The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-10 00:00:00

MR. ALBERT SMITH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUL

Sr, —With respect to the circumstance mentioned in
your paper of last evening, viz., that a paragraph puff-
ing " Mont Blanc" was surreptitiously inserted in The
Sim for a bribe of some paltry advertisements, I beg
to give this a simple and indignant denial. Yours
respectfully,

ALBERT SMITH.

[We leave the above gentlemanly contradiction to
speak for itself—and, in doing so, we commend the
matter to Mr. Albert Smith's conscience, and to his
calm reflection in the hereafter. Our statement of
last evening we here simply and explicitly reiterate. We
have refrained, until now, from alluding to a transaction
in regard to which further silence would have been
culpable : but, having done so, we discard the occur-
rence as unworthy of more than this passing considera-
tion.—En. SUN.]

THE SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.-" THE
MESSIAH."

Yesterday being the third Friday before Christmas,
this society gave their annual performance of the
Messiah at Exeter•hall, and, as is usually the case, the
chef d'oeuvre of Handel attracted thither an immense
crowd of the lovers of sacred music. The performance
was perfect in every respect, all alike—conductor,
orchestra, chorus, and soloists—exerting themselves to
the utmost to do justice to this great work of the im-
mortal composer. The principal singers were Mrs.
Lockey, Miss Birch, Miss Dolby, Mr. Lockey, and Mr.
Weiss. The society has issued a new edition of the
libretto, with an historical account of the oratorio, and
an analytical commentary on the music by Mr. G. A.
Macfarren.

COURT CIRCULAR.

OSBORNE, DEC. 9.

The Queen and Prince, accompanied by the Duchess
of Brabant, drove out yesterday morning. The Hon.
D. de Ros attended on horseback.

The Hon. Lucy Kerr has succeeded the Hon. Mary
Seymour as maid of honour in waiting.
Lord John Russell returned to London this morning.

A deputation from the deputies of tlbe three denomi-
nations of Protestant dissenters had an interview with
the Earl of Aberdeen yesterday, at his official residence
in Downing-street, on the subject of the abolition of
church rates. The deputation consisted of Mr. Apsley
Pellatt, M.P., Mr. Pewtress, Mr. J. Remington Mills,
Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Wire, Mr. ;,;amuel Morley,
Mr. E. Clarke, Mr. R. H. Terrell, and Mr. William
Reddome.

Colonel Sabine (general secretary) :and Mr. J. P.
Gassiot (chairman of Kew committee of the British As-
sociation) had an interview with Sir "William Moles-
worth yesterday at the office of Works and Public
Buildings, in Whitehall-place.
The Commissioners for Inquiring into• the State of the
Corporation of the City of London sat yi3sterday, at the
official residence of the First Lord of It he Treasury, in
Downing-street.- Present the Right II "on. H. Labou-
chere, Sir J. Patteson, and G. Cornewall l Lewis, Esq.
Sir De Lacy Evans, M.P., Sir Jo hn V. Shelley,
M.P., and a deputation, had an intervies r yesterday with
Sir W. Molesworth.

Despatches were sent yesterday fro m the Colonial-
office to the Governors of the North t American Pro-
vinces. _ _

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yes-
terday. The Chancellor of the Duchy 0 f Cornwall gave
judgment on an appeal from Canada, " Barnhart v.
Greenshields." An appeal from the 03nsistory Court
of York, " Rowley v. Rowley," was heard. The lords
present were the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of
Common Pleas, the Chancellor of the D uchy of Cornwall,
the Judge of the Admiralty Court, and. 'Sir E. Ryan.

The Queen and Prince Albert have: signified their
intention of subscribing 1001. towards the erection of a mo-
nument at Grantham to the memory of ti e great Sir Isaac
Newton.

The Duke and Duchess of Saxe- Coburg-Gotha
were placed in great danger on the 3d inst. The duke
was driving his consort from a palace net Lr Coburg, when
the wheel o the carriage passed over a la rge stone, and he
was thrown out, losing hold of the reins.. The frightened
horses ran 'away with the carriages down a hill, and
brought the vehicle into violent collision with a post. The
carriage was completely destroyed, yet the duchess, who
was in it, was not in the least hurt. 'I he Duke escaped
with a sprained foot. _

The Duke and Duchess of Richt aond and Lady
Cecilia Gordon Lennox have left Portlan d-place, for Good-
wood Park, near Chichester.

The Duke of Newcastle, Colonial Secretary, has
just given the site and 200 i. towards the erection of a
chapel of ease at Rastord, Notts.
The Duchess of Sutherland's youngest brother,
the Hon. Henry George Howard, the n e wly-appointed Se-
cretary of Legation at Paris, is on the eve, of leaving Vienna,
where he is Secretary to Lord WestmoreCtand's mission, for
the French capital. _

The Earl of Derby is entertaiaing a shooting
party at Knowsley. The following is gri ven by the Liver-
pool Chronicle as the result of a dads: park shooting on
Wednesday :—Lord Malmesbury shot i )heasants, 5 hares,
and 98 rabbits; Lord Anson, 13 pheasa ,nts, 6 hares, and
155 rabbits ; Lord Oesulston, 20 pheasants, 8 hares, and
181 rabbits ; Hon. Colonel Stanley, 7 pl aeasants, 4 hares,
and 160 rabbits ; the Ron. Mr. Talbd t, 9 pheasants, 6
hares, and 219 rabbits. The earl was present, but not
sufficiently recovered from his recent in disposition to join
in the sport. _ _

The Earl of Yarborough has left Arlington-street,
for Manby Hall. His lordship is ex p ected to preside at
the annual soil* of tie Gainaborougl Literary Institu-
tion, on tho 19th of January next.

