The Sun. — London, England, 1857-03-02 00:00:00

MONEY MARKE AND COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE. CITY, Two o'CLocK. The Liverpool Cotton Market on Saturday closed, quietly, but firmly, and prices of all kinds were the Same as last week. The sales were estimated at 6,000 bales, 1,000 of which were taken on speculation. The Railway Share Market was steady, without any alteration in prices. The Money Market during February is thus de scribed in the Bankers' Magazine :---'" The opening of the Parliamentrry campaign, and the favourable change m the weather, appear to have produced a satisfactory influence upon financial affairs. The Budget, although it has encountered opposition, has been carried by a large majority, and the mea sures of retrenchment adopted, with the re duction of the Income Tax, have increased the confidence of the public. Notwithstand- ing, some incline to • the belief that greater ec onom y might have been exercised ; the pre sent ,changes must be accepted as an earnest of what the future may produce. While we are thus experiencing the. benefit of diminished taxation, there is confident anticipation that the settlement of the Persian question will be shortly announced, and under these circumstances, one great cause of anxiety is allayed. The dispute with China does not create much alarm, and although it may partially restrict trade, the result, it is thought, will eventually prove advantageous to the whole of our European mercantile relations. The Bank directors having announced their intan ton of making advances on stocks, and also on bills not having more than six months to run, until the l*Yment of the April dividends at the rate of six Per cent., increased animation has been witnessed in the market for public securities. But although this is the case, there is no immediate probabi litY of a reduction in the terms of discount, the demand generally being well maintained. Arrivals of gold from Australia have lately taken place to the extent of upwards of 1,090,0001., addition to supplies from America, but the entire sum has been absorbed by purchases on behalf of the Bank of France and those engaged in securing silver from the continent for remittance to the last and China. Fortunately the stock of bullion in the Bank has not undergone diminution, for, botwitbstanding some withdrawals have taken place, the return of coin from Ireland, Scotland, and the provinces has been sufficient to replace the amount so as nearly to balance the total. The late failures in the Greek trade have not occasioned alarm, Daring the last two or three days there bas been ! . 1 sensible increase in the demand for discounts, but as this is known to arise from merely temporary (*uses it excites no uneasiness. The Bank mini- Illutn . rate is not exceeded " out of doors," but, as might naturally be anticipated,, the bill-brokers and airairViers avail themselves of the opportunity for as much as possible for accommodation. It the is found th a t th e ex t en d e d inquiry emanated f rom the commercial c ommunity, who, besides the amount f te " ire d t o carry on current operations, are providing • °l ' the bills which become due on Wednesday ... 11 e 2 ct. In addition to these wants, which are im portant, and absorb a considerable sum, the settle- Alents at the Stock Exchange augment the pres ture• The account in Foreign Stocks and Railway Shares h as j us t b een arrange d, an d i n a f ew d ays j monthly liquidation of speculative engagemmts 11 1 Consols has to be effected. These events neces- Barfly create en increased demand for loans, and ?ti the Stock Exchange 6 to GI per cent. has been freely paid for such assistance. As soon, however, as these liabilities are wholly re moved, it is presumed that the money market, assisted by large arrivals from Australia, will be come easier, although, of course, an immediate de cline in the official rate is not thought probable. The gradual improvement throughout the Conti nent encourages the hope that affairs here will take a. similar course, although the extension.of joint-stock enterprise may retard it. A small amount of gold, namely, 24,0001., was re ceived on Saturday, but the Blackwall, which has now been out about ninety days, has not yet arrived. During the next fortnight or three weeks large supplies are expected, which will not only supply the continental demand, but also tend to st a ugment the metallic reserves in Threadneedle reet The letters and papers by the overland mail con- Ir a ni the int e lligence received in anticipation' from rcarseilleg. There was a considerable pressure on h ad been Money Market, but symptoms of relief , bOen experienced during the fottnight prooed- Ag the departure of this mail. The new Govern- Inent 5 per cent. loan had not exercised any pre- J▪ udicial influence, as it was not supposed that. scab scribers would be found. T he Ministerial crisis is the subject of general con- I:ersation in ,the City, and the speculators at the IStock E xc h ange ev i nce g reat interest in discussing the probable result of the struggle. Of course !Peculation in public securities is temporarily 1 1 e inac- Tel Operators for a rise or fall being alike per /1_6(1 t • prices consequently droop, but no t , rritti decline has taken place. The pre narY arrangements connected with the 41 4 3 renelun . g settlement are now engaging l ef attention, but although bus:n e s s i n C onso l s I" dull " numerous transactions are recorded in rail 'ay shares, w hi c h s till t en d u p war d s . C onso l s f or transfer are 93i I ; for account, 931 1; and for 'Pril, 94i The New 3 per Cents. are 94 to the Reduced 931 ; the New 2i per Cents. ; and the 5 per Cent. Annuities 114. The ad- Vertised` Exchequer Bills are 4s. to 3s. dis., and the Bonds are 98i /. Bank Stock is 221. Foreign Stocks remain dull, but the quotations are well maintained. Turkish 6 per Cents. have risen. full 1 per cent, being 97/ for money, and 961 to 971 for the account. Spanish Certificates are 61 Russian 41 per Cents. are 981. Sardinian 9 1, and Peruvian 4i per Cents. 80 ex-dividend. dutch 2% per Cents. are 651. The following are the nominal prices of Foreign !Stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 61 7 ; Mexi can, 211 22k ; Peruvian, 79 81 ; ditto Three per Cents., 55 57 ; Portuguese 3 per Cents., 44 46 ; Russian 5 per Cents., 107 109 ; ditto 4 per 'Cents., 88 100; Spanish 3 per Cents., 401 ; dittolleferred, Z)i 241 ; ditto Ce r tifi ca t es , 6 ; ditto Passive, There has been an active business transacted this morning in the Railway Share Market, and the j'rices realised show in almost all instances an im jrovement on Saturday's quotations. Caledonian I'ave advanced 10s., Chester and Holyhead 5r., Eastern Counties 55., Great Northe rn 1 5s. to 11 ., Great Western 10s., Lancashire and York s hi re 1 0s, north-Western 55., Midland 55., North B r iti s h 10s., Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton 11., and South-Eastern 10s. Northern of Fran ce h a v e risen 55., Eastern of France 55., Grand Trunk of Canada 10s., and Great Western of Canada ss. Western of France were very steady. British, Foreign, and Colonial Mining shares rule very dull, with little alteration in prices to rtport. Devon Great C'nsols realised 454. North Prance 18i • Wheal Kitty, 51, and United Mexi can, 4i. Joint Stock Bank and Miscellaneous shares show no material variation in prices. Bank of Australia are improved it., London and Westminster 55., Ottoman Bank 55., Canada Land have risen 10s., and North of Europe Steam declined 58. BRITISH FUNDS.—CLOSING PRICES —TB IS DAY. (From the Official List.) Buslnese done Dank Stock .. .. . - . . . 221 &per cent. f ie,: i 1t0.u.. ... ........ . o3z 4 Alnuitics 3 4 per Dent. C onsols Annuities 931 A i i New 3 per Cont. glanniti„ Now 2 per Cent. Annuit' 5 per Cent. Annuietripeir;s. 77 •iii 1.168.. Long Annuities, Ditto 30 Years, expi rost e A a n• 1860, , Prll, 188 . 5.- 18 746 India Bonds, .ElOOO ... .Ditto ~ u nder 210! ...... ...........: : .Td par Consols 'tor Account Psahequer Bills, 24d. •...... *•••••• jobtk. ...- ............... - 1 p 2 .-. groan Ditto Advertised Ditto Bonds, 1658, 34 per c;,:; 1 1 . i: . -- •••••• 3 4 d Ditto, 1859 ... ............ 98A, PRICES OF F0RE1................. 98i i , GN' FDITDS-I.Eus DAY. Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. . - ...... bo., New, 1829 and 1839, 5 per C ent„ lO3 Peruvian Bonds 4i per Cent .................. 80 Ditto Account ... ...... ...... . ... ...-. , 804 x d Portuguese 80nd5,.5 per Cent% Con. 18 41 --. Ditto 1853, 3 per Cent .. . ... ...... . ........ 45 Russian Bonds, 1822, St., 5 per Cent.,,, Ditto Ditto Account Mar& 17) ... ............... 107a 934 x d Small Sardinian Bonds, 5 per Cent. .......... Ditto Account Spanish Committee Cert, of Coup. not fun 6 i i Tuckibh Bonds, '6 per cent 974 Ditto Account - Ditto Guaranteed, 4 pe r Cont. Ditto Accoun ea t ts ..,, the above F..)' AL: i .:: 1a I,eat, n. Dutch Exchange, 2i per Cent., 12 Guil... 654 Ditto 4 per Cent. Certificates ....... ...... 