The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-30 00:00:00

MAJESTY'S subjects." This is no more than is rea-
sonable to expect, and ail who rightly comprehend
the importance of such a question in an abstract
form, apart from its personal and individual consi•
derations, will acknowledge that it must not be
allowed to drag into obscurity. It may suit the
whims of the Foreign Office to take no notice of the
affair, but it comes to this, why have we Ministers
at all if it is too much trouble for them to be on the
alert when the interests of the subject are at stake.
Of what avail are all the hosts of officials if amidst
them no care can be taken of English rights. Ac-
cording to the advice generally tendered now-a-
days, it would seem as if the best thing every one
can do is to stay at home. But this is not in accord.
ance with the love of enterprise and the roving
spirit always displayed by Englishmen, and it seems
a disgrace to the administraticn of our day if it is
no longer possible for our countrymen to be pro-
tected. If the arbitrary regulations of other States
permit them to put their own subjects into prisons
not fit for human beings to enter, and keep them an
immense time without food or drink, on visionary
charges of impracticable offences, it is not too much
to demand that an exception be made in favour
of her MAJESTY'S subjects, and that a little more
respect be shown to this country. Also, when
the charge cannot be substantiated, and it has been
proved that all the indignity has been suffered for
nothing, ample apology should be made to the party
who has sustained the gratuitous insult. It is all
very fine to argue in a circle, but this is the only
correct form of viewing the matter, and it remains
to be seen whether proper notice will be taken of
it, It is time for some attention to be paid to
these things, or the people of this country will
find that so many injurious precedents have been
established that they will have a hard struggle to
maintain their rights abroad.

Mr Alfred Mellon is engaged in the preparation
of a Quadrille, certain to become popular, to be called the
"Tooth and Bedford Quadrille," introducing various well
known Adelphi airs, including that of the " Norrible Tale.'
—The Coma.

" GOOD NEws" FROM " OLD DRURY."—A sound
as of that of the old, pleasant, and peculiarly play-
going time, reaches us from Drury-lane. There, Shakspere
is about to run a new and splendid course. Old Drury will
indeed open its approaching campaign with the "Henry
the Fourth" which was one of the great features of last
season ; but this will only be by way of introduction, as it
were, to the Second Part of the same chronicle play, which
is to follow. In October, " Cymbeline" will be restored,
with great magnificence, to the stage—Miss Helen Faucit
returning to it to enact Imogen. Mr Phelps will play his
old part of Posthumus, and Mr Creswick is happily cast for
lachimo, Still true to Shakspere, Messrs. Falconer and
Chatterton will next produce "Macbeth," in a style of
great scenic grandeur, and with all the appliances of Lock's
music and the choruses. Miss Faucit and Mr Phelps will
ustain the principal characters. This speaks of bustling
ti, as in Shaksperian revivals ; added to which, there will
be a .new romantic play, by Mr Theodore Martin, the
heroine e_f which will be acted by Miss Faucit. For the
after part of the season, the prospect is equally brilliant.
A DISH OF STEWED PIG Two THOUSAND YEARS
OLD !—(Allusion being here made to the age of the
dish, not of the pig !)—Arnong the relics of a house (re-
cently discovered at Pompeii) preserved in the local museum,
says a Neapolitan eorrespendent of the „Phew-von is one
which throws a curious light on the domestic arrangements
of the Pompeian baker, being no other than one of the
dishes which were actually in process of preparation for
dinner on the very day of the catastrophe I Upon the cook-
ing-stove in the kitchen was found a stew-pan, half filled
with ashes, and in the bottom appeared an indurated mass,
which Signor Fiorelli rightly conjectured to have been
produced by some of the viands which lay within the pan,
and which, although long since decomposed, had left
their impress on the now consolidated ashes. Acting upon
this happy thought, he applied in thin instance the same
ingenious process which was so successfully adopted
in reproducing that painfully life-like group of human
figures, described with such terrible fidelity in one of your
former numbers ; and the result has fully justified his anti-
cipations, being an exact facsimile in bronze of a young
pig, which was being stewed for the family dinner at the
very mookent when they were surprised by the stroke of
doom. _ _ _

