The Sun. — London, England, 1857-01-30 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE. — Lessee, Mr. E. T. Smith. Actin *imager, Mr. C. Mathews. Stage Manager, Mr. R. Roxby. Scenic Artist, Mr. W. Beverley. The eminent Comedian, Mr. Charles Mathews, every evening. Great Success of the Grand Christmas Pantomime, the most magnificent ever produced on the English stage. THIS EVENING, her Majesty's Servants will perform TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE. Followed by SOMEBODY ELSE, in which Mr. Charles Mathews will sustain his original character. After which will be produced an entirely new and original symbolical, hyperbolical, parab o li ca l , and extra-physiog nomical grotesque, statuesque, and picturesque Grand Comic Christmas Pantomime, which for some time past has employed the unrivalled resources of this extensive establishment, and which will be called or entitled, as it is entitled to be called, SEE, SAW, MARGERY DAW ; Or, Harlequin Holiday, and the Island of Ups and Downs. A Morning Performance of the Great Pantomime every Wednesday, at Two o'clock. R OYAL LYCEUM THEA TRE. Lessee, Mr. C. Dillon. THIS EVENING will be produced an entirely new and original combination of burlesque and pantomime, entitled • CONRAD AND MEDORA; or, Harlequin Corsair and the Little Fairy at the Bottom of the Sea. The burlesque opening by W. Brough, Esq., founded upon the ballet of Le Corsair, as produced at Her Majesty's Theatre. The harlequinade upon things in gene. ral. The new and magnificent scenery painted by Mr. F. Fenton. Characters in the opening : C onr ad (the Corsair) IVliss Woolgar Birbarto (his lieutenant) Mr. J. L. Toole Seyde Pasha Mr. Barrett V ag Smau l Mr. Holston Yuseift Mr. S. Calhaem' Medors. Mrs. Charles Dillon Gulnar Mrs. B White Zuliem Submarine Miss Jessie Ryder Servile. Miss Marie Wilton Clowns Mr. H. Marshall ▪ Mr. Stilt , Mr. J Marshall The Brothers Nelson. • Miss Clara Morgan and Miss Ladd. To be preceded by THE KING'S MUSKETEERS. D'Ar. tagnaa, Mr. C. Dillon. The box-office open daily, from 11 to 5, under the super. atendence of Mr. Chatterton, jun. Carriages conveying parties t:• the Private Boxes to set cilwn at the State entrance in Burleigh-street . A Morning Performance every Saturday, at 2 o'clock. ROY AL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. THIS EVENING will be performed Pantaloon Harlequin Smites Columbines A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. After which, a new grand Christmas Pantomime, called ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP ; or, Harlequin sad the Genii of the Ring. Harlequin, Mr Cormack; Clown, Mr. Huline ; Pantaloon, Mr. Paulo ; Co lunibine, Miss C. Adams. THEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. THIS EVENING, to commence at Seven, THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL, with Mr. Murdoch as Charles Surface ; Sir Peter Teazle, Mr. Chippendale ; Sir Benjamin Backbite, Mr. Buckstone ; Crabtree, Mr. Compton; Joseph Surface, Mr. Howe ; Sir Oliver Surface, Mr. Rogers ; Moses, Mr. Clark ; Sir Harry (with a song), Mr. W. Farren ; Lady Teazle, Miss Reynolds ; Mrs. Candour, Miss Talbot ; Lady Sneerwell, Mrs. Poynter ; Maria, Miss E. Sabine. After which, a new comic Christmas Pantomime, entitled THE BABES IN THE WOOD, or Harlequin and the Cruel Uncle. The scenery of the opening story painted by Mr. W. Callcott. The pantomime produced under the direction of M. Milano. Harlequin, M. Milano ; Columbine, Fanny Wright ; Pantaloon. Mr. Mackay ; and Clown, Mr. Driver. A Morning performance of the Pantomime will be given every Thursday ; commencing at 2, concluding at 4. UIIOYAL SURREY THEATRE it) Lessees, Messrs. Shepherd and Creswiek. THIS EVENING, an original play, in three acts, entitled A BIRD IN THE HAND WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH. Roderick Praiseworthy, Mr. Shepherd. After which, HARLEQUIN AND THE SUMMER QUEEN. Harlequin, Mr. F. Glover ; Clown, Mr. Buck ; Pantaloon, Mr. Bradbury; the Four Sprites, the Fillis Fa mily; Columbines. Mesdames Marie and Agnes. T HEATRE ROYAL, ADELPHI. Lessee—Mr. Ben. Webster. Great Hit of A Night at . N otting-Hill. THIS EVENING will be performed DOMESTIC ECONOMY. After which, A NIGHT AT NOTTING-HILL, in which Mr. Wright and Paal Bedford will appear. To conclude with the new and original union of modern burlesque and old English pantomime (as originated at this theatre), by Professor Wordspinner, Member of Every thing, with entirely new scenery, dresses, transformations, die., called MOTHER SHIPTON ; or, Harlequin Knight of Lovo, awl the Enchanted Whistle. Harlequin and Columbine la Watteau), Madame Celeste and Mis:. Wyndham ; Clown, Mr. Garden ; Pantaloon, Mr. Moreland ; Scaramoneh, Mr. Le Barr. Characters in the bur : lesque by Mr. Paul Radford. Mr. J. Bland, Mr. R. Romer, Madame Celeste. Miss Wyndham, Miss Mary Keeley, Miss Kate Kelly, Miss Arden, &e. A STLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. THIS EVENING (First Week !), the risible C3medy called KATHERINE AND PETRI:CHIC) (as taken by Garrick from Shakapearc's "Taming of the Shrew"), with Mr. W. Cooke's Equestrian Illustrations. PetraChio, Mr. James Holloway. After which, the EQUESTRIAN EXERCISES in the ARENA. To conclude with the successful equestrian comic panto mime, called PAUL PRY ON HORSEBACK; or, Har• lequin and the Magic Horsesho. Doors open at half-past six ; commence at a quarter be fore seven o'clock. flox office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr, W. West, Equestrian Director, Mr. W, Cooke, jun. A Morning Performance every Saturday, at Two o'clock CNNT ERBTT RY HALL, NVestini nster-road . OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow inc company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections from all the popula7 Operas, Madrigals, Choruses, Glees, Duets, &c., via. : —Miss E. Pearce, Mrs. J. Caulfield, Miss Brunell, Miss Summers, and Madame Marietta ; Mr. J. Caulfield, Herr F. Jonghmaus, R. Grover, T. Fan-ant, S. Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling. P. Corri, Senor Antonio M. de Soils, and E. L. Hine ; Masters Austin, Bennett, and Corn i ; Messrs. Sam Collins, E. Mackney, and C. J. Wilkins. Piano forte, J. Flarroway, It. A.; harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun. ; director, Mr. J. Caulfield. Commence at Seven o'clock pre c;sely. Suppers, &e.. until twelve o'clock. Mr. C. Morton's Annual Fall Dress Ball will take place on Wednesday, Feb. IS. Gentleman's ticket, 7s; lady's ditto, 5s ; diuble ti cket (lady and gentlensan or two ladies), 10s. ;UGH WATF,R. AT LONDON BIZTDCUL THIS DAT—Morn. 51 ruin. aft. 4—Evr,ning 12 min. aft. . losi , ao - .....—M0rn. 32 min. aft. 5 Fvoning 53 min. aft. 5 WEATHER—SUN OFFICE, JANUARY 30 TIIBRUOIUSTER, IN 'MR SHADS. 38 —4ignebt since noon yesterday. 29 -invest this morning and durirg the night. 35 -this cisy at noor. t'AttomILTER, 29• SS. WIND, S.W.