The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-05 00:00:00

Sentence on the Rev. Mr. Birch.

The Rev. Thomas Richardson Birch, found guilty
of libel, was brought up yesterday before the Recor-
der at the Central Criminal Court for judgment.
Mr. Collins said he had just a few words to say
before sentence was passed. In the first place, then,
the prisoner had lost his position as chaplain of
Slough Union, and through this conviction he would
be unable ever to re-establish himself, and he hoped
his lordship would take into consideration his po-
verty and his present position. With regard to the
first letter, he gave his word that he had not writ-
ten it at all, and the second letter was written in a
moment of passion, therefore he hoped that, looking
at his position, at the length of time he had been in
prison, and the situation which had been taken from
him, his lordship would give him as lenient a sen-
tence as he possibly could. He had a large number
of testimonials as to his character, but he thought
it was not necessary to produce them. The indict-
ment which had been preferred against him at
Lewes was abandoned, but the letters, the subject
of that indictment, would be handed up to his lord-
ship.

The letters were then handed up to his lordship,
who, after perusing them, addressed the prisoner,
and asked him whether he had any thing to say why
sontence should not be passed upon him.
The prisoner replied that he could only repeat
what his learned counsel had stated, except that he
appealed to God that he had never written the first
letter complained of ; and he felt that, at the last
dreadful day of judgment, He would find him
guiltless.
The Recorder said he had only one duty to per-
form, and that was a very painful one. The prisoner
had been found guilty of writing both letters, and
for that the punishment must be awarded. No
doubt there were some circumstances in the case
which ought to be considered in extenuation, and
there was no doubt that the prisoner had lived in a
place of gross immorality ; but if he had thought
fit he could have resigned his tutorship as soon as
he had learnt the position of the parties with whom
he lived. Such, however, was not the case ;on the
contrary, he remained a coneiderable time, and,
according to the evidence, he had partaken of the
prosecutor's hospitality ; and it was not until he
was dismissed from tho tutorship that he wrote the
letters complained of. In those letters he spoke of
the house as being a sink of the grossest vice and
iniquity—charges which were not at all just7fied by
the actual state of things, and one could not but
speak of it as a malicious libel. The Recorder then
sentenced him to be kept in prison in her Majesty's
gaol of Newgate for six calendar months.

Foreign Mail Packet List.

MAILS Dl; E.

'istralia and Mauritius, via Southampton ..Feb. 18.
via Marseilles Feb. 12.
,Brazil and Cape Verds, by British packet Feb. 3
Jape of Good Hope, Asoension, and St. Helena Feb. 28.
China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southamptun.l'eb. 18.
via Marseilles Feb. 12.
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar, via Southampton Feb. 11.
India kCalcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Feb. 18.
via Marseilles Fel.. 12.
India (Bombay), via Southampton Feb. 11.
via Marseilles Feb. 5.
Portugal....
qalta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Feb. 11,
via Marseilles Feb. 5
Newfoundland Feb. 3.
Tort() and Vigo
C. S. and British N. America, I,y "Brit. packet.... Feb. 11
by U.S. packot••••
by
.V.C. of Africa, Madeira, and TenCeraintiaedianPakl Feb.
..........Feb.F 10.
ahamas, via New York ......................Feb. 11,
Mexic0................... . ........... ....... Feb. 29.
All parts of West Indies, incinding Chili, 1-eru, Feb. 29.
Califormia. and Liritirh Coitunbia.. .......... i

During the past year the lifeboats of the institu-
tion had saved 417 shipwrecked persons, and the
society had also granted rewards for rescuing 297
persons by shore boat and other means. For these
joint services the institution had awarded £1,351,
and had expended on lifeboat establishments during
the same period £13,819.
A reward of £l4 was also voted to the crew of
the Scratby lifeboat, called the Prince Albert, for
going off and saving the crew of 14 men of the
barque Fifth of May, which, during a gale of wind,
had been wrecked off thsborough Knoll, Norfolk.

A. reward of £l4 was also voted to the crew of the
Rigger Dauntless, of Kingsdown, for rescuicg, at
much risk of life, the crew of four men of the Hano-
verian galliot Cornelia, which, during a heavy gale
of wind, was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands.
The institution decided to station new lifeboat at
Greencastle, at the entrance on Londonderry har-
bour, and at Dunbar.

