The Sun. — London, England, 1857-02-28 00:00:00

T HEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE.— Lessee, Mr. E. T. Smith. acting Manager, 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 the popular Comedy, A GAME OF SPECULATION. Characters by Messrs. C. Mathews, A. Younge, R. RoxbY, Vincent, Tilbury, Templeton, G. Honey ; Miss M. Oliver, M rs . Selby, Miss Barnes, and Miss E. Wadham. After which will be produced SEE, SAW, MARGERY DAW ; Or, Harlequin Holiday, and the Island of Ups and Downs. The reduced prices as follows, varying throughout the house to suit every one :—Galleries, 6d. and is. ; Second Circle of Boxes, ls. 6d. ; Pit, 2s. ; First Circle of Boxes, 28 . 6d. / Dress Boxes, 3s. ; Stalls, ss. ; Private Boxes, 10s. 6c1., 1 1 . ls., 1/. lls. 6d., and 21. 25.! 11)0YAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE. -ILI) 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 and the Genii of the Ring. Harlequin, Mr. Cormack ; Clown, Mr. Holine ; Pantaloon, Mr. Paulo ; Co. lumbine, Miss C. Adams. rIIHEATRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET. A_ THIS EVENING, to commence at Seven, with the successful new Comedy, in three acts, entitled, DOUBLE-FACED PEOPLE. Characters by Mr. Bnckstone, Mr. Chippendale, Mr. Compton, Mr. W. Farren, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Clark, Miss Reynolds, Mrs. Poynter, and Mrs. E. Fitz will iam. Followed by (11th time) a new drama, called A WICKED WIFE. After which (60th time) the new comic 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 R OYAL LYCEUM THEATRE. Lessee, Mr. C. Dillon. WITS EVENING, will be performed the new play, in five acts, by Westland Marston, Esq., entitled A LIFE'S RANSOM. Lord Revesdale, Mr. C. Dillon ; Bancroft, Mr. Stuart ; Felicia Revesdale, Mrs. C. Dillon. After which, a new farce, entitled MY FRIEND FROM LEATHERHEAD. Mr. Toole, Miss Wilton, and Mrs. B. White. To be followed by 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 Lo 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. Conrad (the Corsair) Miss Woolgar Birbarto (his lieutenant) Mr. J. L. Toole Medora Mrs. Charles Dillon Clowns Mr. H. Marshall The box-office open daily, from H to 5, under the super atendence of Mr. Chatterton, jun. Carriages conveying parties t 3 the Private Boxes to set down at the State entrance in Burleigh-street. T HEATRE ROYAL, A DELPHI. Lessee—Mr. Ben. Webster. THIS EVENING, will be performed the popular drama of IRELAND AS IT IS. Mr. and Mrs. Barney Williams. After which, A NIGHT AT NOTTING-HILL, in which Mr. Wright and Pawl Bedford will appear. Followed by a new Piece de Caractere, entitled IN AND OUT OF PLACE. Mrs Barney Williams. To conclude with the new original comic drama, called BARNEY THE BARON. Barney O'T‘;ole, Mr. Barney Williams. Tf3OYAL SURREY THEATRE, A Lossees, Messrs. Shepliertl and Creswick. TFIIS EVENIVG, an °lig:nal 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. lfarleqnin, Mr F. Clover ; Clown, Mr. Buck ; Pantaloon, Mr. Bradbury; till Pour Sprites, the Fillis Fa mily; Columbines, Mead imes M irie and Agnes. THEATRE ROYAL, SADLER'S-WELLS Under the Manigetnent of Mr. Phelps. THIS EVENING, will be performed HAMLET. The chara , Aers by Messrs. Plie!ps, H. Marston, T, 0. Harris, L. Ball, A. Rayner, J. Ray, Haywell ; Mesdames Atkinson and Eburne. To conclude with THE SENTINEL. IQI OYA L OLYMPIC THEATRE, Le'see, Mr. Alfred Wign.n. This Evaninz, the ne..y drama, by Tom Taylor, E4q., caned. A SHEEP 1N WOLF'S CLOTHING. A CONJUGAL LESSON. Lullaby, Mr. F. Robson. Followd by the new farce, I , y Bayle Bernard, Exi, ellled A SPLENDID INVESTMENT. • • Commence at ha'f-14ast Seven. A STLEY'S ROYAL AMPITITHEATRE. za_ Lessee rend nory:l.Y.er, Mr. W. Cooke. Continued and unabated Success. This Evening, will be presented the theme of the most flattering eulngium from the whole of the press, the operatic ( 7 r.ima of ROB ROY, with Equestrian Illustrations invented Mr. Vim. Cooke, and with the original music. Rob Roy, Mr. James Holloway. After which, the Equestrian SCE TES in the CIRCLE To conclude with the equestrian comic pantomime of PAUL Pity ON HORSEBACK. Commotco at seven o'clock. Dress Ems, 4s. ; Upper Boxes, 35.; Private Boxes, from It., no charge for booking ; Pit, 2s. ; Gallery, ls. ; Upper Gallery, 6d. tiox-Ofilee open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W. West, Equestrian Director, Mr. W. Cooke, jun. CAIN - TERBURY HALL, Wostminster-roacl. OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow ing company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections from all the popular Operas, Madrigals, Choruses, Glees, Duets, &c., via. ; Miss E. Pearce, Mrs. J. Caulfield, Miss Brunell, Miss Summers, and Madame Marietta ; Mr. J. Caulfield, Herr F. Jonghmans, R. Grover, T. Farrant, S. Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling, P. Corti, Senor Antonio M. tie Sella, and E. L. Rime ; Masters Austin, Bennett, and Corti; Messrs. Sam Collins, E. Mackney, and C. J. Wilkins. Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks ; harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun.; director, Mr. J. Caulfield. Commence at Seven o'clock pre eisAy. Suppers, &c., until twelve o'clock. al C4ll WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tins 1)47-3iorn. 2) min. aft. 4 —Fvoning 49 min, sift. 4 l i n•AloPaow—Morn. 8 min. aft. s—Evening 28 min.stt. 5 T -(E WEA.THER-SUN OFFICE, FEBRUARY 28. THERMOMETER, IN THE SIIADE. 50 highest sine. noon vesterdar. 44 .owes, this tacrning snd during the night. 55 tnts day at neon. A;l;....rETmTi, 30 56. WIND, S.W. -Light , with fine, mild weather. 1!..,,,, ,, ',., •.',.'i.-!, -- ,,.., - ,,.,.--,„.,P1- - , 111 . k.„), .s, 4 -.,..---- - P S `:-- ' ' LONoON, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1857 The Adjourned Debate upon the Canton Diffi culty, briefly opened last evening by the Hon. and Learned Gentleman the member for Midhurst, was again adjourned until Monday on the motion of the Honourable and Learned Gentleman the member for Tavistock. The lawyers had the clis cus,ion yesterday almost entirely to themselves. And never, assuredly, were more extraordinary differences of opinion manifested within the walls of the Legislature. Black was white, and white black, accordingly as the "facts" of the case were examined through the colouring lens of poli tical predilection. The " Arrow" was a British vessel, beyond the faintest shadow of a doubt, according to the supporters of her MAJESTY' s Go vernment. The "Arrow" Was undeniably no British vessel at all, according to the sympathisers with her MAJESTY'S Opposition. Consul P ARKES was at one moment vilified for his insolence and precipitation, and at another eulogised for his moderation and forbear ance. Admiral SEYMOUR condemned by some as cruel, and commended by others as humane. Sir Joan- BOWitING, if we were to believe one autho rity, was actuated solely by a petty ambition to make a sort of a triumphal entry into Canton, he ralded by mandarins and surrounded by tom-toms ! His Excellency, on the other hand, if we were to 0-edit another authority, was influenced exclu sively bya most lathiable ambition, to Px te cl as far as he possibly could, by legal means, the ad vaut igeS of Braid,. Commerce and the blessings of European Civilisation. At one moment we were told with impressive fervour that the injuries