The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-03 00:00:00

rHE SUN, _LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 3, 1865.

lightly worked, and the conduct of his guardians
rigidly watched. Each convict, too, has the privi-
lege of making a complaint to the governor of his
prison—a very wise and just rule which in no
way interferes with proper discipline ; but let
the pauper venture on such a course and
he would soon get into trouble. We have
attempted some modification of our system,
but the whole question still remains one of the
public difficulties of the day. It is very fairly con-
sidered in all its aspects in a brief paper* by Mr.
M'Comm, which was read at the Social Science
meeting, and is now republished with one or two
others. Mr. M'C omBIE was formerly a member of
the Legislative Council of Victoria, and his
views on the transportation point naturally

take the colonial side, but his remarks on

the general question are independent of
any local interest. He considers our penal
discipline to have been faulty in two particulars : it
has been too pleasant and easy for the criminals,
and it has been defiieent in a proper system of
classification. On the latter point he insists very
strongly. The dishonest class, he says, is more a
class per se than is usually thought. " The other
classes of society do not freely enter upon criminal
causes, even the poorest working men do not em-
bark on these evil ways without shame and com-
punction." In England there are two classes of

law breakers who deserve, he considers, an alto-
gether different treatment—the one is systematically
and professedly dishonest; the other offends from

intemperance, sudden temptation, and other excep-
tional causes. "It is a great error," says Mr.
M'COMBIE very justly, " to mix up the two orders,
as they are in reality quite distinct in habits and
character." He suggests that for the hopeless class
of criminals-a penal settlement should be found on
such a spot as the Falkland Islands, where they
may be strictly guarded, and especially prevented
from returning to the mother country. " Free our
society from this constant taint and re-

lieve the country from the professional crimi-
nals of whose reformation there can be
no hope, and other criminals will be more
easily dealt with at home and reformed."
Ir seems hard to say of any man that he is thoroughly
hopeless, but there is no reason why he should be
put beyond the pale of reformation because he is
expatriated. The ministers of religion, the teachers
of other kinds, may still continue their benevolent
efforts, but it is undoubtedly fair and right that

those who have manifested such a steadfast deter-
' mination to live upon their fellows, rather than by
the work of their own hands, should not be suffered
to contaminate those less hardened and less hope-
less. A gentleman familiar with the matter gave
his opinion before the Committee of the House of
Lords, that certain classes of obstinate offenders,
such as habitual thieves, reeeivers of stolen
goods, and the coinerg and passers of bad money
were practically incorrigible, and many of those
repeatedly convicted of crimes of violence or cruelty,
no doubt come under the same head. Yet some-
thing must be done with these men, and since all
sides disclaim the notion of capital punishment for
any offence less than the destruction of life, and
transportation to our colonies is no longer possible,
such a scheme as Mr. M'ComßlE's, of the Falk-
land Isles, would be worth consideration under
certain limits and restrictions, and would certainly
be more likely to exercise a deterrent influence than
the easy life inside our home prisons.

" Free Colonisation and Trade." Three papers by J.
11PCombie, F.R.S. Sampson Lowe and Co.

ADELPIII THEATRE.

- - -.
Miss Bateman last evening made her reappear-
ance at this theatre in her celebrated character of
Leah ; she was most warmly welcomed by a very
numerous audience, and her whole performance
elicited the most enthusiastic applause. There was
no perceivable alteration in her assumption of the
part—her great effort, the curse in the forth act,
being given with the usual intensity. There has
been an alteration in some of the other characters.
Mr. Jordan, for instance, takes the place of Mr.
Billington as Rudolf, and Mr. Swinbourne that of
Mr. Arthur Stirling as Nathan the apostate, neither
of which can be looked upon as an improvement.
We believe that Julia in Sherdian Knowles's play
of the " Hunchback" will be the next character in
which Miss Bateman will appear.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAM.)

