The Sun. — London, England, 1853-01-11 00:00:00

" THE PR !E PLAY." TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—Your esteemed and merry contemporary Punch yesterday published, under the above title, an excellent article (intended at my expense, but never mind that) on the subject of the "mischievous and much-abused sys tem of newspaper orders," Nuggesting that the " remedy for such things is to abandon that system." He then proceeds as follows : " Managers are too great cowards to do it, though they grout under it. The best part of the press can, and ought, to break it down for the sake of their independence, which is incompatible with the order system as interpreted by Mr. Charles Mathews and other managers who might be mentioned. Let all the respectable journal, daily and weekly, combine to renounce the ' privilege' of writing orders, and let them signify as much to the managers. When the respectable journals have once done this mana gers will perhaps better appreciate the value of a ' privi le,7e ' which only the strugglers, sharpers, and outsiders the smallest of the small newspaper fry—will condescend to accept." Punch concludes a long article by complimenting Mr. Albert Smith " On having been the first public exhibitor bold enough to avow this, in a letter in which he announces to news paper proprietors his intention of abolishing altogether the privilege' of writing orders to his entertainment of Mont Blanc. Managers, the public, newspaper proprie tors, and critics should be alike obliged to Mr. Albert Smith, for he has done good service to all worthy members of these classes, in thus making the first attack on a degrading, misleading, much-abused, and in every way mischievous system." In all this I so fully concur, that I cannot resist asking you, Sir, the favour of inserting the following circular, issued simultaneously with that of Mr. Albert Smith (and one of which was addresssed to Punch himself), showing that, at any rate, I am not ona of the "managers who are too great cowards" to remonstrate, however long I may have " groaned under" the infliction, " Mr. Charles Mathews presents his compliments to the editor of the , and will feel particularly obliged by his abstaining from writing his orde rs f or th e L yceum during the first few weeks' run of th e Ch r i s t mas entertainment. . _ ---;‘ Mr. Mathews is too happy at any time , to offer him and his reporters admission—or a private box, for himself and family; but when it is explained that press orders ar nightly presented to th e amoun t i n money o f 251. (beingae loss of 1501. per week to the theatre), while the payin g public is actually turned from the doors, and this during the only eight or nine weeks of the season when, unfortunately, now-a-days, anything like a profit is to be expected, he hopes that the editor of the object to follow the liberal example set by The Times, and refrain from giving indiscriminate, and frequently undated, orders, many of which are sold at the doors, some of which have even been presented at the boxes by privates in the uniform of the Foot Guards, but the majority of which are professedly passed into the hands of country friends and persons wholly unconnected with the press,—persons who would otherwise cheerfully pay their money during the holyday period. " One hundred thousand individuals with press orders have been thus admitted into the Lyceum Theatre during the five seasons' tenancy of Mr. Charles Mathews, and their money, had they paid for their admission, would have amounted to no less a sum than 25,0001. " Perhaps this simple fact will plead more eloquently in favour of the present appeal than ything further that could be advanced upon the subject. an " Lyceum Theatre, Jan. 1." This circular, lam happy to add, has been cour teously responded to by many of the leading journals; and I hope may be considered as a first step in the right direction. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, C. J. MATHEWS, (prom the Times.) . . It will be seen from a letter in our impression of this morning that we have at length been addressed publicly on a subject which, though it immediately concerns our selves, is not without a more general interest and bear ing. Many persons--too many, indeed—will be aw are of the fact that a certain privilege is conceded to the edi tors of the metropolitan journals by the managers of the several theatres and other places of popular amusement, but the description of the system actually in operation will probably take the majority of our readers by sur prise. As the character and proceedings of all public exhibitions are necessarily reported in a newspaper for the information of the country, and as the exhibitors themselves are more interested than any others in the effectual publication of this report, it is by no means unnatural that the reporter should be welcomed to the spectacle, or that a person whose presence is so eminently desirable should receive a gratui tous admission. The practice in its origin is intelli gible enough ; nor will it appear very remarkable that other gentlemen connected, or supposed to be connected, with the journal, should ultimately have come to be in cluded in the exemptions at first intended for the actual critics of the performance. At present, however, the custom is, that every newspaper, whether daily or weekly, should be indulged in the privilege of issuing orders"—that is to say, tickets signed by the editors or managers of the paper, which are to serve instead of payment at the doors of the exhibition: As there is no practical limit to the number of these orders, the conse quence is a species 'of universal "franking," and, exactly as members o Parliament in past days used to employ for the gratification of their friends, and to the detri ment of the Post-office, a privilege designed' for the facilitation of their professional business, so have jour nalists extended the prerogatives of their craft, to the woful damage of theatrical exchequers. For the actual result of this system, as now d escr ib e d on unimpeachable authority, we own we were scarcely prepared. Mr. Albert Smith states that the "press orders" take upwards of twenty pounds a-week from his small exhibitiox-room, and Mr. Charles Mathews as sures us that 150/. a week is not an exaggerated estimate of the tax thus imposed upon the Lyceum. The latter gentleman adds, indeed, as a general view of th e case, " that during his five years' tenancy of this theatre there have been admitted by press orders 100,000 individuals, whose money, had they paid for their tickets, would have amounted to 25,0001." Nor is this method of reckoning altogether unfair or pretentious. No doubt, on some occasions the places engaged by the bearers of these orders might, if not thus occupied, have been untenanted entirely, but generally speaking, whatever attracts the non-paying visitors would attract the paying visitors ; and, in point of fact, it was the compulsion of turning away solid money from the doors wh en these worthless tickets had g ained admission which at length induced the complainants to make a move for redress. In the substance of the views expressed by Mr. C. Mathews and Mr. Albert Smith, we do not hesitate to express our entire concurrence. For ourselves, indeed, we should be perfectly willing to relinquish even those reasonable privileges in which the present system took its rise. If it be true that the reporter is acting in some sense for the public, yet this is no less true of every func tion of a journal, and immunities might just as well be claimed in one case as another. If the newspaper works for the public, the public pays for the newspaper, and there is no good reason that we can discover why we should be franked to Mr. Charles Mathews's theatre in the discharge of our own duties any more than we should be franked by the South-Eastern Railway in procuring our own information. That we should enjoy a preferen tial title to admission in case of pressure, and should be accommodated, under all circumstances, with the faciliti es requisite for observation, is due, we think, t o our cha racter as representatives of the public ; b u t b eyond this we should not be disposed to press our claims. If how ever, it should be thought practically desirable to ex empt reporters from payment, we think the Privilege should be strictly confined to gentlemen thus engaged, and that the discontinuance of the present s should' be distin ctl y understoo d. The reader wllatneolut have much difficulty in comprehending why we should speak on this subject wi th some goodwill. A s l ong as these orders are 'sent to us in blank from the theatress for the purposes of circulation—as long as they known to be in our possession, and wanting onlyUrs are our signature to make them current —we a re , of course, liable to incessant applications for a share o f the favoures, presumed to be at our disposal ; nor is it always easy to w ithstand the pertinacity of a candidat e f or attentions