The Sun. — London, England, 1857-04-22 00:00:00

ER MAJESTY'S THEATRE. EXTRA NIGHT, TO-MORROW, THURSDAY. FIRST NIGHT OF LA TRAVIATA. PICCOLOMINI, GIUGLINI, BENEVENTANO, POCCHINI. Opera—LA TRAVIATA. Ballet—LA ESMERALDA. For particulars, see bills. A limited number of Boxes in the Half-circle Tier have been specially reserved for the public, and may be had on applica tion at the Box-office. at the Theatre Colonnade, Haymarket. Price One Guinea and One Guinea and a Half each. ROY AL PRINCESS'S THEATRE, THIS EVENING, will be performed Shakespere's tragedy of KING RICHARD THE SECOND. Wing Richard 11., Mr. C. Kean ; Queen, Mrs. C. Kean. Preceded by A GAME OF ROMPS. T HEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. Lessee—Mr. J. B. Buckstone. Tirzw ARRANGEMENT OF PRICES OF A 'MISSION'. THIS EVENING, and during the week, the new Drama of A LIFE'S TRIAL. Messrs. Buckstone ' Comp ton Howe, W. Farren, Rogers ; Mesdames Reynolds, Poyn ter. Fitzwilliam, &c. After which, the snccessfu' Classical Love Story. un der the Apple-lation of ATAL NTA ; or, The Three Golden Apples : in which Miss M. Oliver will appear; also Miss M. Wilton, and Miss Ellen Ternan. Concluding with LENT) ME FIVE SHILLINGS. In future the prices will be : Orehestra Stalls (which may be retained the whole of the evening), 6s. each. (No charge for booking.) First Price. s. d. Second price. s. d. Dress Boxes 5 0 Tress Boxes 3 0 Upper Boxes ....... ... 3 0 Upper 80xe5..... . Pit . Lower Gallery 1 0 Lower Gallery 0 6 Upper Gallery 0 fNo half-price to Upper Gallery. T HEATRE ROYAL, A DELPHI Lessee—Mr. Ben. Webster. THIS EVENING, will be performed the new and original domestic sketch, entitled WELCOME, LITTLE STRANGER. Mr. Wright. Mr. Paul Bedford, &c. Followed by THE ELVES, in which Madame Celeste will perform After which, A NIGHT AT NOTTING-HILL, in which Mr. Wright and Paul Bedford will appear. OTRAND THEATRE.—Manager, M. T. .71 Payne.—THlS EVENING will be performed RUTH OAKLEY. After which, WILLIAM TELL (Burlesque.) Mesdames Leigh Murray. Cuthbert, Somers, (Ire. To conclude with a Farce. Commence at Seven. Stalls, 3s. ; Boxes, 2s. ; Pit, Is. ; Gallery, 6d. OYAL SURREY THEATRE, _I Lessees. Messrs. Shepherd awl Ores w ek. THIS EVENING, the new drama of FLORENCE; or, The Fatal Err , r. Characters by Messrs. Creswick, Norman, Charles, Miss Mortimer, &c. FolThwed by THE DUMB SAVOYARD AND HIS MONKEY. The Monkey, Mr. Flexmorc. After which, MIDAS. Apollo, with songs, Miss Poole. R OYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE. Lessee, Mr. Alfred Wigan. THIS EVENING, will he performed a new drama, called DADDY HARDACRE. Mr. Robson, Sze. The new drama, by Tom Taylor, Esq., A SHEEP IN WOLF'S CLOTHING. To conclude with THIEVES' ! THIEVES ! ! Messrs. F. Robson, G. Vining, dze. Commence at half-past Seven. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE. Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. THIS EVENING (24 week \. the hinblv successfnl Grand Military Spectacle, called THE FRENCH IN ALGIERS : or, The Battle of Constantine, introducing Mr. W. Cooke's admired Stud of trained Horses, kc. After which, Miss Kate Cooke will appear in the EQUES TRIAN ACTS in the CIRCLE. The performance of Signor Corelli and Family. To conclude with A RISIBLE FARCE. Commence at seven o'clock. Dress Boxes, 4s. ; Upper Boxes, 35.; Private Boxes, from 1/., no charge for booking ; Pit, 2e. ; Gallery, ls. ; Upper Gallery, 6d. Rex•office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West, Equestrian Director, Mr. W. Cooke, jun. CANTERBITRY HALL. Westminster-road.— OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow ing company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections from all the popular Operas, Madrigals, Choruses, Glees, Duets, fix., viz.: Miss E. Pearce, Mrs. J. Caulfield, Miss Bruner!, Miss Summers, and Madame Marietta ; Mr. J. Caulfield, Herr F. Jonghmans, it, Grover, T. Farrant, S. Jones. J. Barker, W. Melling. P. Corri. Senor Antonio M. de Solis, and E. L. Hime ; Masters Austin, Bennett, and Corti; Messrs. Sam Collins, E. Mackney, and C. J. Wilkins, Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks; harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun.; director, Mr. J. Caulfield, Commence at Seven o'clock pre cisely. Suppers, &c., until twelve o'clock. HIGR WATER AT LONDON BRTDGE. TEIS DAT—Morn. 5 min aft. 12—Evening 28 min. aft. 12 Tn-Mosuow—Morn. 50 min. aft. 12 —Evening 11 min.aft 1 TUE WEATHER—SUN Ormuz. APRIL 22. THERMOMETER, IN TUE SHADE. 61—highest since noon yesterday. 49 -lowest this morning and during the night. 53 —this day at noon. BAROMETER, 30'05 - falling. Wrirri.—N.W. to W. N.W. ; rather fresh and squally, with drizzling rain and dull weather. gib ‘) 43k , .0 - - t; )111,1( LONDON, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1857 As we stated yesterday, the most energetic efforts are being made to tempt the speculators of the Stock Exchange into transactions in relation to the Russian Railway scheme, which has just been introduced, under the auspices of Messrs. Rennes, Brothers, and Co., to the English market. Every inducement is at present held out. Appli cations for shares have been forwarded from France, Belgium, and other countries for English allotment., which, if bona fide, might be made under far more favourable circumstances in the immediate vicinities whore the par ties reside. The object, however, is to create a market by an artificial demand, and, to achieve that object, considerable sacrifices will be submitted to in the first instance. The moment, however, that men have been induced to deal, to the requisite extent, the illusion will be dispelled. The Continental " Stags," who have taken care that they will be indemnified, in any event will get out of the business on the best possible terms, and although they may apparently sustain losses of 2,3, or even 5 per cent., they will be speedily recouped, with handsome additions for " the use of their names," and the discredit that must necessarily attach thereto when the bubble has burst. The jobbers will then have the stock thrown on their hands, and have ample cause to deplore in sackcloth and ashes the ver dant credulity that betrayed them into such an untoward scrape. They may laugh to scorn the folly of the yokels who are victimised by the stale tricks of the ring-droppers, skittle sharpers, and benevolent gentlemen who have large sums of money to be handed over to the casual acquaintances of the beer-shop, who can give proof of respectability by exhibiting sums of money as a test of respectability. But there are "ring-droppers" on a gigantic scale, " duffers" who persuade them that some worthless article possesses sterling value, and that they can profitably exchange their hard cash for notes of the Bank of Elegance, or gilt counters. As we Stated, the first step is to create a mar- The same may be said of the required guar ket ! When that has been accomplished the rest an tees respecting the administration of the necessarily and spe e dil y f o ll ows. The " green ecclesiastical property and the maintenance of cer goose" is virt ua ll y plucked at the very moment tain benevolent institutions, in which C LICQUOT when he fondly imagines that ho has realised affects to feel an interest. They are merely loop handsome profit., and has perhaps i‘p/acens uxor" to a "duck of a bonnet" or a 1 of the Canton, which can do him no good, handsome silk dress, on the strength of the ima , but may be highly injurious to the safety ginary gains. Shares are quoted at a pre- of Switzerland. No good can possibly mime!, and the gull, feeling assured that he arise from the so-called "protection" so can obtain an allotment, sells shares which he greatly loved by despots. It is something has net in possession, thinking. that he can 1 analogous to the " p ro t ec ti on " afforded by the realise a n d c u t the transaction b e f ore the l wolf to the lamb, that invariably ends in the des inevitable blow-up. But