99 8 Consols, money IHREE 0' CLO Cir. 93i Ditto, Account (March 5) ,,,,,,,,,, 934 MEETING AT LORD DEBBY'S. (From the Press of Saturday.) The Conservative members of the House of Com mons assembled on Friday morning at the mansion of Lord Derby, in St. James's-square, to hear a statement from the noble earl on the present aspect of political affairs, and especially on the position of `the Conservative patty. About 160 of the mem bers of the 'House of Commons were present. The Noble Earl commenced his'address by an allu sion the course which a few members of the dppo sition had thought it consistent with their duty to adopt on occasion of the recent division in the House of Commons upon the budget. Lord Derby stated that the course pursued by Mr. Disraeli had been concerted with him, and had met with his entire approval. Lord DERBY said he had heard it slat , d that the amendment moved by the hon. member for West Norfolk' originated in a feeling of d's appro bation at the report which had been circulated of a coalition between the par. y which the noble earl was proud to lead and the right hon. member for the University of Oxford. That report was false. He had no compact or understanding with Mr. Gladstone as to any political union. He and Mr. Gladstone were each perfectly free to act on any ques tion without reference to the opinions of the other. At a later period, the noble earl expressed a hope that what he had said might not be misunderstood. lie had had more than one occasion with Mr. Gladstone on political matters ; but, as he said be fore, there was no political arrangem-nt or under standing between them. But the noble earl, in the most dignified and emphatic manner, declared that should any member of the Conservative connection attempt to dictate to him the course he should pur sue with regard to any political persona;Yei what ever, he would regard such dictation as an insult, and no longer recognise that weather as attached to his party. Tbis declaration was received with long continued cheering. The Noble Earl said that no one could bb more opposed to coalitions effected in defiance of political principle than himself ; but that wh n members from identity of sentiment were frequently drawn together to the same lobby, it was impossible to doubt that a bond of political union was estab lished which no party could refuse to acicuo wedge. We pause here for a moment to say, that no public man in our history has more untvtivoc illy expressed his disapproval of factious coalitions than Lord Derby. The proof is before us in the volume of the late Sir R. Peel's "Memoirs," just r When requested by Sir R. Peel to join his ad ninis tration in 1834, he replied : " The reputation of those who take part in public affairs is a natter of national importance ; and confidence in public mea has been more shaken by coalitions than by all other acts of personal misconduct taken Ogether. * * * Any reasons which may be urged in vindica.- tion of the present junction would be powerless as op. posed to the public sentiment, whioh revolts against all political coalitions, especially when they are made the immediate stepping-stone to power" (page 40). That is the bee answer to those insolent insinua tions which suppose that Lord Derby would ever sanction any political combination which was not based upon principle, and dictated by the highest at,cl purestregard for permanent public interests. It is this honourable feeling among our greatest statesmen which has preserved Eneand from those factious coalitions to overthrow existing govern meats which have constantly proved the ruin of constitutional freedom in other countries., ' To resume. Lord Darby said that an impression appeared to prevail in some quarters that the in terests of Protestantism might suffer in his hands. The noble earl referred to his past career, no less than to his well-known principles, in refut ttion of such a supposition. A slight and graceful allusion to his devotion to the Established Church of these realms in times past, was received with vehement plaudits. We must not omit to state that Lord Derby ex pressed high admiration of the tale - its and cha racter of Mr. Gladstone. He noticed emph ttically the fact that the Conservative party was at pre sent in a minority in the House of Commons, and insisted that nothing could possibly be more unwise than to decline such accessions of strength as would place it in a position to undertake• the government of the country. In reference to the important subject then be fore the House of Commons, Lord Derby expressed his entire approval of the resolution moved by Mr. Cobden. it was substantially the same as the mo tion he had introduced in the House of Lords, and had supported with all the earnestness of convic tion all the ability he possessed. It would be impossible to describe the entliti siasm with which this allusion to the speech deli vered by the noble earl on Tuesday was received. That speech is in every circle the tnema of admira tion, and has produced, we believe, a more power ful impression on the mind of the country than any address delivered for years past. After Lord Derby resumed his seat, the meeting was addressed by several " representative men" of the House of Commons. Mr. SPooNErt was received with the t•Apect due to the consistency of his political career, and the sin cerity of his religious convictions. He spoke with generous warmth, denouncing the pretendal 4 al of Lord Palmerston for Protestantism, and ex pressing his entire confidence in Lord Derby at the head of the Conservative party.' Mr. NEWDEGATE expressed equal loyal senti ments, and with equal warmth.l Lord MARCH, as the head in the Lower House of the great house of Lennox, and a representative of the lsnded interest, was listened to with great attention. He declared that his confidence in Lord Derby was so complete, 'that whatever course ho might deem it expedient to pursue, would receive his cordial, earnest, and disinterested support. This declaration was received wi h rounds of cheering. Colonel Gium.r, an independent member of the apposition, not only declared his confidence in Lord Derby, but expressed his high sense of the services of Mr. Disraeli as leader of the opposition in the House of Commons. The manner in wh'eh the right hon. gentleman's name was received must have been no less gratifying to him than to all the members . present, as s h ow i ng th a t t h e oppos iti on , notwithstanding all the efforts to weaken it, and all rumour s of division in its ranks, was never more cordially united in devoti on t o it s l ea d ers t h an at the present time. We do not donceal our regret at the course which a few members, like Sir John Tyrell and Mr. Ben tinck, have thought proper to adopt. They have no doubt acted from conscientious motives of pub lic duty. It is quite cleir that if they prefer the lead of Lord Palmerston to that of Lord Derby, they cannot too soon change their places it the house. The meeting was £0 cordial and so umnimous that we feel justified in warmly congratulating the Conservative public on the result. It is impossible to foretel the political changes which are in store for us. We know only that the administration of Lord Palmerston cannot last, and that from i.s constitution it is impossible that it can fulfil the wa n -sof the country, or even satisfactorily conduct necessary public business. Hence it is the more important that the Conservative connection should continue united, as it is the primary and hi g h est use of a constitutional oppositioa to ba prepared when called upon to undertake the responsibilities of government. THE CASUAL WARD OF THE WEST LONDON UNION. In consequence of public attention having been directed to the unsatisfactory condition of the casual ward of this Union, situate at Battle-bridge, by the recent evening visit of the Lord Mayor, and als6 from the strong remarks on its present state which subsequently appeared in the columns of the newspapers, Mr. Farnell, the inspector for the Poor-Law Board, made it his duty promptly and carefully to examine the ward in question, and on Tuesday last he reported the result at a meeting of the Board of Guardians of the Union (which mainly confirmed the previous statements, with the im portant exception that the sexes were kept separate, and not huddled together). It was at once unani mously determined to hold a special meAing of the, guardians to proceed t o v i ew the building b com plained of, and to ascertain what alterations in its structure and management were de , irable, in order to remove the public stigma at present resting upon their body. The meeting of the board accord ingly to o k place on Tb u investigation,r s l d l A hn a ab n e d ,cl ri after ad lvna cr a ei .e variety with t r o y hf careful and lengthened . . useful proposals, principally Mr. Farnell's report, which had previously made, were orde f re t d hi t s o u b n e io a n t oaniceesctarrornicgd advocatesout. As the Guardians o appropriately considered the pro they very . for the establishment of public baths and wash houses, as an important aid appli cant for casual in-door relief, vagrant cleanliness.. It priety of administering a warm bath to each to the promotion ap peared to be generally felt that, of Guardians ? from motives ot' flt that, although the Board did not seek in dealing with . the city aldermen in otfhperctaidseu n al ce p a o n or d t p o o i l i i v cy al w a y luxuriousPrison, arrangements for criminals a desire as nevertheless it was their sincere their comparative conside rately as possible to regard the and whose whose poverty was their only crim e , claims of those vagra n t , liollo wretch edness, to deal with completely, remains at best but a &fn. lt it to the Lord and indeed almost irreclaimable, ' co problem. The statemei. . of the Mayor at the Mansion-house, in justification _ condition of the casual ward he had complained of, I authority was ascertained to have been made without the of the board. THE SUN NDO.N, _MONDAY I?,VEN I NG, MARCH 2, 1857. allow the law to have its course ; bit, when it declares its wil ingnesa to apply the full rigetir of the law, should i _______.