The following legacies have recently been left to
,he institution, viz.:—

The late David Campbell, Esq., of Rothsay, £100;
the late Richard Spence, Es.q., of Gower-street,
£2OO ; and the late Mies Emma Eeate, of liensitig-
ton, £3OO. A " Friend" had sent the institution
£lOO for Cie pret,ervc.tion of his wife for another
year.

It was reported that It3bcrt Whitworth, Efq., of
the firm of the celebrated gun manufacturers, of
Mta.chester, had recently collected from his friends,
and others in that city, the cost of two lifeboats,
and nearly £lOO a year for their future mainte-
nance.

Payments, &mounting to £663, having been made
on various lifeboat establishments, the proceedings

.erminatcd.

THE SHAKSPERE TERCENTENARY,

It seems that the committee at Stratford-on-Avon
have got into a serious misunderstanding with Mr.
Phelps. From the correspondence which Mr. Phelps
has published (and for the insertion of the whole of
the documents composing which we rrgret we have
not space) it appears that he was applied to early in
December last to take part in the dramatic perfor-
mances at the festival in April next. To this request
Mr. Phelps accedel, and on the 16th January he
received a letter from Mr. Bellew, on behalf of the
Stratford Committee, proposing that he should un.
dertake the part of lachimo in the play of " Cymbe-
line." To this proposal Mr. Phelps gave an indig-
nant refusal, and Mr. Bellew replied, offering to get
up " Macbeth," " Othello," or any other play of
Shakspere's that would be mere acceptable to him,
except " Hamlet," the part of Hamlet having been
offered to another gentleman. In reply to this, Mr.
Phelps wrote the following letter, which we may
leave to speak for itself:—
"My dear Sir,—l claim the right, upon the follow-
ing grounds, to be considered the foremost man in
my profession in a demonstration meant to honour
Shakspere. I have produced worthily 34 of his
plays, which no individual manager ever did before.
They were acted in my theatre 4,000 times, daring
a period extending over 18 years. I acted to tae
satisfaction of a large English public all his heroes
—tragic and comic—and to that public I shall
appeal, and publish this correspondence. The
Stratford Committee have insulted me by asking
any man in this country to play Hamlet on such an
occasion without having first offered a choice of
characters to yours faithfully,
" S. PHELPS.

To this letter Mr. Flower, the Mayor of Stratford-
on-Avon, replied, with a protest against attributing
to the committee an intention to insult Mr. Phelps.
That gentleman, however, still insisted on his right
to play the part of Hamlet, and as his right has not
been conceded it seems probable that Mr. Phelps
will take no part in the Stratford commemoration.
It is understood that it was Mr. Fechter to whom
the committee had allotted the part of Hamlet; and
it is very much to be regretted that the personal
feeling which has manifested itself to so great an
extent in connection with the London movement,
but which we trust has now subsided, should have
been permitted to intrude itself at Stratford-on-
Avon.

C. J. PLUMPTRE, Esq., having been recently
appointed Professor of English Literature, Rhetoric,
and Elocution, delivered on the 22d ult., previous
to the opening of his class at the Crystal Palace, an
introductory lecture on elocution, addressed chiefly
to the pupils of the School of Art, Science, and
Literature. Mr. Plumptre advocated, with great
reason and ability, the necessity of , paying due
attention to the art of elocution, especially -
in refe-
rence to reading aloud, and impressed very forcibly
upon his audience the necessity ofpayingath
correct
accent regard and considerations to acquiring•
accent and good enunciation of their native tongue,
as could be paid almost invariably in the acquire-
ment of foreign languages, the successful
teaching
of the latter being considered to depend mainly
on
the pure accent of those who undertake the task of
instruction. Mr. Plucnptre adverted also to reading
aloud in a physiological
healthful in
the beat medical evidence
of view, and brought
proof of his assertion
that it was a most h
as well as for the r ul exercise, for the delicate
robust in constitution. Mr.
Plumptre's scholarship endto
high
or literary
dilate
further
attain-
ments render it quite unnecessary
his lecture
on on his rendering of Professor
Av toun's
"Death of Montrose" and Tennyson's
"Lady C:are,
n
Was withtno
awhich
cff ire t ihv ee ,
andclosed
shwi his lecture.ll.cui
ti.
wired
fits delivery
e was modulated with exq trite taw e
throughout.

