The Press.
London, England, 1855-11-10 00:00:00

MEXICO.

Intelligence from Vera Cruz of the 7th ult. is to
the effect that General Alvarez had been elected
Provisional President of the Mexican Republic, and
had taken the oaths of office. General Comonfort
was the only candidate who received any considerable
number of votes in opposition to Alvarez.
Matamoros had surrendered to the revolutionists
without giving battle, and matters there were quite
tranquil.
At San Luis Potosi a fight of three days' dura-
tion had taken place, but the city still held out, the
revolutionists having only gained possession of the
field of battle. Reinforcements had been sent from
Monterey.

COMMANDERS IN THE ROYAL NAVY.
(From a Correspondent.)
Ws are anxious to call the attention of the Lords of
the Admiralty to the contents of a memorial presented
to their lordships about five months ago, and signed
by four hundred commanders of the royal navy. This
document sets forth in the most plain, yet respectful,
language the great anomaly of their position, when
compared either with their superiors or inferiors,
both enjoying much greater advantages; and we beg
to place before their lordships the following "Scale
of Retirement" at present existing, and respectfully
ask whether the case of the commander in the royal
navy does not deserve at their lordships' hands fair
consideration :

Per Diem. Per Diem.
Captains above fifty-five years of age.
and ten years seniority, retire on lBs Od, being is ad'
Commanders, when at the top of their list,
age seventy to eighty, and from thirty
to forty years seutority,retlre on los 8d „ sixpence
Lieutenants, by Order of Council, 1816,
when at top of their list, age sixty to
seventy, seniority thirty to forty c
years, retire on
Masters above fifty-five years of age, and
twenty-five years service,retire ou 12s 6d „ 5s 8d
Masters above fifty-five years of age, and
twenty years service, retire on
Surgeons after thirty years service, ir-
respective of age, retire ou lss Od „ 8s Od
Surgeons after twenty years service, ir-
respective of age, retire on lBs Od „ Od
Paymasters, by recent regulation, after
twelve years service, irrespective of
age, retire on lOs 6d „ 38 6d,
Surely the above statement only requires a perusal
by their lordships, and an alteration based on justice
would be an immediate effect. Before concluding
we would ask their lordships' consideration to one
particular point the memorial contains, with re-
ference to the age, which restricts the commander
from being employed in the coast guard service. This
age is limited to forty five years—and here again is the
striking anomaly as well as injustice—the lieutenant,
master, late mate royal navy, late officer of the East
India Company, and others (none apparently too late)
are all permitted to enter as chief officer of station at
the age of fifty-five, and each continues to serve on
until sixty or seventy years of age ; and very recently
lieutenants and civilians, who were fortunate enough
years ago to obtain the Treasury appointment of in-
specting commander of districts, served until near
seventy years of age. Now, the present regulation as
to age shuts out the commander at fortyjive. To
this must be added that the duties of the chief officer
of station, performed in accordance to the coast guard
instructions, far surpass in manual labour and anxiety
those of the inspecting commander. Sir Charles
Wood at the close of the session promised, in an
answer to Admiral Walcott, that this memorial should
be considered during the present recess. We shall
wait anxiously for the result.

THE KING AND QUEEN OF GREECE on the 21st ult.
suddenly visited a church which had lately been
given over to the use of Russian subjects. Their
Majesties found there all the clergy, the singers of
the choir, and all the staff of the Russian embassy
in full uniform. A solemn service was then per
formed, and, after prayers addressed to Heaven for
the success of the Russian arms against the enemies
of the orthodox faith, a "Te Deum " was snag.

saw ant Volta.

