The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-21 00:00:00

MUSIC.-REUNION DES ARTS.

This society gave one of its agreeable soirees mtak,6llBt,
last night, at the Beethoven Rooms in Harley-81'74"
and is evidently exerting itself to deserve its incresali
success. The arrangements are such as to remove t'lb,
ordinary formality of the regular concert-room, and etio
stitute the ease of private society, as far as is practicable
without affecting the efficiency of the music. The goe.ro,
gramme was varied and effective, and included the rotb
turne by Chopin, and the Etude by Thalber
played by Mdlle. Clauss with that purity and feel,
which have so rapidly won their way with the Pg le
Herr Holzel sang two of his own songs with considerto
effect ; and amongst the novelties of the evening ere
some vocal quartetts by Herren Kuchler, Baer 0f
Lane, and Aynslie, given with spirit and excellence
ensemble.
The successful appearance of a new soprano aliorier
our native artistes is a feature we cannot conclude Wipa.
out noticing. Mrs. Douglas sang two songs, My`by
vourite, by Moleque, and the well-known Er/koniglthe
Schubert. Her voice is remarkably full and richtaer
intonation musical and true, and susceptible of consl_, 0
able dramatic passion. It has evidently been trained o.
the Italian school ; and When experience shall have tie
ferred greater mastery and confidence, we have
doubt that Mrs. Douglas will prove a valuable add'"
to the artistes of the concert-room.

ar
THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The eight vl
chase of land, for allotment amongst the members,
just been made, within sight of the Crystal Palaceuat
Sydenham, close to the Forest-hill station, and a °l'''. 0
distance from Lewisham. The estate is in one of Tot
most picturesque and commanding localities in W
Kent.
MORE DOMESTIC SAVAGES.—Between three and 01
o'clock on Sundaymorning, white Police-constable 126tbe
was going his rounds, his attention was attracted bi,eo.
cries of a female in distress, and upon going to Mane' he
ter-street, Argyle-square whence the cries cam°'
found, sitting on the Ehall-door step of No. 15, a few''
fi.oo
suffering intense agony, and bleeding profusely
.he
wounds in the head. In reply to questions from ve-a.
constable, the unfortunate woman who was exce.k
ingly exhausted, and scarcely able to speak, said
,:ho
-
her name was Mrs. M'Donald - that her husband, „t,
was a commercial traveller, occupied the house
side of which she then was sitting ; but ii,°"o4
whence her husband, having first brutally ill-teat
her, ejected her, leaving her in the condition in
he (the police-constable) found her. The officer, hav+l33
heard her tale, conveyed her to the workhouse, 5'1,.30
upon her arrival there it was found necessary to put Per
instantly under medical treatment. In addition to ha
o,
body being one mass of bruises, the poor victim uf_A 0
mestic brutality, who was four months enciente,
severe lacerated wound on the scalp. Her brutal rjv
sailant was arrested, but as Mr. Waldegrave, the vrfas
house surgeon, certified that she was unfit to aPcs.
before the magistrate, the husband was remanded. l'soci
terday, her three children, aged respectively 3,6, ,er
8, were also conveyed to the workhouse. The oT6,
victim of husband brutality is Ellen Doubin, living at t,
Paul-street, Lisson-grove, who was admitted to
Mary's Hospital, Sunday night, and whose injuries
thus described in the hospital report book :-31,10
Doubin, admitted 9.30 p.m., suffering from violence,
result of kicks inflicted by her husband.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY A FEMALE.—Yesterdayniolll -
ing great sensation was created in consequence e'
a rumour that Mr.s Mary Kirk, aged 29, WhetstrToo
park, Lincoln's-inn-fields, had attempted self-destructs
by jumping out of the second floor window, which,
making inquiry, proves to be a melancholy fact.. 0
appears that the unfortunate woman had been In/jot
desponding state of mind from some cause which
clearly ascertained, but it was not considered neueslie
to place any watch on her movements. However, the
unfortunate creature committed the act, falling 0.0
ground with considerable violence. An alarm was 11l op
by some of the neighbours, when she was picked,
without loss of time, and conveyed to Victoria W 00,
King's College Hospital, where Mr. George 1-13°S.
the house surgeon, was in immediate attendance, an op
examination found her leg broken, beside other extutte.
injuries, where she now lies in a very precarious 5"
No cause is assigned for the rash act at present.
ROYAL HUMANE SOClETY.—Yesterday afternpo the
meethig of the directors, and Other supporters of
above institution, was held at the offices, in Trsfa
c:' 009
square, Charing-cross. A number of meritorious
.ee.
were submitted, and adjudicated upon by the committee
The seventy-ninth annual report stated, that during 0y
past year 165 cases were submitted to the society, efta
prising 190 individuals, of whom 180 were success ere
treated and recovered ; 22 honorary silver medalsory
voted for cases of rescue, attended by extranrdleolo
courage and personal risk ; 36 honorary bronze 131,tied
had been awarded ; 124 claimants had been rusv7 the
with money for saving life in or near London ; To
f
thanks of the society, handsomely inscribed on 01 utbe
have been presented to 21 individuals. During tero
skating season of last winter, on the ornamental "Than
of the various parks, on the ice of which niUre.,esrlf,
100,000 persons had ventured, there had been 'nce
300 persons immersed, but, owing to the vigi ay, one
the society's icemen employed on the occasion,
!:.°
fatal accident had occurred.

