The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-12 00:00:00

IIHE SUN, LONDON, TJIURSI)AY EVENING, FEBRUARY 12, 1863

moral influences have probably a disastrous effect
on the tender young life, for we learn that the
Guardians of the North Dublin Union declined to
receive some young children who were in the hands
of the police, on the ground that " it would be
nearly certain death to them." In November, 1860,
the Board of the same Union declared, in answer to
an application for the admission of two deserted
children, that in almost every case where children
under four years of age were admitted to the work-
house it proved fatal to them. It was remarked by
ADAM SMITH that in foundling hospitals, and
among the children brought up by parish chari-
ties, the morality is still greater than among those
of common people. Such are the drawbacks to the
healthy physical existence of the young in work-
houses ; their moral dangers are infinitely greater.
It is admitted that the ablebodied paupers of both
sexes are principally composed of the idle,
vicious, and dissolute. Ara such the fitting
associates for innocent and susceptible childhood ?
Mr. TUFNELL says on this subject,—" The atmos-
phere of a workhouse that contains adult paupers
is tainted with vice; no one, who regards the
future happiness of the children, would wish them
to be educated within its precincts." Mr. SENIOR,
one of the Irish Poor Law Commissioners, adds his
testimony as to the certainty of contamination to the
boys, it they are employed on workhouse lands, or
in any other way among the adult inmates; and
he asserts the difficulty to be still greater with re-
gard to the girls, whose chance of going to service
depends on their knowledge of household matters,
which they must acquire in company with females
of bad character. Added to this evidence, we have
the emphatic declaration of the report, signed by
Sir J. G. SHAW LEFEVRE, Sir G. NICHOLLS, and
Sir G. CORNEWALL LEWIS, that a workhouse can
not, with the greatest attention to classification,
be made a place in which young girls can
he removed from the chances of corruption."
Whether all is done that might be done in the way
of classification may very fairly be doubted, but
the fact remains that under the most favourable
auspices the workhouse is a very undesirable home
for the young of either sex, but most especially so
for girls. We remember reading in the report of
a workhouse chaplain some time since his descrip-
tion of the change that came over girls when re-
moved from among the children to the adult ward.
In the short space of one week there was, he said,
a perceptible difference in their manner, and no
wonder, for at that most susceptible age, unfortified
by previous moral training, unprotected by the shel-
tering influences of family affection, they are sud-
denly associated with some of the most hardened
and vicious, if not the most criminal of their sex.
Girls, who in another class of life would have been
guarded by parents and teachers from the faintest
whisper of evil, are suddenly condemned to hear
all kinds of bad language as the common conver-
sation round them. Boys are trained in habits of
precocious evil and thriftless idleness, while the
instruction they receive from the paid officials is
often of a very low order. What wonder that under
such a system our prisons are never empty. What
wonder that crime shows no perceptible decrease in
spite of school, and refuge, and reformatory ? Are
we not pulling down with one hand what we
build up with the other ? Where is the use of
private charity and individual exertion establishing
reformatories for the youthful companions of thieves
and vagrants, if the children brought up under
the auspices of the State are forced to associate
with those very characters ? A. very able paper,
read at the Social Science Meeting, 1861, and re-
printed in the current number of the Journal of
the Workhouse Visiting Society, discusses this
question in its Irish aspect. The writer observes—
" The emoluments of a workhouse teacher are not
such as to draw the superior class of teachers
away from the free life of the ordinary national
school ; the well conducted and skilful tradesman
will not submit to the restraints of workhouse dis-
cipline for the stipend there allowed for the instruc-
tion of pauper children in trades ; in fine, no provi-
sion is made at the model agricultural schools
for the instruction as skilled labourers of the class
from whom the farm workmen of the country dis-
tricts should be drawn." Again, the same author
says—" The massing together of large nusibers is
not conducive to morality; individual character
cannot be watched over among so many, and the
superintendence must be too limited to allow of care,
being directed to developing good qualities and
restraining evil propensities." Various schemes
have been suggested for the amelioration of these
evils, among them the establishment of orphanages,
who place the children in humble fnmilies, thus
securing the inestimable advantages of family
training. Two of these in the sister kingdom, one a
Catholic and the other a Protestant society, appear to
have worked with great success. With regard to the
disposal of the growing boys and girls, the case is
still more difficult. One of the best means of pro-
viding for the girls seems to be the mode suggested
by the indefatigable paupers friend, Miss TWINING,
by the establishment of an Industrial Home in con-
nection with the Workhouse, where young girls
are trained for the various departments of domestic
service or nursing ; suitable places are found for
them, and a supervision is kept up for some time.
In too many cases the putting them out to work is
only the change from one evil to another. The
hardships of parish apprentices having been, unfor-
tunately, too often before the public. The guardians
with a view to the practice of that economy which
they rank first among the virtues, are generally too
glad to get rid of the expense of their helpless
charges to inquire very closely into the temper or
habits of the taskmaster to whom they are assigned.
Englishmen are not generally consideded a nig-
gardly race; the readiness and indiscriminateness of
their almsgiving has sometimes incensed political
economists, and their lavish expenditure in every
public matter is proverbial. Their care for the
orphan and the destitute is testified by maay an
asylum and refuge. The value they set on a sound
education is shown by many a public and charitable
school. How is it, then, that at the door of the
Workhouse all these qualities are suddenly
reversed, that in place of the open hand
we have the careful parsimony that shrinks
from the needless outlay of a sixpence, that in
every question of health, education, or morals, the
expense is the first thought. Truly, the intelligent
foreigner, if he read a few of the Admiralty esti-
mates, might question the necessity of sacrificing
health and morals to save a few pounds a year.
There is room for the reformer to work in this
quarter, else, while Royal Commissioners and com-
mittees are pondering over the relative claims of
rival systems and regulating the due Preponderance
of opposing sects, it may chance to be said of
Christian England that she is bringing up a large
proportion of her children with virtually neither
creed nor knowledge.