CARMARTIIENSHIRE HUNT AND STEEPLE-

CHASE MEETING.-THURSDAY.

The County Members' Plate of 50 BOW?, added to a tranclif_ss:,
sweepstakes of 8 sous each. Four miles.
Mr Powell's Annie Laurie, aged, lOst (J. Pope) it
Mr Powell's Ace of Hearts, aged, 13st 31b (ia. 101 ex.)
(Davies) '2
Mr Holman's De Ruyter, 6 yrs, list 2ib (G. Holman) t'-3.
Mr Riddell's Carew, aged, lOst Sib . .. (Owner)
Fenton and Mountain Lass also ran.

Betting-2 to 1 aget De Ruyter, and 3to 1 agst Ace of
Hearts and Annie Laurie, coupled.—Won by 20 lengtbe.
Bad third.

The Ladies' Plate of 25 sovs, added to a selling stale„ ei
2 sovs each ; selling allowances. About two miles.
Mr Riddell's Aunt Sally, aged, 11st 7lb (Ownat) 1
Mr Powell's Miss Nightingale, aged, lOst 71b (T. Davie.) 2
The following also ran :—Cumberland, reception,
gents, and Jack.

Betting-5 to 4 agst Miss Nightinga!e, 2to 1 opt ./14ra;
Sally, 5 to 2 agst Jack, and 5 to 1 agst Magenta.—Won by
two lengths, only two passing the post. The winner was
bought in for 106 guineas.

The Hunters' Stakes of 3 boys each, with 39 added, fu:
horses that have been regularly hunted; four-ye:-olds,
. __ _

10it 71b; five, Ilst 51b; six aad agjd, 12st ; winrcrs.

extra. About three miles.
Mr Powell's Annie Laurie, ritr„ed, 12st lib .... (J. Pope) I
Mr Lort-Phillips's Jack, agect, 12st 7lb (G. Stfwens) 2
Carmarthen, !Ost 121 b
Mr. Harries's ‘l7hisperer, 6 yrs, 12st 71b.... (T .Davies) 0
Betting-6 to 4on Annie Laurie, 2to 1 ag6t Whirperer,
and 3to 1 agst Jack.—Won by three lengths. Bad third.

RACING FIXTU:
FEBT

LITARY.

Birmingham
Harrow
Chelmsford
MA.
Nottingham Spring
Derby Spring
Liverpool
Shrewsbury
Doncaster Spring

AP:
Croxton-park 1
Edinburgh Spring .. 2
Abergavenny
Thirsk 5

THE OPENING 0' r PARLIAMENT—The
'MODERN A.I..IGUSU US, &c., in FUN This Week.
One Penny.

7-1:- I,: it, m E S Y'S THE A. it E.
j Nights of P erformanci t Tuesdays, Thursdays, and
Sat oirdays.
TO-.MORROW TATENING„ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8.
FAUST (In English).

Le mmens-Slaerrington, ' Lamm!, and Florence Lancia,
Santley, Marchesi, 1 )ussek, and Sims Reeves.
Conductor- —Signor A .rditi. •
Commen .:e at Eig ht.
Box-office of the Theatre open daily.
Tickets, also, at Messrs. Chu !well and Co.'s, 50, New Bond-
*trees.

00YAL ENG:LISH. OPERA,
COVENT-( ;-.ARDEN.
Under the Manazement Miss Louisa Pyne and
Mr. W. I' ILrrison.

TITIS "EVENING, ELAN( HIE DE NEVERS. Miss L.
ne, MK,,W. Harrison, &c.
tcr wrileh, a Grand Chris*, ,mas Pantomime, on a stale of
toprecedefirted maunilleenee, :ntitled
HA!:tLEQUIN ST. GEOR ,Gi4l,' AND THE DRAGON.
Doors open at half-past Six—Commence at Seven.