be has reckoned without struction of the nenker hasty. It should, there his h os t. Th e prem i um w ill no t he paid before 1 fore, be unhesitatingly rejected by Switzerland. a settling She has already yi e lded t oo muc h . If ' firm, she day has been appointed by the Com mittee of the Stock Exchange ; a matter that must be sustained and really " protected" by may probably be deferred ad ci rc reas Calendas, France and England, notwithstandin g the suspi or, according t o th e vernacular, until " to-morrow 1 cious interference of the EMPEROR, or the non com() never." Mean w hil e , th e d upe app li es f o r 1 templated matrimonial alliance between the Prince an allotment of a far larger number of shares than of Pntessse and the Princess Royal of ENGLAND. is required for the fulfilment of his contract, in If, then, the problem cannot be satisfactorily the expectation of getting only a portion of that solved, let her fling diplomacy to the winds and for which he has asked. The moment the deposit entrench herself firmly in her mountain fortresses. has been made and the letter despatched his doom , CLIGQUOT will pause b e f or he assumes the offen pronounced, his fate k ealed. R e h as actually I i siva in a matter where he must encounter LEE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 22, 1857. lodged a considerable sum—possibly borrowed— which he cannot afford to lose. He has tampered with the Demon and must go on ! From that time forth he will have no rest. Whatever may be the result of his application, he is chained hand and foot. If he gets the full amount for which he has asked, he has a larger number of shares than he can dispose of on favourable terms, and, even supposing that the settling day will be appointed within reasonable time, and that the purchaser fulfils his contract like a gentleman, he will lose more on the balance than he gains on the shares that he has sold at a premium, and will be personally responsible for the payment of future instalments. But even that would perhaps be the most auspicious phase of the transaction. The parties may have decided on a deeper game. It may suit their purpose to draw the victim farther on. A small portion only may be granted, and in such casehe will be compelled to buy in the market at 2 or 3 premium what he his engaged to deliver at I or 1. Here there will be a loss at the very com mencement, and few have the strength of mind to submit thereto, and shake off the first entangle• ment. Convulsive efforts will be made to get back the original stake, but every plunge will merely sink him deeper in the mire, until every hope has vanished, and his ruin is accc.mplished. "Cest /c Premier pas qui coute." It is the first step that must be avoided. The " Russian Railway Swindle" should be expressly tabooed. It is " the unholy thing" that should not be touched under any circumstances—the " pitch" that must defile those who touch it, that will still cling to their fingers, no matter what efforts they make at purification. We implore our country men, then, to be cautious. They have artful men to deal with, men with ample capital, who will care but little for temporary sacrifices if they can induce parties to engage in the unequal game. The very thimbleriggers will let their victims win the first stake, although certain of eventually stripping them of their last shilling. Lot the public, then, beware of the Muscovite sharpers. They are fully warned, and if they now suffer themselves to be defrauded they can cxpect neither sympathy nor condolence from the com munity at large. Their greediness will meat its just rewari. An avenging Nemesis will punish their unpatriotic cupidity. The Neuchatel Conference still continues, but the prospect of a satisfactory arrangement is more remote than ever. Prussia still continues her un tenable demands—endeavours to wring a good round sum from the hard hands of the Confedera tion, and to compel it to sacrifice its independence and honour to the so-called dignity of the peddling Monarch. They have too late discovered the folly of placing their faith in Princes. As well might a simple house-bolder appoint a com mittee of old clothes' men tc value the stock which a confederate was anxious to obtain, as the Republic refer their cause to the arbitration of high and mighty despots who possess no feelings in com mon with themselves. They had the game in their own hands. They had within their power those who attempted to erect the standard of in surrection in their dominions, and to disturb the pear Ifni community. Those who committed si milar offences in Prussia would experience the tender mercies of the axe, the gibbet, or the fusillade, or a protracted imprisonment, under circumstances scarcely conceivable in England. But when it was only the sanctity of a Re public that was invaded then even a trial could not be tolerated. Prussia, the faineant whom no sense of honour or decency could stimu late to action during the Russian War, must avenge her injured dignity against the inoffensive peopl:—who brought to trial those who assailed the constituted authorities, and endeavoured to subvert the de facto Government. The first demand is that FREDERICK WILLIAM should still retain the empty title of Prince of Neuchatel ! Why, this was the sole cause of the existing difficulty. It was because he assumed that designation that the complications arose, and fresh dangers must arise from the continued assumption, especially if it be recognised by the Confederation. It will be the drawn sword sus pended over their heads, which may fall at any moment that it may suit the purposes of the quasi Prince to produce a conflict. It may be said that the Kings of England assumed that of France also until the time of GEORGE 111., and that King BOMBS, still retains that of Jerusalem. But the Governments of France and Jerusalem did not officially sanction the ridiculous claims, nor did they liberate rebels, who strove to render the nominal titles practical advantages. Switzerland may afford a smile of contempt at the claim ; but the moment they sanction it in any way they expose themselves to the repetition of attempts of a similar character to the abortive one of Count PONTALES, the ex-aide-du-camp of King CLICQUOT, the soi-disant Prince of Neuchatel. If any concession is to be made on this point it should be by Prussia. If FREDERICK WILLIAM be willing to surrender the substance, as he declares himself to be, he should :Aso yield the shadow —and not strive to create a Swiss " SenEmiL," who must always pain fully feel the loss of the necessary appendage—valueless to CLICQUOT, but of inesti mable consequence to the ether parties concerned. A pecuniary indemnity is also claimed An indemnity for what ? Not for private property held by the KING in hisindividual capacity, but for state possessions attached to and inseparable from the Government. Private property would, of course, be respected. We know but little of Swiss sen timents if they would retain it under any possible circumstances. But to concede the demand would be to confess themselves wrong-doers ab to acknowledge that they did not possess the authority that they have so long exercised. The indemnity, too, must be relinquished. It cannot be maintained with credit, nu yielded withou dishonour. the opposition of France and England; and where if even left to fight it out with . Switzerland, she might have but little to boast of as to the final results of the conflict. CHARLES the Bold re ceived a painful lesson, that should not be thrown away on FREDERICK WILLIAM the Timid." HEALTH OF THE DUCHESS OF GLOU- CESTE.R. The following bulletin was issued this morning : " Gloucester House, April 22, 8 a.m. "Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester had some sleep in the early part of the night, but has since been much embarrassed in her breathing. (Signed) "FRANCIS HAWKINS, M. D. " ROBERT EERGI7SON, M.D." The Duchess of Ragusa, the widow of Marshal Mar mont, whose posthumous memoirs have occasioned so much sensation, is just dead. The Grand Duke Constantine arrived at Toulon on Monday afternoon, and was received with the usual honours by Admiral Trehouart and the naval authorities. There were no speeches. His Imperial Highness dined with the Maritime Prefect. The East India and China Association have published their usual comparative statement of the number of ships, British and foreign, with their aggregate tonnage, entered inward and cleared outward, with cargo, from and to places within the limits of the East India Com pany's charter, from the Ist of January to the 31st of March, 1856 and 1857. The Independance Beige mentions a sad event which has just happened at Brussels. A young English lady, only 14 or 15 years of age, at one of the pensionnats de demoiselles in that city, threw herself out of an upper window in a fit of home-sickness, and one of her legs was broken by the fall. No name is mentioned. CITY 0/' LONDON UNlON.