1071

THE HYDE-PARK RIOTS.
THE Sunday Hyde-park meetings have at length
become such au intolerable nuisance, and resulted

in such acts of positive riot and brutal easatilt
against the passers-by, that strong measures on the
part of the police are called for to put a stop to such
disgraceful proceedings. For some Sundays past
each succeeding meeting has been more riotous than
the other, till at length, on Sunday week, and lezain
on Sunday last, the proceedings of the mob very
clearly demonstrated that they had met there more
for the purpose of robbery than in the hope of
listening to denunciations against the high price of
bread. Upon the first of these two occasions they
pelted the police, ill-treated one or two gentlemen
who happened to be passing through the park, and
finally broke numerous windows in the neighbour-
hood ; but on last Sunday, not content with pelting
the police, and quarrelling among themselves, they
hunted every gentleman they could see, knocked
down well-dressed ladies, and pelted and ill-
treated women and children of all classes. The
police behaved with great forbearance, in fact with
far too much ; but, after the abuse heaped upon
them last summer, so little interference on their part
is not remarkable. However, upon one or two
occasions they made a dash into the crowd, and
succeeded in capturing five of the ringleaders, who
on Monday were brought before Mr. Hardwick, at
Marlborough-street.
Michael Shone, a labourer, was first brought up,
charged with violently assaulting Thomas Ward, a
gentleman's groom, and also with an assault upon
the police. The prosecutor, who appeared to be in
great pain, stated that as he was passing through
the park on Sunday last, he was surrounded by a
mob of some two hundred people, of the prisoner's
class, who commenced pelting him with clods of
turf and stones
Some of the mob had large sticks, with which they
struck him, and made him run the gauntlet. They used
him shamefully, and he distinctly saw the prisoner pick up
a great stone, which he threw, and hit him on the back of
the head with such violence that he was felled to the
ground. Witness was much hurt, and would no doubt
have been seriously injured had not one of the park con-
stables and some other police come to his assistance
and taken the prisoner into custody. While accompanying
the police to the station they were surrounded by a portion
of the mob, who beat them with sticks and pelted them
with stones and turf. Witness was positive intentor was
the person who flung the atone at him.
The evidence; of the police corroborated that of the
prosecutor, and Mr. Hardwick, considering the case
fully proved against the prisoner, tined him 51., or
two months' imprisonment, for the first assault, and
committed him for two months for the assault on the
police. The remaining four, charged simply with
rioting, were committed for one month each. on
giving his decision, Mr. Hardwick made a few ob-
servations upon the unbearable and disgraceful
nature of such scenes in the park ; and, in compli-
menting the police upon the forbearance they die.
played, Mr. Hardwick very justly observed that they
perhaps carried that point to excess :
I see no reason (continued the magistrate) why you
should permit these persons any longer to assemble on a
Sunday in the parks, to the exclusion of the decent and
well-behaved classes, and to an infringement of their
positive right to ride or walk there unmolested. Don't
wait for acts of riot or violence, but when you set such
persons as I have just punished gathering into groups, or
conducting themselves in any way from which their mis-
chievous purposes may be fairly inferred, disperse them at
once. It is becoming a question whether the parka are to
be abandoned on a Sunday to the possession of a set of
lawless ruffians, to the exclusion of the quiet and orderly
classes of society, or whether the latter are again to be
permitted to enjoy their accustomed exercise and reere-
ktion in them. That is the question, and the sooner it is
determined the better.
From the tenor of these remarks, we may hope that
if a further attempt is made at a repetition of such
proceedings to-morrow, the police will act forcibly
and effectively at the first appearance of any such
intention on the part of the mob.

M. THEIRS was the hero of a scene the other day
in the Exposition. Two gentlemen approached him,
and one of them, speaking with great emotion, said,
" Will M. Thiers permit twc of hia admirers to thank
him respectfully for the happiness be has procured
them, by proving so ipropos to his country 'qua la
precieuse semence qui vent d'y lever encore n'y trou-
vera jamais de jacbere.'" The gentlemen then
bowed and withdrew before M. Thiers bad sufficiently
recovered from his surprise to find words to reply.
The tribute of admiration paid to the historian by
the strangers referred to that passage in the preface
to his twelfth volume, which has been so much
talked of within the last few days :—" En nous Isis-
stint la gloire Napoleon, nous a lai:Ae la semenoe des
heros ; sentence precieuse qui vient de lever encore
ei nous a donne lee vainqueurs de Sebastopol."

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