already in flicted upon the Cantonese, by our war-vessels, was altogether so wanton and destructive that "humanity shuddered" at the mere remembrance. While shortly afterwards the whole affair was pooh-poohed as the merest " flea bite" imaginable ! And so the pendulum of debate oseillated between the extremes o' party opinion. The actual truth of the matter, ,s usual, lying pretty nearly midway between those extremes. The "Arrow," far example, being virtually British —having been chartered not long before as a Bri tish lorcha at Hong Kong—having sailed into the harbour of Canton under the British flag—having conveyed thither British merchandise. Consul PARKES, again, having acted, from first to last, neither tardily nor precipitately : but most judici ously, as it appears to us, upon the festina lente principle. At once demanding reparation for the public outrage to a banner hitherto never outraged in any part of the world with impunity—yet allowing more than a fortnight to elapse before the enforcement of that prompt demand by the guns of the British squadron. And so with the rest of these statements and counter statements : startling by their contrast, and irreconcileable by the sheer force of their exaggeration. As we have already observed, the lawyers had it mainly to themselves in yesterday's discussion. The adjourned debate being opened by the Learned Recorder of Hull, and again adjourned by the Chancellor of Chichester and Salisbury. The House being addressed intermediately by her MAJESTY'S Attorney-General—by the Lord-Advo cate of Scotland—and, from the front bench of the Opposition (and, therefore, as a matter of course, on "the other side"), by the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, the member for Enniskillen. Sir RICHARD BETHELL spoke ably enough on the part of Ministers—challenged to give his opinion at the earnest behest of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, the Member for Midhurst. The Lord Advocate challenged to speak by no one, and acting solely upon the dictate of his own conscience—pronounced his views still more ably : delivering, in point of fact to our thinking, incomparably the best speech yet delivered in behalf of the cause represented in this Chinese Difficulty by the Members of the Administration. The watchful presence of several distinguished members of the House of Lords, sitting under the shadow of the Strangers' Gallery, did not fail to impart an additional zest to a debate which—be it here said with all deference to the Hon. and Learned Gentleman who yesterday opened the discussion—notwithstanding the conscientious in dependence of "some," is, unquestionably, to a very great extent, coloured by the flush of pas sion, and warped by the bias of party! Otherwise black would not appear so white to some—or white so black t) others. Alabaster glooming into ebony, and ebony blanching into alabaster—ac cording to the light of party or the eye of the partisan. Doubtless, on both sides of the House, many who think strongly upon this matter, think also conscientiously. We are ready at once, for example, to believe this, and to recognise this in the instance of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman last mentioned, more particularly when it is ob servable that the emphatic declaration of his in dependence was enforced in the presence and hearing of the leaders of his own patty by a magnanimous tribute to the Chiefs of the confronting Government. But others are not by any means either thus candid, or, let us add at once, thus conscientious. Every one there cannot follow the vivila vis animi either in recording his vote or iu en anciating his opinions. This, be it said, even of those who delude themselves into the belief that they are independent members of the House, or, as Sir ERSKINE PERRY expressed it, by a ludicrous lapsus Unglue , on Thursday evening, " Independent met - labels of the Government." Tito ` bias of party—irre sistible though se ire, ly pereaptibie—g aides by the slightest cum) almo. t coaceivable, unerring!y guides the bowl of Poi tie d Opinion t i the right or to the left of the goal of a Parliamentary Divi sion. And so—doubtless unconsciously to them selves (with a few rare exceptions), will it be in regard to the division of M.miday evening or ra ther of Tuesday morning. A Division neverthe less—be it remembered—affecting not so much the fate of au Admiuistrati in as the Honour of the British Crown and the glory of the British Con stitution. Although the contest on the precious Budget has been postponed, it has not by any means been abandoned. Ministers have gained one victory, but certainly under '.:,y no means auspicious omens, or suoh as to afford reasonable expectations of future triumphs. Their most efficient allies on the last will be arrayed against them on the next occasion, and every collision will take place under varying circumstances. The general character of Mr. DISRAELI'S motion was very favourable to his adversaries. It committed him to no specific reforms, and the whole tenour of his argument showed that he no longer recognised the distinc tion between permanent and precarious incomes for fiscal purposes. He also proved, beyond the possibility of dispute, that it would be utterly impossible to cerry- out the so-called GLADSTONE compact of 1853, or to altogether relinquish the Income Tax in 1860, or for many sul:- sequent years. Under these circumstances many professing fiscal reformers voted agains , his resolution, although prepared to attack the Bud get in detail on what they considered to be suit able opportunities. They did not, in truth, desire the overthrow of thePALMERSTON Cabinet, although greatly displeased with the financial scheme. There will, however, be no excuse when specific questions are brought under the consideration of Parlia ment. The independent members whose "most sweet voices" were uplifted in favour of the Go vernment on a mere abstract proposition cannot disregard all their former professions when the more equitable apportionment of the Income Tax is demanded, or additional duties on tea and sugar are objected to. Ministe rs must then either yield, be defeated, or gain a d ou btf u l v i e• tory by the aid of their quondam opponents —a victory far more dangerous to their own interests than the most decisive defeat they could sustain. The whole system of taxation requires exten sive revision. The people urgently demand that the sums to be collected should be fairly and equitably levied, so that every British subject should contribute to the liquidation of the national liabilities, and the maintenance of the national establishments, in proportion to his means and position. They do not by any means wish to evade any legitimate responsibility, but they bit terly complain of the undue advantages heretofore enjoyed by the favoured classes, and insist that the unjust and inequitable practice should be forthwith abolished. A great parade has been made of the 16,000,000/. l e vi e d un d er th e Income Tax. But, without even taking into consideration the fact that a considerable portion thereof was practically levied on industry, under Schedule D we may say th at more than 35,000,0001. Was: raised on six articles of general censumpti•)n, viz., malt, spirits, sugar, tea, tobacco, and wine. There are reason- utterly independent of the rere . nue that render it highly advisabl e th at t' ese va rious perfectly charges should be, materially miti gated ; an d notorious that from 50 to 00 per its way into of t thehe consumers, k.