The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-31 00:00:00

~~~

shall be submitted to-by us. We must
that demon thirst for their blood all the
whom we have won fame, if not among natie.
must give the President to Abraham's tender na.
The army of the Potomac, mnst- offer
up . their glorious • leader, under whom both,
have become illustrious. ..Beauregard must
be hanged. Is even Lincoln base enough
to imagine a brave people, such as the, Confede-
rates have proved themselves, would, under any
stress of fortune, prove traitors to the men whom
they have called to lead them in camp or council,?
This infamous proclamation will but arouse us to ne w
zeal and new efforts."
A leading war journal of this city recommends
General Grant for the next Presidency upon the
supposition that he is just the man to crush the
rebellion, r: tore the Union, drive the French out of
Mexico,
ns of obtain
theindemnityfrom Englatd for the
(I,,epdt iConfederate cruisers; or declare
war against her, or seize the Caned as and the British.
West India Islands as an offset.

'THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 31, 1863,

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FUNERAL OF MR, TRACKERAY,

AUTHORS.

AMERICA.

(From the limes,)

MR. TnoLLores great glory is in the portraiture i
of women : and his success in this walk, says the NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 5 p.m.
Tires, has made him the pet of our drawing-rooms. ' Despatches from Cumberland Gap of the 16th
The women adore him. Nobody understands the report that Gen. Longstreet captured 22 loads of
gentle dames and damsels of modern life half so well qua rtermasters' stores at the fight on the 14th, which
as this modern Anthony. We do not pretend to is now stated to have occurred at Bean's Station.
speak of him personally; we are only speaking of The federal Gen. Wilcox had been driven back
him as a book, he is the great lady-killer of the age, to Tezenaa ell, where he was fortifying.
He has attained this distinction chiefly by merit, Fighting was reported in progress at Biair's Cross-
but partly—we were going to say, by demerit—we reads on the 16th, from which it would seem that
shall say, by an appeal to the prejudices of society.
the Federals have been also forced to retreat towards
His merit lies in his charming portraiture of the K.noxville. A
body
sex. He has studied all the wiles of the feminine of Gen. Mosby's cavalry captured one en-
heart, and knows every fold of feeling—how in tire company of the 140th New York Regiment one
fashionable life Mamma thinks of the jointure, and mile and a half beyond Fairfax Courthouse last
how in humble life the worthy dame has thoughts night. . ,
of buttered toast. Emotions great and small he die- Accounts from Newborn, North Carolina, of the
12th assert that blockade running at Wilmington
cusses with equal facility—the emotion of a lady who
is moving heaven and earth to circumvent her lord, continues to increase. It is estimated that
goods to
and the emotion of a girl who in the midst of a ball the amount of one million dollars land at that port
discovers that her back hair threatens to fall loose every 24 hours.
upon her shoulders. He has really a great know- The situation at Chattanooga is unchanged.
ledge of womankind, and paints them lovingly and There is no later news of importance from
tenderly, with all their passions and all their foibles, Charleston or Texas.
Over and above this, however, he is the apostle of COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
propriety, and appeals to the prejudices of the Gold, 152. Exchange, 167. United States' Sixes
drawing-room of the exponent of its favourite con- registered, 1881, 1041 ; Treasury 7-30 Notes, 1063 '.
ventions. Far be it from us to despise the conven- New York Central Railway, 134}; Eriee, 108 s ;
tions of society and to run down the proprieties of Illinois Centrals, 119. Cotton, S2c. Brea ff
,life. -Qat fislavation‘kayLgiejr IWO& ig*lgi In ' ' ,'ng..,--- 24:4tWitzaDregintif.i -§vgrea ,
man of sense will deride. 'The purity of milliners Coffee firm.
requires a ceremonial law which is sometimes as Dec. 19, 11 Cm.
