The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-08 00:00:00

COLONIAL.

TEA.—The operations have been on a very limited scale,
and quotations are unaltered.
SUGAR.—Business has in some measure been suspended,
owing to foggy weather, which has prevented the inspec-
ton of samples. In the private market, however, full rates
are current.

COFFEE.—The public sales of Colonial have been post-
poned owing to the fog, but late rates are generally de-
manded by holders and importers.
RlCE.—There has been a good enquiry for inferior de-
scriptions for exportation, and quotations generally tend
upwards.
TALLow.—The market remains dull. P.Y.C. on the
spot is quoted new, 428; old, 41s 9d to 425. March, 41s
9d to 425, and last three months' 45s per cwt.

THE BURNS MONUMENT AT EDINBURGH.—A
very gratifying proof of the popularity of the mu-
seum now formed in this structure was afforded on the first
two days of the year, when the number of visitors (each
paying 2d.) amounted to nearly 600. Several interesting
relics have been added within the last month, among which
may be mentioned the snuff-horn of Souter Johnnie, con-
tributed byMr. Porteous, Maybole ; a snuff-box made from
the wood of the Kilmarnocx printing-press, in which the
first edition of Burns's poems was printed, presented by
Mr. Hannay, Maybole ; a very characteristic letter from
the bard to a Mr, Tennant, the gift of Mr. H. Houldsworth,
jun., Glasgow ; and a letter from Mr. Burns to his early
friend Sloan, containing a graphic description of the dissi-
pation which at that time prevailed at country roupings,
presented by Councillor Palshaw, Edinburgh.--Scotsman.
RAILWAY ACCIDENT.--A very serious accident
took place on Wednesday on the Northern Railway
at the Pierrefitte station. A passenger-train which was due
at Paris from Calais at a quarter past four, and which had
been delayed by some injuries to its locomotive, had con•
tinned its way with difficulty to the station just mentioned,
and there stopped. The usual signals were immediately
made to protect it, but at that moment a train from Brussels
came in sight of the station, and,netwithstanding the signals
made to stop it, ran violently into the former and knocked
five of the carriages into pieces. Seeing tho impending
danger, au inspector at the station had opened the carriage-
doors, so that a number of persons were able to alight.
Five passengers were, however, killed, and 19 more or
less seriously wounded. The persons in the Brussels train
experienced no injury beyond the shock. All the wounded
passengers were brought to Paris in the evening. Another
account makes the number of sufferers, killed or wounded,
to be 50, and states that ail the passengers' luggage has
been burnt. Ths accident is attributed to the neglect and
mismanagement of a pointsman.

