The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-24 00:00:00

MDLLE. CRUTELLI.

A letter from Paris this morning contains the follow-
ing :—" Al. mg with Sebastopol, Mdlle. Sophie Cruvelli
continues to occupy a large share of public attention.
Nothing has been heard of her since she left Paris, beyond
the fact that it was to Frankfort, and not to Brussels,
as was at first reported, that she carried her travelling
companion, the Baron Vigier. The luggage belonging
to Mrs. W. Payne, which was seized by the autho-
rities of the law alung with that of Mdlle. Cruvelli,
has been restored. The law proceedings raised by the
Minister of State against the fair fugitive are proceeding
rapidly. On Saturday the requisition was presented.
It demands 20,000 f. damages in favour of the Opera-
house for the period she has been already absent, and
I,ooof. for everyadditional day. It appears, however,"that
the Minister of State has intiina.teti to the friends of
the lady , that •if she return within a reasonable
time the proceedings will be withdrawn, and her
escapade forgiven. The embarrassment to which
the flight of Mdlle. Cruvelli has put the Grand
Opera is much greater than was supposed.
The hopes of next spring—the season of the Great
Eabibition in Paris—rested on a grand opera, com-
posed by Verdi expressly for Mdlie. Cruvelli. The
opera was finished, and even rehearsed ; but Verdi, on
learning the flight of the lady, has withdrawn it, and
threatens the director of the Opera with an action of
damages for his lost time and labour. No doubt the
director will retaliate on Mdlle. Cruvelli, who will ulti-
mately have to pay whatever amount of damages may
be awarded to M. Verdi. It is said that Mdlle. Cruvelli
and Baron Vigier have found unexpected obstacles in
Germany to the ceremony of their marriage, and
that they have proceeded to England, where they can
have it accomplished without difficulty."

REPRESENTATION OF THE COUNTY OF SIILICIRS.—A
rumour is very current in the county of Selkirk that
the present member, Mr. A. E. Lockhart, intends
shortly to retire into private life. It is understood that
Mr. Charles Plummer, Sunderland-hall, will be brought
forward as his successor on the Conservative side, and.
that he will be opposed by Mr. J. N. Murray, of Philip-
haugh, on the Liberal interest.—Border Advertiser.
FRIGHTFUL Dnine----On Wednesday evening as the SO
o'clock train neared the Lewes station, the engine-driver
saw a man between the rails in an upright position,
about a dozen yards in front of him. He immediately at-
tempted to stop the train, but could not do so before the
engine knocked the man down and the train bad passed
over him. The driver informed the station-master of
what had taken place, and he and a porter went back on
the line and found the body of Mr. George Harman,
see., builder of Lewes, lying across the line, completely
cut in two, obliquely from the right shoulder to the
short ribs on the left side. It appears ho was seen to
arrive at the station by the passengers of the 5 25 p.m.
train, but did not give up his ticket, and, as the evening
was dark, he was not afterwards seen ; it is supposed he
must have gone to the wrong end of the platform and
got down on, the rails, and there wandered about for
three hours. It was stated at the inquest by his son
that the unfortunate man was subject to spasmodic;fits,
during which be was generally unconscious. It is' sup-
posed he had been seized by one of these and was re-
covering when the frightful accident happened. The
jury at. the inquest returned a verdict of " Accidental
death."
THE UNITED STATES.—The commercial ad vices from
the United States this week show the continuance of a
very severe degree of pressure in most of the principal
cities. The 4th of October, which bad been much
dreaded, had passed in New York without any fresh
failures, but at Philadelphia and Boston several large
firms had broken down. Among these were Messrs.
Reed and Brothers, of Philadelphia, large
impohrteers of
dry goods ; and Lincoln, Wing, and Co.,
tralieu trade ; Chapin and Whitton, wholesale druggists ;
n t
and Samuel Samuel Sandford, a large holder of real estate, all
of Boston, in addition to Messrs. Samuel F. Morse and
Co., clothiers and dry goods importers, of that city,
onr '3O
01 .
Philadel-
phia, Amonghtoieak oii
whose stoppage was announced by the previous packet.
The liabilities of Messrs. Reed and Brothers are stated
at 200,0001., and the usual assertions are made with re-
gard to their having a large surplus, its alleged amount
being 60,000!. Their suspension took every one by sur-
prise, and indignation seems to have been excited at
their giving as the sole reason for their stoppage that
they wished to go into liquidation and wind up their
affairs. The returns of the New York banks continued
to exhibit a diminution of specie, but the knowledge of
the ainounte coming in from California prevented any
pauiu en that ground. Looking at the anxious state of
affairs on all sides, the failures thus fair in New York
had been far less numerous than hest been anticipated,
and, as the manner in which the various firms had sus-
tained themselves had created confidence, a strong hope
was entertained that after the 4th of next month the
worst would certainly be over. Although the
it
steamer has brought a considerablef sum
of of specie,
remittaces
Wednesday,f,ony.
would have been larger but for the
,being Theo u l
Ad t delayedtlaa Atlantic,
c,i
two
wini i
was
sahct chmoouaunygthbte,ef
about
expected
re:la.:es()
ou,
ling due
irlehciean, recent
The net '
which is largely held on this side. earnings for
ph
apa.
ndayl beent
have
ma
re thatelir oe f , thepayments
the f
al
the last half-year were stated to have slightly exceeded
which could not bo met at the present time, either by
railwaybu but
meetings
Wilmington,t etice t i
cflaognnsdl
the issue of bonds or by the sale of certain real estate,
3 per cent.,
which they hold applicable to the purpose, without a
aavndant,hoef declaration
l i e: I,
dae id) ai vr
ti Ind eenna
was therefore postponed till January.
t
of the Var, went a few nights
veAry gmr,,enatnsaam,creidficcea;rl
ago to shoot badgers, and
on arriving near a hole where some were known to be,
ho sat down to await their appearance. Being fatigued,
ho fell asleep. After. while a man named Chauvier, his
friend, came to shoot badgers at the same place. He sta-
tioned himself, with
from the hole. hisPresently
ready cocked, at some dis-
tancesently he saw something move,
is
and he discharesd his gun
gun ; it was Carlavan, who, hav-
ingawoke,
was getting up. The shot struck the man in
the head and shoulders, and wounded him rather se-
verely. Ho fell to the ground, uttering loud cries.
Chauvier was so terrified at what had happened that he
fainted. After the lapse of a few moments Carlavan got
up, and tying tip his wounds as well as he could, was
going homewards, when he found Chauvier lying insen-
eible. lie hastened to the village, and sent off assistance
to him. The wounds of Carlavan are not of an alarming
character ; but the commotion sustained by Chauvier
was so great that serious disquietude respecting Lite is
felt.—Galignani. iAI
SILK. FROM PORT NATAL.—_L from
sample 'of silk .
Port Natal has been shown to us, which we believer's
the first that has reached this country from thsartoctoglo/-
The qua'ity is considered good, though it roa
c1,01:41_
perfectly reeled. We shall be glad. tnorsese_. I. t.,,e1
areY
continue its attention to the cultivation of
be
elc v%
profitably
perenaded that it is an article which
e it has
cultivated in many parts of the world wher I
d wills been
ho tl an r
hitherto neglected ; and as we hope Eng y
the difficulty and trouble
afford a market for the cocoons,.
the reeling at the places where
which frequently attend
it is produced will then Le dispensed with.—Manchester
.Exconincr.