, ... .
hard to observe as anything in Leviticus. To oni. Chattanooga despatches of the 18th state that
thinking, however, Mr. Trollope is more conscious 'Geri. Wheeler has rejoined Gen. Hardee at Milan,
than becomes a good artist 'of the importance of where he is reorganising his cavalry for an active
conventional 'usage. Ladies, we believe, take 'a winter campaign,,against the Federal lines of come
,different view. The ceremonial or conventual law munication.
of society is their safeguard; and they rather like On the 16th the Confederate cavalry commander
the man who, without being exactly a prig, is osten. , Ferguson, with a small force, captured the train of
talious in his observance of established custom, and the let Cavalry Division, while on' the route from
knows exactly how far he may advance and when M'Minnville to Sparta, in Tennessee. No late news
he ought to 'withdraw. This is one of the Weak- from Knoxville had been received.'' i
nesses of feminine nature. It' is pleasant for them ' The same despatches announce that General
to see a great strong fellow like Mr. Anthony Trole Morgan crossed the Tennessee River at Gillespie's
lope seriouslyconeerned to decide the precise moment Landing, 60 miles above Chattanooga, on the 13th.
of time when Rachel Ray can allow Rowan to oall Captains William and Robert Cummings, who
her by her Christian name, wjien Rowan can, with; escaped with General Morgan from tailumbus, were
out a breach of the proprieties, snatch a kiss from 'captured, together with 14 of their escort, during
the lips of Rachel, or when it would be correct for the the ride from that town.
pair to walk' out alone together. The pages and General Howard's cavalry is in pursuit of General
pages whibh Mr. Trollope devotes to the exposition Morgan. e, s
of what is proper in lovemaking seem to suggest a Considerable anxiety is evinced by, theepublic to
period when ceremony was more conscious than it learn the true situation of affairseat Knoxville.
i
is' now ; and as we began this potice of him by The statement in 'the despatch from Cumberland
comparing him to Defoe among the writers of the Gep on the nth, to the effect thiit 'the Union
last century we might continue, it by comparing citizens wereledving Knoxville, leadeltei -the belief
him to 'the great ladies' man of that century— that General Longstreet is about to' again besiege
Richardson. He was the great painter of women, the town.
.
the great master of the ceremonies in fiction of the The World remarks : •
last age, and Mr. Trollope may be proud to be men- "The news from Knoxville has not a very cheer-
tioned in the same sentence with such a man. pm ful look. One of two things, we fear, has happened
J,
may also, when he is inclined again to write on the —either our forces have been two widely scattered,
,
' tieties prop of love, remember 7,44 advantage a with a view to cut off Longstreet, upon the theory
,
remark of Walter Scott's, made in connexion with' that he was retreating in disorder; dr else he has
'Richardson: Richardson had little acquaintance 'been lately reinforced from General Lee's army.
,with the" usages of high life, anal Lady Mary' This last is practicable. It would, be an awkward
..WOrtley ' Montague i mocks at hini for making' circumstance if, after all, Knoxville and East Ten-
peeple kiss who ought 'not to kiss; and who salute nessee should be repossessed by the Confederates."
at wrong times And' in wrong plains. • Where. The guerilla 'attacks upon ' Mis'sissippi river
'upon. Sir Walter observes,---,,1t was, natural that steamers contlitue, and the Brazil' was fired into
a' parson of Lady Mary Wortley Montegue's near Roomy on the 11th, and three women and ote
taste; and rank should be shocked at the want of man were killed, and several others wounded. The
deCoaum) which she complains of,
,but at this die- 'fecumseh was burnt on the 16th, but it is not
tenet. of 'time ewe are not sufficiently aconainted stated at what paint. . .
' with the fashions 'of George IL's 'reign to share The Federal steamer Dacotah arrived; at Sambre
her displeasure. -We know in general that• salu- immediately after the capture of the Chesapeake,
tation continued . for a long period to be per- and her commander ordered both captor 'and prize
witted by fashion, and with this general knew. into Halifax.
ledge it is of little consequence to us at what The Trzbune s Waahington correspondent writes
-reticular year of God men' of' quality were re- that the capture hating been made in British
strained -flan -kraain . their cousins. On the same waters, the veteeCt will be euffendered to -the pro- '
principle many of Mr. Trollope's discussions cn vincial authorities. A demand, under the Ashburton
propriety will one of these days be of little con- Treaty, for the return of the vessel end prisoners
sequence. has, however, been made upon Lard Lyons by Mr.
