The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-19 00:00:00

1117_11j_L_QWDON4 Tnwa sr) AV MYII/4 TN

its correspondent at rupatoria, not oue line of
which was inserted iu our journal. Having thus
thrust the wilful falsehood down its throat, we
lea--►e it to its
_reflections, which cannot be very
agreeable if it has the slightest particle of gentle-
man-like or honourable feeling.

Our readers will hare been interested yesterday
with the description we gave of the two floating
batteries, the Thunder and Meteor, launched
from the yard of Messrs. MARE. Nothing appa-
rently more perfect of its kind has ever floated on
water. The only thing to test is the effect of shot
striking repeatedly on the massive iron plates.
Penetrated they probably never can be by any
shot on earth ; but it may be found that the con-
cussion has unexpected effects even on the mas-
sive timbers. We hardly anticipate, however,
anything but perfect success, and we only
hope they may not frighten Russia out of giving
them the chance of a fair trial on her granite.
What struck us most, however, is the grow-
ingly manifest uselessness of Government
ship-yards. When Mr. SCOTT RUSSELL
can furnish unexampled size, and when
Messrs. MARE can turn out a perfect novelty
of unheard-of power, at a notice of about four
months, why give the least scope for jobbery ?
Government could never have manufactured on
the spur of the moment iron plates of stich thick-
ness and form, or have turned out the vessels with
such speed and in such complete condition as
Messrs. MARE have done. Why go on sinking
national capital in Government yards when con-
tractors can be found ready to do anything what-
ever—quicker, cheaper, bect.r—Pram the c..)r
struction of an invulnerable ship to the feeding of
an army with comfortable meals every day. Go-
vernment manufactories are very imposing, but
very costly. They confer patronage and seats in
Parliament, it is true, but they cannot manufac-
ture the article wanted like our princely private
firms.

HIGHLAND DESTITUTION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

HULL, APRIL 18, 1855.
Sin,—From time to time we have appeals from some
society or other for the relief of distressed Highlanders.
We are reminded that these people are cousins, or uncles,
or aunts of those brave Highlanders who have performed
prodigies of valour for their Queen a' d country. This
is a sort of stereotyped form—which one might call " a
form adapted for the Crimea "—like Sydenham trousers
and patent night-lights ; but, after all, what dies all this
begging letter imposture mean ? Do these Highland
proprietors want us to keep their poor as well as our
own ? Has property in Scotland no duties But, Sir,
the thing is a complete farce. If these people were in
the distressed state in which they are said to be (and in
which they have no right to he if Highland proprietors
did their duty),_ would they not join the militia instead
of starving, as they are said to be They do not do so.
Every Highland militia regiment is lamentably low in
numbers, and why ? Because the people say they are
too well paid to join it. Look, at the Inverness Courier.
Ask the adjutant of any Highland regiment. What,
then, do these High-land proprietors want? That we
should subsc'ribe money which shall be expended in
labour on Highland properties. The fact is that English.
men and Irishmen pay so liberally for these lairds' deer
forests, moors, &c. (in which we are most abominably
ribbed), that they folly expect us to keep their poor also.
We do pay poor-rates for our shootings even, and still
they beg ! What should we get from these lairds if we
sent the begging-box round to them, told them that our
potatoes had failed (they always do in these Highland
"fa 'me"), and that we were cousins of somebody or
o her in the Crimea ? I should like to see it tried.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A TENANT OF A MOOR IN
INVERNESS.SHIRE.

The Earl and Countess of Fingal( and the Lady Hen-
rietta Plunkett have ;eft Edwards's Private Hotel, in
Gat rge-street, for St. Leonards-on-Sea.
The Ea-1 and Countess of Elgin have arrived at the
Clarendon from Scotland.

Viscount Wellesley has arrived at the Clarendon from
Draycott House, near Chippenham.
Sir Frederick Arthur, Bart., has arrived at his resi-
dence in Gloucester-square, Hyde-park, fr.in Paris.
Mr. and Mrs. Berkeley Noel have left the Clarendon
for Paris.