—Fresh, with hazy, fro.ty weather. • *-) 7 r jIV A r"V ' - , • :VAN L )N DON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1867 Our extraordinary express, in anticipation of the Overland Mail, has happily brought us full particulars of the operations of the British fleet and the British troops in the Persian Gulf at the beginning of December. It now proves that those warlike operations have been really, after all, more satisfactory, all things considered, than even the most sanguine had been led to anticipate by the first brief intimation of the good news transmitted to this country by the electric tele graph. The shameless violation by the Govern ment of Teheran of those solemn engagements which it deliberately entered into with the Go vernment of Great Britain in 1863 has, indeed, already been most summarily avenged ! The SEAR has enjoyed but small leisure during which to exult over his seizure of Herat, upon the miserable pretext of DOST MAHOMED having been instigated, by the Anglo-Indian Cabinet, to ad vance with a hostile array of Ameers and Affghans against his Persian Majesty's dominions, as close upon the frontiers of those dominions as the city of Candahar. Scarcely two months had elapsed from the date of the lawless occupation of Herat by the troops of the SHAH, when the whole sea board of his empire in the Persian Gulf had f a ll en under the sway, and before the prowess, and at tie first assault of the British Expedition ! That expedition, bearing the flag of Admiral Sir H. L&EKE, had taken its deparWre from Bombay on the 18th of October consisting of some forty-five sail of the line, carrying from 5,000 to 6,000 troops, under Major-General FOSTER STALKER. The political charge of OUT affairs in the Persian Gulf having been formally entrusted to our quondam resident at Lucknow, Lieutenant-General Sir JAMES OUTRAM. Arrived at the Persian Gulf about the 20th, the British Pleat, it appears, rendezvoused on the 24th off • '4 the volcanic island of Kislim, situated at the mouth of the Gulf, and appertaining to the domi- THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 30, 1857 nion of the Imaum of MUSCAT. Getting under weigh on the 26th, the expedition thence pro ceeded, without further delay than that calmed by a storm on the Ist of December, to the point which was very well understood from the first, to be that of their ulterior destination— Bushire ! Captain JONES, our resident at that place, quitted it on the 3d, announced his politi cal connection with Persia to have ceased, and intimated to the authorities that thenceforth they would have to communicate not with himself, but with the military and maritime commanders of the expedition. Upon the following day (the 4th), the neighbouring Island of Karrak—formerly held by us from 1839 to 1841—was quietly occupied, and at once converted into a military depot. Two days later (namely, on the 6th), our fleet having moved back from their position off Bushire to Hallila Bay, then and there dislodged from 300 to 400 of the enemy, and disembarked the troops with out molestation. Hence—keeping each other in view —the fleet and the troops advanced along the coast line of Persia to Bushire, precisely as the fleet and troops had advanced to the Alma along the coast line of the Crimea from the point of debarka tion. The advance on Bashire commenced on the 9th of December—upon which day the old Portu- guese fort of Reshire (not Bushire) was stormed and taken, fatally for some of our brave fellows, but gloriously for them all. Brigadier STOPFORD fell, shot through the heart, and pierced with many wounds, while gallantly leading on the 64th Regiment. Lieutenants WARREN and UTTERSON, •f the 20th, were killed sword in hand, and almost side by side—" brothers in arms and rivals in renown." Captain WOOD was dangerously wounded—about 40 or 50 men either killed or wounded—while Colonel MALET during the final charge of the 3d Cavalry fell shot through the heart by a wounded caitiff (an Arab) to whom he had, bst just a moment or so before, magnanimously granted the boon of quarter! A decisive triumph at the fort of Reshire was the happy fruit, however, of this lamentable loss on our part—the enemy being fairly routed at the Ipoint of the bayonet. Upon the following morning (that of the 10th) Bushire itself was finally assailed by our ships of war—a storm of shot and shell being directed by them upon the town from a consider able distance, and with a deadly and crushing effect very speedily manifested. An effect so over whelming, indeed, that about midday, when our troops were actually just preparing for the assault, the flagstaff was suddenly lowered in token of complete submission. Bushirehad fallen ! About 3,000 of its defenders having perished ! The rest of the Persian army flying precipitately into the interior, leaving in our hands, however, a consi derable number of prisoners, including among their number the Governor, and various person ages of distinction ! While, as substantial tokens of their success, the British, besides capturing the maritime capital, securing to them undisputed command of the whole Persian seaboard in the Gulf —found in their possession, as trophies of their victory, a considerable quantity of small arms, a vast amount of military stores, and some sixty four guns, several of them brass, and almost all of them in excellent condition. Gladdened by these events, and having no losses on our side to deplore save those already mentioned as having occurred in the attack upon the Fort of Reshire, Admiral LEEKE returned in the Assaye to Bombay, carrying with him the good tidings, and, as prisoners of war, the Governor of the captured city and the more distinguished among those who had been associated with him in its Government. Such are the inaugurative events of the new British War with Persia—a War which the Srali was himself the first most wantonly to provoke, and tlae heinous crime of originating which he has been compelled already to expiate thus signally and humiliatingly. A. great public duty has been partially dis charged, a national wrong partially righted—not by the Government or the Parliament of the country, but by the leading merchants of the commercial metropolis of the Uuited King dom. The men of Liverpool have nobly come forward to redress a serious injury inflicted on the Commissioners, who too faithfully performed the services required at their hands. Men of all parties, and of all shades and varieties of political opinion, joined in offering their spontaneous tri bute of approbation and gratitude to Sir Join' M' FILL and Colonel TIILLOCK for the valuable results achieved by their indefatigable exertions and faithful and uncompromising conduct under circumstances of no ordinary difficulty, requiring moral courage of the highest order. This unex pected and unsolicited demonstration was the more valuable, inasmuch as it was the only public document which contained an acknowledgment that any service had been rendered by the Com mission—a fact that reflects disgrace not on the Commissioners themselves, but on those whose business it was to recognise and reward their useful labours. The admirable answer of Sir JOHN M'NEILL places this matter in a just point of view. The treatment of these gentlemen forms an appropriate sequel to the dark history which they were de puted to investigate. Their incorruptible honesty prevented them from screening the aristocratic delinquents, whose "neglect, apathy, and incom petence," caused the fearful and deplorable evils which occasioned the loss of so many, valuable lives, and imperilled the military honour, and al most the safety of the United Kingdom. And yet these men were loaded with rewards. Pro motion to the utmost possible extent was bestowed on them, while the faithful servants who unspar ingly exposed their sin s of omission and com mission were treated with neglect, and contumely —their zeal, talent, and industry, everything, in fact, that constitutes true merit, being blighted and concealed by " the cold shade of aristocracy." Such a proceeding is by no means calculated to induce men of patriotism, honesty, and talent to lend their aid in an emergency similar to that