__chequer cent.is extracted m ore than from fi finds thepockets besidse eccasioeing the practice of adulteration, which' s alike injurious to this morals of the deal ers and the health of their customers. That sys tem, which prevents the complete development of our trade which must follow if the incontestable doctrines of Free Trade were carried to their legitimate conclusions which hinders England from becoming the commercial emporium of the world—is maintained solely in order that capi ' talists generally, landholders, fundholders, and all in possession of accumulated and realised property should escape with comparative impunity, while those deserving of the greatest encouragement— the very " thews and sinews" of the nation— should be ground down and oppressed to the very dust. The hinge on which the whole system vibrates is the iniquitous assessment of the Income Tax. Until that all-important problem is fairly solved we can hope for no fiscal reforms worth speaking of. There must be taxation in some shape. The exigencies of the Exchequer must be satisfied. If the Income Tax be altogether abolished we must adopt a retrogade policy, and raise indirectly the required amounts. There is no real difficulty in the Income-Tax question. As the Times—now the champion of the moneyocracy—long since declared, any actuary of moderate experience, any clerk deserving a salary that would subject him to the impost, could, in the course of a few hours, prepare a scheme that would be a vast improve ment on the existing law. The pretended diffi culty is merely an artful contrivance to enable the wealthy classes to evade a just liability, and to transfer the burden, which, in justice and equity, they ought to sustain, to the shoulders of their poorer brethren. The impost is rendered so odious and intolerable that there is a universal demand for its total abolition—whyreas, if fairly and equitably assessed, it would be by far the best tax for the community, as it would be one of the most productive for the Exchequer. Let the Fiscal Reformers, then, exert them selves before the opportunity for its amendment is irretrievably lost. They well know that the anticipations as to its abolition inlB6o are utterly fallacious. They will still be asked to renew it for a further term. Sooner or later it must be modi fied, and there is no use in postponing the inevit able task. Should it be inap,ssibla to carry the improved law into practical operation during the present session, lot the tix be only granted for a single year. If the people exert themselves earnestly and energetically, they will obtain speedy redress. But, on the other hand, if they appear apathetic or indifferent, their fiscal chains will be rivetted more closely, and they will only have themselves ti blame for the very unpleasant consequences that must ensue. Tho game is in their own hands ; they have only to play their cards properly to insure a decisive victory. Last Wednesday the 'Association for the Re peal of the Taxes on Knowledge held it 3 sixth annual meeting at St. Martin's Hall. It will be remembered that on the 4th a deputation waited on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and had a long conference with him, and that on the 13th, the night of the Financial Statement, he again snubbed in pretty cool style the advocates for the repeal of thedirty on paper, and fire insurance, and for lower ing of the•duties on foreign wine. The meeting on Wednesday was, therefore, Act 111. in the Farce, as it must yet be termed, of the Paper- Duty Repeal. The meeting appears to have chiefly used the arguments and topics employed by the deputation. The gentlemen composing it made out a clear case that the duty very seriously interfered with the manufacture, and that it NI heavily on many persons who use paper in their trade, but with especial weight upoin the authors and publishers of cheap books and of newspapers, and most unfairly of all on persons who published Locks which had the misfortune not to be popu lar. Such unlucky manufacturers of int llectual commodities could claim no drawback on the duty paid by them for the raw material which they could not sell. We are not in the secret of how far this last argument might have specially ap peal( dto the Chancellor of the Exchequer's sym pathies. Some of the facts .mentioned by the deputation will be interesting to general readers. It seems that in the Uaited States where there is no duty on paper, the amount used is three times as much per head as that used iu England, and that all kinds of materials, such as the excise duty and regulations prohibit here, are there fully employed. The samples of brown paper made of flax, straw, old leather, Indian corn stalks, palm leaves, and damaged marsh hay were produced ; they were sold at prices below the duty charged in England The natural consequence, too, is that the manufac ture is so much improved that two persons could produce in America 100 reams in eight hours of a sheet exhibited to the Chancellor, of remarkable gloss and fineness. The reduction of the duty from 3d. per lb. to three-half pence and 3-10ths of a farthing per lb. had increased the production of paper from 70,654,587 lbs. in 1835 to 171,209,295 lbs. in 1853 ; but the manufacture is now stationary or lather receding. The addition of 3-10ths of farthing in 1839, too small a sum to charge the consumer, had Leon the ruin of a great number of small papermakers. If the duty were entirely repealed such a vast expansion of the trade was considered probable, by manufacturers, that the consumption of taxed articles by the persons em ployed in the manufacture would go far to indem nify the Exchequer. It appears that many merchants pay heavily for packing paper. One firm was mentioned by one of the deputation which paid 700/. a-year, 3001. of it duty. The most interesting fact to us is, how ever, the bearing of the tax on the diffusion of knowledge. It is, we believe, precisely on its diffusion that it presses most heavily. It may be of but trifling account in the price of a large book, that is if the work be successful. On cheap and educational publications, and on newspapers, it weighs very heavily. Mr. CHARLES KNIGHT, so well and honourably known as a publisher of books for the million, paid eighty thousand pounds for copyright and editorial labour, and in the same tiinefifly thousand pounds for paper duty. A daily paper of 20,000 circulation would pay 2,940/. annually for duty 1 The Chancellor of the Ex chequer asked whether newspaper readers would pay less for their paper. The reply was, they would be certain to have either a better paper or a cheaper one. This, of course, we c , tn fully bear out. Where it is not worth while to in creasp the size of a paper, the material, mecha mica], and literary improvements to be made in any journal, are always considerable, and the competition in these is always proportioned to the means at the manager's disposal. At the meeting the speakers had it, of course, all their own way. The ropealers boasted, natu rally enough, of their triumph over the Adver tisement and Stamp Duty. We question whether they would not have d(ine better to act as the Free-traders did. They attacked the giant mono poly, corn ; with its fall all other monopolies fell thickand fast. Had they carried the abolition of the Paper Duty first, the others could not have long survived. Now they have a duly to attack, of which, as they always before alle t ed, the two for- 'RE SUN, LONDON, SA/riII:MAY IrfENING, FEBRUARY 28, 1857 mer were partially destructive. The consequence is that the Paper Duty rose again last year, and they find the Chancellor of the Exchequer a greater enemy to them than before. THE PRINCE OF WALES. WINDSOR, FRIDAY. