the market has been dull, with a downward tendency in prices—the Three per Cents. fell 45c., and the Four-and-a Half per Cents. 60c., both for cash ; whilst, for the ac count, the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. declined 50c., and the Three per Cents. 30c. In Bank of France Shares there was a fall of sf. The final quotations were :—For money—Three per Cents., 76f. 25c.; Four-and-a-Half 101 f. For the end of the month—Three per Cents., 76f.25c. ; Four-and-a- Half do., 101 f. Bank Stock, 2,655 f. In Mortgage Bank Shares no variation took place, being still quoted at 660 f. ; in those of the Societe Mobiliere a decline of 10f. occurred, and they closed at 740 f. In the Railway Share Market yesterday but a limited amount of business was transacted, at a general decline on Tuesday's final quotations, al though, excepting in Western of France Shares, which experienced a fall of 10f., the amount of depreciation in no case exceeded sf. Closing prices : —Northern, 846 f. ; Paris and Orleans, 1,065 f. ; Paris and Strasbourg, 889 f. ; Paris and Lyons, 890 f. ; Paris and Rouen, 1,035 f. • Lyons to the Mediterranean, 718 f. ; Western (3/France, 715 f. ; Rouen and Havre, 478 f. ; Bordeaux and Cette, 605 f. ; Caen and Cherbourg, 603 f. ; Dijon and Bensancon, 510 f. SOUTH AMERICA SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY MORNING. Accounts from Pernambuco, received by the Tay, announce the destruction by fire of the Eng lish ship Condor, from Australia, bound to England, on the 10th of June, in lat. 4 S., occasioned by spontaneous combustion of the wool on board. The whole of the crew, 70 passengers, and gold dust, value 80,0001., were saved by Captain Le Maitre, of the French barque Charles and Pauline, and con veyed to Pernambuco. The ship James Alexander, from Port Philip, and the Duke of Roxburghe, from Sydney, both bound to London, had put into Bahia for water, and left that port respectively on the 15th and 16th ult. The British barque Chusan, bound round Cape Horn, foundered at sea, about 200 miles of Cape Pio. The crew left the vessel in boats, and were in sight when the ship went down. The captain and a part of the crew had arrived at Rio de Janeiro ; the remainder, it was supposed, reached a ship which was in sight the morning after the disaster. The Brazilian steamer Rio de Janeiro, laden with gunpowder and warlike stores, caught fire on the Ist ult., from spontaneous ignition of the coal. Shortly after the crew escaped the vessel blew up with a tremendous explosion. LIVERPOOL RA , (THIS DAY.) J~~ (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) ORDER OF RUNNING. 2. o—Produce Stakes. 2.3o—Derby Handicap. 4. o—Cup. 4.4s—Her Majesty's Plate. ARRIVALS FOR LIVERPOOL CUP. Chief Justice, Goldfinder, Red Lion, Harbinger, Cari boo, Black Doctor, Redmond O'Hanlon, Alp, Poodle, Montague, Candlewick, Waterfall, Surveyor, Valour, Missive, Goorkah, Crassus, Jacqueline. Brother to Mountain Deer has arrived. BETTING AT MANCHESTER.—YESTERDAY. LIVERPOOL CUP. 3 to 1 agst Goorkah (taken). 4 to 1 agst Cariboo (offered). 12 to 1 agst Chiei Justice. 20 to 1 agst Redmond O'Hanlon. 20 to 1 agst The Alp. THE RIOT BETWEEN THE IRISH AND THE ITALIANS. Baldwin's-gardens, Holborn, for some days past, have been the scene of much riot and disturbance, owing to an ill feeling that has arisen between the Italian re fugees, friends and partisans of the Padre Gavazzi, and the Irish, who are thickly located in the neighbourhood. The cause of quarrel is of a politico-religious aspect, and as such it has taken a rather serious turn. It appears that the Italian refugees of 1848 adopted the above lo cality as their general rendezvous, and some time since they became most inveterate in their dislike to the Roman Catholic clergy who officiate in the district, and have carried it to the extent of attempting to assassinate an Italian priest who had a mission there, he having been recognised by some of them as an "aristocrat," who had been inimical to the popular cause in Italy. The removal of this gentleman, it was imagined, would have created a better understanding ; but such has not been the case, for the Irish clergymen who have taken his place, the Rev. Mr. Gilli g an and the Rev. Mr. O'Connor, have been on several occasions insulted by the Italians while passing through the streets. On Sunday eveninglast, how ever, matters were brought to a fearful crisis, the Rev. Mr. Gilligan having been assaulted in Baldwin's-gardens, and the assailants retreating into a casd kept by an Italian named Tresoldi. This was followed up on Mon day evening by an assault on the Rev. Mr. O'Connor, who was knocked down and ill-treated by the same par ties as he was passing the casil about six o'clock in the evening. The Irish, who witnessed this unprovoked outrage, at once made an attack on the house, and broke some of windows, and but for the timely arrival of a few policemen, serious damage, if not loss of life, might have ensued. During yesterday and the day before a strong body of police were on continuous duty in Baldwin 's-gardens, in order to prevent a recurrence of the disgraceful riots of Monday. After dark the number of men was doubled, and persons were not allowed to congregate near the spot ; all groups that gathered being immediately dis persed. This surveillance is to be continued until the present thirst for revenge, known to exist, has somewhat subsided. The friends of the Italians engaged in the confict deny that they used their knives, but declare that the injuries the Irish sustained were inflicted with their bludgeons and fists. Several of the Irish who joined the fray from Saffron-hill have incised wounds on the arms and breasts. The police are also aware that the Italians had their knives with them. One of the priests is cut across the nose. The reason that none of the Italians have been arrested is, that the injured parties are unable to identify their assailants, they are also afraid of the personal consequences for the share they took in the riot. A clue has been obtained to the indi vidual whose alleged attack on one of the priests caused the riot, and it is expected that the occurrence will be thoroughly investigated by the district magistrates, and measures will be taken to prevent similar outbreaks. MR. BRINLEY RICHARD'S CONCERT.