in which Sir J. M'NEILL and Colonel TuttocEr were engaged, and through which they passed with so much credit to themselves and advantage to the community. Sir J. M'NEILL declares that, " when he con sented to proceed to the Crimea, he conceived that his duty to the country was in perfect accordance with the intentions and wishes of the Govern ment. His duty, as he understood it, was to conduct that inquiry without fear or favour, and to report the result faithfully, without consider ing whom it might inculpate, or whom exculpate." As he truly d ec l ar es,-----" The welfare of the British army, the honour of her MAJESTY'S arms, the interests of the nation, in more than one guar ter of the globe, and the success of the war waged to defend the freedom of Europe, were all at stake in the Crimea ; and he did not consider it possible that, at such a moment, a give way to personal c ons id er ations," one B a c could u a d this he was mistaken. It was not " unde viating and painful fidelity " that was re quired. It was a convenient subservience which would induce the Commisssoners t o fling the mantle of protection over the wrong. doers, to blemish their own high and irreproach able characters, in what must have proved the thing that would cast discredit on the startling Report of Mr. Rozzrox's Committee—that would have enabled the Government to impeach its ac curacy, on the authority of an investigation con ducted on the spot, with all the means of eliciting truth, and the results embodied by men of ability and unblemished reputation. Sir Jowrt M'NmLL and Colonel TuLLocH were not the me* for this dirty work. They fearlessly discharged their duty, and voila le resultat. Every attempt has been made to discredit them, disparage their labours, and neutralise their Report. It is true that the Premier, in a manly speech becom ing his position, expressed the satisfaction of the Government with their conduct, and acknowledged the advantages which the public service had de rived from their proceedings. But there was no official recognition from the department for which they were engaged—no reward for their indefatigable industry, and efficient, faithful, and exemplary discharge of the duty confided to their charge ; they would not be the tools of the Go vernment, the exculpators of those who merited reproach. Hence the carping criticisms and petulant attacks of Mr. PEEL, the mouthpiece of the War-office, and hence what virtually was their trial by the partial and packed Board at Chelsea. Lord PANMURE, too, has tardily spoken. Nearly twelve months after the Report was in his hands, and when thatßeport had virtuallybeen condemned by the conduct of the Government, ininstituting a new inquiry into the same facts by different Com missioners, the Noble Secretary for the War De partment declared that "the Government" approv ed the Report." Why, then, the new inquiry ? Why the Report of the Chelsea Board ? And what is the opinion of the Government respecting that Report, so diametrically opposed to that which emanated from the Chelsea Commissioners ? We rejoice that the gentlemen of Liverpool have spoken so boldly and truthfully. It must produce beneficial results, and in no respects more than in showing the true nature, intent, and ob ject of Government inquiries, which are not, and cannot be, accepted by the country as trustworthy, after what has taken place with respect to one of which they profess entirely to approve. On Friday last, when considering the able Re port of the " Society for Promoting the Amend ment of the Law," we declared that, " although agreeing in many respects with the Society, we cannot adopt all their views." We shall notir ex plain the grounds on which, with the most pro found respect, we venture to differ from some of the conclusions arrived at, and to suggest what appears to us to be more judicious, and better cal culated to achieve the great objects which every sincere and disinterested Reformer Inns: have deeply at heart. Our plan does not agree with any of those suggested by either the Attorney- General, Sir FITZROY KELLY, Mr. COLLIER, Or the Society. It is compounded from all—taking that which appears to be really valuable in each, and rejecting the portions thereof which seem open to well-founded objections. It is universally agreed by all, with the excep tion of the insignificant clique referred to in our last article, that the testamentary jurisdiction of the E cclesiastical Courts should be altogether abo lished, awl a new tribunal created, which should have full control in granting probates and letters of administration. We should add thereto all cases of divorce, alimony, and jactitation of mar riage, for reasons which we shall hereafter adduce, and which, as we believe, will be found not merely cogent, but perfectly decisive on the point. The questions at issue may thus fairly be considered under three heads, viz :- Ist, The Constitution of the new tribunal. 2d, Its Jurisdiction. And 3dly, How far local tribunals should be authorised to act, and to which Courts the duty should be entrusted. On the first point we fully concur with tile Society, that three Judges would be far better than one. Their decisions would have greater weight, and the anomaly of a single judge being called on an application for a new trial to review the conduct of another judge, of co-ordinate or superior authority, would be removed. But we cannot agree that the Court should consist of one judge from each of the Superior Courts of Common Law. We have already pointed out a fatal ob jection to this course, viz., that the new tribunal should be practically closed during nearly half the year, while the judges were absent on circuit, or during the vacations, that cannot be abolished with any regard for the health and comfort of the learned Judges, and which would be fraught with the most serious inconvenience to many families. This alone renders the appointment of a new Judge, whose time shall be exclusively devoted to the business of the new tribunal indispens able. The only objection is the additional expense which the Society calculates would amount to 5,6001. per annum. But although not yielding to any in the desire to promote every sound and wholesome economy, we repeat that such a sum is of comparatively trivial importance when the vast and complicated interests at stake are taken into consideration. With this new judge should be associated two others. One a Vice-Chancellor, the other a Judge of one of the Superior Courts of Common Law, who should give their services gratuitously, and for whose absence while so occupied, adequate arrangements might be made by the other Judges and Tice-Chancel lors. 2dly. As to the Jurisdiction.