Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-26 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE, SYDENTIAM,

The 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns
was celebrated yesterday, at the Crystal Palace, the
directors having done everything- they could to make the
festival worthy the memory of Scotland's poet.
. . .

Although the morniug/was not- of the brightest cha-
racter, vast nnmbers of persons flocked to the railway
stations at London-bridge and Battersea, where ample
accommodation was provided for them by special trains,
which ran at frequent intervals to the palace. The in-
terior of the building soon presented an animated appear-
ance, and some well-known Scotch airs were played by
the band of the Royal Caledonian Asylum and the Scots
Fusilier Guards.

At twelve o'clock the main proceedings of the day
commenced by the unveiling of a colossal bust of Burns,
modelled and executed expressly for the occasion by Mr.
W. Calder Marshall, R.A., and of a select collection of
portraits, autographs, the writing-desk of the poet, and
other interesting personal relies, which had been placed
at the disposal of the directors by Colonel William
Niohcil Burns and Colonel J. G. Burns, the sons of the

poet, by Sir James Burns, Mr. A. Stevens, Mr. John
Richardson, and a large number of the poet's admirers.
A concert followed, in which some of the most admired
songs of th 6 Scottish poet were introduced—amongst
them being "Auld Lang Syne," "Duncan Gray," "A
Man's a Man for a' That," " Green Grow the Rushes 0,"
and " Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled ;" and the whole
audience joined in chorus in the well known lyrics.
After the first part of the concert, Mr. Phelps, the
tragedian, recited a poem which gained the first prize
offered by the Crystal Palace Company, and which was
loudly applauded. It was as follows :

ODE ON THE CENTENARY OF BURNS.

We hail this morn,
A century's noblest birth ;
A Poet peasant-born,
Who more of Fame's immortal dower
Unto his country brings,
Than all her Kings !

As lamps high set
Upon some earthly eminence,—
And to the gazer brighter thence
Than the sphere-lights they flout,—
Dwindle in distance and die out,
While no star waneth yet;
Sothrough the past's far-reaching night,
Only the star-souls keep their light.

A gentle boy,—
With moods of sadness and of mirth,
Quick tears and sudden joy,
Grew up beside the peasant's hearth.
His father's toil he shares;
But half his mother's cares
From his dark searching eyes,
Too swift to sympathise,
Hid in her heart she bears.

At early morn,
His father calls him to the field;
Through the stiff soil that clogs his feet,
Chill rain, and harvest heat,
He plods all day; returns at eve outworn,
To the rude fare a peasant's lot doth yield;—
To what else was he born?

The God-made King
Of every living thing;
(For hie groat heart in love could hold them all ;)
The dumb eves meeting his by hearth and stall,—
Gifted to understand!
Knew it and sought his hand ;
And the most timorous creature had not fled,
Could she his heart have read,

Which fain all feeble things had bless'd and sheltered

To Nature's Feast,—
Who knew her noblest guest
And entertain'd him best,—
Kingly he came. Her chambers of the east
She drap'd with crimson and with gold,
And pour'd her pure joy-wines
For him the poet-soul'd,
For him her anthem roll'd,
From the storm-wind among the winter pines,
Down to the slenderest note
Of a love-warble; from the linnet's throat.

But when begins
The array for battle, and the trumpet blows,
A King must leave the feast, and lead the fight

• And with its mortal foes,—
Grim gathering hosts of sorrows and of sins,—
Each human soul must close.
And Fame her trumpet blew
Before him; wrapp'd him in her purple state;
And made him mark for all the shafts of fate,
That henceforth round him flew.

rh he may yield

Hard-press'd, and .W.Ounded fall
Forsaken on the field ;
His regal vestments soil'd ;
His crown of half its jewels spoll'd ;
He is a King for all.
Had he but stood aloof
Had he array'd himself in armour proof
Against temptation's darts!

So yearn the good ;—so those the world calls wise,
With vain presumptuous hearts,
Triumphant moralise.

Of martyr-woe
A sacred shadow on his memory rests ;
Tears have not ceas'd to flow;
Indignant grief yet stirs impetuous breasts,
To think,—above that noble soul brought low,
That wise and soaring spirit fool'd, enslav d,—
Thus, thus he had been saved !
It might not be !
That heart of harmony
Had been too rudely rent ;
Its silver chords, which any hand could wound,
By no hand could be tun'd,
Save by the Maker of the instrument,
Its very string who knew,
And from profaning touch His heavenly gift withdrew

Regretful love
His country fain would prove,
By grateful honours lavish'd on his grave

Would fain redeem her blame
That He so little at her hands can claim,
Whl unrewarded gate
To her his life-bought gift of song and fame

The land he trod
Hath now become a place of pilgrimage ;
Where dearer are the daisies of the sod
- That milli his song engage.
The hoary hawthorn, wr,-...ath'd
Above the hank on which his limbs he flung
While some sweet plaint he breath'd ;
The streams he wander'd near ;
The maidens whom he lov'd ; the songs he sung ;
All, all are dear !