.>;1
Tr*4C% - !A, •
>VP**
•

LONDON, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1854.

Procrastination appears to be the order of the
day at the Crimea. As it was from the beginning
of the Russian Aggression, so has it continued up
to the present time, and such, probably, will be
the case to the end of the chapter. A little
promptitude and decision in the first instance
would altogether have averted hostilities. Had
our Ministers spoken out clearly and unequi-
vocally when Prince MENSCRIKOFF. displayed his
arrogance and insolence at the Turkish Capital,
thereby seeking to accelerate the anxiously looked
for moment when the "friendly neighbour" was
to obtain a lion's share of " the sick man's"
assets, the storm would have blown over, and
the crisis averted. Had they distinctly announced
that the passage of the Pruth would be considered
and acted on as a cams bell", not a single Cussack
would have entered the Principalities. There
would have been no invasion of the territories of
an independent nation, nor an attempt to seize
by force a " material guarantee " for the
concession of such untenable claims. Had
we subsequently boldly and decisively joined the
Porte when, after unparalleled patience and for-
bearance, it was compelled to proclaim war, and
to send its troops to the Danube, that war would
long since have been brought to a conclusion with
a tithe of the cost, both in men and money, which
we have already sustained. There was, however,
no vigour or energy in our councils. We pro-
ceeded according to the approved rules of red-
tapism, and thereby more than quadrupled the
difficulties which we were called on to encounter.
We saw during the close of the autumn, the win-
ter, and the early spring, Turkey struggling for
existence without lending a particle of efficient
aid. The Combined Fleet moved to the Bospho-
-11131 but it remained inactive, and suffered the
massacre of Sinop° to be perpetrated without
making the'slightest effort to prevent or avenge it.
When at length war was proclaimed—when
the gauntlet flungdown by the AUTOCRAT Was
tardily raised—a
splendid body of troops en-
camped at Scutari
and Varna, a magnificent and
irresistible fleet navigated the Euxine, but the
same deplorable apathy continued. The Turkish
army, under OMER PAcRA, was engaged in a life-
and-death struggle, Silistria was beleaguered and
pressed to the utmost, but not an English or
French shot was fired against the assailants—,not
a bayonet was drawn in aid of our Allies. It
would almost seem as if the object was to suffer
the Turks to be crushed before we assumed the
defensive or actively participated in the war.
During our inactivity we lost more men, and suf-
fered more severely, in every respect, than if we
had acted more boldly and honourably. Red-
tapism and diplomacy, however, had their own
way, while our gallant troops and jovial sailors
were chafing at their compuliory inaction.

