The Sun.
London, England, 1852-07-26 00:00:00

111 7 JULY 26, 1852..

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SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock.

TA TTERSALL'S.....—THIS EVENING.
Sg o'cLoop

Nothing doing.

-and
adwoneheto FRANCE-
The ceremony of laying the foundation stone of
the grand gallery' -which is intended to connect the
Tuileries with the Palace of the Louvre, parallel to
the rue de Rivoli, was performed at half-past nine
o'clock yesterday morning. The principal
who acted in the solemnity were M. Casabianca,
Minister of ,State, the Prefects of Police and of the
department of the. Seine, the members of the Muni-
cipal Commlssion, the mayors. of the arroudisements,
and Other , public functionaries. Some general
officers of the ary were also present in full uniforms.
The clergy of the Church of St. Germain d'Auxer-
rois performed the religious part of the ceremony,
'and-pronounced a' solemn benediotion on the stone on
which the future building is to be raised. The stone
was placed irt the centre.of the deep trench dug for
:tbefoundation, and nearly opposite the Palais Royal.
persons
Two tents were erected, with fauteuils, benches, and fables for the persons invited to the oeretnouyi and a
phrinerenttedoftbe palisades raised on both sideavt-the
grsidarmerie_4nobile kept the ground,
from being encumbered. Coins of gold, silver;
pper of the present date 'elm. placed in a Vs
wail enclosed in the 8092
.e,and the other .folts.
orinTrn. . :414---91 !lttiY"bickeiirliiiac...bw,
Suitable Wrenn mere were_ by the functionaries
present. _ The •state of the weather no doubt kept
away many persons, as the 'rain had fallen very heavily
at intervals during a eonsiderable'.part of the day.
The *Coustitutionnd announces' that a convention
has been concluded between the Governments of
Holland and Belgium, for the junction of the rail-
ways of both countries. . " The great artery," says
the Constitutionnel—
" Which begins at the port of Antwerp, will be ex-
tended to Rotterdam, and . there communicate with the
Dutch railways. One may already foresee the import-
ance of such an operation, which will re-establish between
the two countries former commercial relations inter-
rupted for some years by political events. We also
learn from a perfectly authentic source that the Bare- 1
rihn Government has offered an indemnity of 1,400,000
&Irina to the administration of the Palatinate Railway,
on condition that it- will complete within a abort delay
the works of the Ludwigshafen and Wissemburg Rail-
road. It is in that direction the Strasburg line is to be
prolonged, on the side of Prance, towards the frontier."

GERMANY.
The projected English railroad through the northern
Turkish European provinces excites much attention
in Vienna, and is pronounced by the Wanderer to
be a matter even more important than the Egyptian
Railway. It appears that six English engineers
have already examined the country between Con-
stantinople and Belgrade; and in a letter from the
latter city to ,Agram, a hope is expressed that the
Servian Government will also construct a line from
Alexinac (probably Alexinitza, near Nissa, on the
western frontier of Bulgaria) to Belgrade. Four
English vessels, laden with wrought and sheet-iron,
are said to be on their way from the Main to Vienna.
The cargoes, shipped at Liverpool, come by way of
Rotterdam and Mayence to Bamberg; then along
the Ludwig-Main Canal to Keblheitn, and thence
down the Danube.
The King of Greece is expected at Trieste on the
23d or 24th.

INAUGURATION OF TEE. STATUE OF
THE LATE. SIR-ROBERT PEEL.
A ceremony peculiarly interesting in its character took
place at Tarn worth on Friday—the inaugutation of a
statue to- the, memory of one of the greatest of Eng
land's statesmen in the town which he had for so long a
period represented, and near which, he for the greater
part of his lire,,resided. We have no time to dwell upon:
the details of a ceremony which -brought to witness it all
the gvntry from the surrounding district, large numbers
of persons from the neighbouring manufacturing town
of Birmingham, and in which the mayor and corpora-
tion, several members of the family of the late Sir
Robert Peel, ar,d other persons of distinctiso took part.
Suffice it to say that in front of the old Town-hall at
Tamworth, on a massive granite pedestal, there now
stands a majestic statue of the second Sir Robert Peel—
The statue, which is in bronze,
of him for whom a nation mourned.
is a very striking like-
ed t
ness of the Right Ron. Baronet; the size is 8, feet 4f.:
inches; the attltudb- is good, and she peculiarity b.
feature which characterised Sir Robert is well developed.
The artist is /dr. Matthew Noble, who has certainly
o
done the fullest justice to the great work entrust