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has again been out with the royal harriers. The Prince, attended by his tutor, Mr. Gibbs, came. from Buckingham Palace early on Thursday morning, travelling by the Great Western Railway from Paddington to Slough. His Royal Highness was here met by Col. Hood, Col. Sey mour, Capt. King, R.N., Mr. C. Davis, the royal hunts man, Mr. J. Nash, several of the officers of the Life and Foot Guards, and other gentlemen and yeomen of the neighbourhood. The Prince and party rode to the farm of Mr. J. Nash, of Langley, where a fine hare was soon started, and after a capital run killed in the neighbour hood of Stoke Park, the residence of Mr. Labouchere. Two other hares were also found, which afforded excel lent runs in the vicinity of Langley and Slough. It was remarked that the Prince took some capital leaps, in a sportsman-like manner. The Prince left Slough at half past two o'clock, on his return to Buckingham Palace. The meet of the royal harriers to-morrow (Saturday), will be at Old Windsor. HAYMARKET THEATRE.—The Queen and Prince Al bert, accompanied by the Princess Royal, and attended by Lady Churchill, Major-General the Hon. C. Grey, and Lieut.-Colonel Ponsonby, honoured the Haymarket Theatre with their presence on Thursday evening. ADELPHI THEATRE.—Her Majesty and Prince Albert, with the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, honoured the Adelphi Theatre with their presence last evening. The royal suite consisted of Lady Churchill, Lord De Tabley, Lord George Lennox, Major-General the Hon. C. Grey, and Lieut.-Colonel Ponsonby. A lieutenant of the United States navy has invented an instrument which when applied to the keel of a vessel gives the depth of water near shore or upon shoals, with out the use of the lead, wherever the depth does not ex ceed two fathom". A board of naval officers having re ported favourably of it, the invention was about to be applied to a government vessel. THREATENING LORD JOHN RUSSELL.—Mr. Selfe, the magistrate of the Thames Police court, yesterday, is,ued a warrant under the Lunacy Act, against a Mr. Bell, formerly a watchmaker, in Cornhill. The poor man laboured under the delusion that he had been grossly slandered by his lordship. From the evidence produced there was no doubt as to the insanity of the man. In consequence of the alleged scenes of debauchery resulting from the Greenwich Easter and Whitsuntide fairs a number of the inhabitants of the town have sent 1 in a memorial to the Chief Commissioner of Police pray ing for their suppression. It is also the desire of " the inhabitants of the town" to exclude the Londoners from the park on Sunday, and have it kept as a private square for themselves. M. Sallee, arquebusier to the Emperor Napoleon, has invented a post office automaton, which takes up every letter as it is thrown into the box, places it under the stamp, where it receives the postmark and date, and throws it out again for delivery to its destination. The process indicates the number of litters thus stamped. It is said that no less than 200 letters may be stamped by this machine in one minute. The General Post-office has made a trial of the invention, which has turned out satisfactory, and it is now in treaty with M. Salles for machines to be furnished to all the principal post offices throughout Francs. The illegibility of postmarks, so otten complained of, will, it is said, be completely ob- Vlated by the use of the automaton. WESTMINSTER BRIDGE.-011 Wednesday evening a meeting of the inhabitants of geetminster-road and its vicieity was held at the Vestry-hall, Kennington, upon the subject of Westminster-bridge, Mr. C. Hinto n i n the chair. Mr. Wilkinson moved, and Mr. Archbutt seconded, a rest lotion to the effect that the meeting viewed with the greatest apprehension any removal of Westminster bridge from its present site,—a proceeding which, in their opinion, would cause the ruin of a large tspaoi 1 auniutni licoearkiinistsniii_l number of occupiers of houses in the borough of Lam beth, without conferring the slightest advantage upon the public. Mr. W. Williams, who . took this view of the subject, expressed his surprise that Sir B. Hall should have made any objection to the retention of the present site cf the bridge after it bad been approved by Sir C. Barry and Mr. Page. Several rate-payers ex preesed their dissatisfaction at the conduct of Sir B. Flell. The resolution was carried unanimously, and it was arran4ed that in addition to a petition to Parliament a representation of their wishes should be made to Lord Palmerston. THE STRIKE Or NAVVIES AT THE BTRIKENHEAD DOCK WORKS.—LivErtroot, Feb. 26.—A meeting of the turn ,uts, about 500 in number, was held at Birkenhead yes terday, at which it was stnted that the object of the strike was to obtain an aflvance of 31 a day in their wages, making the burn asl, instead of 2s. 9,i. Tney tsserted that there was no fecling by the Iriili labourer, 4caitiHt the employment of Fibgli4llmen. This morninz Niessr 4. Ttnuison, the contr,cturs, introduced about 400 :ahcurers to supply the ilates of the turn-outs. Tney oroct,r;ded to the works about 1 o'clock this afternoon, but directly they cornmenc2.d operations the turn-outs 'wept down upon them in all their strength, and drove ;he new men before them in every direction, violently tssaulting those who stood their ground, and doing cousiderabls damage to the wheelbarrows and other implements. The police force being inadequate to preserve the peace of the town, the magistrates have sent to Pre-too for the military. METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.—At the weekly ileetin2: of the Metropolitan Bard of Works yester day, Mr, J, Thwaites in the chair, a deputation from the Camberwell ".vestry attended, for the purpose of objecting to any part of the 200,0001. boriowed by the Metropolitan Commissioners of Sewers heir) , charged upon that parish. Mr. Bodkin appeared in support of the objection, and, after some discir-, sion, a motion was submitted by Mr. Turner, that the Board was not at liberty to comply with the report d the deputation. To this proposal an amendment was submitted to the effect that the decision of the Board should be postponed until the opinion of the At torney and Solicitor General should be taken as to whe rher the Board had the power to adopt the prayer of he memorial. The amendment was rejected by 27 to 8, and the original motion was carried. The mit mat er on the paper was further to consider the financial statement to assess moneys on the several parts of the metropolis for defraying the expenses of the Brard in the execution of the Metropel:s Local Management Act, and direct the issuing receipts for obtaining payment of he sums assessed. Objections were made to the discw sion of the subject at that time, and ultimately it was agreed that the consideration of the financial statement should be postponed tido Tuesday next. COURT OF COMMON COUNOlL.