The Sun. — London, England, 1853-08-18 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, 03FORD-STREET. Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kean. THIS EVENING, AnonsT IS, Will be performed THE DAY AFTER THE WEDDING. Sup -1 rted by Mr. and Mrs. W. Lacy. A ft e r whicb, SARDANAPALDS. Principal char acters by Mr. si l4l Mrs. C. Kean. To be y CHESTERFIELD THINS -KIN. Characters DY bfiessrs. followed Harley, b Meadows, Addison, and Miss Vlvash. ROYAL ADELPHI. Proprietor, Mr. B. Webster —Directress, Madame Celeste. THIS EVENING, AUGUST 18, Will be performed GENE VLEVE. Characters by Messrs. Dunne, C a ll e nford, woolgar, L e igh Murray, Hastings , A. Wigan, paw 0. s m ith, and C. J. Smith; Miss Woolga r and Bedford, Keel e y , bl uer w hich, will be presented SARDANAPALITS. To be followed by THE CAMP AT CHOBHAM. To conclude with WHAT ! NO CAB ? ROY A.L OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. Farren. THIS EVENING, AuonsT 18, wilt be performed THE TIMES. Characters by Messrs. T. Farren, T. / mead, William Farren, H. Marston, G. Cooke, and Shalders; Mesdames Anderton, H. Gordon, E. Turner, and Bartlett. With SHYLOCK, or, THE MERCHANT OF "VENICE PRE !SERVED." Shylock, Mr. F. Robson. To conclude with THE WANDERING MINSTREL. Jam Bags, Arr. F. Robson. ASTLErS ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Sole Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. Important Notice to - the Public generally.—The national spectacle of the Battle of Waterloo, which has on its revival been attended with such brilliant success, far beyond any precedent, must neces sarily be withd awa to make room for a classical novelty, which has been for months in of tpreparaion, and will be produced on Sa turday, 27th inst., on a scale grandeur and extent never before attempted.—Miss EMILY COOKE re-appears at this theatre on the conclusion of Iser continental engagements. THIS EVENING, AUGUST 18, And during the week, will be presented (53d night) the glorious Spectacle of THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. To be followed by Mr. W. Cooke's Scenes in the CIRCLE, intro ducing his celebrated Black Charger Raven, whose performances kave elicited unbounded applause, and ,the Great Equestrian, Mr. Alfred Cooke, in one of his principal acts. C onc luding with, (85th time) THE CHASE ; or, LIFE ON THE TURF, with a real Fox Chase. " The best ventilated theatre in the world." Box-ofilce open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. Second Week of Miss POOLE, the eUA.RlU M minent English col Vlectionocalit.t.—FSea irst E x hibition of the MARINE AQ, a of and Fresh water Fish alive, in five large glass tanks, procured ex pressly for this occasion by P. ff. Gosse, Esq., author of "A Natn rotioth. Rambles in Devonshire,"in the most instructive and amusing object ever yet presented to the public. THIS EVENING, AUGUST 18, C.,'HUSAN, Splendid MENAGERIE, Grand Military Band, Vocal and Instrumental Concert, Two Favourite Songs by Miss Poole, marvellous display of TUE FEAST OF LANTERNS, brilliant FIREWORKS, and EXPLOSION of CHINESE FIRE SHIPS. Admission, Is. H IGU WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tg , D AT —Maiming S min. after 1 I Evening 35 min.aft. 1 Taco °w —Morning 0 ram. after 2 I Evening 23 min.aft. 2 DAILY WEATHER TABLE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 1853. State of the wind and weather at each of the following places at nine o'clock yesterday morning. The stations are arranged in order of latitude. PORTSMOUTH—S.W., strong breeze—partially cloudy. SOUTHAMPTON—W., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. FOLKESTONE—S., gentle breeze—overcast. TUNBRIDGE—W., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. BASINGSTGKE—N.W., gentle breeze—overcast. GREENWICH—W.S.W., gentle breeze—rain. STROOD—S. gentle breeze—partially cloudy. SWINDON—iV., li g ht breeze—overcast. LEIGHTON—S.W., calm—light rain. CAMBRIDGE—S.., gentle breeze—cloudy. BIRMINGHAM—N., gentle breeze—rain The returns from the following places indicate the state of the weather on Tuesday morning at nine o'clock PonTsmourn—S.E., strong breeze— rain. SOUTHAMPTON— N.E., strong breeze—rain. TUNBRIDGE—S.E., calm—overcast. BASINGSTOKE—S.E., strong breeze—overcast. GREENWICH—S.E., gentle breeze—overcast. Srnoon—S.W., gentle breeze--partially cloudy. SWINDON—S.E. fresh breeze—cloudy. LEIGHTON-8.i., gentle breeze—partially cloudy. CAMBRIDGE—S., gentle breeze—cloudy. YARMOUTII—S.E., gentle breeze- cloudless. CREwE--calm—clUndy. CONWAY—S.E., gentle breeze—cloudy. Wuirsv—calm—overcast. DARLINGTON—S.E., gentle breeze—overcast. SNAP— E., calm—overcast. THE WEATHER.—Sus OFFICE, AUGUST Is. THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE. 70—highest since noon yesterday. 53—lowest this morning and during tho night. 68—this day at noon. BAROMETER, 30. WIND, S.E.—Light breeze, and fine weather. THE PUBLICATION OF "THE SUN" COMMENCES EVERY AFTERNOON AT THREE O'CLOCK, AND THE LATE OR THIRD EDITION, CONTAINING THE DEBATES IN PARLIAAfFiNT THE SAME EVENING, With all other ilrezgs 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. ( Q ) - i . • , • • LONDON, THURSDAY, A UGUST 18, 1853. Whatever may be the political result of the pending struggle in China, it is tolerably certain that vast commercial advantages, at any rate, must accrue to the world at large from the extra ordinary enterprise adventured upon by TAE PING-WANG and his attendant revolutionists. In all likelihood the reigning, or TAT-SING, dynasty is even now inevitably doomed to destruction. According to every reasonable probability, the hitherto dominant 'race of the Mantchoos must before long become utterly exterminated. There are prospects, moreover, of Buddhism vanishing from that portion of Asia before the divine light of Revelation—of Idolatry being permanently sub verted by the Iconoclasts—of nearly 400,000,000 Pagans l being gradually won over to Christianity. A more l these events are apparently each day more and obviously w ithi n th e li m it s o f rational cal culation. Yet though none of these anticipations be realised, though the Emperor MEN-Tin be not overthrow n , osufbmsearinTtint a thoughsooria, gh the native Chinese remain ceh though heretofore to th e conquer i ng race the Trimarti be still wor shipped and th e truths of Holy Writ be still re jected for the fables of the Shaster, it must be manifest to the mosvitili su f perficial o b server th a t th e pending struggle necessarily prove so far beneficial in its influe nce th d way for a more extendedi c ommerce, an t will prepare the civilisation. therefore for a more enlightenedtie do o t:deductio n scarcely for Alrea n d That, we take it, is a a moment to be disputed. barriers which have hitherto excluded the the the world from even occasional intercourse With the population of the celestial empire, h av e , b e ; broken down in consequence of this great r;oeial bouleverscment. It were scarcely rational to d ream of their restoration. Its practicability may be questioned without much appearance of extrava gance. R e cent experience assures us that the insurgents lack the will, as late events have clearly enough shown that the Imperial Government needs the power of restoring the old worn-out system of insulating the Chinese multitude within the confines of their own territory. It may, therefore, be calculated upon with something like certainty, that good in the long run must accrue to mankind at large from the outbreak of this astonishing revolution. The vastness of the Chinese empire has recently been illustrated in these columns, by particulars calculated to impress upon the popular mind the importance o f pass i ng to what occurrences. In addition has before been ourselves, by observed upon the sub jectother facts of a similar character may not altogetherbfoerinst,an unacceptable. It is insig nificant, that the the Chinese race, instance, as showing the fecundity of Proper increased population of China 1711, durin, from 28,605,716, as it was in 6 the reign of 102,328,258, during the° . 