The Emperor and Empress of the French honoured
Mr.- C. F. Hancock, of Brutan-street {the celebrated
jeweller), with a personal interview yesterday evening.
Their Imp-rial Majesties were graciously pleased to
honour Mr. Hancock with their further commands.
The next series of colonial wool sales are appointed
to commence on Thurwlay, the 3d of May. Tile quan-
tity of wool already arrived is about 35,000 hales.
The markets for Rus-ion produce yesterday gave fur-
ther indications of the disbelief of the dealers in the
probability of an early peace, and tallow experienced a
fresh altii,nce of ls. per cwt.

The Peninsular aid Oriental steamer Madrid takes
fait. 29.3001.. of which 20,0001 is for Lisbon adid 9.3001.
for Cadiz. The shipments'-by the Royal Mail steamer
Tyne fur the West 'wiles aaritint only to 6,5001.
• The directors of the gunbay and Baroda Railway
have notified that the Ind,a Company having given them
a guarantee of 5 per cent , limited at present to 50,0001.,
trey have resolved to reduce their capital to that amount
and to give one share of 181. in exchange for every 5
shares of 201. for which scrip has been already issued.
ROYAL ASYLII3I OF ST. ANN'S SOCIETY.--Sir Robert
Peel will preside at the annivrsary festival of this an-
cient and univers el charity, ( n Tue'4clay next. when, in
addition to many of our nobility and the sheriffs, be will,
it is believed, be supported by the Envoys of Denmark
and Turkey.

THE MACKEREL FISHERY. —The season has commenced
on the western coasts, and the appearances indica.e that
it will be successful. A few nights since some boats (.1
the drift at St. lye's captured from 1.500 to 2,000 fine
raac%erel, which sold, at from 161. to 18s. per 100 of six
score.

A special meeting of the Town C nincil of Birming-
ham was bold yesterday, when an address was voted to his
Imperial Mai sty the Emperor of the French, on the
occasion of the .uspicious visit of himself and his impe-
rial consort to E ig!and ; and a deputation was appointed
to accompany the mayor on the presentation of the
add '"F4.