The arch blue eyes,—
Arch but for love's disguise,—
Of Scotland's daughters, soften at his strain;
ller hardy song, sent forth across the main
To drive the ploughshare through earth's virgin soils,
Lighten with it their toils
And sister lands have learned to love the tongue
In which such songs are sung.

For doth not Song,
To the whole world belong ?
Is it not given wherever tears can fall,
Wherever hearts can melt, or blushes glow,
Of mirth and sadness mingle as they flow,
A heritage to all ?

The day's proceedings concluded with the National
Anthem, to which were appended the following words,
written for the occasion by Mr. Thomas Oliphant, the
honorary secretary of the Madrigal Society, with special
reference to the Princess Frederick William of Prussia :

Long live her daughter fair.
Lov'd wife of Prussia's heir,
And future Queen.
On this their wedding day,
Sing we a joyful lay,
God bless them both, we pray,
God save the Queen !

THE NORTHERN TIMES, WEDNESDIY, JANUARY 26, 1859

ENGLAND AND PIEDMONT

The following article, which may be received as
at least semi-offici4l, appears in the Indipendente
of Turin :
The English press in general has disappointed the
hopes which many had placed on it concerning the
Italian question, IV° had previously seen the English
press turn that question into a weapon of liberal
opposition in the Parliament, and into a means of popu-
larity in the electoral meetings. We had witnessed the
public opinion cheering the downfall of Lord Palmerston,
to whom nothing caused greaterharm than the opposi-
tion of Mr. Disraeli, who had revealed the project of a
secret treaty with Austria to guarantee her Italian
possessions. We had seen the same public opinion
passing a. severe condemnation on Lord Malmesbury's
conduct in the Cagliari affair,- and changing, in an
unexpected manner, the politics of the government.
After such facts some flattered themselves that the
popular dispositions in the Lombardo-Venetian provinces
and the manly words pronounced by, the King of Pied-
mont would again stir up British sympathies for the
Italian cause. Far from it ; we have seen that the
English press, with but few exceptions, preserves a cold
and even malevolent countenance towards Italy, that it
forgets its own preceding protestations against the foreign
domination and the great number of other evils with
which Italy is afflicted, and that it proposes diplomacy
as the only sure means of curing her sores.
In our opinion, this conduct of the English press is
owing to two causes—the first of which is that the

• English having, always presented themselves, at least in
words, as the only protectors of the oppressed people of
our peninsula, their.pride is wounded on. account of their
not having been the first, this time, to get up the ques-
tion of Italian regeneration; the second is, that the
power on which the Italians rely is France—England's
most ancient and dreaded rival. They might possibly
have applauded an insurrection, but cannot bear the.
thought of an attempt assisted by French arms.
In spite of this partly hostile and partly cold demeanour
of the English press, we hold fast to our.belief that the
generous portion of the nation is favourable to us, and
that its numerical force is great enough to frustrate any
attempt which the more selfish might make of assisting
our enemies. The better portion of the English nation
would not bear the disgrace of an alliance with Austria,
with the object of preventing a nation from recovering
its independence. The country which boasts of being the
oldest and staunchest champion of freedom would feel
ashamed and humiliated to spend her treasures and pour
out her blood to support absolutism and foreign oppres-
sion. It is possible, with impunity, to preach neutrality
in England, where commerce asks for nothing better, in
order to avoid a crisis; but it would be impossible to
saddle the nation with the disgrace of an illiberal war.
It is only on account of some of her great interests
being threatened, that England could interfere in favour
of Austria, and run the grave chances of an European
war. But her interests are not threatened so long as the
liberation of Italy is only iu question. On the contrary,
England herself must acknowledge the advantages which
would accrue to her from the establishment of a free and
independent Italy. Commerce being the main source of
her wealth, she cannot hope to develope it completely but
under the shield of a lasting peace ; and such a peace, no
one can any longer doubt it, is impossible, unless the
Italian question be settled.
It surely is the interest of Great Britain that no one
of the great Powers which can be her rivals should
augment its territory, so as to menace the European
balance, and she ought therefore to wish that national
and strong governments should establish themselves in
Italy, and thus become an obstacle . to the encroachments
and to the increase of the greater Powers, as well as a
guarantee to the preservation of that balance. So long
as Italy is feeble,
.enslaved, diiided, and restless there
will be reason to fear that she may fall a prey to the
most daring of the_invaders. On the other hand, when
she is constituted as a nation, she will be able to
defend herself, and to enter upon a system of friendly
intercourse and alliance with the other nations. Inde-
pendent Italy will even consolidate that alliance, which
has been on all hands acknowledged so useful between
France and England.