0 4 KANG-HE, to sotthtitne it con , an 4 that within a century f r r e o lg o n tiol f KEENaitiNG, Was l a t t in 1812, , ;3fer4 s bly more than tripled itself, to o th less than OuriV,,the reign of KEA-Kmo, it s6l 6,,e,1,;t 361,2.11,900 —attaining, according Ayi: r -- 1 : eansu4:-the enormous aggregate of . 5 0..1 00 1... i . :F s * ' 7 -2. * r t ' - Tbee - ; f riis4 before oblierved, united to the 1 3' 4 11 .. ', 'r c \ ° - 'C: 7 ; \ ';'-‘-‘:•'-)7} t.`"V lation of the independent pfovinees—Mongolia, Tibet, Turkistan, &c.—a population estimated at some 40,000,000, would yield a total of upwards of 400,000,000 ! Further tokens of the magnitude, wealth, and prosperity of China may be enumerated in refer ence to the variety and splendour of its chief cities, as well as in regard to the multiplicity of its natural productions, and the astonishing minuteness of its system of agriculture. The cul tivation of England has been commended by EmEnsoN as so remarkable in appearance, that he describes the landscape as seemingly touched into beauty by the pencil, instead of being seamed by the plough and raked by the harrow. The cultiva tion of China is mentioned by travellers as imparting to many districts an aspect of yet more carefully detailed improvement. Almost perpendicular acclivities are there clothed by art with the utmost luxuriance of vegetation. It was once sug gested, if we recollect rightly, by the Hon. Baronet the Member for Hertfordshire, that much fruitful soil might be reclaimed in this country by a dimi nution in the number of our hedges, so that the crops might extend to th e utmost limits of the lines of demarcation. A similar economy of space has evidently been aimed at among the Chinese, from the circumstance of agricultural toil with them having turned almost every spot of culti vatable ground to advantage. As to the populous cities of China affording evidence of the wealth and general prosperity of the population —it may be remarked, that within a distance of merely two hundred miles, there are situated along one portion of the bank of the Grand Canal five of the largest cities in the e mpire, that is, between the port of Hang chew and the great river of the Yang-tzse kiang. Conspicuous among them, of course, is the beautiful city of Sou-chew—a city famous forits silk manufactories, adorned with palaces of marble and bridges of granite, embowered in the luxuriant foliage of the green willow and the black bamboo, the cypress, and the mulberry—a city comprising in its urban and suburban guar , ters no less than two millions of inhabitants. Hong-chew, however, is still more populous, con taining, it is believed, nearly as many inhabitants as the wonderful capital of China, Pekin, the latter, as is well known, numbering from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 as its population. It was as recently as the middle of the seven teenth century that the gigantic and fruitful territory, some of whose marvels we have here been considering, was conquered, after a struggle of thirty years' duration, by a Mantchoo Chieftain, who thereupon established his family upon the Imperial Throne under the title of the TAT-SING dynasty. During the two hun dred years which have followed, numerous efforts have been made for the replacement of the MING dynasty, or that of the native Sovereigns, and for the displacement of the Tartar conquerors from Mant chooria. Hitherto without success, notwithstand ing the fanaticism of the adherents of the van quished house. TAE-PING-WANG, indeed, is the only successful opponent of the Manchoos who has yet made his appearance. There can be little doubt that this formidable leader has enlisted in his cause others than the Asiatic neophytes of Christianity. It cannot but be conjectured that he has contrived to turn to good account those implicated in that vast political conspiracy known as the Triad Society, which was described with great minuteness several years back by Dr. GUTZLAFF. A society pledged to restore the Ming Princes to power, and to overthrow the race of Tartar Sovereigns. During the last hun dred years especially, in fact ever since 1736, the Triads have spread through all parts of the country, have extended their influence among all classes of the community, and have adroitly enough succeeded in keeping up the system of their secret organisation. They are described as somewhat resembling the European Freemasons— having their lodges and their signs, recognising each other not merelyby particular pass-words, but even by their manner of handling cups and dishes, by their mode of wearing their dresses, and by their manner of exchanging salutations. It is impos sible not to feel persuaded that a society exercis ing such extraordinary influence as the Triad Society notoriously has long done, more particu larly among the poorer classes of the Chinese com munity, can have remained idle duiing the course of recent occurrences, or can have crowned by any such inopportune indifference their prolonged and perilous organisation. It is tolerably certain, therefore, that in the late struggle against the imperial partizans, the ranks of the insurgents have been swelled by the Triad conspirators, as well as by the converts to Christianity. The pending revolution, in fact, is one of at once a political, a social, and a religious character. It is the rising of a populous native race against the descendants of a handful of daring conquerors. It is the outbreak of a multitude inimical to barbarism and friendly to civilisation. It is the march of a modern army of Iconoclasts resolved upon the destruction of idolatry, and upon the establieshment of a belief in Hebraic Revelation. The singular adventurer, therefore, who has placed himself at the head of the insurgents, has displayed wisdom in securing to his cause the force of these hitherto scattered incentives—and, while acting thus sagaciously, has enlisted on his side the sympathies, at least, of the majority of the races of Christendom. The willing acceptance by the House of Com , mons of the Lords' amendments to the Govern. went of India Bill, including the rejection of the clause relating to the salt monopoly, created great and general astonishment ; but still greater sur prise was manifested at the unexplaine 1 absence of the Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Droit wich during the discussion. That Sir JOHN PAKINGTON should manifest a deep interest on the subject was considered certain. Its intrinsic im portance, and the vast influence it exercised over the happiness and welfare of the Hindoo popula tion, would alone suffice to ensure the attention it merited frail any man of ordinary humanity. But it had further claims on the Right Hon. Baronet. His constituents, indeed all the inha bitants of the district in which he resided, were naturally anxious to obtain a free trade in salt, and thus to open a new and very considerable de mand for their staple manufacture. He had therefore maturely considered the question in all its bearings and all its details, and satisfied him self of the justice and expediency of the required concession. The powerful and. convincing argu ments by which he sustained his motion for the addition of the clause, subsequently expunged in the Upper House, proved that he was no luke warm advocate. He entered heart and soul into the cause. With him it was no mere party ques tion, intended only to damage his opponents. t:a va t s I h is em ix igh n itstersthan rThe notion that he could put the Government or the time being completely in the wrong— ' couldexpo Y se l t % the habit of acting, and that he the President of i g h ros s and palpable inconsistency of did not, of course , .. India Board and his colleagues I the most of hi s pc ',: t i tt lnainish his anxiety to make inducement to i-; his was every possible apparent apathy and i n ' dif ., l3 exertions ; and the 1 of his absence on such an erenc© which admitted e o v f en tho m se oreconfidently to the opinions of appeal_ sup po , teiz i.. Hon. Gentlemen who generally B--inuly- 0 inexplicable. "Where is with whom he Sir ;or was the more was asked on every sid e , and i' th PAICINGTON ?'' accorded the leadership in the contestthose to the Right Hon. Baronet, contented thernsei,e wi th mere lyprotesting against the omissi on of the '' clai e , and pressing the