THE CHINA.—The non-arrival up to yesterday
afternoon of the mail steamer China has been spoken
of in Liverpool as causing some ground for apprehending
that an accident has occurred to her machinery. The
Canadian Mail steamship Hibernian, just arrived, brings
intelligence that the China had not sailed from New York
up to noon of the 29th ult., the day after she should have
sailed, she having been detained by a very severe snow-
storm which prevailed at New York, She had 431,940
dole, in specie on freight,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

[REITTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

THE WAR IN AMERICA.

NEW YORK, JAN. 31.

The Richmond Dispatch warns the Democrats
and Conservatives of the North to dismiss from
their minds the delusion that the South will ever
consent upon any terms to re-enter the Union, and
says that if the North allowed the South to write
a constitution, and gave every guarantee, the South
would prefer the Government of England or France
to re-entering the Union.
The New York Tribune says the people want
to see the Government make war in earnest. If
they cannot make war, or if they make war and
fail, and shall therefore be satisfied that the struggle
is hopeless, people will next wish to ascertain if the
Government is equally incapable of making peace.

The New Fork Herald and the 7tmes favour the
continuance of the war until the Union is restored.

ARRIVAL OF THE RANG AROO.

QUEENSTOWN, FEE. 12.

The Inman steamer Kangaroo, from New
York on the 31st ult. has arrived here with
the mails, 900,000 dole. in specie and 50 pas-
sengers. She has heard nothing of the China.

FRANCE.

PARIS, FEB. 12.

The Pays is delighted with the speech of M.
Billault. It states that he surpassed himself on
this recent occasion, and that the legislative body
can now entertain no doubt as to what are the sen-
timents of France towards Turin and Rome. His
magnificent speech has dissipated the clouds of
doubt and obscurity which enveloped the minds of
some, and from henceforth all anxieties must cease
on this point. The language of France has
always been the same to Rome and to
Turin. She has always maintained that she
will not sacrifice the independence of Italy
to the Sovereign Pontiff, and at the same time
asserted that neither will she sacrifice the indepen-
dence of the Sovereign Pontiff to Italy. In one
word, the opinion of France is, that the Kingdom
of Italy ought to organise itself without Rome for
its capital, and that the patrimony of St. Peter
should suffice to constitute a sovereignty that would
assure the independence of the Holy See.
The Siecle contains a communication recently
received from the Minister of the Interior, which
states that "certain journals,
and especially the
Siecle, have raised objections against the notifica-
tion published by the Ilioniteur, which nothing can
justify. After a long dissertation on the subject, it
concludes by remarking that the Administration,
instead of bringing those questions before a tribunal,
wished to give the journals a benevolent warning,
which the spirit of party has made them mis-
represent.