which he assumes will cost us nothing at all. In point of fact, however, it is the character of the press itself which is chiefly at stake in these transactions, and which is concerned, we venture to think, in the abolition of a system no less discreditable to journalism than unfairly onerous to theatrical proprietors. It stands to reason that privileges so extensive as are thus represented could not be granted without at least the presumptive acceptance of an obligation in return. We do not mean to say that the operation of any such un derstanding as this is practically experienced, or th at theatrical critiques are influenced by the consideration of privileges which all critics enjoy in common. Never theless, the custom in question is obviously neither more nor less than a species of favour, and it can hardly be consistent with the dignity or independence of jour nalism to accept at the reluctant hands of dramatic ex hibitors concessions which could not be received from other quarters without grave risk of suspicion. In our own interests, therefore, no less than in justice to the complainants, we desire to see the system abandoned, and the practice of exemptions either confined to re porters actually on duty or discontinued altogether. At the same time, we are of opinion that theatrical managers are to a great extent responsible for the hard ships against which they have at length protested. For a long whil e , and especially during the predominance of the two larger theatres, they were habitually anxious to procu re the attendance' of as many visitors as possible, and distributed their blank orders with the view of in suringpose under all circumstances a well-filled house, to that then syst e e general audience. It is obvious, indeed, with limited acme now found so burdensome to exhibitors except in the modation, could never have originated deliberate purpose of exhibitors of another class, for the managers of newspapers have, after all, done no more than a ecp o t what was sent to them. There ment of are certain these intsma, t tn ter , s hesides, in whi c h if a re-adjust the theatrical system is to be effected, we think be brought "more in unison," as Parliarnent;yaY reformers say, " with the spirit of the ag e . Perhaps we should not insist too strongly on mission, though they are rerage prices of ad a i t i n a o v st the only prices, except cab-fares, which athe:e as er ebr p ee e e d nis reduc tion in these times of cheapness Point on which Mr. Charles M • S tit h a an dd o r t e h s e s r . thenapuwbhiiiech he failed to ed we think, once before, and vince either his opponent or con admission to his performance ; but, ifeafilii. intending visitor He asks ss. for goes to take his place at the box- c i e of the theatre, privil s opened for this very purpose, h e charged 65., ,admissiitnor • or 20 per cent, extra for the customer. This is surely neither defensible becomin g a 55. is a fit and proper price kr wise. If theatre, no person should be chargeti ail' extras tilli o ng th f e or asking to be admitted. If a book costs 55., a bookseller does not charge 6s. because it is ordered befor s h should hav e i mag i ne d i t i n the interest of theparno 'll;rie.tVoVres t o encourage rather than otherwise the system of se curing seats, for it certainly must be advantageous to ascertain as early as possible the probable state of the house. With this, however, the public is not concerned; but we think Mr. Mathews would have some, difficulty in proving either the expedience or the propriety of ad vertising a seat for 55., and then levying a tax of ls. on every person who comes to buy it. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 11, 1853. Closing Prices Yesteray. 30 - 31 291 - 30 - 31 29 - 30 109 - 111 54 56 148 - 150 33 - 34 . - ... 113 115 56. -57 i 27 - 28 14 - 14 25i - 26. - 204 24 - 26 3 - 3i 11073 :: iiii 64 - 66 - Pm - 154 - 154 •• ..• d 31A -32 i 1053 - 106 i Closing prices Yesterday.— i. --: *i 14 - 15 2 p —7 pxn 2.3 p 1 - 1i p 4 --- 51 1 ----- li 9 - 11 p 2i - 2ip 8 - 35 - 35 14 - 15. 164 -- 16ip 39 - 41. 39 - 40 32 -32 i 5 - sip - P 204 - 20 10 - 10 3i- 4p ipxn 54 -5/ 9 i -- 10 p THE LAW AMENDMENT SOCIETY. A general meeting of the Society for Promoting the Amendment of the Law took place last ev enin g at .then• office in Regent - street. Mr. Fred erick Hill presided the d by o the r d di nary Committee business, c t n E h c At fol lowinger ther e s t o r l a u n t i s o a n c s t , i o p n a s e f clesi cunb m i d s t c t u e d s s e fo d r a g t e t n h e e r al l a s c t o n m s i e d e e t n a g t io : , the i csubject rt h s a , v w in e g re be s "1. That the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical and Pecu liar Courts in matters relating to the grant of probate and of letters of administration be transferred to th e C our t o f Chancery. " 2. That, in transferring this jurisdiction to the Court o f Chancery, it is proposed to give that court the additional power necessary to enable it to adjudicate upon wills both of real and personal estate, with or without the aid of a jury, as the case may require; such court to be clothed with all the power and jurisdiction which the Ecclesiastical and Peculiar Courts at present have. "3. That, in connection with the administration of the Central Court, subsidiary jurisdiction should be given to the County Courts." Mr. J. STEWART moved the following amendment : " That the present jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Courts, so far as testamentary matters are concerned, is universally admitted to be unsatisfektory, and requires ex tensive reform ; that this reform should consist of a trans fer of their present jurisdiction in testamentary matters to another court clothed with jurisdiction as well over wills of real as of personal estate ; that to create a new court for the purpose would be unadvisable, if any existing court can be found to which such enlarged jurisdiction may be properly intrusted, and to which complete powers can be given ; that the existing courts of common law and County Courts have no equitable jurisdiction or power of dealing with trustees, or with equitable matters arising on the construction of wills ; that the existing courts of equity have no power of empanelling a jury or of conclusively de ciding issues of fact ; that in order to do complete justice in testamentary matters it is necessary that the court to which they are entrusted should possess the full and con joined powers of a court of law and of a court of equity ; that no thorough or satisfactory settlement of the questions pending with respect to the testamentary jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Courts can be come to except by the establishment of a court of conjoined law and equity, hav ing jurisdiction over wills of real and personal estate : that it is the bounden duty of the Government of this country to provide such a court for tho proper adjudication of all testamentary matters • that, with the view o f p romo ti ng this object, it i s desirable that the present Law and Equity Commissions should be united, and that their attention should accordingly be called to this important subject by the society." A fusion of jurisdiction between the courts of law and equity was almost universally considered desirable, and there was reason to believe that the law of this country would, before long, be rendered in unison on this point, on the one hand, with the law of Scotland, and, on the other, with that of America. It was admitted by all that the Ecclesiastical Courts, so far as the testamentary jurisdiction was concerned, were in a defective state— (hear)--and that some alteration must take place. A new court had been proposed, but he did not think Par liament would consent to establish new courts while there were old ones in existence which were capable of dealing with the subject. Mr. Ls BRETON seconded the amendment. Mr. COLLIER, M.P., proposed a further amendment, as follows ; "That the jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Courts to grant probate of wills and letters of administration should be transferred to the County Courts, provided that in all cases of disputed prob Ate, where the property exceeds a certain amount, either party shall be at liberty to remove the will into one of the superior courts of common law." The amendment he had moved proceeded upon the as sumption that it was not desirable to have a new court, for the public would be likely to say there were too many courts already. (Hear.) The points he suggested for consideration were, first, should they give the jurisdic tion of the Ecclesiastical to the County Courts ; and, in the second place, whether, if they gave th at j ur i s di c ti on to the County ourts, the appeal should be to the courts of common law or to the Court of Chancery. The prin ciple of the local administration of justice had been over and over again recognised by that society, and why should not the County Cou - rts be able to exercise