propr iet y of so me concessio n o n the part of the Double Government for the miti gation of the universally acknowledged grievance. The doubtful matter was, however, yesterday cleared up : Sir JOHN PAKINGTON had, it ap pears,s intention to offer some given notice of his to the amendment remarks on the motion for agreeing amendment of the Lords. Bu t the House sat at a very unusual hour, and not onlywas no specialin timation given of the change, butt there was nothing on " the orders of the day" to show that there - would be any deviation from the ordinary course, or that the time of meeting would in any decree be .accelerated. It ' was, therefore, by surprise . A that the easy victory was achieved 5 and THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 18, 1853. without meaning to impute, even to Sir CHARLES WOOD, a manoeuvre so exceed ingly discreditable as the adoption of such a mode of getting rid of a formidable opposition on any important topic, we must express our re aret that such a question should have been thus disposed of, and that so very powe 1111 an illustra tion should have been afforded of " the shame ful apathy and indifference of Great Britain to the concerns of India," and also of the evil re sults of hasty legislation at the fag end of a ses sion. What can the natives of India think of the course adopted towards them by the Government and the Parliament of the United Kingdom ? They find their complaints, couched in the most moderate and temperate language, totally disre garded—their humble application that an oppor tunity might be afforded of substantiating 'the facts they had put forward, contemptuously re jected. They see a reckless determination to pe2- petrate a monstrous job, at their expense, as recklessly carried into practical operation, that notwithstanding the pendency of inquiries before Committees of both Houses of Parliament, a crude and ill-digested measure pressed forward. Introduced only in the month of June, it was permitted to supersede more urgent propositions. Legal reforms, ecclesiastical court reforms—the amelioration of the landlord and tenant code in Ireland—of the Savings' Banks laws in the United Kingdom—sanitary measures. Eve :y -thing, in fact, requiring dispatch is postponed ; while that alone in which delay woul.d be benefi cial, was pressed at railroad speed through both Houses. On other subjects nothing but procrastina tion was perceptible ; and that although they had many months' priority over the only matter on which temporary legislation was desirable. On that an abdication of its functions by the heredi tary branch of the Legislature, because " not one fifth of their Lordships could, or wou'.d, be induced to assemble in the month of August, on even the most important question of the Session." An unconditional acceptance of the bill, although five others which had received far greater considera tion were postponed to another Session, to suit the convenience of the pleasure-seeking nobility, who could not, or would not, attend at such a season. "An unconditional acceptance," we said—would that it had been so. Its only bene ficial feature—the only redeeming point that might have contented the sufferers—was expunged without a division ; and when the matter was returned to the other House, we find that, not withstanding the violation of its privileges, the amendment is accepted. And why ? Because the House sits at an unusual hour, and no sufficient intimation of the change is given to the few who remain in town. And also, as Sir JOHN PARING TON acknowledges, that the popular Representatives emulate the insouceance of their titled brethren, or, to use his own words, " because, and only because, at this period of the session, and looking to the attendance of Members, no division on such a subject could now be considered as a test of the opinion of the House of Commons !" Is this the mode by which we hope to gain the affec tionate respect, to cement the allegiance of Hindoo subjects of Queen VICTORIA ? Can legislation thus obtained be considered in any degree satis factory or permanent ? Certainly not. The seeds have been sown that must produce an abundant crop of future agitation—of agitation that will never be relaxed until some degree of ustice be rendered to the much-aggrieved inhabi ants of India. The great majority of our readers will have read, we doubt not, with the greatest pleasure, in our paper of Saturday, the result of the appeal in the Braintree case to the House of Lords. Stript of all legal phraseology, the judgment of the House of Lords is, that a minority in a vestry meeting cannot lay a Church Rate. It is a deci sion worthy of the House, which, no Radical Re former even can deny, has so often proved itself conservative of our legal liberties. Had the Lords decided as carefully upon the merits of the India Bill as they did upon those of the Brain tree case, we should not have had to revive, as we did the other day, the question, " What is the use of the House of Lords ?" Into this case Lord TRURO entered most fully and minutely, even showed his j udgment to the absent Lord BROUGHAM, and the result was a verdict which the vast ma jority of Englishmen will applaud, which the House itself can be proud to record on its jour nals, and which, if the opposite party are not infatuated, will be the termination of this 15 years' litigation. The Braintree case is one of no ordinary im portance. It was instituted not merely to enforce a claim on Dissenters, which, as Lord STANLEY, in his able and candid letter, shows, is now consi dered odious and unjust by all fair-minded Church men, as well as it is by Dissenters themselves. The distinguishing feature of this case is, that it was raised to try the question, whether a minority of a parish meeting could lay a church-rate, if the majority refused to do so ; a question which appears more like a joke than a serious legal difficulty to Englishmen unlearned in the law. Its being made, however, a grave legal question, and one or two abortive attempts, as at Bradford in Yorkshire, having been made to collect rates laid by a minority, saber men have been waiting with a kind of half credulous curiosity to know whether law was really in such absurd conflict with common sense and the universal habits o: the country. It is so engrained into an Englishman's notions of all matters in which we meet, discuss, and vote, that a majority shall decide, and a minority yield with the best grace it can, that the opposite idea is quite a shock to all his notions of law and order. His voluntary societies of every kind, h;s parish meetings, his municipal proceedings, his elections for Parliament, the very Houses of Legislature themselves, all act upon one and the same prin ciple ; and, let it be observed, the circumstance that enables our country to carry out so admir ably the principles of constitutional government, is, that in England minorities know the':4- On the Continent they do not. They cannot there be content to work their way to a majority by discussion, and fair political means ; what they cannot carry by votes they must carry by violence or fraud. An Englishman beaten, on the con trary, folds his arms, thinks his time will come, and prepares resolutely for another contest of votes. Nothing could do us more injury than to make any inroad on this grand essential to public good fellowship. It seems characteristic of our race, having been noticed with interest and ap probation by intelligent foreigners in America as well as in this country. They have been astonished to see parties so excited before an elec tion for an M.P. or a President, yet as quiet as ever when the poll or the Ballot-box had an ' nounced the result. It is all due to minorities knowing their part. Now, the BRAINTREE case was, in the judgment of the community generally, an attempt to annihilate the very principle of all our public action, and to give to a minority the rights of the majority. An attempt almost revo lutionary in its nature, to compass by force of legal chicanery what could not be attained by fair and manly means ; and very small indeed, we suspect, is the party in the Church of England, almost limited perhaps to officials