BOURSE, Feb. 11.—The market continues ani-
mated, but without any further advance in prices.
Threes, for the Account, are now at 70f. 75e.
Railway Share Market rather heavy; but prices not
materially altered. Sales for realisation caused a
retrograde movement previous to the close, and the
the market closed as follows :

4t per Cents. 99
Do, end month
3 per Cents
Do. end month 7O 60
New 3 per Cents
Do. end month —
Credit Mobilier 1230
Do. end m0nth...,1235 -
RA IL'

Bank Shares 3400
Credit Foncier l5lO
Piedmontese Fives
Italian Loan 7l
Russian
Austrian
Spanieli Threes —
Elome Debt

Orleans
Northern
New ditto .. .
Lyons and Mediterranean

'AYS.,

Cash. Account.
1112 60 .. 1112 50
1036 25 .. 1035

1187 50 .. 1193 75

THE THRONE OF GREECE.

There is no truth in the latest rumour with re-
spect to the Greek Crown. Prince Louis of Hesse
is not a candidate, nor is there the remotest prospect
of his becoming one.

We believe we are quite justified in saying that,
as yet, no progress has been made towards the solu-
tion of the difficulty which still puzzles the states-
men of Europe. The ascertained facts are that
Prince Alfred and the Duke de Leuchtenberg are
excluded, and that the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and
the Prince of Leiningen have declined. There re-
main in the " Almanach de Gotha" a number of
names from which it may or may not be possi-
ble to select a prince. There are the Princes of
Baden—of these Prince William, the next brother
to the reigning duke, is about to marry a sister of
the Doke de Leuchtenberg, which in itself raises a
strong disqualification. Then there is Prince Charles,
of whom, however, little or nothing is known either
as to his capacity or disposition. The Archduke
Maximilian would no doubt make a most excellent
king, but it is understood that he would, as an Aus-
trian and Catholic, be little likely to prove accepta-
ble to the Greeks. Prince Nicholas of Nassau is
also a person of whose ability and general fitness
report speaks highly, but it is supposed, not with-
out good grounds, that by some of the Powers he
would not be well received as a candidate. There
have been one or two other names mentioned, but
they are those of princes on whom we could hardly
look with any favour, and indeed of whom it might
be safely premised that, in the event of their elec-
tion, we should not feel justified in ceding the
lonian Islands to their rule. Thus, then, unfortu-
nately, the question is hung up. The Greeks will
learn from unpleasant experience that it is far easier
to unmake a King than to make one. They them-
selves, after their first and unanimous choice of
Prince Alfred, cannot tell where to look. They know
little or nothing of the Princes of Europe ; and, as
in the case of the Duke of Coburg, are much dis-
posed to adopt any good candidate that may be
suggested to them. But their friends now seem as
much at a nonplus as the most unsophisticated shep-
herd of Arcadia. In this state of things, it can only
be recommended to the Greeks to wait for the pre-
sent, and to evince by their peaceable conduct, under
circumstances which all admit to be of a trying de-
scription, how much they are worthy of the interest
and consideration with which they thus inspire the
Great Powers.—Morning Post.

ST. JAMES'S HALL.

CONCERT OF NATIONAL MELODIES.

The seventh entertainment of the series pro-
jected by this very agreeable enterprise was given
at these rooms last evening, and again formed an
attraction that crowded them in every part. This
is partly to be explained, however, by the fact that
Signor Giuglini was again the feature—being his
last appearance in London previous to his departure
for Vienna. The other singers were Miss Banks,
Miss Saunders, and Mde. Lemaire. The choir were
again very successful in their rendering of "Scots
wha hae" and "Auld lang sync,' arranged by Mr.
Martin, as well as in " The march of the men
of Harlech"—the patriotic air of . Wales—
which is worthy to rank with that of
Scotland, and was so well given as to be encored.
Their delivery of the prayer from " Mose in Egitto,"
and of the chorus in the " Trovatore," was also full
of depth and feeling. Miss Banks was very charm-
ing in the " Last rose of summer," and the ballad
from the "Lily of Killarney," "In my wild
mountain valley." Miss Saunders was not
less successful in "Auld Robin Gray," which
she sung with exceeding sweetness. Madame
Lemaire was very pleasing in the pathos of
" Kathleen Mavourneen," and not less in the bril-
liancy of "Non pin Mesta," whilst the instrumenta-
tion of the evening lay in a morceau fantastique,
upon the Carnival of Venice, arranged and played
by Mr. Frederick Chatterton ; and "a grand coro-
nation duet for harp and piano," composed by
Bochsa, arid performed by Mr. W. Layland and
Herr Wilhelms Ganz. The feature of the night,
however, as we have said, was Signor Guiglini, who
was again in superb voice, and sung his " Mappari
tutt amor" with all his unrivalled force and emotion,
earning, of course, a loud encore, together with a
new romanza of great beauty, " The Last Wish,"
its first time of performnnce—winding up with his
delightful " A the la morte," from the " Trovatore,"
in which he was excellently supported by the
chorus, and which also won the honour of a
universal re-demand. The concert opened
the National Anthem and concluded with
" Rule
Britannia." with

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tzlitnTar

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Feb, 11.