Yesterday a meeting of this institution was held
at its house, John-street, Adelphi—Thomas Chap-
man, Esq., F.R.S., V.P., in the chair. There were
also present—Captain Sir E. Perrott, Bart., W. H.
Harton, Esq., Admiral W. H. Hale, F.R.S., J.
Boctefeur, Esq., Captain Egerton, R.N., John
Griffith, Esq•, and Captain J. R. Ward, R.N, in-
spector of lifeboats to the institution.
Mr. LEwls, the secretary, having read the
minutes of the previous meeting, rewards amount-
ing to £177 lls 6d were voted to pay the crews of
the following lifeboats of the institution, in acknow-
ledgment of their gallant services in rescuing ship-
wrecked crews, consisting of 193 parsons hereinafter
named :—Holyhead lifeboat, for saving 48 persons
from the wrecked vessels—barque Confiance, of
Liverpool; barque Elizabeth Morrow, of Glasgow;
schooner l'Esi ere.nce, of Nantes; and schooner
Elizabeth, of Whitehaven. Filey lifeboat, for rescu-
ing 2 out of 3 of a fishing boat crew. Tenby lifeboat,
for saving a fishing boat's crew of 3 men. Barmouth
lifeboat, for resetting the crew of 5 men from the
schooner Margaret and Jane, of Dublin. Penarth
lifeboat, for assisting to save the ship Jupiter and
her crew of 8 men in a collision. Swansea life-
boat, for rescuing 18 men from the barque
Duke of Northumberland, of London. Lland-
won lifeboat, for saving the schooner Harry
Russell, of Barrow, and her crew of 8 men,
and also the crew of 4 men from the brigan-
tine Maria, of Alnwick. Skerries lifeboat, for
saving the lugger Vigilant, of Peel, Isle of Man,
and her crew of 7 men, Southport lifeboat, for
rescuing 8 of the crew of the ship David White
Clinton, of New York. Port Madoc lifeboat, for
saving the schooner Economy and her crew of 5
men. Irvine lifeboat, for saving 3 men from the
smack Lewis, of Campbeltown. Aberystwith life-
boat, for assisting to save the brig Mary Anne, of
Scilly, and her crew of 7 men. Thurso lifeboat, for
rescuing the crew of 15 men from the barque Graces,
of Shields. Lytham lifeboat, for saving the schooner
Fame, of Preston, and her craw of 5 men. Bacton
lifeboat, for saving 22 men from the barque Ina, o
North Shields, and the schooner Ellen, of Jersey.
Carmarthen Bay lifeboat, for assisting to save the
ship British India, of Liverpool, and her crew of 27
men. Aldborough lifeboat, for rescuing 3 fishermen
and the boat from destruction—making a total of
198 lives saved by the institution's lifeboats during
the fearful gales of last month. The silver medal
of the institution was voted to Mr. Wm. Cubitt, of
Bacton, in testimony of his gallant services in
the Bacton lifeboat, .as above mentioned.
The silver medal of the institution was
also voted to James Candlish, coxswain of the
Lytham lifeboat of the society, iu testi-
mony of his general gallant conduct, in assisting to
save in the lifeboat a large number of lives from
various wrecks. Payments amounting to £133
14s. 2d. were also voted to pay the expenses of six-
teen lifeboats of the institution, on putting off in
reply to signals of distress, with the view of saving
life from vessels which did not from various causes
ultimately require the assistance of the boats. Some
of these services were often attended with as much
risk and toil as those of the lifeboats which actually
saved life. The Ramsgate lifeboat, in conjunction
with the steam tug Aid, belonging to the Board of
Trade, also performed a noble service on the night
of the 2d ult., in rescuing, during a fearful gale of
wind, 102 lives from the emigrant ship Fusilier, of
London, and 18 men from the barque Demerara,
of Greenock. The institution voted its silver medal
to Isaac Jarman, the gallant coxswain of the life-
boat, and its thanks, inscribed on vellum, to the
master of the steam tug. The crews of the boat and
steamer have been paid elsewhere.

Rewards amounting to £5l Ss. were also voted to
the crews of shore boats and other persons for
rescuing during the recent storms 56 lives from
different wrGcks. Inspecting Lieutenant Kennedy
R.N., of the Coast Guard, put off in a heavy gale of
wind in a boat with his crew a four men to the
rescue of the schooner Gleaner, off the coast of
Kerry. After having been capsized twice in the
heavy surf they succeeded on the third time, after
extraordinary efforts, in getting through the
breakers, and in saving the five shipwrecked men.
The institution voted its silver medal to Lieutenant
Kennedy, and £8 to his crew, in testimony of their
intrepid and persevering services on the occasion.
Again, the only survivor of the crew of the sloop
Tredegar was seen on a plank near the shore, off
Walton, and was seen suddenly to be washed off. A
fisherman, named Charles Bacon, immediately
rushed into the surf to his rescue. He was found
insensible; but Bacon succeeded nevertheless in
bringing him ashore, and afterwards, with some
help, in carrying the poor man to a cottage.
Many more cases of daring acts during the re-
cent storms might be detailed did space permit.
However, it is satisfactory to know that 374 lives
were saved from different wrecks during the storms
of the past month by the lifeboats of the institu-
tion and other means—a most gratifying and en-
couraging result, and showing clearly the noble and
strenuous efforts that are now constantly put
forth to save shipwrecked sailors, mainly through
the instrumentality of this valuable and patriotic
society.

Reports were read from the inspector and assis-
tant-inspector of lifeboats of the institution on their
recent inspection of its lifeboats on the west and
south-west coasts. The lifeboats were found every-
where in excellent order, and reflecting much credit
on the local committees and the co,aswains of the
boats.