the jurisdiction in question as well as they had exercised every other jurisdiction which had been intrusted to them ? (Hear.) These County Courts would form also, in addition to the central registry, a system of local registration of very great value. He thought the appeal should be to the courts of common law, which were better qualified to decide those questions than the Court of Chancery. The former courts visited the pro- winces once or twice a-year, and he saw no reason Why they should not do so oftener, and why the cases involved in testamentary jurisdiction should not be tried at the assizes, either before a single judge, or before a judge and jury, as the parties thought fit. The proposition having been duly seconded, Dr. WADDILOVE, LL.D., moved another amendment, as follows : " That it is desirable that one testamentary jurisdiction should be formed in lieu of the various ecclesiastical and peculiar courts at present exercising jurisdiction through out England and Wales, and that for such purpose a tri bunal be established, which shall have legal and, equitable jurisdiction in all matters relating to wills and intestacies, whether of real or personal estate, which court shall be styled 'Her Majesty's Court of Probate and Succession for England and Wales.' " He believed it was impossible that the County Courts should exercise testamentary jurisdiction in such a way as to give satisfaction. Mr. W. D. Lxwrs seconded the amendment. Dr. BAYFORD asked what was to be done with the Ecclesiastical Courts in respect to the other jurisdictions belonging to them—those of dealing with cases of divorce, with offences committed by clerks, and those of the Ad miralty Court ? He suggested that the whole matter ought to be referred back to the committee who made the report upon which the various amendments were founded, to consider, supposing testamentary jurisdic tion were withdrawn from the Ecclesiastical Court, what effect would be produced upon the jurisdictions he had mentioned, and which must be carried on somewhere or other. After some remarks from Mr. WISE, in support of the amendments proposed by Mr. J. Stewart, The further consideration of the subject was, at the suggestion of the Chairman, again adjourned until the next meeting of the society. EXTRAORDINARY MARRlAGE.—Yesterday morning a most extraordinary scene was presented at the church of St. Peter's Walworth. In Kings-row, Walworth, a small building ordinarily used as a cooper's shop is occa sionally occupied as a sort of chapel. by a congregation akin to the followers of the late Johanna Southcote. The leader of this band an elderly female named Vaughan, deemed it advisable to become betrothed to a young man named Peacock, said to be one of the priesthood of the above sect. Accordingly, yesterday morning, about 11 o'clock, a procession was formed and set in motion to wards St. Peter's Church, some of the males wore jackets of light material, others a species of coronet, and several singular-looking caps, while around the waist and across the shoulders of most were polished leather and other bands and belts, inscribed with apparently cabalistic and zodiacal characters. The females about 12 in number, were attired in white with various singular decorations, and from the head of each depended long showy veils. In this singular procession were borne 16 various ban ners, comprising the standard of England, the union jack, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, one of the sun, and one of the moon and stars. In the midst of these was a sort of shepherd's crook, and the bride groom, who, together with his venerable companion, headed the procession, bore on his shoulder a species of mace, surmounted by a crimson• velvet cap with gold fringe. On reaching the church porch the bridal party were compelled, by order of the minister, to deposit their flags, &c. The Rev. F. F. Statham, the incumbent performed the marriage ceremony, and the entry in the register at the vestry was John Clearlight Peacock Pea cock, aged thirty years, married to Elizabeth Fairlight Vaughan, aged sixty years. At the conclusion the bride conversed very freely with the rev, minister, whom she urgently endeavoured to convert, declaring that it lisd been revealed to her that she was to introduce the Shiloh to the world. The procession then departed in the same jorder as it ar r i ve d , amidst the hooting, laughter, and. eerin g of the assembled crowd. MONMOUTH AND ROSS RAILWAY.—IMPORTANT AR RANGEMENT. —We hear from a trustworthy source that a very important compromise has been effected in refe rence to the projected undertaking, by which a threat ened heavy parliamentary contest and a renewa l of the terrible battle of the guages" will happily be avoided. Our information has reference to certain overtures made one wp that gentleman's attendance at a recent committee jmeeting of the company at Newport, where the sub oined bases were definitely adopted. The Hereford, Ross, and Gloucester Company agrees to abandon the Forest of Dean branch up to Lydbrook Valley, seeking only for powers to construct a line of railway from Ross f t urth o M er cononmou s th, in on return for which concess i on, and in iderati of the South Wales Company un dertaking forthwith to complete their branch from Mon mouth i d Usk to Newport, the Dean Forest and Ponty pool promoters abandon all portions of their projected line, excepting from Monmouth to Coleford, which is now to be constructed on the br oa d guage. The effect of this highly important arrang ement will doubtless be to ensure the successful carrying out of all the under takings referred to, and fortunately without the haras sing and costly alternative of a protracted contest through the ordeal of Parliament.—Cambrian. AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.—On Sunday morning last, between two and three o'clock, a gang of eight men armed entered the preserves of Mr. J. Ev ans Lloyd, of Ferney-hall, near Ludlow, for the purpose of killing game. They were shortly after encountered by the- head keeper and three assistant keepers ; a scuffle ensued between the parties, which, as might be expected, the poachers being twice as numerous as the keepers, ended in the discomfiture of the latter, they were all knocked down by the poachers and most murderously assailed by them with the butts of their guns, which theyact w ua ha lly t broke upon them. When Mr. Lloyd ascertained had occurred, he immediately, at four o'clock a.m., set off for Ludlow, and sent Mr. Hodgson, surgeon, and his assistant to the keepers, and also set thepolice motion.in The parties are known, and it is to be hoped will soon be apprehended. 'A reward of 501. has been offered for their apprehension. Fortunately, notwith standing the violence which was used, none of the keepers have been mortally injured. 16 20 5 2 10 25 10 1.0.6 40 100 100 100 100 20 50 25 THE SHARE MARKET'S. BRITISH RAILWAYS. 314 - 31 si 7,13. 10 -- 11 6i— 6(1 22 -- 221 3 -- 2i d 107 -- 109 671 -68 i 23i 24 17# -- 2 18ii 3 -- di RAILWAYS. ;hr. I Paidl Aberdeen ... Ambg. Noting. Boa & Eastn. June Birmng. Wolverh. & Stour Valley Birkenhd. Lanesh. &11 Cheshire Juliet Do. Chesh. & Birk., £5O & £25 Cons Do., £2O. ... Bristol &Exeter Caledonian. Chester & Holyhead Cork and Bandon ,Dublin&BelfastJunc Dundee Perth &Aber deen Junction East Anglian (£25 L. & E. & L. & D.) Do., (£lB E. & H.) Eastern Counties Eastern Union, Class A. late E. U. Sh Do., do. Do., B. & C East Lancashire East & West Ind. Dk & Birming. June Edinburgh & Glasgow. Edinb.Prth.&Dundec Glasgow & S. Western Great Northern Stk Do., 4 A. Stock Do., a B. Stock.... Great Southern and Western (Ireland) Great Western Irish South-Eastern. Lancaster & Carlisle Do., Thirds Lancash. &Yorkshire Do., Fifths Do., Wst. Riding Un. Leeds Northern .. Liv.Crsby.&Southpt. London & Blackwall Lond. Tilb. & Sthend. Lond.Bright.&S.Cst. London & N. Western i Do. Fifths D0.,10/.5h.,M&8...0 London & S. Western Do., £40.. Lndndrry.&Coleraine Lndndrry. & Ennisk. Manch.Shef.drLincln. Do., Man. &Lin. Un. Midland . Do. Birming. & Derby Midland G. West. (Ir.) Do. Shares ...... ....I Newcastle & Carlisle.. Newmarket >t. 1100 .4:1 1 8:i .4 all a I 28 Ii 1 all 2 184 ;t. 100 3t. 100 i 0 all i 0 all i 0 45 5 all 15 I all 15 I all S all !O all ;5 all ",5 6 ;5 all ;t. 100 i 0 all it. 100 it. 100 it. 100 ;t. 100 it. 100 it. 100 0 all )0 all .100 . ) ,5 14 i 0 7i' '.41) all Newpt.Aberg.&lltfd Newry & Enniskillen Newry Warrenpoint & Rostrevor 5 all !Do., New ,0 1 3' ;t.llOO I Norihn. Counties Un North British 16 13 North Devon, N 0.1.. 16 6i Do., No. 2.. .... . .. 8 all Do., i A Deferred... .rred ... 8 5 Do., A B Guaranteed 20 17i North Staffordshire.. 20 all North Western........ 10 8i N. & S.Westrn. une. St. 100 Oxford Worcester & Wolverhampton..... St. 100 Scottish Central ...... St. 100 Scottish Midland_ ... St. 100 Shrewsbury & Birmg. St. 100 Do., L. &N. Westn. Guaranteed Stock... 10 8 Shrewsby. & Herefd. 