It appears that a considerable portion of the English
press allows itself to be carried away by suspicion about
the ultimate intentions of France, and by fears of a
Eeneral complication. What could be more logical for
ngland, in order to prevent such dangers, than to asso-
ciate herself with the just aspirations of Italy ?
The alliance between France, England, and Piedmont,
resolved the Eastern question, which was one of the
greatest dangers for Europe ; the same alliance would
much more easily resolve the Italian question now, when
the most poweful adversary, who was to be feared some
years ago, is an adversary no longer —we mean Russia.
Certain it is that such an alliance could not be of the
kind which appears to be wished
.for
.by some English
journals—namely, a co-operation of the cabinets to obtain,
diplomatically, half measure reforms from Austria. This
is one of the gravest mistakes now being committed by the
English press, which is not aware, or pretends not to be
aware, of the fact that the knot of the Italian question
consists in this—Away with the.foreigners. It is of no use
for Austria to grant reforms, for England to exert herself
in obtaining them ; the essential part of the contest will
ever remain unsolved, and Europe will never have peace.
Nor is it a less error to think, as some English.journals
appear to do, that the solution of the Italian question,
to which Italy aspires with the assistance of France, can
consist in a simple change of foreign domination. The
general conditions of Europe,. and. Italy's well known
aspirations to an absolute independence, ought com-
pletely to dispel such a mistaken notion, which we do
not suppose to be seriously entertained by the English

journals, but which seem to us to be merely a preteil for
opposition and a scarecrow held out by stock-jobbers.
England has two means of keeping the actual system of
alliance ; either actively to co-operate, and this possibly
does not agree with her interest; or to stand by and
allow others to act, keeping only a good watch that no
Power extraneous to It'aly shall bo increased. This last

way of proceeding, which, under the name of neutrality,
is proposed by the most liberal of the English journals,
agrees best of all with the traditional policy of England,
and is in keeping with the ancient protestations of her
sympathy for the Italians.

The news of the death, at Rutchuk, of Redshid
Pacha's younger son, Mazai Pacha, is contradicted by
the Constitutionel.

The Duke of Buckingham has two volumes of
"Memoirs of the Court of George IV." in the press.
These memoirs, it is understood, are made up from
original family papers.
Our American brethren will like to hear, sayS the
Illustrated Hews, that America is about to send to
England a ripe scholar to complete his studies of
Chaucer in Chaucer's native country. Professor Child,
of Harvard College, is to be in England next month.
The professor gave us a good edition of Spencer in 1855,
and has recently printed eight volumes of old ballads and
popular poetry. He will find English scholars ready to
receive him with a warm hand, and just as ready to assist
his studies towards a new, and in America much-looked
for edition of Chaucer.
A letter from Bombay of the 24th ultimo says : —" We
have had several sailing regattas here during the present
month. Although we have a neat little theatre,, per-
formances very seldom take place, owing to the want of
an organised band of performers. Such as we occasionally
have are mere amateur performances, but they are not
much encouraged by the public. The natives have taken
to theatrical performances' in imitation of their more'
enlightened brethren; and it is not uncommon to see some
of the leading plays of Shakspere announced for per-
formance in the Guzeratte language."

Apropos of the interesting ballet girl, the Era says :
Managers have much to 'answer for in first compelling
girls to throw themselves in the way of temptation; and
then, as a safeguard to the door of facile vice, giving
nine shillings a week to ward off seduction and hunger.
There is one manager, however, and we aro proud to
know the fact, who gives to the lowest girl in his ballet.
the wages of a man—not less than a guinea a week ; and
in doing this does all he humanly can in his position to
counteract the deadly and insidious appeal that vice ever
makes at the door of necessity. That manager is Mr.
Charles Kean.

We (Maidstone Journal) are happy- to learn that the
Lord Chancellor has just been pleased to confer upon Sir
Walter Riddell, Bart., the important and lucrative office
of Judge of the County Courts of North Staffordshire.
This is a spontaneous acknowledgment of the legal attain-
ments and Worth of our fellow-townsman, as we under-
stand that Sir Walter's name was in no way brought
before the Lord Chancellor. The appointment will not
affect the discharge of Sir Walter's duties as Recorder of
Maidstone and Tenterden ; butt of course, his University
friends will no longer think of him as a candidate for the
seat supposed to be vacated by Mr, Gladstone..
SomximnuLisx.—An extraordinary case of somnam-
bulism occurred at Hatherleigh, on Monday night last,
when a boy named llurford, 14 years of age, rose from
his bed in the middle of the night, being still asleep,
passed through some plants without disturbing, them, and
opened the window, through which ho passed into the
street 11 or 12 feet below. He then skipped over the
street and knocked up an opposite neighbour, whom he
asked for the loan of " a washing tray, as mother was
going washing." Seeing the boy's
.almost naked con-
dition, the neighbour aroused the father, who took home
his still unconscious sop, whom he had great difficulty in
waking. The descent from the window to the ground
Without injury is nigst mitrYollo46,--- Western Tinted,