The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-18 00:00:00

PROVIICIAL BANK OF IRICLAND.—At 94 melting o

division."

this bank held yesterday a dividend at the rate of 8-per
cent. per annum (free from income tax), with a bonus of
4 per cent., was declared, and the report was unani-
mously adopted.
The members of the Halifax Mill-owners' Association
have just held a meeting, and resolved unanimously to
join the National Association, recently formed, for the
purpose of guarding the interests of factory proprietors
and occupiers.
COLONEL SIETHOIIF, M.P.—A report has been current
that the gallant member for Lincoln was seriously and
dangerously ill. We are happy to be able to state that,
though the colonel has been suffering from indisposition,
arising, doubtless, from over exertion, no immediate
danger has ever been anticipated by his medical atten-
dant, and he is so far recovered as to induce his friends
to believe that he will in a few days be able to resume
his Parliamentary d'ities.—Boston Guardian.
ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.—Mario has reason to be flat-
tered by his reception last night. At no former perild
of his career do we remember to have seen a greater
degree of excitement produced by kis appearance. The
house was crowded in every part, and presented an
. aspect of more than usual brilliancy. When Mario
same forward as Arturo in the Puritani, be was greeted
with peals of applause, which were prolonged for several
minutes. He looked remarkably well, and was full of
vigour and energy.
ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.—The pro-
priet, r of this popular place of amusement has prepared
for the season's exhibition a gigantic modelled picture of
Sebastopol, carefully prepared from the best authorities,
and painted by Mr. Dawson from drawin_Ji made on the
spot specially for the purpose. An attempt will be
made to give the public a satr-factory idea of the mili-
tary operations of attack and defence, as now ca,ried on
by the belligerent forces. That nothing may be want-
ing to give reality to the scene, a c .nsiderable number
of the soldiers wounded at Alma, Balakkva, and Inker-
man, will take part in the mimic sorties and other
mancenvres of the siege.
EXTRAORDINARY ACT OF SELF-MUTILATION. A
youi,g tradesman of Exeter, named Ramsher, committed
a foolish and dangerous act of self-mutilation on Mon-
day last. He was intoxicated, and, ha wing gon-) into
his workshop, took up an axe, and placed his left hand
on the bench, saving to an apprentice that he should not
be long before he was in the hospital. He then deli-
berately aimed a heavy blow at his wrist, inflicting a
wound so severe as nearly to sever the hand from time

L A TEST NT7 r 44;

RESIGNATION OF GENERAL
CANROBERf.

PARIS, FRIDAY, MAY 18, 7.30 A.M.

The Moiritewr announces that his Majesty tht
Emperor has received the following despatch from
General Canrobert

"CRIMEA, MAY 16, 11 A.M.

"My shattered health no longer allowing me
to continue in the chief command, my duty to-
wards my Sovereign and my country compels me
to ask you to transfer the command to General

Pelessier, a skilful and experienced leader. '

" The army which I leave him is intact, har-

dened to war, full of ardour and confidence. I
beseech the Emperor to leave me a soldier's place
(place de combatant) as commander of a simple

The Minister of War has addressed the follow-

ing reply to General Canrobert :

"PARIS, MAY 16, 11 A.M.

" The Emperor accepts your resignation. He
regrets that your health has suffered; he congra-

,ulates you upon the sentiment which makes you

ask to remain with the army, where you shall
have the command, not of a division, but of the

corps of General Pelessier.

"Hand over the chief command to that

General,"

FRANCE.
PARIS, THURSDAY EVENING.

The Moniteur publishes a decree, ordering that
. .

the triennial renewal of one-third of the member:
of the councils of arrondissement shall take place
on the 2d and 3d June next.

The Moniteui promulgates the budget for 1856.
as passed by the Legislative Body and the Senate,
and which shows a definitive surplus of 3,3U0,204fr.
The Minister of War, in conformity with a deci-
sion of the Emperor, has just prescribed that all
the men. of the class of 1847, now serving with their
regiments in France, shall be liberated on the Is,
June next. Those of the same class now in the
East, Africa, and Italy will be liberated on th 4
arrival of the young soldiers of the last contingent
at the war battalions.

Gen. Walsin.Esterhazy, who commands the sub-
division of the Eure, has been appointed to thc
command of a brigade of cavalry in the army of dm
East.

The Altben, the Omnibus, the Napoleon, and
the Express, steamers on tue Rhone, took down on
Monday and Tuesday from Lyoni to Valence
755,000 kilogrammes of war materiel, consisting of
gunpowder, shells, fusees, cannons, and balls. This
enormous mass of articles was at onto taken to the
railway and conveyed to Marseilles.
The Indus steam-packet left Marseilles on the
14th for Constant,nople, having on board 350 mei.
belonging to different corps. Among them wer(
128 Poles incorporated in the foreign legion.
The trial of the conspirators accused of having
constructed an infernal machine at Perenchier, with
a view to kill the Emperor, will come on before the
Imperial Court of Douai in a few days.
Colonel Frossard, who commands the French
engineers of the 2d corps d'armee of the East, has
been promoted to the rank of general of brigade,
in the room of General Dalesme, made general of
division.

