The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-08 00:00:00

those whose duty it is to uphold oar national pos

tion, while they study, to assimilate our laws
and political expressions, as far as possible, to the
French and German standards. Great interest is
taken at present in the construction of ships, many
new plans of construction are being adopted. The
Duke of SOMERSET stated recently, on a visit of
inspection to the Ironworks of Messrs. BROWN and
Co. at Sheffield, that there were ten or twelve ves-
sels being built, all at different stations, by way of
experiment, for the Admiralty intend that the re-
presentatives of the press shall be excluded from
the trials of these vessels, and the public kept in
ignorance of the results. Much has lately been
said about the jobbery existing in the Dockyards,
but if this practice of keeping their doings in dark-
ness be continued at headquarters, it will be of
little or no use to complain of the malpractices of

their subordinates. We trust that some explana-
tion may be given of this unprecedented conduct,
and that this exclusiveness on the part of Admiral
ROBINSON may be the exception and not the rule of
future conduct. The failure of the Alberta for the
purpose for which she was intended is a matter of
little moment, except it shows how long it takes
Government officials to choose the right road when
there is a wrong one open to them, and if it is pos-
sible to take the latter one, they generally do.
These mistakes are not often made in our private
yards. When the Thames, Mersey, and Clyde
firms undertake to build a vessel of a certain
tonnage and rate of speed, they seldom
fail to fulfil their engagements. With the
Admiralty it is, however, too often far
otherwise, and we could mention any number of
instances in which newly launched vessels have had
to be metamorphosed and doctored to render them
partially fit for service. The engines will probably
be taken out of the Alberta and placed in a more
promising craft, while she is turned over to some

other purpose. These things have often happened
before, and will probably occur again, but we trust
that the representatives of the press may not again
be excluded from trials of interest to the public, to
snit the whim or fancy of any member of the Admi-
ralty. Government mistakes and blunders may be
tolerated to some extent as unavoidable, but offi-
cial despotism is always to be condemned, and we
trust that we shall meet with no more of it at the
hands of the Lords of the Admiralty.

THE NATIONAL SLIABSPERE COMMITTEE.—Prof.
Donaldson (President of the Royal Institute of
British Architects), the Mayor of Bath, and the Mayor of
Wareham have been added to the National Shakspere
Committee. A joint meeting of the Site and Monument
Committees was held on Friday. The general impression
seems to be, that the choice of site lies mainly between the
Green Park, near to Piccadilly, and the Temple Gardens,
close to the river esplanade. Primrose Hill finds many
advocates, and a warm recommendation of Kensington
Gardens has been made. The Mayor of Stratford-upon-
Avon announces the details of the Shakspero celebration in
that town. On Saturday, April 23, there will be a banquet
with the Earl of Carlisle in the chair. On Monday, a per-
formance of " The Messiah" will be given, and in the even-
ing a miscellaneous concert. From Tuesday to Friday there
will be dramatic performances and feedings, the festival
concluding with a fancy dress ball, on Friday evening.
A pavilion, capable of accommodating about 6,000 persons,
is nearly completed. The profits are to be devoted to the
endowment of scholarships in the Free Grammar School,
and to the erection of a memorial to the poet in his native
town. Some of our chief centres of provincial life have
also announced their commemorative projects. Birming-
ham has resolved to collect a Shakspeare library,—Man-
chester to found scholarships, and perhaps erect a statue,—
Derby and Newcastle to found scholarships in connection
with their respective Grammar Schools. Liverpool and
Leicester intend to have a local celebrationLa play, a din-
ner, a concert, which they will probably commemorate by
some local foundation. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin,
Cork, will probably move in the same direction. All this is
as it ought to be. In a few years we may have scholar-
, ships in all the arts,—iithenceum