— the Goverarnent of the Emp e ror require it, such an ac- ' e, cusation appears totally devoid of feundation. 1 Blackwooe.-0 ut of the contributions making up "In listening to the bitter complaints of Count Buol the March number of Blackwood, t'iree are "con against the Sardinian press, it might be supposed that tinnations." The charming story of " The Athe the Austrian press is very reserved as regards foreign li"gs" bei ng o f course the chief among them. The Sovereigns a n d governments , th a t it ne ver excee d s the ; influences in it of the, " Three Gifts " become more limits traced by mo d erat i on an d politeness. Thi s i s not I ' however, the case ; far from it.. Toe Austrian journal., I bewitching and more clearly developed. Agnes with her genius more especially those published in Lombardy, are full of I insults and attacks upon the Sardinian Government, and cinating even asttchous Miss Anastasia. Marian thef . . the Unbelieving Rector ,. Lionel,. and__ f.as they do not spare the person of the King and the mem- with her beauty winning the sympathies of the lat hers of his August family , . I can easily support this tes no less effectually. The persaverat,ce, or pluck, assertion by numerous proofs ; ] shall confine myself to or resolution, or whatever we maycall it, of Charlie calling your attention t) the language of the journals of placing already in the hands of the big boy the Milan and Verona respecting an august Princes., a near clue to the mystery requiring solution in Italy, instalmentTlte avalanche to overwhelm threatening relation 'of the Emperor of Austria—language which, where the said big boy is still left cross-examining if lam rightly informed, l e d to energ etic remonstrances the Natives and thumbing his dogs-eared Grammar. at Vienna from the Court of Saxony., fallen. It beim: , nothin fact, "If Count Buol is justified in complaining of the vio-g Lltoasrstdtahwne, ifawful close tlerib. no o u r f r the on.,en, : 12 4 8 1 than the sudden and premature death of his lence of a perfectly free press, which is not admitted onl son—the heir to his title and es , a , :s. Title into the Austrian States, wbat,rnnst be said respecting . e as the readers of "The Athelings" now a press submitted to a severe censorship, which spares neither the institutions nor the political men of our know, apt his by right —lris only wrong. By send estates, country, and which circulates free among us ? In it has become the aim and object of the narrative Piedmont, if the attack is free, so is also the defence.a'wrong to avenge and expiate. The second serial here coati- A Austria, attacked by a portion of the press, is defended not only by the journals which come to us from the other side of the Tessin, but also by a c ertain number of jour- nued gives us a second portion of "Scenes of Oleri nals published in the States of the King. cal Life"—this said second portion illustrafng in "In Lombardy, on the contrary, only the attack is an eccentric way "Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story" —not allowed ; the jou rna l s th ere re produce with impunity Mr. Gilfill an ' s ! Th e thi r d ser i a l amus i ng ns with the most odi ous ar ti c l es o f t h e journals opposed to the the second of Phosphorus's garr u l ous an d goss i p - Government of the King, and contain frequently per- ping " Letters from a Lighthouse." For a wonder Focal insult s an d i ns i nuat i ons aga i ns t the statesmen of we have in this March number of Maga a p oe ti ca l Piedmont, and creats as much disgust as certain Sar- contribution —an unacknowledged classic "Lay dinian journals cause to Count 8001. of au Old Greek Vase," commemorative of "The "But thi s i s not a ll . C ount Buo l accu s e s the Gov ern - Conquest of Bacchus." 'So that, to our amaze ment of the Ki ng o f rema i n i ng i n different to the warm controversy of th e newspapers . T ru ly this cannot be said ment, Mythology has still its charms som-Jhow for of Austria. Th e art i c l es of the o ffi c i a l journals, inspired Blackwood thing we should never for one instant by the Imperial Government, prove that the Vienna Ca. have anticipated 1 " 2Esthetics among the Alps— bicet saneions and directs the attacks against us. After Element of Power" is the rather vague and pre reading a leader in the official Milan Gazette, the source tentious title of the introductory essay this month of which cannot be doubted, and in which the Ministers of the Magazine. A theme congenial to the taste, of the King are compared to Robespierre and Cromwell, if not coincident in every respect wi , h the judg we nosy well be astonished at the bitterness of feeling nrent.,• of Mr. Rusliin. "A Crow Plucke I with Mr. which the toleration of the statesmen of Piedmont causes J. Bull" fails, to our thinking, in drollery, because ~.. to Count Buol. the writer of it (as the very title of the paper inti " But it is not only in the name of Austria that the mates) sits down with a predetermined resoution Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs complains of our . to be funny. If we laugh as we read, the laugh is toleration. He accuses it .of encouraging the most bane- forced—for the sole reason, perhaps, that in 1-aigh fuldoctrines,ofunderminingthefoundationscfthetbrone, and of attempting to destroy the sentiment of monarchy. ing we feel all the while, as it were, as though we "The results obtained by the policy followed by the were simply laughing to order ! "Picture Books" Government of the King belie those accusations. have suggested a pleasant sort of ontnium gatherum Every honest man who t xaminee the actual state of the review, in which certain popular illustrators— country ever so superficially must admit that the mo- such, for example, as Birket Foster and John narchicel principle, shaken, perhaps, by the events of Gilbert —are duly and deservedly eulogised. Ono 1848-1849, bas become gradually strengthened, and that of the principal of these recently embellished pub it has re-acquired an immovable solidity.' lications, being reserved as the subject for a sopa " The spontaneous and unanimous demonstrations rate . and more elaborate criticism—a criticism con which hail the King in every portion of his dominions stituting Maga's tribute to the genius of " Barry even in those parts where there ie not a traditional link of affection and respect, are a manifest proof thereof. Cornwall." Conspicuous .. among the attractions of But what proves beyond a doubt the truth of our asser- the number under notice is au interesting magazine tion is the prostration of the Republican party. That tale, in four chapters, entitled "Hester Bonfield." party, which was not without some influence when King The tenth contribution to Maga for March, n , ,t yet Victor Emmanuel ascended the throne ' has, under th e mentioned, being a very re.Klable sort of a gene rule of liberty, seen its means and strength gradually raised resume of " Arctic Adventure." diminish, so that it has been obliged to lot its sole organ in the periodical press L'ltalia é Popolo, die a natural death, without prosecution, and simply from the falling off of its subscribers. This fact appears to me to be the most eloquent refutation of the anti-monarchical tesaden cies of which Count Buel . accuses us. - "After having examined the - question of the prase," which forms the most important portion of Count-B uo l'i despatch, I will briefly touch upon the other points it contains. MAGAZINES. Dublin.