themselves, who do not thoroughly concur in the judgment just given by the Lords. It is, then, as upholding in its integrity the grand English principle of govern ing by real majorities that we rejoice in this consti tutional decision, and the House of Lords, as a Court of Appeal, has added to the respect in which on that ground it is justly held by all who prize to the Courtte our most valuable constitutional principles. No act of the Session will tell more in its favour. It appears, from the statement of Dr. the zeal of the Lus ruN , Tow quoted by Lord STANLEY (page 2 7), that ll case may yet be taken back we do not as of ,, Arches, and thence to the Judicial Comm' of Privy Council. Whether 1 till d a nbleys:adcelis, he e )y yet i fc ,anc,s wil carry them thus far do,now. lt will . be for mere an noyance if minds ofas the question is quite de cided,judgm e i n n t t ; h a e t n h deyLord STANLEY will be certain now al t h i. e but presentcar to carry next year the . tied this. When th e gener a l policy of upright Churchmen justifies Dissenters in regarding Church rates as an unrighteous exaction—when the son of the late Conservative Premier comes forth as the most efficient advocate of liberating them from a galling impost—when, doing so, he can take his father's language as the motto of his title page—and, finally, when the House of Lords thoroughly concurs in a judgment which leaves every Church rate at the mercy of increasingly hostile vestry meetings—we may be sure that the days of Church rates aze numbered. The un neighbourly nuisance has been endured long enough, and Dissenters will now be grievously wanting to themselves, if they do not prepare to render Lord STANLEY the aid which his noble and generous advocacy of their cause demands. COURT CIRCULAR. OSBORNE, AUG. 17. The Queen will hold a Privy Council on Friday, th e 19th inst., at Osborne, Isle of Wight. The Queen and Prince and the Royal children walked out yesterday afternoon., Count Alexander Mensdorff arrived yesterday from the Continent on a visit to her Majesty. This morning being the birthday, of her Royal High ness the Duchess of Kent, the band of the 23d Royal Welsh Fusiliers assembled on the Terrace, and played a selection of music in honour of the day. Yesterday being the birthday of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, the morning was ushered in at Kensington by the ringing of merry peals on the church bells, and the Royal standard was hoisted. In the evening her Royal Highness's tradesmen in London and Kensington illuminated, and, as usual, dined together at the King's Arms Tavern, Kensington ; Mr. W. N. Wright in the chair. Her Majesty was graciously pleased to command a liberal supply of the choicest fruits in season to be sent from the Royal gardens at Frogmore on the happy occasion, and the Royal Duchess presented the stewards with a fine fat buck. The Chancellor of the Exchequer left town yesterday for Scotland. The Right Hon. Edward and Mrs. Cardwell left town yesterday for Alva, near Stirling. THE BUILDERS' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION-(THIS DAY). This morning, a special general meeting of the friends and subscribers to this valuable charity, which was founded in 1847, for giving relief and granting pensions to decayed members of the various branches of the build ing trade and their widows, was held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, for the purpose of electing five pensioners upon the funds, and upon other business; Mr. Joseph Bird in the chair. The report, which was very satisfactory, stated that the past year has been a more beneficial one than any of the preceding, and the directors took that opportunity of expressing their thanks to the president, S. Morton Peto, Esq., M.P., for his able advocacy of the interests of the institution at the late annual festival, and which produced to the funds so gratifying a result. The subscriptions and donations received during the past year amounted to 1,4041. ss. 6d. ; and there has been added to the funded stock since the last report 803/. Three per Cent. Consols, 7001. stock to the relief fune, and 1001. to the building fund, making the total amount 3,6501., divided as fol lows :-2,6501. stock to the relief, and 1,0001. stock to the building fund. The re - -:ort having noticed very fa vourably the exertions of Brighton committee, and stated that the hon. secretary, Mr. G. Maynard, had forwarded to the treasurer, Mr. G. Bird, the sum of 1141. 95., remarked that the annual ball, under the able superintendence of Mr. Joseph Bird, had realised to the funds 1201. 16s. 6d. The total number of persons now receivbg the benefits of the institution (including those elected to-day) is 24, viz., 15 males and 9 females. After stating that. S. orton Peto, Esq., M.P., had consented to act as president for the present year, the report concluded by calling upon their friends and the public generally for support. The balance-sheet showed the total receipts for the past year (including a balance in hand of 211. 12s. 61d.) to amount to 1,8421. ls. 21d. ; and after all the expenses had been defrayed, there was left an available balance of 1541. 17s. 34d. The CHAIRMAN having briefly opened the proceedings, the meeting proceeded to the election of five pensioners, three men and two women, from a list of twelve candi dates, after which a vote of thanks was passed to the chairman and the scrutineers, and the proceedings ter minated. EXTENSIVE FIRES IN TEE METROPOLIS. Yesterday morning, at 7 o'clock, a fire of a destruc tive chnActer, and attended with considerable damage, broke out in the premises of Mr. T. M. L. Brown, wholesale glass, china, and Staffordshire warehouseman, carrying on business at No. 47, St. Martin's-lane. The premises were most severely burnt, the roof partially destroyed, and the stock in trade much broken. The contents were insured in the Phcenix-office, and the building in the Westminster-office. The fire was caused from the overheat of a flue in the adjoining premises. The flatting mills of Mr. G. A. Buckland, in flop-gar dens, were also slightly damaged by water. At a few minutes before 5 o'clock a fire broke out in the premises of Mr. Vining, a cutler, No. 125, Regent street, St. James's, and notwithstanding the great quan tity of water thrown upon the flames they were not ex tinguished until the costly fixtures and plate glass were destroyed, and the valuable stock in trade extensively burned. A short time before the last-named fire happened lan other one broke outin the premises of Mr. T. Lovell, No. 2, Commercial -place, East-lane, Walworth, which was so rapid in its progress that the residents had the greatest difficulty in effecting a safe retreat from the building. The fire was caused in the following manner :—Mr. Lovell having experienced a strong smell of gas, which induced him to proceed to the lower part of the premises to examine the metre, but in so doing the pipe came out, and the vapour ruched out in such bodies, and becoming instantly ignited, that Mr. Lovell was nearly prostrated. He, however, managed to escape and save his family, by which time the greater part of the house was enveloped in flames. The engines of the London Brigade, West of England, and parish, were soon on the spot, and plenty of water having been obtained, the firemen went to work under the direction of Mr. Henderson and Mr. Connor ton, but the firemen, in spite of their exertions, were unable to get the flames subdued until the premises and their contents were destroyed, and unfortunately the sufferer was not insured for a single penny. CABINET COUNCIL. —A Cabinet Council was held yes terday afternoon at the Foreign-office, Downing-street. The Ministers present w...:D - the Earl of Aberdeen, Lord John Russell, the 1-7.xl Chancellor, Earl Gran ville, the Duke of Argyll, I .iie Marquis of Lansdowne, Viscount Palmerston, the Earl of Clarendon, the Duke of Newcastle, Sir Jas. Graham, Sir Chas. Wood, the Right Hon. Sidney Herber:;, and Sir Win. Molesworth. Tile Council sat two hours and a half. THE DERBY BRIBERY.