The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-15 00:00:00

mitted to the franchise. " Now," said Gene-
ral PEEL, " I imagine all of them with
slates and pencils prepared to answer some, such

questions as this : "If the value of the 15,000

part of the right to return a metropolitan member
is so much, what would be the value of a similar
right to return all the metropolitan members." On
the whole this was a very successful speech, and
General PEEL showed the advantage possessed by
the Conservative candidates over their opponents of

being able to critise the past without reproach, and
look to the future without fear. Broken promises
and wasted opportunities rise up in judgment

against those who endeavour to prop up a Ministry
that has failed to secure public confidence, and has

not rendered any service to the country at•all corn

mensurate with its professions when it forced itse

nto power.

Boyal Dramatic College Fete.—This Day.

The annual fete and fancy fair in aid of the funds
of the Royal Dramatic College commenced to-day
at the Crystal Palace, and certainly the weather
was all that could be desired. Although the hour
set for the opening of the fete was 12 o'clock, long
before that time numbers of ladies and gentlemen,
whose faces were familiar to thousands of the metro-
' polls, might be seen strolling along the greensward
previous to their taking up their positions either as
showmen, actors, or money-takers at the various
booths which was to compose the fair.
Amongst the ladies whose talents were this day
exerted in the " art of selling," were first and fore-
most our own native and unapproachable comediehne
Mrs. Stirling, Mrs. Alfred Mellon, Miss Amy
Sedgwick, Mrs. Howard Paul, Miss M. Simpson,
Miss Elsworthy, Mrs. Billington, Miss Lavene, Miss
K. Hickson, Miss H. Simms, Miss L. Thompson,
the Misses Pelham, Miss A. Burdett, &c.
At twelve o'clock our old friend, M. R. Romer,
appeared as the Herald of the College, and opened
the fair with the following proclamation :
Proclamatio Regii Collegii Dramatici Feriis Annuls Agen-
dis pra3dieta, Manse Julii ay., xvii.
PRIMUM. Be it proclaimed, on the Queen our Sovereign
Lady's behalf, that every parson, of what state, degree, or
condition that he or she be of, having recourse to this Fair,
keep the peace of our Sovereign Lady tho Queen.
ITEM. That in all cases, where it shall come within the
knowledge of the Master and Wardens, that any person or
persons, whatever sox they bo of, shall have perversely,
wilfully, or without good cause absented themselves from
the Fair, then such person or persons shall make a forfeit
of ono guinea, and the Secretary shall answer thereto under
the title of Nummus Populorum Absentium.
ITEM. That no party nor parties, within tho precincts
of this fair, shall take upon themselves to make any man-
ner of assignation, attachment, or betrothment with any
" Woman in Mauve," or White, or Black, or Red, or any
other woman in and of any other colour, unless it bo done
in the presence and with the consent of the Master, Deputy-
Master, or one of the Wardens of the Royal Dramatic
College ; in contempt thereof, it shall be lawful for the
Master and Wardens in solemn Council assembled to make
a forfeit of one guinea on every such person so offending,
and the secretary shall answer thereto under the title of
Nummus Adolescentis Perviridis.

