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

T HEATRE ROYAL, DRUM LINE. — Lessee, Mr. E. T. Smith. Acting Manager, Mr. C. Mathews. Stage Manager, Mr. R. Roxbv. Scenic Artist, Mr. W. Beverley. The eminent Comedian, Mr. Charles Mathews, every evening. Great Success of the Grand Christmas Pantomime, the oust magnificent ever produced on the English stage. THIS EVENING, her Majesty's Servants will perform TWO HEADS ARE BETTER Til AN ONE. Followed by SOMEBODY ELSE, is which Mr. Charles Mathews will sustain his origind character. After which will be produced an entirely new and original symbolical, hyperbolical, parabolical, and extra-physiog nomical g,ro'esque, statuesque, and picturesque Grand Comic Christmas Pantomime, which for some time past has employed the unrivalled resources of this extensive establishment, awl which will be called or entitled, as it is entitled to be called, SEE, SAW, MARGERY DAN ; 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 LYCEU:`,I TIIEA.TRE. Lessee, Mr. C. Dillon. THIS EVENING will te produced an entirely new and original cougyination of burletque and pa:Atomime, entitled - CONRAD AND MEDORA; or, Harlequin Corsair and the Little Fairy at the Bottom of the Sea. The burlesque opening by W. Brough, F.sq., 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 : Conrad (the Corsair) Miss Woolgar Bi r barto (his lieutenant) Mr. J. L. Toole Serie Pasha Mr. Barrett sing Smaul Mr. Holston Yussift ............ Mr. S. Calhaem' l,fedora Ciulnar Mrs. Ti White Zulicm Submarina Miss Jessie Ryder' Serena Miss. Marie Wilton Clowns Mr. H. Marshall ..Mr. Stilt „Mr. J Marshall ..The Brothers Nelson. ..Miss Clara Morgan and Miss Ladd. Pantaloon Harlequin Sprites Columbines To be preceded by THE KING'S MUSKETEERS. D'Ar tagnan, Mr. C. Dillon. The box-office open daily, from 11 to 5, under the super , stendence of Mr. Chatterton, jun. Carriages conveying parties 1.3 the Private Boxes to so' dlvrn at the State entrance in Burleigh-street. A Morning Performance every Saturday, at 2 o'clock. ROYAL THIS EVENING will be performed A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. After which, a new grand Christmas Pantomime, called ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP; • or, Harlequin rind the Genii of the Ring. Harlequin, Mr Corraack ; Clown, Mr. Huline ; Pantaloon, Mr. Paulo ; Co. lumbine, Miss C. Adams. THEATRE ROYAL, Er AYMA.RICET. 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, M. 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 L OYAL SURREY THEATRE, IL Lessees, Messrs. Shepherd and Creswiek. THIS EVENING, an original play, in airce 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. Clover ; Clown, Mr. Back ; Pantaloon, Mr. Bradbury; the Four Sprites, the Fillis Fa- mily ; Columbines. Mesdames Marie and Agnes. T HEATRE ROYAL, A DEL PHI. Lessee—Mr. Ben. Webster. Great Hit of A Night at 34 otting-Hill. THIS EVENING will be performed DOMESTIC ECONOMY. After which, A NIGHT AT NOTTING-HILL, in which Mr. Wright and Pail 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, dre., called MOTHER SUIPTON ; or, Harlequin Knight of Love, and the Enchanted Whistle. Harlequin and Columbine (h la Watteau), Madame Celeste and Miss Wyndham ; Clown, Mr. Garden ; Pantaloon, Mr. Moreland; Scaramoneh, Mr. Le Barr. Characters in the bur lesque by Mr. Paul Milford, Mr. J. Bland, Mr. R. Romer, Madame Celeste, Miss Wyndham, Miss Mary Keeley, Miss Kate Kelly, Miss Arden,. &c. A STLEY'S ROY AL AMPHITHEATRE. .171 Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke. THIS F.VENINCI (First Week !), the risible Cpmedy called KATHERINE AND PETRUCIIIO (as taken by Garrick from Shakspeare's " TArnin , of the Sllrew"). with 3fr. W. Cooke's Equestrian Illustrations. Petrnchio, Mr. James Holloway. After which, the EQUESTRIAN . EXERCLSES in the ARENA. To conclude with the succcasful equestrian comic panto mime, called Pllll, PRY ON HORSEBACK; or, Har lequin and the Magic Horseshoe, Doors open at half-past six ; commence at a quarter be fore seven o'clock. Rox•office open from E!even till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West. Equestrian Director, Mr. W. Cooke, jun. A Morning Performance every S:►tnrclay, at Two o'clock. CA.NTERBIT RY HALL. wpstmi ngter-rowl. OPEN EVERY EVEN ING.—The folio w inz company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections from all the popnlac Operas, Madrigals, C;.oru , es, Glees, Duets, &c., via. : —Miss E. Pearce, 4' s. J. Civil field, Miss Brunel, Miss Simmers, and Madame Marietta ; Mr. .1. Caulfield, TTerr F. Jonghmans, R. Grover, T. Farrant, S. Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling. P. r.orri. Senor Antonio M. de Soils, and E. L. lime ; Masters Austin, Ren,ett, an d Corri; Messrs. Sam Collins, E. Mackney, and C. J. Wilkins. pianoforte, J. Tf arroway, R.. A.; harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun. ; director, Mr. J. Caulfield. Commence at Seven o'clock pre cisely, Snnpers, &c., until twelve o'clock. Mr. C. Morton's Annual Full cress Bill will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Gentleman's Czket, Ts; lady's ditto, 5s ; d Audi: ticket (lady and gentletwin or two ladies), 10s. ;111111 WATER AT LONDON lIRT.DOE. TRIS DAT—Morn. 51 min. Aft. 4—EvPniniz 12 rain. lift. 5 T,,- ; 9o,lzow—Mom. 32 min. aft. 5 --rvenirg 53 mill. 2f t. 5 THE WEATHER-SITN OFFICF, JANUARY 30. TU23M091171211, IN TIIR SHAUL 38 —hirhost singe noon yesterday, 29 —lowest tnlB morning end during the night. 35 --this day st Boor. h A 404WTTIM, 29 . 88. WIND, S. W.—Fresh, with hazy, frosty weather. L: r7:77 / A. 4 L DON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 188.7 nion of the Ilnauna of MUSCAT. Getting under weigh on the 26th, the expedition thence pro ceeded, without further delay than that caused by a storm on the Ist of December, to the point which was very well understood from the first, to be that of thoir ulterior destination— Bushire ! Captain JONES, our resident at that place, quitted it on the 301, announced hts politi cal connection with Persia to have ceas:d, 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 Bushire commenced on the 9th of December—upon which day the old P, rtu- guese fort of Reshire (not Bushirel 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 ITTTERSON, of the 20th, were killed sword lin 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 C,)lonel MALET during the final charge of the 3d Cavalry fell shot through the heart by a wounded caitiff (an Arab) to whom he had, b!it 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 point of the bayonet. Upon the following morning (that of the 10th) Bushire itself was finally assailed by our shipsof 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 ion erecl 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 cansi derablo number of prisoneri, including among their number the Governor, and various person ages of distinction ! While, as subs' antial 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 iu its Government. Such are the inaugurative events of the riew British War with Persia—a War which the Srrea was himself the first mos'. wantonly to provoke, and the heinous crime of originating which he has been compelled already to expiate thus signally and hunafliatln&y. 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 comnaercial metropolis of the United 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. Alen 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 JOHN NPNEILL and Colonel TuLLocEt for the valuable results acaieved 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, ina•'much as it was the only public document which contained an acknowledgment that any service had been rendered by the Coin mission—a fact that reflects disgrace not on the Commissioners themselves, but on those whose business it was to recognise an I reward their useful labours. The admirab'e answer of Sir JOHN M'NEILL places this matter 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 Vag aristocratic delinquents, whose "neglect, apathy, and incom petence," caused the fearful and deplorable evils wt►ich occasioned the loss of so many valuable lives, and imperilled the military honour, and al most the sa,fe!y of the United Kingd An. And yet these man 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. APNBILL and Colonel TIILLOOH were engaged, an .l through which they passed with so much credit to themselves and advantage to the community. 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 Gelf at the beginning of December. It now proves that those warlike operations have been really, afier 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 these solemn engagements which it deliberately entered into with the Go vernment of Great Britain in 1853 has, indeed, already been most summarily avenged ! The SKATE has enjoyed but small leisure during which to . exult over hi s se i zure o f H erat, upon th e miserable pretext of DOST MAHOIED having been instigated, by the Anglo-Indian Cabinet, to ad vance with a hostile array of Amoers 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 fallen under the sway, and before the prowess, and at the first assault of the British Expedition ! That expedition, bearing the flag of Admiral Sir H. L tin", had taken its departure from Bombay on the 18th of October —consisting of some forty-five sail of the liar, carrying from 0,000 to 6,000 troops, under Major-General FOSTER STALKER. The political charge of our 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 Fleet, it appears, rendezvoused on the 24th off the volcanic island of Kislim, situated