—Yeltterday a Court of Common Council was held, at which various subjects were brclt g di t under c o nsideration. In tierttcoi onnhetwu a tttghi sh n nhotaeeen e eodas cic e ftrßmilt line:, Southwark ridge ottd t t r i eytur e g o r r .ot e e : ehp a dp-Le a ß hwo sac ques tion, churchyard. i for Board n r gt n' ' covering ii fe laslotdfrtfree. free Old N e a: DV , o r ( B l:a e r arfpacl Works toll,ui beforeol st e t t n t y yrrl 1 e ru ei Btso w a e patone a: llrd' des'oeAi respecting Inltgaah:risiseae‘ adopted, p m rpi rdtvele p haalf r ede:t o ahre a f v r:' efri and opening r eeagf nn from nr i t eLl o ou t tnu h e :: ion with the Court of Aldermen. A report respecting the drawback on coals was read and adopted. One cf the suggestions of the report is that the Chancellor ( f' the Exchequer shall be consulted in order to ascertain his views respecting an amendment of the act relating to the subject. A deputation from the coal whippers of the port of London presented a petition praying the Court , o institute an inquiry into their present deplorable condition and to devise a remedy for it. The petition was referred to the Coal and Corn and Finance Corn- ruittee. Mr. Anderton gave notice of a motion, the object of which is to ascertain the value of several vacant sites of land within the city of London, which might be purchased for the erection of baths and washhouses. The Court voted 1051. towards the erection of a new school-house in Golden-land, and 521. 10s. towards the six ragged schools in St. George the Martyr, South wark. REPRESENTATION OF GLASGOW.—GLASGOW, Thurs day.—The Sheriff, Sir Archibald Alison, has fixed Mon day for the nomination of a member to fill the seat vacant by the resignation of Mr. John M'Gregor. Mr. is a private citizen, al a W hd alt s e t r an ßu din c g ha a n s an a , a gentleman of very high character come forward. Hi s requisition has been s i gned by e h r a tin a t s , a fo n r m d e u r i n y i v stated,e rs al l a re g s r p e e e c d te to d gen tlewen belonging to all sections of the Liberal party, as well as by a considerable number of Liberal Conserva tives. It appears, however, that the event is not likely pass over without a contest. In an address published this morning Mr. James Merry has offered himself to the electors. He is a wea,tiiy ironmaster, principal] known as a patron of the turf ; but has neither education nor social status at all sufficient - to justify his aspiring to be the successor of even John M'Gregor. He has money enough, however, to enter the lists, and pluck enough to fight it out. His address is received with more deli. ,ion than respect. This afternoon Mr. Buchanan held his first meeting with the electors in the Trade-hall, which was crowded to suffocation ; the Lord Provost in the chi.ir. In the course of his address the candidate briefly declared his political principles, referring to the prominent part he had taken, when a young man, in the egitation for Parliamentary Reform, and also for the the national, country it mightwhere it was needed. In be extended to those districts re peal of the corn la ws , and the advancement of the free trade policy. He was r ea d y to extend the franchise with the progress of educati on, and he gave a modified ad- ' h er ence to the ballot, i n so far as he thought, without )sing of made reference to Forbes Ma c k enz i e ' s Act, wh i c h so muc h i agitated Sow land, he was disposed to retain what was un doubtedly good in the meas ure, b ut at t h e same ti me w ould vote for a committee to inquire into its alleged oppressive operations. In reference to education he would willingly support such a measure as that introduced last session by the Lord Advocate. Mr. Buchanan was interrogated at the close of his address, but beyond stating that he would not vote for annusl Parliaments and household suffrage nothing of moment was elicited. On the motion of Mr. Stewart, the late Lord Provost, seconded by Mr. d. Crane Ewing, Mr. Buchanan was declared a fitting person to represent Glasgow in Parliament; after which the 'sleeting separated. THE ROYAL BRITISH BANK AND MR. _HUMPHREY BROWN, M.P. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SIJN. SIR, --My attention has been directed to a para graph in your publication of the 25th inst., in which Mr. Huinphrey Brown is represented as having, at a meeting at Tewkesbury, on Tuesday last, used the following language, as applied to me. Mr. Coleman had "put forth to the world that he owed the bank a sum of 70,0001., that that statement had been put forward by Mr. Coleman for the most dastardly purpose, that of creating in the mind of the public a feeling that he, Mr. Coleman, was the man to bring people to book. It was a disgrace to Mr. Coleman, and was a downright lie." I pass by the consideration of this language, and shall direct myself to the facts in which alone the public are interested. It is perfectly true that I stated at the meeting of the shareholders of the Royal British Bank, held at the London Tavern, on the 20th day of September last, that Mr. Brown was indebted in a ' sum of 70,0001. The amounts standing to his debit on the day that the bank stopped payment being as follows : £ s. d. Drawing account Discount ditto Past due bills 7,561 6 2 Advances Together 75,313 11 2 In addition to which there was interest from the 30th June to the sth September. The amount stated by me was, therefore, considerably less than the actual balances of the books. Except the above past due bills for 7,560/. Gs 2d. the only securities held by the bank were the fol lowing ten ships mortgaged to them by Mr. Brown : The Rory Brown „ Wasp „ Bride „ Hero 432 „ „ Madonna 256 „ „ Helen Lindsay . „ Ocean Wave „ Hornet 1,285 „ „ Ambrosine 457 „ „ Magdalena Also an equitable charge on some freehold property stated to be worth 1,0001. Five of these ships proved valueless to the bank under the following circumstances : The whole of the ships were mortgaged to the bank iu 1854. The fist five, however, being Gloucester ships, I was informed that Mr. Brown had requested that no registry of the mortga , ,es should be made there, as it would injure his posi tion, and that he had promised that on their re turn from their then voyages he would have them registered in London, when the mortgages could be entered. Mr. Brown, however, subsequently again mort gaged the three first of these ships to their full value, and to other parties, to the prejudice of the bank ; he sold the two next without the consent or knowledge of the bank, and also drew against the freight of the Ambrosine ; and I was assured that no part of those proceeds had been paid to the bank, and that the directors did not discover these facts till August, 1856, when they learnt that the secu rities which they had up to a few days before con sidered to be of the value of 50,0001., had by these acts dwindled down to about one-half. With these facts and figures I leave the public to judge of the truth of my statement; and as to the language applied to me personally, I cm with much pride allow it to pass with that contempt it deserves. A.pologising for the length of this communication, I am, Sir, yours, &c., J. E. COLEMAN. 