At length the siege of Silistria was raised. The
Russians retired, or rather fled, from the Dobrud-
scba. It was -certain that the Ottoman forces
could protect their own territory—that Stamboul,
at least, was safe from any attack. There was
no longer -any pretext for retaining the Allied
Forces to protect the line of the Balkan.

If ever they were to assume the offensive, the
time had arrived for so doing. Nut merely
weeks, but months were wasted before any de-
cided movement took place. Our intended expe-
dition to the Crimea was universally spoken of—
ample time was given to strengthen the fortifica-
tions of Sebastopol—to select a strong position on
the Alma—to receive additional reinforcements
from Europe and Asia—in fact, to make every
preparation to give a warm reception to the
Western warriors, and, if possible, to defeat the
objects of our enterprise. It was not until nearly
half the month of September had expired that
the debarkation at Old Fort took place. Then,
indeed, when led against the enemy, there was
no lack of energy. Our gallant fellows would
then suffer no delays. They rushed on the ad-
versary, and gained a brilliant and triumphant
victory. But many valuable lives were lost.
Many brave men were maimed or mutilated in
consequence of the previous delay. Many of the
Russian prisoners had belonged to the army of
Moldavia, who could not have taken part in the
battle of Alma had a little more promptitude been
displayed by the Allies.

But the victory was gained, although at a fear-
fully enhanced price, and then procrastination
again prevailed. There was no time to bring up
tents for our soldiers. The brave fellows endured
the greatest hardships and privations. Disease
again thinned their ranks. A more dreaded
enemy than the Russians hovered around our
troops, and mowed down those on whose efficiency
the result of the campaign depended. A change
in the plan of the siege was decided on. The
brilliant flank movement, that constituted Balak-
lava the pivot of our operations, was effW.ed, and
it was7K),- that at length the att would
commence in good earnest. Far from it. The
bombardment, which was expected to begin on
the 3rd or 4th, was still postponed sine die on
the 13th. The Russians, who were so completely
disheartened after the battle of Alma that the mere
rumour of an English attack set them flying,
without an attempt at resistance, were allowed to
beard us to our teeth, to march and countermarch
under our very noses, to carry fresh troops into
Sebastopol—to threaten our position on Balak-
lava, (where they might have caused us the most
serious damage) and to concoct mendacious
despatches to the CZA.R, who will ascribe to weak-
ness or timidity that which is solely attributable
to the habits of procrastination, so justly stig-
matised.

The same evil principle prevails in every de-
partment. In place of having authentic tele-
graphic accounts from the Crimea in less than
seven days, and full despatches in eight, as
might easily be the case if fast vessels were sta-
tioned between Constantinople and Marseilles, to
make the trip direct from port to port, we do nothing
to expedite the communications, leaving the ordinary
class of boats to perform their important duties,
with all the ordinary delays that might be got rid
of by a trifling degree of energy, and for a com-
paratively trifling expense. But nothing can
break through the trammels of red-tapism, or get
rid of the official impediments to the efficient per-
formance of the public service. And even when
despatches of great importance arrive there are
further delays before the natural anxiety of the
people can be appeased, or the yearning for
authentic intelligence gratified. Verily, it would
appear as if the spirit of BASIL, the hero of Miss
EpoirwonTu's "To-morrow," reigned paramount
in our councils, and defeated, every effort at
promptitude, decision, or energy amongst officials.

Sir CHARLES HOTHAJNI has sketched forth his
future policy to the inhabitants of Victoria. It
was at a banquet at Geelong that his Excellency
indicated his views for promoting the welfare and
prosperity of the important Colony committed to
his charge. Re assumed the government under
very peculiar and exciting circumstances. As he
truly remarked, he " stood between two systems
of government—the present and the pregnant."
The miraculous discoveries of gold—the boundless
wealth scattered through the auriferous soil, the
rapid increase of every kind—required a man of
great energy, combined with sound judgment and
discretion, to control and direct into suitable
channels that which under less auspicious circum-
stances might prove a source of injury rather than
advantage, a curse in place of a blessing.
The eager rush to the " diggins," the " auri
sacra fames" had disturbed and paralysed the
ordinary branches of industry—for once labour
ruled supreme above capital—the fields remained
uncultivated, the flocks unsheared, so many has-
tened to seek after the precious metal that there
-was danger of its being incapable of discharging
its ordinary functions, and those who had in their
possession the means of purchasing the most ex-
pensive luxuries might possiblybe unable to procure
the ordinary necessaries of life. It was obvious
that what was perfectly suitable to the wants and
ercigencies of the colony previous to the gold dis-
coveries would be totally incompatible with the
aLiterecl state of affairs. To compare small things
with great, it was as if an individual had been
suddenly raised from the depths of poverty to
boundless wealth, which, if unprepared for the
change, he might waste and misapply, so as to
render it anything but beneficial to himself or