at the mouth of the Gulf, an d a ppert a i n i ng to the domi: Sir J. WNEILL 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 declares,—" The welfare of the British army, the honour of her MAJESTY'S arms, the interests of the nation, in more than one quar• 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, any one could give way to personal considerations." But iu this he was mistaken. It was not that "unde viating and painful fid e lity" was re quired. •It was a convenient subservience w hi c h would induc3 the COMMiS , SSODOTS to fli n g the mantle of protection over the wren , - doers, to blemish their own high and irreproach able characters, in what must have proved the vain attempt to shelter those deserving of censure. :\ abolish the testamentary and administrative juris- It was not a strictly honest report, a faithful nar-• j diction of the Court of Chancery. With that nttiv© of the dreadful calamities that occurred, addition there would be no lack of occupation-- and the causes to which these calamities might. j indeed the only question would he whether there truly be ascribed that was desired. It was some ' would not be too much, and whether it might not thing that would cast discredit on the startling: be indispensable to appoint two Vice-Chancellors Report of Mr. ROEBUCK'S Committee—that would_ and two Common Law Judges, in addition to the have enabled the Government to impeach its ac- 5 Judge of the Court, with power to sit in separate curacy, on the authority of an investigation con- Courts, and with an appeal, either to the Lords ducted on the spot, with all the means of eliciting t Justicas or to the Exchequer Chamber, according truth, and the results embodied by men of. ► to the nature of the business transacted, and an ability and unblemished reputation. Sir JOHN.' ultimata one to the House of Lords. But INPNErnn and Colonel TIILLOCH were not the incsi: for this dirty work. They fearlessly discharged. their duty, and voila, le resultat. Every attempa has been made to discredit them, disparage their labours, and neutralise their Report. It is true that the Premier, in a manly speech becont 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 Le spareJ, when it is considered how large a proportion of the business transacted by the ing his position, expressed the satisfaction of ti►e 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 PANMITRE, too, has tardily spoken. Nearly twelve months after the Report was in his hands, and when that Report had virtually been 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. Equity Judges has relation to testamentary suits, 3dly. As to local tribunals. We should corn. pletely and permanently abolish all Ecc/esiastica 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 au ade quate objection to the transfer of the business to the three Superior Courts, as suggested by Mr. COLLIER, 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 vole 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 habitually 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 Words 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 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 now 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 must have deeply at heart. Our plan does not agree with any of those suggested by either the Attorney- Ganeral, 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 ag reed by all, with the excep tion of the insignificant clique referred to in our last article, th'at the testamentary jurisdiction cf the E eclepiastical Courts should be altogether abo lished, and a now tribunal created, which should have full control in granting probates and letters of administration. We should add thereto all cases of divorce, alimony, and ja.ctitation 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. 2J, Its Jurisdiction. And 3dly, How far local tribunals should be authorised to act, and to which Courts the duty should b© entrusted. On the first point we fully concur with the 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 d iring 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 i ndispens able. The only objection is the additional expense which the Society calculates would amount to 5,0001. per annum. But although not yielding to any in the desire to promote every sound and wholesome economy, wo 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 bo associated two others. One a Vice Chancellor, the other a Judge of one of the Superior C9urts 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 Vice-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, that the great unpopularity of the Court may be in a g rea t degree attributed to that terrible cause. The imaginary suit of JARNDYOE 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 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 coca- 81011. THE INCOME TAX. MEETING AT BURT.