The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-21 00:00:00

STRAND THEATRE.

Role Lessee, Mr. F. W. Allcroft.—Directress, Miss Rebecca Isaacs.
THIS EVENING, JAN. 21,
Will be performed LA SONNAMBULA.
To be followed by THE IRISH TUTOR.
Afte• which, a new grand Comic Christmas Pantomime. entitled
HARLEQUIN AND KING NUTCRACKER; or, The World of
Toys. Clown, by the inimitable Flexmore ; Harlequin, Mr. Bologna ;
Pantaloon, Mr. Griffiths ; Columbine, Miss Goward.
Stalls, 55.; Boxes, 3i. ; Pitt, Is.; Gallery, 6d. ; Private Boxes,
ii. Is., to be had of Mr. Allcroft, 15, New Bond-street.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. William Cooke.

Crowded Houses nightly greet the Grand Spectacle, the Wondrous
Performing Elephants, and the most gorgeous and successful Panto-
Mime of the Season.

TIIIS EVENING, JAN. 21,

To commence with the Grand Chinese Spectacle, THE WISE
ELEPHANTS OF THE EAST, or THE MAGIC GONG, in which
Mr. William Cooke's extraordinary Trained Elephants appear.

Followed by a li,che'•ehe Routine of Scenes of Equestrianism in
TilE ARENA, supported by the Elite of Europe's Equestrian
Artistes.

Concluding with Mr. W. Cooke's immensely successful COMIC
PANTO KIM. written expressly for this Thestre, by Mr. NELSON
LEE, entitled BILLY WC rOVB .iOtTIOTEY TO BRENTFORD ;
or, Harlequin and the Ladles' Favourite.

New scenery, dresses, decorations, and appointments, magnificent
Car of Industry, &c. Harlequin, Mr. H. Hemmings; Columbine,
Mdlle. Christine; Pantaloon, Mr. Lehman; and Two Clowas, Mr.
C. Adams and Mr. Croueste ; Sprites, Masters Gee and Bralbury.

Roc.ofnce open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W.
West.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Tim DAY —Morning 17 min.after E I Livening 39 min.aft. 6
To-Moaaow— Morning 2 min.after 7 Evening 28 min.aft. T

THE WEATHER.--Burt 01,710111, JAN. 21.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
52—highest since noon yesterday.
45—lowest this morning and during the night.
51—this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 30'33—risen three points.
WIND, S.W.—Light breeze, with fine, mild, and clear
weather.

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LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 1854

Everything justified us in regarding with sus-
picion the nature of the instructions transmitted
from Downing-street to Admiral DIINDAS, for the
guidance of his conduct in the direction of the
naval armament under his command immediately
on emerging from the Bosphorus. Everything,
we repeat, might have justified us in regarding
those mysterious instructions without confidence
in their sufficiency under the perilous circum-
stances of the moment as the utterance of a power-
ful and independent Government. The whole of the
deplorable antecedents of the Coalition in reference
to this Eastern difficulty, could not do otherwise
than prepare the mind of an intelligent and im-
partial observer for some further and crowning
evidence of that same miserable pusillanimity
which has been the bane of British diplomacy ever
since the advent to power of the present Admini-
stration. Nevertheless, with the Ministerial blun-
ders of the past indelibly imprinted on our me-
mory, we threw aside for once our very reasonable
doubts as to their energy, their capacity, and even-
their integrity, and yielded them the full adv an-
tage of the credit redounding to them as a Cabi-
net, for the last and most decisive (apparently)
of their proceedings as opposed to the Russian
AUTOCRAT. The combined fleets had at last en-
tered the Black Sea—that was unquestionable.
The instructions with which they had proceeded on-
wards into the Euxine in the depth of winter from
their Beycos anchorage could only yet awhile, of
course, be vaguely conjectured. Patience must still
further be exercised beforethe precise nature of the
orders transmitted from Paris and London could
be learnt with anything like accuracy or authentic
explicitness. Meanwhile, we were prepared to
waive the suspicions -which were inevitably pro-
voked by the bygone shortcomings of the
Western Allies of Turkey. We accorded to
Ministers the benefit of every generous con-
jecture that could be built upon the simple
fact of the combined fleets having at length actu-
ally emerged from their prolonged seclusion in
the Bosphorus. Well—the requisite interval has
elapsed--tbe mystery is solved—the instructions
forwarded to Admirals DUNDAS and lIA.MELIN are
known, known in all their more important par-
. titulars. And are they, let us now ask—worthy
of the mighty Powers, capable, when once cor-
dially united (as at present)) of ruling the destinies
of Christendom Are they calculated by their
display of energy to redeem the character
of the Coalition ? Are they in any respect
befitting a military power like France, or a mari-
time power like England ? Let it be decided by
an examination of those instructions one by one
as they are now categorically acknowledged.
Firstly, then, be it remarked, that the combined
fleets are ordered on entering the Black Sea to
flalute the Russian ships-of-war ! Secondly, to
restrict their movements to conduct Turkish vessels
to the ports of Turkey, and afterwards to cruise
off the coasts off the Ottoman Empire ! ! Thirdly,
. to avoid sedulously anything like a collision,
and to prevent the same, if 'possible, be-
tween the belligerents ! ! ! Fourthly, to keep
as far as practicable from the coasts of the Rus-
sian territories ! ! ! ! Fifthly, if a ttacked by the
Russians, 0 act on the defensive I ! ! ! Now

