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

M USIC.-REUNIO..V DES ARTS.

This society gave one of its agreeable soirees musicale'
last night, at the Beethoven Rooms in Harley-street,
and is evidently exerting itself to deserve its increasing
success. The arrangements are such as to remove the
ordinary formality of the regular concert-room, and sub'
stitute the ease of private society, as far as is practicable
without affecting the efficiency of the music. The prcr
gramme was varied and effective, and included the Sof.
tunic by Chopin, and the Etude by Thalberg, bew
played by Mdlle. Clause with that purity and feeling
which have so rapidly won their way with the public.
Herr Holzel sang two of his own songs with considerable
effect ; and amongst the novelties of the evening were
some vocal quartetts by Herren Kuchler; Baerraali's
Lane, and Aynslie, given with spirit arid excellence o.`
ensemble.

The successful appearance of a new soprano amone
our native artistes is a feature we cannot conclude Wlt
out noticing. Mrs. Douglas sang two songs, My F
rourite, by Moleque, and the well-known Er/konig,
Schubert. Her voice is remarkably full and rich, te°
intonation musical and true, and susceptible of consider
able dramatic passion. It has evidently been trained 111
the Italian school ; and when experience shall have col!:
ferred greater mastery and confidence, we have little
doubt that Mrs. Douglas will prove a-valuable addition
to the artistes of the concert-room.

THE CONSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—The eighth poL"
chase of land, for allotment amongst the members, 11P:
just been made, within sight of the Crystal Palace el
Sydenham, close to the Forest-hill station, and a short
distance from Lewisham. The estate is in one of the
most picturesque and commanding localities in We 6
Kent.

MORE DOMESTIC SAVAGES.—Between three and four
o'clock on Sunday morning, while Police-constable 126 ~,
was going his rounds, his attention was attracted by the
cries of a female in distress, and upon going to Manche"
ter-street, Argyle-square, whence the cries came, he
found, sitting on the hall-door step of No. 15, a feras`e
constable, sufferingwounds
tthunfortunatee
ie
head.agony,
reply'w woman,
mbleedingtato questions
w
ciue
hs
tpoi roonwfsua ssferl froeoyxmc e :
ingly exhausted, and scarcely able to speak, said that
her name was Mrs. M'Donald ; that her husband, 101°
was a commercial traveller, occupied the house out"
side of which she
then was sitting ; but froti
whence her husband, having first brutally ill-treated
her, ejected her, leaving her in the condition in whit'
he (the police-constable) found her. The officer, Lavinl
heard her tale, conveyed her to the workhouse, and
upon her arrival there it was found necessary to put be
instantly under medical treatment. In addition to bet
body being one mass of bruises, the poor victim of de:
mestic brutality, who was four months enciente, had
severe lacerated wound on the scalp. Her brutal
sailant was arrested, but as Mr. Waldegrave, the Work'
house surgeon, certified that she was unfit to appear
before the magistrate, the husband was remanded. irel
terday, her three children, aged respectively 3, 61 an
8, were also conveyed, to the workhouse. The other
victim of husband brutality is Ellen Doubin, living at 6: „,,
Paul-street, Lisson-grove, who was admitted to Pv
Mary's Hospital, Sunday night, and whose injuries Of
thus described in the hospital report book :—Mary
Doubin, admitted 9.30 pall., suffering from violence, 41'
result of kicks inflicted by her husband.
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY A FEMALE.—Yesterday m° of
ing great sensation was created in consequence•
a rumour that Mr.s Mary Kirk, aged 29, Whetstoeul
park, Lincoln's-inn-fields, had attempted self-destruction_
by jumping out °I
of the second floor window, which,
making inquiry, proves to be a melancholy fact. 0
appears that the unfortunate woman had been in t
desponding state of mind from some cause which is not
clearly ascertained, but it was not considered necessary
to place any watch on her movements. However, t:0
unfortunate creature committed the act, falling to
std
ground with considerable violence. An alarm was rat
by some of the neighbours, when she was picked
rllct
without loss of time, and -conveyed to Victoria -Vira
King's College Hospital, where Mr. George La on
the house surgeon, was in immediate attendance, en ‘`.;.o
examination found her leg broken, beside other exteele.
injuries, where she now lies in a very precarious ste'
No cause is assigned for the rash act at present.
lb
ROYAL HUMANE SOClETY.—Yesterday afterneon
he
meeting of the directors, and other supporters a v
above institution, was held at the offices, in Trafalg3os
square, Charing-cross. A number of meritorious c3,se,
were submitted, and adjudicated upon by the comillitlie
The seventy-ninth annual report stated, that during "10,
past year 165 cases were submitted to the societYy,
prising 190 individuals, of whom 180 were successol4o
treated and recovered ; 22 honorary silver medals
voted for cases of rescue, attended by extraordind7,
courage and personal risk ; 36 honorary bronze Inerdeci
had been awarded ; 124 claimants had been ren the
with money for saving life
,in or near London ; an" if),
thanks of the society, handsomely inscribed on the
have been presented to 21 individuals. Durieg_tets
skating season of last winter, on the ornamental
of the various parks, on the ice of which more ;Loy
100,000 persons had ventured, there had been, lince of
300 persons immersed, but, owing to the one
-the society's icemen employed on the occasion, only
fatal accident had occurred,

THE FRENCH EMPIRE,

We have received the Paris journals of yester-
day.