It was reported that Lady Cunningham Fairlie
and E. W. Cooke, Esq., R.A., F.It.S.. had pre-
sentedtotheinstitution the cost of two lifeboats.
Joseph Leather, Esq., of Fairfield Mount, had also
promised to defray the cost of two lifeboats. Lady
Cotton Sheppard had presented £250 to the institu-
tion, £5O of which sum she had collected from her
friends and others, to defray the cost of an addi-
tional lifeboat for the Carnarvonshire coast. Her
ladyship had previously given the society the cost
collected upwards of £550 on the London Stock
N. Rudge, Esq., had also
of two lifeboats. W.
Exchange for the institution. Sermons had
been preached in aid of its [funds by the Reverend
Frederick Reade, M.A., of Brighton; and by the
Reverend J. IL M`Cheane, M.A,, of Leeds. Pay-
ments amounting to £1,420, were made on various
lifeboat establishments.

During the past month the society had sent new
lifeboats to Pembrey, Eastbourne, and to Arklow,
and eight other lifeboats were ordered to be built
forthwith. The books and accounts for the past year
of the institution were ordered to be Bent to Mr.
Begbie, the public accountant, Who had been th©
auditor of the society for the past ten or twelve
years.

A cordial vote of thanks was given to Mr. Chap-
man for his valuable and zealous co-operation dur-
ing the past year. A vote of thanks was also pre-
sented in similar terms to Sir Edward Perrott.
Bart., as chairman of the Preparatory Committee
of the society.
The proceedings then terminated.

CONSTANTINOPLE is, in all things most essential
an Eastern place. Though it has no palm-trees,
like Damascus and Bagdad, it is the capital of Islam.
Though the camels do not litter the streets, as at Cairo and
Jerusalem, it is the residence of the Sultan of Sultans, the
Sheikh of Sheikhs. The hearts of all Moslems, that is to
say, of nearly all Orientals, turn daily and hourly towards
the Seraglio and the Seraskier Tower : whence go forth
blessings or abominations over all the laud, from the mouths
of the Danube to the waters of the Blue and White Niles.
To Stamboul come all the children of the sun. The tall and
pale Circassian, the dark-eyed, cunning Armenian, the
subtle and dangerous Fanarioto Greek, the swarthy Arab,
who lives in tents, the black Nubian from beyond the
Soudan, the savage pirate of the Riff—all swarm to Con-
stantinople as their common capital and home. No spot
in the world can show so strange a gathering of mere as
the Pera bridge. Nor is either the street life or the domes-
tic life unbiblical. The costumes, the salutations, the veiled
women, the riding on asses, the snapping and fighting of
dogs, the street cries, the water carrying, the public foun-
tains, the gardens of trees and flowers, are all things of the
Bible and of the East. In any suburb of Stamboul, as in
every village of Islam, from Belgrade to Bagdad, the ox is
yoked to the plough, the women draw water from the well,
the slave or the menial servants tend the sheep. The life
is everywhere that of Rachel and Ruth, of Saul and David.
_ Atkenwtern.

An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man, &c.
It is difficult to say in these instances whether the
praise or blame predominates, as must naturally
happen when mixed characters are the subject,
save only when he comes to Sir Joshua Reynolds,
of whom he felt and delighted to feel, that there
was nothing but praise to be spoken. I re-
member no English poet except, indeed,
it be Milton—who made more harmonious use of
proper names in his verses. (His excellency re-
peated the lines in which occur On Idra's cliff, as
Arno's shelvy side.") I remember consoling my-
self with that couplet for a whole day when I was
becalmed off the mouth of the Altama. But, above
all, the passage I quote too, for other reasons, not
the least of these being that it seems to me to be
strung to the highest chord in the whole compass
of his lyre—
And then, sweet Poetry ! thou loveliest maid, &c.

Hence the full burst of harmony—
Farewell I and, oh, where'er thy voice be tried, &c.
Well, these tables are turned, at all events. Why
are we not here to-day, the goodliest of the city—
rank, amiability, talent, beauty—but to pay honour
to what he thought neglected and decried, to what
was his shame in crowds ? Here, in front of his own
university, where he was the obscure sizar, but
where he has given occasion to every sizar since to
feel proud of his position; even here, where we are
told that he was laid prostrate on the floor by his
brutal tutor Mr. Wilder—there are no such tutors
in Trinity College now the home of all dignified and
gentle learning, under the mild survey of the vene-
rable provost—(applause)—even here we are
gathered round the poet's statue, before London has
erected a single statue in the open air to any of
England's mighty bards. Mr. Foley has amply
atoned for Mr. Wilder."