26-/ all Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. Min.) 13i all Do. Halves, do. 20 20 Do. Oswestry ...... 20 61 Shropshire Union . ... ... Do., A.B.C.&D.fully paid up at p. 50 all South Devon .. ...... St. 100 South Eastern 50 all South Wales 9 15 S. Yorksh. River Dun .9 5 Do 161 Stockton & Hartlepl :5 19 Thames Haven Dock and Railway... ..... 9 17 Vale of Neath 9 all Waterfd. & Kilkenny ;0 all Waterford&Limeri ck 9 13 West Cornwall.. '0 all West London... 0 1 Woodford... ...... ..... t. 100 York Newctl.&Berw. 5 20 Do. Extensions .. 5 10 Do. G.N.E. Purchase it. 1100 'York & N. Midland, Closing Prices Yesterday 30 1 79/ 48 72i 3 14,1 i '153 .02 1 1111 42 1i PREFEREN 100 !Aberdeen . all Do., No. 2,7 p. c.., IC3 Bristol dr Exeter 4p, cent. Stock . 5 Do. 4p. c. Shares ... 100 Caledonian £lO . .... all Chester & Holyhead Guar. 5 per cent... 34 Cork &Bandon 5i p.c. all Dundee Perth&Aber- cleen Junction ....... , all EastAnglian (£3los) 6 per cent ........... all Do. (25) 7 per cent.. 2 Do. (£7l7s) 7p. ct.. all Eastern Counties Ex tension, sp. c. No.l all Do., No. 2......... ... all Do., New 6p. c. St.. all Eastern Union, Scrip Guar. 6 per cent.... all Do., 210 Deben. Sh. 100 EastLancash. 6 p.cts. all East&WestYorkshire Junction, Fifths..... all Edinb.Prth.&Dundee 100 Glasgow dx S. Western guar. 5 per cent... 100 Great Northn. sp. c. 100 Do. sp. c., Redeem., at 10 p. c. prem all Gt. Southn. &Westn. (Ireland) Eighths... 6 Gt. Westn. (Berks & Hants Ex. 5 p. c.).. 100 Great Western, fixed 4i per cent........... 6 Lancash. & Yorksh., F. 220 1.00 Do., 6p. c., Stock... 13 Leeds Northern, 6p. cent., No. 1 ..... 17 Do., No. 2............. 5 Do., No. ...... 9 Do. , Quarters, 1848. 100 London and:Brighton Guaranteed 5 p. c... 100 Do. Pref., sp. c. St. all Do. Convertible, sp. c., 1852 [OO I Do. New Guar. 6p. 0 1 .00 Lon.6/N.West.Cov.drj Nun., 5 p. c. Stock. 5 London dx S. Western; Con. Thirds 10 Londonderry& Coler i Shares . all Londndry. & Ennisk il, Shares... ... .... all Manch Shei &Lin., Shares, No. 1.. all Do. New, 210.- 3 Do., £6 ....... ..... Ma all &C rypt. ar . p. c. all Do. 41 per cent....... SiDo.. ....... ......... 1.00 Mid. Conso ... Gp.c. Si. 1.00 Do. Consol. Bristol & Birm. 6 per cent -5 Do. Pref. 4i per cent. all Norfolk Extension all Do. Guar. 5i per ct all Do. Waveney Valley 5 per cent DO North British all North Staffordshire.. .00 Oxford Worcester di Wolverh. £15,6p. c. 9 ID° - - all Shrewsbury & Birm. New Gua;anteed all Shrewsby. & Chester (Nor. W. Ilin),8 p. c. 10 Do. 5 per cent all South Devon 14 Do. New all S. Eastern (Reading Ann.,) of £1 Os.6d. LOO Do. 4i per cent all S. Yorksh 4p. c. Guar all Stock.& Hartl. Guar sp. c. till 1 July,lB3ol 3 INViterfd.&Killi:6p.e. 400 York Newcastle and Berwick, 4 p.c.Pref 5 De 10 York& N. Midland. H & S. Purch JOINT-STOP all I Australasia all British N. American 25 Colonial 20 Commercial of Lon don 4 English Scottish and Australian 2i Lond. Chart. Bk. of Australia 20 London and County 10 London Joint Stock 20 Lond. & Westminster 35 National Prov. of Eng. 10 Do. New 221 National of Ireland all Oriental Bank of Corporation 5 Do. New 25 Provincial of Ireland all Do. New..., 1 Royal Australn.Bkg. & Gold Importing all So uth Comp Austraany . lia .. . .... all Union of Australia 23 Do. New 10 'Union of London Bas!neis done this day. 50 31; i 61 108 A I 25 683 8 g 25 42 1 i 1 100 931 4 I St. I 25 831 I 5° 1081 123 i 4 3 B-hr. ma 2 pm• 10 20 20 40 20 20 20 20 104 20 20 20 20 20 20 59i 30 20 1 40 8i - 9 - 10 7i - 8 76 - 78 55 -• 80 76 - 78 28 - 2J 61 - 63 81 - 82 42 - 44 120 - 122 105 107 93i 94 6t -- 74 88 -- 90 114 12ip 83; -- 84 31 3d -- 2 2 i d 17 -- 18 9 -- 94 - 2 108 --10 9 1231 -- 124 3i —4 p 91 --19 2 ' 5 -- 4 d 47 -- 3' d 114 -- 124 20 -- 21 301 = 30i 3 —3 4 79 -- 80 46 -- 48 -- ... 51 52 4 • 34 d 2 - 55 1 9 5 7 8 8i 2 -2l d 39 40 —6}d I.= d 4• 3 d gt --- q p 51 - 52 95 - 97 63 - 65 66 - 68 75 - 80 18i -- 133 9 -- 10 14 -- 15 3k -- 2i 23 - 24 82 - 83 38 , 1 - 39,1 13 - 13 4 - 4i 9 1 2 13 - 14 - 10 27 - 28 9 - 10 72 7 i 6cl 21 58 591 M SHARES, 1109 - 11• lion 1. - - 16,9 19 20 id i 1, 3 3 1 -- 1 11 -- li P li -- li p ma —14 i 18 18, . a - 3, rigs - ins 112 - 114 8i - 9 - ii pl 1091 - 1103 Par 152 154 - - PI 3i - 4 p 8i - 8i: 13i - 14 9 -- 10 10i -- 114 i - I - - 1 - 1 p 150 - 152 it - 0 P 23 - 23} 6 - 6A 2- 2 101 i --102 i 25i -- 26. ,-,_,: 2i p 11 - 113 171 - 17 —17 A Par 261 - 24 is 20 id par LO3 105 5B - i pl BANKS. 82 - 83 li - li 25. - 3i - ... ••• ..... ... 48 - 50 72 - 73 44, 51. - G 4i 13g - 13 Paid' RAILWAYS. all Bedford and Bletchley. all Birm. & Oxid. guarantee all Do.withoutgr all Birm.Wolv. & Dudley guar. all Do. wthtguar. 100 Buckghamsh. all Clydesdale Jc. 100 E. Lincoln. gr. 6 p. cent .. all GlstrADn.Fr ' all Glas. Barr. do Neilan.Direct all Do. New all Hrtlpl. Dk. dr Railway all Hull & Selby all Do. Shares all Do. Shares all Lon. & Greenw all Do. Preference all Lowestoft gr. 4 per cent all Do. 6 per ct all Manch.Bxton and Matlock all Middlesbro' dz Redcar. .... all Midld.Bradfd. all Northern and Eastern sp. c. all Do. 6 per ct.. all Do. Fixed sp. c all Prest. & Wyre 14 Do. Shares. LOO Roystn. & Hit. 1.00 Do.Shepth.St. 18 Shef. Roth. & Goole g. 5. p . c 94 S. Staffordsh.. all WearValleygr __ _6 per cent ... all IDo LOU (Wilts &Somrst Leasing Compans, London dz N. West.l Gt.Westn Do D 0........ D 0....... L. &N.W. Caledon.., iGt.Notrh n !Gt. Westn. lealedon IDo Yk. New. Berw.. D 0....... Do .. S. Eastern Do Norfolk Do ...... Lu.drN.W. & Midld. Stcktou & Darlingt. Midland... Count. D 0....... Do .. L. & . .&Ln& Yk Do Do ........ Lancash. di Yorksh .. MrMClean Stockt. di Darling.. Do - IGt. Westn FOREIGN. Paid! RAILWAYS. 3 Antwerp&Rotterdam l 3 BelgianEastn. Juliet. all Charleroi & Erquelin all Demerara 6 Dijon and Besanqon 8 Dutch Rhenish all East Indian all Gt. Indian Peninsula 4 Gd. Junct.ofle ante IN Gt.Westeru of Canada Shares Do.Bds.(lst i55.)1857 Do.Bds. (2d i55.)1862 14 Luxembourg. 10 Do. (Railway) 1i Do. 21 Do. (Canal) 5 Lyons & Mediterran 4} Madras 29 !Maria Antonia,. 10 Do. New all Namur & Liege (with interest) all Do. (ex interest) all Northern of France all Do. 201. 3 p. c. Bds (fmy. B. &Ams. Shs.) all NorwegianTrunkprefl 11 Orleans & Bordeaux 10 Paris and Lyons 28 Do. Bonds all Paris and Orleans all Paris and Rouen 50 5 [OO 25 all Paris and Strasbourg 4 ParisCaen& Cherbrg. 2i Quebec &Richmond.. all Rouen and Havre.... all Sambre and Meuse... 4 Southern of France.. 4 St. And. &Quebee(A) 17 Tours and Nantes.... - -.... 2s. Upper India Scrip,., all West Flanders .. ...... 4 Do. 5i per e. Pref.... 9 Western of Fiance... 2 West. of Switzerland air all Agna Fria all Anglo Californian .„ 2 Australasian 5 Australian all Australian Cordillera all Australian Freehold all Ave Maria all Baden (Gd. Duchy of) all. British Austrin. Gold 13.5 British Iron 244 Brazilianlmp.(issued at £5 pm all Do. Comes & Cuiada 15 Do. St. John Del Rey all Carsons's Creek all Cobre Copper 1 Colonial Gold 14 Copiapo . all English and Austin. Copper Smeltg. Co all General all Golden Mountain.., all Great Polgooth all Lake Bathurst all Liberty all Bond. &Californ. Gold Quartz Crush. Co all Mariquita ........ 9 Mexican&S.Amerien all New Granada all Nouveau Monde all Port Philip all Quartz Rock all Rhymme Iron 10i Santiago de Cuba all South Australian 7 Tin Croft . all United Mexican all Waller all West Mariposa all Yuba MISCEL: 35 'Australian Agricult 323 Canada 5 Crystal Palace.. 1 Eastern Steam. I 1 Electric Teleg. of Ir. 14 Gen. Steam Navigat, 50 General Screw Steam 23 Irish Beetroot Sugar 2 Netherlands Laud all Peninsular & Oriental 25 Do. Do. 5 CrystPalace of Prance 60 Royal Mail Steam 25 South Austral. Land 2 Cniveral Emigration and Colonization 283 Van Diemen' s L and 1 Submar. Telegraph 11 p P 4 p 7 —8 p Par 1 ) t p kP 10 12 4 * - 5 2 - 2i 29 -30 4i# - -42 i i P 1A 4ip 3 - 7 -7i 14 1 d; ... ... 1 d par 11 li p par i p 1 - lip - t 4 - P IP -- lhp 2 -20 y 26A -27 A 6 - 7 - p 10 - 12 -- 8i A - 11 P P :Otis '' 6o - 270 ,•• _ 5 - ... = co 19 .1-. 21 64 74 14 li i 4B 5 4'i 1 322' 67 70 GS} 70i LLOYD'S SHIPPING -(THIS DA Y.) LONDON, Jan. 11.—Wind at Noon, S.W., and fine clear dry weath er . LIVERPOOL, Jan. 10.—Wind, 5. Arrived—Elvira, Owen, New Orleans ; Walton, St. Domingo ; Grafton, Honduras ; William 111., do. fresh breeze, ; Sir Robert Peel, New Or leans ' • Provincialist, Phil a d e l phia. Sailed—Aukland, New Orleans ; Carthagena, C harleston.—Jan. 11. (By Wind, W. ' W otte . rdam, with a schooner in ; Ma ' rtha, Rio do la Hache. strong breeze, and clear. OA E lffreiqrtvri3ir Port—Pelican T e ci l i e eo g r liw a cna p n, h ;o tow. Calcutta 'Port Natal ; Sapphire, Gelong ; S.W., a gale. Arrived from the vv ;London, Singa.- 110toiDrveeEr;A—Synaolf1-Wind, Alice,W Lake, f i o n r d Sydney, Warrior, Africa ; Helen Munro, do.. Orion, do. ; Brown, New Orleans ; Victory, Savannah ; Wm. Stetson, Boston, Sailed Rifleman, South Seas. Put back—Rifleman, South Seas ; San Francisco, Sydney, N.S.W. MILFORD, Jan. 10.—The Queen Adelaide and the Mary Ann have been got off shore. SHIELDS, Jan. 10.