Seward.
The official reports of the commanders of the
Monitors made to Admiral Dupont immediately
after the failure of the attack upon Fort Sumter, in
April last, were submitted to Congress by Secretary'.
Welles with his annexed report, and show that
these vessels were incapable of resisting the concen-
trated fire of heavy rifled ordnance. Captain Dray-
ton, of the Passive, says :
" I was struck in quick succession in the lower
part of the turret by two heavy shots, which bulged
in its plates and beams, and forcing together the
rails on which the carriage of the 11-inch gun
worked, rendered it wholly useless for the remainder
of the action ; a little after a very heavy rifle-shot
struck the upper edge of the turret, broke all of its
eleven plates, and then glancing upwards struck
the pilothouse with such force as to send it over,
open the plates, and squeeze out the top, exposing
the inside of the pilothouse, and rendering it ex-
tremely likely that the next shot would take off the
top entirely."
Captain Rodgers, of the Weehawken, reports :
" Two or three heavy shots struck the side armour
near the same place. They so broke the iron that
it only remained in splintered fragments, much of
which could be picked off by hand, and the wood
was exposed. The deck was pierced so as to make
a hole, through which water ran into the vessel ;
36 bolts were broken in the turret, and a great many
in the pilothouse. To the Patapsco no damage was
done which disabled her, although injuries which
she received, if multiplied, would do so. Forty bolts
in the funnel were broken. After the third shot
from the 15-inch gun of the Nantuck a port stopper
became jammed,'eeveral shots striking very near the
port and driving in the plating. It was not used
again. A number of the time plates were started
__
so much that another shot in their vicinity would
have knocked them off. The deck plates were out
in 12 places; one shot cut through the
starting and
about two inches into the beam,star
W for somegthe
plates, several bolts, and the plankine'
feet below. The plates on the fade armour of the
Nahant were badly broken in several places, and one,
where etruok by two shots in close proximity,
partly stripped from thewood 9and the wood backing
broken in, with edging of back plates started up and
twice
back in places. The deck was struck
t near the propeller wheel, damagingly,one oho quite
ring the plate pass
shattering and teelate in it age, and
starting 25 belie, another starting plates
et and 20
bolts in the turret. There were marks u of nine shots ;
56 of the bolts were broken perceptibly, the heads
fa the inside the turret, and
flying obolts starting
their length outside, some
almost
completely, and being found at a considerable dis-
tance from the turret, on the deck. One shot struck
the upper part of the turret •
, breaking through every
plate. The pilot-house Was much damaged and
wrecked, and four more such shots as it receive(
would have
demolished
it. One shot at the base
broke every
plate through, and evidently nearly
penetrated it."
The Richmond Inquirer, in publishing Mr. Lin-
coln's Procl •
amation of amnesty, rejects its projects
in the owi
f 0 ll -ng language :
" He is going to forgive us something it seems,
on certain terms. Forgive us what ? Forgive us
because he has invaded our States with armed mul-
titudes to compass our destruction %Forgive us be-
cause he has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts,Forgive us
burnt our towns, desolated our homes • 2
for the many thousands of brothers and sons whom
e
he has slain upon our soil while repeWe his inva-
sion, and mutilated ones who
for the many dear
the war ir
will remain the legacy of the war when
: us for all these his crimes,
over ? He may forgive -
hearts to feel and hands to
forgive
but so long as we have - .
him. But he goes
strike we shall never •
further, he makes his forgiveness dependent upon
terms. 'We have to swear that the proclamation of
emancipation which we received with mocking last
year, and which has since betu a general derision,

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at

Yesterday at noon Mr. Thaokeray was buried in
the cemetery of Kensal-green. The day was so
fine that, notwithstanding the distance from town,
a vast concourse of his friends were enabled to sur-
round his grave, and to pay him the last honour.