GREAT FIRE.--DARTFORD, Tuesday Morning.—
A fire of a very alarming and destructive character,
and nearly attended with fatal results to a whole family,
happened in the well known old hostelrie, the Eight Bells,
High-street, in this town. The discovery was made by
one of the local constabulary about two o'clock in the morn-
ing, et which time Mr Woodyear, the landlord, his wife,
and six children, were in the beds asleep. By repeated
knocking at the door the inmates' were made aware of their
impending danger, but they were unable, owing to the
violence of the flames, to effect a retreat by the staircase,
and it was feared that the whole family would have perished.
Fortunately a ladder was procured, and the endangered
persons were saved. The flames rose so hiet through the
roof as to ignite the adjoining premises of Mr W. H. Smith,
oil, colour, and Italian warehouseman, when the destruc-
tion of every building near appeared certain. The en,,rines
of the parish, the Royal Exchange, and the Kent fire-oflie `,s
quickly attended, as well as Mr Superintendent White with
a powerful engine belonging to the corporation of Gravesend,
No time was lost in getting this force into full play; but,
in spite of the water thrown upon the flames, they con-
tinued their ravages, and the mastery could not be accom-
plished until the entire building, except three rooms, was
destroyed, and the roof burned off. The premises of Mr
Smith have the roof burned off, the back rooms, first floor,
and attics, used as warehouses, partially destroyed. The
property belonging to Mr J. Kerr, linendraper, is also
much damaged by water, &c., and part of the roof is do-
stroyed. The total loss, which is considerable, will fall upon
the Phoenix, Kent, and Sun fire offices. The fire, it is sup-
posed, was caused by some partially smoked tobacco falling
between the foot ing boards in the parlour.
THE LATE JOSEPH LOCKE, M.P.—On Friday
last Baron Marochetti visited Barnsley for the pnr•
pose of arranging the site on which to place his bronze
statue of the late Mr. Locke, the engineer. The place
selected is the Locke-park, some little time since presented
to the inhabitants by Mrs. Locke, in remembrance of her
husband's early connexion with the town, and the deep in-
terest he took in all that related tc its progress and pros-
perity. It is ezpected that this statue, which will be on a
granite pedestal, will be permanently fixed in about a
month,

TUE SYSTEM OF GRANTING PUBLIC•HOUSE
LlCENCES.—Yesterday, the annual lieensing sessions
for the borough of Liverpool was opened before a full bench
of magistrates, and, before the applications were heard,
several of the magistrates gave expressions to their views
upon the subject of granting new licenses. It having been
stated by the clerk to the justices, in answer to a question
put by Mr Robertson Gladstone, that of the 64 new licenses
granted in 1861, none of the holders of these had been fined,
and only six fined who had licenses granted in 1862 and
1863. It was stated by Mr Stitt that, in former years, it
had been the habit of the court to take into consideration
the wants of the neighbourhood, but the Act of Parliament
only required them to inquire into the fitness of the person
applying, and the accommodation which the applicant's
house afforded. It was an ascertained fact, that beer-houses
were productive of much more evil in the shape of drunken-
ness than the regularly licensed public-houses that were
under the control of the magistrates ; and the records of the
court showed that the offences against the law, whether for
Sunday trading or permitting drunkenness, were eleven-
sixteenths by beer-houses as compared with five-sixteenths
by public-houses. He (6lr Stitt) would grant licenses to
all men that applied whose premises were sufficient, Mr
Robertson Gladstone said the people who were now enjoy-
ing a license were enjoying a monopoly, and although there
were people who held conscientiously that to increase the
number of public-houses increased facilities were given for
people to get drink, he could not see, unless persons holding
licenses were willing to give a bond to the bench that they
would 1-,ot sell more than at present, that drunkenness
would not increase. But supposing such a guarantee could
be given that no publican would extend his business, he
wished to know who would undertake to say how the
quantity already offered for sale, and sold daily, was to be
distributed amongst the community. They had for years
been endeavouring to put down monopolies, and if men of
goud character were refused licenses for fit houses, he could
not think that it was not giving publicans a monopoly.
This opinion appeared to be concurred in generally, and the
bench proceeded to hear applications. Throughout the day
the magistrates granted applications to beer-house keepers
who had not been fined, and to people of good character.
A :MATRIMONIAL ROMANCE AT QUEENSTOWN.—
Within the past few days an instance occurred at
Queenstown of extraordinary promptitude and decision in
the fulfilment of a matrimonial engagement. At the last
regatta ball, a captain in her Majesty's land forces became
the conquest of Miss J—, a young lady who has been
spoken of as one of the nicest girls in Queenstown ;" and,
immediately aft9r, the nuptials were arranged to come off
two or three moni'irs hence. The gallant officer received on
Monday last an unenoccted order to join his corps in Hali •
fax, and as that altogether destroyed the previous arrange-
ment as to time of their marriage, the affianced pair quietly
wended their way to the church on Wednesday morning,
had the ceremony performed without any bother or display,
and the Hecla that evening bore this most exemplary of
lovers and his pretty wife tQwazils the shores of the PTew
World,—Coth ,41cra(c1,