—The Robert and Ellen of this port was abandoned in a sinking state, Dec. 29, off the Naze of Norway ; crew saved and landed here. Tho Mary of Sun derland has been abandoned in a sinking state. Sailed — Mentor, New York. BERWICK, Jan. 10.—The Aid is on shore, and expected to be a total wreck. HARRINGTON, Jan. 10.— The Pilgrim and Earl of Dur ham are on shore. QUEBEC, Dec. 24.—The Mount Vernon (American ship), Saguenay to England, has been on shore, received consider able damage, and must winter hero and refit. PORTSMOUTH, Jan. 10. It has blown a hard ga l e a ll day, with every appearance of a dirty night. The outward bound ride safely. RAMSGATE, Jan. 10.—The Otter (s), London to Van couver's Island, requires her topsails caulked. JERSEY, Jan. 9.--Wind, W. Arrived—A me li a, Shop pigan. QUEENSTOWN, Jan. 9.—Arrived — Esther, Rio G ran d e . CHRISTIANSAND, Dec. 28.—The Twee Oreender, Dantzig to London, is leaky, disabled, and must refit. BOSTON, Dec. 28.—The wreck of a full rigged brig, water-logged and abandoned, was' passed near Cape Look out on the 19th inst. ; and the wreck of large vessel, and a piece of timber, marked " Hollander," in large gilt letters, was passed on the 24th of Nov., lat. 41, long. 25. DINNER TO AGED MEN AT PRESTWICIL—The aged men of Prestwich on New Year ' s Day were again for the sixth time entertained by the noblemen and gentlemen rsiding in the vicinity with a substantial old English dinner. Upwards of 140, whose average ages would be about 70 years, partook of the good cheer so liberally provided. Many still hale and hearty had seen more than four score winters, and none were under 60. • MURDERERS.—In the county of Middlesex alone, there were from 1810 to 1826, 34 criminals convicted of murder and executed, notwithstanding 188 murders were com mitted. From 1806 to '42, out of 27 convictions only 17 were hanged, and but 90 persons committed for the crime. In England and Wales, all who were convicted of murder in 1815, 'l7, 'lB, and '29, were executed, and in the four years following, the crime increased to 12 per cent. In 1536, '3B, '4O, and '42, 31 were executed out of 83 condemned, and in the succeeding years the crime of murder increased 17 per cent. MUNIFICENT ENDOWMENT. Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, B ar t., has endowed the church at Greenock with 3001. per annum, and 1001. for a curate, on con dition that daily service shall never cease to be per formed. THE DARIEN SHIP-CANAL. Busines: this day. 32 1 ex new This great undertaking, however, is not to be at once definitively brought forward for public sftpport. It ap pears that its promoters, duly impressed with the mag nitude of the enterprise, feel the necessity of proceeding with every possible caution, and that we hear it has been determined to have full corroboration of the surveys and plans before any attempt is made to carry out the pro ject. In this sense, it is stated a preliminary association will shortly be brought forward to raise 75,000/., which sum will be applied to depositing the caution money with the Government of New Granada, making a mule road across the proposed route, and making a second survey on the most detailed scale. Th e su b scr ib ers to this fund, it is stated, will have a prior claim to the shares in the great ship canal ; and as, it is under stood, a great number of influential names has already been placed on the subscription list, only a ■mall proportion of this 75,0001. will be raised from the general public. It would appear that the cos mopolitan character of the work is to be fully recog nised, and that, consequently, the co-operation of the chief commercial nations of the world will be enlisted In its support. It is even stated that measures will be adopted for obtaining direct assistance, probably in the shape of a guarantee on a portion of the capital, or the absorption on favourable terms of a portion of the shares, from great commercial states, including more especially Great Britain, France, and the United States. In ac cordance with the provisions of the Clayton and Bulwer treaty, the Governments of Great Britain and the United States will probably extend their joint protection to any company undertaking the construction of a ship canal, and Dr. Cullen states that the work will most likely be a united British and American enterprise. For the pre sent, however, as already stated, only a preliminary sub scription list is to be formed, to raise the comparatively insignificant sum of 75,0001., of which a large portion will be subscribed by the promoters, with a view to defi nitively maturing all the requisite arrangements for this great commercial enterprise. It is also confidently ex pected that a more minute examination of the route will show the formation of the country to be such that a great reduction may be made from the estimates hitherto formed as to the cost of the work. SINGULAR CASE OF ROBBERY.—On Saturday, in formation was given, with a description of Joseph Rogers, a miller, who had absconded from Whitehaven, charged with stealing a cash-box containing upwards of 901. He is a native of Egremont, in Cumberland, and on New Year's-eve was seen in a small plantation near that place looking anxiously about him, but, finding that he was observed, he made a precipitate retreat, and the spot where he had been standing being approached and examined, it was discovered that in his haste he had dropped between 501. and 601. in gold and silver. ROYAL ASSENT, &c.—The last time the prerogative of rejecting a bill, after passing both Houses of Parlia ment, was exercised, i n 1692, w h en William 111. refused his assent to the bill for Trienni a l Parliaments. Two years after, how ever , h e was i nduced to allow the bill to be come the law of th e land.--Notes and Queries, The attention of the leading merchants and capitalists of Great Britain has been for some months turned towards a scheme for the junction of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, by means of a ship canal to be cut through the Isthmus of Darien, between Port Eseosses on the Atlantic and San Miguel on the Pacific. The parties who have accorded their support to the project include many of the most well-known commercial, financial, and political names, and it appears that considerable progress has been made in the requisite arrangements. A full preliminary concession has already been obtained from the republic of New Granada ; a report has been pre sented by Messrs. Gisborne and Henry C. Forde, civil engineers, who were specially deputed to make a preli minary survey of the proposed route ; an extremely inte resting pamphlet upon the subject has' just been pub lished, written by Dr. Edward Cullen ; and the whole of the documents and plans have been privately circulated amongst the most influential merchants of. Great Bri tain. The route proposed is the shortest yet discovered, being only 39 miles across. The concessionaires are Sir Charles Fox, Messrs. John H en d erson an d Th omas Brassey, and Dr. Cullen. In the report addressed to these gentlemen by Messrs. Gisborne and Forde, three modes of effecting the inter-oceanic communication are presented, calculated to cost 12,000,0001., 7,000,0001., and 4,500,0001. respectively, but for the two last-named sums only a very inefficient canal could be constructed, involving the necessity of locks, and mechanical appli ances on an immense scale. On the other hand, the deep cutting canal, the estimated cost of which is twelve mil lions sterling, would be no less than 30 feet deep at low tide, 140 feet broad at the bottom, and 160 feet at low water's surface. Such a cutting, it is stated, carried from sea to sea, is not larger than the trade of the world requires, and would fo rm a p ermanen t , sa f e, and rapid mode dtransit. The material to be cut through is de scribed as being chiefly rock—a stratified shale, with thinnish beds—which, though easy to cut through, would form an excellent side lining to the canal, and render the cost of its maintenance merely nominal. This, accord ingly, is the description of canal which the engineers state they can confidently recommend to their employers, and it is to the furtherance of this project that so much at tention is being directed. By the route proposed great ad vantage is taken of the natural formation of the coast. and the rivers Savannah and Caledonia will also be of essential service. This portion of the Isthmus of Darien is likewise stated to be in one of the most healthy dis tricts, owing to the absence of swamps or overflowings of the river banks out of the range of the tide, and to the generally dry c h arac t er o f t h e surrounding 'district. Up to the present time it is somewhat remarkable that, although so much attention and writing has been devoted to this question of inter-oceanic communication, very little progress has in reality been made towards carrying it out. The agitation in favour of the Nicaragua canal route was the most remarkable yet noticed, but the scheme appears to have definitely