—" The Fortunes cf Glencore" are con tinued, and are evidently approaching a conclusion. The scene is laid entirely in Italy, and the Princess and Sir Horace are deeply engaged in forming schemes for the vindication of Lady Glencore, and the establishment of the unfortunate Massy. This story possesses an interest from its vari, d p'c'ures of existence at home and abroad, and the spirited way in which the events are described. " Clerical Life in Ireland" is an article well woreiy of perusal. It relates to the memoir of the Rev. Godfrey Massy. The circumstances of his life were painful. His position as a Protestant clergyman in the midst of Catholics was of course an utina' vital one, and be lived during some of the wont Teats of Ireland. Godfrey Massy exhibited a courage that was of essential service to bim in many criticd instances, and by his decision and promptitude lie overcame obstacles on several occasions. His health subse quen•ly sunk underhisgreat exertions. Ic is observed that the intellectual produce of Ireland has always been spontaneois, but that no encouragEment is held out for its display in the Church. Orat ny 38 comparatively unknown in the pulpit It is argued that if this was more sought after and encouraged a marked improvement would take place. " The Swifts, Burkes, and Sheridans of Leland are her protest against being forgo ten, and her pledge of , the faculties essential to fame. To have produced the most powerful writer of the Augustan age of England, the greatest political philosopher of the age of Pitt and Fox, and the most brilliant wit in the annals of the drama, are the trophies of the Irish mind." "Tutors of the Young Idea" is a clever sketch of " Somebody" and " Nob _Ay," showing the vast difference created by poeitiou in the lives of those living at a stone throw's dittance of each other. The former is surrounde I I,)y all the appliances of wealth , the latter doomed to the most sordid poverty. "The Castle of Dublin" contains a description of that fortress. It is remirk 3d that the object is not only to redeem the build , irg kern obscurity, but the personages c mnected with it also. It will be interesting to many to peruse this early ren)rd of the Castle, and the ir,foranat'on is varied by striking occurrences. " A Winter Night's Wake," by Jonathan Freke Slingsby, is tin enter taining subject. It contains some clever passages, and the story of it is; interesting. There is a num ber of .songs introduced, which imparts a vat iety, and the heroine, Marian, .is a sinirle maiden, gentle and pleasing. Several other papers era met with in this number, among them the strange story of "John Twiller." "As vgards the demonstrations asserted to have been provoked in other parts of Italy, we challenge whom soever it may be to quote a single fact emanating from the Government of the King with that object in view. The Piedmontese Government having caled the atten tion of the Congress of Paris to the condition of Italy, and having shown the necessity of ameliorating that condition by pacific and legal measures, its conduct ex cited, without any other provocation, marks of gratitude and sympathy from a great number of persons dwelling in different parts of the peninsula. There is nothing i❑ this to entiils Austria to comp'aia. She herse f, though not agreed upon the means, feels the necessity of modi fying the present state of things in Italy. But she does more than recognise this in words. By the acts she has just done, by those which are announced as likely 'soon to take place, she has proved by facts that the statements of the Sardinian Plenipotentiaries were not devoid of foundation, and that the approval which crowned their efforts cannot be imputed to them as an act directly hostile to Austria. "As regards the monument spoken of as to be erected at Turin in honour of the Sardinian army, I may first observe that the Government of the King has nothing whatever to do with it. Some pet sons having inquired of it whether it would accept a gift from the Milanese, it replied by a distinct and positive refusal. The offer made to the Municipal Council was accepted. The Government could not, and ought not, to have prevented it, as it was made unconditionally and anonymously. Butr if the Roynl Government could not prevent the gift of a sum of money to erect a statue in honour of the Sardinian army, meant especially to record the expedi tion to the Crimea, it will not allow any feature in this monument to hurt the susceptibility of Austria or her army, nor an inscription to imply that it was erected by Austrian subjects. This assurance appears to rue of a nature fu ly to satisfy any complaints of Count Buol on the subject. "having replied to the reproaches of the Imperial Minister of Foreign Affairs, I might in my turn enume rate the annoyances caused to us by the Austrian Go vernment, from the sequestration of the property of the Lombards and Venetians who had legally become Sardi nian suljects, to the violent and unwarranted expulsion from Milan of one of the most distinguished membere of the Senate of the king loan. But I prefer not following in the track of c3mplaints of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, so as not to envenom a dispute which we do not think woull prove advantageous to either country. " I cherish the hope that the explanations contained in this despatch, of which you will leave a copy with Count Buol, and such further explanations as your knowledge of the views of the Royal Government enable you to give, will convince the Imperial Minister of Fo reign Affairs that, while resolved to maintain at all risk the institutions which make the prosperity and the glory of our country, it is no less our firm intention to WM towards our neighbours, to their full extent, the obligations imposed upon us by international law and by treaties.—l am, &e, Fraser.—The remarkable fecundity of the age in the way, of authorship, and the cerious defe As in style of some of our most influential writ rg, have brought a leading contributor to the rescue of British literature. Such, at least, is the reason assigned for the appearance of the first part of a lecture on " Literary Style," in which most of the principal British authors of the age are made to pass under review. A good deal of the criticism advanced is unexceptionable, but more tl.,an one general favourite is treated with a severity, to-which we must take exception. A writer who teaches by example, even if a critic, should, in consistency, endeavour to "approve himself" just. " The In terpreter; a Tale of War," is continued, and in the present instalment the reader will find a partial fulfilment of the favourable prediction pronounced in our last notice, together with unmistakeable in dications of the sort of fate awaiting the morbidly sensitive hero. He is fairly launched as a lover, the lady, we suppose, being intended for the hero ine, the Hungarian for "the torturing rival," and the Ropsley, now a captain in the Guards, for the villain. "Boswell's Letters" are the subject of an entertaining review, which is followed by an inte resting paper on "Rooks," contributed by one who has evidently made these remarkable birds a study. Among other accounts there is one of a colony formed of their own free will in the garden of Gray's-inn, some years ago, but now broken up, the bird however, cominc , in flocks to feed there to the present day. "A Few Notes on Canadian Matters" deserve more attention than they are likely to meet with, it being part of our superiority as a nation to have no care in such se rious matters for the morrow. "Is it not a mis take," the writer demands in sober earnest, " li tho', we English commit, to care moro, as we undoubtedly do, for an ascent of Mont Blanc, or a quarrel about some isolated scrap of the Rubric than for the fate of the millions whom our high civilisation has sent to find bread elsewhere 1" " The Gladiator of Ravenna," a German play by Friedrich Halm, from whose " Der Sohn der Wildniss," the play of " Ingomar" is taken, is introduced to the Eng lish reader iu an appreciating notice, and to judge by the extracts given is deserving of high praise. It is quite clear Shakspere has not been studied in Germany so intensely for nothing. " A Chapter on Flowerless Plants" will be found interesting to the naturalist—a review of " Kemble's State Papers" to the reader of history, and an article on " Public Affairs," which Concludes the number to politicians. The key-note is, The Star of Lord Palmerston is in the ascendant, as all things considered it should be ! Gladstone is mercilessly dissected. " Instead of a manly reliance on his abilities, a fixed and straightforward course, he has preferred," we are told, " a crooked and fantastic policy, an evasion of responsibility, and a devious course of action into which no man can venture to follow him ;" and no man in the house, it is added, is followed less. c , CAVOUR." FLOATING' BATTERIES• TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SlR,—WhatevfT the causes—whether such as justly to condemn our Government officials, or the result of accident beyond human foresight and control—it is mi• deniable that the late Crimean war was marked by an amount of expenditure which, when resolved into figures, hoks monstrously large and astounding in the eyes of many a suffering cit'zen of this heavily-taxed country. It need not, therefore, be matter for surprise that "economy" should now be made the catchword of party, and the order of the day. Economy is, however, a somewhat hackneyed phrase, and too often a mere hocus pocus trifling adopted by well-skilled practitioners in and legerd ema i n . I s it th e b es t to begi n an d en d a sc h eme of re and legislative truest economycuaekery trenchment with the citizans and labourers