Her Majesty the Queen arrived at Windsor Castle
to-day, at a quarter-past 6 o'clock, from Osborne,
accompanied by their Royal Highnesses the Prince
of Wales, Prince Louis of Hesse, Princess Helena,
Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice, and Prince
Leopold.

In attendance were the Marchioness of Ely, the
Baroness Von Schenck, the Baroness Von Grancy,
the Hon. Mrs. Bruce, Lieut.-General Hon. C. Grey,
Colonel tl e Hon. Sir C. Phipps, Lord Alfred Paget,
Equerry in Waiting, and Major Teesdale.
His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Hesse arrived
at the Castle soon after her Majesty, attended by
Captain Westerweller, Lieutenant-Colonel Du Plat,
and Dr. Becker.

The Hon. Beatrice Bing and the Hon. Emily
Cathcart are the Maids of Honour.

Lord Rivers and Lieutenant-General Sir H.
Bentinek are the Lord and Groom in Waiting to
her Majesty.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge and the Princess Mary. and their Royal Highnesses
the Duke and Duchess d'Aumale, honoured the perform-
ances at the Adelphi Theatre with their presence last
evening.

The Marquis Camden and the Ladies Pratt have
arrived at their residence in Grosvenor-square, from Wil-
derness Park, Sevenoaks.

The Earl Russell has issued cards for a diplomatic
dinner on the 14th inst., at his residence in Chesham-place.
The Earl and Countess of Lincoln have arrived
at their new residence in Belgrave •square.

Count Charles Kniphausen, who has been etaying
on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Manchester, at Kim-
bolton, will leave Kimbolton to-day on a visit to the Earl
and Countess Howe, at Gopsall, Leicestershire.
Viscount Walden has taken a residence in Eaton-
place for a term of years.

Lord and Lady Southampton, Sir George Suttie,
and Sir Charles Tempest have arrived at the St. George's
Hotel.

Lord and Lady Churston have left Farrance's
Hotel for Staffordshire.

Lord de Lisle and Dudley, Lord and Lady
Churchill; and Lord Wrottesley have left the St. George's
Hotel.

Lady (Anthony) de Rothschild gave a grand ball
last evening at Aston Clinton, which was numerously and
fashionably attended.

The Ladies Charlotte and Dorothy Wentworth
Fitzwilliam have arrived at Edwards's Hotel, from Harro-
den House.

The Right Hon. B. Disraeli gave a Parliamentary
dinner yesterday, at his residence, Grosvenor-gate. There
were present—the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, the
Marquis of Normanby, the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Hon.
Wilbraham Egerton, Sir Charles Mordaunt, Sir Thomas
Hesketh, Sir Massey Lopes, Sir Henry Stracey, Sir George
Forster, Mr. Charles Turner, Mr. Moffitt, Col. Bartellot,
Mr. Wm. Cubitt, Mr. Somes,Mr, John Hardy, Mr. Hornby,
and Mr. butler Johnstone.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE
PRINCESS ALEXANDRA AT GRAVESEND.—At a
quarterly court of the corporation of Gravesend, held on
Wednesday, a discussion took place as to the arrangements
for the reception of H.R.H. the Princess Alexandra of
Denmark, on the occasion of her disembarkation at that
port. The council decided to enter into an arrangement
with the receiver to the Court of Chancery for the use of
the terrace pier, which will place it in the hands of the cor-
poration pro tem. It was unanimously resolved to spare no
expense in providing for the Princess such a reception as is
worthy her and the event which brings her among us. The
letter of Lord Sydney, giving the date of the arrival of the
Princess, the 7th of March, stated that the hour of her ar..
rival was not yet known. The Mayor (G. Sams, Esq.)
stated that it was intended to present to the Princess on her
landing a bouquet and a beautiful flower basket of silver.
He also notified that he should give to the poor inhabitants
a dinner and tea on the 7th, and a grand ball to the nobility
on the 10th.