FXTRAORDINART ACCIDENT IN REGENT•STREET.--..
Yesthrday ntorninz a beautiful sheet of plate glass, occu-
pying the whole of the orincipal front of Mr. Mechi's
new e-tabli bment in Regent—tr• et, was broken in a
most mysterious manner, not the slightest sound being
heard at the time by any of thA employes of Mr. Mecni.
The glass is va'ued At upwards of 100 guineas.
FIRE AT SHADVIELL —A fire took place yesterday
Trimming on the premises of Mr. H. Poland, a chemist,
No. 238, High-street, Shadweil, but owing to the timely
arrival of the engines, and a good supply of the East
London Company's water, the fire was confined to the
destruction only of the lower part of the house. The
loss will fall on the Globe Office. The origin of this fire
is unknown.
A Paris letter, in the Salut Public, of Lyons, says :
—" A very. warm di-cussion has taken place here rela-
tive to the Universal Exhibition. The company of the
Exhibition Palace proposed to the Imperial Commis-
sion that every person admitted on the day of inaugu-
ration should be compelled to pay for his place ; but
Pi ince Napoleon energetically opposed the proposition,
ani the commission rejected it. The company also
wanted to make each of the exhibitors pay fbr a season
tickQt 50 francs, but that motion the Prince opposed
4ewise, and caused it to be rejected:
THE CHURCH AND STATE STRUGGLE IN PIEDMONT.
--The generals of the relitsious orders still existing in
Piedmont have addressed a ietter, dated Rome, 31st
tilt., to the archbishop and bishops of that kingdom,
congratulating them on the resistance they have made
to the Convents. Suppression Bill; now before the Senate
at Turin, and thanking them for the protection they
have thus granted to the establishments, menaced with
destruction. The document is signed by 19 generals, in-
cluding the Bishop of Porphyra, general of the Augus-
tin monks.
MORA FORTIFICATIONS IN BELGIUM.—A project is on
foot at Brussels to increase the fortifications of Ant-
werp, by establishing a new fort at the Tete de Grue,
near that city. The inhabitants of Antwerp consider
the new fort unnecessary, and the Chamber of Coin-
meltehas sent an address to the King, praying that it
may not be executed. The address says that, as all the
Powers have guaranteed the independence of Belgium,
and as she entertains the most friendly relations, with all
of them, the increase of the fortifications of the great
commercial port of the country would appear an unjus-
tifiable act of distrust.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—This society will
break ground in the county of Worcester on the 25th
inst., by the allotment of their beautiful purchase at
West Malvern, on the slope of the Malvern hills adjoin-
ing St. James's church and parsonage house. The
prospect is one of the finest views to be found in the
.
Malvern range. The wood-capped stretching to
the we: are backed by the grand outline of the Black
aitelnteorGslhirlee,ta:ovuarty4iOngmiinlesprdieii.etafnret.m T3lhle.
e.ll:ltoautent3iii.ollrit.vi7inie.Rdeach ;
the majority, however, being of
ytheye
atponrcieee:of 521. 43. 6d. each,
SOCIETY.—This
Tthheis csoosetieotyf con-
veyance.
THE CONSERVATIVE LAN
by the allotment of their Afford property,
branch
East Lincolnshire
to the first-class station oe th©
The land break ground in the county of Lincoln on
which
hstihs
close
of the Gfreat Northern Railway. is in the
cmeirlietsreooffultheeseiampeeroasv
ed into about
thorpe and Sutton. The property is divided tinagnd
the marketba tow
gn
t.i/i2ilr.tyl33l.ot6s,d veaarcyhin;g
thein majority,pricefromhew26e/v.er2,o. 6d.beeg ofto
'plaanceds
th 9 price of 41. 4s. 6d. each, including the cost of con,-
Toy, once. wo
fl t 1311 in able 6 six
x-

- •

VISIT

OF THE
EMPEROR AND EMPRESS
TO THE CITY.
(THIS DAY.)

This aay,Thursday, April the 10th, will hence-
forth be remembered as one on which an event took
place without parallel on the pages of history—
namely, the day on which the Corporation of the
City of London presented the freedom of the first
mercantile city in the world to Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte, Emperor of the French. To us the
circumstance is particularly gratifying, from
the fact that we have, through good and
evil report, stood firm, alone and unaided,
iu maintaining the cause of Napoleon 111. With
break of day the preparations, which had been car-
ried on throughout the line of streets through
which the Imperial cortege was to pass till an ad-
vanced hour of the night, were resumed. The
clank of the hammers of the workmen, busily en-
gaged in erecting stages, was to be heard. As the
morning wore on immense loads of timber, and
men with their eyes but half open, were to be met
with, all hurrying towards the scene of action. At
nearly every step we took in Fleet-street during
the little hours of the morning our foot was quickened
by a stentorian voice from above crying out
" Below," and on casting our eyes upward we dis-
covered the friendly caution proceeded from parties
busily engaged in fixing.long poles from top storeys
of the houses to enable them to display the brave
old "Jack" of England and the gay tri-colour of
la belle France to the best advantage. The next
class that seemed tube meet -industrious were tho: e
tir h n had " aeats to let" conspicuously placarded
on their doors, and although the sums asked for
them were in some situations enormous, the best
positions were eagerly seized, "regardless of ex-
pense." In order to give eclat to the whole
proceedings, the Lord Mayor caused a no-
tice to the effect, that as their Imperial Ma-
jesties the Emperor and Empress of the
French had been pleased to intimate their
intention of visiting the City of London, he recom-
mended his fellow-citizens, as far as practicable,
to abstain from business to-day, for the pur-
pose of showing due respect to their Majesties on
the auspicious occasion, and also that those per-
sons in the line of procession who intended to
erect galleries in or on their houses would take
particular care that everything was made secure,
in order to prevent any accident occurring to mar
the pleasures of the day. As the hour of nine
o'clock approached, the time fixed for closing the
thoroughfares leading to Guildhall, the excitement
considerably increased ; and now, those who had
been fortunate enough to obtain tickets to view
the procession, were to be seen hurrying towards
their destination, and little groups of p,
sons were to be found at the corners of i h,-3
different streets leading to Guildhall, debating upon
the best place from which a view was to be se-
cured. Large bodies of police now made their ap-
pearance, and the order to " move on" became
general. Between 11 and 12 o'clock the immense
body of persons who had flocked into the City be-
gan to form into line, and the nearer the approach
to Guildhall the denser became the crowd.