Many hundreds must have been present of almost
every rank and class. Mr. Thackeray had the gift
of associating with a wonderful variety of persons;
to be in his company was in the case of most per-
sons to be entirely at ease with him ; and it was
impossible not to pass from easy intercourse to
affection and regard. Among the great throng of
mourners we noticed nearly all the foremost men of
letters and artists of the day, some of them having
travelled far to be present on the sad occasion. It
may be enough to state this in general terms, and
we forbear to mention taunts, :because in so large
and promiscuous a crowd in *fah there were no
signs of arrangement or precettence it is difficult
not to overlook some eminent inn who might be
entitled to mention. Only (} very few of Mr.
Thackeray's most intimate Maids were expressly
invited to the funeral, The htidreds on hundreds
who attended came of their dwn accord to bear
witness to the worth of a dear friend and a
much admired man ; and of &Obese we venture
;,
to refer to but one name—t of Mr. Charles
Dickens. We do so because 0 is the author
W11C14444:1:‘01;2"1*e4404.41"MtiPn -with,
Mr. Thackeray, and because he 'kris sometiniesbeedi
regarded as a rival. In point of fact, there can bb
no rivalry between those two great novelists; and
any special comparison between thein must &timed
on superficial grounds. No one had a greatik;ad-t
miration for Mr. Dickens than Mr, Thaokertiy
himself, or more unaffectedly rejoiced in hicex-
ceeding popularity. On the other hand, to no. one
could ell thought of rivalry with Mr. ThaCkeray
be more distasteful than to Mr. Dickens, who afwayi
recognized Thackeray's genius, and yesterday Oame
a long journey to testify lo the love and the hohaur
villich he felt for his greittliterary brother. ' '. -
For ione so distinguishedit has been suggested that
Westminster Abbey is the only fit resting:plece.c It;
must be remembered, howeyer, that lklr• Thackeray
desired to. be interred in the simplest manner at
Kensta-green. Ile has beren laid in a brick-htiilt
grave beside one of hiechildren, and his family
affections were so strong that we believe it Would
have been a positive pain'to him, if, when he was
alive,; he could have looked forward to being sepa-
rated from his children in, the tomb, , ;Those who
were nearest to him, and whom he luyed best of,
all in the world, were 89, mush in his mind that
even in the presence of 'casual acquaintances whom
he saw'.only at one or otlier of hilt
;clubs he ()Odd
not choose but let out somewhat' Of the strong feel.-
ing which stirred within:l;in heart for those4tcho
were as the light of his eyes. at was one of the
simplest and most winning traits: of his character;
and by those who could net help vowing wha,t he
felt in this way no more yuching sight could, he,
witnessed than that of his two )roung dadghters,'
veiled in crape, advancing' fronv the crowd tint
pressed about the grave, taking 'last sad' look at
the coffin, and then turning suddOnly away.. .Theke
are reasons why Mr. Thackeray should be buried in:
his own ground it Keneal-green Mr. Thackeray,
had 'tt rarer distinction than, that.of being a , great
,writer ; he was a classicak one. ..tfe is the greatest
master of English prode iilaiCh titer:Century has tiro-...
chiced. There may have-been med'of greatergerrtits'
than he; there may been more fortible,writers than
he; but no one has approached him'in the comniand
of polished idiomatic English in all its varieties, in
flexibility and richness, and finish of style., 4t.first,
this was not fully understood, Out now it is seen.
more and,more clearly every year; and Thackerayj
English,' notwithstanding the liberties • sibich -re4
sometimes took with it, is coming to be regarded as
the model English. We may say of him, as John-
son said of another, the most classical writer of the
last century, " Whoever wishes to attain an Erg-
lish style, familiar, but not coarse, and elegant, but
not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to
the volumes of Thackeray." Such ti man, who is
something more, something rarer than a great
writer, surely deserves a niche in Westminster
Abbey. But, in the darkness which for us and all
who knew him overshadows this festive season, it is
not of the great author and the brilliant wit that
we think most ; it is of the warm-hearted, simple-
minded gentleman, honest in all his ways, trans-
parent in all his words, full of charity in his utmost
satire, and ready to give even when he had little

8, GREAT WINDMILL-STREET, W.
