The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-26 00:00:00

rilirt

lIER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Nov. 26.

Their Roya: Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales arrived'at the Castle yesterday evening,
attended by the Hoar Mrs. Stonor and Major
Teesdale.

The Queen, accompanied by her Royal Highness
the Princess of Wales, walked and drove in the
Home Park this morning.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and
the Crown Prince of Prussia went out shooting.
Their Royal Highnesses the Crown Prince and
Princess of Prussia honoured the studios of Mr.
Theed and Mr. Foley with visits on Monday.

The Earl de Grey left town last evening for
Windsor Castle, on a visit to her Majesty. The noble earl
returns to town to-day.
The Countess of Ellesmere left town yesterday
for Paris on her way to Nice. The countess, after a short
residence at Nice, goes to Rome for the winter.
Lord Harris left town on Tuesday evening for
Belmont, his seat in Kent, to receive a select party of
friends.
The Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Preston have left
Brown's Hotel.
Colonel North, M.P., and Baroness North left
town on Tuesday, for Ickworth Park, near Bury St• Ed'
munds, on a visit to the Marquis of Bristol.
The Duke of Newcastle was prevented attending
the Cabinet Council yesterday from slight indisposition.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury will
receive a large party next week at Hatfield House, Herts.

The Marquis and Marchioness d'Andigne have
arrived at the Alexandra Hotel, St. George's-place, Hyde-
park-corner, from Paris.

The Marchioness (Dow.) of Lothian will remain
in town until the marquis and marchioness leave Ingestre
Hall, Staffordshire, for Scotland.

The Earl and Countess Jermyn, since their re-
turn from Scotland, have been staying with tho Marquis 01
Bristol, at Ickworth Park, near Bury St. Edmunds.

THE BALLOT SOCIETY.

The weekly meeting of the committee was held
on Tuesday last. The recent election at Andover
was considered, and it was resolved to call the at-
tention of the constituencies to the following el"
tract from the speech of Mr. Hawkshaw, the de'
feated candidate :

" Yon will remember that to-day one of the sub'
jects mentioned by me was that of the Ballot. That
is a subject that I have long thought of, and I saw so
mazy difficulties in the way at one time that when
I issued my address I did not mention it. But, as I
told you today, the result of my canvass was to
produce a conviction in the mind that if the vote by
ballot were adopted in Andover the Liberal cause
would be much benefited thereby. I will tell you
why I say this. Since I came to Andover I
have heard and seen more exercise of undue in"
fluence than I could have conceived possible. There
have been many observations and animadversions
made on the conduct of some gentlemen connected
with my cause. All I can say is, that if any one
has a right to complain of undue influence, it is the
Liberals of Andover. I have seen and beard case
that have made my heart bleed. I have seen
tradesmen—little tradesmen—l have seen working
men men dependent on their employment
for their daily bread—who dared not vote in
accordance with their principles, lest they should
suffer in their circumstances in consequence'
Therefore, to-day, I made the observation on
the hustings, and I repeat it again, and I bePe
it will come to the ears of those gentlemen who
have said and written charges of a similar kind
against gentlemen on my side, if they are honest in
the professions they make of a desire to relieve you
of undue pressure, their only way of so doing is to
give you vote by ballot. You will have heard the
replies made to-day to this. You have heard it said
in reply, ' I hate the ballot: Those gentlemen who
oppose the ballot on such grounds do so upon a pre-
tence so fallacious that I am surprised that men of
intellect dare come before intelligent beings and
make use of such an argument. The ballot, they
say, is un-English. In answer to this, I say that
there is no gentleman, no man of scientific attain'
ments, no man of literary acquirements, who in his
club, his scientific or literary society, does not take
refuge under the protection of the ballot. Why'
then, should they claim for themselves the exercise
of a privilege which they would deny to y ou."