—Yesterday was held the first meeting of the newly-elected board of guardians for the City of London. Mr. Deputy Whiteside proposed Alderman Thomas Quested Finnis (the present Lord Mayor) as chairman of the union for tb . e ensuing year, which was seconded by Mr. Verry, and carried amidst loud cheers. Mr. Abbise was also elected vice-chairman by a majority of 22. The Prince of Prussia has left Coblentz for Mayence, of which federal fortress he is Governor. After residing there till the 21st inst. he will proceed thence to Frank fort, and, accompanied by the Princess, pay a visit to their daughter at Carlsruhe. The whole of May the Prince and Princess will probably spend here in Berlin, at which time the spring exercises of the troops takes place, and towards the beginning of June they will pro ceed to London on a visit to Queen Victoria, accom panied by Prince Friedrich Wilhelm. SMYRNA, April 11.—The Royal Albert and the rest of the squadron under command of Admiral Lord Lyons sailed on Thursday, after a stay of one week. The day before his departure a deputation composed of six of the eldest English merchants waited on the admiral with a complimentary address, and in the evening his lord s hip gave a theatrical performance on board the Royal Albert, concluding with a dance and a supper, to which all the European society was invited. EMIGRATION TO AESTRALIA.—.LINTERPOOL, Tuesday. —The White Star ship Sir William Eyre, Captain Jopp, belonging to Messrs. H. T. Wilson and Chambers, of this port, sailed at an early hour this morning for Mel bourne, with a full cargo of valuable merchandise 'on freight, and 440 passengers on board. She will be suc ceeded by the fine new ship Samuel Locke, Captain Sweetser, also sailing under the White Star on Monday next, the 27th inst. The Samuel Locke has already nearly all her berths engaged, and will carry out above 300 passengers. She has also the greater part of her cargo room appropriated. Altogether, the emigra tion trade, especially to Australia, from this port is FIRE NEAR ST. PAUL'S.—This morning, at a few minutes past 12 o'clock, a dense mass of smoke was perceived issuing from the lower part of the premises belonging to Messrs. Goodyear and Co., straw bonnet manufacturers, carrying on business at No. 35, St. Paul's-churchyard. The building stood next to the pri vate residences of the principals of St. Paul's School, whilst the narrow thoroughfare known as 011 Change only separated it from the parish church of St. Faith under St. Paul. There were five persons in the house at the time ; only one of them managed to reach the front door, the rest escaped by a trap-door in the roof. The fire was got under by 2 o'clock. The destruction of property was considerable. THE LATE DREADFUL ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WEST ERN RAILWAY OF CANADA.—Subjoined is the substance of a telegraphic despateh received yesterday by the com pany e-t-A telegraphic despatch received from Hamilton, Canada West, per Europa, intimates that after a pro tracted examination, the coroner's jury bad returned a verdict, in the matter of the lamentable accident of March 12, on the Great Western Railway of Canada. The swing bridge at which it occurred is declared to have been substantially constructed, and the locomotive to have been properly examined before starting ; the cause of the accident being the breaking of the axle of one of the leading wheels of the engine, which caused it to leave the rails and cut through the timbers of the bridge, No blame is attributable to the company. The jury recommend that a fixed bridge be erected in the place of a swing bridge. PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris is about 4 per mille premium, and the short exchange on London is 25.25 per 1/. sterling. On comparing these rates with the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 10jd per ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold is nearly 1-10th per cent. dearer in Paris than in London. By advices from Hamburg the price of gold is 424 per mark, and the short exchange on London is 13.4 per 11. sterling. Standard - gold at the English Mint price is therefore about 2-10ths per cent. dearer in Hamburg than in London. The course of exchange at New York on London for bills at 60 days' sight is 1081 per ;lent., which, when compared with the Mint par between the two countries, shows that the exchange is against Eng land ; but, after making allowance for charges of trans port and difference of interest, the present rate leaves no profit on the transmission of gold either way between England and America. THE BANK OF FRANCE.—The letters from Paris de scribe an uneasy feeling, The contrivance of the Go vernment to obtain a new loan by compelling the Bank of France to double their capital seems to have occa sioned considerable dissatisfaction, and it is positively stated that tht opinions of the Directors were unani mously agoinst the measure. It appears that the Bank is to be allowed increased powers of issue, which will probably lead to the circulation of notes of a denomina tion lower than those at present authorised. It is men tioned that M. Mires has been summoned before the Trinunal of Commerce in connexion with complaints re garding his mode of putting forth the shares of the Roman railways. He at first announced that the num ber would be 100,000, and, after large dealings had been effected on this supposition, a strong action was pro duced on the market by a notification t hat the number would be reduced in order that a certain proportion might be reserved for the clergy. ASALE OF THE PROPERTY OF LEOPOLD IIEDPATH AT THE AUCTION MART.—yesterday, at the Auction Mart, the freehold, leasehold, and reversionary property of the notorious Leopold Redpath was offered to public action by Mr. Marsh, in a most densely crowded room. The freehold residence at Weybrid,ge, Surrey, fitted up and decorated with the most consummate taste, at a great expense, with pleasure and kitchen garden, stabling, &e., and purchased by Redpath so recently as the spring of last year, sold for 2,670/. The leasehold residence, 49, Gloucester-place, Portman -square, held for an unex pired term of 30 years, at a nominal ground rent of 61. per annum, and let at a rental of 851. per annum, sold for 8001. The reversion to a freehold house, Marsham street, Westminster, on the death of a lady and gentle man, aged respective!) , 75 and 31, of the yearly value of 421. per annum, sold at 3501. A similar reversion to a house, Richmond-buildings, Soho, let at a rental of 541, per annum, sold at 5601. COURT OF ALDERMEN—AA the Court held yesterday, the following resolution, agreed to at a meeting of the Court of Common Connell held on the 27th, was read— " That this Court expresses its surprise and disapproval at the step taken by the Commissioner of Police in having, without permission, vacated his official residence, and thus violated the condition of his appointment— viz., `residence within the city ;' and retaining a strong conviction of its necessity and importance, it hereby re quests the Court of Mayor and Aldermen to enforce the maims, and require that officer immediately to occupy the residence provided for him, and report forthwith to this Court." The copy of•the resolution was ordered to be sent to the Commissioner for his reply, and in the mean time the matter was referred to the General Purposes Committee. The petition of the Metropolitan Saloon Omnibus Company, for standing in the city, was also re. ferred to the same committee. A strong feeling pre vailed in favour of the company. NORTH BRITISH AUSTRALIAN COMPANY.