consider these orders again piecemeal. Firstly,
the combined fleets are ordered to salute the
Russian vessels on entering the Euxine—to salute
them observe—after the inhuman massacre (con-
trary to the habits of civilised countries) at Si-
nope ! Secondly, they are to restrict themselves
in their movements to the service of conducting
Turkish vessels to the Turkish ports that may
happen to be their destination, and afterwards to
cruising leisurely off the coast of Turkey—and
this after the reiterated promise of " support" to
the SULTAN against the military and maritime
aggressions of his autocratic assailant ! Thirdly,
they are to avoid collision and to prevent the same
between the belligerents—though we are not in-
formed how these two opposite instructions are to
be viewed as in any way reconcileable ! Fourthly,
they are not to approach the Russian shores ;
and fifthly, if attacked by the Russians, they are
to act on the defensive—indications, both of
them, of timidity in the estimation of a semi-
barbarous race like the Muscovites, sufficient
alone to urge them on to bolder and more in-
sensate acts of aggression than any upon
which they have yet recently adventured.
Assuredly it cannot be regarded as vapour-
ing, if we ask—Are these instructions worthy
of being transmitted to that heroic navy which
has inherited the glory of NELSON and COLLING-
WOOD ? Are they instructions honourable to
England ? Are they creditable to the Coalition
Government ? No—as we have protested against
the protracting from month to month, until
nearly a whole year has elapsed, of a series of
weak and abortive negotiations, so we cannot find
it in our heart or in our conscience to do otherwise
than protest as loudly, as clearly, and as energetically
against the timorous attitude in which our mari-
time force has been ordered at last to emerge from
the shelter of its long anchorage in the Bosphorus.
It is not by such measures that the evil of war
has ever been guarded against effectually. It is
not thus that it has ever been warded
off, even for a season. It is rather by
acts and hesitating words thus feeble, and
a policy thus miserably pusillanimous, that
wars have been originated, precipitated, and pro-
longed. The concessions made of late the
wrongly so called Peace Party, have been too
numerous, as may be found before long, by their
disastrous consequences. Painfully convinced of
this, we await with redoubled solicitude the now
happily near reassembling of the English Parlia-
ment.