TnE EARL OF CHESTER.—We take from the Lon-
don Gazette the following account of the introduc-
tion of H.R.H. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, into the
House of Peers, at the meeting of Parliament on Thursday,
Feb. 5, 1863 :—" His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales
in his Parliamentary robes, and wearing the collar of the
Order of the Garter and that of the Star of India, was in-
troduced into the House of Peers. The proceeding from
the Robing.room was as follows :—Gentleman Usher of
the Black Rod, Sir Augustus W. J. Clifford, Bart., C.B.
Garter King of Arms, bearing his Royal Highness's
patent of creation, Sir Charles George Young, Kt ; Lord
Kingsdown ; the Earl of Derby, K.G.; Lord Chamberlain
of the Household, Viscount Sydney; Lord Steward of the
Household, Earl of St. Germans, G.C.B. ; Deputy Earl
Marshal, Lord Edward G. Fitzalan Howard; Lord Great
Chamberlain, Lord Willoughby d 'Ercsby ; Lord Privy
Seal, Duke of Argyll, K.T. ; Lord President of the Coun-
cil, Earl Granville, K.G.; the Coronet of the Prince on a
crimson velvet cushion, borne by the Hon. Robt. H. Meade,
one of his Royal Highness's Equerries ; his Royal High-
ness the Prince of Wales, carrying his writ of summons,
supported by the Duke of Newcastle, K.G., in his robes,
and his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, K.G., in
his robes, attended by Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, Lord of
the Bedchamber, and Earl Spencer, Groom of the Stole, in
their robes ; and, proceeding from the bar up the house
with the usual reverences, the writ and patent were deli-
vered to the Lord Chancellor on the woolsack, who deli-
vered them to the Clerk of the Parliaments; his Royal
Highness then with his supporters went to the table, the
rest of the procession standing near and about the table.
The letters patent, by which his Royal Highness was
created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, bearing date
the Bth Dec., 1841, and the writ of summons to Parliament,
bearing date the sth inst, were severally read by the Clerk
of the Parliaments at the table, where his Royal Highness
then took the oath and subscribed the declaration. After
which his Royal Highness was conducted to his chair on the
right hand of the Throne, and his Royal Highness being
seated and covered as usual, the ceremony was concluded,
when his Royal Highness received the congratulations of
the Lord Chancellor. His Royal Highness then retired
from the house, and being unrobed, was conducted to his
carriage by the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Deputy Earl
Marshal, Garter, and Black Rod. The Knights of Orders
wore their collars."

Eliza, Cook has recently, we observe, sang one of
her heart-born songs in behalf of the starving
operatives of Lancashire. A new Cheap Family
Paper, called Peep o' Day, has been the original
medium of its publication. The proceeds of these
latest "Stanzas" addressed by the Poetess of the
People to her Starving Kin in the North are to be
set apart to be added to the Fund still accumulating
for the Relief of the Distressed. In the concluding
lines of this pathetic address—lines breathing in
their simple utterance the true po3try of feeling—
the Songstress exclaims as truthfully as touch-
ingly-
4. And my patriot love and my patriot song
To the children of labour will ever belong."

Among these patriot songs may now be numbered
the very Stanzas from which we are here quoting.

CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF
DANIEL MANIN'S DEATH AT VENICE.—Once more
the Austrian Government made war on the service for the
dead. All priests were menaced with the severest penal-
ties who would dare to offer up a mass or chant a requiem
for the repose of Manin. With the early day a multitude
thronged to the church of St. Luc, the parish church of
Manin's former home. As they approached, the doors
were closed by armed men. All who would attempt to
enter were threatened with arrest. The house of prayer,
which, according to the usage of Roman Catholic countries, is
left open for the devotions of all who choose to enter, was shut
against the sorrowing crowd who came to pray for their de-
parted chief. The pious affection of his countrymen found
means to base even the stern vigilance of the Austrian
police, and in a temple which that vigilance had not
thought it necessary to guard, was performed the forbidden
service that implored peace for Manin's soul. As the sun
went down that evening, an unusual crowd had filled the
unfrequented church of the Capuchins, which rises on one
of the isles on the outskirts of the City of the sea, near the
cemetery of San Michele. Gondolas in hurried visits had,
in rapid succession, been disembarking small separate par-
ties, and hastened from the lauding-place, to avoid the
appearance of a gathering. In a short space of tine the
church was filled ;;the multitude knelt down in silence, is
the falling shadows of the twilight deepened the sombre
dimness of the sacred building. No priest disobeyed the
injunction that forbade him to perform any service for the
dead. But through the breathless stillness of the church
was heard a voice that said —" Let us pray for the soul of
Daniel Manin. The solemn chant of the "De Profundia"
rose at onoe from a thousand hearts. It swelled from the
vaulted aisles of the old building; its melancholy intona-
tions were borne over the waters of the canal and the
higune. The waiting gondoliers, all who were plyingon its
surface, reverently uncovered their heads. Wherever the
voice of that chant was heard on land, the passer through
the streets knelt down ; the children ceased their sports,
and men and women left their work to pray. In this strange
fashion it was that Venice wafted to Heaven her stealthy
and forbidden orisons for the soul of her exiled and mar-
tyred chief."—Isaac Butt's Preface to Martel's translation
of Atarlites Life of .111anin.

