The Sun. — London, England, 1847-12-27 00:00:00

THE CHOLERA. •A PASTORAL LETTER TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF LONDON. BY CiIARLES TAMES BISHOP OF LONDON. Reverend and dear Brethren,—There is every rea lm n to expect, as far as human judgment can look forward to coming events, that the cholera, that fearful and mysterious disease, which is again tra ♦ersing the surface of the globe, and tracing, in characters, which 071111 the wireless can hardly fail to read, the power of God and the helplessness of man, will, before long, make its appearance on our shores. It is stated in the first report of the Metropolitan Sanitary Commission, which has just been presented to Parliament, that, according to information received from the English Consuls abroad, this pestilence is steadily advancing upon precisely its former track of 1832. It appears to me that the near approach of this fearful malady, while it gives to all a solemn warn ing, suggests certain duties of a special kind as proper to be undertaken by the ministers of religion, in addition to what may be deemed the more peculiar functions of their spiritual office ; and it is to these that I shall, in the first instance, request your atten tion. As on the one hand it is clearly one of your first duties to impress upon the minds of your people, whatever he their condition in life, the neces sity of an implicit trust in God, and of an entire submission to his will, so on the other hand you will discharge an office of real piety and charity in urging upon them the importance of removing all those physical causes which invite the approach of disease and aggravate its malignity ; and in endeavouring to persuade them that, while we may not look for a blessing upon the resources or contrivances of human skill, if they are not employed in humble reliance upon the power and goodness of God, so neither, if we neglect to use all probable and practicable means of prevention and preservation, have we any reason to expect that lie will especially interfere to rescue us from the consequences of our own negligence. Want of cleanliness is the greatest predisposing cause. An uncleanly person will live in an un cleanly habitation ; and that person, and that habita tion, will be each a fumes of disease and infection, when sickness comes ; a centre of contamination and death to a whole neighbourhood ; and with this additional and fatal peculiarity, that uncleanliness speedily converts the milder forms of disease into the more malignant. The dirtiest neighbourhoods were, in every case, those where the cholera first appeared, and where it assumed the most fatal type : nor were instances wanting where it broke out, to all appear ance, spontaneously, with no discoverable existing cause but that of extreme filth. It is stated by the Sanitary Commissioners, that whereas, "when it previously visited this country, it was believed that the most powerful predisposition to this disease is induced by improper or deficient food, and that for this reason its chief victims are found amongst the poor ; it is now universally admitted, that a far more powerful predisponent is the habitual respiration of an impure atmosphere ; that the highest degree of susceptibility is produced where both these conditions are combined—that is, where people live irregularly, or on unsuitable diet, and at the same time filthily ; and that, in places in • which a great degree of cleanliness is maintained, the poor, as well as the rich, enjoy an exemption from this disease. That on an examination of the actual state of the back streets, lanes, courts, and alleys of the metropolis, it is found that in gene ral little or no improvement has taken place in their sanitary condition since the prevalence of cholera in 1832 ; and that were this disease to break out again, in the present state of these localities, there is no reasonable ground to suppose that the pestilence would not spread as extensively, and prove as fatal, as on its former visitation." These statements, which are borne out by abundantly sufficient evidence, appear to me clearly to point out a line of duty fur the parochial clergy, in which they may render themselves eminently useful, and which is surely in close correspondence with the nature of their office as the ministers of a Gospel of love; for if to visit a sick parishioner and to minister to his re covery be one of their plainest duties, it is a still more blessed work of charity to rescue, under the blessing of God, whole masses of their poorer brethren from the inroads of disease. Suffer me then, reverend brethren, to urge upon you *e duty of an active personal cooperation with the authorities of your respective parishes, or districts, in carrying out every practicable measure of sanitary precaution and improvement ; and of calling there attention to the subject, and inviting them to form local committees for that purpose, where you perceive a want of knowledge or of activity your own share of this work of real beneficence will, for the most part, b e th e no t very easy tas k o f con vincing those who are its objects of the advantages of cleanliness ; and of persuading them, by motives of the most powerful p ersona l ki n d, to adopt, the sug gestions, and to submit to the regulations, which are intended to promote their safety and increase their comfort. You possess, from the nature of your duties, a larger exi..ericnce than almost any other persons of the actual state of the dwellings of the poor, and of the nature and extent of that evil, which is sometimes no doubt the result cf their own ignorance or carelessness, but much more frequently, at least, in the metropolis and other great towns, of deficien cies, which they have no means of supplying, and of obstacles to cleanliness, which it is the duty of other persons to remove. The poor of this country are not, by uature nor inclination, indisposed to cleanliness; on the contrary it is almost always found that, if its means and appli ances be placed within their reach, so as to be acces sible without cost or trouble, they gladly avail them selves of them ; and it is never to be forgotten that, if thousands and tens of thousands of our fellow Chris tians are at this moment living, and that too in the very neighbourhood of our most sumptuous palaces and halls, in the extreme depths of physical, social, and moral degradation, and exposed to the most imminent danger of perishing by disease, that is not entirely, often not at all, their own fault; but the fault of those whose duty it is, not only to teach them the benefits of cleanliness and decency, hut to do something towards furnishing them with the means of being cleanly and decent, which, under their actual circumstances, is nothing less than a n impossibility. * * * * The extreme closeness and inconvenience of the miserable tenements or apartments oceupie i by the poorest classes, at rents, the excessive amount of which cripples their means of comfort and cleanli ness, the inadequate supply of water, the want of all provision for ventilation, the absence of all con veniences for personal ablution and household wash. ing—these, and the disgraceful state of the sewerage in the most. crowded part of the metropolis, are causes which engander or aggravate disease, and hurry great numbers of our fellow-creatures and neighbours to an untimely grave. I do not hesitate to express my opinion, that such an amount of practical and personal attention to the removal of these evils, as may not seriously interfere with the discharge of those duties which are of a more purely spiritual kind, may be not unreasonably looked for on the part of those whose office binds them to every exertion of charity, by which they may promote the present and eternal well being of the people committed to their care. I lay the greater stress upon this point, because it is certain that per sons immersed in hopeless misery and filth are for the most part inaccessible to the motives and the consola tions of the Gospel. Let it then be one object of your pastoral visits to observe the state of the poor man's dwelling, with respect both to its internal economy, and to the con dition of its immediate precincts. Call the attention of the proper officers to such cases as may appear to require their interference ; and remind those mem bers of your flock, whom Providence has entrusted with the means of alleviating the misery of their fellow-creatures, that a portion of their charitable expenditure can hardly be more safely or profitably directed than towards defraying the expense of cleans ing and ventilating the miserable abodes of those by whole labour they are directly, or incidentally, be nefited; and you may add, that a very moderate outlay, judiciously made, will accomplish a great deal in 91e way of suc h i m p rovemen t. There is another point connected with this subject, respecting which it is most desirable that you should instruct and enlighten your parishioners, especially the poorer classe s ; seeing that' gnorance or misap prehension of the real state of the case may lead, as it has heretofore led, a to . a a neglect of the most obvious