The Earl FitzwilEam is entertaii ling a numerous
family circle at 'Wentworth House.
_ .

The Marquis and Marchioness .of Ailesbury are
entertaining a few select friends at Totetenham Park. near
Marlborough. The Hon. Mrs. Georg(' Anson and Miss
Anson have been amongst the guests. The venerable mar-
quis has improved in health.
The noble Ministerial Leader of the House of
Commons, Lord John Russell, is undeilitood to have re-
spectfully declined the insignia of the, Garter from the
Sovereign, vacant by the death of the Duke of Beaufort,
and the insignia of the illustrious order:, we believe, was
subsequently conferred on Lord Carlisle, now on the eve of
returning from a tour in the Ottoman Ea Tire and Greece
to England.
Lady Dalmeny and family have arrived at Eaton-
square, from the Earl of Rosebery's, Daimeny Park, Lin-
lithgow, N.B.
The Hon. Henry George Howard, Secretary of
Legation at Vienna, has been appointed Secretary of Em-
bassy at Paris, in the room of the Hon.. G. Stafford Jer-
ningham, now her Majesty's representativ+e at the Court of
Sweden. _ _ _

Mr. Augustus Stafford M.P., and a few select
friends are staying at Blather wyke Park, Northampton-
shire.

vY
The Rev. Edward Mortimer Clissold, 8.A., has
been instituted to the Rectory of Wrenth am, in Suffolk,
on the presentation of Sir Edward Shmiock Gooch, of
Benacre Hall, in the said county, Bart.
APPOINTMENTS.—The Limerick Chronicle says :
" John, son of Mr. Francis John O'Neill., of Limerick, is
appointed to a clerkship in the Office of Ordnance, Pall-
mall, London. Mr. Thomas Sydney Smith, son of Mr.
Carew Smith, Baggott-street, Dublin, late Recorder of
Limerick, is appointed Advocate-General. in Madras, at a
salary of 3,6001. a-year."

DREADFUL FIRE AND LOSS OF LIFE.—(THIS DAY.)—
This morning (Saturday), between the hours of 8 and 9,
a fire, attended by fatal consequences, broke out on the
premises belonging to Mr. Innsterd, a bread and biscuit
baker, situated at No. 24, Grafton-street, Fitzroy-square.
The flames, when first discovered, were raging in one of
the upper rooms, but several persons who were then in
their beds asleep could not be aroused for some conside-
rable time, and when that was at length accomplished,
the flames were rushing up the staircase with the greatest
impetuosity. A man lodging on the second floor was
prostrated by the body of flame, and in the course of a
few minutes was burned literally to a cinder. Another
man was also forced down by the heated air, and the
flames burned him in such a shocking manner that he
was obliged to be removed to the hospital, where he at
present remains without the least chance of recovery.
The engines of the London Brigade and West of Eng-
land Office quickly attended, but some time elapsed be-
fore they could make any impression upon the fire, and
not until it had extended throughout the premises. The
origin of the melancholy catastrophe is unknown.
THE BRAZILIAN MAILS.--SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY.—
To-day the Royal Mail Company's steam-ship Thames,
under the command of Captain Strutt, left with the cus-
tomary monthly Brazilian and River Plate mails. She
has taken, besides a general cargo, 8,3751. in specie and
seventy-seven passengers, amongst whom are Sir C.
and Lady Lyell, Hon. and Rev. A. S. Rice and lady,
Chevalier Vianna de Luira and party, Mr. Commodore
Hull and Miss Heid. The Great Western, with the
homeward portion of the above mail, is expected to
arrive on or about the 16th inst., and the next West
India mail will be looked for by the La Plata on the
14th or 15th of the present month.
THE SHIP DALHOUSIE.—The corpse of a man, attired
in a red Guernsey shirt, with a leather strap attached,
and brown jacket, was found a few days ago on the
shore at Broomhill, near Winchelsea, by a labourer
named Adams. The body was in a state of decomposi-
tion, and was supposed to have been one of the Lascars
belonging to the ill-fated ship Dalhousie, which sunk off
-Beachey Head. An inquest was held before Mr. Henry-
Stocks, when a verdict of "Found drowned" was re-
turned. The remains were interred in St. Thomas's
churchyard, Winchelsea.
THE SMITHFIELD CATTLE SHOW.—Yesterday the
show closed—the number of visitors during the four
days having been considerably over 100,000. It is a re-
markable fact, however, that not a single robbery has
been committed, or a single accident taken place. Sir
H. Verney's " monster" ox, which, wonderful as it may
seem, has really survived the innumerable pinches and
pokes it has received from its multitude of admirers, has
been bought by Mr. Cooper, of Millstreet, Macclesfield.
The animals are to be removed to-day.
INDIAN ARMS FOR THE TOWER OF LONDON.--Seve-
ral cases have arrived from India, consigned to the East
India Company, containing arms intended to be depo-
sited in the armoury of' the Tower of London, and the
necessary arrangements have been made with the Go-
vernment authorities for their admission for the intended
purpose.