—The Grand Jury at the Cen trl Criminal Court yesterday, found a true bill against the Right Hon. Wm. Beresford, two of the Messrs. Cox, of Derby, Mr. }luish, an attorney there, and seven other parties, for conspiracy to bribe the electors of Derby. We shall now see whether the heads of the pasty will escape while the tail pays the penalty. ADVANCE IN THE PRICE OF COAL. —At a meeting of the coal trade held on Tuesday at Newcastle, it was agreed to advance the price of coal 2s. per ton. GOLD.—The arrivals of gold from Australia during the next month are expected to be large. The Harbinger, screw steamer, w:11 bring about 510,000/., and it is also said that 200,0003. may be looked for by the Marco Polo, and 150,0001. by Cie Kent. FATAL OMNIL'Ir3 ACCIDENT.—This morning Joseph Robson, a respectable tradesman, expired in St. Bartho lomew's Hospital, from juju - 2:e'; sustained yesterday, by having been run over by an omnibus. It appears that the unfor'.unate mrn was crossing the carriage-way in Norton Folgate, Shoreditch, when his foot slipped, and before he could recover his equilibrium he was knocked down by a Kingsland omnibus, one of the wheels of the vehicle passing over his head and chest. He was imme diately conveyed to the above mentioned institution, but he never rallied, and death terminated bis sufferings this morning. Information has been forwarded to Mr. Payne, but the day has not been fixed for the inquest. CHATHAM ELECTION.—A petition has been presented by certain electors of Chatham against the return of Sir James Stirling, on the ground oebribery, treating, and intimidation, and asserting that Captain Vernon had the majority of legal votes, and ought to have been re turned, and amongst other reasons on the ground that eel...Ain electors voted for Sir J. Stirling " who had laid wagers," and otherwise disqualified themselves. The petitioners also pray to be allowed to defend the seat of Captain Vernon. THE PETERBOROUGH ELECTION PETITIONS COMMIT TEE.—It appears that there were 22 witnesses examined before this committee, and that the cost connected with them amounted to 1111. NEW WRITS FOR STAMFORD AND DUNGARVAN.— New writs have been issued for these places, for the former in the room of the Hon. J. C. Herries, who has accepted the manor of Northstead, and for the latter in the room of Mr. J. F. Maguire, who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds. LYCEUM THEATRE.—Just as the greatest and last re maining planet of our musical system is on the eve of completing its appointed orbit the public attention has been awakened to new life, by the fitful though we l come phenomena of inusicAl meteors, which have made their appearance at irregular intervals, now at one theatre; and now at another. The evident relish with which these unexpected invitations were received by the theatre-going world tempted the entrepreneurs to an nounce three performances of the same kind, for the 17th, the 19th, and the 22d inst. The first of these, at which we were present last night, consisted of the opera of Fra Diavolo and The Beggar's Opera, a kind of to m the sic a l w c o o r u l d n ter betweenpa r t t o thethe t e wo e n ;;; eeactimn cordiale eant now x isoonfstihn e ei h rß i pe b es i i td pecu liar Bay. Both operas are firs-rate. liar national style, and the iatter as well as the former afford such full scope fur the display of Mr. Sims Reeves' peculiar powers, that it was a matter of some regret not to hear him in the character of Captain Macheath as well as in that of the brigand. The whole entertainment, however, went off extremely well. The house was well filled in every part;' YORK RACES. (THIS DAY.) (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) ORDER OF RUNNING. 2.15—C01t Sapling Stakes. 2.4s—Prince of Wales Stakes, 3.3o—Ebor Handicap. 4. o—Hopeful Stakes. 4.3o—County Plate. 5. o—Lottery Plate. s.3o—Eglinton Stakes. Ebor Handicap—Surveyor does not run. Sally War foot colt very fishy. Captain Cornish has gone home. La,mprocles has arrived. Umbriel is expected. LATEST BETTING-12 O'CLOCK. GREAT EBOR HANDICAP. 9to 2 agst Adine. sto 1 agst Goo.kah. sto 1 agst Pantomime. 10 to 1 agst Lord Lieutenant (taken). 11 to 10 on the first three. COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.-(THIS DAY.) (Before Mr. Commissioner Fonblanque.) RE J. WELLS. This bankrupt was described as of Dalston, builder, and to-day was appointed for his last examination. The balance sheet prepared by Mr. Pettis, of Basing hall Chambers, and extending from January, 1851, and ending March, 1853, shows :—Capital, 3561. Dr. to creditors, 9161; ditto holding security, 1,0201; profits, 5771. ; Cr. good debts, 51. 10s. ; property in the hands of Crs., 1,870/. ; property given up 291. 7s. ; trade ex penses 5671. ; domestic, 6061. Mr. Ashley, of Charles-square, appeared on behalf of the assignees, and said they were satisfied with the accounts. The bankrupt passed. EXTENSIVE MERCANTILE FAILURE.-IN RE DEPORTEI. This bankrupt was described as of Mark-lane, mer chant, and to-day was appointed for his last examina tion. The balance-sheet, prepared by Messrs. George and Co., Basinghall-street, extending from September, 1852, to May, 1853, shows :--Dr. to creditors, 2,5621.; ditto holding security, 2,6131.; ditto to Guistiana, 3,9961. 16s. 11d. ; profits, 71 , 11. ;liabilities, 23,2311. 9s. sd. Cr. Good debts, 851. 19s. 10d. ; doubtful, 657/. ; pro perty in hands of creditors, 2,6321; trade expenses, 2101.; personal, 1871.; losses, 6,1131. ; liabilities, as per contra, 23,2311. 9s. sd. The bankruptcy arose through the failure of other firms. Messrs. Lawrance and Piews were the solicitors to the estate, and did not offer any opposition to bankrupt's passing, and he passed accordingly. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT, THIS DAY. OLD COURT. (Before Mr. Baron Platt and Mr. Justice Talfourd.) THE QUEEN V. MAJOR BERESFORD.-TIIE DERBY ELECTION. In this case, which has created so much interest abroad, a true bill was yesterday found for misdemean our against Major Beresford, M.P., and several other persons, fur an offence, arising out of what took place at the Derby election in 1852. At the sitting of the Court this morning, Mr. Bodkin, adverting to the above bill, remarked that the indictment extended to a very great length, and his clients, who were the defendants, had not had time to read it. They therefore did not exactly know the nature of the charge that was preferred against them, and they were on that account anxious to have the case prepared. They were prepared to enter into recognisances to appear at the next session, by which time they would have ascertained the precise nature of the charge, and be ready to answer it. The application was agreed to, and the bail fixed at 801. each, with two sureties of 401. each. RAPE. Alex. 111'.Dougall, aged 24, described as a carpenter, was placed in the dock, charged with committing a rape on Elizabeth Carey, a married woman. The details of the case were qui;:e unfit for publica tion ; but it appeared that all the parties, who led a very loose life, lived in the same house together, and there being reason to suppose that the woman was a consent ing party, the prisoner was acquitted. NEW COURT. (Before the Common Sergeant.) Job Coleman, a respectable-looking man, was indicted for forging and uttering a forged receipt. Mr. Clarkson prosecuted, and Mr. Ballantine and Mr. Parry defended. The facts of the case were these. The prosecutor is a hay salesman, and the prisoner is a cow-keeper in. Union-street, Hackney. There was, it appeared; a run ning account on the part of prisoner, who bought hay of prosecutor, but did not pay for all he had. In Octo ber last he bought some hay, and paid 41. 