Coals are now 50s. per ton ! This, too, is the
price charged by first-class houses to large con-
sumers, while the smaller fry for whom a club is
a considerable investment, and who, generally
speaking, are compelled to content themselves with
half or quarter that quantity, pay from 2s. l Od.
to 3s. per cwt., or from 2/. 16s. Bd. to 31. per
ton. This is a truly deplorable state of affairs.
What must be the condition of the very poor
while thus practically debarred at this season of
the year from one of the chief comforts, if not the
chief necessary, of life. But it is said that we
have not seen the worst yet. That it is not im- ,
possible—nay, scarcely improbable—that higher
rates may yet be demanded, and that the metro-
polis may be left in darkness from the gas co m-
panies being unable to perform their contracts, and
to keep up the necessary supplies to the different
burners. It is more than hinted that the present
extravagant charges have been partially occa-
sioned by the competition of some of the
companies, whose stocks being exhausted,
and none of the coal ordinarily used for
their purposes being obtainable, were obliged
to purchase house coals in the general mar-
ket. Freights to London have already reached
135., and it is asserted that in some instances
higher rates have been demanded and actually
paid, and that there is still an urgent demand for
means of conveyance to meet the urgent and
rapidly increasing demand.
We believe that there is but too much founda-
tion for these assertions, and we are quite willing
to give the metropolitan coal merchants, who have
been accused of being the chief agents in pro-
ducing
the famine prices above referred to, the
full benefit of these several matters, all of which
are calculated materially to enhance prices. But
we would at the same time suggest that they are
not alone sufficient to explain the full prices now
charged, and that, after making ample allowance
for the increased wages paid to the miners in con-
sequence of the strike, the additional profits de-
manded by the owners of collieries, who
put into their own pockets as much, if not more,
than the amount of the extra wages paid to the
miners—the extra freights paid to the shipowners,
and all other outgoings—there is still a large
margin for which no reasonable explanation has
been afforded ; and which, whether justly or un-
justly, we shall not without due inquiry venture
to assert, is ascribed to the mysterious operations
of the coal factors and coal merchants of the me-
tropolis.
There are several elements to be taken into the
calculation—some fixed and others variable, but
beyond all these, as we have stated, there is some-
thing apparently inexplicable, of which no account
has been given, and which it can be shown arises
after the arrival of the goods in the river ready
for delivery into the barges of the dealers. There
is thus, the royalty to the owner of the mine, and
the wages to the miner. These, we believe, have
both been doubled, and that ls. 6d. is in each
case demanded and paid, where 9d. was
previously considered sufficient. But, after
all these charges, only account for ls. Gd. out of
the 30s. addition to the former charges, or 5 per
cent. on the amount. We believe that there has
been no alteration in the other charges pre-
liminary to the delivery of the coals at Newcastle ;
but to " make assurance doubly sure," let us sup- I
pose that there has been a similar addition to all
the variable charges, and that the same made
coals 2. 6d. per ton dearer on shipboard in New-
castle harbour. For all these matters there is no
remedy but increased competition, which will
bring new capital into a field where there is rea-
son to believe that such enormous profits can be
realised.

Next comes the question of freight, and in that
there has been an enormous addition. As we
have shown, 13s. per ton. is required in place of
6. Gd. or 75., which last year was deemed satis-
factory. Here there is a sudden jump of say Gs.,
which is partly ascribed to the additional wages
required by seamen, and partly to the ex-
traordinary dangers incidental to the coast
navigation. There is unquestionably some
reason for the former, but it only accounts
for a very small portion of the addition. The
extra wages would be covered by ls. per ton out
of the 6s. demanded. And the perils of the navi-
gation, though we regret to say they have not
been diminished,
have not been emhanced during
the past year, and that element may safely be elimi-
nated from the calculation. There are abundant
reasons for creating harbours of refuge on the
north-eastern coast, and for throwing the coasting
trade open to general competitiom, and also for
inducing the different railway companies to enter
into arrangements for developing the coal traffic,
and conveying much larger quantities to the me-
tropolis than heretofore has been •customary. But
still, with all the disadvantages above referred to,
we can only account for Bs. Gd., or Os. per ton of
the increase. The civic tax re Tuains the same,
and we have not heard of any addition to the
rates for transferring the cargoes -from the vessels
to the wharves of the dealers. Butt he actual increase
is more than three times es., and how is the differ-
ence to be accounted for ? The m o ney is not anni-
hilated or flung into the sea. I t goes into some
body's pocket, and who is the act nal gainer is the
problem to be solved.
The coal-dealers are suspected, and it would be
materially for their advantage to free themselves,
if possible, from the grave imi )utation. At all
events, the matter is of sufficiei it importance to •

warrant, nay, more, to demand, a stringent and
searching investigation. At present rates, assum-
ing that 4,000,000 tons of coal only are consumed
in the metropolis—the cost price amounts to no
less than 10,000,000 sterling, for 4,000,000
whereof there is no satisfactory explanation, ex-
cept that it goes to swell the profits of coal factors
and coal merchants. Something, then, must
speedily be done to satisfy the people who have
been compelled to endure great privations in con-
sequence of the almost prohibitory prices of that
article of primary necessity.