—We should not only confer authority of granting probates, and letters of administration (dealing with wills of real as well as of personal estat3), which should be valid in all parts of the United Kingdom, but also of construing wills and administering estates, as urged by the Attorney-General and Sir F. KELLY. But it should have the exclusive jurisdiction in such cases, and not a co-ordinate power with the Court of Chancery, as proposed by the latter learned gentleman. The serious evils of divided authority, against which the Society has adduced irresistible arguments would thus be avoided, and a Vice-Chancellor, accustomed to the construction of wills and the administration of assets being associated with the other judges, there could be no inconsistency in imposing that part of the duty relating to testamentary and administrative suits, which might safely devolve on the new tribunal, as proposed by Sir R. BETHELL. There is no part of the business of the Courts of Equity to which so many and such grave ob jections have been preferred as that relating to the administration of estates. The fortunes of widows and orphans, of legatees and next of kin, have been so frequently sacrificed,in a that great unpopularity of the Court may be attributed to that terrible cause. The imaginary suit of JARNDYCE V. JARNDYCE, referred to by one of the greatest of modern writers, furnishes an over-true picture of the monster grievance ; and we believe that no portion of the plan would be more popular, or more beneficial to the com munity at large, than that which would completely vain attempt to shelter those deserving of censure. It was not a strictly honest report, a faithful nar rative of the dreadful calamities that occurred, and the causes to which these calamities might ;rnly be ascribed that was desired. It was some- abolish the testamentary aud administrative juris- diction. of the Court of Chancery. With that addition there would be no lack of occupation-- indeed the only question would be whether there would not be too much, and whether it might not be indispensable to appoint two Vice-Chancellors and two Common Law Judges, in addition to the Judge of the Court, with power to sit in separate Courts, and with an appeal, either to the Lords Justices or to the Exchequer Chamber, according to the nature of the business transacted, and an ultimate one to the House of Lords. But should there be any spare time the transfer of matrimonial causes, for which such a tribunal would be peculiarly qualified, would give ample employment. The Vice-Chancellor's time might easily be spared, when it is considered how large a proportion of the business transacted by the Equity Judges has relation to testamentary suits. 311 y. As to local tribunals. We should com pletely and permanently abolish all Ecclesiastical jurisdiction. If any district court should be au- thorised to act, it should be the County Courts, as suggested by Mr. COLLIER and by the Society. But we should limit the power to the common form, and not permit any contentious busi ness to be decided by these tribunals. If, as stated by the Chancery Commissioners of 1854, "a uniformity of practice is of essential impor tance in regard to the probate of wills "—if the necessity for that uniformity constitute an ade quate objection to the transfer of the business to the three Superior Courts, as suggested by Mr. Comairs, how much more powerfully would it apply to thel7o Local Courts on which the society would confer jurisdiction in contentious matters, where the assets did not exceed 3001., where every judge would be an Autocrat, acting accord ing to his own caprice— sic volo sic jubeo being his sole rule of action, and where the inestimable safeguards afforded by the presence of an inde pendent bar, and the publicity given by the re ports of independent journals are altogether wanting. Three hundred pounds is as important to a poor man or to a family in humble circum stances as ten or twenty times the sum to their wealthy neighbours, and there should be no grounds for casting even suspicion on the ad ministration of justice. The expense would be just as great, inasmuch as competent practitioners should be highly paid to undertake the special business in Courts where they do not hat,itually attend. Besides, the Society would allow an appeal in matters of law from the country, to the Metropolitan Court (Resolution 25), and that appeal would take place in almost every case, so that the expenses would be enhanced in place of being abated by conferring authority in con tentious suits. Besides, the importance of having but one tribunal capable of conferring probates and letters of administration will be universally recognised. The validity of these documents would be at once ascertained, and there would be far less chance of fictitious instruments being promulgated or acted on. A fertile source of crime would thus be abrogated. Having the doom of English wills so clearly depicted in some of the early numbers of House hold JVords before our eyes, we should certainly not allow original wills to be kept in the County Courts registries. They should be deposited in the Metropolitan Courts. It may be desirable to have attested copies deposited in the district courts, to which easy access could be obtained, but that is all that should be tolerated, so far as the custody of documents by the County Courts are concerned. The registrars of the County Courts might very beneficially, as suggested by the Society, act as district officers of the Metropolitan Court with respect to all common or non-contentious busi ness. They might entertain applications for probates or administrations, give directions respecting the production of documents and proofs and the preparation of affidavits, see that these directions were complied with, and transmit the papers to the Court in London in order that they may be finally examined by one of the prin cipal Registrars. The actual probate or letters of administration should be granted by the Metro politan Court, and the documents, when com pleted, transmitted to the Local Registrar, and by him delivered to the proper parties. We have in the above been only enabled, within the brief space of a single article, to pre sent the most salient points. There are many others that may be produced on some future occa- Rion. THE INCOME TAX. Bury.meet meeting I wasr.held Frederick last nig M ht EE a T g l a N in d st AT th ß e n Peel, M.P., was present , and said he thou g ht the Chan cellor of the Exchequer would fully en d o rse the o p inion u i itclOreAi tax, a large expressed by the meeting, that it was expedient to reduce the tax to sevenpence in the pound from the sth of April next. MEETING AT EYESEIAL—A meeting against the into' ni-tax was held at Evesham on Wednesday. Reso latioas were carried declaring the present tax excessive, and the ptineiple of taxing professional income and that derived from capital alike unjust. Sir H. Willoughby, one of the members of the borough, was present, and in the course of his speech observed that the war portion of the tax ought to be removed after the sth of April next, and the whole as soon as possible. As to the capitalisation of incomes, which had been talked about by the Liverpool financial reformers, he would caution those gentlemen lest they fell " out of the frying-pan into the fire." The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland have arrived at Stafford House, from Trentham. The Dnk• of Wellington has left town for Strathfield saye. The Duchess is about to resume her duties as Lady in Waiting on her Majesty. The Marquis of Salisbury has left Hatfield, on a visit to the Marquis and Marchioness of Exeter, at Burleigh. The Earl and Countess of Westmoreland and Lady Rose Fane have returned to town, from visiting the Marquis of Exeter, at Burleigh. The Earl of Strathmore has left town for Glarnis Castle, Forfarshire. The Dowager Lady Cowley has returned to Hertford street, from visiting the Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury, at Hatfield. The Royal Commissioners for determining the site of the National Gallery met yesterday iu Downing-street, at the house of the First Lord of the Treasury. The Commissioners present were Lord Broughton, the Dean of St. Paul's, Professor Faraday, Mr. Cockerell, R.A., and Mr. Richmond. The Queen's commission was read, Lord Broughton placed in the chair, and