The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-08 00:00:00

MERIT !

TO THE EDITOR, OF THE SUN.

March 7, 1855.

SIR,—Mr. Sidney Herbert, in his transparent sophis-
try, when speaking in the discussion on Lord Goderich's
motion on the system of promotions in the army, was
pleased, while making an abortive effort to prove that
merit was every man's passport to preferment in this
country, to say, amongst other instances to establish the
fallacy, " You have an Archbishop of York who was a man
in some sense of humble origin—that is, his father was."
Now, let us go to facts, which will at once show that
the man who believes Mr. Herbert on this pointmust
be as green as the green, coffee exported by that gentleman
to the Crimea. It is true that the archbishop is the son
of a draper. But, nevertheless, of the mythological
fates, CLOTH-4) has not presided over his elevation. He
married a Cavendish, a daughter of Lord Waterpark ;
and to the Cavendish, not to Cloth—o, do I ascribe the
translation to York. What say you ?
Moreover, let Mr. Sidney Herbert tell us why the
Administration to which he belonged appointed Lord
Auckland, a man infinitely below mediocrity, to the
Diocese of Bath and Wells ? Why it pitchforked the
Hon. Horace Perlis, a mere second-rate Whig jester, a
tithe of the little Linger of Sidney Smith, diluted down
in ten thousand gallons of water, into the bishopric of
Sodor and Mau ? Why it gave to the Hon. Mr. Sugden,
with certainly noclaims beyond being his father's son,
the third Government living which he has received dur-
ing his short cares in the Church ?
I will speak again if you insert this. In the mean-
time I remain,
A COUNTRY CLERGYMAN.

TDB DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE.—Tho Queen and Prince
Albert honoured the Duke of Cambridge by dining with
his Royal Higbless last evening, at his residence in
St. James's Palace. Her Majesty and the Prince
arrived from Buckingham Palace shortly after eight
o'clock, attended by the Viscountess Canning, Major-
General Bnuverie, and Captain du Plat. On alighting,
her Majesty was received by the Duke cf Cambridge
and conducted to the drawing-room. The following
bad the honour of meeting the Queen and his Royal
Highness at dinler :—His E.:cellency Count Kiehl-lan-
segge, the Earl of Clarendon, Earl Granville, and
Viscount Hariinge, General Commanding-in. Chief.
Colonel Tyrwhilt was in waiting on the Duke of Cam-
bridge. After dinner her Royal Highness the Duchess
of Kent honotred the Duke of Cambridge with her
company. A select circle of the aristocracy were alio
present in the evening.
The Duchess of Leinster is lying in a very precarious
state at Carton. The Duke of Leinster is not expected
to come to Lonion at present.
The Lady Ellen Browne, the only child of the Mar-
quis of Sligo, ded a tew days since, having survived her
mother, the late marchioness, little more than two years.
The Rev. Richard Cattley, M.A., of Worcester Col-
lege, Oxford, curate of St. Margaret's, King's Lynn, has
been appointed to a minor canonry in Worcester Ca-
thedral.

The half-yearly dividend court of the Bank of Eng-
land is called for the 15th inst.

M. Soyer has passed through Paris on his way to
Constantinople, where, as is known, he has offered to
act gratuitously in preparing food for the patients in the
English hospital.

THE LATE GENERAL SAMUEL BROWN.—By the demise
of this officer, a cslonel in the army will obtain the rank
of general officer. General Brown bad been connected
with the army for upwards of 57 years. Ile served in
Egypt, Portugal, and Spain, with distinction, and was
several times employed on secret aid special missions.
DEATH OF SIR JOIIN MORRIS, BART.—This gentleman
died on the 4th inst., aged 79. The deceased was son
of the first baronet y the daughter of Sir Philip MllB-
- Bart. He married in 1809 the youngest daughter
of the fifth Viscount Torrington. Sir John is succeeded
in his title aid e,tates by his son, John Amine, born in
1813. The family property is situate in Glatnorganshire.

. .
THE FREEMASONS AND THE PATRIOTIC FUND.-At a
meeting of the Grand Lodge of England last evening, it
was almost unanitrously resolved, upon the motion of
the Right Hon. the Earl of Zstland, M.W.G.M., se-
conded by the Right Hon. the Earl of Yarborough,
R.W.D.G.M., that 1,0001. should be presented to the
Patriotic Fund frun the Grand Lodge funds.
HARMONIC UNION.—This society had their second
concert of the season last evening, at the Hanover-
square Rooms- It was much "lore successful than the
previous concert, notwithstanding the serious disap-
pointment caused by the inability of Mr. Sims Reeves
(from the united effects of indisposition and a domestic
affliction) to go through the labours of the evening. He
sang, 4with effort, through the Lobesang ; but, in the
second piece, the Stabat Mater of Rossini, was replaced
by Mr. Herberte. Mrs. Sims Reeves, also, was unable
to appear, and her place was supplied by Madame
Weiss.