—The concert of last night brought to a close those pleasant entertain ments which, during the season, have presented their patrons with a well-selected and well-performed series of classic compositions, not, however, unmingled with music, principally vocal, of a lighter cast. Mr. Brinley Richards performed last night Beethoven's sonata in A flat, and with Herr Molique a sonata in A major, the composer of which is anonymous. Mr. Richards also gave his brilliant variations on " Rule Britannia" The vocal strength of the concert included Madame Weiss and Miss Messent, Mr. Weiss and Signor Gardoni. FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE GREAT WESTERN RAlL WAY.—Yesterday information was received by Mr. Thomas Wakley, coroner for West Middlesex, of the death of John Gait, an engineer, late in the employ of the Great Western Railway Company, who expired in the accident ward of St. Mary's Hospital, from injuries sustained under the following circumstances :—lt ap pears the unfortunate man was on the line at the Pad dington terminus, when a special train—another train at the time being shunted on to a siding—knocked him down, and the wheels of a first-class carriage passed over his thighs, crushing them in a dreadful manner. He was immediately removed to the above-named insti tution, where amputation was performed by Mr. Coulson, surgeon. However, the unfortunate sufferer rapidly sank, and expired. THE POST-OFFlCE.—Yesterday a return obtained by Mr. Charles Villiers was printed, containing a good deal of information respecting the Post-office. It ap pears that the total number of chargeable letters deli vered in the United Kingdom in 1839, preceding the first general reduction of postage on the sth December, 1839, was 75, 907,572, and 6,563,024 franked letters. Since the reduction letters have increased, and in the course of last year 379,501,499 were delivered. The gross revenue of the Post-office in the year ended the the net sth revenue Jan u a ry 9 l 6 a s, st 44 w 2 a l s . 1 2 s ~47 3 i 4 d , 3 . 26/ I . n 1 the6s. 7s same , e and the net revenue 965,4421. is. 7*d. In the same pe -329,9631. 14s. 4d. was paid for the conveyance of the mails by railway in the United Kingdom. From the Ist January to the 31st December last there were 4,947,825 money orders issued in the United King dom, amounting to 9,438,2771. 17s. 2d., and the num ber paid was 4,942,859, amounting to 9,423,719/. 2s. 10d. The money-order office cost 70,6691. The amount of commission received was 82,333/. The profit in England and Scotland was 12,7201., and the loss in Ireland 1,0561. For the five years there was a profit on the money order office, except in 1848, when there was a loss of 5,745/. In 1852 the profit was 11,664/. ;in 1851, 7,437/. ; in 1850, 3,236/. ; and in 1849, 3221. The money order office return is signed by Mr. F. Hill, the assistant-zecretary. THE WAGES QUESTION. —The weavers in the employ of Mr. Clegg, Valemill, Heywood, near Bury, held a meeting on Monday evening, to consider the propriety of turning out for an advance of wages. Mr. Clegg attended, and said he believed he was paying as high wages as other manufacturers of the district were paying ; and it was ultimately agreed that an inquiry should be instituted . Mr. Clegg's declaration that he would pay as high wages as other employers appeared to give satisfaction to the opera tives. The weavers of Blackburn have issuedanct ler large 11 ward, setting forth their grievances. A public meeting was to be held last evening, to consider the best means of carrying out the 10 per cent. movement in Black burn, and to show the public, from authentic data, that the employers are able to meet the demands f the operatives, and to demonstrate the difference which ex ists between the wages of power-loom weavers in Black burn and those in Oldham, Ashton, Stalybridge, and other places. The sum of 1951 . was subscribed in Blackburn last week, for the relief of the Stockport turnouts COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen took a drive in an open landau and four yesterday afternoon, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alice, and attended by the Hon. Flora Macdonald. The Equerries in Waiting, Colonel Bou verie and Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. A. Gordon, were in attendance on horseback. The Prince of Wales, attended by Mr. Gibbs, arrived at Buckingham Palace at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon from Windsor Castle, having travelled to town by the London and South-Western Railway. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her Majesty yesterday at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, and attended by the Viscountess Jocelyn, the Hon. Flora Macdonald, Lord Camoys, Colonel Bouverie, and Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. A. Gordon, honoured the per formance of the German Plays with her presence last evening. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of K en t, attende by Lady Anna Maria Dawson and Sir George Couper, also honouredthe performance with her pre sence. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited the Duchess of Cambridge yesterday at her residence in St. James's Palace. A deputation, including Lord Elcho, Bailie Fyfe, and Bailie Brown Douglas, had an interview with Viscount Palmerston yesterday at the Home-office. The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave a Parliamen tary dinner last evening at his official residence in Down ing-street to the following members of the House of Commons, viz., the Earl of Mulgrave, Lord Monck, the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers, the Right Hon. M. T. Baines, the Attorney-General, Messrs. Brown, Hutt, Hume, Grenville Berkeley, Heywood, Glyn, Beaumont, Laing, Ewart, Raikes Currie, and the Hon. Mr. Mostyn. THE VACANT GREEN RIBBON.