ARRIVAL OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE
ALBERT, WIT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS
VISITORS THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS
OF THE FRENJh IN LONDON.

Shortly before 12 the Queen, Prince Albert, the
Emperor Napoleon, and the Empress Eugenie arriv-
ed from Windsor via the South-Western Railway.
The station had been very tastefully arranged, and
the effect produced by the varied colours of the flags
and draperies had a very imposing effect. !laving
entered the Royal carriage the Royal party drove
off amidst the loud and enthusiastic cheers of
several thousands of persons, who had assembled
outside the wall to give a truly British welcome to
the Imperial pair.

Along the whole line through which the Royal
cortege passed the people stood in lines six or seven
deep, and the cordiality of the rec,-ption appeared
to make a deep impression on the Emperor and
Empress. •

The Royal party were received at the Windor
station by th-) lion. Mr. Dillon, Mr. Sergt. Gaze-
12e, the Count Eyre, H. C. Lacy, Esq., Capta n
Johnston, Director of the Company ; Mr. Crombie,
the Secretary; and other officers. They left 4t 25
minutes past 11, and arrived at the Royal Station,
Wandsworth-roa:l,.at 12 o'clock, and were received
lLinu'arEds, dciapt. Mangles, Mr.
M.P., Chairman
tohf etrhee bcyolmVp.
any, Ccioi al
.p
Hutchins, M.P., and Mr. Mortimer.

Templd-tar a tremendous cheer wat given Ly dimly
within the City, which was taken up and re-echoed
by the thousands assembled in the Strand.

FLEET-STREET.

Perhaps in no part of the route was more hate.
rest manifest than in Fleet-street'; from nearly every
window floated the flag of England, and ensigns o;
the red, white, and blue were hoisted one above th
other without the slighte4t regard to superic-
ray,- but the .effeet produced was of the most
exciting description. At nearly every house that
" showed its colours " the tricolor of France' wa.
to be seen, "and the balconies and windows were
crowded with elegantly-dressed ladies, each vieinE
with the other in the display of female loveliness
The upper parts of the different houses were als,
crowded, and if ever the entente cordiale was mani
fested towards this country by any past dynasty e.
France, it seemed, from the welcome the present
Emperor this day received, to have suffered iv
alloy during the period that has elapsed since tha
much-desired state of things was declared to be th.
-guiding course of France, but which has remained,
to be fUIIY consummated by the Emperoi
Louis Napoleon. Perhaps no period could more
happily have been chosen for this long-desiree,
consummation than the present occasion, when.
after a struggle with the great enemy of the world
of a most deadly character—when after the armie,
of the two great nations of Europe had joined to-
gether hand in hand in the same fight, and hue
mingled together their best blood in one commoi
strain—when the energies of both nations, animat-
ed by fresh feelings of patriotism to their country,
and in the common defence of mankind, were abon
to renew a great, and, it is to be hoped, triumphan.
struggle against the barbarous hordes of Russia.
The scene along this great thoroughfare was ex.
cee din gly picturesque. The populace wort.
loud in their cheering, and evinced a desire
to complywith the demands of a lart e
placard, viz., to give a hearty welcome to tl e
Ally of our Queen, to an unbounded extent. The
Emperor and Express Eugenie appeared to 1 e
highly gratified at this cordial greeting, and both
gracefully acknowledged the compliment by re-
peatedly bowing to the assembled thousands.