of cur dock yards and others in the more humble grades of the pub lic service, whilst the salaries of thousands per annum are untouched and held sacred ? Is it a genuine or genial species of economy to repudiate the productions of genius because originating with the lowly and unprc tanning, whilst thonf•ands again are lavished on patrician theorists, for the sake of their high connections, or other causes, securing official patronage andssepport ? I write from personal experience. As a shipwright in the dock yard, at Devonport, and from which employ I have but lately withdrawn myself, my osition was of course humble and unpretending ; but, in 1854, my attention was drawn to two subjects of admitted importance at that exigent juncture, viz., "Permanent and Floating Batteries." In whatever view considered, whether for offence or defence, the principles of construction were deemed defective and open to improvement, and be lieving those defects capable of effective remedy, I prepared a model of a permanent battery, which, after taking the unbiassed opinions of several thoroughly cientifie individuals, an! obtaining their unqualified ap proval of the improved principles introduced into its con struction, I proposed to the authorities of the War De partment to submit this model, on payment of my ex penses, to the consideration and test of any military or other scientific persons they might be pleased to depute. From Lord Palmerston's secretary I received a reply, stating that his lordship could give no guarantee for ex- penses neither could he "encourage me i n the pursuit of a subject which properly belonged to the Royal Engi neers." One of two things is fairly to be inferred from this reply, either that no production, however valu able to the country or the public service ought, in the order of Providence or other circumstance of mind or matter, to originate with any source not the offspring of the Royal Eagineer, or if so originating, it neither ought nor could be worthy of official re cognition and respect: Subsequently on application to the Board of Admiralty permission was iven me to submit the model of my " Floatin g Battery" to the investigation of Sir Baldwin Walke r an d hi s atten d an t s . But who can describe the official jeal ous i es, t h e ser i es o f Battery" and I may a dd fl agran t displayed I I n the end, ignorance of objections,scientific h i principles s , however, I secured an acknowledgment of its practical principles and general merit and an award of 201. ; still, however, it was not to be adopted. Would this have been the case had the blood of a patrician flowed in my veins—could I have proved myself the relative, depen dant, or protege of some lofty aristocrat or official I I trow not I Desirous, however, to afford the public an opportunity of judging of the merits of my inventions, apd deter ' mining how far they deserved adoption, I am prepared to visit our principal towns and naval port's, for the pur pose of exhibitieg the several models, that military and nautical men especially, versed in such matters, may pronounce, according to their unbiassed judgment, how far they are or are not worthy of being rendered the means of raving and advantage to the public purse. Soliciting your insertion of this statement in your valuable paper, I beg to subscribe myself your obedient servant; JOHN TRESCOWTHICK. Tamar Wharf, Morice Town, Devonport, Feb. 26, 1857, Bentley's Miscellany. —The number for the pre- I sent month does not offer any striking attractions. Dudley Costello's tale of the times, " The Mil- ' lionnaire of Mincing-lane," is proceeded with, and is chiefly occupied in informing the reader of the antecedents of the characters of the story. " A Summer in the Sahara" is an entertaining account of the adventures of a French artist intent on studying the peculiarities of the desert. " Mingle Mangle," by. Monkshood, gives us a sketch of the career of Ronsard, whose songs were so popular in France in the sixteenth century, and whose efforts to alter the French language were more ambitious than successful. An interesting traveller's sketch shows us a panorama of Amsterdam, Paris, and Venice, founded on another French work recently published. It has not much novelty, but is an in teresting outline. " Thanatos Atbanatos "is con tinued in the same style. "The Coroner's Inquest" is the continuation of the story that appeared last month, and still remains to be concluded. " By -1 ways_of History" has some remarks on the tragedy of Sir Edinundbury Godfrey, in which it is observed that his real name was Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, but like the names of Maaaniello, Hougoamont, stc., having once_ been circulated wrongly, it has AUSTRIA AND SARDINIA. --~- Tl,e following official c_rrespondence bas paused b3tween the Au,triAn and Sardinian Govoin ments DESPATCH ritom CQENT Buor, THE AUSTRIAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, TO COUNT PAAR, AUSTRIAN ENVOY AT TURIN. " MILAN, FEB. 10. "Monsieur le Comte—During your sojourn here you bad opportunities of closely observing the marks of re spect with which the Emperor, our august toaster, was received at Milan, and the satisfaction which the pre sence of their Imperial Majesties gave to all classes of the population. " The numerous acts of clemency which emanated from the kniperor were received with sentiments of sin cere gratitude, which more than once displayed them selves in warm demonstrations. If his Majesty in his clemency has &jelled to throw a veil over the past, the be'laviour of his Lombard subjects authorizes us to ex pect that the future will not deceive his generous confi dence. There can be no doubt that every isopartial ob server of what has occurred at Milan during the last few weeks must share these impressions. Confidence is esta blishing itself everywhere, and, if there are still a few spirits who hesitate to jrin in that 'confnlence without reserve, their doubts originate less in the internal condi tion of the country than in an unceasing provocating action from without. " It is especially, I will not conceal it from you, M. le Comte, the attitude of the Piedmontese Government which has hurt the Emperor's 'feelings. In fact, the Piedmontese prees, faithful to its abject habits, and to its systematic hatred against Austria, has endeavoured to present recent events at Milan in a light diametrically opposed to the truth. The domination of Austria in the Loinbardo-Venetian kingdom, represented as devoid of all legitimate right, and as the sole coerce of all the evils of the peninsula ; cslumnv and insult hurled against every act of the Imperial Government, against the au gust person of the Emperor as well as against his de voted servants; insurrection, and even regicide, repre setted as the means to liberate Italy from what they please te call a foreign yoke,—such are the many themes which the Piedmontese journals unceasingly dwell upon 'in every tens, and which latterly they have turned to account a ith increased bile and violence. In truth, my pen refuses to relate all the vileness with which those journa s teem ; it suffices to open them at haphazard to find abundant convicting articles. " Considering these attacks, directed with unusual vio lence against a friendly and neighbouring Power, the Sardinian Government, by remaining perfectly passive, has, at the very least, laid itself open to the suspicion of not having wished to discountenance them. This is not all. Appeals addressed toforeigners, witha view to induce thorn to join eubecriptions.publicly opened to strengthen the defensive system of Piedmont, which is not menaced by any Power ; the official reception of pretended depu tations from our Italian pi ovuaces to express their admi ration for a policy disapproved by their own Govern. ment; finally, the acceptance of a monument, offered, it is said, by subjects of the Emperor to commemorate deeds of the Sardinian army,—all these are so many offensive demonstrations, which, however calculated upon the too easy credulity of the public, nevertheless have their serious aspect. " How is it in fact to be explained that a Government which really wishes to keep up relations of friendship and good neighbourhood with us should not have regarded it as concerning its own dignity to prevent demonstra tions which impart to the peculiar circumstances attend. ing them a bearing so palpable and so directly host le tea ne.ighboutine. Power ? Is it, then, by allowing the reminiscences of war and the revolutionary passions which it engendered to be, continually, publicly pro claimed and perpetuated that the Sardinian Govern ment pretends to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty of peace—the - first of which establishes that there shall be henceforth and for ever peace, friendship, and good fel luwship between the two Sovereigns, their respective States and subjects ? It may be replied to us that the lieve of the country are powerless to prevent aets of Allis description ; but we cannot on that plea absolve the Turin Cabinet from having had the appearance of asso ciating itself by its toleration