Mr. Montague Butler chosen Secretary to the Commissioners. The steamer Ripon will leave Southampton for Alex andria on the 4th of February with the mails for India and China, instead of the Indus. According to the Deutsche Allyenteine Zeitung, the Emperor of Austria will visit some of the great European Courts during the summer, instead of going to Hungary. The Admiralty have accepted the Thames and the Lady Shelburne for the conveyance of stores respectively to Jamaica and Natal. The Bank of England yesterday ordered a bonus of 10 per cent. on the salaries of the clerks in that esta blishment for the past year. A memorial very numerously signed by the leading houses in the wine trade was presented to the Treasury yesterday, requesting that the privilege may be granted of bottling foreign wines in bond. There were no gold withdrawals from the Bank of England yesterday, but the exchange at Paris seems to be declining to a point at which gold will be likely to be sent thither as a remittance. _ _ NEW TURKISH RAILROAD. —The concession for the railroad from the Danube to the Archipelago has been sent after Mr. Layard, who has a term of three months after the receipt of the concession to get up the com pany. THE SPIRIT TRADE,—The impulse given to the manu facture of spirits in this country by the large demand Russia, Spain, and France, where the Australis, ionofsp spirits from gra i n has been prohibited, has led to a considerable increase in the price of gin. The distillation at six great distillery houses of London are producing col lectively between 200,000 and 300,000 gallons weekly. It is said by those conversant with the operations of the trade that this access of demand is equal to that of forty millions of population, and equivalent to a rise of one third in sale. The profits of the busi ness are said to be very large, but the enormous expense of the plant re quired md the vexatious operation' of tke Excise have rendered it almost a monopoly. LAT EI ST l l S. The Russian journal Le Word, of yesterday, publishes a telegraphic despatch from St. Peters burg of the contents of a despatch received there from Teheran, dated . the 21st of December. It mentions the appearance of the British fleet, consisting of 8 steamers and 13 or 14 transports, off Bushire. The English army is stated to con sist principally of Sepoys and Negroes, commanded by General Outram., The English had over powered a small fort near Bushire. The Persians have from 50,000 to 55,000 troops in the pro vinces exposed to the enemy's invasion. The King of Naples has concluded a convention with the Argentine Republic for the reception of his political prisoners, who may consent to b• exiled thither. The offer has been made to Poerio, but he has declined to go. The Governor of the Bank of France, in reply to questions in a meeting of shareholders, stated that he was made acquainted with the project for the augmentation of the capital of the Bank merely through the newspapers. Mr. Kelley, the American engineer, whose plan for cutting a ship canal across the Isthmus of Pa nama, without locks, has been already noticed, had an audience yesterday of the Emperor. His Ma jesty expressed himself pleased with what had been done towards reducing this great undertaking to what the engineer believes to be a practicable and tangible shape. The Emperor examined Mr. Kel ley's large maps and drawings with great attention, and said he would join the British and American Governments in making a verification of Mr. Kelley's route and a thorough survey of the whole Isthmus. BOURSE, Jan. 29.—The following were the last quotations : cash. fr. c. 44 per Cents 3 per Cents 67 50 New Lou 9. End of Month. -fr. -0. 67 45 THE ASSASSIN VERGER. The appeal of Terger came on before the Court of Cassation yesterday. The proceedings opened at half-past 11 o'clock, and the crowd was nearly as considerable as on the day ogthe trial at the Court of Assize. 111.Legagneur, Counsellor at the Court of Cassation, presented his report, explaining the three points on which the sentence was sought to be reversed, and. which were put forth in the paper presented by M. Morin in support of the appeal. M. Morin, on the part of the appellant, ,hen addressed the Court. The appeal of a convict sentenced to capital punishment, he said, was one of those cases which no member of the bar could refuse to under- take ; humanity, justice, and the traditions of the bar imperiously required a defence. Raving been entrusted by the Court with that difficult task, be should endeavour to perform it to the best of his ability, and master the painful emotions to which it would give rise. He was the more encouraged to do so as,. on the present occasion, the only question was one of law, and to that he should address himself before that Supreme Court, that judicial Senate, the guardian and protector of legal forms, the conservator of the authority and purity of the law. He had nothing whatever to say on the crime itself of which the prisoner was found guilty by the Court below. He could only repeat with every man of sense that it was abominable. A virtuous prelate stabbed to the heart during a religious solemnity, and by the hand of a priest whom he had relieved in his necessities ; who was in the act of blessing him while he knelt among the crowd. Even now he (M. Morin) could not understand how the prisoner could have committed such a crime—a crime which had produced stupe faction among the clergy and among society at large. It was a crime unprecedented, without ex planation, unless by insanity. He did not plead madness at the moment of the act—that was the duty of the prisoner's counsel at the Court of Assize, and that duty he had scrupulously performed. It was not permitted to him to discuss that ques tion after the verdict of guilty had been pro nounced. He would maintain that there was mad ness now which required a suspension, and he would be authorised to do so by the fundamental principles which he put forward in the case of the appeal of the convict Gilbert, and which were con firmed by the remarkable judgments of the Court of Ca cation on the 25th Jan., 1839 ; for at what ever period mental derangement disclosed itself the judge ought to pause from proceeding against an unfortunate wretch who had neither the conscious ness of his crime and of his situation, nor the sen timent of the rights and the duties of defence. He should, perhaps, be required to produce proofs and juridical documents. He confessed he had none—he had no proofs but the scandalous violence which had outraged witnesses and judges alike, at the moment they exhibited the most admirable patience—violence so extrava gant as to necessitate the removal of the accused from the court—of the accused, who was on his trial for his life. He would not here appeal to his own personal opinions, nor to the manifestations and scientific opinions which he constantly met with, be cause it was erroneously believed that he was bound, to prove insanity, so far as ho could j udge from pub lic opinion. It was only, then, to the examination of the proceedings themselves that his argumen• would refer. The question was this—Had the forms and delays required by the law for the sacred right of defence been observed since the decision of the court for putting the accused op his trial, and which decision had been maintained! This is what he could, and what he was bound to dispute in the development of his arguments for annulling the sen tence. M. Morin then explained his grounds for supporting the appeal. The first related