The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-19 00:00:00

WHY DON'T NEIVSPAPERS GO BY POST?

(Prom Punch.)
The above inquiry, which is now made on all sides
may perhaps be answered by the following copy of the
last instructions furnished on the subject.
Instruction No. 185,990, cancelling Nos. 11, 1,002,
3,097, 4,608, 9,758, and 15,555.
INSTRUCTION TO POSTMASTERS.

It being desirous to check a ribald press, by placing
every possible obstacle in the way of transmitting juur-
nals, you are hereby ordered to take that notice as the
basis of your dealings with all posted newspapers.
In answer to any inquiry by the public as to the
proper mode of forwarding any journal, be perfectly
civil, and give the most elaborate instructions, always,
however, conveying the impression that it would be
wiser not to attempt sending the paper at all.
In the event of a journal being sent in a way which
palpably violates the new rules, do not always detain it.
Its exemption under such circumstances will produce
imitation, and then a large crop of disputes and com-
plaints will arise.

If three journals are posted by the same party, all in
violation of the rules, deliver one and detain two. The
apparent inconsistency of this course will create fresh
confusion in the public mind.
When an indignant recipient who finds his paper in-
scribed "Not in accordance with the law," and himself
mulcted in an enormous postage, comes in to demand
explanation, tell him that you cannot understand the
reason of the overcharge, but that he had better write to
head-quarters—the utility of this latter process being
proverbial.
There is no wish that the transmission of newspapers
should be over-burdensome to you, and you are at liberty
to delay them, should your own business make it incon-
venient for you to forward them until next post.
Close examination is strictly enjoined, and this cannot
be done in a hurry, nor is it expected that 'you should
sacrifice valuable time to the purpose. Breakfast and
supper offer the best occasions for your looking over the
journals, and Sunday morning for the weekly press.
Lose no opportunity of abusing the recent alteration
and the new orders, as this will cause additional convic-
tion that the chance of a newspaper being delivered is
♦ery scanty.
You are aware that the affixed stamp is very liable to
be detached in your letter-box, or if your counter hap-
pens to be damp, or if your thumb should be sticky
while sorting. On no account omit to notice the ab-
sence of an affixed stamp.

Act up to the spirit of these instructions, and the pre-
sent belief of the public that the chances are against a
newspaper being delivered will become certainty, and
the desired effect will be produced.
_ _

General Post-office, St. Martin"s-le-Grand.

A. nun in a Dominican convent at Mondovi (Sardinia)
recently made her escape. She left the dress she usually
Wore, belonging to the community, at the door of
her cell, and then disappeared, leaving no traces of
her route

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The following appointments appeared in our late
edition of yesterday :
Lieut. Henry L. C. Robinson, to the Dasher.
Lieut. Henry Berkeley, to the Malacca.
Lieut. Denis B. Pack, to the Penelope.
The crews of -the Cornwallis, Pembroke, and Hast-
ngs, i.e., such portions of them as have been employed in
the Black Sea fleet and not had leave on arriving at
home, were yesterday paid wages at Portsmouth, and
granted 45 days' leave. The Russell's are to be paid to-
MOTTO V?.

The Fury, 6, steam-sloop, Commander Chambers,
lately returned from the Black Sea fleet, was paid off at
Portsmouth yesterday.
The Vixen, . steam-transport, Master-Commander
Pym, left Portsmouth yesterday afternoon for Devon-
port, with portions of the machinery of the Centurion, 81.
The screw steam-sloop Wasp, 14, Commander Henry,
Lloyd, left Balaklava for England on the 22d September.
The paddle-wheel sloop Prometheus, 5, Commander
Selwyn, was the only man-of-war at Gibraltar. The trans-
port Emperor, No. 108, was about to sail for the fleet.
The Transit spoke, on the Bth inst., just off Tarifa Point,
the steam store-ship Urgent, Commander Phillips ; and
on the 15th, in lat. 43.36 N., lon. 9.23 W., the Hibernia,
104, with stores for Maltd. On Wednesday evening, at
7 o'clock, 25 miles from the Start, the Transit came in
contact with the American ship F. W. Brune, Captain
Landers, of Baltimore, from Havre, with 176 Swiss, Ger-
man, and French emigrants for New Orleans, when both
bore up for Plymouth. The American, with larboard
forechains and rigging damaged, entered the Sound in
the afternoon. The steam-sloop Rosamond, 6, Com-
mander Crofton, went outside Plymouth Sound yester-
day morning and put abouj 20 men on board the screw
steam-ship Pembroke, 60, Capt. Seymour, which then
proceeded, in company with the Cornwallis, 60, Capt.
forlterreuda and the West Indies. T,he
Rosamond will follow when her crew is complete.
The Volage store-ship, Master-Commander John C.
Hutchings, arrived at Sheerness on Wednesday, at 1
p.m., from the Baltic.