Another steam gun-boat, the Aigrette, was
launched on Wednesday from the yard of M. Nor
wand, at Havre, and immediately taken into the
dock to have her engine and boilers fitted.
An equestrian statue in bronze of Napoleon 111
was on Wednesday erected on a pedestal opposite
the eastern front of the Ex'aibition Palace. TIP
statue is of the size of nature, and was cast by M.
Gaillard, from a model by M. Debay. The Em
peror is represented iu the uniform of a general
officer,, and is mounted on a magnificent horse.
His Majesty holds the reins in the left hand, and
is saluting with his hat in the right.
Capt. Exelmans, who lately commanded the im-
perial yacht Reine Hortense, has been appointed
to the command of the floating battery the Devas-
tation.

THE CRIMEAN MED &LS.

PRESENTATION BY H.ER MAJESTY.

(THIS DAY.)

This morning a ceremony of a most brilliant and im-
posing description, though differing ert;rely in its cha-
rat 1- from any that the people of this country ha, e
;a-en accustomed to w►toess throughout a 101 l
:cries of years, was performed by her mist gra-
cious Majesty the Queen. We need scarcely cay
we allude to the distribution of the Crimean medal to
the officers, non-commissioned officer,, and privates
f the different cavalry and infantry regiments of the line
who have so gallantly distinguished themselves at Alma,
Balaklava, and Inkerman, and who have returned home
wounded or invalided. Included in the presentation
were a number of the naval brigade, who so nobly did
luty in the trenches.

The scene was one that will not, we imagine, be
:eadily forgotten, inasmuch as it served to impress
till more forcibly on the minds of those who were
oresent the sad reality that we are no longer exclusively
engaged in a peaceful rivalry with the world in the arts
)f civilisation, but that, so far as a portion of it at least
is concerned, we are, in conjunction with an, tion—once
our bitterest enemies, but now our firm and sincere allies
—embarked in a struggle involving all th© horrors of
war in their most direful form;and against a formidable
And unscrupulous foe—a struggle, too, in which some of
the best and bravest blood of the country has already
been shed, and which, it is to be feared, will demand,
ere its termination, a still greater sacrifice of devoted
lives. At the sometime the scene was a truly touching one,
for it furnished another striking proof of the warn sym-
pathy our beloved Queen individually feels for her
brave soldiers for the unparalleled sufferings which they
have endured, and no less the admiration she entertains
of their splendid achievements, in spite of dangers and
difficulties which can scarcely be exaggerated. There,
too, were those heroic men of whom we have heard so
much and read so much ; there were the survivors of the
oever-to-be-forgotten Light Cavalry charge ; -there were
the dauntless Guards, the stalwart Highlanders, and the
keen-eyed Riflemen, whose services in their respective
capacities have so well sustained the spotless reputation
:f the British arms. Many of these, too, bore upon
them more or less severe indications of the dreadful con-