—We hear that her Majesty has been pleased to bestow the Green Ribbon, vacant by the death of Lord Huntley, on the Earl of Haddington.—Edinburgk Advertiser. MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.—The marriage of the Lady Augusta Hare, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Listowel, with Capt. Proby, nephew of the Earl of Carysfort, is fixed to take place at St. George's Church, on Tuesday next. The Earl of Derby left town on Tuesday for Knows ley-park, Lancashire, where the noble earl will enter tain a select circle of friends during the race meeting at Liverpool. The Countess of Derby and Lady Emma Stanley purpose remaining in town. The noble earl returns to town on Saturday. The Earl and Countess of Eglinton have left St. James's-square to join the circle about to assemble at the Earl of Derby's seat, Lancashire, for the Liverpool races. The noble earl and countess, at the close of their visit, will proceed to Eglinton Castle for the season. GERMAN PLAYS.—ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—Her Ma jesty the Queen, accompanied by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, and attended by the Viscountess Jocelyn, the Hon. Flora Macdonald, Lord Camoys, Col. Bouverie, and Col. Gordon, honoured the first performance of William Tell, by the German company, with her pre sence last evening. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Anna Maria Dawson and Lord James Murray, also honoured the performances with their presence. His Excellency the Hanoverian Minister had the honour of accompanying her Royal Highness. THE RUSSIAN ROYAL FAMILY.—PLYMOUTH, Wednes day.—Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess of Russia, with her youthful family and suite, in all 24 persons, left Bath yesterday, at 12.30, by the down ex press train, ia one of her Majesty's travelling saloons, which has been placed at the service of the Grand Duchess. Passing over the Bristol and Exeter Rail way, the Imperial party, at 4 o'clock, arrived at New town, on the South Devon line. Here the junction with the Torquay branch takes place, and it is ordinarily ne cessary to change carriages ; arrangements, however, having been previously made by the officials on the South Devon Railway, the Royal saloon was taken on to Torquay without disturbing its illustrious occupants. It is understood that the Grand Duchess will remain some time at this healthful watering-place, where the climate is likely to have a beneficial influence on the Imperial family. ARTILLERY VOLUNTEERS. Captain Jay's Company Honourable Artillery Volunteers proceeded on Tuesday from their head-quarters, Artillery-ground, Finsbury, to Pattingale, Mill-hill, Hendon, the seat of Captain Jay, in the grounds of which they went through a great variety of military evolutions with much precision and soldier-like bearing. A sham-fight, for which the grounds are well adapted, was well maintained throughout, the little force being divided into equal portions ; a stockade was assailed and well defended, but ultimately set on fire by the attacking party, who in turn were forced to retreat ; they also made some very good shooting with the rifle at long and short range ; after which the com pany partook of a dinner, which was laid without great taste in a spacious marquee. After the usual loyal toasts, a silver cup, of elegant design, was presented to the Captain as a mark of respect from his men. EXTENSIVE ROBBERY OF PLATE.—A robbery of an extensive character has been committed at the residence of Mr. T. L. Fish, of Sidmouth, Devonshire. It appears that upwards of 1,000/. worth of plate, consisting of gold and silver services, was last week sent down from London to await the arrival of Mr. Fish, who was shortly expected from London. On Thursday the whole of the property was abstracted. Active exertions are being made to apprehend the thief or thieves, who have as yet eluded the vigilance of the officers. Mr. HANNAY'S LECTURES.—The sixth and last of Mr. Hannay's lectures on satirical literature was delivered last night at the Literary Institution, Edwards-street, Portman-square. The subject was Byron, Moore, and the satirists of the present day. The lecturer, l in a general disquisition on Byron's genius, called attention t o its twofold nature ; and, while admitting the justice of the attacks made against him as an immoral writer, particularly insisted on his appreciation of beauty in every shape as forming the prominent feature in his literary character. In this point—if such a comparison can be tolerated for an instant—Byron especially dif fered from the so-called satirists of the present day, who approached their work without any perception of beauty, but only with a disposition to underrate and sneer. The lecturer was warmly applauded throughout his dis course. STEAM-BOAT COLLlSlON.