10s. on ac count. This was paid to prosecutor's salesman at Smithfield. The account ran on until the present year, when, in June, an action was brought before the Secondary, Mr. Potter ; and prisoner being examined, under the new act, on his own behalf, and then produced a receipt for the amount then claimed, and which had been standing for some time, and swore that he had paid the amount to the prosecutor's wife, and that a man named Whalley, who was the prosecutor's agent, gave the receipt. The verdict in the action was given for plaintiff, and the document impounded. The cross-examination now leaving the matter in some doubt as to whether the matter was not a mistake, the jury instantly acquitted the prisoner. THIRD COURT. (Before Mr. Commissioner Gurney.) Frederick Henry Thompson pleaded guilty to an indict ment for bigamy. It appeared that the parties had been married at Nor wich. The prisoner had married his first wife 16 years ago, and that she had left him to live with another man 10 years ago. The prisoner had married his second wife four years ago. The Judge asked who had instituted these proceedings. The second wife, a pretty young woman, with a child in her arms, said that she did. The Commissioner—You knew he was a married man ? Wife —Yes ; but his wife lived with another man. The Prisoner—Yes ; and we lived for many months in the same house. _ _ The wife admitted that it was so. The Prisoner—Yes' my lord ; and they (the second wife and her mother) have taken all my things. The Commissioner said it was clear that the first wife had not suffered any harm, and ordered the prisoner to be imprisoned for 14 days. EXPLOSION AND Loss OF LIFE AT A SUGAR RE- FlNER'S.—Yesterday afternoon, Mr. W. Baker, the coroner, held an inquest at the London Hospital on view of the body of Johanna Deiderick Cordes, aged 50 years, a sugar refiner , who lost his life under the following cir cumstances appeared that the deceased was in the service of Messrs. Hall and Boyd, the sugar refiners, of Breezer's-hill, Ratcliff-bigh way, and on Saturday, the 30th ult., deceased proceeded with a lighted candle to clean out a tank filled with charcoal. The morning was dark, and on removing the lid he placed his legs inside the tank, when the foul air ignited, and blew the de ceased backwards about ten feet against a brick wall. The deceased was found by Hermann Henckin and John Buck in a dreadfully disfigrred state, being burnt over the arms, face, and body to a considerable extent. He was taken home, and subsequently was conveyed in a cab to the London Hospital, where he lingered and died on Saturday evening last. Mr. Horace K. Debenham, the house surgeon, stated that the deceased was admit ted with extensive burns on the body and limbs, which caused death from shock to the system. The jury re turned a verdict of "Accidental death." THE DYERS' STRIKE.—The strike of the operative dyers still continues. A placard has been published by Messrs. W. Andrews and Sons, of Ardwick, reporting a conversation which took place on Saturday last, between a master dyer and one of the finishers on strike, "show ing the inconsistency of the rules of the Operative Dyers' Association." The facts alleged in it are, that the union will not allow this man to continue working for his former employer, at the old wages of 245. a week, which Messrs. Andrews still offer,' but allows him to go to work for Messrs. Dewhurst at 235.. If this be so, we do not know on what principle the union can justify its proceedings, nor do we know how so many intelligent men can be tamely induced to submit to such unreasonable dictation. An operatives' association, which compels a man to work for a shilling a week less than his employers are disposed to pay, is a very doubtful friend to the opera tive class. It is stated also that above 300 fresh hands have already been taken into the trade in consequence of this strike. PASSENGERS' BAGGAGE.—IMPORTANT NEW REGULA TIONS.—The Customs' authorities, having considered the effect of a regulation recently adopted, by which passengers arriving from the continent by steam-vessels in the River Thames, having only one package of bag gage each, and not containing any article liable to duty, may have the same examined on board the vessels be tween Gravesend and London, in cases where the ne cessary accommodation shall be provided by the owners or master of the vessel for the examination, and being of opinion that the measure may be extended to pas sengers having more than one package of baggage, pro vided the packages shall not contain articles liable to duty, and time will admit of the examination being made during the passage between Gravesend and London, subject to the following regulations, viz. : —The pro prietor to be present during the examination, and see the packages re-closed ; the officer to place over the mouth of each package an adhesive label, to prevent the sane being re-opened whilst on board, and the packages to be then placed under the charge of a tide-waiter, until the vessel shall arrive at her destination ; the packages thus examined to be landed on arrival under proper su pervision before any other baggage, and in the event of any label having been removed or effectually torn, the package to be sent to the baggage warehouse for re-ex amination ;—orders have been issued for the officers to govern themselves in the matter accordingly, observing that the original arrangements as regards the immediate disposal of the baggage of passengers having one package only is still to be carried out, and that any packages containing articles liable to duty are to be sent to the baggage warehouse, in conformity with the existing practice. LATEST FOtEIGN FRANCE. NEWS There is not much variety in the original co lumns of the Paris journals. The leading articles of the Constitutionnel and the Pays are on the fete of Napoleon, and are, of course, full of expressions of satisfaction at the circumstances under which it has taken place. The greater part of the other journals abstain entirely from comment on any subject. The Union has an article on the Eastern question, in which it again declares that the Em peror of Russia must become paramount in the East, and this because, according to the Union, there is no cohesive and exclusive principle of faith in Europe by which the march of Russian ortho doxy can be checked. It is difficult to understand clearly what the Union means when it attempts to illustrate its arguments, but it is pretty clear that this journal does not think it possible for anything great or good to be done except by persons of its own party at the head of power; aided by the priesthood, which it also represents. It is stated that the Emperor and Empress leave Paris to-day for Dieppe. An application has been made to the Directors of the Northern Railroad for the Imperial Carria g e, which was used at Com piegne, to convey their Majesties to that place. The Archbishop of Paris and the Abb6 De guerry, have, on the proposition of the Minister of Public Instruction, been created by the Emperor Officers of the Legion of Honour. In the army, Generals de la itte and Bergere, and Vice- Admiral Grivel, have received the Gra ad Cross, and Generals Lafontaine, Vache de Tourncmine, Allouveau de Montreil, and MacMahon, are raised to the grade of Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour. The Moniteur states, that at the diplomatic din ner given on Monday, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the health of the Emperor of the French was proposed by the British Ambassador, and that the toast was enthusiastically received by the guests. The Moniteur publishes further accounts from the departments of the celebration of the fete Napoleon. They all state that considerable enthu siasm was displayed. An Imperial decree promotes to the rank of General of Division Countde Fitte de Soucy, Gene ral of Brigade. Colonel Desmarest, of the staff, has just quitted the command of the sub-division of Orleansville, and arrived in Paris, to occupy the post of first aide-de-camp to Prince Napoleon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday signed, with the Marquis d'Antonini, Envoy Extraordi nary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the King of the Two Sicilies, a declaration regulating questions relative to the arrest and delivery of sailors desert ing from the vessels of the two nations. Letters from Toulon state that 500,000 rations are being prepared in the arsenal of that place for the use of the fleet at Besika. The Montebello has arrived at Toulon, and the Jena has left that port to take the place of the Friedland. A letter from Brest, of the 13th, announces that the steam corvette the Infernal had arrived there from Cherbourg, and was being placed on the war