THE PRINCE- OF WALES.

Presentation of the Freedom of the Fish-
monger's Company to his Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales—(This Day,)

The imposing ceremony of presenting the freedom of the
Fishmonger's Company to his hoyal Highness the Prince
of Wales, took place at the Fishmonger's Hall, this day.
Soon after 11 o'clock preparations for the reception of his
Royal Highness were commenced. The grand flight of
steps leading to the principal entrance of the building fr: m
London-bridge, was covered with scarlet cloth, and the
winners of Dogett's Coat and Badge, habited in their well-
known scarlet coat, lined the steps at either side.
In the Grand Hall the band of the Royal Artillery was
stationed, and the grand staircase was decorated in the
most elegant style.

The large hall in which the ceremony took place was
crowded by the members of the company and a large num-
ber of visitors, a chair being placed in the centre for his
Royal Highness, and the numerous royal portraits which
ornamented the noble apartments were surrounded with
the colours of Great Britain.

At two minutes to one his Royal Highness arrived, and
was conducted to the reception-room, where the members
of the company were introduced.

The Freedom also having been read, it was then placed
in a gold box, and Mr. Towse, holding the same, took up
his position near to his Royal Highness,

This ceremony having bean completed,
His Royal Highness was conducted to the Great Hall,
where Mr. B. Towse, the Clerk of the Company, read the
minutes of the last court, and afterwards announced that
his Royal Highness attended to take the Freedom of the
Company. The declaration as then read by Mr. Towse,
was as follows :

I solemnly and sincerely declare that I will be true and
faithful to our Sovereign Lady the Queen,, and to her heirs
and successors; in all matters lawful and honest I will be
obedient to the Wardens of the Mistery of Fishmongers
of the City of London for the time being in that office,
and ready to come at their summonses and lawful warn-
ing, except I have a lawful excuse, without feigning or
delay, according to the lawful ordinances of the Mistery
of Fishmongers aforesaid, which ordinances and every of
them to my power I will observe and keep, or else will pay
such penalties and fines as I shall forfeit by reason of my
disobedience. And I make this solemn declaration con-
scientiously intending and being resolved faithfully
and truly to abide by, perform, and fulfil the same, and
by virtue of the provisions of an act made and passed in
the fifth and sixth years of the reign of his Majesty
William the Fourth, cap. 62, intituled, "An act,
to repeal an act of the present session of Parliament," inti-
tuled, "An act for the more effectual abolition of oaths
and affirmations taken and made in various departments of
the state, and to substitute declarations in lieu thereof, and
for the more entire suppression of voluntary and extra
judicial oaths and affidavits, and to make other provisions
for the abolition of unnecessary oaths."
Alderman CUBITT then said—May it please your Roya
Highness, on behalf of the Prime Warden (the state of
whose health has led him to ask my assistance), the War-
den, the Court of Assistants, and the commonalty of this
ancient company, I have the honour to offer to your Royal
Highness the expression of their gratification in the enrol-
ment of your Royal Highness's name in their annals.
Their predecessors from time to time in bygone years have
had the honour of admitting illustrious personages. to the
freedom of the company, and in comparatively modern
times we have recorded the admission of his
Royal Highness Frederick, Prince of Wiles, your Royal
Highness's royal grandfather, the Duke of Kent, whose
portrait graces the hall, condescended to honour the com-
pany. Your Royal Highness's father on this very spot did
the company the same honour which your Royal Highness
has just conferred, and by his kind influence the company
became possessed of a portrait of our country's beloved
Sovereign, which they joyfully placed in the hall, here to
remain for generations to come, that the Fishmonger's
Company, their friends and visitors, may at all times have
opportunity of contemplating the likeness of the best of
British Queens. The Fishmonger's Company is one of
those ancient guilds which in remote periods were incorpo-
rated and invested with functions by which their
respective crafts were fostered and protecfed, and the in-
terests of the public promoted. In looking through the long
vista, of past centuries we find the names of many dis-
tinguished men—that of Walworth, whose brave and
zealous loyalty well entitled his memory to the statue which
worthily fills a niche in this hall of the company, where
loyalty and patriotism find an abiding place. In common
with all her Majesty's subjects, the Fishmonger's Company
contemplated with satisfaction and joy the approaching
happy event which is to unite your Royal
Highness in holy wedlock with the illus-
trious, beautiful, and accomplished Royal lady,
the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, They hope that
Providence may bless your Royal Highness and your
Royal bride, and that the career which awaits your Royal
Highness, in the most exalted position which man can
inherit, may be lightly affected by those cares and anxieties
which accompany great responsibilities, that successful re-
sults may attend all your Royal Highness's undertakings,
and that your Royal Highness may have a long, healthy,
happy, and prosperous reign.