—Yesterday forenoon con siderable consternation was caused amongst the passen gers, travelling by the Sylph, London and Woolwich steam-boat, and one of the Yarmouth steam-vessels (name at present unknown), by a collision, between the two boats, The Sylph between 10 and 11 o'clock was steaming through Limehouse Reach, the river at the i time being crowded with craft, when suddenly the Yar mouthusual speed. The river being so crowded it appeared a boat .showed ahead, and was comin Nnneov g nnhta matter of difficu:ity for the captain of either vessel to decide which courst: to turn his boat, so as to avoid run ning down any of the smaller vessels, consequently they endeavoured to keep clear of the barges and boats, and then to turn the helms of the steamers as they neared each other, so as to avoid a collision. Unfortunately the two vessels struck with such violence, as to carry off the starboard paddle-box of the Sylph, which so dis abled her as to prevent her from performing her regular journey to Greenwich and Woolwich ; and she was obliged to be towed to her quarters to be repaired. The Yarmouth boat, it appears, although mach shaken, re ceived no damae.e of any importance. The passengers were all safely landed. Bennett, nßetrtor esi:THßEATENlNGresident surgeon, esoTHEunr,g surgeon A nB I t ofend Bedford-street, OF sotr .d A -Gs t u ar E ee a se p ts , E E N . M r . Wm. whavingho was certified examined t o a t the e Bow-street insanity police-courtof r d a e n n d , of threatening the Earl of Aberdeen, Mr. Henry, the magistrate of the above -mentioned court, at once granted an order for the removal of the unfortunate man to the lunatic asylum at Colney Hatch, where he will be main tained and attended to at the expense of St. Giles's parish, until his friends can be communicated with, 4 Whitehead, charge aae tra gd e, her TURKEY AND RUSSIA. It is said that the Powers will not make a casus belli of the Russian invasion of the Principalities. Riots have taken place at Adrianople, and also in some places in the vicinity of the capital. Some of the Christian population have been molested, and the authorities were compelled to take ener getic measures for their protection. Ali Pasha has been recalled from the Govern ment of Smyrna. Ismail Pasha is his successor. The Austrian Internuncio demands the extra dition of all the Austrian refugees in Turkey. The Porte has effected a loan of 45,000,000. An other loan of 50,000,000 is in course of negotiation. The Debats says : "We have received letters from Constantinople via Trieste to the 27th ult. Although the Porte continued its preparations for war with all the activity which the crippled state of her finances allowed, more confidence than ever was felt in the Turkish capital in the maintenance of peace ; many even thought they knew on what bases the foreign diplomatists were working in order to re-esta blish the former relations between the Divan and the Cabi net of St. Petersburgh. The frequent conferences which have been held by the representatives of the four great powers, the accord which has prevailed in all their acts, inspired the political world with a feeling of security, which was still further strengthened by the arrival of M. de Bruck. From the moment of his arrival he was seen not only to unite his efforts to those of his colleagues, but to himself eagerly seek for a pacific means of solving the existing differences. Hence the reports which have been in circulation of a mediation to be offered by Aus tria, and which would he accepted by Russia, for it was, it is said, solicited by an autograph letter from the Em peror Nicholas to the Emperor of Austria. At Con stantinople it was affirmed as certain that the representa tives of the four powers in whose hands Turkey had placed her interests were almost agreed on the form to be given to that mediation. A note deliberated on by the great powers, and drawn up in such a manner as to save the dignity of each, will, it is said, be communicated non-officially by Austria to Russia, and, after having ob tained its assent, the Cabinet of Vienna would officially interpose to request the Russian Government to receive at St. Petersburgh an extraordinary ambassador from the Sultan charged to deliver the note agreed upon, and to resume diplomatic relations. The wording of this note had not, however, been decided on, although it had been the subject of discussion in several meetings of the English, French, Austrian, and Prussian ambassadors. This is what was doing and what was talked of at Con stantinople at the date of the last accounts, and if it be connected with what was said by Lord Palmerston in the sitting of the Bth inst., we can only feel fresh con viction that the peace of the world is in no very serious danger." The Augsburgh Gazette of the 10th contains an article dated Vienna, and entitled—" An Austrian View of the Russian Manifesto." In this article we read : "The manifesto of the Emperor Nicholas gives a cha racter to the occupation of the principalities which we cannot help deploring. In a word, a crusade in favour of the Greek Church is put forward in perspective, and a crusade for which no reason can be given, inasmuch as within the latter times no oppression or vexation of Greek subjects by the Ottoman Porte has taken place, and at this moment it would be impossible to say to what such a crusade may extend, for the protectorship which Russia demands has an incalculable bearing. Thus Russia, in considering the affair in this point of view, has isolated herself, and though the Powers are animated with the strongest desire to march in con junction with her, she has made it impossible for them to follow her in the direction she has designated. We do not, in saying this, disregard the moderation with which the entrance of the troops is announced, and the prudence with which only a general guarantee is de- manded from the Ottoman Porte ; and we have the firm conviction that the two Great Powers of the West will display the same circumspection ; that they will take no step which will further complicate the existing state of things, and morally force Russia to go further. Europe will be deeply grateful to France and England if the statesmen who govern them carefully avoid making com plaints—which are perhaps well-founded—of violations of treaties ; and in that case the Ottoman Porte, accord ing to all probabilities, will not consider the simple Rus sian occupation of Moldavia and Wallachia as a viola tion of territory, nor as a declaration of war, as desired by the Journal de Constantinople. Nevertheless, the important religious movement which the Russian mani festo displays, makes it necessary for the