The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-05 00:00:00

THE COLOGNE CHORAL SINGERS.

Rossini has addressed the following letter to Mr.
Mitchell, who is now in Paris with the Cologne cho-
ral singers :
" Sir,—l am very sensible to all the flattering expres-
sions to myself, containel in the letter which you have
done me the honour to address me. I have been as
much surprised as delighted with what I have heard
from the Choral Society of Cologne. Be good enough,
sir, to be my cordial interpreter in expressing to those
artistes my entire satisfaction ; and if my health permit
I will avail myself of your obliging offer, assured that
you will recognise in my acceptance of it an evidence
of the interest I take in these charming concerts.
"GIACHIMO ROSSINI."

THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.--At the
monthly general meeting, held yesterday. at the so-
ciety's house, in Hanover-scpare—the Lord Bishop of
Oxford, vice-president, in the chair—Lady Dufferin,
and Messrs. H. C. Ibbetson, J. B. Cripps, W. C.
Wil-
kins, A. Forbes, J. Espin, and Dr. Addams were
elected fellows of the society ; and J. A. Wright, Esq.,
and Mrs. Seager, were proposed as candidates for the
fellowship. The report contained a list of donations and
additions to the menagerie, and stated that the visitors
to the gardens up to the present time had amounted to
283,032.
FORBES MACKENZIE'S ACT IN ABEEMBEN.—A case
was tried the other day before the magistrates of Aber-
deen which illustrates in a very striking manner the
working of Forbes Mackenzie's Act in Scotland. It ap-
pears that on the occasion of the presentation of colours
to the Aberdeenshire Militia by Lady. Saltoun on the
Ist of August last, a ball and supper were given by the
officers in the saloon of the Royal Hotel at night. The
attendance comprised the Lord Provost, or chief magis-
trate of the city, and many other distinguished citizens,
and the company did not separate until between 3 and
4 o'clock in the morning. The charge was for keeping
open house after 11 o'clock at night. Mr. J. D. Milne,
coum-el for Mr. Robertson,. the proprietor of the hotel,
put in several preliminary objections. The principal of
these were that the individuals said to be illegally enter-
tainedn were not specifically named ; that the prosecutor
(superintendent of police) not acting on his free motive,
but by the direction and instructions of others, had no
locus standi in the case ;. that the chief magistrate of the
nay and head of the court having sanctioned the enter-
tainment by his presence, it was incompetent for any
inferior member cf the magistracy to take up the case,
but though two justices of the peace might try' the case,
as the entertainment vas sanctioned by more than 40
justices of the peace, nearly one-half of whom were de-
puty-lieutenants the illegality of ths entertainment could
not be questioned by a single magistrate ; that, as the
ball was for furthering the military and patriotic spirit
of the country, and conducted with propriety, inter-
ference on such an occasion was uncalled for, and ought
not to receive countenance from any quarter,; and that
as Colonel Erskine, the principal entertainer, was a
lodger in the hotel, he was entitled to entertain his guests,
many of whom were from distant parts of the country.
All these objections were overruled, and the magistrates
imposed a fine of 1/. 50., with expenses 12s. 6d., to be
given to the complainant, and 12s. 6d. to the Reforma-
tory School.