At two o'clock in'the afternoon the final ceremony of
inauguration took place in the open air, the
statue. On the plettorm were Sir Charles Clarke,_ee,,
mayor and corporation of Tumwortb, Sir Robert 1 l
opposite to the
Mr. Fred. Peel, M.P., Captain Townshend, MT, Cap.,,-,
tam Peel, C. H. Bracebridge, Esq., of Atherstone-he"
and a number of other persons of distinction in the neigh-
bourhood.
Sir CuARLER CLARKE stepped forward and said—
us
Ladies and gentleman, the occasion which hringeare.
together this day must be looked upon as one of a WP
our
ful'eharacter; but the blow having been struck,
Hit iswho
duty to submit, not to question the will of - inau are
orders, and who expects to be obeyed. Many
°a
you are
orders, and who expects to be obeyed. Many °atb of the
not unaware of what took place hereafter the deth
rhaps
late Sir Robert Peel; to such as are_unt-FtnaY Pe be permitted to say that se soon- as possible after
steps
in-
telligence reached us of the death of our good friend; r, such
were taken with a view to carry out some des
mark
as would enable us in a suiteble mannerto
who
our respect fur the memory of the great spirit, of us
had been snatched from us. A certain number de
al's
in the Town-hall, and
mination to erect a monument to Sir Robertd
the result was Peers
memory. The question that next was, what that monument should be; the fir.twas a
that suggested itself was a column—the '
nt
xa
column
th itselft
y g
resented
statue; now, it appeared to the committee that. a
statue
was best suited to perpetuate events, but t
Ulawe deter-
was the beet memorial of an individual, and the next
mined on a statue accordingly. Well, tbe.ne
was the
question that presented itselt tor considerati"from the
place of erection. Hint's Hill, a short distansotb_ 0
statue
town, was a favourite site with some, r!
might ho seen from a distance; others
wished that these who
Statue should always be in the presence p repon-
respected and loved the man; and this feeling
: derated, and the statue was erected here. in the
all
fro -
.
place of Tamworth, opposite to that Town from
brmed , not
market
which his el, quanta had so often rung and ohs
his good sense
only the hearts of his bearers, but by his
h
enchained their understandings.—(Hear, r ) words
lire
for
a
occupy but a small space—they are born, t
a:. Anti„ns
brief time, and their echoes as briefly die alvi, and of the
remain—the test of a public man's stlertliolee creatures.
amount of good or erg he effects for his feed
itself for our
—(Cheers,-) The next question that present
loyed
consideration was the material to be ampii. the statue a
for the
statue; if this had been an Italian clime' ve been em-
ployed; ha
roofed edifice, Camara marble won
substantial but in this case there were
be .;
d we wished
reasons
why a more durable material should be abed
of such a ma-
that the statue should be in the open.
tenet as to stand the wear of the botscleh he encountered
mrens elements—a
type of those boisterous elements
'tie eloquence of the
in the House of Commons, where _ many years with
late Sir Robert Peel shone forth for so
he
such distinguished lustre, and where We resolved then
obtuined such
world wide—such lasting reputation.
on what is called a br mr-, statue, an emblem capable of
standing all weathers—the rainstorm
and whose repute-
and the sunshine,
alike typical of him whose character
tion had withstood every shock, and who was alike the
ct of the House of
glory of his country—the ornatne
Commons—and the friend of hisdthe large competition
neighbours.—(Cheers.)
The Hon. Baronet next describe
ecation of the monu-
which had taken place for the
exntered the celebrated
ment in this town; into
Behnes, to whom was awarded sett
statue having de-
3etttfor the second best
design, the glory of executing b.. the committee, upon
v°l7ed, after mature deliberation ,
Mr
-Noble. Well, ladies, and
gentlemen (continued Sir
Charles) the work is executed— there he stands; let 'was instantly removed
him be exposed. (The covering nt
es
eed, almost life-like,
from the statue, and in it was D
the late Sir Robert Peel. It is , wonderful likeness, and
for several minutes the audienceso sorrowfully.) Sir Charles rrowf gazed on it silently,
and• as might be seen, peculiarity of the site,
Clarke went on to describe thethe face being turned, as it
seemed to the reporter,
N W. by N. First (be said), the blew had been struck
.
which laid Sir Robert Peel d called upon him for
low, an that debt which-all must Pay;the world was then to
t
every ei ything; and by the
him nothing—he had been to was represented: his
statue the first of four posit
back was turned on the
p groat assembly in which he
years Played for so many"
so conspicuous a part, the
House of Commons;let " hope that he has found a home
in heaven. On the ra iht of the statue was the church
in which he worshipped; °n the left, in the distance,
palace which he built, and which
a
I,e livedWas
to inhabit; magnificent
.:it;
whilst, lastly, his face was
not loner
where be was born—to that
County where the wealth
of his father was honestly and
honourably obtained.--
(Cheers.) In conclusion, Sir
Charles Clarke finallyPre
presented to the Mayor of
Tam-
worth
the statue.ut Sir Robert Peel. He charged him to
protect it as he would a neighbour and a friend in diffi-
m
succeeding may ors, and from
ealtY; he asked ibis fro
he charged them to protect the
the town of
a .r,amwor tb• .- ,_
Hobert Peel as an erudite scholar,
statue of the g teat Sir able and ambitious
d gentleman, as an
as an acoomplishe
He charged the town to protect
Member of Parliament.
the statue of Sir Robert Peel as a good end a religious
man; of one thorouzblY attachedbad
to the town to which
and to whom he and theya d been thoroughly attached,

