The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-03 00:00:00

ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGIC.U. GARDENA.

"Thls place fills up an hiatus which the Crystal Palace leases
wanting. Vocal and instrumntal avisic of the first order, and a
display of fireworks which exceeds all ima,lnation, are a flttuig,
close to a day at the Crystal Pala,:e."
DANSON'S COLOSSAL PANORINIA. of CHINAN.

Splendid and Extensive Menagerie and Marine Aquarium—Unri
valled Military Band.

VOCAL and INSTRUMENTAL CONCERT,
In which Miss Poole, Miss Ransford, and Mr. Manvers sing
several National and Patriotic Songs—All the kmasinz Novelties
of the Gardena in succession, concluding with the " Feast of Lan-
terns," and a moat magnificent display of Fireworks by Sonthby.
Admission One Shilling. A splendid Pavilion for Dancing has been
erected. Full Quadrille Band, &c.

ASTLEYS ROYAL AMPHITUE.irtc.:

Lessee and 3fan3.ger, Mr. William Cooke.

Scenes without a parallel !—Trinmphant and brilliant career of the
r!; Cossacks !
4th Night of a new Mythological Equestrian

Ballet

d' Action.
4th appearance of Herr Christcff, the first Rope Dancer in the

universe.
THIS EV EN ING,
The War Sneeta:;!,. THE C 0444 1. CR4 ; or, "%rive la France.

After which, the novel and skilful SCE <E3 in the C [MIX, by
Prolesiors of t-ie first class, developing is perrect.on the high school
of the art of Equitation. The whole invented and arranged by Mr.
William Cooke.
CHRISTOF.F, no flrst. /lope Dancer in the universe.
wonderful FIROTIIER.,; FRANCISCO, in their Inmm;ireen-
sible and astonishing pat'. ,rinanes.
The whalo to conclude with, 2nd time, a new Equestrian Melo-
dramatic Ballet, by Mrs S. G Healey, calla f' AND
THE WA lElt LILY; or, Love am m, the Mermaids.
Boa-office open from Eleven till boar. Stage Manager, Mr. 0
West.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGK.
T. DiT —Moraing 52 rain.after 7 Evening 26 !nin.aft. 8
To-Mtsaow—Horning 3 aiin.after 9 Evenia, 33 min.ett. 9