other powers not to encourage such demands as those of Russia." A letter from Scutari of the 29th ult., in the Journal de Francfort, says that the establishment of the conscription in Montenegro has attracted the attention of the Turkish authorities, and that they have sent cannon and troops to the frontier. A telegraphic dispatch from Vienna states that the affair of Costa has been arranged. Full and entire satisfaction has been given. Ali Pacha, the governor of Smyrna, has been dismissed. Very severe measures will be taken against the refugees. The Pope has granted a diminution of one-tenth of the duty on all cottons, iron, manufactured wood, glass, wine, beer, and salt meat or fish, that may be brought for sale to the fair of Sinigaglia, which commences this month. A letter from Trieste of the 3d says :—" Some ime back the Trieste Gazette demonstrated that he establishment of a submarine telegraph from Corfu to the coast of Albania, opposite, would shor ten by 40 hours the transmission of news from India and the Levant. At present we learn that an English company has taken the necessary steps for realising this enterprise." The following is from the Ti m e s Paris correspond ent's letter, dated yest er d a y, 6 p.m. :—" Private letters from Constantin o pl e o f th e 30th ult., men tion that the recent e ven t s a t S m yrna rendered the dismissal of Ali Pasha absolutely necessary, he being considered to have seriously committed him self : and his disgrace is, as already noticed, in con sequence of the demands of M. de Bruck. On that occasion the Government sent to Smyrna on board the steamer Medjidi, which has been placed at their other disposal, Ismael Pasha and Chekib Effendi, the former as the successor of Ali Pasha, the h rat Commissioner Extraordinary. It was considered,_ however, at Constantinople that , i n orde r to be per fectly impartial, the Austrian Government should remove its own Consul - Genera l . The Consul of the United States at Smyr n a had t aken up the cause of M. Kossta, the Hun g ari an , who has lflidngSuotn the orin a ,fbo, anderi e idi n tdhe earreste d,believed R name eacian act le i ff beou of but Constantinople i al u us n n i s claimedau ci te y s , withs, t f thati l l yh. Lo It o f sen di ng him to the United State s . T o that un toward affair M. de Bruck h as a dd e d an a embarrassment ports ssment Kecbkrin a in and demanding the complete execution o f th e Leiningen treaty in what relates to th e refugees— that is, of that is, sending them to Asia. The conduct of M. de Bruck had given great discontent at Con stantinople, and, contrary to what had been ex pected of him, he appeared to seek every pretext to detach himself from Turkey. The Porte hav ing incurred heavy expense in its armaments and preparations for defence had effected a loan of 45,000,000 of piastres (400,0001.) with the found ers of the Oriental Bank, and an instalment of 8,000,000 has been paid. It was believed that another loan of 50,000,000 was about to be nego tiated with European bankers. The arrival of the steamer from Galatz was awaited with much anxiety, as she was expected to bring the news whether the invasion of the Principalities had really taken place sr itot. " Another letter of the same date states that the Turks appeared to regard the invasion of the Danu bian provinces in a different light from the European diplomatists. They could not be persuaded that the taking forcible possession of a portion of the Ottoman territory, in spite of existing treaties, was not a real declaration of war. They ask, what will the European Powers recommend them to do in case the Russians cross the Danube? In fact, they have some appre hensions of being sooner or later abandoned to the mercy of their enemies. This letter alludes to a ru mour, of which the other just quoted takes no no tice, namely, that serious disturbances had broken out at Adrianople, and in some districts of the province of Ismidt, near Constantinople. It was also reported that the Christian population had been insulted at Kubanssal, Adabaz, and Arast, and that the authorities had adopted energetic measures to keep down any fanatical movement of the Turks. The news of the arrival of Lord Carlisle at Con stantinople, announced a few days ago in one of my letters, is confirmed. The Austrian Internun cio had presented a note to the Porte, demanding the extradition or expulsion of all the refugees, Austrian subjects, in Turkey." Letters from 'Vienna, dated July 10, state, " That some difference of opinion has arisen be tween the Austrian Government and that of Russia. It was credibly related on the 9th that Count Buol had forwarded a note to St. Peters burg, to the effect that the occupation of the Prin cipalities would make it infinitely more difficult to accommodate matters. In a word, the Austrian Cabinet has a presentiment that its bons offices will be of less avail than was expected. The movement of the two regiments towards Semlin will take place on the 14th and 15th, and it was on the 9th said that a camp was to be formed near Kloster-Neuburg, not far from this city. The person who gave the information added, Austria's contingent to the Federal Army will be concentrated, and probably reviewed by the Prince of Prussia, who has the in spection of the Bund's troops this year.' Whether this is true, or merely a pretext for collecting an army-corps, we have no means of knowing, but it is evident that the last manifesto has somewhat startled this Cabinet." Ninety-five thousand men are to be concentrated in Shumla. A correspondent of the Triest Zeitung ridicules the report of Kossuth being at Constanti nople, and of Lord Stratford's receiving the refu gees. " The British Ambassador has not taste for such guests." The Russian Manifesto has much weak ened the Emperor's influence at Constantinople. In case of need the steamers can tow up the whole fleet to the Turkish capital in 29 hours. A