hada
cloitetpl et
acoepted
doubt,
thes
be
fully appreciated
The MAYOR (W. and
0
he said, that the charge would
carried into effect.—(Cheers.)
trust, and pledged himself to see
sentences, ehnec es, Knight Esq.), in a few graceful
that the charge of
kindly remembered. '
Ills - .iiorship feelingly adverted to
in conclusion, said---es of the late Sir Robert Peel; and,
" Soflourish
After this formal es and fades majestic man."
the Town-hall,
where some
the company retired to
proportion being ladiesome 300 persons—the larger
served up by Mr. partook of an elegant dejeuner,
Sir Charles Clarke again Rhodes, of the King's Arms Hotel;
Sir C. CLARKE (who
hziresided.
been Sir Robert's physician),
with kindly allusions to the
Peel, gave the toast "To his ' domestic life of Sir Robert
in solemn silence. memory," which was drunk
The MAYOR of rr
...ANWORTEt
good health of Sir Robert Peelnext gave a toast, " The
family. " , and the members of his
'Sir ROBERT. PEEL briefly and 1
knowledged the compliment thusw.th
great feeling ac-
in promising to convey the ex paid to his family; and
went to his mother,: Lady Peel, expression of that compli.
that ha.knew she would be
deeply who was abroad, he said
the moment she might be overcome in
and that for
in her sense of gra..
titication at the kindness evinced
inked, all who bore the name" this occasion, as
must,
poasessed any .claima of kindred. of Peel and who
isfaction at seeing the statue Placed ine7ressed his sa-
amworth mar-
ket phoe_s spot irrevocably associated
onblio career and political renown.—,
_with his father's
Hon. Bonnet proposed do The health
olmuse.) The
Clarke."
Sir
Sir CHARLES acknowledged the compliment briefly,
and ,proposed the health of the Mayor of Tamworth
„idol
his WorshipisbrieflY acknowledged. fs
Mr. FREDERICK PEEL, M.P., who was r -Ted
4"
'029._2t40130.94 cordialicordial. manner, in: a most el 11
Teelirli, alla'thOUghtrirlipeeoh;..galit-7-the.heattatt,
artist emploYed, in executing the statue, Mr. Noble, ei-
praising. his complete sense of the difficulties an artist
must always encounter in the-endeavour to catch the
soul and the spirit of the original in conveying by the
aid of the penMl and the chisel the subject to canvas or
poke' feelingly of his illustrious father's
to marble. He 8
fidelity to poplar institutions, and of his sympathy
with and for the pFpoperity of the humbler classes in
this country, and expressed his satisfaction that not only
here but throughout the country, his labours, his princi-
ples, and his public Conduct were fully appreciated.
- Mr. C. A. LIRAeKBRIDGE afterwards addressed the
assembly, chiefly in praise of the excellence of the statue;
1 and after Mr. Noble and Mr. Hanwell had respectively
returned thanks
for their healths being drunk, the com-
party dispersed. . •
They dispersed to even a pleasanter scene. Sir Ro-
bert Peel, had kindly thrown open his grounds and
hie house and., fine gallery of pictures to the public,
whither the people flocked to view and admire the
floe taste of the late Sir Robert in getting toge-
ther se fine a collection of his most celebrated contem-
poraries. •
But no time is left to us to speak of Drayton Manor
or its contentst in the cool evening the people reveren-
tially wended their way to Drayton Bassett, where Sir
Robert lies buried, and tearfully they looked on his
tomb. His school and form-fellow's grave at Hucknall
Torkard, or Erskine's in the remote county of Linlith-
gow, are now ho more drearily situated than is that
of 'the great ' Sir Robert Peel. But he is remem-
bered, and his memory will be cherished by English.
men when those who assailed him and his policy are
forgotten.