footing. The Bourse opened freely yesterday, with every appearance of a further rise in the price . of public securities. The announcement of a decline in the price of Consols in London produced a re-action, and the Three per Cents„ which opened at 81f. 15c. fell to 80f. 90c., at which they closed for the end of the month. The Four-and-a-Half per Cents. closed at 104 f. 90c. ; Orleans Railway Shares, 1,260 f. ; Rouen, 1,120 f. ; Havre, 520 f. ; Great Northern, 900 f. ; Bale, 367 f. 50c. ; Paris and Strasburg, I,olof. ; Paris and Lyons, 970 f. ; Lyons to the Mediterranean, 840 f. ; Western of France, 765 f. ; Bordeaux and Cette, 652 f. 50c. ; Caen to Cher bourg, 627 f. 50c. ; Dijon to Besancon, 560 f. ; Great Central, 558 f. 75c. ; Shares of the Bank of Credit Mobilier, 890 f. RUSSIA AND TURKEY. The following is the note proposed by Redschid Pasha to be presented to Count Nesselrode : " Knowing the profound interest his Majesty the Em peror of Russia, as well as the great majority of his subjects, take in all that concerns the religion they pro fess, and fully appreciating the motives of that interest, I have great pleasure in communicating to your Excel lency the Firmans which my august Sovereign has pro mulgated towards the end of the Chaban of this year, and to remove all doubt I assure you, on the part of the Sublime Porte, that, reserving to itself the sacred rights of sovereignty over its own subjects, the sincere inten tion of his Imperial Majesty is to secure to the Greek Church in perpetuity the enjoyment of the spiritual privileges and immunities which it may please his Ma jesty bereafi;er to grant to any other sect of his Chris tian subjects. I have not the least doubt, in fact, but that the assurances founded on the above-mentioned firinans, which have everywhere inspired confidence, will likewise give satisfaction to Russia." The latest accounts from the Danubian frontier speak of the high state of preparation of the army of Omer Pasha, and the activity of that officer. The state of discipline, it is said, is very severe, every necessary is bought and paid for, and any in sult to a Christian, which rarely occurs, is promptly punished. The munitions of war of every kind are abundant, and of the best quality. There are about 80,000 men now concentrated at Schumla, besides 30,000 irregulars. The health of the troops appears to be much better than that of the Russians, who, it is said, suffer great mortality from typhus. This ,typhus we suspect to be a fatal form of the malarious fever of the Danube, which is rife at this season. The Turks are chiefly strong in ar tillery and infantry, but are weak in cavalry, this part of their army being few in number and far from effective, whereas it is the strongest arm of Russia in the provinces. Omer Pasha is un wearied in activity, imspecting everything per sonally. Beyond the Danube the a g ents of Russia are busily employed in getting the Bo yards to sign petitions, praying for the annexa tion of their provinces to the Russian empire— a task by no means difficult amongst that de moralized and mercenary class. The materiel collected for crossing the Danube is said to be in a state of forward preparation. The military ope rations of the Russians, the construction of bridges on the Danube, between Ismael and the island of Tchetal, as well as the erection of fortifications on this island, constitute not only a flagrant violation of the treaties existing between Russia and the Porte, but are decided acts of hostility against the Turkish province of Dobrodja. By the treaty of Adrianople, the islands at the mouth of the Danube are declared neutral. This distinct viola tion of treaty is not unlikly to lead to some out break of hostilities, for we hear that Omer Pasha s about to erect some works also on the island. From all accounts it appears evident that the troops of the Emperor have entered the provinces with a view to a long sojourn, if not of ultimate possession. Their contracts for provisions, their for tified camps, no less than their previous prepara tions, would lead to the same conclusion. The latest news from the West speaks of the acceptance by the Emperor of the terms proposed to him by England and France, though no official confirmation of this has yet reached us. The Turks now declare that they will refuse their adherence to those terms, and begin to talk of their demands, among which the immediate and unconditional evacuation of the provinces stands foremost. The enthusiasm of the people renders the contemplation of a sudden and peaceful termination of the question a difficulty with the Ministers of the Sultan, who fear in ternal disturbances perhaps more even than a Russian war. The war party, which is daily gain ing strength, remembers that in 1828 Turkey, with her raw undisciplined levies, beat back the first invading army of Russia, and although in the ensuing spring she was worsted by an immense army of Russian veterans, headed by the Emperor himself, to which she could oppose but the germ of a regular force, unsupported by those contin gents on whom she depended for aid, but who be trayed her, yet tho Turks are consoled by the recol lection of the overwhelming disparity of forces at that time. In 1829 the Turkish artillery amounted to 30 field pieces ; in 1853 the number of field pieces in the camp at Schumla alone amounts to 280. In 1829 the whole force of so-called disciplined troops amounted to about 25,000 men, who had not been under arms many months. At this time there are 80,000 regulars, and 30,000 irregulars concentrated in Schumla. The Egyptian troops are arriving, and as the preparations continue, and become daily more formidable, the alternative is presented to brought a people not unmindful of their early military his tory, either to disband the ir army, together at an enormous outlay of treasure, and thus pre pare themselves for future encroachirnents and in ternal disorders, or by a bolder po icy take the chance of inflicting a blow on their insolent aggres sor, and recovering some part of their ancient prestige. A letter from Jassy, in the Wanderer of Vienna, of the 14th, state that the Emperor of Russia has left it free to the Hospodars of Moldavia and Wal lachia to obey the summons of the Sultan, or to remain in the Principalities. It was supposed that the Hospod.ar of Moldavia would proceed to Con stantinople ; but, according to a letter from Bucharest, of the 9th, the Divan of Wallachia had requested the Hospodar not to leave the principa lity at a time when his presence there was so much required. SPAIN. Our accounts from Madrid are of the 12th inst. An officer on half-pay had, two Jays previously, printed and clandestinely circulated a protest against the royal decree comirmiug the railway grants. The police had succeeded in discovering and seizing the press from which the copies of the protest was struck off, and the officer was expelled the capital. Reports were current at La Gran:ja, of an insur rection, and of numerous arrests at 11fadrid, which were totally unfounded. The Three per Cents. were done at Madrid at 441 ; Deferred, 23 11-16ths. AUSTRIA. The following private telegraphic dispatch has been just received : "Vienna, Ang• 17• "The official journal of this day contains an Imperia; decree, taking off the state of siege at Vienna and Prague." The Ministerial Conferences with Count 'tech'. berg and General Benedek relative to Lombardo. Venetian affairs have led to gratifying results. Thu ordinary civil administration and jurisdiction will be shortly restored to a proper footing in thes e provinces. Martial law will only remain in force for political offences. SWITZERLAND. A letter from Berne, the 15th inst., the Government of Tessin having declare d that it would not make any concessions to Austria, the Federal Council does not intend to assume he initiative in renewing negotiations with t he Aus" Ulm Government. sta t es that WEST INDIA MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.. The Royal Mail steam-ship Parana, Captain, Abbot, has arrived off this port with the Wes' India and Pacific mails, and dates from — Grey to wn July 2 Grenada Carthagena June 24 St. Vincent... Chagres July 24 St. Lucia Jamaica — 27 Martinique . Hayti — 28 I Guadaloupe. .... July ' 26 27 _ 28 _ 28 29 - q9 Porto Rico Berbice .... ,:,. .. 