duties of humanity, epidemic a grievous aggravation of all the horrors of an ns disease. I allude to the mistaken opinion as to the supposed contagious nature of the cholera, to which thel Sanitary Commissioners refer in the following terms:— " When cholera first appeared in this country, the general belief was, that the disease spreads prin c ipally ' m if not entirely, by communication o f the • infected ai with the healthy, and that, therefore, th e se curity of nations, cities, and individuals consisntsin the isolation of the infected from the uninfected —a doctrine which naturally led to the enforcement o f rigorous quarantine regulations ; the establishment of military and police cordons; the excitement of panic; and the neglect, and often the abondonment of the sick by their relations and friends. Since oppor• tunities have been obtained of a closer observation of the character of this disease, and of the mode in which it spreads through continents, nations, cities, towns, and families, facts have been ascertained which are incompatible with the foregoing view of its mode of dissemination, and of its prevention. They are dfiiiitilf.that the disease is not, as it was then ge - s4l.prii4ect3,9 be, contagious, and that the 4AiOsiipli c that doctrine did no good, but with much evil." qi:ie stated _by Mr. Greenhow, as quoted by the ‘CS:O**eisiisiionera, T" that when several members of one Viiiilyiurfi been attsplied, it has usually been either so precisely or nearly at the same point of time, as to forbid the belief of one having communicated the disease to another. And that the true principle of the occurrence of such plurality of cases is to be found in the common existence of predisposing causes, natural or acquired, and a common exposure to the efficient cause of cholera. "That in the hospitals of Newcastle and Gates head, where, were there any such agent as contagion, it must have been present in its most concentrated form, no case has occurred of illness arising from at tendance on the sick, either in the persons of the nurses, the resident apothecaries, or the attending, or numerous succession of visiting, members of the me dical profession. " That the notions of persons being infected by the dead bodies of cholera patients appears equally un founded, since such suspected cases are referable to other causes, and those most exposed to contact with the dead, as medical men, in pursuing post mortem examinations, have not, in any instance, suffered." Other evidence of a striking kind, to the same effect is produced in the report of the Com missioners, who add, " that the witnesses concur in stating their belief that the belief in contagion ope rated unfavourably both on the sick and the atten dants." "I daily see," says Mr. Hooper, "the per nicious effects of their belief in contagion. I see patients affected with typhus, and other epiderni diseases, neglected, and even abandoned, sometimes by relatives and friends, and always by neighbours, from the apprehension that they themselves shall become the subjects of the disease." I do not presume to hazard an opinion of my own as to the much-disputed question of contagion ; but I am sure that the deliberate judgment of the Sanitary Commissioners, grounded upon the evidence of able and intelligent members of the medical profession, and apparently borne out by facts, may well be con si,:ered to justify you, as friends and advisers of the poor, in labouring to relieve their minds from an apprehension, which is calculated to chill and re press their natural sympathies at the very moment when they are most needed, and to make them neg lect the discharge of those personal offices of kindness to their sick friends and neighbours, which are then most urgently required, to second the exertions of medical skill. With respect to your own duty in this particular, I feel that it would be something worse than superfluous to offer anything in the way of advice or exhortation. The fearless and untiring charity manifested by the parochial clergy during the former prevalence of cholera, in visiting and consoling their sick and dying parishioners, is too well known to require from me a single word of commendation for the past or of direction for the future. I proceed now to offer some suggestions with re spect to what may be more strictly termed your spiritual duties at the present crisis; and if these suggestions come last in order, it is not because I deem them less important than those which I have already made in the former part of this letter; but because it seemed to me to be more necessary to in vite your attention to the necessity of those charitable exertions which are only indirectly, as it were, and contingently, a part of your duty, than to those which are obviously hound upon you by the very nature of your office. If I advert at all to these, you will consider that I do it only in the spirit of friendly counsel and encouragement, and, as the apostle says, " To put you in remembrance, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth." I have before said that we have no reason, humanly speaking, to expect an exemption from a second visitation of the cholera; and that it is our duty to use all the precautions which science and experience have suggested for mitigating the terrors and check ing the ravages of that fearful disease. But we are not to forget, that all events are in the hand of _ , an Almighty and merciful God ; that it may pos. sibly be - his w good pleasure,. contrary to all human expectation, to spare us that infliction; and that, whether it he so or not, it is our plain and unques tionable duty to throw ourselves upon His mercy, and to implore His protection and indulgence. I would, therefore, suggest to you the importance of earnestly and affectionately exhorting your people to increased degrees of seriousness, and vigilance, and self-re straint ; and of frequency and fervour in prayer to God, that it may please Him to avert from us that calamity, which we most justly have deserved; or, that if its hould seem fit to Him, in his inscrutable wis dom, to lay the scourge upon us, we may submit our selves with all humility and meekness to His fatherly chastisement, and have grace to turn it to our profit. In urging upon the people committed to your charge this most important duty of deprecation and inter cession, you will have many motives to suggest, which it cannot be needful for me to particularise to those who are conversant with the promises of God, con tained in Holy Scripture ; but I would remind you of one topic, which appears to me to furnish a special ground of encouragement to the performance of that duty on the present occasion. You are, no doubt, aware of the remarkable fact, that when, fifteen years ago, this deadly malady was stalking through the land unchecked, baffling., by its novelty S and sudden force all theresourcee of human skill, the day of public fasting and humiliation, on which the nation proclaimed its dependence upon the power and sootiness of God, while it earnestly besought Him to stay the plague—wis immediately followed by a sensible abatement of the disease ; and that in a very short space of time its entire disappearance called forth the voice of thanksgiving and joy. Now we do not presume to assert that this happy change followed from, though it followed close upon, our public acts of humiliation and prayer ; but cer tainly the solemnity and apparent devotion which marked the observance of the day of fasting, were not more remarkable than the speedy decline and cessation of the disease; and I hold it to be much more unreasonable for one who believes in God's pro vidence to deny the connexion between the two, than it is to admit it, and to regard the deliverance which God then wrought for us in the light of a distinct answer to prayer; affording solid grounds of thank fulness for the past, and of hope for the future. If the effectual fervent prayer of one righteous man availeth much ; if the intercession of Abraham would have sufficed to rescue from destruction the devoted cities of the plain, had ten righteous men been found therein ; who shall presume to set a limit to the efficacy of those prayers, which ascend to the mercy-seat from the lips and hearts of a penitent and humbled Christian people ? Seek, then, to impress upon the minds of those whom you are appointed to teach, that by earnest and persevering supplication, in their private devotions, in the offices of domestic piety, and in the public wor ship of the sanctuary, made effectual by His interces sion, in whose name and merits they are offered, they may do much towards the safety and happiness of those amongst whom they live, as well as their own. Teach them to look upon the warnings and visitations of Almighty God in the light of solemn calls to re pentance and amendment, and of invitations to strengthen their trust in Him, and to animate their piety ; according to the Apostle's exhortation, " Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear ; for our God is a consuming fire." Admonish those who are stationed on the vantage-ground of life, that after the most strenuous