MARSHAL EXCELMANS.
The deplorable accident which has terminated the life
of Marshal Excelmans deprives the French army of al-
most the last of that illustrious generation of soldiers
who
won their first laurels under the eyes of the Em-
peror Napoleon, and held the rank of general in the
divisions of the Imperial army. Whatever others may
have had to say or to unsay on the events which have
restored a member of the Bonaparte family to supreme
power in France, General Excelmans had a right to act
neon his well known and undeviating fidelity to the
Imperial cause. He was the officer who first rallied his
division after the battle of Waterloo, and it was he who
marched upon Paris, and chucked the advance of the
Prussians by the brilliant skirmish at Versailles, which
was the last incident of the war. During the Restora-
tion BO man was more suspected or persecuted than Ex
cell:nuns. He was tried on one occasion by conrt-martial,
on suspicion of keeping up a tre isonable correspondence
with Murat, who was still King of Naples at that
time, this charge being only supported hy a letter of
civility which was seized by the French police in the
private papers of Lord Oxford, as he was passing
through France. He was subsequently banished from
France altogether, without trial, and resided for some
time in the Grand Duchy of Nassau. Even after he had
permission to return to his native country, and was
raised to the dignity of a Peer of France by Louis Phi-
lippe, he did not hold the high military appointment! or
receive the first military honours to which ho was emi-
nently entitled by the length and brilliancy of his ser-
vices, It remained for the nephew of the Emperor to
confer the staff of a Marshal of France on this venerable
but vigorous survivor of the Imperial armies; and ac-
cordingly the first nomination to this high honour which
Louis Napoleon had it in his power to bestow was very
properly given to General Excelmans. His commission
as a General of Division bore date the Bth of Sept., 1812;
and General HarisP e is his only surviving senior officer
of that rank in the whole army.
Marshal Excelmans was born on the 13th of Novem-
ber, 1775, at
.Bar-le-Due in that martial province of
France
which Louis Napoleon has just traversed. He
joined the army very young, and distinguished himself
in the 3d battalion of the Meuse udder the orders of Ge-
neral Oudinot in 1799. Shortly afterwards he was at-
tached to the person of Murat as his aide-de-camp, and
their intimacy continued almost uninterruptedly until
the close of Joachim Murat's adventurous and ill-starred
career. At the opening of the campaign of Austerlitz
he displayed extraordinary bravery at the affair of
Wertingen, previous to the capitulation of Ulm. The
Austrians were at dinner in a hamlet in advance of
Wertingen when the advance of the French was an-
nounced. They sprang on their horses and rallied their
men, whose fire checked the advance of the enemy. At
this moment Excelmans, -than a mere captain of
Dragoons, galloped•up; and his share in the honours
of that day is thus recorded by the historian of
the Empire:—"He dismounted, with 200 Dragoons
who had volunteered, and, dashing forward with their
carbinss in head, they cleared the spot of those who oc-
cupied it. Fresh detachments of Dragoons came up in
the meantime; the Austrians were pressed closer and
closer; they. were followed into Wertingen by the
French, who passed through the town, and found them-
selves before a rising ground, with nine Austrian batta•
lions formed into .one square, not extended, bat close
and deep, and with artillery and cavalry on the wings.
The. gallant Excelmans, without a moment's delay,
charged the square, and in the shock had his horse
killed under him. Colonel Meaupetit was killed by his
side. Notwithetanding the vigour of the attack, the
compact mass remained unbroken. At length Murat
made his appearance with his masses of cavalry, and
Lannes with the Grenadiers of Oudinot. Murat
charged the enemy with his squadrons; and Lannes
led his Grenadiers on the border of a wood in the
distance to cut off the retreat of the Austrians.
2,000 prisoners, several pit ces of cannon, and
some flags were captured. Lannes and Murat, who bad
seen Excelmans actually on the point of the enemy's
bayonets, commissioned him to convey to Napoleon the
news of the first success obtained, and the flags taken
from the enemy. The Emperor received at Donauwirth
the young and brilliant officer, promoted him in the
L gion of Honour, and delivered to him the insignia in
the presence of the whole of the staff, in order to give
greater distinction to the first recompense merited in
this war "