36, Coleman-street, Feb. 27, 1857. THE MAILS. SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY. The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer .Tagus, Capt. E. Christian, sailed to-day with the mails for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibral tar, 31 passengers (24 fir,t-class, 6 second, and 1 de), bar gold value 53,1421., and 1,5001. in sove reigns for Cadiz, and a general cargo. Among the passengers are the Count and Countess Lavradio, &e. The Tagus alßo takes out Captain Tregear, Messrs. Gaby and Fox (two of the company's offi cers), Mr. Corrnac (the company's superintendent shipwright), Mr. Abbinett (the diver), and 33 met), with a quantity of requisite gear to render assist ance to the steamer Madrid on the rocks off Vigo. Noth;ng further is known here as to that vess-Ps condit'on. The next succeeding steamer for the Peninsular por4 on the 7th proximo, will be the 41iiambra. Thy Indus, Captain G. Books, is pre larinY to take out the Indi-t and China miils on the 4th, and the Ripon, Capt. R. W. Evans, with the homeward mails from that quartet . , is due on the same day. The Royal Mail Company's steamer Atrat), Capt. Wooley, leaves on the 2d with the West India, Mexican, and Pacific mails, and the Avon, Cipt. Revett, on th e 9th, w ith th e usua l mails for Brazils and the River Plate. The Orinoco, Capt. Sawyer, is due on the Ist, with the next homeward West India and Pacific mail, but is not expected before the 3d. The Tainar, Capt. Jellicoe, with the Brazilian mails, is not looked for till tcwards th 3 close of the mouth, having been de layed at Vigo two or three weeks on her outward passage by an accident to her machinery. SACRED LIAR3IOIVIC SOCIETY. Mr. Costa's oratorio of " Eli " was again per formed by this society last night, at Exeter-hall. This talented and successful work has already achieved a reputation, and its merits were attested by the crowds wilt) assembled to hear it last even. ing. Mr. Costa himself was the conductor, and the orchestra was as usual very efficient. Madame Itudersdorff and Miss Dolby took the parts of Hannah and Samuel, and distinguished themselves very highly. Madame Rudersdorff, who took the soprano part, was very successful in the air, " I will extol thee," and Miss Dolby rendered the music allotted to Samuel with her usual abi lity and expression. It bad been antici pated that Mr. Sims Reeves would have been prevented from attending by illness, but ho did appear, and, not with-tanding the rules of the society, was much applauded in the air Philistines, hark !" This passage, which is the most str.king in the oratorio, produced its usual effect—the chorus catching up the war cry, and the a imirable adaptation of the instruments are very effective. Signor Belletti took the arduous part of Eli, and acquitted himself with credit. Mr. Mon tern Smith and Mr. Thomas, two promising singers, who have lately appeared at this Society's perform ances, undertook the minor parts. The hall was crowded in every part, and the audience apparently highly gratified. The " Creation" will be the next oratorio given by this Society, and will be performed on the 13th of March. MR. ALBERT SMITH.—The "Ascent of Mont Blanc," which bad been interrupted of late by a severe domestic affliction in the family of this most popular of " enter tainers," was on Thursday night resumed with all the eclat that usually belongs to it. THE PEOPLE'S MONDAY EVENING CONCERTS.—The Lord Mayor has kindly forwarded, through Mr. Under- Sheriff Anderton, a donation of 51., in a id o f t h e F und now being raised for defraying the expenses incurred in establishing the Cheap Concerts for the People at St. Martin's Hall. His lordship, with several of his friends, recently attended one of these popular concerts, and was so highly pleased with the result, that, in compliance with the express wishes of the managing coniwittee, he promised, at the earliest opportunity, to pay another visit, with the Lady Mayoress, and, he hoped, the Sheriffs and their ladies. THE BANK CHARTER ACT.—Yesterday an important return in reference to the Bank Charter Act was issued, showing the operations of "banks of issue." Th e names of 47 banks are given which had ceased to issue their own notes prior to the order in council, according to the provisions of the act /th and Bth Vice, c. 32. Th e amount of the authorised circulation of the banks was 712,6231. On the 13th of December, 1855, the amount of Bank of England notes issued under the order in council, for replacing the amount of circulation with drawn by banks of issue up to that date, was 4 75,0001., since which date no further issue had been made. Fur ther, it is shown that seven banks have ceased to i.sue their own notes since the order in council, and they were authorised to have a circulation of 111,0201. ACCIDENT AT A BREWERY, RaTeLlFF.—Yesterday morning, between 9 and 10 o'clock, a shocking accident occurred at the premises of Messrs. Walker and Sons, Daiphiu-Brewery, Broad•street, Eatcl ff, to a man named Roger Spanswick, aged 45 years. He was standing on the side of a copper containing a large quantity of boil i„g liquor, when he slipped and fell in, and was scalded iu a most fearful manner. He was removed to the Lou. do ,, Hospital, where Mr. Jenkins, the house surgeon, raridered every assistance to alleviate the poor fellow's sufferings. He lies in a dangerous state. THE VICTORIA CROSS --Mr. C. F. Hancock, of Bru ton-;treat, has teen intrusted with the manufacture of the "Victoria Cross for distribution among the officers and privates of her Majesty's soldiers who distinguished them selves for their valour in the late Crimean war. The Cross, which is of the order " Victoria, in , tituted and created 29th January, 1836," is manufactured from the metal of Russian guns captured at Sebastopol. It is of the Maltese pattern, and bears the inscription, " For valour," the escroll being the Royal Aroma. It la to be worn by the navy with a blue ribbon, and by the army with a red. In execation it is neat, and will form for the distinguished wearers a pleasing souvenir of their I toil; and perils that, are past. The decoration carries with it a per.ision of 10/. a year. LATEST NEWS. CHINA. PARIS, FEB. 27. Letters from Macao, of the 10th of January, state that the Emperor of China had just placed in a state of siege the five ports of the Empire open to Europeans. The Paris correspondent of the Times (second edition) says : " The French and Turkish Ministers at Teheran have received instructions to support England in the present difference with Persia. The former, in particular, has, I understand, been charged by his Government to urge on the Sbah the necessity of ratifying the treaty which has been negotiated in Paris, and the draft of which has been submitted to the English Go vernment, and otherwise to co-operate to the ut most of his power towards the satisfactory solu tion of the question. If Russian influence be not uppermost when the treaty is received at Tehe ran it will be ratified ; if otherwise, the chances are, as I have already mentioned, against us. In the meantime it is stated that an armistice has been agreed on between the officers commanding the British troops in Persia and the Persian forces. The armistice will be in force for three months, and will date from the Ist of March. Three months would