exertions of benevolence-on their part to avert the threatened scourge from their brethren, they themselves may fall under it, and that the best preparation for all classes is to do their duty, and to put their trust in God. I need hardly remind you, that while you endea vour to impress upon your people the duty of a special attention to prayer, they are also to be admonished, that no prayers will he effectual but those which are dictated by truly penitent hearts, and seconded by godly, self-denying, charitable lives. Increased fer vency in prayer will be vain and profitless, if there be not a corresponding increase in the fruits of the spirit —love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good ness, faith, meekness, temperance. If, as is but too probable, the visitation, which we apprehend to be drawing near, should actually come upon us, it will be specially needful to inculcate upon those who are connected by the ties of family or neighbourhood,:the duty of acting fully up to the spirit of the Apostle's precept, which, indeed, relates to the sins and weak nesses of erring brethren, but is not less applicable to their bodily wants and diseases—" Bear ye one another's burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ." Trusting that the peculiar circumstances of the pre sent crisis will be thought to justify me in addressing to you the foregoing suggestions, and earnestly pray ing that the hands of my fellow-labourers in the ministry may be strengthened by larger measures of grace to meet the increased and increasing difficul ties of their sacred calling, I remain, reverend and dear brethren, Your affectionate friend and servant, Fulham, Dec. 10. C. J. LONDON. EXTENSIVE CONFLAGRATION IN BISHOPSGATE STREET.—Yesterday morning, shortly before three o'clock, a fire, nearly attended with fatal consequences to the inmates, broke out upon the premises occupied by !qr. J. St. Losky, importer and manufacturer of cigars, 9, Bishopsgate street Without. The discovery was made by police-constable Stringer, on seeing smoke issu ing from the se con d fl oor . Af ter some trou bl e h • suc ceeded in rousing the residents, consisting of Mr. St. Losky, his shopinan, and a lad, and by the time he had accomplished that, the escape belonging to the Royal Societ7 for the Protection of Life from Fire had arrived, of the first-named machine and also the police • pi sheet. Wood, the conductor Sr. Losky ; the ahopman ine a , nd succeeded in rescuing Mr. fell over in their anxiety to scramble into the machine, in the jumping its side, but fortu sheet below, natFly they were caught h g e The progress without receiving much personal ki mPin i ro l zf andl of the fire was such, that it penetratuerdy a b n e been h o e b obtained, uthweereengirfesen%%tiefruel enabled' to ex tended to Nos. 8 and 10 in the same street. flames; bur notwithstanding the - encompass the fla •, b imm ense called su p ply into t owaotpeerr ahavingtion, torrents of water distributed upon them, it was nea r ly five o'clock before they could be extinguished. TTIE SUN, LONDON, THE EARL OF ELLESMERE ON OUR NATIONAL DEFENCES. The following lengthy epistle was published, on Saturday, by the Times : Awake, arise, or be for ever fallen !" Sir,—As the subject of this letter stands for early discussion in both Houses of Parliament, the propriety of this intrusion into your columns, on the part of one who his de jure a voice in the Legislature, may fairly be questioned. I trust my justification may be found in the circumstance that the state of my health allows me no prospect of a de facto exercise of the privilege I possess. It is now rather too late to consider whether a gentleman who assumes the initial of " P " for his signature has been governed by a wise discretion in communicating his apprehensions of invasion, and the grounds of those apprehensions to the public. I confess myself to be one who, having long entertained those apprehensions, and having been equally cognisant with " P " of the facts on which he vindicates them, have hitherto, for reasons which seemed to me impe rative, refrained from publishing them to the world at large. I have not, however, abstained from stating them in other quarters, and I do now see reasons for contributing what support I can to an appeal which, whether discreetly or nut, has been made to the com mon sense and patriotism of this great country. Whatever may be the result of these discussions, or whatever the fate and fortunes of this enormous em pire, future historians will have to record and explain the fact that for a considerable period, of which it is difficult to fix the precise commencement, the instinct of self-preservation has been in abeyance and suspen sion in this country. It is difficult, I say, to fix the precise limit of the commencement of this eclipse of the common sense and foresight which Providence has given to reasoning man for his guidance—to the coward alike who flies from danger, and to the brave and wise who arm themselves to meet it. Some may date it from the year when the report of a Par liamentary Commission first gave scientific assurance that the Irish Channel might be crossed with equal safety and with greater speed and certainty by steam than by canvass. When Sir A. Campbell in the Rangoon river made use of a war steamer to convey troops, to batter stockades, and to run down the war proas of the Bur mese, I think it was time for military and naval men at least to look forward to the further develop ment of the agencies so employed. When, however, Sir R. Stopford made his feint at Beyrout, and Sir d. Napier dashed across Djouni bay, end effected the lodgment of the force at his disposal in the teeth of the hosts of Egypt, I think the reign of judicial blind ness had manifestly set in. From that hour to this the professed economists have pursued their old habit of pressing for further reductions. Within a few days of the time I am writing, one who has acquired no inconsiderable influence over public opinion in this country, in an address to an important constituency, has held out to them the old and hackneyed delusion of the feasibility of making large reductions in the expenses of the army, navy, and ordnance. The mere fact that such a topic can be so handled by a popular orator before an applauding assembly, at once demonstrates the prevalence and intensity of the torpor with which a long peace and the absence of visible and conspicuous danger have benumbed the faculties of the nation. For the man who thus gives the weight of his autho rity to such dangerous delusions I entertain, in his character of political economist, a respect founded on accordance with his views, as well as on the acknow ledged ability which he brings to their advocacy. With him I look forward with hope and confidence to the eventual consequences of that increase and multi plication of our commercial relations which he endeavours to promote. Can any man, however, be sanguine enough to suppose that these results, whatever their eventual value, will be arrived at per saltum, or imagine that, when attained, they will era dicate evil propensities, obliterate recollections of former national rivalries, or stifle every cause of fresh discussion ? It is the failing of successful propaga tors of systems that they almost invariably ascribe universal as well as specific efficacy to the offspring of their invention, their talent, and their perseverance. This propensity has now led Mr. Cobden, while he gravely proposes to denude this country of the notoriously insufficient means of defence she now possesses, to descend from the station of a leader of the intelligence of the people to that of a representa tive of its ignorance. There are two modes of refutation or consolation by which Mr. Cobden, and the disciples who cheer to the echo the dangerous doctine he has uttered, may endeavour to soothe the apprehensions or confute the predictions of Cassandras like myself. They may hold that the attempt at an invasion of these islands is either absolutely impossible, or too improbable to be admitted into calculation • or, secondly, that if at tempted, this country has already the means to frus trate and chastise such attempt. The first mode appears to be that adopted by Mr. Cobden ; the se cond, no person of any authority has yet been rash or ignorant enough to maintain. Mr. Cobden's opinion on the naval and military question of the possibility of the landing of an in vading force in this country, being worth as much as mine would be on the merits of a new mordant for printing-calicoes, time would merely be wasted in its discussion. The poisibility of such an opera tion rests upon authority entitled to as much weight as human authority can claim. The probability of such an attempt is certainly one of those political questions which defy exact calculation, and which afford no data to the actuary. The expediency of effecting an insurance, and the amount of sacrifice to be incurred for that purpose, are to be measured rather by the magnitude and value of the stake than by the probability of the occurrence. That stake is neither more nor less than our capital, our