The Prince of WALES acknowledged the compliment as
follows—Mr. Cubitt and Gentlemen,—lt is with the
greatest pleasure that I find myself called on to return my
sincere thanks to you, sir, as Prime Warden, and to the
gentlemen of the court of assistants of the honourable and
ancient Company of Fishmongers, for tho complimentary
and kind terms in which you have expressed yourselves
towards me on the occasion of my taking up my freedom,
and on your enrolling my name as a citizen with those
illustrious pet sonages and relatives who stand re-
corded in your annals. It cannot be otherwise than a
source of pride and of a still deeper feeling of affection,
when I look on those walls and sae the forefathers of those
whose son and grandson hopes to form one of your dis-
tinguished body; and to be thought worthy of occupying
the place of my lamented parent—whose loss the whole
couniry has united in deploring—would be in itself an ob-
ject of my highest ambition. Let me also tender to you
my warmest acknowledgements for the manner in which
you have offered your congratulations to me on my ap-
proaching marriage to the young Princess, and who hopes
so soon to adopt the proud title of an Englishwoman, and
to prove herself a comfort to the Queen in her affliction,
His Royal Highness and suite then left the hall.

The following is a copy of the freedom presented' to his
Royal Highness.

" At tha General Court of Assistants, holden at the Fish-
mongers Hall, on Thursday 12th of February, in the 26th
year of the reign of her Majesty Victoria, Queen of Great
Britain and Ireland, in the year of our Lord 1863, the most
Noble, most Mighty, and most Illustrious Albert Edward
Prince of Wales, Duke of Saxony, Duke of Cornwall, Duke
of Rothsay, &c., &c., was admitted, and took the declara-
tion of a freeman of this mystery.
(Signed)
JOSEPH UNDERWOOD, Prime Warden.
WILLIAM CVBITT, M.P.
J. SBICER,
W. CHARLES VEXING, Wardens.
F. B. HENSHAW,
G. MOORE,

The chaste and massive geld casket, containing the free-
dom, illuminated and engrossed on vellum, presented to
H.R.H. by the Company, bore the following inscripticn :
‘‘ Presented, on the occasion of his taking up his freedom,
to His Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales,
by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers of the City of
London, in commemoration of the honour conferred upon
the Company of which his late Royal father and several
members of his illustrious family were also members. Feb.,
1863."

The casket was designed in the renaissance style of orna-
mentation, and bore his royal highness's arms and mono-
gram with the company's arms. It is surmounted by the
Prince's coronet and feathers, and a female figure seated
on a dolphin, emblematical of the company.
An incident occurred to Mr. Cubbitt when addressing
his royal highness, which caused a general titter amongst
the great number of ladies immediately in front of the Prince.
When Mr. Cubitt came to that part of his spsech alluding
to his Royal Highness's marriage, he for the moment for-
got the name of the royal bride, but he was instantly re-
minded of the Princess's name, and he then proceeded with
his observations; but the circumstance caused a suppressed
smile on his Royal Highness's countenance, as well as
upon that of all who had the good fortune to be present.

DUTY ON GAME CERTIFicATEs.—Frorn a return
to the House of Commons yesterday printed it appears that
,here has been an increase in the number of game certi-
ficates. In the year en,Qed March, 1861, the duty Vita
£129,906, and for the year ended Mach last £140,984.
THE DUTY ON DOGS.—BY a return yesterd..:7
issued it is shown that the duty on dogs for the year ending
Mare last was £196,527.

Mr. Mason, the Commissioner from the
American Confederate States.