Observe the Red Seal, Pink Label, and Cork branded
"Kinalian's LL Whisky."

THE best TROUSERS for gentlemen to wear
are those made by ELSTOB, of 60, New Bond-street.
They are neither so low in price as to necessitate their being
carelessly put together, nor so dear as to gain only the
wealthy purchasers. "In medic) tutisimus ibis."
ELSTOB'S TROUSERS, TWENTY-ONE SHILLINGS
PER PAIR.

The British brig Ada, from Minaiitlan,fcsico
November 19, reports that town closel>4 besieged
by the Froncb. All supplies were cut off, and the
citizens were suffering from want of provisions.
'rho rumoured recapture of Puebla by therMesicans
is alleged to have been confirmed by late arrivals at
New Orleans of vessels from Vera Cruz. There was
no resistance. The number of French troops gar.
risoning the town being small, they retired before
the Mexicans, who occupied the place with 5,000
men.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the
WELLINGTON having* been CLOSED for repairs,
&c., will be RE-OPENED THIS DAY, (THURSDAY),
the 31st December, at 5 o'clock p.m.
Liy order,
JOHN CATES, Manager.
The Wellington, St. James's-street.
Entrance, '6O, Piccadilly, W.
December 30,1863.

DR. CUMMING'S NEW WORK.
Now ready, in 1 vol., crown Svo., 7s. 6d.,
DESTINY OF NATIONS,
AS INDICATED IN PROPHECY.
By the Rev. JOHN CUMMING, D.D.
"Among the subjects expounded by Dr. Cumming in the
present interesting vo'ume are—The Little Horn; or, the
Papacy—the Waning Crescent, Turkey—the Lost Ten
tribes, and the future of the Jews and Judea ; Africa,
France, Russia, America, Great Britain, &c."—Observer.
Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

THE

Advices from Tampico represent the French gar-
rison there in a state of siege. No dates are given.
The Etna takes 673,393 dollars in specie.

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costly and inimitable toilet preparations render the hair,
teeth, and complexion beautiful beyond comparison.—Can be
had only at Madame RACHEL'S, 47A, New Bond-street,
where she can be consulted daily. All communications are
strictly confidential.

ANKRUPTCY AND COMPOSITIONS.-
LELWEKiicitor; 04; Mvergater'otim-ct,
br i
,` PEACTISES in COURT;-,and effects PRIVATE
-ARRANGEMENTS with creditors, without publicity.
Charges, the lowest possible, payable by instalments. Coun-
try cases economically conducted. . .
N.B.—DEBTS recovered on commission, free of law costs:
Divorce and Probate business conducted at moderate ex-
-1 pense.

BENSON'S WATCHES, adapted for any climate
and country; wholesale and retail. Chronometer,
duplex, lever, horizontal, vertical, repeating, centre seconds,
keyless, astronomical, reversible, and chronograph watches,
from 200 to three guineas each.
An illustrated pamphlet and price list of every description
of watch no9t free for two stamps.
J. W. BENSON, by special warrant of appointment watch
and clock maker to H.R.A. the Prince of Wales. Manufac-
tory, 33 and 34, Ludgate-hill, E.C.

IFEBOAT SERVICES.—During the recent
A heavy gales some of the boats of the Royal National
.Lifeboat Institution have been instrumental in rescuing the
crews of the following wrecked vessels :—Schooner Theophi-
lus, of Aberdeen, 5 men ; barque Tamworth, of Norway, 17;
schooner Northern Lights, of Preston, 4 ; pilot boat, of St.