......
Ile fought his way to the rank of General of Brigade
on the field of Eytau, and shortly afterwards was sent
with Murat to Spain, where he was employed in the
nefarious plot of Bayonne, and conveyed the Royal
Family of Spain out of their dominions, not without
some difficulty in covering their ignominious retreat.
Gad he not been taken prisoner shortly afterwards, and
detained for three years in England, General Ex-
celmans would probably have risen earlier to the
highest rank in the army. But he was exchanged
in 1811, soon enough to serve in the campaign of Rus-
sia, and obtained the rank of Lieutenant-General, as we
have said, in September, 1812, on the day after the
battle of Moscow. In this capacity he served with
ability in the campaigns of Saxony and Silesia in the
following years; especially distinguishing himself in the
campaign of 1814, during which he was placed at the
head of the cavalry of the Imperial Guard. He also
commanded the 2d division of cavalry at Waterloo, and,
as Napoleon attached the greatest importance to the tact
and intelligence, as well as bravery, of those officers
whom he especially selected for that arm, a higher com-
pliment could not have been paid to the abilities of Ge-
neral Excelmans. After the loss of the battle he was
almost the only officer in command of the scattered
legions of France who appears to have retained his
judgment and to have done his duty. Ile marched to-
wards Paris to support the resistance of the capital, if
any was made; but, finding that the war was over, he
retired to Clermont-Ferrant and sent in his subniission
to the King.
His active life may thus be said to have terminated
before he was 40 years of age, and anothergeneration
of men sprang up to wear the favours of the
Courtot' Louis
the honours of the army. But the elect Seen
He
was
Napoleon found him still in a vigorous 4.. g
oltiaovour by the
appointed Chancellor of
,the Legion
°f
and 3d of Do-
Prince in August, 18'49'; and on the 2d6es
~ and the Boule-
cember last. when the Champs Elju-,h with irresistible
gener and
yards were lined with troops liberties of France,
force the resistance of Paris end
aged in securing to
Marshal Excelmans was activelyhcenagraiy.
the Government the supporlP et t
b best of those who fol-
He. was as a man one of ,oc,s fortunes, for he was
lowed in the train of Nalr' tlc;
without ostentation, and
without inordinate ambition,
attached to his neafondlyrest
without avarice. lie wassd it was impossible to see • ' his
domestic connexions,
slightlysad
bent with
age, or to Watch
tall war-beaten form, • .
r( cognizing the
his resolute countenance, withoutstamp
of a soli There is something pe-
culiarly termination melancholy in the abrupt
of such a

[PRICE SD.

career by the stumble of a horse on a summer's evening
ride from Sevres to Breteuil; yet it is still more remark-
able how many of the companions in arms of liapoleoe,
who escaped i❑ early life,the perils of innumerable bat-
tles, have died at last by more vulgar accidents.
It is probable that the vacancy thus created in the
list of Marshals of France will give additional force to
the claims of those to whose military support Louis Na-
poleon is so deeply indebted. It was, however, already
contemplated that the names of the new Marshals would
be declared on the 15th of August, and this event will
render their promotion more easy and natural, for there
are now but four French Marshals in existence, of whom
Jerome Bonaparte is one, and two more are disqualified
tor service by old age. As political proscription has
swept away the most prominent and worthy candidates
for these appointments, and as time accustoms men to
any caprices of fortune, we shall probably see General
St. Arnaud and General Castellade in the highest rank
of the French army.—Times.