The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-08 00:00:00

and Prussia had presented in the four points
basis that would satisfy them completely."
Iu other words, by a specious compliance with
the views of the Germaa Powers, to an extent
with which he well knew the Allies could not be
contented, to throw them into hostilities against
France and England.

But failing this, which was going a little far-
ther than he could himself anticipate, then " to
obtain a neutrality, maintained with firmness
and perseverance ;" or, in other words, in such
a manner as to provoke the remonstrances and
perhaps " acts" of the Maritime Powers.
The shot has, however, failed. The insidious
shaft has flown wide of the mark ; and we venture
to prophesy that, in this instance, the Russian
Chancellor will " take nothing by his motion."

SIR RICHARD ENGLAND.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.

-
SIR,— -As I— have just left the army in the Crimea, and
have seen what has been going on there, I think I ought
not to let the public conclude, on the authority of the
Times, that Sir Richard England is responsible for the
Third Division having been less engaged with the enemy
than other portions of the army. At the battle of the
Alma the Fourth Division, as well as the third, was
held in reserve, and neither Sir George Cathcart nor Sir
Richard England had any choice in the matter.
Balaklava is distant about six miles from the camp of
the Third Division, which was not detached to that place
on the 25th of October, having been left by Lord Raglan,
with the divisions of Brown and Evans, to hold the front,
while the assault in rear of our position was met, and
the cavalry, Highlanders, and Turks supported them,
by the Guards and the Fourth Division, who alone were
detached from the English carap for the purpose. Here
again, then, Sir Richard England had no choice in the
matter.
Inkermann. was fought on the extreme right of the
English position. The Third Division was on the ex-
treme left. Under the pressure of a sudden attack it
must necessarily occupy that ground which it could
most quickly reach. This ground may have been
comparatively distant from the brunt of the battle, but,
for the safety of our position, its occupation was not
the less necessary ; and here, again, I may repeat that
Sir Richard England had no choice in the matter.
In the name therefore of good old English fair-play,
I ask you to let the public read this letter, remembering,
too, that, glorious as were the exertions of the " bat-
talion officers and soldiers" at Inkerman, others did
their part as well, for as many as eight out of the 14
general officers who were engaged with the troops there
were put hors de combat.—l am, Sir, your obedient
L servant,

ARTHUR W. TORRENS, Brigadier•Genera'
98, Elaury-street, Dec. 7.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, DIM 7.
There was no addition to the Royal dinner party yes.
terday.
The Queen and Prince, accompanied by Prince Ernes'
of Leiningen, walked in the Home Park this morning.

The following Ministers were pa:esent at the Cabinet
dinner given by the Earl of Aberdeen on Wednesday
evening at Argyll-house—viz., Lord John Russell, the
Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Duke
of Argyll, Viscount Palmerston, the Earl of Clarendon,
Sir George Grey, the Duke of Newcastle, the Chancellor
of the Exchequer, Sir James Graham. Sir Charles Wood,
Earl Granville, the Right. Hon. Sidney Herbert, and
Sir William Molesworth.
M. Musurus, the Turkish Minister, transacted busi-
ness yesterday at the Foreign-office, Downing-street.
Sir E. Buxton had an interview with the Earl of
Aberdeen yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-
street.
The Cathedral Commission met at No. 1, Parliament-
ment-street, yesterday. The Commissioners present
were—the Archbishop of Canterbury, the MarqUis of
Blandford, M.P., the Bishop of London, the Bishop
of Oxford, the Hon. and Rev. H. M. Villiers, Sir
John Dodson,- Sir John Patteson, Rev. Dr. Words-
worth, Rev. Canon Selwyn, and Mr. Henry Kings-
cote (Secretary).
Sir Alexander Spearman had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday at his official
residence in Downing-street.