THE DEVILISH RUSSIAN KNOUT.—The knout bad
a short massive handle, and a heavy leather lash
about Bft. long. It resembled those tremendous whips with
which the Cossacks of the Ukraine, when they have brought
a wolf to bay, can kill him at a single blow. The lash was
formed of leather, curved so as to give two sharp edged
along its whole length, and sometimes bound with wire
thread, the end terminated in a little iron hook. It had no
handle, but one end was left supple, so that the executioner
could wind it round his wrist. At every blow the sharp
edges of the stiff curved lash fell on the criminal's back, and
cut him as with eight yards of a pliant double-edged sword.
The executioner, subtle in his cruelty, had learnt not to
roughly withdraw the lash, but to draw it towards him, so as
to remove long flaky bands of flesh, the hook being devised
with devilish ingenuity for this detestable purpose. The
lash was also purposely long, that it lapped round the bed,'
and cut deep into the chest at the same time that it de-
stroyed the whole of the back. Indeed, to tell you the frank
truth, my dear sir, it was well known that the executioner
could, if he chose, kill any man at one blow of the knout,
by lapping him round the lungs and heart; but, as the
" Bourreau" was generally bribed, he seldom put forth hisl
whole force. When the knout was honestly used, the
criminal, if he survived the first blow, usually fainted at
the third, and died about the fifth. A ukase of Peter the
Great fixed the maximum of blows at one hundred and one
(we Russians have a superstitious respect for odd numbas);
but whether the knout became heavier, or we became more
effeminate, the hundred and one blows—which, of course'
implied death—were never given in the Emperor Nicholadfi
time.—. Dickens's "All the Year Round."
EXTRAORDINARY WILL.—AB English lady Of
quality made the following singu;ar will :—" Con'
vinced that my dog has been the most fait.bful of my friends,
I declare him the sole executor of this my lass will and testa'
went, and to him trust the disposal of all my fortune. if
have great cause of complaint against the men ; they are of
no value, either physical or moral ; my lovers aro fickle and
deceitful; my so-called friends, false and perfiti.ious•
all the creatures that surround me I have found none to
possess good qualities but "Fidele." I dispose of all cn!
property in his favour; and direct that legacies m,19
be
given to all those on whom he voluntarily bestows his
caresses, or distinguishes by wagging his tail." Wh
eu
the Rev. Sir Charles Stagemore, a rector in the)
county of Leicester, died, during the reign of
Charles the First, there was found amongst hie papers
a will to this purpose :—" I leave to my heirs 50 dogs of
various breeds and colours, 100 pair of breeches, 400 pale of
shoes, 100 pair of boots, 80 wigs, 80 waggons and carts, 00
wheelbarrows, 200 spades and shovels, 50 saddles and bar"
nesses, and 70 ploughs. Item: 'A great number of cane
and little sticks to walk with, which have been valued at
£BO ; 60 horses and mares, 200 pickaxes and pitchforks, 75
ladders, and 30 bayonets, swords, and pistols, /tem :
large waggon full of books in quires, and a little casket is
which there is £l,OOO in cash, and sundry trinkets." Tills
eccentrio parson had a man and a maid servant, whom he
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Afagazine.

LAW REPORTING.—Ia accordance with 113,i*
quisition, the Attorney-lieneral, Sir Round('
Palmer, has invited the members of the bar to meet him i/1
Lincoln's-inn Hall on an early day in December, "for tb°
purpose of ascertaining the opinion of the bar as to the e:l5
isting system of law reporting, and with a view to 1
amend men t."

5t
exclusive
ooi br
eci eon
MILITARY FORCE OF FRANCE.—The of 4c'
arnE
fg( ir toe
snhe
ria:ser
se
gconown
service,
rsbeentvsicoe
f, a4ns3ec6ae,
nearly
i6nm0:00(11,0, peuo
i urp
Av upward
)o‘t
°
and the remainder in France. The reserves con Theo
217,261 in additiion, making altogether 654,247 men•
report issued by the military authorities gives a /31°,!„
favourable account of the general discipline antc‘ne;
troops. Out of 438,123 men, only 3,887, or 1 in 130, ba.lv"
been punished. Of 58 sentences of death, 14 only bard
really carried out, the other 44 were changed into 0
labour- Of desertion before the enemy there was onlY
instance ;of treason and espionage, none at all. ,
P
A NEW COMEDY, "RECRUIT AND POET,' %
been brought out at the Hamburg Stadt,Theatre, the
au",.
jcct of which is the first interview of Goethe with the Latw.
giavine Caroline of llesse Goethe's type (according
Mr. Schueking, from whose novel the piece was taken)
fJr
Lenore in Tease.