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

da3lye have received the Paris journals of yester-
.

The Constitutionnel contains an article on the
encouragement given by the Government to at-
tempts to improve the natural resources of the
Country. Our contemporary enters into some de-
tails to show what may he expected from the policy
of the Government on this subject, and bestows
some eulogy on that policy, which, however, is not
More than is deserved. The first person in France
Who devoted himself seriously and practically to
the task of rendering the waste lands of France pro-
ductive, and at the same time removing the inju-
rious effects which they had produced on the health
1 the inhabitants, was M. Casimir Perier. When
that gentleman was minister he endeavoured to
form a company of French and English sharehold-
ers for the cultivation of the waste lands in Brit-
tny and in other parts of France, and subscribed
own name for a million of francs. His death
Vet a stop to his prudent and benevolent efforts
.fore the capital required could be raised, and
ivaith the exception of the efforts made by a few
Ildcwners and on a small scale, nothing had been
d1:11e until the reins of Government came into
the hands of the present Chief of the State.
Some„_ fears have been expressed that the Em-
peror of the French is aiming at more than he
accomplish, and that the resources of the
Zeasury will not be equal to half what he intends
do without adding considerably to the burthens
taxation. Were this fear well grounded, which
it (loes not appear to us to be, it should be remem-
bered that works of public utility remain, whatever
'TY have been the sacrifices at which they were
(Maine& All outlay for improvement should be
Judicious and properly apportioned to the means of
e State, but even when the State has been to a
ice,_rtain degree impoverished by an outlay beyond
raearis, the good that has been effected remains,
ando many years do not pass before the nation re-
ceives back the capital with compound interest in
the increased produce of the earth, the amelioration
of tuhewpe üblic health, or the comfort and convenience
channels of communication. If the Provi-
°llal Government of the Republic, instead of
Wasting enormous sums in employing the starving
oourers in digging holes and filling them up again,
(1 spent treble the amount in the making, of
"fads, the building of bridges and the improvement
th
y.
waste lands something would now be shown for
e outla But what remains of the labours of
We ateliers nationaux in different parts of France ?
e see no more return for the outlay than if the
—te3, had been thrown into the sea.
The Constitutionnel says
no examining the budget of Public Works, we
", out the increase which was demanded for the
Wants destined for the fertilisation and clearing certain
Parts of the territory. We shall return hereafter with
and details on the works commenced, in the Sologne,
reu: projected in the Dombes or in the Brenne. We now
eear,._elY call attention to a measure which has been suc-
• s'ellY adopted in Belgium to realise improvements
lindlar to those which we are now making, and which
measure was recently the subject of an interesting dis-
asien in the chamber of representatives It is well
known that Belgium has taken the start of us in paths in
which We have only made a first step. It is the great
Onits obtained by our neighbours in the Campine which
hr," given rise to the new plans which are in contem-
plation for rendering productive certain portions of our
Works
and desert territory. Some skilfully directed
-ork f d •
the 8 0 drainage and irrigation have sufficed to sextuple
b value of several thousands of hectares. Such has
hee:a the starting point of the works devised for the im-
provement of the Sologne and other parts of the country
eternal
similar causes had appeared to have condemned to
for
sterility. The measure which we now recommend
hiss
examination is very simple ; it is the distribution of
at a reduced price to small farmers. What particn-
7, 1Y contributes to the unfruitfulness of the Sologne, the
nutinbes, &c is the too exclusively silicious nature of
e soil, and the absence of the calcareous element in the
composition of the land. The works which are to be car-
ried on there must not therefore have merely for object
to drain such parts as are marshy, and to irrigate others
that are in want of water ; they must also furnish the
means of spreading marl over the whole country, so that
the farmers may be able to restore to the soil the ele-
ment of which it is deprived, and which is necessary to
‘render it productive. It is calculated that, in the
Sologne, 30 cubic metres of marl are required per hec-
tare. Unfortunately marl, in certain localities, costs as
much as from 6fr. to 10fr. the cubic metre. In spite,
nowever, of the dearness of it, landowners who can af-
ford it do not hesitate at the expense, because they find
a profit from the outlay. According to authentic ex-
periments made, and published by several, large farmers
lU the Sologne the net revenue of the hectare before the
as`Ze of marl is 6fr., whilst after that operation it is from
foal% to 33fr. The money laid out in the article there-
re in reality brings more than 10 per cent. Small
farmers,4, however, who have not money at command,