ROYAL GALLERY OF ILLITSTRATION.—His Royal High•
ness the Duke of Cambridge, with their Royal High-
, nesses•the Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary,
attended by Baron Knesebeek honoured the Diorama
illustrating the Events of the \Var with a visit on Wed-
nesday evening. The Earl of Cardigan paid a second
visit to the Gallery on Wednesday afternoon.
THE BERNAL CALECTION.—The interest excited by
the dispersal of this collection increases as the sale pro-
ceeds, and some of the prices realised by the choice lots
are fabulously high. The three days' sale have realised
upwards of 0,0001. There are two more days' sale of
porcelain, and on Saturday the first portion of the pic-
tures will be sold.
EXHIBITION OF THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL AT THE
CRYSTAL PALACE.—Yesterday, a private view was given
at the Crystal Palace of a topographical model of Sebas-
topol and its environs, on a sutflcienity large scale to con-
vey to the visitor tolerably accurate notions of the nature
of the siege ground and the relative positions of the con•
tending forces. The space represented is 17 miles from
Cape Chersonesus northwards, by 13 miles from east to
west, and therefore including Balaklava, the extensive
valley of the Tchernaya, and all the ground immediately
around Sebastopol which is covered by the camp and
fortificationslof the contending forces. The scale adopted
is eight inches to the toile,
The Earl of Darnley, accompanied by. Major Roys,
paid a visit to the invalids at Fort Pitt last week. On
asking them if there was anything in particular they
should wish to be provided with, the gallant fellows said
they were well provided with everything, but still there
was one thing which they had a strong wish for, and
that was some pewter pots, as " they liked the taste of
the beer better out of pewter." His lordship smiled,
and at once gave the order for a supply to be purchased
for them. He has also ordered them to be supplied with
a daily newspaper at his expense, and has provided
them with a large number of entertaining books for their
amusement. After leaving the establishment the noble
earl purchased several pounds' worth of stationary,
postage stamps, &c., which he directed should be sent
to the hospital for the wounded. --South- Eastern, Gazette.
The rite of confirmation was on Monday administered
to the Princess Charlotte, daughter of the King of the
Belgians, by the Cardinal Archbishop of Mechlin. The
ceremony was celebrated with a certain pomp in the
chapel of the palace of Laeken. The King and the
Count de Flandre were present, as were also all the
great officers of the household and a number of person.
ages of distinction.
THE AMERICAN PACKET-SHIP STATIRA MORSE.—
The Statira Morse, which was stranded lately on the
Ayrshire coast, and was sold as she lay on the sands for
under 1,0001., changed hands on Friday again for
2,5001., and a very cheap bergain even at that. Shortly
after the ship went on shore the first purchaser sent a
band of navvies down, and in a most unscientific but
successfully common-sense way dug a canal to float her
to sea; and when taken to Glasgow she was at once re-
paired, and is as sound as ever. The Statira Morse is
about 550 toes burden, was built in the United States
in 1850, and has been well known as a regular trader to
the Clyde —(1 ranock, Advertiser.
It was very generally rumoured in Dublin yesterday
that Cnief Baron Pigot had resigned on account of con-
tinued ill-health, and that Mr. Brewster, the late Attor-
ney-General, would be appointed to the vacant seas in
the Court of Exchequer. It was also rumoured that Sir
Colman O'Loghlen, Q.C., had been appointed law ad-
viser to the Castle, vice Mr. Corlsaliis, Q.C., resigned.
THE MORNA.—Loss OF TWENTY-ONE LIVES. —T welve
of the crew of this unfortunate vessel arrived in Dublin
on Saturday morning by the Liverpool boat. They
bring the melancholy tidings of the loss of the chief en-
gineer, Mr. Green, and twenty of the recruits. This
event took place almost alongside the Morna. Mr.
Green was in the boat after it was lowered, and in the
hurry to save themselves the soldiers jumped into her
in such numbers that the bows were broken, and she ,
almost immediately filled and went down. The captain
remains behini at the wreck, to endeavour to save as II
much of the caqo as possible,