- The mortar-vessels Nos. 4 and 22, with the steam tug.
vessel African, are in the fitting basin, Sheerness ; the
two former fitting for immediate service, the latter mak-
ing good defects and damage.
The new frigate Chesapeake is ordered to be fitted
forthwith, to be ready for being commissioned as early
as possible.

The Sultana transport, No. 32, has sailed from Wool-
wich for the Crimea direct, with ordnance and military
stores, a considerable number of carts and waggons, and
sundry vats and cases of bat-saddles.

The following have no stations appropriated to them,
and several are only fitting out

The Calcutta, 84, second rate, Captain James J. Stop-
ford, 750 men, commissioned Juno 19, 1854, at Devonport.
The Powerful, 84, second rite, Captain Thomas L.
Massie, 750 men, commissioned May 3, 1854, at Ports-
mouth.
The Penelope, 16, fifth rate, paddle, 650 horse-power,
Captain Sir William S. Wiseman, Bart., 300 men, com-
missioned March 27, 1854, at Chatham.
The Malacca, 17, sixth rate, paddle, 200 horse-power,
Captain Arthur Farquhar, 200 men, commissioned June
21, 1854, at Portsmouth.

The Havannah,* 19, sixth rate, Captain Thos. Harvey,
240 men, commissioned August 6, 1855, at Devonport.
The osamond,* 6, sixth rate, paddle, 280 horse-power,
Commander Stephen S. L. Crofton, 160 men, commis-
sioned Feb. 28, 1854, at Woolwich.
The Simoom, 8, screw troop-ship, 350 horse-power,
Captain Thos. R. Sullivan, 183 men, commissioned Feb.
10, 1852, at Portsmouth.
The -Urgent, 2, screw store-ship, 450 horse-power, Com-
mander Chas .G. Phillips, 160 men, commissioned July
27, 1855, at Woolwich.
The Zolus, store-ship, Master Commander Wm. L.
Browne, 43 men, commissioned April 16, 1855, at Ports-
mouth.

The Tyne, 4, store-ship, Master Commander Peter Wel-
lington, 60 men, commissioned Oct. 7,1350, at Devonport.
The Caradoc, 2, paddle steam-vessel, 350 horse-power
Lieutenant C. S. S. Stanhope, 65 men, commissioned
Sept. 26, 1855, at Woolwich.
The Wye,* screw tank vessel, 100 horse power.
Total-12 ships; 242 guns ; and 2,911 men.
The subjoined six vessels are fitting for screw :-
- -

The Mars, 80, second rate, 400 horse-power, at Chatham.
The Centurion, 80, second rate, 400 horse-power, at
Devonport.
The Eurotas, mortar-vessel, 200 horse-power, at Sheer-
ness.
The Forth, mortar-vessel, 200 horse power, at Devonport.
The Seahorse, mortar-vessel, 200 horse-power, at Devon-
port.
The Fox, transport, at Portsmouth.
The followi❑gg are under repair and refitting :
The Marlboroligh, 130, first rate, 860 horse-power, at
Portsmouth.

The Conqueror, 100, first rate, 100 horse-power, at, Da-
venport. _
__

The Repulse, 90, second rate, 600 horse-power, at Pem-
broke.

The Brunswick, 80, second rate, CD horse-power, at
Pembroke.

Tho Devastation, 6, sloop, 400 horse-power, at Wool-
wich.
The Satellite, 20, sloop, 400 horse-power, at Devooport.
The Pearl, 20, sloop, 400 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Tartarus, 4, sloop, 135 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Hecla, 6, sloop, 240 horse-power, at Devonport.
The Salamander, 6, sloop, 220 horse-power, at Ports-
m( stk.