Ives, 7 ; schooner Arlon, of Workington, 4 ; schooner Gipsy,
of Drogheda, 4 ; smack Saucy Jack, of Inverness, 1; barque
Marietta, of Lisbon, 1; fishing boat, of Filey, 2 ' • Tenby
fishing boat, 3 and arque Providence, of Dantzic,7. Total
lives saved, 55. The lbifeboats also assisted in bringing safely
into port, with their crews, consisting of 29 men, the Italian
.brig Camoglinp, the schooner Sir Colin Campbell, of Whitby,
the schooner Guilia, of Palermo, and the ketch Snip, of Am-
sterdam. The lifeboats also went off in reply to signals of
distress on fourteen oceasions, but their services were not
ultimately required. The amount of reward paid for all
these services was £216.
the Committee of the Institutionearnesti y AP PEAL to the
public for ASSISTANCE to tenable them to meet the con-
tinuedi heavy demands on the Society's 125 lifeboat estab-
lishments. Contributions are received by all the London
and country bankers ; and by the Secretary, Richard Lewis,
Esq.+, at the-Institution, 14, John-street, Adelphi, London.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Dec. 30.

Our new Lord Mayor is resolved to bring out the
corporation on-New Year's-day with a splendour
surpassing anything of the kind known in modern
Aimee, It is intended to revive the. warlike and
picturesque usages of the middle ages. All the city
functionaries wilkgure in the procession in appro-
priate costumes--efrem the Recorder and the Presi-
dent of the Court of Conscience to the city turn-
cocks. There will be trumpeters in quaint dresses,
knights in -brass armour, javelin men, mace-bearers,
and gallow-glasses in suits of mail, armed with
battle-axes, mounted police, hussars, &c. Of late
years the corporation seemed to be getting rather
ashamed of the antiquated mummeries of the Lord
Mayor's allow ; but the splendours of which it was
shorn will now reappear, brighter than ever after
the temporary obscuration. It would do Mr._
Ruskin's heart good to witness the-renaissance-of..
mediteval art in connection with civic displays rto
see the lumber of antiquity, the mouldering relics
of departed ages, brought out into the sunlight,
freshly painted and decorated, as if to shame the
bald utilitarianism of modern civilisation. Happily
the Saxon origin of the Irish corporations does not
detract from their antique charms to the Celtic
imagination. On the contrary, the intention is to
make the civic procession of Dublin resemble, as
nearly as possible, the same pageant in London,
with the addition of our tall gallow-glasses and
some other Hibernian variations. In fact, accord-
ing to the programme that has just been issued by
the secretary of the Lord Mayor elect, Mr. Michael
Angelo Hayes, there has been no procession to
equal this in poetic conception, richness of artistic
colouring, and theatrical effects, since the Highland
clans were marshalled in Edinburgh by Sir Walter
Scott to meet George IV. It is supposed that this
revival movement will greatly increase the circulz
tion among us of Mr. Carlisle's " Stator Resartus."
The delay of the Galway mail steamer Columbia
is accounted for by the following facts : On her out-
ward voyage she suffered severely from the gales
which at that time visited the Irish coast and
Channel. Her boats are said to have been carried
away, her decks swept,and her paddleboxes stripped.
These damages had to be repaired in New York,
where she was a day late in starting, and was en-
gaged in taking in coal when the passengers were all
going on board. She was a day late at St. John's,
and was delayed 17 hours there in coaling again.
She is said to be a slow vessel from being too deep
in the water, which is caused by the weight of iron
put on to increase her strength.
The Commissioners under the late Fishery Act
are at present holding a court in Limerick, and are
engaged in defining the mouths and the boundaries
of the estuaries of the river Shannon audits tribu-
taries, the Maigne, Fergus, and Deel. The Shannon
Fishery Company, the Shannon Fishery Protection
Association, the Lower Shannon Protection Assa-
eiation, the Harbour Board of Limerick, the Lime-
rick Snap-net Fishermen, as well as Lord Annaly,
the Knight of Glynn, and other fishery proprietors
were represented by counsel.
Mr. Benjamin Whitworth, an eminent and
wealthy Manchester merchant, having recently
offered to erect a handsome town-hall in Drogheda,
his native place, a meeting of the inhabitants was
held in the Tholsel last Monday to hear the terms
of the offer and make all necessary arrangements.