mobile corps is to be formed of the Circassians residing in Turkey, and placed at the disposal of Schamyl, " who is preparing for a campaign ala Oengis Chan." A corps of observation of about 15,000 men, under Selim Pasha, would be stationed near Batoum, and should a war break out it could enter. Circassia within 10 hours. Another piece of news of import ance is, that two English steamers are busily em ployed in tugging the ships laden with corn out of the Sulina. The Presse has news of the 28th, from Scutari, that Omer Pasha was in expectation of orders from Constantinople to cross the Danube at Nicopolis, Widdin, and Drahova. The corre spondent of the Wanderer writes "It is said that Austria has succ ee d e d i n persuading Prince Daniel of Montenegro to demand his investiture at the hands of the Porte." This is extremely impro bable. The Sultan has sent all the plate which he inherited from his mother to the mint. It was valued at 40,000,000 piastres. The precious metals which are just now so plentiful in Constantinople come from the coffers of the Vakouf-Cadmi, or re ceiver of the revenues of the mosques. SPAIN. The contents of the Madrid journals of the 18th are unimportant. The Royal Council had con cluded the reports, eight in number, on railway concessions demanded from it by the Government. The responsible editor of the Diario had been tried for the publication of a seditious article, and acquit ted. A Madrid letter of the same date says : " Lord Howden's private secretary, Mr. Thomas Middleton, leaves Madrid to-day for England, which would seem to leave little doubt that Lord Howden will not return here. It is said that his lordship's family and friends have become so seri ously alarmed in consequence of his continued state of suffering, that they have prevailed on him to give up all idea of doing so, and there appears to be as little doubt that he will be succeeded by Sir Richard Pakenham, now her Majesty's Envoy to Portugal." GERMANY. The King of Hanover has conferred on the King of the Belgians and on Prince Albert, the Consort of Queen Victoria, the Order of Saint George. A letter from Stockholm of the Ist inst. states that three Swedish officers had obtained permission from the King to be present at the manoeuvres of the French troops at the camp at Helfaut. They are MM. Wergeland, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Staff General of the Norwegian army ; Captain Blidt, Aide-de-Camp of his Majesty ; and Lieu tenant Dardel, Aide-de-Camp of the Prince Royal. The Germanic Diet in its sitting of Thursday last has decided on reimbursing to the Prussian Government the sum of 165,000 thalers, which it had expended for the conclusion of the armistice with Denmark. But the sum is not to be paid until after the general liquidation takes place. The Hanoverian Government has already paid its share of that sum. The Diet has also voted 52,000 florins for the continuance of the works of fortifi cation at Rastadt and Ulm. A letter from Stettin of the 7th says :--" M. Luders, formerly editor of the Sentinel of the Bal tic, who had fled to England some years back, has returned here and delivered himself into the hands of justice." A. letter from Vienna of the 7th says :—" The account of the Bank for the month of June is a very favourable one, compared to those of preceding months. The specie in hand has increased by 700,000 florins, and bills by more than 7,000,000/ ; whilst on the other hand the circulation of notes has diminished by more than 7,090,000f1. ; the funded debt has fallen to 68,000,000f1., and the mortgage debt to 58,000,000fl.—The Emperor has had the clethency to order that the two ex-Bishops LOITOW/CS and Rudnyanski, imprisoned for partici pation in the Hungarian revolution, shall be set at liberty.—Lord Westmoreland yesterday had a long conference with the Russian envoy." WEST COAST OF AFRICA. PLYMOUTH, WEDNESDAY. The African Steam Navigation Company's mail packet Hope, Commander William Henry Bowen, arrived this afternoon on her homeward voyage. She left Fernando Po on the 31st of May ; Lagos, on the 4th of June ; Cape Coast', the 7th ; Sierra Leone, the 15th ; Goree, the 19th 2 • Teneriffe, the 4th of July ; and M a deira on the 6th. Her cargo consists of gold dust, palm oil, ivory, camwood, gum, ground nuts, and seven bales of cotton, being the first shipped from the old slave station, Lagos. Affairs have been very quiet at Cape Coast Castle since the late Ashantee invasion. On the 24th of May a convention was signed at Bathurst by Governor O'Connor and the King and Chiefs of Corgo, by which the latter ceded a por tion of their territory, and the former removed certain obnoxious stockades at Sabbaif. The mail steam-packet Faith was off Sierra Leone on the 12th of Ju ne , an d th e F orerunner was off Teneriffe on the 3d of July ; at Fernando Po were her Majesty's steam-sloop Polyphemus, and the Peltona and Garrow, palm-oil ships. At Old Calabar. —The Clifton, the Pytho, and the Loodiana. At New Calabar. —The Ambrosine, the Bell, and Lord Elgin. At Bonny.—The Abeona. The Valleyfield and the Isabel were at Sierra Leone. The barque Carshalton, o f Plymouth, Captain Foster, wh en b eat i ng out on the 16th of May, tim ber laden, missed stays, and became a total wreck. Crew saved. At Gambia.—The Governor Macdonald, the African, the Orion, and the Frenc h bar q ue Union. Her Maj es ty' s steam-vessel Firefly was preparing about the 25th to leave Cape Verde, and the steam vessel Bloodhound was preparing on the 6th of July to leave Madeira, both for England. The Tay West India mail steamer left Madeira July 6th. Her Majesty's screw steam-ship Duke of Wel lington and three sailing frigates were observed by the Hope in the Channel at ten o'clock this morn ing, steering west. HEREFORD, ROSS, AND GLOUCESTER RAILWAY—OPEN ING OF THE FIRST SECTION.