The Polyphemus, 5, sloop, 200 horse-power, a Ports-
mouth.

The Thunder, 14, floating battery, 150 horse-power, at
Sheerness.

The Trusty, 14, floating-battery, 150 horse-power, at
Sheerness. . _

The Sampson, 6, frigate, 467 horse-power, at Ports-
mouth.
The Lucifer, 2, tender, 180 horse-power, at Portsmouth.
The Widgeon, 1, tender, 90 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Skipjack, 2, gun-boat, 60 horse-power, at Deptford.
The Seagull, 2, gun-boat, 60 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Sheldrake, 2. gun-boat, 60 horse-power, at Deptford.
The Sandfly, 2, gun-boat, 60 horse-power, at Woolwieh.
Not in hand :-
The Inflexible, 6, sloop, 378 horse-power, at Devonport.
The Virago, 6, sloop, 300 horse-power, at Devonport.
The Vixen, 6, sloop, 280 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Janus, 4, sloop, 220 horse-power, at Woolwich.
The Princess Alice, 1, sloop, 120 horsepower, at Wool-
wich.
The Pluto, 3, sloop, 100 horse-power, at Deptford.
The Kite, gun-vessel, 170 horse-power, at Deptford.
The Fearless 2, tender, 76 horse-power, at Sheerness.
The Pike, 1, 'tender, 50 horse-power, at Devonport.
The under-mentioned are termed advanced ships :-
The Nelson, 120, first-rate, 970 men, at Portsmouth.
The Princess Charlotte, 104, second-rate, 850 men, at
Portsmouth.
The Collingwood, .80, second rate, 750 men, at Ports-
mouth.
The Royal Adelaide, 104, second rate, 850 men, at De-
vonport.
The Bombay, 84, second rate, 750 men, at Devonport.
The Canopus, 84, second rate, 750 men, at Davenport.
The Clarence, 84, second rate, 750 men, at Devonport.
The Thunderer, 84, second rate 750 men, at Devonport.
The Asia, 84, second rate, at Portsmouth.
The Ganges, 84, second rate, at Sheerness-
The Superb, 80, second rate, at Chatham.
The Goliath, 80, second rate, at Chatham.
The Meeanee, 80, second rate, at Chathaul.
The Foudroyant, 78, third rate,' 650 men, at Devonport
The Indus, 78, third rate, 650 men, at Devonport.
The Cambridge, 78, third rate, 650 men, at Devonport.
The Achille, 78, third rate, 650 men, at Sheerness.
The Cumberland, 70, third rate, at Chatham.
The Vindictive, 50, fourth rate, 500 mon, at Portsmouth.
The Alfred, 50, fourthrate, 500 men, at Portsmouth.
The Grampus, 50, fourth rate, 450 men, at Portsmouth.
port.
The Java, 50, fourth rate, 450 men, at ortsmouth.
The Dubln, 50, fourth rate, 500 men, at Devonport.
The America, 50, fourth rate, 500 men, at Devonport.
The Eagle, 50, fourth rate, 500 men, at Devolved.
The Warspite, 50, fourth rate, at Chatham.
The Phaeton, 50, fourth rate, at Sheerness.
'The Raleigh, 50, fourth rate, at Portsmouth.
The Constance, 50, fourth rate, at Devonport-
The Cambrian, 40, fifth rate, at Devonport.
We have eight vessels complete-
The Isis, 44, fifth rate, at Chatham.
The Actmon, 26, sixth rate, at Portsatouth.
The Brilliant, 20, sixth rate, 230 men, at Sheerness.
The Arachne, 18, sloop, 145 men, at Devonport.
The Terpsichore, 18, sloop, 145 men; at Chatham.
The Larne, 14, sloop, 130 men, at Sheerness.
The Acorn, 12, brig, 130 men, at Chatham.
The Sappho, brig, at Chatham.
The following are under repair and refitting :-
The Helena, 16, brig, at Portsmouth.
The Persian 12, brig, at Sheerness.
The Elk, 12;brig, at Chatham.