fallen to the ground, nor has any succeeding project as yet met with influen tial support. According to its chart,er the Nicaraguan Canal' Company was bound to construct a canal suffi ciently large to accommodate vessels of all dimensions, .whereas the surveys and estimates that have met the public eye are all framed for the construction of a canal only 17 feet deep, 50 feet wide at the bottom, and 118 at the top. A work of this nature would be ludicrously inadequate to meet the requirements of the very vessels for the accommodation of which it is especially designed, that is to say, those engaged in trade with the East and the Pacific coast. As the cost of so inadequate a canal by the Nicaraguan route would be considerably upwards of six millions sterling, it is by no means sur prising that the capitalists of England and America, have refused to commit themselves to the undertaking. It is obvious that no attempt must be made to construct 'so gigantic a work as a canal of communication between the Atlantic and Pacific unless there is every prospect of the work being executed in a manner calculated to accom modate the commerce of the entire world. For a canal of the large dimensions required it does not appear that the Nicaraguan route affords any facilities, unless, in deed, the parties engaged were determined to vanquish every obstacle regardless of cost, in which case the capital sunk in the work would probably be so enormous that the undertaking would at once be divested of all pretensions to a remunerative character, the engineering obstacle--includin g the construction of harbours at points where nature presents no facilities for such works, and the damming of the lake and river San Juan—being of the most serious nature. In the facts that, out of the twelve years within which the entire canal was to be completed, according to the terms of the charter, there have already elapsed without any commencement of operations, and that the spe c i a l pro t ect i on accorded to the Canal Com pany by the instrument known as the Clayton and Bul wer treaty was forfeited in July, 1851, we have further proof of the total failure of the Nicaraguan Canal scheme. This isthmus of Darien ship canal is accordingly brought forward, and the statements of its promoters are cer tainly of the most favourable character. By the pro posed deep canal, it is stated that the transit of the largest vessels from sea to sea could be effected in five hours instead of two days, as by the Nicaragua route. The promoters enumerate the shortness of the route, the excellence of its harbours, the low elevation of the land, the absence of bars at the Savannah and Tuyra mouths, the depth of water and great rise of tide in the former, its directness of course and freedom from obstructions, the healthiness of the adjacent country, the exemptions of the coast from northers and hurricanes, the feasibility of cutting a canal without locks, and the general absence of engineering difficulties, as fully justifying them in asserting that it is the shortest, the most direct, safe, and expeditious, and in every way the most eligible route for intermarine communication for.large ships. One of the not least important advantages possessed by this route, it may be observed, is the entire absence of political diffi culties, the territory in question being universally recog nised as a part of the extensive Republic of New Granada. As regards the benefits that would be derived from the execution of a ship-canal on the scale proposed, very little difference of opinion exists, the suffrages of the entire mercantile world being in its favour. The vast flaying of time that would be effected by the adoption of such a passage would enable ships to make two voyages where they now make one ; other great benefits, consist ing in the saving of expense in their navigation, of wear and tear, of interest on the value of ship and cargo, of insurance on ship, cargo, and freight, and in a great diminution of shipwrecks and loss of life at sea. The saving of time is not merely to be estimated from the direct diminution of the distance to be traversed between Europe and America and the east and west coasts of the Pacific, and vice versa, kit also from the avoidance of the loss of time occasioned by calms in the low lati tudes, hard gales off the Capes, the very long tacks to the eastward and westward, and beating against the trade winds and monsoons. Another great bene fit to shipping would consist in the facility with which they could re-victual, or take in water or coal arrangement by which they would have a much larger portion of their capacity available for the stowage of merchandise. It is further expected that the emigrants to Australia would take the Isthmus route, as Sydney could be reached by steam in from 50 to 55 days from Southampton, and that would also accommodate the rapidly extending trade with that important portion of the British empire. The prospec tive advantages to New Granada are so immense, that not a doubt can be entertained of a continuance of the cordial co-operation already accorded by the Government to the ship canal project. The scheme indeed involves the regeneration of that portion of the American con tinent, as the uncultivated and uninhabited tracts in the vicinity of the canal territory would be quickly covered vAth population, and the necessities of commerce would scion establish large commercial cities at the termini of the canal. New Granada would thus take much higher ground in the family of nations, and in the increased value of the lands and every description of security or property connected with that republic, there is ample room for speculation to reap a rich return. 1267 3 75 Business done this day. pm. x.n NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. MA JAN. 2. In naval matters th ere i s b ut little news. LTA, Two of the steamers lately employed in the packet-service are or dered home —the Medina, Lieutenant Reynolds, and the Banshee, Lieutenant Hoskin. The former will leave on Wednesday morning, with invalids ; and Lady Dundas proceeds by her to join her husband at Gibraltar. The departure of the Banshee is not fixed. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Ripon arrived here on the afternoon of Thursday last, and moored to her buoy at half-past 4 p.m. In proof of ' the rapidity of her dispatch for Alexandria, we need but observe that she left port at a quarter past 11 o'clock, having remained here only six hours ind th ree quarters. During this period she discharged her mails and 180 p . ackages, comprising carriages, bale goods, cases, &c. She also received on board the Indian mails brought by the Banshee from Marseilles, as well as the local bags, 177 tons of coal, 35 tons of water, 325 chests of opium. watches, &c., 86 packages of treasure, and her sea stock of provisions. The Indus, on a former occasion, received dispatch in six hours after her arrival, and at night-time, she having got in at 8 o'clock and left at 2 o'clock a.m. The Tiger left port on Thursday last for Tunis. The Artesian (Austrian schooner) arrived on the 31s ult. from Tunis. PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 10. Capt. George Bohun Martin, C. 8., late of her Ma jesty's ship Vi c t or y, i s appointed to succeed Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas, C. 8., as Supe r i n t en d en t o f h er Ma jesty's Docky ar d at Deptford. This intelligence has na turally created th% most lively satisfaction in this port, as during the time Captain Martin fulfilled the duties of Flag-Captain to the late Commander-in-Chief he endeared himself by his kindness, courtesy, and hospitality to all who enjoyed his acquaintance. His premature removal was a subject of the deepest regret. Fearfully foul weather has again set in upon us. At 10 a.m. half a gale got up from the southward, accom panied by a soaking rain, which continued till sunse t. There has been but little communication with the squadron at Spithead. Phaeton and Simoom have not got under weigh, nor could it answer any purpose to do so ; in fact, nothing short of the most urgent necessity could warrant their putting out to sea in such frightful weather. Dragon, 6, paddle-wheel steam-frigate, having cop pered up to the 14-foot mark, hauled out of the north dock and into the steam basin. Every preparation is being made for the early launch ing of the after body of the Marlborough. The iron stringing was cut through this day. A court-martial, consisting of Rear-Admiral A. L. Corry, commanding the Channel Squadron, president ; Captains Graham, C. 8., of the Rodney ; Lord Edward Russell, of the Vengeance ; Mundy, of the London ; E. H. Scott, of the Neptune ; Henderson, C. 8., of the Bleheim ; Kingcomo of the Simoom ; Elliot, of the Phaeton ; Sheppard, of the Victory ; King, of the Leander ; Fremantle, of the Arrogant ; Goldsmith, of the Sidon ; Hutton, of the Prince Regent ; and Mr. George L. Greetham, Deputy-Judge -Advocate of the Fleet, assembled this