—On Monday the first por tion of this railway, extending from its junction with the South Wales line to Hopefield, six miles from Ross, was opened for public traffic. This is the first railway yet opened in the county of Hereford, and the event has caused a good deal of rejoicing. In another month or two, however, it is ex p ec t e d th e Sh r ewsbury and Here ford Railway, now open from Shrewsbury to Ludlow, will be ready for opening to Hereford. Other lines for extending the railway accommodation in Herefordshire are now before Parliament, and have had their pre ambles proved, •;b , st SOUTH AUSTRALIAN COPPER MINING COMPANY. The annual general meeting of this company was held yesterday at their offices, 17, Gracechurch-street ; Mr. Thompson in the chair. The SECRETARY read the report of the Committee of Management, which was given in The Sun of Monday last. The CHAIRMAN then read a letter from Mr. Phillcox, one of the chief colonial directors, complaining to some extent that that body found itself cramped by the limited issue of scrip in the colonies. The chairman also stated that Mr. Phillco x wou ld very shortly arrive in this country, and that the shareholders would then be sum moned to hear from him an account of the company's property, and its present state and future prospects. In answer to a Shareholder, The CHAIRMAN stated that the colonial directors were all gentlemen of the highest respectability and standing in the colony. The qualification for the office was the holding of 100 shares, which he believed was the case with each of them. One thousand shared had been sent out to the colony and deposited in the South Australian Bank. Captain GREEN inquired whether these 1,000 shares were in addition to the 5,000 which it had been origi• nally determined to set apart for the colonies ? The CHAIRMAN said that, according to the report, the period seemed to have elapsed for the taking up of those shares in the colonies. The managing committee had determined not to send them out, as they were convinced of the shares of the company going up to a premium (Hear, hear.) A long irregular conversation followed, which resulted in a general expression of opinion to the effect that the company were released from all obligation to send scrip to the colony except at the market price. Mr. PALGRAVE then moved, and Mr. PRITCHARD seconded, the adoption of the report, which was carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. MOCATTA, seconded by Mr. BISGOOD, the report of the auditors was approved a nd adopted. Mr. MOCATTA inquired if any private reports had come to the ears of the managing committee relative to the state of the company's property in the colony, and the high estimation in which the mine was held by the apiarists. The CHAIRMAN said that such reports had certainly reached him, but, not b e i ng o ffi c i al intelligence, h e should not have alluded to them had it not been that the question had been put by the hon. shareholder. Se had no objection to state that one of the managing cow" mittee, Mr. Webb, had lately accidentally met a gentle man who had just returned from the colony, who, on the conversations turning on the various mines of the company, gave a most glowing account of the mines be longing to the company, describing them as being scarcely considered second to the Burra-Burra mine. He also stated that it was the wonderment of all the people there why the English company had not gone on working it with proper vigour. He also (the chairman) had met a colonist who gave the same description of it, and, from all accounts, they had reason to believe that the property was a most valuable one—(hear, hear) —and if it were carried out with vigour and economy, there was no doubt that before long the shares would be atla very high premium. (Hear.) A SHAREHOLDER observed that, if it had not been for a former mismanagement, he had no doubt that would have been the case at the present moment. Mr. DUPPA defended the former management, express ing his opinion that the outlay and expenditure had been as economical as was possible. Mr. PALGRAVE then moved that the sum of 2001. be be paid to the managing committee for their services. Mr. IRVING seconded the motion, which was ag reed to unanimously. Some discussion then took place as to the remuneration, to be paid to Mr. Armitage, for his services as purser 0 1 the company, but ultimately, on the motion of Mr. WEBS, the subject was referred to a committee of three, cons ist' ing of two audito rs an d a shareholder, Mr. Bisgood with directions to re p or t on it to the next general meeting. On the motion of Mr. IRVING, seconded by Mr. PO' GRAVE, the sum of 20 guineas was voted to the auditors for their services. A SHAREHOLDER inquired what were the intentions of the managing committee with regard to declaring bonus. The CHAIRMAN said the committee originally i n tended to advise the shareholders to divide a bonus of 2,600/1 but after giving to the subject the most mature and grave consideration, they had come to the full detail :al' nation that it would be better for the ultimate interest O of the company to hold it over for a little while longer,' at least until the arri va l f rom t h e colony of Mr. Ph il ' • cox, and until after they had heard his report o f Of actual working of the mine. By so doing they would be able to retain in their hands the means of working the mine with vigour, with ou t th e necess it y or prospec,t of being driven into the market to sell the reserved scrip for the purpose of raising capital. Some discussion followed, the general expression, of opinion appearing to be, though favourable to the divis l °_ , ' of a bonus, of a confid ence i n th e manag i ng comm ittee_ . and of a desire to be guid e d by th e i r d e t erm i na tiO, Ultimately the considerati on o f th e su bj ec t was d e f e rrea until the next meeting of the shareholders, which it I, understood would b e ca ll e d on th e arr i va l o f Mr. Pin cox, in order to gi ve th e s h are h o ld ers an, opportunity.i hearing his report. Th e meet i ng then became speciru: when various a lt era ti ons were made in the coat 0 "7 for the pu r p ose, among others, of giving power to the committee to grant leave to search for gold on the pro' perty of the company. The proceedings then terminated with the usual 0 8 of thanks to the chairman. ROYAL ACADEMY op MUSIC. The students of this institution, as a wind-up p re viot l4 to the summer vacation, gave a dramatic repre sen tation on Wednesday last. The play selected was th e Lady o f Lyons, with the afterpiece of the Spitalfields Weaver. The ability displayed on the occasion was very Co, fl ; siderable. The scenic decorations, all executed by the students themselves, formed the arena of display, ..t e large school-room being converted into a theatre. 