Captain Lambert, of the Royal Engineers Corps, sta.
tioned at Chatham, has received instructions from head-
quarters at Woolwich to hold himself in readiness to
embark for Sebastopol. Captain Lambert is to take out
under his command 100 non-commissioned officers and
privates of the Royal Sappers and Miners.
The following general order has been issued from the
Horse Guards, dated October 4 :
"The Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief has been
pleased G
to appoint
arppoAinsthtlheye fmolalouwdein,gco.ffiace,
Royal Artillery,
officers to be his lord-
ship's aides-de-camp, from the Ist inst.—viz., Brevet,-
Majorand Brevet-Major John Peel, 34th Regiment.
"By command.
"G. A. WETHERALL, Adjutant-General."

* The Havannah has sailed for South America, the Rosa.
mond for North America and the West Indies, and the Wye
is ordered to proceed without delay to the Black Sea, w

THE CONVICT ELIZABETH NPINTOSH.—A respite dur-
ing her Majesty's pleasure, preparatory to a commuta-
tion of sentence, was last night forwarded from the
Home-office to Cupar Angus, on behalf of Elizabeth
M'lntosh, the convict in Fifeshire.
ELECTION OF PROVOST OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE.-031-
FORD, Oct. 18.—This morning the election of the Head-
ship of Queen's College took place, according to previ-
ous notice ; the electors, consisting of the fellows of the
elder foundation of that society, were all present. After
divine service in the chapel, the election was conducted
according to the forms laid down by the founder, Ro-
bert de Eglesfield, chaplain to Philippa of Hainanit,
Queen Consort of Edward 111. The Rev. Dr. Audland,
senior fellow, presided, and announced that the choice of
the electors had fallen upon the Rev. W. Thomson,
14,A.

MR. JOAN M'GREGoR, M.P., ON THE

WAR.

Mr. M‘Gregor, M.P., according to his annual cus-
tom, met the electors and non-electors of Glasgow in the
Merchants' Hall, on Wednesday evening, to give them
an account of his stewardship. The building was
crowded to excess.