Last evening this gentleman made a speech in
public, at a banquet at the Mansion-house, in refe-
rence to the existing relations between the Confe-
derate States of America—of which he is here the
accredited representative, end the Euglish Govern-
ment, by whom he is as yet unrecognised. He was
a guest, with Lord Alfred Churchill, M.P., Lord
George Lennox, M.P., Lord Colville, Gun. Sir 0.
Pollock, Mr. Halliburton, M.P., Mr. J. C. E wart,
M.P., The O'Connor Don, M.P., Col. French, M.P.,
Alderman Salomons, M.P., and Mr. Kennard,
M,P., among others, at a dinner at which the Lord
Mayor and the Lady Mayoress entertained the
aldermen and the members of the Court of Common
Council for the wards of Castle Baynard, Cheap,
Coleman-street, Cordwainers, Cornhill, Cripple-
gate (within and without), Dowgate, and Farring-
don-within. The company, about 250 in number,
included besides his Excellency Rear-Admiral Don.
Juan de Dios and Captain Blanco, of the Spanish
navy; Gen. Sir A. S. Waugh, Admiral Stopford,
Gen. Brooke Taylor, Col. Sargent, C. 8., Col. Lind-
say, Col. Aldworth, Alderman Sir R. W. Carden,
Alderman Carter, Alderman Phillips, Alderman
Allen, Alderman Gibbons, Alderman and Sheriff
Lawrence, Me. Sheriff Jones, Mr. Pope, the Mayor
of Quebec, and the clergy of the several wards. The
banquet was served in the Egyptian-hail.
Towards the close of the entertainment the LORD
MAYOR proposed the toast of " The Visitors," re-
ferring particularly to the presence of the Mayor of
Quebec and Mr. Mason. The mention of the latter
gentleman's name elicited loud cheers. His Lord-
ship proceeded to say, alluding to Mr. Mason, that
although he could not greet that gentleman as a
recognised plenipotentiary to this country he was
perfectly justified, by virtue of his position as chief
magistrate of the city of London, in offering to
him, and to all gentlemen who came to this country
on any important public business, a hearty welcome
in his official residence. They, as citizens of Lon-
don, deeply deplore the disastrous war which was
being waged on the American continent, and longed,
in common with the rest of their countrymen and
of the civilised world, to see it brought to some
satisfactory termination. He gave " The Virsitors,"
coupling with the toast the name of the Mayor of
Quebec.

Mr. POPE, the Mayor, briefly acknowledged the
compliment in an animated speech, in which ha
dwelt on the strong attachinent of tie North
American colonists to the mother country, adding
that they regarded it as their highest privilege that
they were fellow-subjects with the people of Eng-
land of the same Sovereign.

Mr. MASON, responding to an urgent invitation
of the company, presented himself to speak, and
was received with enthusiastic cheers. He said,—
My Lord Mayor, my Lady Mayoress, my lords,
ladies and gentlemen, but that I feel deeply the
obligations I am under to the honoured chief
magistrate of this city for permission to be present
to-night I should feel strongly disposed to pick a
quarrel. His lordship has not chosen to remember
that here, in England, lam not considered of full
age ; that lam yet in my minority. The Govern-
ment of England—we all know, honoured from,
ages, and always a wise Government in its genera-
tion—has declared that the country which I repre-
sent beyond that broad water has not yet attained
years of discretion, and is not yet capable of ma-
naging its own affairs. (A laugh.) I say, there-
fore, that but for really being overwhelmed by tho
kind and generous manner in which I have been
received by this honoured company, and in the pre-
sence of your chief magistrate, I should have been
disposed to say, in the language of a poet :
" You would scarce expect one of my age
To speak in public on the stage."
My Lord Mayor, I am a stranger in London—or,
rather, I was a stranger; but I have learnt since
I came to London that none of English blood from
my own Southern land are strangers among you.
(Cheers.) I speak this from any heart—(cheers)--
for I have been by every circle in England and by
every class of society a welcomed and an honoured
guest. (Cheers.) I return my sincere thanks to
you for the kindness with which you have listened
to a stranger. The day will come—(great cheering)
—it is not far off—when the relationship between
that Government which is now in its infant fortune
and yours will be one of close and intimate alliance.
(Renewed cheers.) I say this more especially as
regards the city of London, which is the great mar-
ket for the world. My country is the unrivalled
producer of the great staples of the world, and I say
the relations—commercial, doubtless political, cer-
tainly social—between my honoured countrymen
and the people of London will before long be of the
most intimate character. (Cheers.)