with the hopes of a party whose rallying cry is the abolition of the treaties which have fixed the territorial limits now existing in Italy. " It is true the Sardinian Government haS more than once confidentially expressed to us its regret and its die approval of the excesses of cournali -te. Moreover, decl tr ing itself incapable of taking the initiative in a prosecu tion, it has often referred us to the courts of law to obtain justice for the insults of a libellous press. But if were to bring an action for every libellous article, we might at once establish ourselves as public prosecutor. We do not think such an office is in keeping with the dignity of our Government. Apart from this consideration the objects of the attacks of the revolutionary press of Piedmont are not oily the acts of the Imperial Government but the very principle of monarchy itself ; they even strike at the roots of all socisl order. Should not, then, the Turin Cabinet be the first to defend such important interests, and to avert an evil which threaoens as much the quiet acd security of its own country as those of other States towards which it has international duties to fulfil / However this may be, M. le Comte, the Em peror owes it to his own dignity not to leave the Sardi nian Government in ignorance of the displeasure which its proceedings generally have caused him. It wilt be for Count Cavour to inform you what measures he pur poses to take to efface these painful impressions, and what guarantees he can offer us against the indefinite prolongation of a state of things so diametrically op posed to the desire by which we are animated of enter taining such relations with Piedmont as best snit the interests of the two countries. Intending to shape our line of conduct in future sccor lingly, I request you, M. le Comte, by order of the Emperor, to read this despatch to the President of the Council, and to inform me of the explanations you may receive in reply.—l am, &c., - " Bun." On the communication of the above despatch Count Cavour sent the following reply to the Mar quis Cantano, the Sardinian envoy at Vienna : " Turin, Feb. 20. "Sir,—lmmediately on his return from Milan Count Paar read to me a despatch which Count Buil had just addressed to him (sf which you will find copy annexed) complaining of the attitude of the Sardinian Govern ment, and communicating the displeasure which its pro ceedings bad caused to the Emperor of Austria. " Althougls I did not hesitate to give at once such explanations to Count Paar as appeared to me fully to refute the reproaches of the imperial Government, I yet thought it as' well to send you, M. le Marquis, a categorical and formal reply to the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs. " tint Buol complains of the attacks of the Piedmon tese prees, of the manifestations provoked, it is said, in the other provinces of Italy in favour of a policy which dew not enjoy the approval of the Imperial Government. Finally, he dwell 4 upon the acceptance of a monument said to have been offered by the Milanese to the Sardi nian army. Making the Sardiuian Government respon sible for these facts, Count -Buol accuses it in some mea sure of not fulfilling the stipulations of the treaty of peace concluded at Milan. " I shall not undertake to justify the natioral press against the reproaches of Count Buol. Ido not hesitate to admit, not only, as that Minister says, ' confiden tially,' but publici'y, honestly, as is my custom, that it often goes to lamentable excessei—tbet it attacks the persom of the Emperor in a manner I openly condemn. But What I think I hive a right to maintain is that the criticism of the press of the acts of the Austrian Govern ment cannot cause it any serious embarrassment, and that, as regards the attacks against the Emperor, it would be easy to put a stop to them by having recourse to the means supplied by our laws for the suppression of offences of this description. How can the journals which attack the Austrian policy impede the action of the Im perial Government when their admission into the pro- viiices subjectA to the Empire is rigorously prohibited ? Whatever may be their influence in the interior of our country —and that influence is very small—their action is null beyond the Tessin. The statement in Count Buol's despatch of the reception of the Emperor at Milan is an incontestable proof of it. " Freediscussion of the acts of the Government is one of the essential principles of the present political system of Piedmont, as it is of many other States of Europe. We boldly assert that that liberty is attended here with as many advantages and with less inconveniences than anywhere else. The profound peace which we enjoy, the daily increasing union between the country and the throne, proves it beyond a doubt ; and, as regards foreign Governments, we do not think it can be maintained that our journals are more violent and acrimonious than those of England or of Belgium. The attacks of the English newspapers against the Government of the Emperor of Austria were not l'ss violent or less bitter than those in ours ; but that did not prevent Austria from seeking, when it suited her interests, an alliance of friendship with England, and from showing her satisfaction and pride at the good relations established with that Power. " As regards the attacks against the person of the Em peror, not only do I repeat the disapprobation already expressed, but I do not hesitate to express the regret I feel that the Imperial Government bas not put it in our power to use the means to put a stop to them by effica ciously suppressing them. " You are aware, M. le Marquis, that we have intro duced special laws into our code for this species of i.ffences by the press, making their suppression more certain, more severe, than in any other country where freedom of discussion is allowed. Let Count Buol com pare our laws with those of England or of Belgium in this respect, and he will admit the truth of what I ad vance. " The exp er i ence, moreover, of the last f ew years has shown the efficacy of the suppression. All foreign Go vernments that have Made use of the means supplied by our laws to punish attacks made against their respective chiefs have Been those attacks punished in a manner to prevent their repetition. The same would have taken place, and would azsuredly take place as regards the Emperor of Austria, if his Government had followed, or stated‘'C o i u n n t o P p p a o a s r i , t i t o o n w t h h o e m f a l e t addressed Es t p h e i ro s o , bpsreorsveactui prosecuted should follow, th e example of France or Spain. for insults against the Emperor, and sentenced to a oe n,add than that theth e Courtam amount nt m a of y small penally. T o thi s I will say first of all, tbat in offences of the pr ess th e fact of the con d emnat i on of the journal penalty has ta ted. nch more importance may, the have been lenient, either because it was the first prose cution for an attack against the Emperor of Austria after a long toleration, or because the Imperial Govern mtnt allowed a very long interval to elapse between the emblication of the offensive article and the prosecution. Doubtless, in case of a repetition of the offence, and if the prosecution'took place at once, the Court would be much 1• more severe, as it showed itself, against those journals which attacked the Emperor of the French. " Count Bnol cannot make the Sardinian Government t responsible for those attacks unless it should refuse to since been impo , sible to rectify it. "The Gallery of Theatrical Portraits" has reached the third number, and narrates the history of William Dowton. - Colburn's United Service.—" The Life of Napier" is the subject of the opening paper, the review a highly eulogistic one, concludiug as follows : " The highest compliment we can Ray to Sr Wm. Napier (the biegrepher), is to say that he has rea lised the idea with which he set out, and given us "the story of a Man who never tarnished his repu tation bya himeful deed; of one who subdued dis tant nations by his valour, and then governed them so wisely that English ru'e was reverenced, and lived where before it had been feared and exe crated l" And now we await its conclusion. e‘ A Few Remaks on voluntary Enlistment and Armies of Reserve" appear to have been suggested by what the writer designates " The palpable failure of voluntary enlistment under existing regulations to fill our ranks with eligible recruits during the late war." The writer recommends a reform in the distribution of Vie army, and a more liberal rate of pension, and advances condemnatory strictures on certain parts of Gen. Wyndhatn's plan. A second notice of " The Theory of Wire is followed by fur thbr criticism on " The Regulations. of the Army." " The General's Hut in the Trenches" is continued, and we have a glimpse of several civil and military notabilities, including the Duke of Newcastle, Mr. Ru , sel, Miss Nightingale, Gen. Markham, and Marshal. Peli ss i er . "A S cra mble Through the Hills to Cashmere" may be got through without difficulty, so far as the present instalment -goes. "Austrian