Mr. Bailie 11PGREGOR, who was called to the chair,
in opening the proceedings, said that such meetings were
very useful both to the constituencies and representa-
tives, and had no right to be characterised as farces.
Mr. M‘GliF.eon, M.P., on rising, was received with
general cheering, and, after a few prefatory remarks,
said that, since his last annual interview with his con-
stituents, events had occurred, the results of which, ac-
cording as they wore wisely or foolishly managed, would
promote or retard the civilisation of the world, and the
progress of mankind. With the permission of the meet-
ing he would address them upon three topics :-1. The
doings of last Parliamentary session ; 2. The manage-
ment of the war and foreign policy ; and, 3. The pro-
spects of the people in reference to future taxation.
With respect to the first, he regretted to slay that so
barren a session had not been remembered by any
man who had a seat in the house. (Hear, hear.) It
was occupied chiefly in long and oftentimes useless
debates, and the introduction of measures to be after-
wards abandoned. Had it not been for discussions
on the war and personal matters, the house, instead of
sitting eight months, might have been dismissed at the
end of two. No reform Bill had been passed, and other
measures had been so mutilated in their progress that
their original promoters were glad to abandon them alto-
gether. [The hon. gentleman illustrated this statement
by reference to the Scotch Education Bill, which he had
originally supported.] The house certainly, with the
concurrence of the country, had passed measures to se-
cure money by way of loan, in addition to a previous
increase of the income tar, for the purpose of carrying
on the war in which England and France were engaged
with the greatest tyrannical power that ever oppressed
or afflicted mankind. . (Cheers.) The great bulk of the
people of this country did not yet understand how far
the war was a just or an unjust one. (Hear.) His own
opinion was that ao war was just except a defensive one.
But what was the definition of a defensive war ? The
present war had been most seriously and deliberately
entered into for the purpose of defending the liberties
and freedom of mankind against a conspiracy of monarchs
more insidious and dangerous than any that bad ever
been recorded in the annals of the world. (Cheers.) He
granted that we iu these islands might for a while longer
have held aloof from this war ; but from the first he
was of opinion that the most fatal policy for this coun-
try, and finally the most expensive with regard to taxa-
tion, was to defer declaring war beyond the time that
that step was resolved upon. (Hear.) To sustain this opi-
nion, he craved the patience of the meeting for a few
minutes. The revolutions of Europe in 1848 had so
greatly terrified the leading despots of Europe—Russia,
Austria, and Prussia—that they determined to carry out
the principles of the Holy Alliance, and combine their
forces for the repression of any future attempt on the
part of struggling nationalities, in any of their dominions,
to secure their independence. When the Holy Alliance
was first entered into between the late Emperor Alex-
ander, the late most dastardly monarch, Francis Joseph
of Austria, and the late timid King of Prussia, it was
upon this condition, that if the subjects of one of them
attempted to revolt for the purpose of procuring a con-
stitutional government, the two other monarchs should
aid him with their forces for the purpose of crushing the
rebellion. When the late King of Prussia died he left
a will, in which this injunction was laid down to the pre-
sent King—" When you rise in the morning, and ad-
dress your Maker, pray that the Holy Alliance may be
maintained," and it was that will and that injunction
which now governed the counsels of the King of Prussia.
(Hear, hear.) And they would remember that when
the Emperor Nicholas died the other day the last words
he uttered were—" Tell my brother-in-law Frederick to
remain always the same with regard to Russia, and not
to forget the words of his papa !" In consequence of
this compact—notwithstanding the pretensions of
Austria—which were nothing but hypocrisy—if we
had not gone to war we should have had a combina-
tion of all the military forces of Russia, Prussia, and
Austria, to prevent anything like the development
of civil, religious, or political liberty throughout Eu-
rope. As attempt made in the Italian States would be
put down, as the insurrection in Hungary was put down
by Russia; and a rising in Poland would be crushed by
the aid of Prussian and Austrian armies. (Cheers.) He had
seen such documentary proof of all this that he believed
that if ever there was a just war it was the one in which
we were now engaged. (Cheers.) After referring to
the perfidious manner in which the house of Romanoff
had, he said, ever violated its treaties with other States,
and given come illustrations of the exterminating atro-
cities which al ways characterised Russian wars of con-
quest, Mr. M'Gregor proceeded to say, England at
length declared war. Did they manage that war as they
should have done ? He said emphatically they did not.
(Cheers.) He believed the Government of Lord Aber-
deen was never sincere in carrying on the war. (Cheers.)
While squandering millions of the money of the tax-
payers of Great Britain, they allowed, by their criminal
negligence, 28,000 of our brave soldiers to perish from
want of shelter, food, clothing, and consequently disease.
(Cheers.) This criminal negligence produced its fatal
fruit; in Varna, the Crimea, and Scutari. All the naval
and military posts of Government were held by men
who had been known as friendly to Russia, and who, of
course, determined to do as little as possible to humble
that power, believing as they did that at the Confer-
ence in Vienna a peace would be brought about. He
(Mr. M'Gregor) had no hesitation in saying that a peace
at that time might have been agreed to, but it would have
been a disgraceful peace, and would have proved disas-
trous to the national honour ; it would have involved no
safeguard for the future ; it would have taken no gua-