morning on board the Victory, to try Patrick Brady, aged 27, a private of Marines belong ing to the Woolwich division, forming one of the detach ment serving on board the Leander, 50-gun frigate, for highly mutinous and insubordinate conduct, in having threatened the life of his superior officer, Sergeant Saunders of the Royal Marine corps, serving also in the detachment (on board the Leander. It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner (who has only been in the Marine corps five years, having enlisted on the 23d of July, 1847) has been a troublesome and mutinous cha racter, and that just before the date of the present charge he had been guilty of grossly insolent and insubordinate conduct, which was officially "reported" by Sergeant Saunders, upon which report the prisoner received three dozen lashes. This punishment seems to have formed the groundwork in the prisoner's mind for the expressed in tention of murdering the author of it, as will be seen by the following testimony : Sergeant James James de posed, that on the morning of the 3d of January inst., he was standing at the bottom of the main ladder on board of the Leander ; the prisoner was there washing himself ; he stood up, and pointing towards Sergeant Saunders (who was on the port side of the deck), and then pointing towards his pouch, said "The first ammu nition I get int) my pouch, I'll blow your brains out." Witness again saw prisoner, while receiving cor poral punishment, turn round, and, looking towards Sergeant Saunders (who was then sergeant of the guard) heard him say, "The that brought me to thi s — I'll send him to hi s grave b e f ore sunset.' Prisoner was placed in irons after that. This evidence was corrobo rated by several other witnesses. The prisoner asked none of the witnesses any questions, and had no defence to offer, except that from the time they took him out of irons till they placed him in again he did not know what he was about. The Court was then cleared for the members to deliberate. It remained closed for upwards of an hour. On re-admission, the Judge-Advocate pronounced the charge fully proved, and recited the sen tence of the Court, which was "That the prisoner receive 48 lashes on his bare back, and be imprisone for 18 months in the county gaol of Hampshire, at I' cheater " The Vengeance, 84, Captain Lord Edward Russell, is to proceed to Plymouth, instead of coming into this harbour to refit. PLYMOUTH, JAN 9. We have a favorable change in the weather ; the wind is now a point to the north of west, and the sea has gone down considerably. Vulture, steamer, Captain Glasse, has drawn her charts for the Channel. She went.out of harbour on Saturday, and is now in the Sound. An alarm of fire was raised this morning on board the barque Duncan, unloading timber in Stonehouse Pool. It appears on lighting the fire proper precaution was not taken, and the funnel took fire, which being very foul, the flame rose to a great height, and was also communi cating with the woodwork near it. Boats were soon on the move, but as there was assistance from the other ships moored in the tier, the fire was extinguished before their arrival. WOOLWICH, JAN. 10. The Imperieuse, 50, screw steam-frigate, Captain R. B. Watson, C. 8., having been reported ready for trial, and to go round to Chatham to be masted, rigged, and made ready for sea at that port, the detachment of Royal Marines of the Woolwich division ordered for service in her march from their barracks to the dock yard, headed by the fine band of the division, and under the command of Brevet-Major Stransham, with Lieutenant Tomlin, the officers of the Royal Marines appointed to the Imperieuse. The band continued playing on the wharf wall of the basin while the Royal Marines embarked on board the frigate. Colonel Ellis, C.B. ' Commandant of th e W oo l w i c h di v i s i on, ac companied Major Stransham and the detachment to the place of embarkation, and subsequently went on bob.rd the Imperieuse, and was present while Captain Watson inspected the men selected for service on board the frigate. After the inspection, Capt. Watson expressed to the Colonel-Commandant his approbation of the ex cellent appearance of the detachment, the men having arrived in heavy marching order ; and they were imme diately placed for duty on board the ship. At 10 minutes before 2 o'clock p.m., the Imperieuse, having previously her steam up, steamed out of the basin by back turns of her screw, and on entering the river immediately started for her trial trip, the screw almost getting up to full speed at starting, and on pro ceeding down the river the engines worked remarkably well, making up to 68 revolutions per minute with the greatest ease, and causing the Imperieuse to leave the Monkey and African steam-ships, sent to attend her, far behind. Captain Watson, with all the officers, was on board, and Capt. Hood, R.N., Lieut. Robertson, of the steam department afloat at Woolwich ; Mr. Dinnen, inspector of steam machinery afloat • Mr. Taplin, secon d assistant to the chi e f eng i neer at Woolwich dockyard ; Mr. John Penn, Mr. Mathew, and Mr. Hartroes, of the firm ofJohn Penn and Son, the constructors of her engines of 360-horse power, on the patented trunk principle by that firm, and so successful in the Arrogant steam frigate ; and Mr. F. P. Smith, long connected with the , introduction of the screw-propellor into the naval ser vice. The Imperieuse went down the river in fine style, and ultimately left the Monkey and African far out of sight, and, on testing the speed of the Imperieuse at the measured mile, it was found to be upwards of 10i knots per hour, the engines working most satisfactorily, without the slightest symptom of heating or anything going wrong. On casting anchor below Gravesend this afternoon all on board were much gratified with the manner in which she was brought up, as, notwithstand her size, she appears as manageable as a small boat ; but a look on board would at once afford evidence that she is a most powerful vessel, with ample room to mount and work with freedom guns of theas he largest r nh_ g i ae thess o t nf c oh ali ldsi b opb r ue e bas . ; Her armament will 'consist of 8 guns, each 9 feet in length, and weighing 65 cwt., with an 8-inch bore, and 22 32-pounders of 56 cwt ., and 9 feet 6 inches long each. On the upper deck she will have one pivot gun of 95 cwt., and 10 feet in length, for 68 -pound shot, or 10-inch shell (already mounted) ; two prBme-ivnaenc: guns of 65 cwt. each, and 18 32-pounders of 45 cwt. each, and 8 feet 6 inches long each. Captain Watson very popular in the service, and has had the offer of n I v B gr t :test ease men, but he has declined them, so a t s he no other o f being his s their sh i p withcrews, ll numberjoi leay.e Gravesend at by the time she is ready for seeaa.nwdilwiAl. hcahnadtistawme,refoorn which h e p to o - r d t ay sh , the Med daylight to-morrow ;but, previous to going up way, she will be tried several runs between the Nore and Mouse Lights, to test her speed in deep water. The Resistance troop-ship, er Commander Brad- Itshaw, will not be ready at this : o t .' h rt to receive troops on a y r board preventf o r at letrasootll3sohdeainygs f h r u mn . P k d i a n t r, T a h n i ds whosenotice other places under orders to Termedm ba ls i o . n from Dublin and commanding officers may be misled by the notice which appeared in some of the naval and military papers that she would be ready for their reception on the 13th inst. Assistant-Engi APPOINTMENT. screw steam neer William Pil c h er to t h e Hogue guard-ship at Plymonth. PROMOTIONS. Second Master William H. Harris (1845), acting mas ter of the Waterwitch 8, sloop, on the West Coast of Africa s t a ti on, is confirmed in the rank of Master ; Alfred Balli s t on (18 47), acting master, born book s o f the Royal Victoria and Albert steam; aon cht for service in th e F a i ry steam-yacht, is confirmed in the rank of Master. THE WEST INDIA SQUADRON. We have letters this afternoon from the above squad ron. The following were the latest movements : The Cumberland, 7 0 , tlag of V i ce-Admiral Sir George Seymour, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief, was towed cat of Bermuda harbour on the 27th of November by the Devastation steam-sloop, 6, Commander C. Y. Camp bell, who parted company on the following day, the Cumberland proceeding to Barbadoes, and the Devasta tion to St. Thomai's, for the Admiral's dispatches from England, which did not arrive until the Bth of Decem ber, when she took on the B ar badoes mails, an d re j o i ned the flag-ship at Trinidad. The Dauntless, 28', screw-frigate, Captain Halsted, by these accounts, had lost 16 officers and 60 of her crew by yellow fever. The ship's company had encamped on shore at Barbadoes, and the decease was abating, the cases being daily fewer and less violent. On the 13th of December the Cumberland, 70 (flag).; the' Calypso, 20, Captain Forbes; the Highflyer, 21 (screw), C a pt a i n M a t son ; an d the Devastation, were at Trinidad. All well except the Highflyer, which had about 14 cases of fever on board, and had lost three men. Captain Matson had been ill, but was better when the packet sailed. On the 13th the Calypso sailed for La Guayra and the Devastation for Antigua, the lat ter soon to rejoin the Admiral. The Daring, 12, Commander Napier, had been with the Admiral also, but sailed on the 12th for Grenada-- all well. The following is a list of the changes among the officers of the squadron in consequence of the death vacancies : To THE DAUNTLESS. Mates.