A resolution conveying the thanks of the inhabi-
tants to Mr. Whitworth for his munificent offer, and
gratefully accepting it, was passed by acclamation;
and a committee of 24 (12
,Protestants and 12
Catholics) was appointed to select a site for the
building and superintend the work. Another
public-spirited gentleman, Mr. Smith, offered to
give an extensive piece of ground (free of all
charge) for the site, which was provisionally ac-
cepted.

The Opening of the Charing-Cross Railway,

OFFICIAL INSPECTION BY CAPT. TYLER, R.E
Yesterday the official inspection of this important
metropolitan railway was made by Captain Tyler,
R.E., the Government inspector, previous to the
almost immediate opening of the line for passenger
traffic. The inspection, which was of a most rigid
character, commenced at the western extremity, or
Charing-cross end of the railway, a number of gen-
tlemen connected with the Charing-cross and South
Eastern Railways being present, among whom were
Mr. Eborall, the general manager, Mr. Knight, the
traffic superintendent, Messrs. Stanton and Barry,
for Mr.. Hawkshaw, Mr. Wythes, the contractor,
the Duke of Sutherland, Major Malcolm, R.E., in-
spector of Indian railways, Mr. Walker, the tele-
graph superintendent, Mr. Cockburn, the superin-
tendent of the Charing-cross station, &c.
About 12 o'clock the train left the Charing-cross
end of the line and proceeded gently along the
down rail to the junction at the Waterloo-road,
when a minute scrutiny of the signals (Saxby's
patent) and the points was made by the inspector.
After some time had been spent at this point the
train proceeded on its way to London-bridge, pass-
ing the new Blackfriars station, which is provided
with two side and one central platform. The whole
of the signals, points, stations, and permanent way
were carefully examined by Captain Tyler, who we
believe expressed his satisfaction at many of the
arrangements, and on the arrival of the train at
London-bridge the party alighted, and the inspector
proceeded to thejunction with the main line, which
was closely inspected, together with the working of
the points. The new line at London-bridge runs
into the Greenwich and North and Mid-Kent ter-
minus, from which platform the trains for Charing-
cross and the intermediate stations of Waterloo and
Blackfriars will be started.
It was nearly 5 o'clock before the examation at
this end of the line was completed, and the train
then made a return trip along the up.line of rails,
pausing for a few moments at Blackfriars and
Waterloo, over the Thames-bridge, to Charing-cross,
and running up alongside the platform, which was
lighted for the occasion with the globular lamps
which have been supplied to all the stations. Here
the inspection, which lasted nearly six hours, ter.
minated.
Before leaving the officials who had accompanied
him, Captain Tyler expressed his desire to go over
the line once more, in order to see that some im-
provements suggested by him are carried out.
The first train which will be run will be between
the Charing-cross terminus and the Greenwich and
North and Mid-Kent terminus at London-bridge,
thus opening a communication between the country
intersected by those lines and the West-end of Lon-
don. •
The length of the new line is about two mile,
and the distance between London-bridge and
Charing-cross will be accomplished by the trains in
about five minutes, though it can be done in three
minutes. The distance between Charing cross and
the Waterloo station is about half a mile, Waterloo
and Blackfriars a quarter,
and Blackfriars and
London-bridge one mile.

to spare.
Among the mourners were Mr. Dickens, Mr.
Tom Taylor, Mr. Shirley Brooks, Mr. Mark Lemon
(the editor of the famous periodical in which were
laid the foundations of Mr. Thackeray's fame), Mr.
John Leech (a fellow pupil and friend), Mr.Tenniol,
Mr. Horace Mayhew—in short, the whole staff
of the contributors to Puncl ; Mr. Robert Browning
(the poet), Mr. Anthony Trollope, Mr. Theodore
Martin, Mr. John Hollingshead, Mr. G. H. Lewes,
Mr. Dallas, Dr. W. Russell, Sir James Carmichael,
Mr. H. Cole, C,8., Mr. Robert Bell, Mr. O'Neile,
R.A., Mr. Creswick, R.A., Mr. George Cruikshank,
Archdeacon Hale, Mr. E. Pigott, M. Louis Blanc,
Mr. Herman Merivale, Rev. W. Brookfield, Baron
Marochetti, A.R.A., Rev. Wm, Mitchell, Mr. Rus-
sell Sturgis, Mr. George Smith, Mr. Charles Collins,
Mr. Palgrave Simpson, Mr. Henry Thompson, Mr.