o are not generally fond Of innovations, cannot have
;eou se to this means of impreiement. The following
ob-
ject is done in Belgium in a similar case. The ob-
th't Is to increase the use of marl in the barren parts of
credit has For some years past, an annual
r,.,cut has been opened to the Government of lime, at a
I,7tileed price, to the farmers of the Ardennes. The pro-
-04(1141 council of the Luxembourg, the agricultural
veree lesion, and the agricultural committees of the pro-
su% are unanimous in admitting the immense in-
log
or
grow • that measure had exercised on the clear-
tion. the nd, and the improvement of its cultiva-
only grant
distribution of lime at a reduced price, being
aPpli '-a'lted to the extent of 100 hectolitres to each
landocu,ant, it is more particularly the small farmers and
the b„_"ners who profit by it. Thanks to. this measure,
der
ea"'“"en region of the Luxembourg will be soon ren-
17' Productive, We will now quote figures. During
8
Gre.; and 1848, before premiums were granted by the
oi,iernment, only 145,000 hectolitres of limestone were
mln 1849 and 1850, after the establishment of
premiums, the quantity increased to 424,000 hectolitres,
that is to say that the use of lime more than tripled in
Shod space of time. The credit which is annually
ti,,°„wed for this purpose is 75,000 fr. The central sec-
teri" of the Chamber of Representatives proposed to
Ra ice it to 40,000 fr., but the Chamber, which at first
afteetioned the reduction, rejected it by a second vote,
r. having been informed of the good results of the
poB,4l.bution of lime at a reduced price. What more
particularly is deserving of remark is, that the mainte-
..a,,,_
eti,7 of the full credit was defended' with the greatest
01;0 by men whose economical opinions are in general
isc„("d to any kind of intervention in matters of
)4."-be'rY on the part of the Government, particularly by
b, '"gier and M. Orban. In pointing out what has
done in Belgium, in
an order to extend the use of
altareous amen dments, dto favour the clearing of
eairiren land in the Luxembourg, our only object is to
seededoi to a measure which has perfectly
its on the other side of our frontiers, and to induce
Government to ascertain whether it cannot also put
11,,1,1 Practice in those portions of our territory which it
count
to improve."
den
Rrampe, Governor of Iceland, has just
el named Officer of the Order of the Legion of
h (Tour in return for the important services which
has on several occasions rendered to French
tr„ la, and Captain Angelopoulo, Commandant at
Piraeus, has been on the same grounds named
chevalier of the Order.
4„;41-. Lagorce has just been appointed French Con-
• rew. at Saint Domingo, and has received orders to
Ppimmediately to his post.
The Duke de Rovigo and the other defendants
Who were last week condemned by the Tribunal of
%d
a Asectional Police, have given notice of appeal
gaTat he judgment.
?he Journal de Lot et Garonne advertises the
71. e of the property of M. Baze, ex-questor of the
Dispatches
Assemby, who is now in exile.
L'inPatches have arrived from the Gomer, steam-
-Ir,,l;gate, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Romain
%fosses, commanding the naval division in the
'e'srant. The Gomer after having visited Rhodes
an
_Cos bad proceeded to Salamis to join the
French squadron.
(-1 -1211 e Minister of the Interior has addressed to the
cantonal Statistical Commissions a circular, im-
tesaing on them the importance of collecting accu-
rate information relative to all matters concerning
agriculture and manufactures. It requests them
besides to take particular pains to remove all idea
front the public mind in their neighbourhood that
the Government has any idea of increasing the
taxes now pressing on the agricultural interest, its
object, on the contrary, being to relieve that inte-
rest as much as can be Safely_ effected.
Bourse
market for Government Securities at the
was dull, and at the conclusion of business
'here was a downward tendency in prices :—For
Z'Bh, the Three per Cents. remain unchanged, but
e Four-and-a-Half per Cents. fell 20c. ; the
Three per Cents. for the account declined 15c., and
the Pour-and-a-Half per Cents. of. In Bank Shares
there is no change to report. The following are
the
closing prices :—For money—Three per Cents.,
• 50c- ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 50c.
For the end of the month—Three per Cents., 80f.
3 ;
Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 50c.
Ri.,es, k Stock, 2,735 f. In Bank of Credit Foncier
-,Lar
no change occurred, but Credit Mobilier
dechned 12f. The final quotations were, for
proeult Foncier, 900 f. • Credit Mobilier, 928 f.
relgll Securities :—Piedm-ontese, 5 per cent. 99 :
Spanish
Deferred New, 24. A reaction took place
in th
a, e Railway Share Market yesterday, and the
11-va nee of Tuesday was not maintained, with the
exception of Paris and Rouen shares.

There SPAIN.
is nothing in the Madrid journals of the
uty on the subject of the change of Ministry,
'which had not previously reached us. The Gazette.
tublishes the decrees accepting the resignations of
late Ministers, and nominating their suc-
cessors.
Three per Cents., 42A. ; One per Cents., 24.

GERMANY.
We learn from Berlin that thr committee of the
ec
°lid Chamber reeomxaenda the adoption of a