Soldiers and Statesmen in the Nine teenth Century" are considered, with due re membrance "that the hereditary tendency of the Shaeic races to absolute, government arises from an excerslve submission to authority." The weak poii.t of Austria, according to the writer, is Lombardy, which "must always (0 re main a running sore." The recent amnesty is de set ibed as "a temporary emollient—certainly not a definitive cure." "The Boatmen of the Coast" is a paper which ought to be read, the writer en deavouring t) do justice to the gallant crews of our life-boats, whom he, in conclusion, wishes all honour, pro , perity, and SUCCCSF. "Notes on Mili tary Science" are continued ; and "The Caspian and its Shores," aro the subject of an interesting historical view, which is to be continued. "The Editor's Portfolio'? yields a by no means flattering notice of the way in which some parties have set about raising a Testimonial to Lord Har dinge. The force of the objections advanced against the late Commander-in-Chief being honoured with an equestrian statue, would not have been diminished had there been no pre vious indications of a bias certainly not in favour of the deceased veteran. " The Victoria Cross," it would appear, could not be distributed without the Commissioners - appointed to elect its reoipients dis charging their duties in a manner so unsatisfactory as to provoke well-grounded complaint. "Reform for the Navy" contains this serious allegation : "Proverbial as ti e Admiralty has always been for jobbery and corruption, no First Lord has ever abu-ed his pet r mega so grossly and continuously as Sir Charles Woo 1" This is going ahead. The New Monthly.—The openinz paper is a con . - tinuation of the "Memoirs of the Duc de Raguse," undir the title of "Toe War of Liberation." "A Dream from Heaven," by the authT of "Ashley," gives us the conclusion of the history of Adam Grainger and Margaret Charming. It is written in this writer's interesting style, and .conveys an ex..elltm ) ; moral. Adam Grainger, reduced to poverty and unable to obtain employMent, forms the tash and co A ardly project of committing suicide, and abandoning his wife and children. He is pre vented by a warning dream, and reuewe his endea vours with a perseverance and spirit that ob'ain success. An account of the " Rena's.iance at Aln wick Castle" wi.l b3interes•ing to antiquaries. A memoir of Sylvaiu Bailly o!cupiei this number of f' Notes on Not , , : -worthie," and draws a striking picture of the cl , ath scene of one of the victims of 1789. The tragic story, under a comic title, of Mr. Joshua Tubbs is proceeded with in its usual man ner. "A Swed . sa Voyage round the World" is also continued, and describes San Francisco and its inhabitants. Florentia contributes a paper on "The Baths of Lucca," and a description of "An Autumn in Italy." "The Talker and the Worker," by T. E. Carpenter, is concluded wi . h melancholy interest. Alexander Andrews brings down his " History of the Newspaper Press " to near the elite of the last century. There is no poetry this month.- The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. John Murray. „ . . An interesting and able essay (prize) ou " Bring ing Moor Land into Cultivation' opens the num ber. Tho writ n's attention is princp , dly directed to moorlauas in an elevated position, and he may be said to have succeeded in diminishing the many obstacles to their cultivalion by his remarks and suggestions. Tie subject of the succeeding essay is of kindred interest and importance. It is the "Action of the Atmosphere upon Newly Deepened Soil," which is clearly shown to be that of a power ful fertiliser. Who at all conversant with atmos pheric action could doubt the fact ? And yet many of our agriculturists who act upon it do so to all appearance unwittingly, or why, for instance, the necessity for this treatise I "The Farming of War wickshire" is described in four divisions, and though not first class, we are happy to find there are tokens of steady improvement. The farmers of Warwickshire, it would appear, are not now the "sly jealous set" Mr. Murray de scribed them. " The Construction. of Labourers' Cottages" is the subject of a suggestive and well illustrated essay, creditable to the writer and the conductor of the journal. It is always pleasing to witness anxiety manifested for the sanitary and social welfare of the toiling labourer, who literally earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, and is too often lodged in a hovel wholly unfitted for human residence. Pr afesior Buchanan, of the Agricul tural College, Cirencester, contributes an article "On the Natural History of British Meadow and Pasture Graces," in which various species are lucidly described. This is followed by another paper in connection with atmospheric action, being "On the Different Mechanical Modes of Deepen ing the Staple Soil in order to give it the Full Benefit of Atmospheric Influence.' A varety of reports and miec.llaneons contributions make up the contents of the number. The Journal of Agriculture. Blackwood and Sons. The collection of "Agricultural Statistics for 1856," though attended with considerable difficulty, has, we are told by "an Enumerator," been crowned with complete success. Among other notabilia we observe an increase of 15,122 acres in the area of tillage ; an increase of horses, sheep, and lambs, and of cows and cattle, but a decrease of calves, making a decrease in the total of cattle as compared with the returns of the preceding year. Au increase in wheat and oats respectively of 2,200,000 bushels and 1,800,000 bushels, but a decrease in barley of 500,000 bushels. A great deficiency is reported in the potato crop 1 I n interesting paper on "Tropical Cultivation, and its Limits follows." After a residence of 13 years within six degrees of the equator, the writer expresses his firm conviction that a temperate climate is not more necessary for the full develop men t o f t h e energies of man than it is for the full production of the most valuable kinds of food. " Characteristics of the Year 1856," and a p a p er on " S a l mon an d Pisciculture" will repay perusal, as will " Notes on Novelties at the Smithfield Club Show." Besides the above, there is a var i e ty o f papers o f more or lessinterest to the agriculturist. The National Magazine hopefully pursues its useful and entertaining career under the able editor ship of Messrs. J. Saunders and Westland Marston. The part for March contains a variety of high class literature, combining the amusing and the instruc tive, together with a number of superior engravings of subjects judiciously selected, and worthy of the attention of the public. Little Dorrit. No. XVI. By Charles Dickens. A remarkably important number as far as one incident is concerned. For in it old Mr. Dorrit dies—in it we hear the last in life of the mean spirited and babbling Father of the Marshalsea. A character intrinsically so detestable, so con temptible, so thoroughly and entirely obnoxious, that we cannot find our sympathies touched for a s i ng le instant by the narrative of wt h uo i rn s rd d spite of its being glorified, in a manner, by the love ni of Amy, and eloquent in every e the — t . e pathos of Charles Dickens. W relief at h bi t i s n e g lf a a t e f wm ro titshe corpse of the miserable houndolddse " gentleman" with a Ben ofcalling. length—ha—well rid—hum—of him.. himismdeedaitahteloynalyftebrwecaardesßegretting the decease of of Ili it s s fa c i a trful ing and admiring brother the old quondam m e r lar D ionet player Frederick. The first sympt oms o f are exhibited, by the way,: here fantastically described as o f in °lTi th t e 's fam faiii ily ng ba v n it q a u l e it t y s a decidedly P rill ieY and prismatic" character I His castles in the air about making Mrs. Gene r al his more tha n middle-aged bride, leading. him upon the eve , as it were, of his di sso l u ti on, to the extravagance o . f kissing that lady's knuckles. a salute an- Jectured by our a uthor to have been a rather bony kiss, o f a cosmetic fiavotti• !" Leav ing the Dorrit family thus diminish ed by. two—we follow Arthur Clennam for awhile to Calais in quest of information about M. Blandois (otherwise M. Rigaud) from Miss Wade the abominable i And here we at once gladly afford to a rather elaborate note,- prefixed to the present number by Mr. Dickens, the benefit, such as it is, of our circulation. It is a note, as the read"r will observe, minutely and rather anxiously explanatory "By an oversight of the author's, which he did not observe until too late for correction in the first impres si.mn of the number for last month (No. XV.), the name Rigaud is used in the 17th cbapter of the Second Book, instead of Blandois. The personage in the story who assumed the latter name, is habitually known to the airbor by the former, as his real one ; and hence the mistake. It is set right, if the reader will have the goodness to substitute the word Blandois for Rigaud, in that chapter when it occurs. Th e chapter commences at page 467, and ends at page 474." Nothing whatever is learnt, in the present number, as