—A large meeting was held last night against the income tax, at Bury. Mr. Frederick Peel, M.P., was present, and eaid he thought the Chan sellor of the Exchequer would fully endorse the opinion 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 EVEEHAII —A meeting against the income-tax was held at Evesham on Wedoesday. Reso lutions were carried declaring the present tax excessive, and the principle of taxing professional income and that derived from capital alil.•e 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 Duke of Wellington has left town for Strathfield says. The Duchess is about to resume her duties as Lady in Wai , ing on her Majesty. The Marquis of Salisbury has left Hatfield, on a visit to the Merquis and Marchioness of Exeter, at Burleigh. The Eirl and C•nintess of Westmoreland and Lady Rose Fane have returned to town, from visiting the Marquis of Exeter, at Burleigb. The Earl of Strathmore has I.ft town for Glamis 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 in 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 Chins, instead of the Indus. According to the Deutsche Allgemeine 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 t 3 a point at which gold will he likely to be sant thither as a remittance. _ _ NEW TURNISEI 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 receip` 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 from Australia, Russia, Spain, and France, where the distillation of spirits from grain has been prohibited, has led to a considerable increase hi the price of gin. The 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 o perations 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 pa!e. The pr ifit9 b7.,iness are Fr..id to ;.,e very large, but the euoratous expease of tt,e plant re quired and the vexatious operations of the Excise have rendered it almost a monopoly. 11:41 A - tir (-1 ALA Ll ILA 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 Outran]. The English had over powered a small, fort near Bushire. The Persians hare 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 be exiled thither. The offer has been made to Poerio, but he bas declined to go. THE ASSASSIN VERGER. Ti3e appeal of Verger 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 of the trial at the Court of Assiz3. M. 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, then 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. Having 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 addres 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 abominalole. 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 sea 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 he could judge from pub lic opinion. It was only, then, to the examination of the proceedings themselves that his argumen• s 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 on 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 1855, the chief president might preside at the Nov. , ourt of A.siz'a 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 stare why the compo sition of the Court was changed, since the change did not take place in consequence of any .uhforeseen 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. He 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 au 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. It 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 prCested 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. Mona maintained that, whither 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; am ong o thers, 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 iu 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, be said, should cease at the threshold of the Court of Cessation. After saying a few words 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 Naval and Military bitei.imelice. return they unanimously rejected the appeal. FRANCE. PARIS, THURSDAY ETENLIG, 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 oxtraditi3n of offenders. The Emperor Napoleon is said to have sent to the young Countess de Morny 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 extraordinary mission from the Shah of Persia. 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 bad been done towards re - ducing 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. fl. e 4i per Cents 3 per Cents 67 50 New Loan Bank Shares 4,160_ Roman (x d) End of I.Tonth. —fr. —c. 67 45 Credit Mobilier 1,330 Austria]; Belgian Fives .. Spanish Threes Piedmontese (5) 9O 50 Home Debt • RAILWAYS-FOR CASH. fr. c. fr c Orleans 1,375 Western Northern 935 Strasburg Lyons ......1,360 New Ditto Mediterranean —7. Grand Central ..... 611 25 Lyons Geneva — Tests Cetto • 772 50 Austrian Cum. ...... 