The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-28 00:00:00

THE CONFERENCE,

The Paris papers of this morning publish 00111 e
.
details respecting the Conference.
La France says :
"At the meeting of the Conference on Mondal
the first question mooted was that of an armistice
The demand was made conjointly by France aua
England. We are assured that the plenipotentiaries
of the German Powers had come without any 10
structions on the subject, and that they have bee°
obliged to refer to their respective Governments

La Patrie says:—
" We have received from various sources account°
of the sitting of the Conference on the 25th lust`
The proposition of an armistice was fornaollY
brought forward, with the condition that the St 18•
pension of hostilities should not imply that of the
existing blockade. The plenipotentiaries of Austria
and Prussia at once declared that they had no I°.
structions on that point, but accepted the propuel'
tion ad referendum, that is to say, that they mast
consult their respective Governments."
The London correspondence of the Independao
Beige contains the following :
" The Conference met on the 25th. All the
plenipotentiaries were present. After having ":
changed their credentials, Lord Clarendon brought
forward the proposal of an immediate armistice'
The proposal was supported by the plenipotelr
tiaries of France, Russia, and Sweden. It gave
rise to a somewhat lively discussion between the
representatives of Austria and Prussia on the
one hand and of Denmark on the other. Finally,
the Austrian and Prussian plenipotentiaries asked
for the time necessary to refer to their GoveW
ments for instructions, and the Conference has beer'
adjourned until they have received them."

The Journal des Debats says :—" We do not Pre'
tend to know everything that passed at the Collie'
recce on the 25th instant, but what results can sCe
expect from a Conference which finds itself pare'
tysed in its action at the very outset by such strange
proneedings as those of Austria and PruSsia, 'ivh°
are c.lready roiling heavy stones into the path to
obstruct the action of diplomacy 9'
A telegraphic despatch from Vienna, dated 260 f
gives the following extract from the London corre-
spondent (telegraphic) of the Abencl•Post,
journal published at that capital
" Yesterday (25tb), the Conference met inplentori.;
A provisional suspension of hostilities by land an
by sea was proposed, Ns ith the maintenance of the
existing blockade, until a resolution has been adopted
respecting the armistice.
" The plenipotentiaries of the belligerent rover°
have accepted the proposition ad referendum, t°
await instructions from their respective Govern'
ments." . _

The Abend-Post observes that the clause for the
maintenance of the blockade during the armistil
scarcely admits of the probability that Austria 01:1
Prussia will accept the proposition.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL MEMORIAL TO THE PRINCE
CONSORT.—A meeting of the acting committee Of,
promoting the Scottish national memorial was held
Edinburgh on Tuesday, under the presidency of the Ding
of Buccleuch, His grace reported that he had not had
opportunity last summer of ascertaining the Queen's leiOleS
on the subject, but ho had lately been in commaniceti°ll,
with General Grey, to whom he intimated that there' W 6-
considerable anaie ty felt as to what form the me merle.'
should take, both in regard to the site and the desigia, 9124
her Majesty had been pleased to toltow very much the Pro:
cedent set in London of naming a small committee of eat;
to assist her with their counsel in the matter. Her Mr i6Btif
had already decided that Edinburgh, as the metropo
Scotland, was the most appropriate place for a Scottl!,-
national memorial, but nothing had yet been els term itter,
either as to the mode of obtaining designs, whether ()Pell::
or by express invitation to leading artists, or as to the preel-.6:
situation and character of the design, On these peillts.le
would be the duty of the committee to give the best ed.rl.-
in their power. The committee named by her Majesty
sisted of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the Right 11p4'Sir William Gibson Craig, the Right Hon. Sir J. Me-Ne...,L
Sir John Watson Gordon (president of the Royal Sco tt>eh
Academy), Dr. Lyon Playfair, and himself, A long (1!:,
cussion took place as to the position of the acting cowl el"
tee in the present circumstances, when it was resolved- r
thank the Duke of Buccleuch for the steps he had taken.°
accordance with the request made to him, and to await tl
further expression of her Majesty's wishes as to the site Pl 3,
nature of the memorial, Several members expressed the to
selves in favour of an open competition, but this oth e;
feared would deter many eminent artists who might 041
forward on invitation, A statement of accounts was re ;
irom which it appeared that the fund amounted to devil
L 13,000. Five designs which had been sent in to the ac
committee were produced, several of them consisted
sculpture, others combined architectural conapositions,willli
sculpture. They were handed over to the committee °.
advice. A vote of thanks was then tendeted to the Pi"
of Buccleuch for presiding.
SHARSPERE'S REPRESENTATIVES.-411 this great
year of Jubilee, the 300th of Shakspere the 03t1
and the last, it will be singular if something new concert
mg him, his family, his fellows, or his works, does 11. °‘.
come to light. Wa fear the chance of learning anYtt°l9,6,
new 'or corroborating anything old about him, is but small
As to his family, the mine has been pretty nearly Neeri;4,
out. Mr. Harnesss found a new husband for Mrs. 611ata
spere, one Richard James; Mr. Collier provided the 136 r„
with a new son: of the name of Edward • and foreasreac'
as the line of Shakspere's own descendants ceased on tit
death of Lady Barnard, in 1670, it seemed difficult, toelk"
the least of it, to furnish him with a new legal represerl-
tative. Yet even that feat was essayed by one L3,C1.1
Pollan, who, in 1811, made public her claim to that "18'
tinguished honour. We do not remember how Oh
co 't;a"
tempted to prove her claim ; nor do we see how she °3"
have done so, unless she established an illegitimate bralellf
from the unknown lady who, thanks to the forgetive wit 0,
Armitage Brown and Thomas do Quincey, has been el,
brated as the joint mietrees of Lady Pembroke and Slia
spere.—Once a Week. By
; CHEAP EDITION OF " LES MISERABLES.''
Victor Hugo.—Messrs. Hurst and Blackett ha".
just issued a rare and cheap edition of the authorized En g__
,lish translation of Victor Hugo'a celebrated novel
Miserables," in a single volume, beautifully illustrated h.ir
Millais, price ss. bound, forming the new volume of theit
popular standard library. In its present cheap and elegy
form, the work will doubtless find as many purchasers
England as it has already met with on the continent,
merits of Les MiserabLs,' " says the Quarterly Review,
"do not merely consist in the conception of it as a whole._
It abounds, page after page, with detail. of unequalled
beauty."