to the cause of the mysterious disappearance of this horrible assassin M. Rigaud, alias Blandois. At Calais, Clennam has an unsatisfactory interview about the matter with Miss Wade--attended at the close of the interview by Harriet, otherwise Tatty coram. They meet, by the way, in a room at Miss Wade's Calais residence, in which we note among the marvellously characteristic still-life, such exceed ingly Gallic Ineubles as " a little round table, with a tumultuous assemblage of legs underneath :" and, upon the mantel-piece " a Greek warrior with his helanet off, sacrificing a clock to the Genius of France !" Arthur Clen nam harried about the Calais streets by hotel touters, such, for example, as the one described at p. 493, as "a native gentleman in a suit of grease, and a cap of the same material," returns to Lo'- don onlyjust in time to take leave for awhile of his wise and honest partner, Daniel Doyce—off, as it appears, on some engineering expedition for the Emperor of all the Russias. Arthur does more, however, than this almost immediately upon his re turn homewards. He sets upon the trail of Rigaud the assassin, true-hearted little chirruping Jean Baptist Cavaletto. As to the autobiographic reve lations of Miss Wade (constituting the whole of chap. 21, book ii.), while they help to explain much that was bewildering and incomprehensible in the plot of " Little Dorrit," they at the same time only demonstrate more clearly than ever the detestable peculiarities of that most intolerable cha racter. Henceforth Miss Wade may be placed in the same category with Miss Dartle, the one blot in our author's otherwise perfect masterpiece— " David Copperfield." "Ask Mamma." By the Author of " Handley Cross" and " Soapy Sponge." Illustrated by John Leech. Part I. A comical new serial, by a popular humorist— drolly written, and most facetiously illustrated. It gives promise already by the broad fun of the opening chapters—delightfully acceptable promise —of many a hearty laugh to come. A prospect not to be wondered at when the Author is the cele brant of the renowned Mr. Jorrocks, and the Artist the chief glory of that merry old gentleman, Mr. Punch ! Our Hero's Ancestors—Pens et Mere— occupy our attention in Part One : "our hero," by the way, let us say at once, being no other than one Fine Billy, otherwise Billy Pringle. Pringle, the elder, after the fashion of the famous lover in the Comic Song, falls in love with Miss Willing— " Which, was a Lady's Maid !" Miss Willing's earlier experiences in which capacity are ludicrously enough narrated at the outset. As in the instance of the family she feels con strained to leave, because at odd times her mast:x woud come into 11 , ,T mistress's room with nothing on but his shirt and his spectacles ! The way in which the said Miss Willing " hooks" as well as "eyes" Mr. William Pringle is a thing to grin over while reading, as one can't help grinning ever John Lee3b's own inimitable caricatures. He is fsirly hooked, by the by, to the suppressed amusement of one Blood-Red Ben, and of apother " white lashed" Pheasant-Feathers. The former of thee two worthies being a House Porler : and the latter •the s'attt-rnly daughter of some down-country poacher. We 01111 look forward to the continua tion of "Ask Mamma" with a tolerable certainty of finding in it a genuine source of amusement. The Year Book of Facts in Science and Art. 1857. By John Tunts, F. S. A. . _ _ . Another useful look by the painstaking and able author of " Things not Generally Known," be;ng an exhibition of the important discoveries and im provements of the past year in mechanics and the useful at - 0, natural philosophy, electricity, chemis try, zoology, and botsny, geology and mineralogy, meteorology, and astronomy. The sources from wkich the f tett have been drawn are the records of the proceedings of learned societies and other reli able storehouses of information. The' author has compiled the matter judiciously, and with an im partiality sufficiently obvious to inspire confidence. in its trustworthiness. The value of such a work will be best appreciated by those whose access to scientific reports and 'journalistic announcements is limited, while none who take an interest in the advancement of art and science will fail to ro cognis) in " The Year Book of Facts" an int-x.le di4te boon,. and the forerunner of an invaluable series. The Engrish Popular History of England: Bradbury and Evans. " The English Cyclopeedia" has reached the forty-ninth part, and extends from Nash to Pater son. Among the most remarkable names in this number are, of course, Nelson and Newton. Many living celebrities are also included—Viscount Pal merAon and Omer Pacha among them. The work is ioo well known and widely circulated to require criticism, and will doubtless continue to obtain the encouragement it merits. " The Popular History of England" is a useful work, but not of so high a character. It has reached the fifteenth part, and brings down the history to near the close of the reign of Henry the Eighth. It will be useful as a summary, and the illustrations are a great attraction. LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day.) LONDON, March 2.—Wind this day at noon, S.E. ; Light airs and hazy. PLYMOUTH, March.—Wind from Havana ; Willing, Lyme, for Rio Janeiro. FALMOUTH, I.—A ship's life-boat, about 30 feet long, painted white, with blao upper strake, apparently new, was picked up cn the 22d Feb., in lat. 47 N. lon. 9 W., by the Halcyon, arrived here. YARMOUTH, March I.—The Dutch gailiot Harmonie, from Lyme to Bayonne, got athwart hawse of the b r i g Sarah, of Whitby, in the roads yesterday, and received some damage. CLYDE, Feb. 28.—Wind W.S.W. — Arrived—Glasgow (s.s.), from New Yozk. Sailed—Brechin Castle, for Ba tavia ; City of Madras, Calcutta. WATERFORD, Feb. 28.—Wind W. to S.W.—Arrived-- Clara, from St. John's, Newfoundland. SWANSEA, March I.—Wind N.B.—Sailed—Swansea, Knight, and Ogilby, for Coquimbo. LIVERPOOL, March I.—The Kalamazo, from New Or leans, reports passing, on the 11th Feb., in 40. N. W. a quantity of bulwarks. (PEA T RL E ff m.IO R 2 IOTE N, LEGRAPH- SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAY MORNING. Wind easterly, fi ne . Arrived, Feb. 28.—Gipsy, from Llanelly; Louisa, Ere ter ; Emerald, Smyrna ; Chance, Dublin ;Four Brothers Lime ; Pope, Portsmouth; Argyll (steamer), Carentau. Arrived, March 2—Ariel and Earl Grey, from Cardiff; Ann and Maria, London; Le Coq, Cherbourg. Sailed, Feb. 28 —Cicely and Atalanta, for Sunderland; Alarm, Portsmouth ; Mechanics Own, Cardiff. Sailed, March 2—Florida, for Cardiff; Edith, Llanelly; Clara, Sunderland; Charlotte, Guernsey; Sandford, for Shields. LP7EEPOOL, Monday Morning. Wind S.W. Arrived—Gipsey Queen, from Q Charleston. UEENSTOWN, Feb. 28. Wind 5. Arrived—Jessie, from Ibraila. (BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAM) GRAVESEND, Monday, 10.5 a.m. Wind calm, weather foggy, tide last hours' ebb. Arrived, lst—Rebecca, and Alionette, from Blade% Sailed, lst—Soho, for Havre. Sailed, 2d—Wisconsin, for Sydney. DEAL, Monday, 9.50 a . m . Wind E.N.E., moderate, and hazy. Passed Dungeness yesterday—Ari e l, f rom St. Michael ' s; Agenoria, from Galati ; Ocean, from Sicily—all for Lon don. Passed, I st—Vesta (s.s.) for Oporto ; Dreadnought, for Cape of Good Hype Sally, for - - - -Y. aor Colombo ; Feronis, for Canaries ; Jes am i ne, for Malaga; Sarah Fox, for Swansea : S —all from London. Passed, March 2 . —Pert, from North, fo r 1 - „oparaiso ; Hampden, from N ewcastle, for Constantinop l e; an d Chris. tabel, from S un d er l and, for Calderia. A. , s on shore on the small brig, supposed to be a collier , north part of ther ass Goodwin Sands. Sev e ral boats gone to heistance. ____.----- ITALIAN Bails BRICK AND Bfouren—The lofty towers of Italy (says Mr. R. Racvlinson), and the minarets of the East, are for the most part constructed of bricks and the mortar, o i rt s and that neither the one nor the mortar. I have examined the bricks, and I have tested modern practice. - if so good as, the modern archi tect may have at his cornmeal. The proportion of • mortar ... Ign structures differs, in the fore of Italy and 0 the East are very thin • hbroivrckeverto„ most niaferlausi from " lo:t a te n r d th i an f°, i n proportion to area . or bed—nine inches square by inch, or at the most inch and a quarter, in thickness. These bricks (or as we should almost designate The bricks them) tiles, are frequently set or bedded in mortar as thickly spread as the bricks, so that there is almost as much mortar as brick. From my examination I have n o hesitation in saying that the permanence of the work is in a great measure dependent on this liberal use of bard-setting, tough mortar. The tornado's sweep and the earthquake's shock have alike failed to overthrow these slender and lofty piles; though many times they must have shaken, vibrated, and bent under the furious effects of tie contending elements and dread tremhlinga of the earth. The elasticity and tenacity of the mortar have, in my opinion, alone preserved the structures from sudden overthrow.—Tile Builder Nit