to the con stitution of the Court of Assize. He admitted that conformably with the letter of the law, and with the decree of the Court of Cassation of the 15th of Nov., 1855, the chief president might preside at the Court of Assize by retaining as first assessor the president named by the keeper of the seals ; but, he asked, was not an ordinance necessary for the sake of regularity, which should state why the compo sition of the Court was changed, since the chanao did not take place in consequence of any unforeseen circumstance, but a change of authority arbitrarily substituting one President for another. The second ground, which M. Morin argued, is founded on the shortening of the period allowed for the trial. n o insisted particularly that 48 hours had not inter vened between the rejection of the appeal and the appearance of the accused before the Court of Assize ; and he asked whether, in law, this delay was sufficient for the accused to prepare his defence and summon his witnesses. According to counsel for the prisoner the period was so short that the accused could not be forced to accept the trial. No doubt the object and the result of the law of the 10th June, 1855, was to prevent prisoners from escaping from justice by dilatory proceeding ; but in the present case the appeal was regularly drawn up, consequently the code of 1808 should have been followed. Now, according to article 296, the accused had five days from his examination to appeal against the order for trial. If he allowed this period to pass without an appeal, the presumption was that he had prepared his de fence ; but according to precedent it is not the same when he has chosen to demand that the proceedings shall be annulled. In that case the presumption was that he had devoted his time to prepare his appeal, and not to his defence before the Court of Assize. He should, consequently, have been allowed a further delay. If not, it might be said that he was liable tO be called before the Court of As size immediately after the notification of the re jection of his appeal, and he might thus find it materially impossible to summon his witnesses, of whom the list must be notified to the public prose cutor 24 hours previously. In fact, the accused protested at the trial, and demanded the time necessary for summoning the witnesses, of whom he had furnished a list to the Attorney- General. It was replied that the facts on which he wished to examine his witnesses were irrelevant ; but that is a contradiction which cannot be admitted in an absolute manner, for it is not possible to know whether those witnesses would not have cleared up some doubts and established the insanity. Arriving at the third point, which he declared to be the most important, M. Morin maintained that, whether according to the law of 9th September, 1835, well considered, or even ac cording to the decree which, conformably with the right established by that law, prescribed that the accused should be taken back to prison, the effect of the expulsion ought to cease at the conclusion of the trial, and the accused ought to have been brought back to hear the sentence, or at least he should have had an opportunity 'of answering whether he had anything to add to his defence. M. Morin admitted that the practice is contrary in Paris, but he maintained that this practice is contrary to the spirit of the law, and he cited, in support of his argument, various precedents; among others, the case of Madame Laffarge at Limoges, and the trial before the Court of Peers in April, 1834. He then concluded by demanding that the proceedings should be quashed, as well in the name of the principles of defence as in the name of justice, so much interested in a new ex amination which should permit the degree of insanity to be verified, which had not yet been ascertained to a certainty. After the speech of M. Morin the proceedings were suspended for some minutes. On their being resumed, the President called on the Procureur-General (M. Royer) to address the Court. M. Royer went over the incidents of the trial before the Court of Assize, and alluded to the painful effect produced by the violent conduct of the accused on that occasion. Such things, he said, should cease at the threshold of the Court of Cassation. After saying a few wards on the ac cused himself, he entered minutely into the three arguments put forward by the counsel for the appellant. These arguments he refuted at some length, and he ended by calling on the Court to re ject the appeal. When the Procureur closed the address the judges retired to their chamber for consultation. On their val and Military return' Lhey - Unaninwasly rejected the appep,i. 1 gs FRANCE. PARIS, THURSDAY ETENING. • A Council of Ministers, at which -the Emperor presided, was held yesterday at the Tuileries. The Moniteur publishes a decree promulgating a convention recently concluded between France and the States of Parma, for the reciprocal extradition of offenders. The Emperor Napoleon is said to have sent to the young Countess de Moray a magnificent diamond necklace and cross as a wedding present. Ferouk Khan, according to intelligence from London, is to proceed to that city towards the middle of February, charged with an extraoidinary mission from the Shah of Persia. The 23d Company of tue Royal Engineers at Chatham,numbering 120 non-commissioned officer and men; have been selected to proceed to the Falkland Islands, where they will be stationed. The officers who will embark with the detachment are Captain A. Clarke, Lieuter;i:i E. V D. Malcolm, and Lieutenant G. D.Ptitehard, Royal Engineers. The removal of the stores brought home from Kertch by the Engineer Corps of the Turkish Con tingent from the gun-wharf at Chatham to the Royal Engineers' eita,blishment at Brompton Bar racks is being carried on by the troops of the Field Equipment Corps of the Royal Engineers, and already 30 waggons and carts laden with stores have been removed and deposited at Brompton. It will give some idea of the immense quantity of articles deposi ed at. Chatham when it is stated that it will be fully a fortnight before the whole will be removed. Bank Shares 4,160 Roman (ad) Credit Mobilier 1;330 Austrian Belgian Fives ...... .. Piedmontese (5) Spanish Threes . 90 50 Home Debt RAILWAYS-FOR CASH. Orleans 1,375 Western ' PM 75 Northern 935 Strasburg Lyons 1,360 New Ditto Mediterranean — Grand Central Lyons Geneva __ Teste Cette 772 50 Austrian Com. __, 760 MONTENEGRO. A letter from Vienna of the 23d inst., in the Bourse Gazette of Berlin, contains the following on the situation of the Porte with regard to Montenegro : " Certain journals have erro neously announced that war would break out next spring between Turkey and Montenegro. It is well known that an expedition was last year projected against the latter country, but that the affair was amicably arranged, and that Baron de Mamula, who had come to Vienna for that pur pose, left that capital after the Porte had addressed to the great power=, and particularly to the Aus trian Cabinet, explanations which made•known to them the reasons of the quarrel, and tranquillised them with respect to the future. According to these declarations, the Porte still considers Monte negro as a territory subject to its sovereignty, but will not make any change in existing relations as long as the Montenegrins remain tranquil. The Cabinets fully approved of this explanation, and the state of affairs has not since changed." NAPLES. The Presse has the following despatch, which is several days later than the letters already published, and shows that the excitement and agitation which our own correspondent described have gone on increasing : " NAPLES, JAN. 21, " The theatres are closed ; most of the cafes and hotels, more than half of the printing-offices, and the greater part of the libraries are also closed. The Custom-house is nearly deserted. Judge of the State in which we are. The letter-boxes are shut, and every person wishing to post a letter must deliver it personally, into the hand of a clerk. Since the explosion of the powder magazine and the arrest of Milano, more than 500 persons have been arrested, and of these certainly not more than 100 have been released." MESSINA, Jan. 23.