ITEM. That all female venders of merchandise, fancy-
ware, and other goods, having booths or stalls at said fair
aro hereby empowered and authorised by the Master and
Wardens in solemn Council assembled, without let or
hindrance, to ply their calling in such manner, suasion,
art, or fashion, as shall obtain from the buyers at the said
booths and stalls a largo exchange in money for such mer-
chandise, fancy wares, and other goods ; and it shall be
lawful, as also the duty of such female vendors to arrest
and detain for barter and merchandise all bachelors of
kindly look and easy means, and there and then, in such
restraint, to use all lawful arts and wiles to lure from them
the said bachelors such superfluous coins of the realm as
they may then and there possess.
ITEM. That it shall not be lawful for cosherers, or
idle, purposeless varlets and wanderers going from stall
to stall without making purchases, to linger within tho
precincts of this fair. All such cosherers, together with all
blue-devils, megrims, vapours, head-aches, and all and
every description thereof, are hereby required to abjure the
Real during the continuance and duration of this said fair.
POSTREMO. It shall be-lawful for the Master and War-
dens in solemn Council assembled, by and with the consent
of such person or persons,:who may have wilfully or other-
wise infringed the edicts of this their Proclamation, to
cause punishment to be inflicted by the fine of a sum of
ten guineas, or more, and the Secretary shall answer
thereto under the title of Nummus Laterculorum Jocularium.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
It is needless to say the reading of the above
produced shouts of laughter, and immediately
afterwards the " fun of the fair" commenced by the
opening of Richardson's Show, with a new and ori-
ginal drama in five shudders, entitled " The Smug-
gler's Doom ; or, The Sailor, the Syren, and the
Secret," written expressly for the occasion by Mr.
Nelson Lee. The artistes engaged in the perfor-
mance were Mr. T. Thorne, Mr. F. Robson, Mr.
Montgomery, Mr. J. Clarke, and Mr. R. Atkins.
The patronisers of the first performance were
exceedingly numerous, and a better com-
mencement to a jovial and pleasant day
could not have been devised. Buckstone and
Sothern seemed to be driving a good trade with
their " Aunt Sally," whilst Wombwell's Menagerie,
and the " Ri-Toole-i-o-Rama" poetry, painting,
and music, and dissolving views described by Mr.
Toole, of the Adelphi, and his " boy," Paul Bed-
ford, came in for the most extensive patronage.
The ladies' stalls were exceedingly beautiful and
attractive, and no doubt the fair vendors will net
a large sum for the benefit of the College.

CRYSTAL PALACE.--ONE SHILLING DAY.—Yes-
terday the admissions on payment were 3,961; do. by season
;ickets, 1,2031 total. 5,164.

the far-famed Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gen
PEEL was venturesome enough to criticise him, and
to remark that though he gave him credit for being
an excellent financier, and admitted his budgets to
be good, he considered that more money was
now taken from the pockets of the people
than when this Government took office. The
chief reduction in expenditure has been in
that " extra expenditure" that the Chan-
cellor and his colleagues incurred with one thing
and another. There is sound sense in the criticism
of the General respecting the manner in which the
other offices of the Administration were filled. He
said there was nothing which raised the Govern-
ment above mediocrity, and, " from the Lord Chan-
cellor downward, he did not think that there was
anything to raise them above the ordinary charac-
ter of English administrators." It is a great dis-
credit to a government when a political opponent
is able to declare, as General PEEL did, that he
defied any of the supporters of the Ministers to de-
fine the future policy of the Government, or to pre-
dict anything that they would be lilkely to do,
except to follow any course which for the moment
was in the ascendant. They have, in truth, nothing
definite or decided in view, but trade or the acci-
dents and occurrences of the hour, and then defy
any one to outdo them in wit or wisdom.
General PEEL observed, with great accuracy,
that " there were some questions on which the
country so unequivocally expressed its opinion that,
no matter who might be the Ministers of the day,
it would be impossible to oppose that decision."
After expressing a conviction that the old do-
nothing policy would not do in the next Parliament,
the gallant General went on to consider the pro-
bable changes that might be made. Concerning
the extreme alterations which some proposed, he
assured his hearers that there was as much danger
in having the advanced guard too much in front of
the main body as in having the rear guard too
much behind. This warning may be of service to
some sapient individuals who have neither method
nor moderation in their mad desire for change at
any cost. The General is in favour of an extension
of the franchise, and, in giving his opinion, he de-
clared that he spoke as a member of a Government
that had brought in a Reform Bill. He trusted
that the more dignified term of " lateral franchises'
would bring more favour than the old one of fancy,
franchises." He amusingly illustrated the notion
of the new members for Westminster that every one
who could work a sum in arithmetic should be a,