Sir CHARLES 1102 HAM is to be the exponent of
the new system. He has to wind up the past and
to inaugurate the future—to effect everything
that will promote rational liberty, taking care that
it is not suffered to degenerate into licentiousness,
to give full security to the rights of property,
without in any degree infringing on those of la-
bour. Speaking of the Constitution recently pro-
mulgated, his Excellency. says :—" The people of
this colony have adopted one of the most liberal
constitutions compatible with monarchy that a
people could have. It is a Constitution of your
ONVII choosing, formed by your own representatives,
landed by the press, and admired by many en-
lightened statesmen, and it now lies before the
I SOVEREIGN, waiting for her final sanction. But
when you adopted that Constitution you adopted
with it the principle from which it springs—that
all power proceeds from the people. It is on that
principle that I intend to conduct my Adminis-
tration." This, indeed, is the only true prin-
ciple. The people are the true source of le,i-
timate power, and Monarchs are only permitted
to reign in order to enhance the happiness and
prospects of " the many"—" The greatest good
to the greatest number" being the desideratum to
be achieved.
Following up this wise determination, he
declares in favour of that which may be regarded
as the full and unrestricted liberty of the Press.
The first element of that principle is
He says :—"
publicity. I intend no reflection by what lam
now going to say. I simply feel bound to state
my firm conviction that, in the present day, a
Government cannot be conducted with satisfaction
to the people without the fullest and freest com-
munication with the people. It is on this principle
that the new Constitution is based ; and if you
did not intend to adopt that principle fairly and
' fully you had no right to found your Constitution
upon it."

This full publicity is only compatible with
may
triumphs of public opinion, and, therefore, it
be regarded as the greatest protection to the
most efficient guarantee for freedom. The liberty
of the Press is, indeed, the great palladium of the
liberty of the subject. The latter can never be
infringed on while the former remains inviolable.
But when the one is lost, then must the other be
regarded as in imminent danger. In fact, they
are mutually dependent on each other. Without
the liberty of the subject, the liberty of the PreSs
would be but au empty sound. Without-that of

the press, the liberty of the subject could not
long be maintained.
His Excellency alluded to two unsatisfactory cir-
cumstances—the alleged overtrading and the state
of indebtedness in which the colony was said to be
involved. Theso matters were not, however, so
much the faults of the people of Victoria as of
the people of England. The reports of the ex-
traordinary quantities of gold, literally going
begging, brought immense quantities of goods.
Speculators could not be convinced of the possibi
lity of overstocking such a market, and the state
of indebtedness was the natural result of these
circumstances, which cannot long continue to
exist.

These matters naturally led to the future, on
which the Governor proceeded to develops his
policy. It was with respect to the public works
so urgently required that his views were most
anxiously looked for, that they might know
whether a portion of the charges created as well
for the benefit of posterity as of themselves should
be defrayed by posterity. On this interesting and
important point his Excellency spoke clearly and
explicitly. He said—" Gentlemen, it is my firm
conviction that you have within the bowels of
the earth an inexhaustible fund of wealth, and
that
_on this you are fairly entitled to borrow
money. There are, no doubt, some here, and
still more out of doors, who will object to such a
scheme on the ground that we have no right to
throw our burdens on posterity. It certainly
.is
not right to hand down to posterity debts incurred
by war or a reckless expenditure for political pur-
poses ; but I maintain that it is quite fair for
posterity to pay a portion of a debt incurred in
a great measure for their benefit. I hold it
to be wise and just, in the present circumstances
of Victoria, to borrow money for the construc-
tion of great national works ; the interest
and capital can be gradually defrayed as the po-
pulation and general revenue increase, until at
length the entire extinction of the debt is thus
brought about within a given time." This is also
just and proper ; and if Sir CHARLES HOTHAM
acts up to the pledges given, if his performance
should at all be equal to his promises, if his
" doings" keep pace with his " sayings," the in-
habitants of Victoria may well be congratulated
on the acquisition they have obtained in a Gover-
nor• who will give every fair play to industry, and
whose acts will insure the welfare and prosperity
of those whose own conduct is such as to merit
these blessings.