--At a meeting of the North British Australian Company, held yester day, Colonel Oliphant presiding, it was agreed to ap• point a committee of investigation, and an adjournment was consequently agreed to. The next meeting is to be called previously to tae let of July, and it is thought the intermediate time will be fully occupied in carrying out the inquiry. The discussion was of a violent and irregular character, but as the chairman, immediately the proposal for a committee was made, met the wishes of the shareholders, the details entered into were less than might have been anticipated. The !position of the accounts, the expenditure upon the Kawan mining pro per'y, and the general ill-success of management, were the principal prints urged, to which it was considered unnecessary to offer a reply, as the investigation will be the immediately t ocfonitbrne e N n orth B W ri i t t i l s e b r A e g u a o r t d r i o a n the in sa p l a e n o y f in tho Bon Accord property, the Directors endeavoured to elicit the opinion of the proprietors, and, the majority declining to sanction the proceeding until the report of the committee shall have been completed, the question stands for the present postponed. Tan LIGHTING OF PARTA.—"In 1807, just 51 years ire lighted w ith 4 , 223 l amps; f a m go i„h t e h l e e s t t o re f e j ts an o u f a P ry ars w, January, 1857, 1857, we find these superseded by 14,:330 gas burners. In 1807, each lamp, all expenses included, cost 21c. per hoer, or 27.1 c. per night, taking 11 hours as the average length of time ; in 1857, the cost, all expenses included, is 19e. per burner, with an intensity of light seven times grea t er than that ' of the oil-lamp. The total number of gas ,burners in Paris, streets and houses included, is upwards of two millions ; the total length of all the gas pipes laid down is 195 leagues. Were all tl its gas harriers collected into one globe, situated at as elevation of 2,500 metres above Paris, it has been calei dieted that it would afford light to the whole departeneet of the Seine, equal to that of a cloudy day. JIER MAJESTY'S THRATBE. Mademoiselle Piccolomini has re-appeared, with all the eclat which attended her debut last season. Last night there was an immense house, attracted by the an nouncement of the " Figlia del Reggimento," and the young prima donna was received with the most cordial warmth. On her entrance peals of applause burst from eyery part of the theatre, and for several minutes she could only curtsey her acknowledgments, which she did very gracefully, and with the appearance of much fee!. ine. Her aria d'intrata, " Apparvi alla luce," which she sang very nicely, was listened to with demonstra tions of pleasure, which became still stronger when the same melody recurred in the form of a daett with the old sergeant Sulpizio, performed by Belletti. The famous " Ciascun lo dice," the " Song of the regi ment," which she sang with infinite spirit, was received, as it was last year, with acclamations ; and the enthu siastic feelings of-the audience remained unabated to the end of the performance. When the curtain fell, and she presented herself before it, she was greeted with thunders of applause, cries, and showers of bouquets —a regular " ovation" in short, in all forms. Such was her reception ; and certainly it was deserved, taking her performance altogether. The opera itself is but a trifle. There is only one morceau in the whole opera which possesses real beauty and expression—the melancholy little air, " Convien partir," which Maria addresses, by way of farewell, to the military friends and protectors of her childhood. This air Madlle. Piccolomini sang very charmingly. She sang it from the heart, and every tone of her voice seemed full of tears. LThis was her best vocal effort ; and next to it was the "singing lesson" at the beginning of the second act, where Maria, weary of her task, bursts out into the old "Rataplan " of her dear regiment, to the amazement of the stately Marchioness. The buoyant joyousness of this escapade was irresistible, and threw the audience into transports. A new tenor, Signor Bottardi, appeared in the part of Tonio. The Queen's box was occupied by Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, Mrs. Phipps, and Miss Phipps ; Lord Rokeby, Mrs. Wellesley, Mr. Romaine, and party. Amongst the company also honouring the theatre with their presence on this occasion we observed his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Cleveland, and Lady Augusta P4ulet, the Marquis and Marchioness of Clanricarde ; Frances Countess of Waldegrave and Mr. V. Harcourt ; the Earl of Malmeshury, the Earl of Lonsdale, the Earl of Cork and Orrery, the Earl of Wil ton, the Earl of Lucan, the Earl and Countess of Mount charles, the Countess Dowager of Harrington and party, the Earl and Countess of Stamford and Warrington, his Excellency the Mexican Minister, the Countess Dowager of Beauchamp, the Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench and party, the Earl of Westmoreland, Lord Burghers!), the Vieconnt Po werscourt, the Countess Caroline Bellew, the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Gore Lang ton, the Viscount Chelsea, the Viscount Clifden, the Viscount Exmouth, the Hon. Augustus Lumley, Lord Muncastor, the Countess Charlotte Schreberg, Sir F. Pottinger, Bart., Sir Peter Cautley, Bart., Sir John Lowther, Bart., M.P., the Hon. Ottway Toler, the Hon. Dudley Ward, Lady Henrietta Vane, Sir George Wombwell, Bart., Lady Emily Hesketh, Lady Anne Beckett, Sir John Lister Kaye, Bart., General the Hon. H. Cavendish, General Sir David Baird, Sir Henry Webb, Bart., Major-General Sir George Bowles, Colonel Brownlow Knox, Sir J. Bayley, Bart., and Lady Bayley, the Hon. Mr. Craven, the Hon. C. Duncombe, Mr. H. de Burgh, Captain Wyndham; M.P., Captain Bateson, Mr. Curry, Lady Flower, Admiral Ryder Burton, Mrs. Stuart Wortley, Hon. Mr. Fane, Mr. Barry, Captain Bates, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Moffat, Mrs. Guest, Mr. and Mrs. Trelawny, Mr. Griffith, Colonel Dunson, General Sir Alex. Woodford, Bart., and Lady Woodford, Mrs. P. Lyon Barrington, Captain the Hon. Frederic Fitzclarence and Mrs. Fitzclarence, Captain Woodgate, Colonel Longden, Mr. M`Lean, Major Pole, Captain Ferguson, Mr. Ogles Hunt, Captain Newdegate, Dr. Edward Cutler, Captain Hanbury, Captain Marshall, Captain Hamilton, Captain Hogg, Captain Wynne, Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Palmer, Mr. B. B. Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. Gilbert Cohen, Mr. Kaye, Mr. and Mrs. Watts, Mr. Harvey Lewis, Mr. Money Wi gram, M.P., Mr. B. Oliveira, Captain Torrens, Mr. Madan, Colonel Lockyer Freestun, M.P., and Mrs. Lockyer Freestan, Mr. and Lady Selina Vernon, Major Stour, Mr. and Mrs. Barclay, Colonel and Mrs. Mon erieffe. LATEST NEWS. COPENHAGEN, TUESDAY. M. Andrae has not succeeded in forming a Minis try. M. Hall, late Minister of Public Workship, has been now charged with the task of composing a new Government. The Moniteur of" yesterday contains a despatch from Malta of tne 15th, stating that Major- General Ashburnham, with the staff of the expeditionary force for China, arrived on the 12th at Malta, in the Colombo, from England. Most of the staff were present at a grand ball given on the 13th at the New Exchange, and the next morning a review of the troops was held at Floriana, in compliment to the gallant general and his officers. A telegraphic despatch from London states that General Ashburnham was lying ill at Malta, but the papers from the island of the evening of the 14th not only do not make any mention of such an edent, but add that the general was to pursue his voyage the next day. A letter from Lisbon of the 13th says the Go vernment had granted an English company, repre sented by Sir S. Peto, the concession of a line of railway from Lisbon to the Spanish frontier and another to Oporto. The conditions are : 99 years' lease ; to be worked by the company ; and a sub vention of 137,000 f. per kilometre. The company takes up the Eastern Railway at the price of 11,000/. per kilometre. A letter from Scutari, without date, in the New Gazette of Prussia, rays :—" I have a piece of news, which perhaps is not yet known to the pub lic, to communicate to you—that diplomatic rela tions between England and Austria have been broken off, not, it is true, at London and Vienna, but at this place. A few weeks ago the consul of England, M. Bonati, being about to make a jour ney, confided the provisional management of the consulate to his son, and informed the consular body of it. But the Austrian consul refused to enter into relations with the substitute. On his return M. Bonati asked for an explanation, and re ceived this laconic reply :—' I acknowledge the re ceipt of your letter, and have no answer to give.' Relations between the two consulates were accord ingly suspended. The Austrian consul is not on better terms with the French consul, and he has forbidden Austrian subjects to have communica tions with the two consulates." The Times' Paris correspondent, under date, Tuesday, 6 p.m., says : " It is affirmed that the Conference which took place yesterday at the Foreign-office on the Neu chatel question made some progress towards its conclusion—l doubt whether I can add a satisfac tary one. The King of Prussia has, it is said, lowered his terms that is, his demand for a pecuniary indemnity, and it is possible that the final sitting of the Conference may take place before the Ist of May. I have just heard that Dr. Kern has gone to Berne, or is on the point of going, to submit the result to the Federal Council. I fear I cannot say that either Party will be content—Switzerland because she has to pay something ; and the King that he has not been able to screw out of Republican Helvetia the very last centime of his first demand. Formerly it was said "point d'argent point de Suisse." Switzerland would like to say now " point de Suisse, ni point d'argent." Those who will be most delighted to get rid of the busi ness are the gentlemen of the Conference who have had the patience to listen to the dreary quarrel ling of Dr. Kern and M. de Hatzfeldt so long." FRANCE. PARIS, MONDAY EVENING The Moniteur publishes the official return of the customs revenue for the month of March, amounting to 15,964,902 fr., being an increase of 1,582,678 fr. on the corresponding month of last year. The return for the first quarter of 1857 amounts in 43,756,453 fr., showing art improvement of 5,208,353 fr. on the corresponding period of 1856. Among the items of revenue which show the greatest increase during the first three months of the pre sent year are : Coffee, 4,048,293 fr. ; potable liquors, 1,636,8131 r. ; foreign sugar, 1,578,031 r. ; French colonial ditto, 329,728,7281 r. ; hemp and ear, 366,151 fr. ; oleaginous seeds, 109,7531 r. ; nitrates of potash and soda, 62,727 fr.; gold in bullion and in specie, 60,0031 r. ; cocoa, 80,6141 r.; corn, 58,259 fr. ; mahogany, 38,378 fr. ; olive oil, 28,939 fr. ; pig lead, 52,584 fr. ; pepper, 40;0771r. ; raw and spun silk, 10,402 fr. t'words of the minister have borne fruit.' The 'Vienna Gazette has thought right to publish an official aecount of that conflict, differing but little from what is only kn ewn, from which it appears that two Austrian soldiers of the Degenfeld regi ' meat were Wounded and that one Prussian soldi(r was killed, and eight wounded more or less seriously. A mixed commission has been appointed to institute an investigation into the painful affair.'_' ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. Our metropolis Ins been so long without a " French play" that the announcement of the re opening of the St. James's Theatre for the purpose to which a few years ago it seemed especially de voted will probably create no ordinary interest. Mr. Mitchell has engaged the whole company of the " Bouffes Parisiens," who starting into corpo rate existence in the summer of 1855, attracted all the fashion of Paris to their snug little box in the Champs Etysees, and when the weather became too cold for that delightful locality, took up their abode in the theatre in the Passage Choiseul, so long as sociated with the name of M. Comte. Their di rector, M. Offenbach, who likewise composes nearly all their music, will accompany them, bring ing with him the whole of the orchestra. The en gagement of the " Bouffes" will last six weeks, commencing on the 20th of May. THE FAMINE IN FINLAND. STOCKHOLM, APRIL 15. The latest accounts from Finland continue to give a most distre , sing picture of the famine raging in that unhappy country, which does not fail to excite the greatest sympathy here and in every o th er par t of Sweden, as subscriptions are liberally entered into, and balls, concerts, and theatrical representa tions, given for the charitable purpose of raising funds for the relief of our distressed brethren on the other side of the Gulf. Several vessels have been chartered by the committee, and laden with corn, but they cannot move till the ice breaks up. In the districts of Ulleaborg, Wasa, and Kurpio alone, out of a population of 657,000 souls, no less than 250,000 have no other means of subsistence than begging, or else eating the unpalatable bread made from the bark of trees. The mortality is conse quently very great, and daily on the increase, as the dreadful famine typhus has broken out with great malignity. The distress is so great that children have been seen who, for want of other food, have actually eaten off their own fingers l Liberal con tributions have been sent from Hamburg and Lu beck ' • but in Denmark, w h ere th ey ma k e such a fuss about fraternity, and dream of the Scandina vian union, they have done nothing to allay the misfortune. Upwards of 80,000 dollars have hitherto been remitted from Sweden, and as soon as the ice disappears, the above-mentioned vessels with corn and flour will be despatched to their relief. TILE A HERIC Alf MAILS. LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY. The Cunard screw steamship Alps, Captain In glis, has been appointed by the Post-office authori ties at New York to carry the mails of the 11th inst. to Liverpool, the Collins Company not being prepared with a steamer to sail on that day. The Alps, therefore, may be expected to-morrow or Thursday. The screw steamship Kangaroo, Captain Jeffrey, belonging to the Liverpool and Philadelphia Steam Company, will sail to-morrow forenoon for New York, with a full complement of passengers and a large cargo. She will carry a sealed mail, for which letters must be marked " per Kangaroo," and posted before 9 a.m., and with late fees before 9.30 a.m. to morrow. The royal mail screw steamship Indian, Captain Jones, will also sail to-morrow forenoon for Mon treal and Quebec, with the Canadian mails, pas sengers, and cargo. Letters must be posted before 8 a.m., with late fees till 9 a.m., and at the landing stage until 10 a.m. to-morrow. " The royal mail steamship Europa, Captain Leitch, will be the bearer of the United States mails on Sa turday next, and will sail that forenoon at 10 a.m. Letters must be posted before 8 a.m., with late fees until 9 a.m., and finally at the landing stage at 10 a. RUSSIAN OPINION OF THE ENGLISH ELECTIONS.