THE WEATHER.--Sum Orrin, Area. 3.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADS.
71—highest since noon on Saturday.
58 —lowest this morning and daring the night.
60—this day, at noon.
3AROMETER, 29'92—rising.
WrivD, N.E.—Light breeze, with dull, rainy weather.
We had a severe thunderstorm at two o'clock this morning,
ain has fallen

~~~~.

LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1854.

It is terrible to think of an English Admiral
declaring that the fortifications of Cronstadt are
impregnable. If we are to believe the Hon. and
Gallant Member for the city of Gloucester, Sir
CHARLES NAPIER, the dashing, heroic, dare-devil
Sir CHARLES NAPIER has done so. According to
ADMIRAL BERKELEY, the Commander-in-Chief of
the Baltic Fleet has written home to the author

rities, declaring that, even with the splendid group
of ships-of-war under his command, to attempt any
attack upon Croiistadt would be certain destruc-
tion. Now, bluntly, we don't believe for an
instant that Sir CHARLES NAPIER would say that,
and only that ! We maintain that there was
something suspicious in the circumstance of that
one, single, insulated fragment of the letter,
addressed by the daring old Sea Captain to the
Lords of the Admiralty, being the sole portion of
that important document laid before the House of
Commons by the Member for Gloucester. We
are perfectly convinced that Sir CHARLES NAPIER
said more than that. Immediately after this
solitary portion of his letter—without the cJntext
was submitted with such plausible but suspicious
candour to the notice of the Legislature, we

We yesterd iy pointed out some striking objec-
tions to the procedure and practice of military
tribunals, as illustrated by the recent persecution
of Lieutenant PERRY. We would this day direct
attention to others equally glaring, in the hope
that some notice may be taken thereof in Parlia-
ment, even before the prorogation.
Refusing to recognise any professional adviser,
the responsibility of every questi m asked is cast
on the accused, who may a second time be brought
to trial for matters urged in vindication of him-
self from the first charge. To enhance that re-
sponsibility, the question must be delivered to
the President in writing, and considered by the
other members of the Court before it is put to the
witness. Discussions frequently arise on its
admissibility, during which the Court is cleared,
and the public time unnecessarily con-
sumed. But the delay is by no means the
worst part of the transaction. The witness has
the entire interval to consider the nature of his
answer, and to frame it so as to excuse himself,
and to prove most damaging to the prisoner.
Eminent judges have declared that written cross
interrogatories are of no possible use—tha.t, a
witness desirous of concealing or unfairly colouring
the truth ' cannot have his evidence broken down
by such means. It is only the rapid fire of the
visa sore examination, leading to palpable contra-
dictions, or scarcely less damaging shiftings and
evasions, that confuses the mendacious witness,
and exposes the utter worthlessness of his testi-
mony. Under the present system the most skilful
cross examiner could effect little or no good, being
wholly unable to condemn a prevarication out of
his own mouth. It appears too that the witness hears
the question before it is considered by the Court, and
that he may have an opportunity of speaking pri-
"Calais ! Calais ! Calais !" safely to others on. the subject before returning an
yesterday, when
of this occurred no later
Our immortal NELSON, in a kindred mood, de- thanweyre.
sequently called on
y,when the witness mentioned the
dared shortly before his great victory of the Nile, nature of the interrogatory to which he was sub-
. do not attribute any corrupt orN
when he was chasing the phantom fleet of the to reply.
1 to that gentleinan, it is quite su(ffizei,i)eratioltpt le)trootmi gn
oho
ttiilvve
notice
enemy across the Atlantic, and then back again ,
the matter, to show what mischievous results
might follow from the practice.
across the Mediterranean, no less fervently and I
passionately, that if he fell at that time, either in
questions which,
would be considered strictly ert.-
battle or by disease, that on his heart there would ' It will also be seen how many
in Civil Courts,
nent to the issue, were suppressed. InciPwriels
be found imprinted—
"Frigate3 ! Frigates ! Frigates !"
calculated to show the systematic ib t
prisoner —the gross and iucessa t
St-Vposing—whicli EIEiVEN forbid—that - reato.e it of
anything
skould befall our heroic Sea Captain now up the . the
vocation he received were rejected nt,n pro_
-
Gulf of Finland we might say of him as earnestly I r• I
most frivolous grounds ; and when the stan-
and with as much significance that there would 1 dard authority on military tribunals
be discovered stamped IWas re-
, ferred to, the Court refused to recognise• unon his heart it,
upon
Gun-boats ! Gun-boats ! Gan-boats !'' lorto be bound by anything but " the Articles of
A considerable land •
force is now on its way to ! War." The most damaging insinuations against
aid the Baltic Meet in its warlike operations. But the prisoner were received, but he was not allowed
no supply of gun-boats with a light
draught of at the moment to repel them, but told to reserve
watef-=,-sulted to thenaviga.tion
of thet
mouth
of
tine these matters for his defence, or to put them at
river Neva and of the waters of the Gulfo totfFin- ,
some other time, or in some other form--so that
land lying between Cronstadt and St. Petersburg— the venom might rankle in the wound which the
has been despatched in the same direction.
None victim
might
i, never find an equally favourable
even are building. The Admiralty is contenting opportunity of healing.
itself not with accepting Mr, SCOTT Rvas,ELL's : It is unnecessary to dwell on the palpable lean-
-4

asked how it came to pass that the rest of so very

timely and conclusive a document was suppressed'?
We put that query again. We sh iuld amazingly
like to know- what Sir CHARLES NAPIER said to
the Admiralty besides what was read the other
night to the House of Commons by the first of
the Naval Lords Commissioners. We rest per-
fectly satisfied that the gallant Commander of the
Baltic Fleet told the Admiralty wiseacres, pretty
plainly, ti.l9.t—as,he was then situated—with the
fleet eon/y--without troops and without proper
1.4 garilAffitt---11,0.f.ojaud that an_ attack upon Cron-
- &Wit. would he nothing less than certain destruc-
tion `'fie don't think Admiral NAPIER is quite
the man to assert, without having yet fired a shot
upon C,ironstadt, that its fortifications are impreg-
uable---unless at the simile time he explained it to
be so conditionally.
Insomuch are we impressed with this convic-
tion that we believe that Sir CuARLES NAPIER all
this while has been anything but idle in clamour.
;
• ing for both troops and gun-hoats. An illustrious
and
maligned predecessor of her
MAJESTY, as
Queen Regnant of England declared—we all
8., know the anecdote, it. 13 one of the household
stories .of our national history—that when she
• died there would be found engraven upon her
heart—

with a perfect deluge. A good deal .T;
wit Lag, fe •,, (.1: v;
wit
- , • , -.) 4 OArEk, v..2.AV.*
et F'4llo--4) '4-14( . If
. --,-':-,::,,-,„,, , , '' ,