760 The 23d Company of tite 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, Lieutenant E. D. Malcolm, and Lieutenant G. D:Pritchard, 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' establishment 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. The Admiralty yacht Black Eagle, Master Com mander Petley, arrived at Woolwich yesterday, at noon, from Dover, having been ordered thither to he 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 augusV 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 steamvessel Buffalo, Second Master Jones in command, arrived at Woolwich 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 seam 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 stores from the Salamander, and are to be turned over to the Vixen. The Cyclops, at Sheerness, is ordered to receive :al her guns of heavy calibre, and 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 bawl been made at the Admiralty : George S. Hodge, Master in Command, to the Industry ; William L. Scarnell, 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 Si,tellite ; Frederick Burns, Assistant-Paymaster, to the Hawke ; A. Allen, I Assistant-Paymaster in charge, to the Industry. 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 our. 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 do Mamula, who bad 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 —Commeice 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. Tie following is the letterof the Emperor Francis Joseph to Marshal Radetzky, announcing a general amnesty to all political prisoners in the Lonibardo- Venetian provinces. It is dated Milan, January the 25th : " Dear Field Marshal Count Radetzliy—l decide by way of favour (trove in via di grazia) to releasl 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, fiom the entire punishment to which they have been sentenced, and 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. 20, says :—The dissolution of the Special Criminal Court, which h e ld its sittings at MantliN 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 a udi tores, were attached to it, and it rarely or never hap peued 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" (al) instantia). The dissolution of the special court at Mantua is a proof that the 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 recourse 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 favourable impression which the recent measures have produced wia 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 h er Majesty will undertake her projected voyage to Andalusia, as the small-pox is committing ravages in that province. The journals of the 24th give some details re specting the republican conspiracy, the di scover y of which made some noise a short time ago. The conspirators, it seems, were arrested in the Galle de la Magdalena, where were seize d some four thousand proclamations, exciting th e arm y 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 m i xe d up i n 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 had 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• vernmeut 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 said 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 Elome 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 &Litt. Political arrests continue daily. The Kitg is at Caserta. Postal communication is not alrowed without personal responsibility, THE BANK OF :FRANCE. The Moniteur of yesterday, alluding to remarks made by some of the Paris journals as to contem 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 France in 18W by order of his Majesty. The following 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 intendbd to be used la discount transactions, which - should be entirolf carried on by means of its notes. Its capital ought to remain entirely unconnected with discount opera. tinny. The formation of the capital of a bank is a pre liminary act as distinct from its activity as a privilege', discounting establishment as the dspoit of a sum 01 caution-money by a person employed is from his manage meat, properly so called. The condition of furnishing s capital is only imposed on those who found a bank as security for those who take its notes against any error or imprudent conduct on the part of its managers. t bank which only issues notes in exchange for good s at two or three months' date at the utmost ought t° , have constantly in hand a sum in such securities at l eas ; equal to the notes it has issued, and thus be is situation to withdraw all its notes from circu lsu in three months, by the receipt of tho am " ot iB of the bills it has in hand, without isterfering the slightest way with its capital. 