—A Rti , sian nw.v.paper, the Northern Bee,, a few days ago said, with reference to the result of the recent elections —" This passing over of Cobden, Bright, and others iu the elections, shows us how powerful the hostility against Russia still is in England ; they mill make Cob den feel the consequences of his opposit ion to the war now ended, and that too after the lapse o f so long a time. That must be a nice sort of a peace the it we have with England, when public opinion, which i ,nfluenees every thing there, cannot even yet pacify itself.," &c. FREE EMIGRATION.—Last night a nt 'morons meeting of the workmen of Westminster was l acid, in the Great Hall, Broadway, Westminster. It sr as announced that a number of members of Parliament vi rere expected to be present, and that Mr. Cox, M.P., fo r Finsbury, would take the chair. The secretary, howe veer, read letter 3 of apology from Lord Goderich, Mr. Locke, Sir 1. V. Shelley, Mr. Roupell, and Mr. Cox. The following re solution was adopted, " That this me,e ting, consisting of working men, urgently calls the at t 4 .ration of h. r Mac jesty's Government and all classes ofs, 'clay to the severe, wide-spread, and alarming distress exi Ming in the metro- polls and its suburbs, the result of a long and continued stagnation in the building and other trades." ' The articles which show the greatest falling off are Iron in bars and steel, 1,050,947 fr. ; raw cotton, 1,065,638 fr. ; common oil, 82,542 fr. ; indigo, 28,5851 r. ; coal, 26,5991 r. ; cochineal, 20,048 fr. ; rough castings, 10,442 fr. It is said that a grand review of 50,000 men is to take place in the Champ-de-Mars during the visit of the Grand Duke Constantine at Paris. The 6th of May, it is thought, will be 4 the day fixed on for this fine military spectacle. The Grand Duke Constantine on arriving at Toulon was saluted by 21 guns from each of the French vessels as he passed them, after which the whole squadron fired a general salute, and the crews manned the yards and cheered. A great number of steamers filled with strangers followed the Russian and French squadrons on their arrival in the roadstead. The Prince immediately on his landing spontaneously offered to review the troops, which were drawn up in line to receive him. At 9 o'clock this morning the Grand Duke visited the Arsenal. The crowd assembled was immense. The warmest reception was also given to General Todleben. " H. M. despatch-boat Caradoc," says the Malta Times, " left for Marseilles on the 12th, to fetch Lord Elgin, proceeding with full powers to China." BOURSE, April 21.—The following were the last quotations : Cash. fr. c. End of Month. 44 per Cents 3 per Cents 69 25 0 35 Bank Shares 4,450 , Credit Mobilier 1,347 50 Roman Do. Account 1,347 50 Austrian Belgian 4i P.iedmontese (5) 9l. Home Debt RAILWAYS-FOR CABII. tr. c. ft• c. Orleans t 1,480 Western Northern Lyons 1,5674 New Ditto Mediterranean 2,135 Grand Central Lyons Geneva Midi - Austrian Com. ...... 710 AUSTRIA. The Augsburg Gazette states that Field Marshal Count Paar has left Vienna for Paris on a specie.] mission. A letter from Vienna says :......re Baron Bach's vast plan of communal organisation for all the em pire, which has been for some time under the exa mination of the Supreme Council of State, is, it is said, considered too liberal by that body ; and it has been sent back to him, it is said, with a request that it may be so modified as to be placed in con formity with the enactments in vigour before the invasion , of liberal ides in 1848. The minister, who devoted great labour to the drawing up of his scheme, is said to be profoundly discouraged by this step of the council, and his resignation is conse quently talked of. Baron Bach was formerly a simple advocate, and belongs to the middle class of society. Ile was carried to power by the events of 1848, and has since displayed remarkable admi nistrative genius. He is considered one of the most zealous promoters of the plan for amalgamat ing the provinces of the empire into one great whole." Another letter from Vienna says :—" The jour nals here complain with some vehemence of an assertion made by the Minister of War in Prussia, in a recent discussion on the army in the Second Chamber, to the effect that 300,000 Austrian sol diers died in Gallicia in the last campaign, from sickness, owing to the want of care and aqention of the military administration. The Austrian Gazette even goes the length of accusing the Prus sian Minister of having failed in the respect due to the army of a German confederate, and refer i ng t o the deplorable conflict at Mentz between the Aus trian and Prussian soldiers, it says 'that the TUSCANY. The Grand Duke of Tuscany has caused the fol lowing circular to be addressed to all officials iu his dominions "Sir,—His Imperial and Royal Highness the Grand Duke, penetrated by the increasing necessity e.f preserv ing in the State, and chiefly in the churches and other public establishments, those precious objects of art with which the genius or the religious piety of our ancestors enriched the country, while desirous of reinforcing the disposition of the ancient and exist ing ordinances, together with all those ulterior provi sions that may be judged efficacious to the same object, desires also that the vigilance and energy of the judicial,, political, and administrative authorities should be excited, in order tnat in every case the most vigorous and exact observance of the superior ordinances may accrue therefrom to the law of the 26th of December, 1754, revived bythe Laws and Custom-house Ta,riffof the 3flth of August, 1781, and the 18th of October, 1791, re. *ailed in vigour by the notification of the 9th of May, 1814, and succeeding ordinances, and by the disposition of which it is forbidden to export from the State ancient pictures without a special license; and to the disposit ions published by the notification of the Imperial Royal Consults, dated the 23d of October, 1818, by which was confirmed tie already existing laws on the inalienability of the monuments of art belonOng to Royal. or public esta blishments and religious_ places depending on the same ; and the prohibition to alienate similar ob.: jects was extended to churches and their dependencies, whoever might be the patron ; to the religious corporations, to conservators, to religious corpora tions, to hospitals, and in general to all establishments, whether ecclesiastical or of public piety, unless that an express authorisation shall have been accorded in the manner and respectively under the penalties laid down in the notification itself. "I impart this to you that it may serve as a rule, and secure the exact and conetant fulfilment of the above dispositions, .while, with distinguished respect, I remain, &o. "From the Ministry of -, April 6, 1857." DENMARK. . _ A letter from Copenhagen, in Voss's Gazette of Berlin, says :—" The real cause of the ministerial crisis is this : Count Scheele submitted four manu script documents on the Sound dues question to the Supreme Council, together with the printed proto cols. M. Andrae expressed his surprise at the course, and maintained that the communication of these documents to the Council was needless, and at any rate ought,not to have taken place without his being informed of it as President of the Coun cil. This was said with some warmth ; Count Scheele replied with equal warmth, and a violent discussion ensued, which led to a definitive rupture. It is stated that the President of the Council after wards discovered that he had made a mistake, and learned that the said documents had be,,n sub mitted to the Council of Minis: era ; but it was too late. It is clear that other causes had long existed to lead to this rupture, since so insignificant a question has been sufficient to bring it about." The Diet passed the thiid reading of the Sound Dues Abolition Bill unanimously. PORTUGAL. The Braganza steamer has arrived at Liverpool with Lisbon dates of the 16th inst. The minister of Public