Seymour Haden, Mr. F. Fladgate, Mr. Reeves
Truer, Mr. Henry Reeve, Mr. F. Elliot, Mr. W.
Richmond, A.R.A., Mr. John Millais, A.R.A., Mr.
Richard Doyle, Mr. Valentine Princep, Sir Wm.
Alexander, Mr. Richard Redgrave, &c.
The coffin, which was exceedingly plain, bore
upon it the following inscription :
" WILLIAM MAKEPEACE DIACRERAY,
Esq.,
DIED 24TH DECEMBER,
•
1863,
AGED 52 YEARS.

THE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN, Soho-square,
founded in 1842, and designed exclusively for the
treatment of those peculiar ailments from which neither
age, rank, nor character exempt the female sex, was re-
opened on Wednesday, when a number of addresses were
given iu the ward by several noblemen and gentlemen.
From the statement issued, it appears that, as the building
required extensive repairs, and the committee were desirous
of providing further accommodation for in-patients, it was
determined to add another storey; but the walls being un-
equal to sustain the additional weight had to be taken down
and rebuilt. Prior to the alterations only 25 in-patients
could be received at once, with a yearly average of 135;
now 50 patients can be accommodated. The average
attendance of out-patients annually is 14,000. The corn-•
mittee are earnestly appealing for funds to enable them to
discharge their liabilities, and provide for the occupation of
' all the new wards.
DUTIES ON PLAYING CARDS In 1788, and again
in 1801, the duty on cards was increased on sixpenny
packs, till it reached the sum of half-a-crown a pack. The
stampedwas powerfully stimulated
btryaffithceihnigcahrddsuntyo.t dulyvarious
evasive devices were invented,
and more than one speculator amassed a large fortune by
selling, under various pretences, cards on which no duty had
been paid. Under the then arrangements, waste aces of
spades could not be procured to any great extent, for the
damaged aces were returned to the Stamp-office,and allowed
for in the cardmakers' accounts. Packs, therefore, were
made up for sale with a blank card in place of the ace of
li
spades. Cut-corner cards, as they were called, i.e., packs of
cards of which one corner was cut off, and minus the ace of
Spades, were sold in immense quantities. Cards with a
corner cut off were considered by Parliament sufficiently
mutilated to render them unfit to be used in play. The pub-
lic, however, put up with the inconvenience of using cut-
corner cards rather than pay the high tax. In fact, the law
was found powerless to prevent evasions; every fresh enact-
ment produced some fresh dodge for driving through it. It
was therefore decided to diminish the duty, and to legalise,
under certain restrictions, the sale of second-hand cards. In
the year 1828 the half-a-crown duty was reduced to one
The shilling duty was tc be denoted on the ace of
spades. This was the duty one shilling ace, called " Old
Frizzle," on account of the elaborate flourishes which
adorned it, with which all caul players were familiar up to
last year.--Once a Week,

PRIZE DEsIGNS.—.." As affording the most striking con-
trast, Mr. Benson shows with these a fresh exhibition of
modern watches, with cases made from prize designs at the
South Kensington Museum, some of which are fine specimens
of engraving."—Times, Sept. 15, 1802. Chronometer, duplex,
lever, horizontal, repeaters, centre seconds, keyless, split
seconds, and every description of watch, adapted to all cli-
mates. Benson's illustrated pamphlet on watches (free by
post for two stamps)
contains a short history of watchmak-
ing, with prices, from 3to 200 guineas each. It serves as a
guide in the purchase of a watch, and enables those who live
in any part of the world to select a Watch, and have it sent
safe by post. Prize medal and honourable mention, classes
33 and 15. J. W. Benson, 33 and 34, Ludgate-hill, London.
Established 1749. Watch and clock maker by special warrant
of appointment to R.R,E, the Prince of Viream

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