—Messrs. A. 0. Sutton, C. G. Lindsay, and W. H. Jones, of the Cumberland, to be Lieutenants. Chief Engineer.—Mr, G. M. Burt, of the third class, serving in the Devastation, to be chief of the second class in the Dauntless. TO THE IIIAUM. Mate.—Mr. John Jenkins, of the Devastation, to be Acting-Lieutenant, vice W. J. Smith, to the Scorpion, vice IL Kelham, deceased. TO THE CALYPSO. Mate.—Mr. F. J. Wilson, to be Acting-Lieutenant, vice E. Algar, invalided. Mr. Benjamin Bennett, of the Devastation,. to be car penter, vice the for mer car p en t er , invalided. TO THE DEVASTATION. Mr. W. Rains, to be acting-carpenter, vice Bennett, removed on promotion. Lieutenant C. R. Robson, additional of the Cumber land, has volunteered to do duty on board of, and is lent to, the Dauntless. HER MAJESTY'S SHIP _DAUNTLESS. We have b een f avoure d b y t h e Admiralty with the following :- Nominal list of cases of fever and death of officers and men of H.M.S. Dauntless, from November 8 to De• cember 6, 1852. Arthur C. Cooper, mate, November 17, yellow fever. William Simpson, mate, November 17, ditto. James J. Henwood, assistant-engineer, 3d class, Nov. 18, ditto. Alfred Neale, lieutenant, Nov. 22, ditto. Alexander Langlands, chief engineer, Nov. 22, ditto. Henry T. Nuttal, second master, Nov. 23, ditto. W. W. H. Richards, assistant-engineer, 3d class, NOV. 24, ditto. Charles Martin, assistant engineer, 2d class, Nov. 25, do. Ross Moore Floud, senior lieutenant, Nov. 28, ditto. Joseph Crispin, midshipman, bee. 1, ditto. Charles Kent, lieutenant, Dec. 2, ditto. St. George C. S. Davis, assistant engineer, 2d class, Dec. 2, ditto. Edwin Death, passed clerk, Dec. 6, ditto. William Yates, boy, 2d class, recovered. 'John Last, boy, lst class, ditto. James Buist, captain mizentop, Nov. 17, died on way to hospital. Thomas Wilding, A. 8., Nov. 14, died abroad. Thomas Williams, carpenter's crew, Nov. 13, ditto. Henry Scott, R.M.., Nov. 14, ditto. Edward Conroy, R.M.A., recovered. James Baxter, R.M., ditto. John Lupphen, R.M., ditto. Mat. Eagan, R.M., Nov. 15, died aboard. Richard Neale, R.M., recovered. Henry Allnutt, A.8.,N0v. 17, di e d at hospital. James Arthur, sick oy attendant, still at hospital. John Smith, A. 8., Nov. 19, died at hospital. John Strugnell, boatswain's mate, recovered. William Hebditch, R.M., Nov. 14, died aboard. George 'Weston, ordinary, recovered. John Hellendale, ordinary, recovered. Daniel Colson, A. 8., recovered. William Oliver, boy, 2d class, ditto. John St agg , b oy, 2d class, Nov. 17, died at hospital. Mr. A. Cowper, mate, Nov. 17, died aboard. Mr. W. Simpson, mate, Nov. 17, died on way to hospital. William Evans, A. 8., recovered. William Elsay, ship steward's assistant, Nov. 16, died on board. William Tucker, R.M., Nov. 16, ditto. William Howard, ordina Charles All er t on, R.M. ry, still at hospit a l. , Nov. 16, died aboard. Henry Elliot, ordinary, Nov. 17, died at hospital. William Crossman, boy; lst class, recovered. William Bird, boy, Ist class, Nov. 17, di e d a b oard. Dennis Cogl an , A . 8.. Nov. 18, died at hospital. James Lightfoot, blacksmith, Nov. 21, ditto. Robert Wilson, R.M., Nov. 17, died aboard. Robert Braine, boy 2d class, recovered. Thomas Williams, A. 8., recovered. Mr. J. Crispin, midshipman, Dec. 1, second seizure, died at hospital. Mr. Starr, Ist lieutenant R.M.A. Mat. Hogan, boy, 2d class, Nov. 18, died at hospital. W. Leverett, boy, 2d class, Nov. 20, died at hospital. Mr. A. Langlands, chief engineer, Nov. 22, died at hospital. Charles Day, stoker, Nov. 20, di e d at h ospital. Duncan Manson, leading stoker, recovered. Jem. M`Carthy, A. 8., recovered. Thomas Head, ship's cook, Nov. 24, died at hospital. Henry Allen, caulker's mate, recovered. Mr. H. Neale, lieutenant, Nov. 22, died at hospital. Benjamin Webb, ordinary, recovered. Mr. Seccombe, clerk, recovered. Ambrose Archer, boy 2d class, Dec. 1, died at hospital. Patrick Sullivan, ordina r y, recovered. Mark Arnold, A . 8.,! ditto. Pat. Driscoll, ordinary, recovered. Sam. Johnson, A. 8., ditto. William Swain°, sailmaker's crew, Nov. 24, died at hospital. Edward Spearing, A. 8., recovered. Henry Doggett, stoker, Nov. 24, died at hospital. John Dorey, carpenter's crew, recovered. Rev. Mr. Edwards, chaplain, ditto. Mr. Nuttall, second master, Nov. 23, died at hospital. Mr. Richards, assistant eng i neer, Nov. 24, ditto. Henry Sumpter, boy, Ist class, Nov. 25, ditto. William Lyall, stoker, Nov. 25, ditto. Thomas Joyce, ditto, still at hospital. John Wakeham' . A.B, recovered. Joseph Irwing, R.M., ditto. William Porter, stoker, still at hospit a l. Mat. B oo th, b oy, Ist class, ditto. William Pass, R.M., ditto. Mr. Floud, lieutenant, Nov. 25, died at hospital. John Flynn, ordinary, Nov. 25, ditto. Wm. Fowl, R.M., still at hospital. Mr. Parker, master, still at hospital. Mr. Martin, assistant engineer, Nov. 25, died at hospital. Mr. Henwood, ditto, Nov. 18, ditto. Charles Vanam, boatswain's mate, still at hospital. John Kinchin, R.M., Nov. 25, died at hospital. Mr. O'Connell, midshipman, recovered. Joseph Williams, ordinary, still at hospital. John Spraggs, R.M. ditto. Robert Higginson, Nov. 26, died at hospital. Thomas Fleming, R.M.A., Nov. 29, ditto. John Reed, fifer, Nov. 29, ditto. Henry Fr am pt on , A. 8., s t i ll a t h osp i ta l . Mr. Twis s , m id s hip man , ditt o. John Page, sailmaker's mate, Dec. 2, died at hospital. James Venables, captain's steward, still at hospital. Mat. Fitvrerald, midship man ' s steward, Dec. 2, died at hospital.' Mr. Davis, assistant-engineer, Dec. 2, ditto. George Barber, R.M ., st i ll at hospital. Mr. Kent, lieutenant, Dec. 2, died at hospital. Samuel Robson, RaVI., stilLat hospital. Mr. Armstrong, lieutenant, recovered. Freeland Levett, stoker, still at hospital. Peter Sheridan, ordinary, Dec. 5, hospital, John Roberts, A.B. still at hospital,William at John Jones, A. 8., ditto. Thorn,William Payne beaoyulk2der,eldiaststo, 'still at hospit a l. Dec. 6 died a t hospit a l . nary, still at hospital. William Ba ssett FMrra.nDciseaLthe,hy,ordi 3 clerk, James Murray, st o k er . William Olive r , b o , RY.,m2d,30 c l ass, ditto, sec on d se i zure. l ec. 6, died at hospital. pital. James Strugnell, captain stiinmlizaetnhtoospp, it p l e . c. 5, died a t h os . Mr. Selby, raidsh• John K evin, R., ,man, still at h osp i ta l . Thoma s m r still at hospital. eera, stoker, still at hospital. Samuel Talbot R.M.A•, still at hos pital. John Sullivan, stoker, ;till at hospital. Charles Knight, gunner's mate, still at hospital. (Signed) G. V. SHYMOI7B. -Jae following letter f melancholy enough for itrsLlfin:_a surviving officer s peaks "My dear —, " Barbadoes, December 16, 1852 ' (In camp of 34th Regiment.) time to write the me to you. Poor fellow, his has j een —I know not whether --- has had lancholy duty of writing to relatives of our deceased mess and shipmates. He is very far from well, having had a severe fall into the afterhold. Out of the gun-room, for merly eleven, seven are alive; the two doctors and the paymaster are the only three that have not yet had the Myself aie attacks,dead but, f an d the yellow fever. lam sorry to say, although only half the ship's company are on board, there are daily fresh cases, f e ore I left plainly proving the disease to be in the ship. The people on shore, however, are suffering. The Adjutant - General was buried this morning, after 48 hours' illness. From our mess, Lieut. Floud, Lieut. Kent, Lieut. Neale, and poor hu hyar ' RevLa l i‘ a i i r i d . s E , d th w e ard ch i e e s f h e a n d gi s n h e a e rp r, got through. Poor Kent died in health to see me,. were buried b my f next :Ill ately d „ two from the midshipmen's mess, wh room ; and goodhad called in my quarters being only 30 Yard my bed • where 16 officers from the ill-fates rom th e was not very cheerinc, to heard sh i Aare b • buried. It them (firing over their the last sad rites .we have buried 58 mengraves). I think the paid to the after -part, or the and officers. The last 35 d a y s with the officers and would disease is in home in the • We are ordered never be so great There sPrin b to Bermuda, then are only tg,ut I know not how I think 40 se wo assistant engineers to get there. days. I ar nen and marines. ont of seven left. c, T hop e my ne .,,, . Rather severe in 35 i a m on the hi '''' 'll, will be more satisfactory, meat, who living in a tent with the 34th Regi• have behaved exceedingly well to all." 131 i I. ti.