Works had laid Sir More ton Peto's railway contract before the Cortes, with bills to legalise the same; and also to authorise the Government to settle the differences between the contractor and the present Santarem Railway Com pany, in order that the line, so far as constructed, may be included in the projected company. The Minister's statement was very well received by the Chambers, and the different bills were re ferred for the reports of the Committees of Finance and Public Work 4, with a recommendation of urgency. Foreign ships of war in port—Her Majesty's ships .Kxmouth, Princess Royal, awl Colossus ; one Dutch and one Brazilian steamer. SPAIN. The Madrid journals of the 17th have arrived. The Hoja Autografa, which is a semi-official organ, denies that, as asserted by the Epoca, the differences between Spain and Mexico are in a fair way of being arranged. "No doubt," it says, 6 , th e Spanish government is disposed to enter into dip lomatic relations, and will accept all the satisfac tory explanations that may be given to it ; but that does not signify that the question is already solved—especially as it knows, notwithstanding all that has been said, that the Mexican govern ment has not chastised the assassins of the Spanish subjects." The Epoca says that the authorities, having learned that seven Carlist agents were hold ing a meeting on the previous night near one of the cemeteries, had them arrested, and that papers rela tive to the recent conspiracy were found on them. According to some of the journals, this conspiracy was exclusively Carlist ; but, according to others, it was partly ofa democratic charac'er. The Gazette r asserts that it is not true, as stated by some of the papers, that M. Mon, the new minister to Rome, had been coldly received by the Pope. "On the contrary," it says, " his reception was such as his functions demanded, and the reply given to his speech in delivering his credentials wassatilfactory. The 'cardinals afterwards visited him, and it may be said that at this moment the questions 'pending with Rome present the most favourable aspect. Mgr. Simeon, who has, been appointed charge d'affaires in Madrid, en attendant the return to Europe of Mgr. Barelli, who bas been named nuncio, is shortly expected here." The detachments of artillery about to be sent to Cuba had been well drilled in the use of the Minie rifle, and even the officers had learned it. ESCAPE OF A PRISONER. On Monday morning a daring and successful escape was made by a person named Joseph Lewis, who was under remand at Bath, charged with steal ing 7/. from the depot of the Christian Knowledge Society in that city. The prisoner, with another young man, named Alfred Wheeler—bosh of them of respectable exterior —were on Friday last charged with the robbery. It appeared from the evidence then adduced that they went into the shop on the previous day, and whilst one of them kept the at ftreonmtiotnhe of w t i h n e dw a o ssi , stant engaged in selecting books part of the shop. They the h h e e y other e r remained u in oks ti s l e e le b c a te ck d to be packed up for them, promising to call for them in a sh or t ti me ; b ut soon a fter they had left it was found that. 7/. in gold and silver had been stolen from the till. Information was given to the police, and the prisoners were apprehended at the Great Western Railway station, where they had taken their seats in different carriages. A consider able sum of money was found upon them, and upon being brought before the magistrates were remanded till Monday. On Monday morning they were brought up from gaol in the prison van, as i s the custom, with the other prisoners, to the polic e statical ; but from some neglect they were not hand cuffed, as is usual in such cases. Lewis alighted from the van, around which a large crowd was col lected, with a jaunty air, and the policem an w h ose duty it was to conduct bun into the police station neglected to take hold of him, but was in the act of walking carelessly by his side when the prisoner made a spring b a ckward, rushed thr oug h th e asto nished crowd, and darted off at a tremendous pace. He gained some distance before the hue and cry was raised, and soon outstripped the crowd who followed him. After running through several tr through some p r i vate h ouses, the prisoner and passingsoneretored an inn, and from the coffee room watched the crowd pass, whet, under the pretence of seeing what was the matter, he went o ut and was not traced afterwards. His compa nion was subsequently brought before the magis trates and again remanded for a week. The matter has caused a good deal of sensation, and much com plaint and laughter at the expense of the police. The prisoner who has escaped is a fine young fellow with sandy hair, very little whisker, and respect ably dressed. Both he and his companions are known to be from London. ILLNESS OF THE BISHOP OF EXETER.—Tbe triennial visitation of the Bishop of Exeter was held at Exeter on Monday. The right rev. prelate had come from Bishop -sto we by is morning train, and was taken ill in the Pa lace, at Exeter. Dr. Shapter was sent for, and advised his immediate return to Bishopstowe. His lordship did not therefore attend the visitation, and the Rev. Chan cellor Martin officiated iu his absence. The right rev. prelate was not intending to deliver a charge, but h., is expeoted to address his clergy in a pastoral. His lord ship's illness is.not of a serious nature, bat 'his medial attendant has advised quietness and rest for a few days, ' in the hope that he will thereby be restored to health. HACKNEY FAIR —Y esterday and on Monday, a vast numb, r of persons thronged to the fair, in Cat•and-Mut ton-fields, Hackney, whereby much confusion was caused and the general business of the district impeded. There were a few shows and stalls, but the fair generally was of a meagre character. An unusual quantity of ldw thieves and several members of the swell mob were pre sent, endeavouring to pursue their light-fingered avoca tions, and various apprehensions took place. The visi tors continued to pour into the heart of the fair late in the evening, and the poliee in the district had some diffi culty in preserving order amongst the crowds of idle cha racters attracted to the place. STATE OF TRADE. , MANCHESTER, APRIL 21. All descriptions of cloth have been more difficult of sale, and the market has been slightly in favour of the buyer, especially for. India awl China shirt ings, which have declined about lid. per piece. There is no accumulation of stock worth naming yet, and consequently most other cloths except those named are not quotably lower, though diffi cult of sale. Domestics are very sluggish and un saleable, and many of the manufacturers of this description of cloth are running their mills short time—some only three days a week—in order to bring down the product on nearer to an equality with the demand. The chief obstacle t business is the stringency of the money market, buyers being unwilling to give high prices for cloth and pay the present heavy demands for discounts. lu yarns there has been a rather better market, without change in prices. The Germans, and buyers for the Mediterranean, are the principal purchasers, but 30's, 40's, and---60's 'mule for India have also been in fair reque4 at extreme prices. Very full rates have had to be paid generally for yarns. Messrs. J. Slagg and Co. report of the cloth-mar ket :—" Owing to the stringency of the money mar ket and the uncertainty with regard to the prices of cotton we have had since Tuesday last, a very quiet market for nearly all kinds of goods, but, with t! • exception of India arid China shirtings, which have declined about lid. per piece within the week, w° cannot quote any change in prices, though the ten dency generally is in favour of buyers." NOTTINGHAM, APRIL 21. The lace trade continues dull for the home market ; there is very little doing, and the foreign trade is inactive. It is probable