rests in which they had taken so conspicuous a part, and
which the well-merited distinction awarded to them is
intended to commemorate.
The splendid spectacle took place in the spacious
:wade at the rear of the Horse Guards, nearly the
vhole of which, f•irining an immense square, was barri-
,eded off. In the centre a raised dais, or platferet, of
olerably large dimensions, approached by three steps,
tad been laid down for the accommodation of her Ma-
jesty, Prince Albert. the officers of state and suite. This
•as covered with bright crimson cloth, and surrounded
aith an elegant brass railing. From the centre rose a
flagstaff, from which, when her Majesty arrived,
he Royal standard was displayed. A balcony,
also tastefully fitted up and festooned, and sur-
mounted by an awning, was erected above the
tive under the Horse Guards building, and overlook-
lig the dais for the reception of the R Family and
he Duchesses of Kent and Gloucester. Besides this,
'xtensive galleries for the accommodation of spectators
sere erected at the rear of the different G !vert-limit
•ffices, and also two of capacious dimensions for the
Ise of the members of the two houses of Parliament.
The morning opened beautifully fine—in fact, the
veather was proverbially "her M aj asty's," and for long be-
here 9 o'clock the arrivals of the fashionable occupants
,f the galleries referred to were incessant until they
vere soon completely filled. In the meanwhile, the
mpen space outside the barriers became flooded wish thou-
:ands of people of all classes eager to catch a glimpse of
,he proceedings ; whilst the roofs and balconies of the
Horse Guards, the Admiralty, the Treasury, and other
;overnment buildings, as well as of the whole of the
surrounding private residences, as far as the eye could
reach, = were covered with perfect myriads of human
wings. About half-past nine o'clock, the troops in-
ended to take part in the ceremony began to arrive,
egiment by regiment, and defiled into the enclosure,
preceded by their bands. These consisted of the
Scots Fusiliers, and the Grenadier and Coldstream
Guards, the whole of whom appeared for the first
time in their new tunic uniform, and a brigade of
avalry, consisting of two squadrons of Life Guards
and Carbineers, under the command of Colonel Wood.
rhe last to make their appearance were the wounded and
invalid soldiers, who marched on to the ground in excel-
ent order, considering what they ha% e undergone. They
were an exceedingly fine body of men, from various
• eeiments, and officers, non-commissioned officers, and
irivates numbered about 600 men. In order to add to
he effect of the whole scene, drafts of young soldiers
vere sent in from the following regiments :—The 21st,
33d, 39th, 41St, 42d, 47th, 50th, 521, 53th, 63d, 69th,
72d, 89th, and 93d.
The Naval Brigade and Marines, attended by their
land, were the last arrivals. The ground to the left
of the dais was occupied by the cavalry and a portion
if the Guards, whilst the remainder of the Guards, the
Naval Brigade, and the miscellaneous drafts took up
their positions on the opposite side, the recipients of
the medal being drawn up in line in front of the dais.
The general command was undertaken by Major-general
the Earl of Cardigan, who on arriving oil the ground
vas loudly cheered—as also was his Royal Highness
she Duke of Cambridge, who acted as field-officer in
command far the d,y.
Within the barricades, and between them and the lines
of sentries who kept the ground, assembled as eleven
,'clock approached, the hour at which it was announced
that her Majesty would arrive, vast crowds of fashion-
ably-dressed la lies and gentlemen, to whim the privilege
had been granted, and intermingled with these were
large numbers of officers of militia and yeomariry, whose
Brilliant uniforms added considerably to the splendour
and variety of the scene. At the same time, the spec-
tacle was evidently intended as a purely military one,
and accordingly the accommodation of the troops on the
spot appeared to have been more considered than that
if the general public, who, by the arrangements we
eave pointed out, were kept at a considerably distance.
The populace, however, shifted as well as they could for
themselves ; and, being unable to obtain a very close
view of the ceremony, they thronged the space outside
the barriers and the park avenues—they climbed the
trees, railings, and walls everywhere adjacent—and,
still further off, the Monument, the steps of the Duke
if York's Column, and the outlets from the parade, were
literally swarmed by the eager mu titude.
Shortly before the arrival of her Majesty, the coup
d'ceil, on every side, was one of glittering magnificence,
and was full of pleasing variety and contrast. The bright
uniform and accoutrements of the troops, the light and
elegant attire of the ladies in the galleries, and the thick
•nasses of people, combined to form a tout ensemble
which cannot readily be described. The general im-
pression, too, of the whole was considerably enhanced
by the martial strains of the different bands, which re-
lieved one another in close succession.
As the Horse Guards clock at length pealed forth 11
the music ceased, and a deep low confus'ed murmur of
expectation rose from amidst the dense crowd of human
beings. In two or three minutes afterwards, with the
punctuality which invariably characterises the appearance
of her Majesty on public occasions, the escort' of Life
Guards dashed under the archway into the esplanade,
and the arrival of the Queen was announced by
the roar of artillery in the ' park. Immediately
the royal standard was hoisted, and the whole' of the
bands in concord struck up the sublime notes of the
national anthem, which were, however, almost drowned
in the unanimous and enthusiastic shouts of welcome
and greeting which resounded from •thousands of
loyal throats. Her Majesty, who was accompanied
by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, the Prince of
Wales, and the Princess Royal, and attended by her
Ladips in Waiting and a numerous suite, was received
-on alighting-au the dais by Viscount H ardiege, Com-
mander -in-Chiei, his Royal Hignese the Duke of Celia-
--bridge, the Earl of Cardigan, and a di-tinguished c;r,le
of nffieers, and was immediately conducted to her chair
of state on the platform.
The ce?eniony was then proceeded with, the. bands
the
m alternatelyedaplayed
in slow
elmowarcitii,maendantdheinreec,inpgiretsfiolef
l defiled
past where her Majesty was standing, and each
received his medal as he passed from the hands of
the Queen herself. Her Majesty was assi-ted in
the ceremony by Prince Albert and the Duke of
Cambridge.. The Duke himself, and the Earl of Cardi-
gan, were the first to receive the decoration, and did so
amidst vociferous cheering. Then followed the Light
Cavalry heroes, next the Guards, then the other Infantry
Regiments of time Line, next. the Rifles, afterwards the
the Marines. Several of the
cnodt; finally,-s e d officers were recognised,
oaNnffiadev
eawrl
seßr
aer
ni
greetedßrigade, cul
non
n a.
with applause, particularly Sir Thos:
Troubridge, Bart., who has unfortunately suffered the
loss of both legs, and was drawn in a Bath chair. The
distribution occupied about an hour, and must have been
somewhat fatiguing to her Majesty.
At the close of this portion of the ceremony,
the invalids and the whole of the troops on the grosalie
were passed in review in line before the Queen, and
afterwards in columns of troops. They were afterwards
(formed into line so as to present three sides of a square
-in Pont of the dais when they presented arms, and sa-
inted-her Majesty in the usual formal manner, the bands
ill the while playing the National Anthem, and the