The Constitntionne/ contains an article on the
e(ntra.(,ement given by the Government to at-
teln t
P s to improve the natural resources of the
de-
tails Our contemporary enters into some de-
to show what may he expected from the policy
u8(I) the Government on this subject, and bestows
inoille eulogy on that policy, which, however, is not
re 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-
'uve, and at the same time removing the inju-
rielts effects which they had produced on the health
of the inhabitants, was M. Casimir Pcrier. When
that gentleman was minister he endeavoured to
error
a Company of French and English sharehold-
tas for the cultivation of the waste lands in Brit-
Y and in other parts of France, and subscribed
'°wn name for a million of francs. His death
rl, ' a stop to his prudent and benevolent efforts
afore the capital required could be raised, and
iandtll the exception of the efforts made by a few
owners and on a Small scale, nothing had been
t.l -111 e until the reins of Government came into
hands of the present Chief of the State.
peuine fears have been expressed that the Ern-
eair)r of the French is aiming at more than he
tre;,,acemPlish, and that the resources of the
to-,iurY will not be equal to half what he intends
°f (ration.
without adding considerably to the burthens
it (ration. Were this fear well grounded, which
be °es not appear to us to be, it should be remem-
bered that works of public utility remain, whatever
obt'a. nave been the sacrifices at which they were
Ted- All outlay for improvement should be
Judiciousthe and properly apportioned to the means of
ee"'ate, but even when the State has been to a
it; In degree impoverished by an outlay beyond
ancfneans, the good that has been effected remains,
many years do not pass before the nation re-
ceives ,
the • uack the capital with compound interest in
of the produce of the earth, the amelioration
of
en'
public health, or the comfort and convenience
e.,vt channels of communication. If the Provi-
waaat Government of the Republic, instead of
leng enormous sums in employing the starving
haprers in digging holes and filling them up again,
to, ,Pent' treble the amount in the making of
of'us, the building of bridges and the improvement
th:aste lands, something would now be shown for
the- cintlay. But what remains of the labours of
ateliers nationaux in different parts of France ?
kee more return or the outlay than if the
~'e'37 had been thrown into the sea.
1e Constitutionnei says :..--
Pointe examining the 'budget of Public Works, we
gra-,ed out the increase which was demanded for the
14,,4,11‘a destined for the fertilisation and clearing certain
of the territory. We shall return hereafter with
more details on the works commenced in the Sologne,
me_Projected in the Dombes or in the Brenne. We now
eefor call attention to a measure which has been sue-
einrY adopted in Belgium to realise improvements
teeviar to those which we are now making, and which
eligB;llre Wag recently the subject of an interesting dis-
k'" in the chamber of representatives. It is well
whin that Belgium has taken the start of us in paths in
r:n we have only made a first step. It is the great
t'S obtained by our neighbourain the Campine which
14°;_iven rise to the new plans which are in contem-
wwtan for rendering productive certain portions of our
healthy and desert territory. Some skilfully directed
ork,
the drainage and irrigation have sufficed to sextuple
value of several thousands of hectares. Such has
the starting point of the works devised for the im-
provement of the Sologne and other parts of the country
etelch similar causes had appeared to have condemned to
to oral sterility. The measure which we now recommend
li examination is very simple ; it is the distribution of
hme at a reduced price to small farmers. What particn-
rlY contributes to the unfruitfulness of the Sologne, the
Zonbes, &c., is the too exclusively silicioleme
us
enat ltiereLf
soil,. and.the absence of the calcareous
e
"nposition of the land. The works which are to be car-
ved on there must not therefore have merely for object
10 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
thelarmers may be able .to restore to the soil the ele-
taent of which it is deprived, and which is necessary to
reci nder it pductive. It is calculated that, in the
Zlogne, 30ro cubic metres of marl are required per hec-
"ire• 'Unfortunately marl, in certain localities, costs as
much as from 6fr. to 10fr. the cubic metre. In spite,
°llever, of the dearness of it, landowners who can af-
-13
frd it do not hesitate at the expense, because they find
Profit from the outlay. According to authentic ex-
periments made, and published by several large farmers
uthe Sologne the net revenue of the hectare before the
eef marl is 6fr., whilst after that operation it is from
foto 33fr. The money laid out in the article there-
fare ~,la reality brings more than 10 per cent. Small
And era, however, who have not money at command,
Noare not generally fond of innovations, cannot have
~,!'rse to this means of improvement. The following
ject!tat is done in Belgium in a similar case. The ob-
the 18 to increase the use of marl in the barren parts of
ere„.uxernbourg. For some years past an annual
credit bas been opened to the Government of lime, at a