—Political arrests in Sicily increase in the most deplorable and odious manner, without any discrimination, and even against the opinions of the local authorities. The prisons are so encumbered that it has been found necessary to dispose of the prisoners. Twenty five were embarked in the night between the 20th and 21st on board the steam-corvette the Miseno, to be transported to the Rocks of Utica and Pavigliano, desert islets off the west coast of Sicily. Some of the prisoners were garotted, and the exasperation of the people is extreme. CATANIA, Jan. 22.—Commerce is entirely at a stand ; the theatres are abandoned ; the clubs are closed ; the streets are silent and almost deserted, for nobody is met but agents of the police escorted by military. AUSTRIA. The following is the letter of the Emperor Francis Joseph to Marshal Radetzky, announcing a general amnesty to all political prisoners in the born bardo- Venetian provinces. It is dated Milan, January the 25th : " Dear Field Marshal Count Radetzky—l decide by way of favour (trovo in via di grazier) to release all per sons belonging to the Lombardo-Venetian Kingdom now imprisoned for the crimes of high treason, disturb ante of public tranquillity, revolt and insurrection, horn the entire punishment to which they have been sentenced, anti to command that they shall be immediately set at liberty. At the same time I determine to annul all the proceedings pending in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom for the above-mentioned crimes, commanding the release from prison of the persons detained for those causes. The special court existing at Mantua ceases from this moment, and its functions shall be at an end." A letter dated Vienna, Jan. 26, says :—The dissolution of the Special Criminal Court, which held its sittings at Mantua, will not fail to produce an excellent impression on the in habitants of the Lombardo -Venetian king dom. The tribunal in question, which was as odious to the Italians as was the Star Chamber to the subjects of his Majesty King Charles I. of England, was not a court-martial in the strict sense of the expression : but military judges, called audi tores, were attached to it, and it rarely or never hap pened that a person accused of treasonable practices was discharged because his innocence was proved. If a prisoner was liberated, it was because his guilt was "not proven" (ab instantia). The dissolution of the special court at Mantua is a proof that thb Emperor is resolved to try whether his Italian sub jects may not be governed with the sceptre instead of the sword, and it will probably be their own fault if he again has recourEe to harsh measures. It is evident that the intentions of the Sovereign and of his official advisers are good, but it is greatly to be feared that the f avoura ble impression which the recent' measures have produced will be weakened by want of tact of the inferior authori ties. It would not be advisable to hold the reins of Government loosely, but every measure which could needlessly wound the pride or give umbrage •to the Italians ought to be carefully avoided. SPAIN. MADRID, Jan. 28.—The state of her Majesty continues to improve ; the Gazette has ceased pub lishing bulletins. It is much doubted whether her Majesty will undertake her projected voyage to Audalusia, as the small-pox is committing ravages in that province. The journals of the 24th give some details re specting the republican conspiracy, the discovery of which made some noise a short time ago. The conspirators, it seems, were arrested in the Galle de la Magdalena, where were seized some four thousand proclamations, exciting the army to revolt and to assassinate their officers ; some firearms, a cap of liberty, and a list of persons in complicity with the heads of the plot. The leader of the conspiracy was a retired colonel, and M. Becerra, the captain of the national guard, whose arrest has been announced, was mixed up in it. The affair is described as of no importance. At Barcelona employment had been provided for the working men, and all alarm of an outbreak bad ceased. The Prussian National Gazette says The commission appointed to consider the divorce bill has declared by 13 votes to 6 in favour of the Go vernment plan, slightly modified. The Roman Catholic members had asked for the establishment of special ecclesiastical tribunals, but that propo sition was rejected after some warm discussion, although the Paid members had declared that they would consider it their duty to vote against the whole bill, if their amendment was rejected." A letter from Berne states that M. Stcempfli has proposed to the Federal Council to appropriate what remains of the military credit granted for the late military preparations to providing all the com panies of the foot chasseurs with rifles. --- The accounts from the German money markets appear more favourable than for some time past. Capital is becoming more abundant, and there is a disposition on the part of the public to make investments. Advices from Naples, dated January 24, state that the greatest alarm prevailed. The theatres are all shut. Political arrests continue daily. The Kicg is at Caserta. Postal communication is not allowed without personal responsibility. The Admiralty yacht Black Eagle, Master Com mander Petley, arrived at Woolwich yesterday, at noon, from Dover, having been ordered thither to be placed at the disposal of her Serene Highness the Princess of Hohenlohe, and her daughter, from Calais to Dover. The mail-packet Queen, lying in the harbour, having been judged of less draught of water, was consequently specially engaged, and conveyed the august personages across the Channel, in lieu of the Black Eagle. The Admiralty yacht has been fitted with Mr. Weathered's apparatus for, super-heating steam, which is reported to act fa vourably, so as to reduce the consumption of fuel in a similar ratio to that obtained on board the troop-ship Dee. Her Majesty's screw stcamvessel Buffalo, Second Master Jones in command, arrived at roolwich yesterday from Portsmouth, and was ordered to proceed immediately to Grays to ship a cargo of moulding sand for the use of Keyham-yard. The newly-constructed steam yacht Imperador, about to be forwarded for presentation to the Emperor of Japan, was yesterday placed under the sheers in Woolwich fitting basin and received her masts. A compete set of improved yacht rigging is in course of being made peculiar to the require ments of the vessel. . The Pembroke, 60 guns, screw steamship, arrived at Sheerness yesterday at noon, from Leith. She saluted the flag at 11 a.m., which was returned by the Waterloo. The officers and crew of the Salamander, paddle wheel steam vessel, are, by an Admiralty order, to return all storee from the Salamander, and are to be turned over to the Viren. The Cyclops, at Sheerness, is ordered to receive all her guns of