PRUSSIA.
BERLIN, JAN. 3

Prince Alfred arrived here at eight o'clock this
morning from Gotha, and was received by the
King immediately after his arrival.
His Royal Highness will remain on a visit to the
Crown Prince for some days.

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, JAN. 3

An imperial decree, issued to-day, convokes the
Servian National Congress, and the synods of the
Eastern Greek Servian bishops. The creation of
an independent metropolitan for Eastern Greek
Roman Catholics in Transylvania and Hungary is
also ordered.

The Presse states that the new Austrian Commis-
sioner in Schleswig has been instructed to oppose the
abolition of the Constitution of Holstein and
Schleswig, proclaimed in 1848.

The Neue Free Presse asserts that the object of
Prince Charles of Prussia's visit to Vienna is to
strengthen the ties of alliance between Austria and
Prussia, which have recently become loosened.

FRANCE,

PARIS, JAN. 3.

An Imperial decree, dated 24th December, ap-
points Prince Napoleon a member and vice-presi-
dent of the Privy Council.
The Moniteur of this morning in its non-official
position, publishes an article reverting to some pre-
cedents relative to the constitution of the Privy
Council, and points out the value of this fresh
proof of the confidence placed by the Emperor in
the Prince.

BOURSE, Jan. 2.--The market has shown great
buoyancy, and a rather larger amount of business
has been done at an improvement. Threes, for the
Account, are now at 66f. 50c., and Mobilier at
972 f. 50c. Railway market firm, with an advance
on some of the lines. The market continued im-
proving to the close, and left off as follows :--
41 per Cents 93 90 Italian Loan 66 80
Do. end month — Do. end month 67 10
3 per Cents. 66 90 Ditto Threes 67 10
Do. end month 66 85 New Mexican
Credit Mobilier ... 950 Russian B5
Do. end month ... 962 50 Austrian
Bank Shares 3450 Spanisn Threes ... 46
Credit Foncier 1270 Rome Debt —
Roman

RAILWAYS.

Cash,

Orleans
775 875
Northern lOO7 50 ... 1010
Lyons and Mediterranean BO2 50 907 50
Southern 591 25 ... 586 25
Western 520 ... 520
Eastern 507 50 512 50
Sardinian 320 318 75
Austrian
Lombard 515 ... 520
North of Spain 373 75 375
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona —

days.

Richards, Burns, Kirby, J. Awslatte, Gray, John
Myers, Geo. Craddock, James Veal (ordinary),
Similie (ordy.), Buckley, Richard Tearell, A. 8.,
Wilkinson (stoker), - Evender (stoker), Phipps
(stoker), L. Bourne (stoker), *Sergeant Reynolds,
Bombr. W. Woodlease, Taylor (gunner, R.M.A.),
W. Brown (gunner), A. Gibbin (gunner), Rowe
(gunner), Alley (private), J. Brown (private),
Forrester (private), Miller (private), Burton (pri-
vate), G. Curry (private).

FOR INSOLENT.
Five stokers, five marines, two boys.
INDIANS.

W. R. Steward and servant ; engineers, Amoon,
T. Cobell, captain's cook ; one Chinese boy.
Number on ship's books :—Belonging to ship, 94,
private servant, 1, supernumeraries, 13. Total, 108.
(Signed) G. T. NICOLAS, Lieut. Commanding
H.M. Gunboat Insolent.