rantee, either material or otherwise, for keeping under
the power and restraining the ambition of Russia ; in a
word, it would have been one of the most disgraceful
acts that an intelligent and liberty-loving people was
ever asked to sanction. (Loud cheers.) He was of
opinion that at that time influences were at work of an
exceedingly dangerous character to the liberties, civil
and religious, of this country. He regretted to find
that a distinguished nobleman, whom he desired to give
great credit for his former ser vices—he meant Lord John
Ruesell—(hisses)—had, through smite weakness, agreed
to accept the Russian terms of peace. By means of the
press, the House of Commons and the country became
alive to the gross mismanagement of the war, and the
consequent miseries endured by our soldiers in the East ;
and he was bound to say that nothing that had been said
by the press on this fearful subject had been exag-
gerated. The country took alarm. It was found that
one department, the transport service, on which seven
millions of money was wasted, was all but useless, as no
one ship could be found to carry out to its destination a
single article that was wanted, or produce it when it
was most urgently required at any port. This state of
things was attributable to the Admiralty, and especi-
ally to Sir James Graham, whose criminal neglect was
the cause of inconceivable hardships and disasters, not-
withstanding all his plausible statements, and his reck-
less and untrue assertions. Then caine the Roebuck
motion, and the Ministry were condemned by the largest
majority ever known in the House of Commons. They
retired, and Lord Derby was sent for to form a new Go-
vernment, but he abandoned the task, as he found that
he had no chance of getting a working majority in the
Commons. Lord John Russell tried, and failed.. Lord
Palmerston was then sent for. He was warned that if
he took into his Cabinet any of the Aberdeen members
of the late Administration, they would soon abandon
' him, and show their Russian countenances in come other
part of the house than the front rows of the Ministerial
Benches. (Laughter.) And so it proved. In a very
short time, when the Aberdeenites could not prevail
upon Lord Palmerston to carry out the policy which
they had at heart, in connection with certain German in-
terests, they retired, and took their seats on the same
bench with the Peace-at-any-price Party. No sooner did
they do so than they turned against Lord Palmerston,
and Lord J. Russell shortly afterwards came out with a
speech which indicated that he was desirous of following
in the same course. Lord Palmerston, however, was firm
and said, "I will not make peace with Russia until I do
so upon terms that will maintain the honour and dignity
of this country." (Cheers.) He declared that he would
carry on the war with the utmost vigour and energy, and
with a perfect understanding with the Emperor of the
French never to conclude a peace until they had humbled the
arroganceof Russia, and obtained material securities for the
future peace of Europe. (Cheers.) That was the policy which
he communicated to his Parliamentary friends, and the
result was that he had until the close of the session the
supp3rt of all the Liberal party, with the exceptions he
had mentioned, in the House of Commons ; and as far as
he (Mr. M'Gregor) could see, he would continue to re-
ceive that support in the next session of Parliament, al-
thtugh his course would not be free from difficulties. If
the Premier put his trust in the country, and pursued a
course that was calculated to humble the power, and
lower the arrogance of Russia, and compel her to in-
demnify us for the expenses of the war, which she, with
unpardonable aggression, commenced by seizing a por-
tion of the Turkish territory before we declared war in
this country, lie would continue to receive the cordial
support of Parliament and the Empire. (Loud cheers.)
Notwithstanding the early mismanagement of the war
much had already been done to humble Russia. How
humiliated would the people of England feel if all her
harbours were so effectually blockaded by Russian fleets
that a vessel dared not move out to carry away her ma-
nufactures, or bring back to the island the produce of
other countries, and if we were obliged to burn our men-
of-war in Portsmouth and Plymouth, in order to pre-
vent them falling into the hands of the enemy. (Sear'
hear.) And yet this was the condition to which Russia
herself had been reduced. (Hear, hear.) His
id"
side
that the war should be prosecuted with
vigour,
by side with France, in order that the
aggressive
policy of Russia should be put an end to, a
he hoped that the alliance with France
would be main-
tained in its integrity, and that the commercial
tions which had so long existed between the two
• countries would vanish with their ancient_ hatred.
(Cheers.) Through the blessings of Free Trade we bad
till
not suffered so much by the war
.as.we otherwise might
I have done ; for, bad former restrictions s existed, the
burdens on the people would have been much more se-
t Tereiy felt. Looking tt ths_ state of Europe, be trai tocl

' the time was not far distant when most of the German
nations would obtain constitutional freedom. The fall
of Sebastopol bad created fears in the minds of the
Sovereigns, which must terminate in one of two things.
Either they will give constitutional freedoM to their
subjects, or their subjects will wrest that freedom from
them. (Loud cheers.) The hon. gentleman then ad-
dressed himself to the third topic mentioned in the
opening part of his speech, and gave it as his opinion
that taxation had reached its maximum, and that in fu-
ture the necessary money for carrying on the war would
be obtained by way of loan. He concluded, amid ap-
plause and some hisses, by thanking the meeting for the
patience with which he had been heard.

After he bad undergone some " heckling" from
querists on the platform and the body of the hall, a vote
of thanks was passed to the honourable gentleman—an
amendment to the contrary falling to the ground for
want of a seconder, and the meeting separated.