arsenals, our lives, our property, our wives, our children, which I, for one, believe a few hours might, in our present state of military preparation, place at the mercy of an unscrupulous and resentful enemy. I do not believe that it would be impossible, in our pre sent state of preparation, for a French Minister of War, favoured by circumstances, to land on British ground a force sufficient in numbers, discipline, and equipment, to march in any direction along the turn pike roads of England. That direction might depend on the place of land ing—it might be Portsmouth, it might be Chatham, it might be the capital. In each, in any case, with our present means of defence, I believe resistance would be hopeless, and an attempt at armed opposition only productive of useless bloodshed. To oppose in the field such a handful of regular troops as we could muster, scarcely provided with artillery, and totally destitute of a reserve, to a French army, such as under my supposition would be brought against them, would be an act of useless desperation. If the French were to appear at one end of London, the wisest movement the Guards could make would be to march out at the other. For the rest three howitzers would be sufficient, and the Lord Mayor would soon be busy with the details of billets, and whatever con tribution might be accepted, as a commutation for in discriminate plunder. Let them come, I often hear it said ; they will never return. Don't let them come, I say ; but if they do, let them return as soon as they can be in duced to do so. I really do not see why they should particularly wish it. In the present state of this country 50,000 Frenchmen would find England as safe and pleasant a domicile as any iR which the sol diers of Napoleon ever luxuriated; but if not, the country which sent them here would consider the mere insult to perfidious Albion cheaply purchased by their ultimate sacrifice. It is necessary to look at facts as they are, not as they ought to be, or we could wish to make them. Thirty years of peace, of close and pacific, if not cordial, intercourse, ought, I admit, to have obliterated the recollection of former quarrels, and stanched the old sources of bitterness and In England much of this effect has been produced. There is neither contempt nor hatred here for France or Frenchmen. In France I know not which feeling predominates towards Eng land. Both are rife enough. In England, if she were to be involved in a quarrel with France, which Lord Palmerston could not justify on the strongest and most palpable grounds of stringent necessity, a unanimous vote of the House of Commons would deliver him over to be torn to pieces and devoured by Mr. Urquhart. Let M. Guizot tell the Chamber of Deputies " I have insulted England in a manner which no nation can be expected to put up with," and a war supply would be voted by acclamation, and the Conservative Minister would be carried home to his hotel on the shoulders of the people. This is very unfortunate, but it is neither unaccountable nor un natural. In the first place, there is the old standing grievance of the long and bloody game which was played between the two countries, and which was won by England—fairly won, as we think, by pluck and perseverance —won, as Frenchmen conceive, by a combination of accidents which can never again recur. The aspiration to balance this account will not become extinct with the generation which has seen the English encampment in the Bois de Bou logne. These burning memories of the past are be queathed from father to son. It is not confined to the partisans of any political creed, or to any class of the community. Rich and poor, Carlist and Phi lippiste, alike entertain it—none more than those who in their own persons, or those of their kindred, shared the protection and the hospitality of England during the emigration, and who, Waterloo apart, have in some instances at least, a kindly recollection of that circumstance. "Une bonne victoire," said one of these, "et nous serous les meilleurs amis du monde." Is the intercourse with travelling and migratory England calculated to remove or mitigate these un fortunate feelings ? For reasons too many now to enumerate, and too many of which it is not pleasant for an Englishman to admit, still less to detail, I can only on a thesenswe grounds rsuch andaques mtionainy nthotehs, Sir, n e e r gative l am not of opinion that the mass of the French nation (I do MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 27, 1817. not speak, I have not spoken of its sovereign, its statesmen, or its philosophers—peace to and with all such) would loath to take the first opportunity to strike a blow, the deadlier the better, at the vitals of England. That the present condition of our defences presents a direct and positive invitation to such an attempt, rests upon better evidence than I now think proper to quote. As things stand, the adventure may be hazardous ; but it would not be deemed mad, scarcely rash, when the object to be attained is mea sured against the risk of failure. It is in our power to render it both. The dormant power of England is such as no coun try ever yet possessed. Give her time to collect the inert elements of strength and resistance she possesses, and against the world, I, who now tremble fir the future, would have no fear for the result; but the French, as assailants, are not famous for giving their enemies time to reflect. My fear is for surprise and surprise alone ; but for such an operation the French. are as well fitted by natural apti tude as, I believe, they are well provided with the means to effect it. We have ceased to be an island; we have approximated in the opinion of all observing arid reflecting men to the condition of a continental state. We cannot afford, any more than any other member of the European family, to invite that aggression which our position forbids us to pro voke. A wise economy would deter us from incur ring the risk of having to do in hot haste, imperfectly, and at enormous expense, that which should be done at leisure and with reflection. What is that some thing which ought to be done ? I have no hesitation, bold as it may seem, in answering that question. First and foremost, add a sufficient increase to that body of police which you now call the regular army in these islands. The necessary amount is a matter of detail for the Government to propose and the nun try to discuss. It should be sufficient to enable you, by the assistance of railroads, to direct upon any points of the coast menaced or invaded, disciplined forces of all arms in such proportions to each other as military experience and science pronounce to be best suited for co-operation. I say emphatically, regu lar troops. I earnestly advocate this increase of the regular army on every ground of efficiency, of adapta tion to its purpose, and even of economy. Compare that strange and anomalous production, the British soldier, with his ,counterpart in any other service. In a financial point of view he will appear a high-priced commodity. Look at the service he performs and the manner in which he performs it, and he will be found the cheapest article of his class. It is supposed to be the intention of her Majesty's Government to re establish, under such altered regulations as may appear desirable, that old militia force which contributed so much to oar military resources during the late war. I wish it every success ; but I shall look on this measure with grave apprehension if it is to be adopted as any succedaneum for my own nostrum. Intermixed with, or behind regular troops, not only the militia, but still more irregular descriptions of force —yeomanry and volunteers of all descriptions—. may contribute effectually to the common defence. Alone and unsupported by that leaven of old, soldiers whose qualities were so well described by the Duke of Wellington in the Lords' debate of last year, they could only encounter a disciplined French army to their own inevitable destruction. The annals of war present no instance in which courage and patriotism, without thorough training, and unassisted by those accidents of ground or ap pliances of fortification which do not exist in Eng land, have presented any serious obstacle to regular troops. The case Of 'the Tyrol affords for obvious reasons no exception to this rule. I mention it, however, because the true cause of the failure of that gallant resistance of a nation of riflemen is in one solitary respect germane to my subject. Those who take the trouble to investigate closely the history of that transaction will find that the immediate cause of the ultimate failure of that resistance was the want of a few squadrons of regular cavalry, and a few batte ries of regular artillery. Let the Ordnance look to this; let that department look to the recent affair in Switzerland. In that country there were all the elements of a long and murderous struggle. On the one hand, there were indeed numbers, but on the othextthere were positions strong by nature and im proved by art, great exasperation, political and reli gious fanaticism, and familiarity with the use of arms. The contest was decided, and decided quickly, by the superior force and weight of metal of the Federal artillery. We are neither Swiss nor Tyrolese. We are by our habits the least warlike nation on the face of the earth. Increase, then, I repeat, your regular army to that amount which will make any enemy pause before he attempts to set foot on the beach of Eng land. Reorganize your militia on the best and least onerous system you can devise. Encourage the yeo manry cavalry. Fortify your arsenals, and such harbours as an enemy may most probably attempt by surprise to occupy. But remember that parapets without men behind theft and guns without hands to work them, are worse than useless. You will find that all this may be done for an ex pense scarcely equal to that which you have annually lavished, not in the prevention, but in the aggrava tion, of the horrors of the slave-trade. Do this, and you will have some security for the continuance of peace, unpurchased by.the'sacrifice of national honour or interests, but which, otherwise, even such sacrifice may fail to secure. EGEItTON ELLESMERE. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. __- DEATH or ADMIRAL SIR GEORGI 3 PARKER, K.C.B. —Our obituary records, ,the death of Admiral Si r George Parker, K.C.8., Which took place at an early hour on Friday morning, at his seat at Great Yar mouth, from an attack of influenza. The gallant Admiral was in the 81stlear of his age, having been born in 1767. Sir George was second son of Mr. George Parker, of Wexford, who was third son of the late Admiral Christopher Parker (brother cif the celebrated Admiral Sir Peter Parker, Bart , who so eminently distinguished himself during the Ameri ' can war), by Miss Gore, a connexion of the Arran family. He entered the navy at a very early age under his gallant uncle, Sir Peter Parker, and served on board the Phoenix on the Malabar coast, and took part at the capture of the Cannanon ; was senior Lieutenant of the Phoenix at the capture of La Re. solue, French frigate, and of the Crescent in her gal lant action and capture of the Reunion in 1793, pre vious to which he brought to England Admiral Cornwallis's dispatches. He was then appointed to serve with the squadron under Lord Duncan in the North Seas. In 1805, when commanling the Stately, in company with the Nassau, he destroyed, after a running fight of two hours, a Danish line- of-battle ship of 74 guns. He was appointed in 1808 to the command of a squadron in the Baltic. On his return to England he was appointed to the Aboukir (74), which he commanded in the Walcheren expedition. The gallant deceased had - distinguished himself in several minor engagements, and his services had on numerous occasions called forth the approbation of the naval authorities at the Admiralty. He married in the prime of life Miss Butt, daughter of the late Mr. Peter Butt, private secretary to the Duke of Cumberland. In June, 1833, he was nominated a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The date of . his commission was as follows :—Lieutenant, March Th, 1782; Commander, November 4, 1793 ; Captain, April 7, 1795 ; Rear- Admiral, June 4, 1814 ; Vic6-Admiral, July 19 ; Admiral, January 10, 1837 ; and in November, 1841, attained the rank of Admiral of the Red. Up to his recent attack of tke prevailing epidemic, the deceased Admiral had enjoyed excellent health, so that the melancholy event was a severe shock to his family. By this distinguished officer's decease Vice- Admiral George Barker becomes Admiral of the Blue ; Rear-Admiral Sir James A. Gordon, K.C.8., Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital, becomes Vice-Admiral of the Blue ' • and Captain Manley Hall Dixon, in command of th e Caledonia, 120, attains his flag rank. PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 26.—The good service pension of 150!. per annum, which reverted to the Admiralty on the promotion of Captain Harvey to the rank of Rear-Admiral, has been conferred, we are informed, on Captain F. Marryatt (1825), C. 8., the celebrated nautical novelist. Mr. R. Thomas, leading hand of boiler makers at Woolwich, is appointed foreman of boiler makers at this new steam f ac t ory , w i t h a sa l ary o f ,50 1 . , to rise 101. a year until it arrives at a maximum of 180/. per annum. On Christmas-day the seamen and marines of the fleet had an extra quantity of their various provisions, &c., served out, in order that theyinight make merry with their friends. The Inconstant, 36, Captain Sheppard, is not, it appears, yet manned at Devonport. The Attrivida, Brazilian bark, detained by the Styx steam sloop, Commander Ckads, orPthe 14th of Sept., off Mayumba Bay, arr i ve d a t St. Helena for adjudi cation on the 2d of Sept., in charge of Mr. F. Con greve, midshipman, of the Styx. The Adventureiro, Brazilian felucca, also taken by the Styx, on the Ist of October, off Ambrizette, fitted with slave equipments, arrived at St. Helena on the 15th of October, for adjudication, in charge of Mr. J. Tittock, R.N., of the Styx. The Sappho, Brazilian brigantine, taken by the Contest, 12, Commander M'Alurdo, off Loango, on the Bth of October, arrived at St. Helena for adjudi cation on the 234 of October, in charge of Lieutenant Towsey. She was fitted for slaves. .The Venus, Brazilian schooner, taken by the Styx on the 7th of October, arrived on the 24th at St. Helena for adjudication, in charge of Mr. T. Stack house, midshipman. She mu fitted for the slave trade. 11 Si!He, Brazilian brig, taken by the Penelope, commodore's steam frigate, off Loango, on the 17th of October, fitted for slaves, arrived at St. Helena on the 24th for adjudication. Notwithstanding these captures and others sent into Sierra Leone, we learn by the latest .advices that the slave trade was very brisk to the northward. The Undine steam tender, Master Commander Allen, has not taken the First Naval Lord of the Admiralty to the Isle of Wight, as stated by a con temporary. She has not moved from her moorings since Tuesday. Admiral Dundas has not yet arrived at this port. The Swallow steam-vessel, of 70 horse power, lately employed as a tender to the Madagascar meal ship, is ordered to be broken up at this dockyard. She was an old Dover packet. The Cygnet brigantine, Commander Kenyon, which arrived on Friday from Sheerness, will take the first mail, under the new arrangement most libe rally and considerately made by the Admiralty, to the coast of Africa; also 10,0001. in small silver and copper specie to St. Helena. We are glad to perceive that Admiral Sir John West, the Commander-in-Chief at Plymouth, has re scinded his lately published obnoxious order relative to the transmission of letters through his office to the men and officers of her Majesty's ships on foreign stations. Letters may now be sent, as well as par cels, through the but recently closed channel. The Diligence transport (Martin, master) arrived on Thursday evening at Devonport, from Pembroke, bound to Chatham. The Sinbad, lighter (Follett), arrived at Devonport the same evening, with stores from Woolwich. The Gorgon, steam-sloop, arrived at Portsmouth on Friday from Sheerness, and went into harbour. byShe was navigated round the crew of the Fisgard. She is to he kept ready for hoisting the pendant at an hour's notice. The Sphynx and Driver steam-sloops, fitting at Woolwich for the pendant, are ordered to have the following armament—viz., one 63-pounder gun, of 90 or 95 cwt., 10 feet; one 10-inch gun, of 85 cwt., 9 feet 4 inches, on pivot slides and carriages ; and four 32-pounder guns, of 42 cwt., on Hardy's com pressor carriages. The Avon, steamer, Commander Otter, which ar rived at Portsmouth on Thursday, and went into harbour to refit, having been employed during the summer in surveying the coast of Scotland, will go to Ireland—Commander Otter and the surveying officers remaining to map and complete time works of the survey. PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY, 5 P.m.—Wind, a moderate breeze from the E.N.E., with thick hazy weather. FATAL ACCIDENT TO CAPT. I - TAMELY (1841). On the 19th inst., a melancholy accident occurred at El ferdtown, Roborough, Down, from which Captain Peter Sampson Hambly, formerly of Longbrook House, Plympton, met his death. It appears that the deceased had recently taken lodgings at the above house (Elfordtown), and on the morning of the above day he proceeded in a phwton drawn by one horse, to Buckland Church, about two miles distant, accompa nied by Mrs. Hambly and a servant maid. After the conclusion of the service the parties returned home, the horse going very quietly until they had come to the lodge gates. Here the servant maid got down to open the gate for the vehicle to pass, and, fortunately for herself, did not get up again. As soon as it had passed the gate, the horse set off at full speed down the hill leading to the house, and the deceased (who drove) seems to have lost all command cf it. An empty cart happened to be standing in the avenue, and against this the phaeton struck, and immediately capsized, throwing Mr. and Mrs. Hambly out on the path. The former was killed on the spot, while Mrs. Hambly escaped with only a few bruises. The de ceased was a stout, heavy man, about sixty-three years of age. ; Commander Walter Kendall (1845), died on the 15th inst., at the age of 33. Lieutenant Thomas Hare (1815), who was sub lieutenant of the Exertion, and served in her boats at the capture of several armed vessels in the North Seas in 1811, for which his name appeared in the Gazette, died at Plymouth on the 20th inst., aged 62. THE TREATMENT OP THE SICK BELONGING TO THE SQUADRON AT LISBON.