'Die capital farnishea by the shareholders of a bank being, strictly spealdagt only a kind of caution money given to the public, it might be almost said that a bank which had acquired i b reputation for infallibility would not even require to touch its capital for purposes of discount, its notes being quite sufficient for that purpose." The note then alludes to the formation of die Bank of England in 1692 with a capital of 2 4 millions, and states that although its first act was to lead almost the whole of thaC capital to the Royal treasury of William 111., its founder, yet it carried on with success its discount ope rations from the very first moment of its being established by means of its notes. It next alludes to the care and attention necessary in carrying on discount operations, and the strict 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, il l order that no su.piti,in should ever be felt of its having been diminished ; it ought at the i-aine time to remain 3 0 a state to be irnwediately available, so as to be ready to cover any I,:sses which might wise on bills. A part of this capital should fern] a reserve in bullion, an d that part can produce no interest: The best use that could be made of the remainder appearu to be its iv' vestment in securities of the public debt of the country, negotiable in tr,e market; strove such an ivestment u nite; to the advanta,::,e of securing a favourable and regularly paid interest, that of being immediately available whey required by tl e bank ; and although this latter even' tuality could never happen in a bank that has o nly issued its .cotes in exchange for good discountable se' entities, yet prudence always requires the case to be nrovided for. A bank ought to maintain itself in s uell 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 shareholder s by the di,tribution to each of them of the amount 01 capital which he has furnished. In order never to expire it o u g ht to be able .to come to an end at and Klement." ELECTION OF COMMON SERGEANT. The Court of Common Council, yesterday, proceeded to the election of a Common Sergeant—the candidates for the office being Mr. Locke, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. T; Chambers, M.P., Sir W. W. Riudell, 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 : For Mr. Locke 4B ~ Mr. Bodkin „ Mr. Chambers 9l „ Sr W. Riddell 77 „ Mr. Pulling . l5 Mr. Chambers and Sir W. Riddell having the largest number of votes, The Lord Mayor called upon the Cuurt to elect on° of these gehtletutn to the office. After the poll had been kept open an hour the nun berB were— For Mr. Chambers lO2 Fur Sir W. Riddell B9 Majority for Mr. Chambers... 13 The announcement was received with loud cheers. DRURY-LANE THEATRE. The annual meeting of the proprietors and renters e i this theatre was held yesterday afternoon in the saloon' Mr. B. B. Cabbell, M.P., presided. The chairman opoo the proceedings by congratulating the proprietors ort th e favourable position of their affairs since the house be been let to Mr. Smith. Th e secre t ar y read the repor , " which Stated,—" The comm itt ee h ave pl ac ed before th e proprietors the statement of accounts for the past le B. The committee feel th a t it canno t b e necessar y f or thenl i remind the proprietors of th e sensa ti on w hi c h was cane within those walls by the destruction of Covent-garde"' Theatre. Suggestions and communications were oar tinually being addressed to the committee, who had alree i l, decided to consult the best practical authority as to tu s adequacy of the means hitherto used in the house for protection in case of fire. Mr. Braidwood had inspee,`lt the theatre, and cer t a i n sugges ti ons h a d b een ma d e by tL!:,: e gentleman, and had been adopted by the committee. 0 7 0 were now sever a l fir emen cons t an tly i n the theatre, v i `" were unde rtbe cont ro l o f the police, under the sanction °0 the Chief Commi ss i oner . Th e cash account for the Pt year showed that the entire receipts amounted to 5, 1 t,', 0 125., includi ng a b a l ance i n h an d a t l as t audit of 107/. The entire p ytueuts for the same period had aniouuted9:c. 4,89i1. N. 3ti., leaving a balance in hand of 30 11 . 2 ' 4 " w as The amo un t rece i ve d from the lessee (Mr. Smit h) ' 4,0001., together with 6151. for extra performances. -rXng quarters' rent had been paid to the Duke of Bedford dulled the year, leaving seven quarters in arrear. The tru of the renters had received 6001., and all the trades!: the bills bills had been regularly paid." The report was, 0 _ „ .or t motion of the chairman, unanimously adopted. The 71'bia of the architect was then read ; it spoke in favoe.F.:iw4 w i,c u ra r lo rs f t t jf ito t Lrmtt ui s i t t a t t e ,e e o w f er t e he re ed e i l fi ec c t e e . d. The r vo t " - 9 of A , 10 thanks was then awarded to Mr. Smith. Mr. 51121,u urued thanks. H E SUN, LONDON, 4, FRIDAY EVE IT Aft Y 30, 1857