THE MAGAZINES,

BLA ciiwo op. This number commences the
year with spirit, and contains several articles of in-
terest. " Tony Butler" is concluded. This tale,
like its hero, has increased in style and interest
from its outset, and now deservedly ranks among
the average fictions of the day in serials. It -is a
satisfaction when we find that Tony is not married
to Mrs. Trafford, for Alice is a heartless, worldly
character, not at all fitted to appreciate the sterling
excellence and intrinsic worth of his nature, although
he wanted polish and refinement at his first presen-
tation to us. Part the second of " A Visit to the
Cities and Camps of the Confederate States" pre-
sents us with much interesting matter, and will
doubtless be very presentable to the reader, afford-
ing as it does an insight into events that have en-
gaged so much attention and been productive of
such momentous consequences. The writer has a
keen eye for observation, and occasionally brings
some home truth strikingly before us, displaying
the peculiarities of those among whom he mixed.
Thus, for instance, he observes that " It is as-
tonishing what people can bring themselves
to believe if they try." At Richmond it
was rumoured that the whole Federal army had
been captured, while the Yankees believed, on their
side, that Lee's forces had been annihilated. Enter-
taining incidents are ever and anon recorded, as,
for instance, when one side of the belligerents dis-
covered the other's alphabet. On one occasion
when the Yankees did so the Confederates disco-
vered it, and changed the signals ; thus, when in-
quiries were made, wrong answers were given.
" Cornelius O'D owd upon Men, Women, and
Things in General," goes on with his droll sayings,
his wise saws and modern instances, which dilate
upon matters good, bad, and indifferent with per-
fect ease and consummate dexterity. " The Fight
over the Way" not inaptly pictures some of the
transatlantic situations. " About Doctors" is a
very good sketch ; and the chapter on Droll People
contains some good hints as to that difficult art of
amusing so often attempted and so seldom success-
ful. An examination for diners out is proposed as
an adjunct to the Civil Service Commission ; and
there is truth in this remark, that " abandon:
ing conversation to pretenders is like leaving
medicine to quacks, or theology to the street
preachers. "The People who Come Late"
is a satire on a class who are very pretentious, and
have not the discernment to see that they are silly,
with all their fine show and seeming. " Life in an
Island" is an attractive sketch which may
well tempt the reader to wish that he oould
emigrate to such a desirable locality, and leave the
dull cares and plodding details of his everyday
existence behind him. It is no difficult matter to
comprehend the truth of this passage, descriptive of
some of the advantages of the situation, which we
contemplate from " Capri." It is no common tale
to begin with, to live thus suspended midway be-
tween heaven and the sea on this divine island,
from which, if one's ears were but sharp enough,
we might still hear out to sea the terrible sweetness
of the Siren's song. " The Man and the Monkey'
is a most ludicrous episode of an adventure that
took place concerning a diminutive French prisoner.
"Nile Basins and. Nile Explorers" is a very in-
teresting article on this important subject, which
s appropriate at this juncture, and fully enters
nto the question. The reader will be in-
;crested to compare the difference of the
aecounts furnished by the respective works of
Captain Grant and that of Captain Burton. The
majority of those who turn their attention to this
theme will, no doubt, concur in the conclusion
arrived at here that Captain Grant has the advan-
tage in the accuracy of his statements, and that the
case of the writer who seeks to discredit them is
bad ; also they will acquiesce in the statement tha

we may feel in closing the work of Captain Grant,
the same impression of the thorough honesty and
veracity of the author which was so striking a
feature in the works of his lamented companion.
" The European Situation" goes over, of course,

the old ground in criticising vexed questions, but it
adroitly summarises some important events, and
presents to view the dilemma in which many are
placed by the want of tact, foresight, and determi-
nation displayed by our Ministers. " Day and
Night" present some pleasing lines to consideration,
and those on night Are particularly impressive.
BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.—The romantic expedi-
tion of Prince Charles of England, and his friend
and confidant Buckingham, to Paris and Madrid,

has always been a favourite subject with historical
romancists, and it is one peculiarly suited to Mr
Ainsworth's brilliant pen. The description of the
gay Parisian court, where the charms of Henrietta,
Maria, and Anne of Austria exercised such fatal

influence over the two anonymous courtiers, is given
with animation in the current instalment of " The
House of Seven Chimneys." " The Summer Tour of

Signor Tomlins" is leading him to serious lengths,
for in this number we find him married under ra•

ther singular circumstances. A Carthusian contem-
porary of Leech and Thackeray gives us a brief and
somewhat abruptly written paper on their school

Francis Jacox has an amusing paper on the

philosopher with the toothache, showing by quota-
.