--A correspondent, whose rank and position in the navy are sufficient guarantee that any statement emanating from him is scrupu lously faithful, has written the following from Sir Charles Napier's squadron in the Tagus :—" Tagus, Nov., 1847. I have read, in more than one news paper, some very incorrect remarks about the Naval Hospital here, and I herewith send you a refutation. I can vouch for the truth of all I state, as I have visited the hospital sometimes each day successively, and generally every second or third day. The Naval and Military Gazette says (copying from a morning paper) The few cases of typhus which manifested themselves on board the St. Vincent, Avenger, and Canopus, the Admiral had sent to the Portuguese Naval Hospital—a step which has caused much dis satisfaction throughout the squadron, among the officers, as well as men ; for although the hoi pital is not very dirty, yet the attendance is bad, the method of treatment and the very idea of the surgeons of the !fleet not being allowed to attend their own men has caused a general feeling of annoyance. It is hoped the representa tion of this fact in the proper quarter will cause a better state of things.' The truth is, information was given that sick quarters were provided on shore. Two men from the Avenger were sent. The surgeon of the Dragon then sent three patients—two men and a boy. None from the St. Vincent or Canopus. Those from the Dragon were sent because it was deemed that the quiet, and order, and regimen of an hospital would tend much to their recovery. One of the men was labouring under a heart disease, the other some chronic stomach aff e cti o n, an d th e y have both left this for England, having been' invalided. The boy, as well as the men from the Avenger, are daily improving. Either the surgeon or the assistant surgeon from the Dragon went to the hospital every day. The surgeon saw the treatment, and approved of it. I can answer for the fact of the whole party of sick people having always expressed the most entire satisfaction at their treatment. The hospital is most clean and orderly. I have visited many hospitals in England, and I never saw any one I should have preferred for myself to the Naval Hospital at Lisbon. I have never heard any officer or any man express the least disapprobation at the step that had been taken from the best of motives. I am certain that it was open to the medical men of the fleet to see the book kept at the hospital, in which the symptoms and treatment of the cases are recorded." THE PASSAGE OP THE COLUMBIA STEAM SUR VEYING- VESSEL.— We have already announced the arrival at Devonport of the Columbia, steam survey ing -vessel, Lieut. Commander Shortland, from North America, with Captain (since Rear-Admiral) and Mrs Owen—the gallant captain having been in com mand of the surveying expedition in the Bay of Fundy during the last five years. The Columbia had been long expected at Portsmouth, but, inde pendently of the length of time she was on her pas - sap, it was impossible that she could have reached this country in a shorter period since she received her orders, in consequence of the time required for calling together and collecting the different surveying parties belonging to her which had been detached to many points at considerable distances from each other. With reference to her voyage home, we may say that the condition of the ship, on reaching Devon port, afforded evidence palpable enough of the cause of delay. Indeed, we scarcely remember to have seen a vessel actually afloat so much of a wreck, and we cannot but admire that feeling of gratitude which induced the captain, officers, and crew of the Columbia, on Sunday week, at the Royal dockyard chapel, pub licly to offer through the chaplain (the Rev. T. Briggs) their thanks to Almighty God for the pre servation of their lives. The following accurate details of the voyage will show that their presence at Divine worship on the 19th instant was indeed an oc casion for devout thanksgiving. The Columbia is a steamer which has seen better days and considerable service in the navy, and most especially so when in command of Mr. Henderson, now master attendant at Devonport dockyard. She is one of the old gun-brigs which were cut in two by Sir Robert Seppinga above twenty years since, had a pair of engines put in amid ships, and was converted, not P e n e l o p e f as hi on , b u t according to common sense and " rule of three" cal culation, into one of the meat efficient men-of-war steamers of the day. She had run so long, howevsr, that in May, 1842, when commissioned for survey ing service, there was little faith placed in the soundness of her condition, notwithstanding which she proceeded to North America. and was there up to Sunday, the 21st of November last, when she left Halifax for Portsmouh. After receiving a temporary refit, having landed her armament, and taken on board 115 tons of coals, 18 tons of them on deck, she arrived at Sydney on the 26th, left there on the 28th, and steamed for two days and a half, until she got off the banks of Newfoundland, en- countering heavy weather at the commencement. Nov. 29. in lat. 47 11, long. 51 20, she unshipped her paddle-floats and proceeded under sail, the wind blowing a fresh gale from N.E., accompanied with snow, but shifting to the N., with drifting ice, the vessel was hove to. Nov. 30, the ship proceeded At noon the sky became overcast, with snow, and heavy squalls with rain succeeded, and the wind in creasing to a hurricane at 2 r. 31., the vessel was again night the hove to under main trysail. Dec. 1, at 6 A.M., she . shipped so heavy a sea that the first gig was . stove in. In the night th - .t head of the funnel was carried away by the heavy rolling of the ship, "and . the funnel was found so corroded that it was not repairable. At 8.15, the force of the wind being 8, the ship bore away, and the weather moderated. Dec. 2, at 11 P.M., the force of the wind increased to 9, the ship making a great deal of water, and each watch en gaged in pumping. In the course of the force of the wind increased to 11; and at 11.45, on December 3, the ship rounded . to under single-refed main trysail, and . continued until 11.30 P.M., when again increased, with squalls,. up to 4 A. 3/. on the sth, when bore its away ferc e a w g a a s. i n l . O, December with a they were obliged to steer the ship by the sea. About 11 Pau., it moderated to 9, and then gradually lessened. December 8, it was again blowing very strong, and the ship was fast making water; she had from 9 to 13 inches and at one time up to 17 inches in her hold. December 11, in lat. 49 13, long. 17 30, she re-s'aipped her paddle floats. There were light winds until evening, when they opened the boiler cocks, and found the blow-off pipes choked. December 12, at; 4r. m., another gale commenced—the sky overcast, squ ails, and heavy rains ; they were obliged to shut the communica tion valve of the starboard boiler, engines working at reduced speed. At this time they found considerable leakage in the starboard boiler, and stopped them with wooden plugs. Dec. 13, the force of the wind 'was 8 ; and at 4.30 they were obliged to cut away the wreck of the boat which was stove in on the Ist. At 7.30 the sea stove in the larboard bow ; the ports had been several times stove in. At 1.40 P.M., they found the foremast badly sprung under the futtock hook ; shortened all sail, and at five o'clock in striking the topinat the foremast gave way and went over the side, carrying two men who were on the cross trees looking out for the fid, with the wreck. the lives of these men were almost miraculously preserved ; they had just time to stop the engines, but not before one man was struck and his jaw broken ; the other man was not hurt at all. Dec. 13, they were obliged to shut the communication valves of the port boiler, to clear the cock, they having become choked in the same degree as those of the other boiler. The crew were then employed in rigging a jury foremast and making paddle-floats, and they suc ceeded on Thursday, the 16th, at 2.10 P.st., in making the Lizard; and on the following day anchored in Plymouth Sound. The gun-room was flooded during the entire passage, and not a man in the ship was dry for an hour. • The stern-posts were caulked in and battened. The decks were cleared of every thing ; the paddle-wheels themselves were defective from old age, and by the washing away of the outsides of the boxes, they were exhibited in all their skeleton wretchedness. The compasses, in consequence of their great vibration, were next to useless.