heavy calibre, ancl•to be brought forward immediately. The Myrtle steam vessel towed the Robert (which vessel had been run down by the Emerald, and since raised) from Sheerness harbour to Milton creek yesterday. The following appointments have been made at. the Admiralty : George S. Hodge, Master in 'Command, to the' Industry ; William L. Scanlon, promoted to' Master ; W. K. Stephens and F. E. Hubbard, Naval Cadets, to the Indus • A. C. Harris, Naval Cadet, to the Monarch, for disposal ; F. 0. Powell, Naval Cadet, to the Satellite ; Frederick Burns, Assistant-Paymaster, to the Eawke ; A. Allen, Assistant-Paymaster in charge, to the Industry. THE BANK OF FRANCE. The Moniteur of yesterday, alluding to remarks.. made by some of the Paris journals as to contenr plated changes in the organisation of the Bank of France, and particularly on the increase of its capi tal, publishes a note, containing the views of the Emperor Napoleon I. which was sent to the Bank, of Prance in 1810 by order of his Majesty. The is a summary of its contents. After stating that the original capital of the bank, which was fixed by the law of An 8 at 30 millions, had been successively increased to 43 and to 90 millions, it goes on to say : "The capital was not intended to be used is discount transactions, which should be entirely carried on by means of its notes. Its capital ought to remain entirely unconnected with discount opera.. tions. The formation of the capital of a bank is a pre" liminary act as distinct from its activity as a privileges discounting establishment as the deposit of a sum 4:4 caution-money by a person employed is from his manage ment, properly so called. The condition of furnishing a capital is only imposed on those who found a bank a,l security for those who take its notes against any er r or or imprudent conduct on the part of its managers. .9 4 - bank which only issues notes in exchange for goo d b at two or •three months' date at the utmost ou ght have constantly in band a sum in such securities at le a s " equal to the flutes it has issued, and thus be in a situation to withdraw all its notes from circa& en in three months, by the ,receipt of the amo , ant of the bills it has in liat,d, without interfering', iri the slightest way with its capital. The capital furnished by the shareholders of a bank being, strictly speaki ing, only a kind of caution money give n to the publii ;,_ it might be ,almost saidthat a bank which h a d acqu i re id reputation for infallibility would not even require to touch its capital for purposes of discount, its notes beiing quite suficient for that purpose." The note then alludes to the formation of the Bank of England in 1692 with a capital of 24 millions, and states that although its first a ct . i _ was to lead almost the whole of that capital T" the Royal treasury of 'William 111., its founder , yet it carried on with success its discount (11 0 ' rations from the very first moment of its be ing established by means of its notes. It 31 szt alludes to the care and attention necessary in carrying on discount operations, and the st riot attention required in the investigation of the sol vency of the different parties whose names are affixed to the bills presented for discount. 'The document concludes as follows : "The capital of a bank should, by the form of its in' vestment, remain, so to speak, always immoveable, in order that no suspicion should ever be felt of its having been diminished ; it ought at the same time to remain 3 0 a state to be immediately available, so as to be ready to cover any losses which might miss on bills. A part of this capital should form a reserve in bullion, and flint part can produce Ito interest. The best use that could be made of the remainder appear& to be its in" vestment in securities of the public debt of the couottly, negotiable in the market; since such an ivestment unites to the advantage of securing a favourable and regularlf paid interest, that of being immediately available when required by the bank ; and although this latter even tuality could never happen in a bank that has only issued its notes in exchange for good discountable se' entities, yet prudence always requires the case to be provided for. A. bank ought to maintain itself in such a state as to be able to wind up its affairs at any moment ; in the first place, with respect to the holders of its notes, by the realisation of the bills which it has in hand ; and next, with respect to its shareholders by the distribution to each of them of the amount of capital which he has furnished. In order never to expire it ought to be able to come to an end at sof !moment." ELECTION OP COMMON SERGEANT. The Court of Common Council, yesterday, prceeeded to the election of a Common Sergeant-the candidate for the office b e i ng M r. Locke, Mr. Bodkin, lSfr, Chambers, M.P., Sir W. W. Riddell, Bart., M..P., and Mr. Pulling. The salary has been fixed at 1,500/, per annum. • The following is the result of the first poll : Fer Mr. Locke 4B • „ Mr. Bodkin 5B „ Mr. Chambers - 91 „ Sir W. Riddell • 77 „ Mr. Pulling l5 Mr. Chambers and Sir W. Riddell having the largest number of votes, The Lord Mayor called upon the Court to elect one of these gentlemen to the office. After the poll had been kept open an hour the num' bers were— -- For Mr. Chambers lO2 For Sir W. Riddell Majority for Mr. Chambev... 13 The announcement was received with loud cheers. DRURY-LANE THEATRE. The annual meeting of the proprietors and renters of this theatre was held yesterday afternoon in the saloon Mr. B. B. Cabbell, M.P., presided. The chairman opened the proceedings by congratulating the proprietors on the favourable position of th e i r affa i rs s i nce t h e house ,the been lot to Mr. Smith. The secretary read the reports which stated,—" The committee have placed before the proprietors the statement of accounts for the past yez` r : The committee feel thUt i t cannot be necessary f or t h e m l A ° remind the propri e t ors o f t h e sensation which was cau se' within those walls by the destruction of Covent-gard en Theatre. Suggestions and communications were O w tinually being addressed to the committee, who had alreadi decided to consult the best practical authority as to th e adequacy of the means hitherto used in the house for I _l protection in case of fire. Mr. Braidwood had inspee,t'i the theatre, a n d cer t a i n suggestions had b een ma d e by to% gentleman, and had been adopted by the committee. Thero were now several firemen constantly in the theatrea t were unde rthe control of the police, under the sanction t the Chief Commissioner. The cash account for the P 4. year showed th a t th e ent i re rece i pts amoun t e d t 045,11% 125., includin g a b a l ance i n han d a t l as t au dit o f 107 i. The entire p •yments for the same period had amounted t % a . 4,8911. 9s. 3d., leaving a balance in hand of 301/. f oo The amount re ce i ve d from the lessee (Mr. Smit h) Z t a 4,0001., togeth er w ith 64 51. f or ex t ra per f orman ces. quarters' rent had been paid to the Duke of Bedford duringthe year, leavin g seven quarters in arrear. The trustees of the renters had received 6001., and all the tradesn e bills had been re gu l ar ly p a id." The report was, o; motion of the chairman, unanimously adopted. The re favour ; le of the archit ec t was th e n read; it spoke in fa. nateermruretirrng b s e c i r s f o t f he th p e re c s o e m tentmsittatee vote of thanks was then awarded to Mr. Smith. Mr, Smith urned thalaka. o w f or t e h ereetfieccete'd.ThAe re 1. i~IVN ~