1 -P, character of Pauline was most admirably performed ~1 1. 1 Master Wheeldon ; the impassioned scenes in particilo': were given with an energy and power that would ha Y ; gained applause on any s t age . Cl au d e Melnotte . also sustained, by Mr. Bolton, with great effect, were also the parts of Madame Deschappelles and the Widow Melnotte, by Messrs. O'Leary and Bathure 4 the latter of whom contributed a prologue and epilogue' written and spoken by himself, in which very happy ally sions were made suitable to the occasion. The Spitalfields Weaver brought forward the oonii° powers of Messrs. Sharp and Wilson, the foruae r , making a decided hit in the evident imitation of tliv popular Wright : the latter gentleman so divested hio r self of his every-day character, and entered into th e part he played so completely, as to escape recognitio n by a great many of those present. The whole passed off exceedingly well, and conclude d with general roars of laughter as each of the prominew characters were called before the curtain to m ee t they merited 'need of applause. _ __ In addition to the students who formed part of Ol e audience, a great many of the professors were present and seemed gratified at the considerable display of 10' trionic powers so unexpected among those who ar, o . destined mostly to perform very diff erent characters "' the drama of life. 1 ALFRED LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY.—The ann I , meeting of the Alfred Life A ssurance C ompany was held yesterday. Th e report stated the income for the year s' A 27,645/. ss. Bd., and, after defraying every charge, a sum of 13,215/. 2s. sd. had been carried to the surPlu" fund, which now amounted to 65,7561. Bs. 4d. Th e premiums received from assurances effected during the year amounted to 2,4331. 2s. ld., while the claims W ere 5,0501. 14s. 3d. In the previous year the new premiunte were 2,792/. 12s. 4d., exclusive of some single payments , the claims 15 in number, and 9,451 . 2s. Bd. ; the se plus only 6,1091. 3s. 2d., less than half that of the pre' sent year. SEIZURE OF UNWHOLESOME I VIRAT.-111r. Stainsbll superintendent of police at Scorton, Yorkshir e , having obtained information that a beast belonging to Jaro o Bamlet, an opulent farmer, o f this place, was in a 6 10 , eased state, narrowly wa tched the owne r ' s mo od meats with the animal for three days, when the sam e was slaughtered, and g i forwarded of thisedtoSt havingockto Stockton-on-Tees for s w sa a le rded A to Sergeant tele gr Richardson, he, with his usual aet: . vity, soon discovered that th e greater part of the carca s e was deposited , a portion of the same having been sold 10 a person of th is place. Af ter due inspection by the proper authori ties of Stockton, the same was publieli burned in the market on Monday evening last, and Mr' Bamlet is now duly summoned to appear on an earl,' day, before the bench of this place, to answer the c harge preferred. EXTENSIVE FIRE IN MARYLEBoNE.—Yesterday morn' ing, at a few minutes before five o'clock, a fire of a 'red, alarming chara c t er b roke out in the premises belongin g to Mr. Joseph Wortham, a dyer and calenderer. Before any assistance could be procured the flames had mad e such fearful progress, that the whole of the upper floor s of the workshops presented one immense sheet of flaMe; the heat from which was so great that the premises e` Messrs. Clayton, Shuttleworth, and Co., engineers, In Quickset-row, and those of Mr. Sanders, stonemason/ were cracking, and were expected momentarily to break out in a general blaze. Fortunately an abundant Or: ply of water was immediately obtained from the main s of the West Middlesex Company's pipes, but the fire could not be extinguished before the premises in which the disaster commenced were all but destroyed, the stock in trade an d i n t rust consumed, and the roof burnt ef' The roof and part of Mr. Sanders's workshops are also severely damaged by fi re, and so are the premises o`, Messrs. Clayton, Shuttleworth, and Co., the eng ineers' The origin of the fire is at present enveloped in obscurity; and, unfortunately, none of the sufferers were i n sured, for stock o r f urn i ture ; but the buildings were insured in the Phcenix and Sun fire offices. CRIMINAL BUSINESS IN MIDDLESEX.—By a return o f the increa se o f the criminal business of Middlesex, founded on a motion of Sir William Jolliffe, in F e bruary' 1852, and con ti nued eo September, 1852, it appears thao the number of indictments preferred at the se ssion _ daring th e year preceding the increase of the jurisdict i o n was 1,761 ; and in the year following the number w, O 2,367, o f w hi ch cases 829 could not be tried under t h e restricted j ur i s di ct i on. I n t h e prece di ng year t h e a!_ , sistanf j u d ge sat 81 days for the trial of criminal cas e d and 134 days in the succeeding year, exclusive of apPef, days, an d a second court sat con j ointly with h i m 3v days, tot in I Yet for b 0,3 Pi Brazil Dit bit Mesic Portt Dit Eardii gpani BPani Dii Zwed Verse; 151 tel bit Jtlz brat( th e e Th or th e i th e s Re col Pr till