—Herald. We have already stated that the surveying opera tions of the officers and crew of the Columbia, under the direction of Captain Owen, have been in the Bay of Fundy, including from Cape Sable, Nova Scotia, to the West Quoddy Light on the American shore, embraced in 43 to 47 lat. and 63 30 to 68 long. The portion which is finished is from West Quoddy Head to St. John's, New Brunswick, the Island of Campo bello, a portion of Gran Manan, river of Annapolis, and the whole of the river of St. John to Frederick Town. The first year of the expedition was spent in determining the meridian distances of the various points as a basis for the subsequent survey between Bo,ton, Halifax, Campobello, and the adjacent points. We may remark that the difference in the rise of tide between the head of the Bay of Fundy, Cumberland basin, and the Bay of Verte, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, has been laid down in the charts as 60 feet. It is worthy of notice that in the survey made by the officers of the Columbia, they have found that the highest tides at Cumberland basin were only 44 feet, and extraordinary tides 50 feet, whereas at the Bay of Verte, the rise was only 8 feet, making a difference in regular tides of only 36 feet, instead of 60. The officers who have returned to England, belonging to the Columbia, are Captain (now Rear-Admiral) W. F. Owen; Lieutenant P. F. Shortland, who has commanded her since December, 1844; Lieutenant Melville G. H. W. Ross, who has belonged to her since June, 1842 ; Lieutenant Peter A. Scott, since July, 1845 ; Lieutenant W. J. S. Pullen (additional) since February, 1847; Master T. W. R. Pike; ..!_-ur geon, Dr. J. M. Deas, who have been in her during the whole term of commission ; and Clerk in Charge, W. F. Huyghue, since March last. Lieutenant Kortwright first commanded the Columbia for this service, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Harding, who was succeeded on promotion by her present commander. ROYAL MARINES. The removal of this division of Royal Marines to Gosport is fixed to take place within six months, the Admiralty having extended the time for quitting their present quarters to meet the convenience of numerous married officers and others connected with the staff who rent houses in this garrison. A plan of the alterations and addition at Forton barracks, so as to afford ample accommodation for 3,000 officers and men, has been submitted to the Admiralty and approved of. We are desired to state that a contemporary an nounced the death of Colonel Mercer, Commandant of the Plymouth division, 48 hours before it took place. The decease of the above gallant officer really took place at four o'clock on Friday morning last, by which event Colonel M'Callum, Second Commandant of the Portsmouth division, succeeds to the command at Plymouth. Lieutenant. Colonel Powell, of the Woolwich divi sion, comes to Portsmouth as Second Colonel-Com mandant, vice M'Callum; and Major George Batt Bury, of the Plymouth division, succeeds to the Lieutenant-Colonelcy, vice Powell, promoted. Second Lieutenants A. C. Steel and E. FL Starr, who have been studying at the Royal Naval College, are ordered to join the Artillery Companies. Messrs. Parke, Holland, Macnamara, and Loch, Royal Marine cadets on board the Excellent, passed their examinations last week for commissions in the corps. 'f he following are the promotions and appointments of the past week : PROMOTIONS. Commanders—W. Clark (1840), and Thomas Lewis Gooch (1842) to the rank of Captain. Lieutenants—John Barnes (1813), John Bour master Dickson (1839), Henry Downing Rogers (1837), W. Rowlatt (1838), and Henry Caldwell (1841), to the rank of Commander. Mate—J. It. Veitch (1846), to the rank of, Lieu tenant. Second Masters—George A. Water, W. S. Luke, George H. Loveridge, Andrew R. Elliott, Henry Hill, W. H. Betts, John Richards, Richard A. Bur stell, Hugh D. Beach, and Thomas Osmer, to the rank of Master. Assistant-Surgeons —James Harvey and Rober Pottinger to the rank of Surgeon. APPOINTMENTS. Captain—Lewis T. Jones, to the Penelope, vice Henry W. Giffard. Surgeons—Andrew Murray, to the Sealark ; Alex ander C. Maclery, to the Inconstant. Lieutenant—J.R. Baker, to the Coast Guard. Masters—W. H. Balliston, to command the Kite ; John Thomas, to the Poictiers. Chaplain—F. _Hannan, to the Meander. Naval Instructors—E. B. Barnes, to the Prince Regent; John Jeans, to the Meander. Assistant-Surgeon—J. Peters, to the Hercules. Second Master—J. S. O'Farrell, to the Avenger. Midshipmen--W. H. Hooper, to the Plover; T. N. Underwood, to the Inconstant; W. Page, to the Sealark; T. S autnarez, to the Excellent; W. B. Mason and F. Nares, to the Victory ; W. S. Brown, to the Asia ; J. B. Balfour, to the Prince Regent ; R. P. Cator, to the Brilliant; T. M. F. Bond, to the Victory. Naval Cadets—J. Thorold, to the Inconstant; L. Wildman, to the Hydra ; G. B. B. Callaghan, to the Vengeance ; Nicholas, to the Trafalgar ; W. W. Harvey, and T. B. Hollingworth, to the Raleigh. Clerks—Andrew S. Little, to the Inconstant; T. T. Jennings, to the Prince Regent. Master's Assistant—H. C. A. Wilkinson, to the Hercules. THE DUSSERAH AT LAHORE. The following description of the Dusserah, or great indoo festival, by an officer present, is taken from he Gentleman's Gazette Overland, a Bombay paper : "Lahore, Oct. 20, 1847. " Yesterday was the Dusserah, the gala day of La hore. With his usual kindness the Resident invited all officers who wished to come, and I thought the scene well worth the visit. " I was present a short time before Sir John Littler and Colonel Lawrence arrived, and, dismount ing from my h orse , I l eane d aga i n st the high gates, which, now flung open, showed the Palace squ are , gay with bands o f chiefs and their retainers, and lined on either side with guards of horse and foot; th e led hor,es caracolling in their rich trappings, the thin lances upshooting from those yellow clump s into the clear air, and the huge elephants standing in their quiet magnificence. "In my front was a rampart wall, c rum bli ng and dinted with many shots. Every gateway, every house, had its story of murder, its legend of civil strife, and now, in the heart of a great capital which two y ea rs ago had , so . throbbed w ith stormy anger and hatred of the enughee, I saw m i ngled together the tall Seikh with his yello w d ress and dark beard, the swart Affghan with his large turban and broad shield, the unarmed English soldier, and the self possessed Sepoy. " And :hopefully and proudly I thought of the power and generous forbearance of a wise Govern ment. "A i carriage dri ves rap idl y up. The Resident and the General with their staff. The Seikh band plays God save the Queen,' the soldiers present arms, and the lion guns roar out their welcome. " A forward rush, the rearing and neighing of startled steeds, and the wild clamour of trumpets, and we came to the foot of the raised terrace in front of the Dewans-i-Am, shaded by rich canopies of red shawls, on poles of silver. Raja Tej Singh :Led the Sirdar d of the Durbar were theie to receive the visit. Halfway came the little handsome Maharaja, dressed in yellow satin, and glittering with royal jewels. We seated ourselves, Colonel Lawrence and General Lit tler on the right and left of the Maharaja. Bags of rupees were presented by the officers of the Resi dency, a n d th en came th rong i ng hi s chiefs with their offerings, the wheat-blade in their graceful turbans speaking the hope of a successful year. So the little King sat calmly on his throne, now pleased with a picture, and now bending down his long dark eyelashes and his bright pleased face to c Gress the large paroquet on his wrist; while they tol I out the gold at his feet ; and behind and all about 84 ,angst the waving fans was a crowd bright as a tulip -bed. " When the nuzzurs were all made, the.ri came forth a spangled train of dancing girls; vithout waiting for their performance, but regaining lay horse, I hastened to where I could observe . :the ele phants, issuing forth in a ll th e barbaric pomp 413 f gold and silver turrets and painted heads. The young Maharaja in front sat in his golden howdah, 'smiling and talking merrily with the Resident (his - egent) by his side; Sirdars and British officers, friends, sharing the same s 9 at, joking and cornplitr .enting- And before all, the rollicking and lusty troop , of mummers. On, like a sea, rolls the great pr acession to the battle-field of Ram and the giant Ray din. " The giant is slain, the jolly mimes are again fro licking with their clubs--again thunders on the cannon. Hurrah for the boy king! " See that compaet little party of Holmes's Cavalry with their casques and dark green . vests, how the horses involuntarily twitch their heads at the sound " And now the plain and that great crowd is ob scured with dust and smoke. We move back through the tall rustling sugar cane, over the green meadow, under the high arch, by the new tomb of Runjeet Singh, by the tall miners, dark against the yellow sky, and through the narrow bazaar; the blind:beggar, his mat spread on the wall, cries as the brave show goes by, ' How costly a thing is sight !' On the house-tops sit the young and the old ; the palsied crone, and