be about the time for the treaty to reach Teheran, and an answer to be received. Having alluded to the convention said to have been concluded between Russia and Persia on the 18th of January, I may again notice the fact, which •has not been denied, of the visit of a general of en gineers, accompanied by other officers of the same arm, to the country about Mount Ararat and the pass of Bayazid, and of their having examined and taken plans of it, no doubt with a view to the erec tion of forts. The object, as averred, was simple curi osity or harmless study of topography—as harmless, no doubt, as the archaeological visit of the Russian officers to Athens before the war broke out, when King Otho was ordered to be ready. " It is announced in the Patric that the Russian Government has recently despatched a memo randum to the Russian diplomatic agents in foreign countrie . ., in which the union of the Danubian pro vinces is said to be as natural as it is desirable, inasmuch as the population of the two Principali ties are the same by descent, by religion, and by language, and that their union cannot by any means be prejudicial to European interests. " The Neuchatel affair is not improving, and, fiom what we can learn, all the parties concerned are in a very bad humour with each other. The Emperor Napoleon cannot but feel mortified at being duped by the King of Prussia, . . . whose word no man relies on ; ' Who seldom says a foolish thing, and never does a wise one.' "His Imperial Highness finds he has gone too far in lecturing the poor Swiss, as he took the liberty of doing when he thought he had the King of Prussia all to himself, and in pledging himself to the Swiss that all would be right. He finds now that all is not right. Then the King of Prussia is angry that Dr. Kern should have pro claimed in all the 'cabarets' of the Confederation that the Emperor of the French showed him his private and confidential letters, in which the de scendant of the Great Frederick was understood to pledge his word that if the prisoners were set free renunciation would follow. These effusions were of course most amicable, and not a little senti ' mental, and thq bore the impress (so at all events we are told) of being composed in those moments when the Royal heart is most expansive. Then again the Federal Government is annoyed that the hopes it held out to the Cantons are not yet realised ; the Cantons are indignant that they are not realised, and feel that they have been duped; and poor Dr. Kern, conscious of having acted with much indiscretion, and of meriting the charges of overweening vanity, if not of more serious faults, is worried to death by reproaches, to some of which he has certainly laid him self open. Russia has not named her Plenipoten tiary ; until that is clone no day can be fixed for the opening of the Conferences, and people here begin to suspect that there is an understanding on this point between Berlin and St. Petersburg. The King is also vexed that the Royalists should, before they were liberated, have signed a declaration that, on their restoration to their country, they would abide by the laws of the Canton of Neu chatel ; and, as might be expected, his Majesty profits by every circumstance to avoid fulfilling his promise —or what was entirely under stood as a promise. The Emperor of the French is much to blame in this affair; the moment the pri soners were liberated he should, without any delay, have summoned the King of Prussia to keep his word. Ho showed bad taste and no small ingrati tude towards the Swiss in the beginning ; the best way of redeeming his error was to have compelled his prevaricating 'brother' to perform his part of the implied bargain." The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post (second edition) says : " An exchange of despatches has lately taken place between the Cabinets of Vienna and Turin of a somewhat serious nature. M. Buol is understood to have protested against the encouragement which Piedmont offers to the national cause of Italy. The reply of M. Cavour is said to be dignified and loyal. The correspondence is reported to have been submitted to the Governments of England and France. The Austrian Cabinet has found, I hear, little sympathy in Paris, whilst at the same time her Majesty's advisers have not, by any means, encouraged the thr ea t en i ng language of Austria. The relations between Austria and Pied mont are not likely to improve. The former Power seeks to bully the Sardinians, and they are nob in a position to accept insult." FRANCE. The following telegraphic despatches have been received : " TRIESTE, 25TH.—.Intelligence from Constanti nople has been received to the 20th. The commis sion for organising the Turkish gendarmerie had been nominated. The English fleet was still at Bujukdere. Two intendants had been arrested at Constantinople for being concerned in a c onsider-, able robbery from the treasury of the Sultan. The Hungarian Mehemet Bey had accepted a high com mand among the Circassiaus ; and 400 robs who had belonged to the legion had left for Circassia. Tile Russian flotilla in the Caspian Sea was, it was said, to land 2,500 men at Astrabad. Letters from Athens to the 21st announce that a Greek student was found concealed with arms on his person in King Otho's cabinet and arrested. He was de clared to be insane." TRIESTE, 26TH, EVENING . —Advices from Bom bay to the 2d state that Mr. Murray had arrived at Bushire, and that the English were establishing their head.-quarters at Bassora." " MARSEILLES, 26TH. —News has been received from Palermo to the 21st. The official journal of tivegla'sSici lytat m es ov t e h m at en, Stpinaonzzd several seconda, other fu o l t eadern rit ß iv were arrested by the assistance of the peamnt3. Letters from Naples to the 23d state that the ut most tranquillity prevailed there." " TURIN, 26TH.—The Grand Duke Constantine arrived Lere to-day." BOURSE, Feb. 27.—The following were the last quotations : Cash. fr. c. End of Month. 4i per Cents 3 per Cents 69 75 69 85 Now Loan — Bankl Shares 4,200 Roman Credit Mobilier 1,415 Austrian 91 Belgian Fives ...... .. 99a Spanish Threes 4O Pied moutese (5) 9O 75 Home Debt RAILWAYS —FOR CASE. fr c Orleans 1,415 Wester n Northern 970 Strasburg Lyons 1,437 50 New Ditto Mediterranean 1,825 Grand Central Lyons Geneva Cette AUSTRIA. The Emperor of Austria visited several interest ing monuments of Milan on the 23d, and among others the Church of San Carlo, lately decorated with two fine subjects executed in stained glass by the Chevalier Bagatti-Valsecch;. His Majesty then honoured the studio of the sculptor Magni with a visit, when he admired some of the latest works of that artist. Here M. Colla, a scene-painter of much merit, laid the plan of a new cemetery for the city of Milan before the Emperor. The cemetery, as as far as we may judge by description, is con ceived much in the taste of the Cemetery of Pere-Lachaise, and it is proposed to select a space outside the town for it, between the Porta ComasiLa and the Porta Nuova. His Majesty then visited the Mint, a building dating from the teign of King Desiderius (757). Here a medal was struck in his presence, commemorating the Imperial visit to Milan. The next place the Emperor honoured with his presence was the Civic Museum, where he particularly examined the collection of Subalpine fossil