that the Setting in of ,seasonable weather will cause a change. Plain nets are yet inquired "after ; the fancy trade is, however, very quiet. Silk and cotton continue very high, with no signs of any reduction. The hosiery trade is also dull. In most branches there is very little doing. The high prices of the raw material operate very much against the do' mind. Hosiery yarns are,firia. LEICESTER, APRIL 21. There is a tolerable trade doing in cotton goods, with good prospects. In worsted articles the trade is almost stagnant. There is a fair number of orders for bosiery in the market, but manufacturer s complain that they cannot be executed at the pric e offered. LEEDS, APRIL 21. The improvement in the weather has induced 16 little more inquiry for light goods, and a fair quatr tity of them has been sold in the cloth-halts thi 6 morning. The demand for other woollen cloths has been limited, and the market, upon the whole' has been a quiet one. The approaching salts of colonial wool in London are looked to with a good deal of interest, and there appears to be a disposi'. tion here not to force 'ales of cloths on the os° hand, or to endeavour to make them on the 'other , till those sales have opened, and some criterion of the price of the raw material is afforded. HUDDERSFIELD, APRIL '2l. The market for woollen good's has been rathe r better to-day,and a good amount of spring goods NA been sold. The number of buyers from London, Sol land, &c., was a full aver age , an d th e y purchase., goods of choice p a tt erns t o a f a i r ex t en t. Wool ;" quiet, prices being a little easier. THE _RIVET HON., W. B. GLADSTONA Mr. Charles Butler having sent to Mr. Gle; stone a speech of M r . J ames Hall, and asking fo an explanation a s t o th e c h arge ma d e aga i ns t nu' therein, Mr. Gladstone replies : " 11, Carlton House-terrace, April 1 6 . a " Sir,—l thank you for taking the pains to se°, me an extract from the Globe newspaper, Duper . ing to be the speech of Mr. James Hall, of well, at a public meeting recently held in that tow* which you think should be noticed on my behalf,, " On the occasion of that meeting, th e procee,, ings of which were not, I believe, take n down I". reportens, I made a speech relating to the electi'7 for Flintshire. A gentleman, who was descrilr,, to- me as Mr. James Hall, made a speech relatn!! to me, and when he had concluded I replied ?!. him. This, you will agree, was the proper note of his speech to regeive from me. " I presume from the paper you have sent 1 0 1 that he has subsequently furnished his own accouti . of that spee c h, an d w h a t h e cons id ers t o h ave bee' ., ; its reception. I n th a t I h ave ne ith er l e i sur e n or inclination t o follow him. The q ues ti on whetl i A his invective i s mer it e d re b u k e or unequivoo°; slander, is happily one of f , ,ct—namely, wheth er it is true, as he says, that at the period of Mr. R° buck's motion Lord Palmerton consented to , and I, with others, took pretended offence to 19 consenting, and resigned, or whether the truth i g f : that Lord Palmerst on lik ew i se resigned office ~."; Jan., 1855, rather than agre e t o M r . R oe buck' motion ; that Lo r d P a l merston informed me, befo` , I joined his G overnment in February, that he tended to continue his resistance, and tbat his changin g hi s m i nd, together with the great ulf, jority of his colleagues, whilst I simply adhered mine, I was deprived of office as a necessary cono r quence. " The account of the matter, which I have brie $y stands wholly upon public record, and undisputed st dements made at the tune in tha House of Commons. " The spirit (as towards myself) in which I ° , ll , wrote has induced me to trouble you with tbe' , ,„ remarks, of which you are w e l come t o m ake all' use you please. ' I have the honour to be, sir, "Your faithful servant, "Charles Butler, Esq." W. E. GLADSTOO THE EUPHRATES RAILWAY. CONSTANTINOPLE, April 9. —The concession 7, the Euphrates Railway, o bt aine d b y G enera l Ch e o t ney, may be considered as a rival of the pt oject tr the Suez Canal. Wh en th e l atter scheme is it alised it will also b e t o th e b ene fi t o f Europe, bilLs has not the same o bj ects i n v i ew as the Eup,llloll, Railway. It will indeed connect the two Co l a news of Asia and E urope together, but it will not create trdffic a n d i n t ercourse in the' interior of ~ vast district. N ow, w h en the rail way traverses " country, new life will be generated througho g u r Trade in Syria i s b u t a tedious process as yes,' I°,o everything has to b e b roug h t b y caravans to t; sea coast, a m os t expensive mode of conveyn tei and exposed t o a ll sorts of risks and hazards. Bu then the whistle of the locomotive shall be hear d y as fleeter than the dromedary and more untiring. l speeds from Seleucia, the commerce of Syria, Per 6/ o ° ' and India will come to its call. The distance fro Bassora to Bombay is only 1,600 English roi n 'ij whereas from Suez to the same spot is at least 24 0 miles—making a difference of 1,390 miles anc l , 3 , t e r same difference is to be taken into account'for oth er Indian and Chinese ports. General Chesn e y' s li ne i s t race d out, as ab oe alluded to, f rom S e ' euc i a, a small pla c e on t h e Syrian coast in the Bay of Antioch ; thence it V I O run towards the vall e y o f th e O rontes along- t"0,3 great table-land t o Al eppo, an d f rom that Pl3O to the Euphrates. The length of the above Di l is comput e d a t 220 m il es as f ar as t h e town a Balis, from which the road will extend pa 11"... with the Euphrates to Raka, Selibe, sApboutui-tSwerialli,tHheit.rivAert, strike s O l 7l that forms as it were the water-shed between tu eastwards towards Bagdad, and traverse the P. 1 5,!,; leave Sua' the Anab, bank and of the Euphrates and the Tigris. From Bagdad the h il l; will return towards the former river, crossingir below Babylon, so as to touch at the towns of P'?; 3 , shid Semara, and Suke Sheyuk;then sweeP l 4 on to Kerne, where the' Tigris and Euphrates bleu into one stream, it will keep side by side with _l', Chatel Arab river/as far as Bassora. The comr7t have no intention, for the present at least, 00 carrying the line any further • that is to say, O r Persia and Beloo c hi s t an, t o Hyderabad. THE _RUSSIAN RAILWAY ROBE `CRY SCHEME. The discreditable practices adopted by the sPe" - e la‘ors interested in the Russian Railway se ll . n a have received further illustration yesterdaY' uy scarcely a doubt appears to be entertained in to quarter that a deliberate plan has been fornl eu. ,,vo entrap subscribers by inducing respectable Pe r t ce s to act unsuspectingly the part of decoys. Tile c 7/ it mentioned on Monday are unquestioned, and, I be d were necessary, fresh details could be furn is se which would probably fix the responsibility theto attempts in a manner to leave no uncertain t Y a. O . their design or origin. In conseq uenc e of the . 00 posure there has been an alm os t total disinelil l ,tpg to do with the hares, and the price of I to-day on the part of th e d ea l ers t o have to I P en mium was entirely nominal. Such as have 'lwo bought are believed t o h ave b ee n taken by Pa r en . acting upon orders - from Vienna. One case iS T. toned of a mercantile house writing froth Puller on behalf of a friend—whether a clergyman wise is not stated—to know how he could ill e c se 2 0,0001.—apparently the favourite sum—in t" shares in London. The rejoinder was that, as to be is a French purchaser, his best course will dot apply for an allotment in Paris, where the qua .', l , he to be disposed of is known to have ben bey urilik,_dt capacity of the market, and where, in the event of the allotment not being granted, he e: 11 ,',7 1 eventsall obtain them on the Bourse.---Tintes (1` Article. or ot vest lu] an pr, th( Wi soc litti Mar Unit J ( in, i Lon( at a out BA n k 8 Th Pet New 1.41.12. Dii Conn Ex / 1 11 Ii spin irk Dat, Di lightl4( aor ,Oi Pj for