the little child pranked out in his holiday suit, all with joined hands and moving lips. ",The Bunneeah peers forth from among his piled up goods, and the naked Fakeer screams forth his blessing; see how the little king smiles as the Saheb talks with him. "And as the sun sinks down over the wide down, - We are again at the palace. " The peaceful festival is over; who will not join with us our in rouse for Dhuleep Singh ? "May his reign prosper,: and bring to the lately . vexed Punjab a new era, the rich harvest of con tent. WILL OF THE MARQUIS D'A L IGRE. The late Marquis d'Aligre, a Peer of France, has left funded and personal property in England valued for duty at 120,0001., and had made several wif 13 a nd testamentary documents, those of later dates ref erring to the preceding, which made it necessary to. prove them all, being thirteen in number, as coo taining together his will, and is one of the longest oaf record. Every person having two or more legacies of different value may choose the one most advantageous., He has directed that out of his English funded property the sum of 85,0001. sterling (about 2,000,000 francs) shall be appropriated in founding an ,asylum at Bourbon Lancy, originally intended, as by a will dated in 1819, to be built in the town of Chartres, from which his family originated, as a solace for age, support of infancy, and a refuge for females w ho have gone astray. He leaves also 900,000 _francs among nine communes in Marans, wherewith to,found in each an hospital, asylum, monastery, ,or.,hoane for sisters. To the communes of Beville, Pontgouin, La Fravril, St. Maurice, and Croissy, 100,000 francs to each. To St. Maurice the furniture at the castle de Vaux ; to Beville the furniture at the Castle of baron. ville ; to Croissy, the furniture at the paviii o n of Croissy ; to th e Hospital at Bourbon Lancy tl„iefurni.• ture in his mansion at Paris and at the Cast e of St. Aubin, with the domains of Vezon Phly and , others. His woods and trees to be cut for the h,eneft of the hospitals. To the hospital of Chateau C'.iinon 300,0 0 francs ; communes of Vilaine and St. Aubin, each 40,000 francs; and as long as ate chateau of St' Aubin exists, any of the old people, a man or wows!) , born at St. Aubin, and having resided there fifty years, and of the age of seventy, shall have the right of admission, an octogenarian having preference. Also leaves annuities to certain of the occupants, an d those who may require the benefit of the seaside kr a time, their expenses to be allowed. To Mr Bre.. ton, parish priest of St. Maurice, an annuity of Loco francs ; and to thirty of the oldest poor of .St...blau . rice an annuity of 250 francs each. To Mr. Cohen, curate, 10.000 francs ; and to his niece, Theresin, ern annuity of 1,000 francs. The legatees and annuitants are numerous ; some English subjects. To each Per son in his empl oy on hi s several establishmen t s and estates he leaves a legacy or annuity, and in many cases both. To his secretary 50,000 francs, and an an nuity of 8,000 francs; and to his wife 20,000 francs' To M. J. L. A. Debois, notary, 200,000 francs, and an annuity of 12,000 francs. To Madame Hazard the books, prints, marble, bronze, pictures, and collections, and 15,000 francs ; requests M. Bowthier to accept from his collection of books to the value of 6,000 francs. To his grandson and godson, Etienne Pome ron, an annuity of 100,000 francs; and to his grand son, Alexis Pomeron, an annu ity of 50,000 francs ; and leaves the imm ense res id ue o f his property.to his great-grand-nephews and two great-grand-nieces on the maternal side, namely, Amelia and Hector Gallard, son and daughter of Hypolite Gallard ; and Marie and Edward Collet, son and daughter of Madame de Padet Collet, to be the universal legatees. He has left to each of his executors, Messieurs Breton and Guyet des Fontaines, notaries, a diamond, or bequest of the value of 50,000 francs. Madame d'Aligre having died in the autumn of last year, 1846, and wishing to offer a token of affection to her family, and a mark of respect to her memory, he bequeaths to M. Cyprian de Pontaine and wife 500,000 francs; and bequeaths to the Hospital of Bourbon Lancy the statue of Madame d'Aligre and bas relievo, both of silver; and directs that his wife's remains, deposited at Chartres, shall be placed close to his. Forbids his body being opened, but a seasonable operation performed, to ascertain the fact, of his death, Without u n d ress i ng, an d to b e wrapped in one of the sheets of his bed. Prayers to be said over his corpse, near which two priests shall attend, and be relieved by others, but to remove him 113 speedily as possible to his burial place without any decoration s or un if orm. His (laughter to cause 1,0 00 low m asses t o h e sa i d in Paris, and requested 0 that t no search sho u ld b e ma d e f or his papers u ntil eig ht days after his death, and that seals should be Pla ce r . on his dep os it or i es . O ne of the test amental.) , paper s was headed th us —" The happi ness o f d o i ng go— consoles a good man." Another commenced thus .— " commend my soul to God, and, having lived as an honest man, I hope in his mercy, having always endeavoured to do good;" and in another—" I de clare, in this so l emn h our, I h ave a pure conscience. ' By his death this country is saved the further• Par ment of 50,000/. per annum, the Marquis having purchased, with half a tnillion sterli , ,g, annuities to that amount on his own life in the National Debtand Government Annuity Office, Old Jewry, London, one quarter (12,5001.) being claimed by his exe cutors. _ STARTLING FACTB.—The Lincoln Mercury says- - " The practice of taking opium, laudanum, ether, A nd morphia, has increased, and is increasing, amongst the population of the fens of Cambridgeshire and Lincoln shire to a frightful extent. It obtains amongst the aged, the infirm, and the young, and it is confined to neither sex—old men, old women, and y oung women are eq u a lly its victims. It may be safely averred that every second customer who visits the druggist's purchases opium, laudanum, or some opiate or narcotic, whilst every Feco ti d customer of the grocer is a purchaser of tobacco. It is common to see the man or woman of 20, 30, or 40 years, with cadaverous countenance, tottering frame, and palsied step, daily going for his or her sixpenny worth of poison; and we have heard of yearly bills of 201. in one family for opium and laudanum! In the to Am of ‘1; iJbeach alone there are 400fgallons oflaudanum lit Id and swallowed every year; eight gallons of laudanum per week, one small shop actually vondinfi two gallons of this quantity! The apothcary practice is thus a l ucrat i ve one i n the fens. 11ak,°,, away the l a ud anum reta il trade, and the druggist 7 occupation is gone—it is the staple of the trade. Added to this frightful consumption of laudanum, there are 1,128,780 ga ll ons o f b eer, and 20,500 gallons of ar d en t spirits, consumed annually in Wisbeach. To manufac ture the one and t o ven d the other, there are no f ewe r than 2 insisters, 12 b rewers ; 9 wholesale dea l ers in ardent spirits, 48 i nn k eepers, and 45 Tom and J err i e s. As if thi s were was not enough to vitiate the appet i te , or rather to sa ti s f y t h e cravints of a vitiated appetite. there is to be added to the catalogue the fact of there being 170 persons retailing tobacco. To counteract all this laudanum, beer, and spirit swallowing, and tobacco inhaling, there are 70 dealers in coffee and tea, with two coffee-houses, nicknamed temperance hotels." BIRTEIs. On the 24th inst., at the Royal Clarence Baths, Devonport, the wife of Edward Prothero, Esq , A.D.C., of a son. On the 19th inst., at Sronehouse, Plymouth, Mrs. C. Lang ton Massingberd, of a daughter. On the 18th inst., at Dover Castle, the lady of Lieutenant King, 59th Regiment, of a son. . _ MARRIED. • On the 23d inst., at Chevening Church, Kent, Sir Charles henry Ibbetson, Bart., of Denton Park, Yorkshire, to Eden, widow of Percival Perkins, Esq., late of lisworth-placer Durham. DIED. On the 24th inst., at Great Yarmouth, Sir George Parker, K. C. B. , Admiral of the Red, aged 81. On the 21st inst., at Blackheath, Mrs. Ann Collins, late o Ely-pace, Holborn, aged 65. On the 23d insi., at Ashford, Kent, William Jemmett, Esq. . _ On the 23d inst., Ashford-court, near Ludlow, Charles Walker, Esq., justice of the peace and Deputy-Lieutenant for the county of Salop, aged 75. On the 21th inst., Abraham Herbert, Dl., of Stoke near Coventry, aged 75. On the 24th inst., at Craven -street, Strand, Mr. Edward Taylor. aged 68. On the 24th inst., Benjamin Adam, Esq., of Lower Ed monton, aged 80. On the 25th inst., at Stamford-hill, Emily, the wife of R. Hanbury, Esq., aged 51. • On the 22d of October, at Stanley, Hong- Kong, Lieutenant William Tyrwhitt Drake, of the Ceylon Rifles, aged 24. London: Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, at No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sux Office, No. 12, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savo in tire cou nty of Middletex, Bionday, December 27,18 8. i:4lt6 j•tX".. l l . '; • '