9 99 Dominique .. Antigua Demerara 3 0 Tobago . Trinidad Montserrat 26iSt. Kitts 26 (Tortola Aug. Barbadoes 2SISt. Thomas The Parana brings 76 passengers and on freig ht specie value 767,576 dollars, of which 157,8 18 , are s in specie, 306,172 in gold dust and in bars, 303,u 1 in silver, in bars ; also 265 serons cochineal , serons indigo, 64 bales sarsaparilla, 5 cases 01-1 d cades, 152 serons bark, 15 packages copper ore, as 130 packages sundries. The Parana received pratique immediately °¢ arrival in the river. Her sick list contains 37 n ames belonging to the ship, and 15 frcm other of ti% company's ships. Of the 37 cases 13 were bilicf e remittent fever, 11 of which occurred the day tit ship left St. Thomas. The cases in few instance' lasted more than four days. A few cases have like" wise occurred during the passage home. At St. Thomas the fever had nearly disappear ed during the fortnight the Parana lay there. Not a single.case of yellow fever took place on board: Every precaution was taken, and the whole of t 1 , 1 3,1 crew, by• Captain Abbott's orders, were encam,P, on deck under waterproof canvas awnings. reception and spread of the malady were thus, ib. 1 , 1 supposed, prevented. Sir William Burnett's fits' was freely used throughout the ship. By the Dutch schooner Isabel, arrived at St. Thomas, news had been received of a most destrne," tive earthquake in the city of Cumana, which t e° '; place on the 15th of July. The full particulars 01 the loss of life and property had not been aseer tained, but 800 people are estimated to have perished, and a great part of the city is in ruff s ' Colonel Paez and a company of artillery perisheu'e in their quarters. The disaster is said to ha% put a stop for the present to the civil war rag e in Venezuela. The Kingston (Jamaica) Da Advertiser gives the following subjoined accoun t ° the catastrophe : a l " By the arrival last night of the schooner Gen er Paez from Curagao we have the distressing intelligence that the city of Cumana, in the republic of Venezuela' was totally destroyed by an earthquake, which took pla ce on the 15th. It is estimated the loss of life exceed3° 1,000 souls, and those who have taken refuge at Cu raca state that there was not a house standing in the wil °l , city. Cumana is one of the revolting provinces of Veil': zuela, having declared against the Government of P resl" dent Monagas." From Honduras we learn that the reports of t . „V o failure of the cochineal crop are confirmed. t more than 1,200 or 1,500 serons will go to mare this season in place of as many thousand as an ticipated. t i c Hostilities had commenced between the Repu b fl of Guatemala and the province of Honduras, a n u lighting was going on near Chiquimula. In consequence of the heavy rains throng the whole of the Bay o f H on d uras, it was feare' t that the mahogany merc h ants w ill no t ge t O tt " more than one-third of their cutting this seast il ; When the packet l e ft, b us i ness a t Belize was quit at a standstill. The heat of the last two or three months had been excessive, and much sickness Pre vailed. The Honduras troops were still in possession (3 t the town of Zacapa, which they entered ab °l o the same time as they took Chiquimula, betweeed the sth and 10th of July. Fears were e ntertain . ha j of their proceeding to the seaport town of Yza" oo to seize any goods which might have lately be), imported. Preparations were being made for s nc a contingency. The Isthmus was healthy when the packet 10_1' The railway from Navy Bay to Babacoa was in g'a order. Her Majesty's ships Portland, Dido, Virago (steamer), were lying at Colham when t i or steamer left. They were preparing to start l ea Vancouver's Island ; the Portland had returs,., o from Pitcairn's Island, having taken there r Rev. Mr. Nobbs, the missionary. The advices from Jamaica aro to the 27th 7 The int e lli gence conveye d by th e P ar ana, w- fa , left this country on the 2d of July, was mos t ,, vourably received by the inhabitants gene rW ci The spe ec h o f th e D u k e o f N ewcas tl e wa s publishileo in extenso in all the Kingston journals. 111 ,,, t 0 Colonial St an d ar d an d th e D a ily Ad v ertiser, ; • papers opposed to the Government, were lon e.; their congratulati ons on th e even t of Sir C 11 3 ,1. Grey's recal being d ec id e d u p on . Articles W ag the London journals, justly condemnatorY r i„ they wero of the conduct o f th e Council and, vernors, were given at length i n mos t of the P i qr. nals. The arrival of the new Governor, Barkly, was anxiously looked for, and the P . 11 . . 0 g anticipated that an end would be put to eX is ' l ,l , difficulties when he arrived. According to a °3O culation made by the Morning Journal, the °r the of Sir Charles Grey, 160 prisoners had 11P t ° ,, te st latest date been liberated without the slig": a re cause, inasmuch as the contractors gen erally : on willing, nay anxious, to continue their supP l ie7 i in credit. Stronger language than that employ t he condemnation of the conduct on the part 0 . 1- t ho Government has never, perhaps, been used bY tio . island press, and but one paper in the whole ; e re try attempts to defend the course pursued. 1• Lo p,- is no general news from the island. The in grossing topic was the dead-lock, and nothinfery, respect to it had transpired. The heat vas fever great, and rain much wanted; but the yellow.,':fir was fast subsiding. De Cordova's Merca oW flie s telligencer has the subjoined review of the Jal 3l markets : IS" "Our market has been rather quiet than et nixie durin the fortnight, very little speculative T, having been manifested ; indeed, with the excer h ost the operations in flour and pork, trade had been entirely confined within the ordinary limit. The,..e f ,tor" gence brought by the packet on Sa turday , and t"_j,nsi' pect which it holds out of an earl y resumption e t° g i t e ness by the Legislature, is, however, likely seen,,, o ovg an impetus to business, inasmuch as speculators , to the probable reimposition of import duties Iv' su p' few weeks, will come forward more con fidently_ ro ar p li e s were generally very ample. In the prodn su c' g r, ket we notice a consider able rise in the value o f the p a rticularly of the lower qualities, consequent fivbich small stock in factors' hands. Holders of rum, tn. the there is a large quantity of the duty-free ar ti n le _ the market, evince no desire to press their supPil es of f e e or trade. It is yet too early to expect all as t ° pimento at.market, or to offer any positive opinies the extent of the coming crops. Some rumour of reached us of the unsatisfactory appearance _ " cio ri ot pimento trees in the principal districts, but vi a o f anY vouch for its correctness. The first shipmen t 3d , last importance of copper ore from Jamaica 'vas in o tO O week. The schooner Liley has taken awaY i ,' rne tar ° ' from the Metcalfe (Job's-hill) mines. The v wea the r papers contain no news of importance. The 5. IV had been magnificent for agricultural operation ers cop, canes everywhere looked luxuriant. The Pla,u n t clif f e rcv t. t, plained that the yield of the present crop was Over to tij e so that the bulk of the crop would remain latest period of the year. Trade was very of the sh ips Barbadoes was generally very heal were loading for England with the last el o t l i e G er g . ' Her Majesty's ship Espiegle sa town on the 16th of July. The Med ea %al °, f maica on the 23d, and the Megiera on r y i n„ e Fro cit June. The Buzzard was at Ja,maica. role at ships of war Grandeur and Jouven.ee.nie_d. iled ..tera left /3.., ho Guadaloupe, and the Oreste T1:1 111 01 00 3 4 Royal mail steamer Avon was in the Span'for the at.. all well. The Clyde left St. Thomas etiv -Vo,ll‘, of Mexico, quite healthy. The ;.,;,, c) M. a: The Derwent at St. Thomas, all well at Barhad c ' th e ig Jamaica, all well. The Medway n ov as ; healthy. The Trent was at St. T homa s was healthy when. a Sink Messrs. Harris steamer lost six pers ons on her last trip Spanish Main, but left. Two midshipm en, SQII, were among the deaths.