We are requested to state that Convocation will be
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Windsor Park.
The Countess of Leicester arrived in town yesterday
from Brighton. Her ladyship and the noble 'mimic,
spected the " cattle show," and left town again fot
Holkham Hall, Norfolk.
The Earl and Countess of Derby and Lady Emma
Stanley are expected to leave Knowsley Hall, Prescot,
Lancashire, on Monday next, for St. James's-square.
Ms lordship's political banquets to the members of his
party will not, we believe, be resumed until after the re-
assembling of Parliament, the first week in February.
Lord and Lady Brackley; who arrived in Grosvenor-
street early in the week from the Earl of Ellesmere's,
Worsley Hall, near Manchester, have since left town for
Burwood Park, Surrey.
The Right Hon. B. Disraeli and Mrs- Disraeli have
arrived at Grosvenor-gate, from Hughendon Manor,
Bucks.
The Rev. D. Winham and the Rev. G. H. Proctor,
the two last of the twelve assistant chaplains selected
by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, I.
minister to our sick and wounded soldiers at the seat of
war, will sail from Portsmouth this morning, Dem 8, by
the Magdalena, which takes out the 18th Royal Irish
and 38 officers.
SUICIDE AT CIELTENSIAIL—Mr. William Coles, for
the last 14 years collector to the Cheltenham Water-
works Company, committed suicide on Monday, by
drowning himself in a pond.
Slimes. JA.XESOIT.—The Council of Government of
Malta have recently voted the sum of 2001. to Mr.
Sheriff Jameson, of Edinburgh, for his services in re-
vising the code of evil procedure for that island in
1851. The code is in the Italian language.
COLDBATH-FIELDS HOUSE OF CORRECTION.—The elec-
tion of a successor to Col. Chesterton, the governor of
this extensive prison, who retires, after a service ex-
ceeding twenty-five years, and on a pension of 3331.
a-year, took place yesterday. The salary of the new
governor is to commence at 5001. a-year, and that of
Colonel Chesterton has reached 7001. by progressive iu-
creases. The candidates were Captain C. Cheetharn,
Captain T. H. Colvill, Mr. George H. Henderson, Mr.
George Stephens, and lieutenant Henry Corbett Taylor.
Captain T. H. Colvill was the successful candidate.
ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY. The following
papers are to be read at the society's next meeting, on
the evening of Dec. 11:-1. Reports from Dr. Barth,
addressed to the Chevalier Bunsen, dated Timbuctu,
Nov. 23, 1854, and March 23, 1854, announcing his de-
parture from that place ; commenicated through the
Foreign-office. 2. Despatch from Consul Herman to
the Earl of Clarendon, dated Tripoli, Oct. 3, 1854, re-
porting that the African mission had not yet returned to
Kuka from the south.
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—At a monthly
general meeting, held yesterday, at the society's house,
in Hanover-square—the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of
Oxford, D.D., vice-president, in the chair—Messrs. T.
N. Hunt and T. Hutton were elected fellows of the so-
ciety; and Lord Clermont, Hon. F. H. G. W. Cal-
thorpe, and Messrs. F. Kumpf, W. Russell, J. H. Dark,
F. Peake, and T. Staunton, were proposed as candidates
for the fellowship. The report of the council stated that
the menagerie continued in the excellent state of health
which had marked the progress of the summer months,
and was at the present moment in a condition of une- j
qualled efficiency. The number of fellows had increased 1
by ninety since the Ist of January, notwithstanding
several deaths and ten resignations. The number of
visitors to the gardens up to the Ist of December was
897,066.
FALSE HOPES.—The Belgian and Dutch journals have
been announcing that the distribution of the estate left
by M. Jacques Dubois, a native of Vedrin, in Belgium,
was about to be made. The deceased is stated to have
died at Batavia in 1704, leaving behind him a large for-
tune. It results, says the Jfoniteur, from official docu-
ments sent in to the department of foreign affairs, that
this inheritance is quite imaginary, and it is not even
known if such a person as Dubois ever existed.
THE TRIAL OF TEE GOLD AND SILVER COINAGE.—
Yesterday morning, the jury who were empanelled on
the previous day at the office of the Comptroller of the
Exchequer, waited upon the Lord Chancellor at Lin-
coln's Inn to deliver their verdict on the state of the new
coinage. Mr. Prideaux, the secretary to the Goldsmiths'
Company handed in a lengthened report, from which it
appeared that the gold and silver, which they had
minutely examined, was of the required weight and
than
fine-
ness ; indeed, that there was an advantage, rather
otherwise, in favour of the public. The Lord Chancellor
expressed his satisfaction with this result, and ordered
the verdict to be recorded. In the evening a grand
banquet was given, at the Goldsmiths' Hall, to the Lord
Chancellor, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Lord'
Chief Baron, Sir E. Ryan, Sir John Herschel, and other
persons of distinction.
THE LATE Miss FERRIEB.—II our obituary for last
month we had to record the lamented death of Miss
Susan Edmonstone Feriqer, the talented authoress of
" Marriage," &c. " This gifted personage," as her old
and attached friend, the author of " Waverly," has
designated her, was born in 1782, and was the youngest
daughter of the late Mr. James Ferrier, for many years
Sir. Walter Scott's colleague in the Court of Session.
Miss Ferrier's first work, " Marriage," appeared in 1818,
followed by " Inheritance," in 1324, and "Destiny," in
1838. These, like the earlier of Scott's novels, having
been published anonymously, Sir Walter, on one occa-
sion, refers to the authoress as his " sister shadow,
a
flattering but well-merited compliment, for no writer of
fiction has probably been more succesful than this lady
in the delineation of Scottish character. In conse
quence of very delicate health, accompanied with
st had l paivr-
tial blindness, Miss Ferrier for many years paed
in comparative retirement, admired and beloved by the
few privileged to enjoy her rare and delighful powers of
conversation, which she was permitted
last.
to retain to the