Viteiee,d price, to the farmers of the Ardennes. The pro-
eoe,nia! council of the Luxembourg, the agricultural
since:4Bi", and the agricultural committees of the pro-
fluene.:l are unanimous in admitting the immense in-
ing of thwillell that measure had exercised on the cl?ar-
Con. Tieaeground and the improvement of its cultim-
"ly wart, distribution, of lime at a reduced price, being
ni—eu to the extent of 100 hectolitres to each
lathneteawn-e"'r:t is more particularly the small farmers an
who profit by it. Thanks to this measure,
dareaarrell region of the Luxembourg will be soon ren-
lB4f,PTdoctive, We will now quote figures. During
Go „11(11818, before premiums were granted by the
Aoldv ./I.,lbent, only 145,000 hectolitres of limestone were
P ent.; -'ll 1849 and 1850, after the establishment of
thr -dims- the quantity increased to 424,000 hectolitres,
at
that ig to say that the use of lime more than tripled in
Allo,„uort space of time. The credit which is annually
tieh'ed for this purpose is 75,000 fr. The central sec-
to; °f.. the Chamber of Representatives proposed to
smitt, it to 40,000 fr., hut the Chamber, which at first
kft,rined the reduction, rejected it by a second vote,
pa,,,uaving been informed of the good results of the
tNtrution of lime at a reduced price. What more
vanes
llarly is deserving of remark is, that the mainte-
Nr or the full credit was defended with the greatest
15p4Ye,ill men whose economical opinions are in general
locit :4 to any kind of intervention in mattera of
try on the part of the Government, particularly by
lite'ri"gier and 111. Orban. In pointing out what has
eklea,llc'le in Belgium, in order to extend the use of
liart-;ectus amendments, and to favour the clearing of
-11 laud in the Luxembourg, our only object is to
eNexamination to a measure which has perfectly sue-
th, on the other side of our frontiers, and to induce
It "ernMent to ascertain whether it cannot also put
IllilderPractice in those portions of our territory which it
o...takes to improve.
tk;ulliat Rrampe, Governor of Iceland, has just
404 named Officer of the Order of the Legion of
he 111°11r in return for the important services which
veas4 011 several occasions rendered to French
the 11,-,!, and Captain Angelopoulo, Commandant at
cle Ir:ft; has been on the same grounds named
-Valier of the Order.
huh:, 1-,agorce has just been appointed French Con-
reh Saint Domingo, and has received orders to
r immediately to his post.
The Duke de Rovigo and the other defendants
10,
o`° were last week condemned by the Tribunal of
a...""rYectional Police, have given notice of appeal
148 t the judgment.
;the Journal de Lot et Garonne advertises the
44
2,0 f the property of M. Baze, ex-questor of the
71slative Assemby, who is now in exile.
f"ispatches have arrived from the Gomer, steam-
,lS4gatc, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Romain
esfosses, commanding the naval division in the
Levant.. The Gomer after having visited Rhodes
and Cos had proceeded to Salamis to join the
French squadron.
The Minister of the Interior has addressed to the
Cantonalt Statistical Commissions a circular, im-
assinbr, on them the importance of collecting accu-
a', information relative to all matters concerning
agriculture and manufactures. It requests
.them
sides to take particular pains to remove idea
the
the public mind in their neighbourhood that
taxes Government has any idea of increasing the
Object,
now pressing- on the agricultural interest, its
on the contrary, being to relieve that into-
teB,t,as much as can be safely effected.
The market for Government Securities at the
eeirse was dull, and at the conclusion of business
re was a downward tendency in prices :—For
etZ3ell, the Three per Cents. remain unchanged, but
Four-and-a-Half per Cents. fell 20c. ; the
(tree
per Cents. for the account.declined 15c., and
the
there' cur-and-a-Half per Cents. sf. In Bank Shares
the is no change to report. The following are
gof closing prices :—For money—Three per Cents.,
uue• ; Four-and-a-Half per Cents., 103 f. 50c.
35er the end of the month—Three per Cents., 80f.
Bank• Four-and-a-Half per Cents. 103 f. 50c.
dace
Stock, 2,735 f. In Bank of Credit Foncier
cielr.es, no change occurred, but Credit Mobilier
erZd.rl2f.. The final quotations were, for
oncier, 900 f. • Credit Mobilier, 928 f.
erelgn Securities —Piedmontese, 5 per cnt. 99 :
Deferred :
n. the
irs. New, 24. A reaction took place
advarienae ilfwTay Share Market yesterday, and the
el°ePtiojae uesday was not maintained, with the
of Paris and Rouen shares.

SPAIN.
,
15t is is nothing in the Madrid journals of the
~,,.''cn.!l, on the subject of the change of Ministry,
t'' had not previously reached us. The Gazette
he fishes the decrees accepting the resignations of
~," late Ministers, and nominating their sue-
,esson.
Three per Cents., 42i ; One per Cents., 24.

GERMANY.
seedearn from Berlin that thr committee of the
Chamber recommends the adoption of a

-
bill, authorising the interdiction of foreign publi-
cations without the previous decision of the judicial

authorities.
Access to the burial-place of the persons killed
at Berlin in March, 1848, has been interdicted by.
the Prussian police, and the place has been en-
closed.
The King of Prussia has conferred the grand
cross of the Red Eagle on Baron de Varennes, re-
cently French Minister at Berlin.