shells, which is highly interesting. His Ma jesty afterwards returned to the palace. A letter from Vienna states that M. de Bruck, Minister of Finance, had arrived in that city on his return from Italy. PRUSSIA. A letter from Frankfort, of the 24th, states that the marriage of Mlle. de Vrints-Truenfeld, n i ece o f the Count de Buol, to the Baron de Majthenyi, a Hungarian nobleman, was celebrated on the pre vious day at the chapel of the Austrian legation.. Count de Rechberg, the Austrian envoy, president of the Germanic Diet, and General de Schmerling, president of the Federal Military Committee, acted as witnesses to the bride. There were also present all the staff of the Austrian legation in full uniform, several members of the Diet and the diplomatic corps, and other persons of distinction. The Prussian Correspondence of Berlin says : "It is untrue that M. de Wildenbusch, Prussian Ambassador to Constantinople, has been recalled, as stated by some journals. That diplomatist has merely obtained temporary leave of absence to visit this capital." The Berlin Chamber of Deputies terminated the general debate on the divorce bill on the 25th. Art. 1 was then adopted in these terms " Amongst the causes of divorce hitherto admitted, the following shall ceas e t o ex i s t-1 , reciprocal consent ; 2, incompatibility of temper ; 3, improper intercourse, when on:y suspected ; 4, insufficient proof of exemplary conduct of a wife separated. from her husband." This decision abrogates Art. 687 of the general law of the country. A letter from Berlin of the 23d, in the Cologne Gazette, says :—" We are assured that the affair of Neuchatel has taken a favourable turn during the last few days. Instructions for the ambassador at Paris, Count de Hatzfeldt, are to b e sen t o ff i n a few ays, and it is said that they are of such a nature as to leave no doubt of the early conclusion of the affair." According to letters from Hamburg, in the .New Prussian Gazette, it appears that the last ac counts given of the proceedings of the Schleswig Diet went too far, in saying that they had de cided that the German language should be the one generally used. What really took place was the adoption of a proposition for an address to the King, praying his Majesty to interfere in favour of instruction in the German language. His proposition was adopted after a very stormy discussion, which lasted not less than seven hours. The session of the States of Schleswig has been closed, but before separating it rejected the propo sition of the Government, relative to the levying of the taxes for the years 1856-57 and 1857-58. It was on the occasion of this rejection that the Royal Commissioner declared that such conduct was a violation of the constitution, and rendered the majority responsible for the consequences which may result from it. NEW SOUTH WALES. (BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.) PLYMOUTH, SATURDAY MORNING. The Maid of Judah, Captain Merchant, which left Sydney for London November 27, was off this port last night, and has landed several passengers and a mail, consisting of 30 bags, from Sydney and , New Zealand. She has 6,000 ounces of gold and a large quantity of colonial produce. Gold averages 31. 16s. 6d. per oz. The season was bad, but the produce is increasing. The total amount brought by the western, southern, and northern escorts f rom January Ito November 22 was 109,511 oz. Wool was coming down slowly, in consequence of the bad condition of the roads. A great rise has taken place in shares of the Bank of New South Wales and the New South Wales Marine Assurance shares. The former have advanced Si. or 25 per cent., and the latter 1/. per share or 50 per cent. on the paid-up capital. The Vocalist was to leave for London, Nov. 13th ; the Wooloomooloo, Dec. 10th ; the Ellen borough and the Dunbar, Dec. 20th ; and the Nim roud, tarly in January. Her Majesty's ships Juno and Herald were at Sydney. The Maid of Judah left Sydney November 27th, rounded the Horn December 27th, and crossed the Equator Jan. 25th. She experienced strong 'and constant north-east winds from 30 deg. N. to the Channel, • - The following vessels were signalled :—Dec. 5, lat. 44.5 S., 10D. 1.59 E., H.M.S. Electra, from Melbourne, for England ; Jan. 22, lat. 40 S., len. 26 W., the Migrator, from London, for Ceylon, and the Bougers, merchantman; Feb. 7, lat. 33 N., lon. 46 W., the Serina, and the French bark Lucie ; Feb. 12, lat. 37.10 N., lon. 41.5 W., rounded ship Rover's Bride, of St. Joh n ' s, New Brunswick, timber-laden, water-logged, and abandoned ; hull apparently in good order, bulwarks carried away, deck-house washed down, main hatches open, boats gone, and one anchor on forecastle ; topmast gone and foreyards in the slings, main and mizen yards aloft, mainmast head broken off by the rigging. This fine-looking ship had been but recently aban doned. There were no barnacles or sea grass of any kind on the vessel ; she is about 900 tons, and right in the track of homeward-bound vessels. LITERATURE. Revelations of Prison Life ; with an Enquiry into Prison Discipline and Secondary Punishments. By George Laval Chesterton, Twenty-five years Governor of the House of Correction, at Cold Bath Fields. Hurst and Blackett. A third and revised edition of an exceedingly interesting work, reviewed a few months back in the columns of The Sun, a work whi c h fur _ nishes entertainment to the mere lover of excite ment, materials to the novelist and the romancist, and useful information, together with practi cal suggestions, to the prison reformer, Mr. a and philanthropist. A work to bo read by all, and from which many pr.- gnant morals may readily be eliminated. The author pronounces strongly in tiatedin made these or, s f b a oy v n o u. u s r Ta of ghae i t en h hs e ta p rtg l h a l n to o fp f l incompleteness,ta l e re r t: C ite i n t e y sttal s b o ws l i ti e at i ih t protection however,no refutation, - tvould seem to contern lle Theon t appropriate prison la wppb contem plate e , es .o organisednt h. the we hi contrary, lreefiveir. rm . aalpltdeireformation n of the criminal by m o a f ke s s ocie n ty o on ad t e h q e u i a .e te . l b p e r o a o u s v e r ; provision i t a l. h t f e o r culprit atll loifisiEndEariScrninviEentito. convictio n he expiration of his term a h t e e i c n i g to al l the those w permanentthattahuethore is not to be of a large class vievidently lyexpresses reformation means of livelihood, and .convicts in this country' hoped for. The class referred to Rho have taken to depredation as a o b n e s e n a nlong flagitiousha bi tn retchedatifdaschineti practices incidental to such a career (pp. 219). The case of " nine-tenths" of this class he pro nounces " utterly hopeless." This is remark able, considering the quarter from which it emanates ; Mr. Chesterton, though a strict disci plinarian, having shown himself throughout his prolonged career, by no means one of those who have lost all hope of the reformation of depraved humanity, but rather a believer inthe doctrine that the worst bas some good in him. SIR JOHN M'NEILL.—We are authorised to state that the lion. baronet who presides over the Poor-law Board, and who bas won golden opinions by his inquiry in the Crimea, declines, from various causes, to repre sent Glasgow, or nny other constituency, in Parlia ment.—Glasgow Mail.