The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-10 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S OXFORD-SMEFT

The Public is respectfully inrorrned, that the eminent Tragcdiae,
Mr. MACRE:WY, is re-engaged fur a limited number of Nights,
and will appear on

EASTER MONDAY, APRIL 13.
When will be prer,ent,d Shaksperc's Tragedy of lIAIILP.P. Ch
ratters by Mesrs. Maeready, Granby, L. Murray, Ryder, Esln
James Vining, Wynn, fc,,nner, Walton, Compton, Oxberry,
Coon?.r , Mr's. Ternan, Mts3 Er,,ma S!anley, and Miss k:. thinner.
_ .

After wlieh. a New Gr,lnfi F:6
GODIVA AN;) PEEPING TO
Messrs. Waitun, Wynn, Compt
Miss E. Stanley, Mrs. I

,Aanza, entitled 1,2
)VENTRY. In r:
by Oxberry ; 31Iss T.,:
ilonner, &c., will 3.,,pear

)r' C

ti W 6

roke,

guided by the dictates of wisdom is inevitably virtuous ;
by the right acquisition of knowledge he becomes ipso
facto less liable to violate the natural code of right and
wrong ;--the inference of which reasoning must be
that vice is the child of ignorance. Hence for the
eradication or suppression of that vice, education is
the most rational and the most efficient instrument.
Animated with these convictions, we cannot but years
for some comprehensive change in this branch of legis
Cation. Everything goes to enforce the necessity of some
radical alteration of the kind ; nor do we consider the
matter as anything but feasible. Some of the
calculations produced at the meeting of the
Middlesex Magistrates yesterday were significant
indications enough that we are at present proceeding
upon a most fallacious system. On this head let us
merely examine the criminal statistics there given with
reference to two of our metropolitan places of confine
went. The numbers will be of themselves the advo-
cates of the reformation of which we are speaking; they
plead most eloquently for the interposition of the Legis-
lature. From the report produced by the visiting jus-
tices of the House of Correction, Coldbath-fields, " it
appeared that there were at present one thousand and
t teuty three prisoners confined within the walls of that
gaol!' Here we have a large battalion of our fellow-
countrymen pent up in a state of comparative inactivity
and uselessness, a degradation to themselves, a burden
upon the country, and a disgrace to society, And yet,
by a judicious preparatory mode of instruction, those
1,023 human beings might, at the present moment, hi
gaining an honest livelihood, and adding the impetus of
their ingenuity and their bodily strength to our national
industry. "Of these there are 757. males r That is
surely enough of itself. On a similar authority we learn
that 677 prisoners are now the inmates of the West-
minster Bridewell: of these, " 500 were males !" To
this circumstance, however, we are compelled to add
another, infinitely more deplorable. We transcribe the
precise language of the report :—" Since the commence-
ment of the pulling down of the New Prison, Clerken-
well, on the Ist of September last, the num-
ber of commitments to Westminster had amounted
to 3,830, and that since the 21st of February
only they had not been fewer than 754." We
shall abstain from any detailed commentaries upon
this statement, conceiving, as we do, that the insuffi-
ciency of the existing mode of prevention is, in point of
fact, no mode of prevention whatever. Public attention
has been already directed to this great social blemish,
among others by ourselves; the inefficacy of punishment
for the eradication of vice is even now recognised, and
hopefully we anticipate some decisive movement. As
one step in advance we were rejoiced to perceive that at
the magisterial meeting in question a memorial from the
Philanthropic Society (" offering their establishment,
or a certain portion of it, in aid of the proposed reform-
atory for juvenile offenders ") was referred to a com-
mikee, " for the purpose of seeing what means could the
best be adopted, with a view to the checking of juvenile
crime, and reforming the juvenile offenders." These
efforts, of which the preceding is an example, have en.
gaged our warmest sympathies.

Accounts from Berne, of the 3d instant, state that the
Bishop of SOLEURE had addressed a letter to the consti-
tuent Assembly of the Canton of Berne, protesting
against any oath which the Assembly might see fit to
impose on the Roman Catholic clergy of that canton
with regard to the constitution then under consideration,
inasmuch as the clergy did not consider itself relieved
from the oath which, with the authorisation of the Holy
Sec, it had taken to the constitution of 1831. They also
prayed the Assembly to guarantee to the Roman Ca-
tholic Church, by a special article in the new constitu-
tion, the maintenance of its rights as stipulated in 1815.

The following appears in the German Universal Ga-
zett?, under the date, Cracow, 30th of March :,
" It is a peasant named Sala who is at* the head of
the in urgents who are still in the field, and these are
Via terms on which he offers to order his men to lay
down their arms :—Abolition of the feudal service—sup.
pression of taxes—sale of salt at a fixed price per
quintal—a general participation of the land; one-fourth
to be allotted to the nobles, and the three other fourths
dividgd am:;ng the peasantry. It is said that a person of
note has the direction of the movement at Tilsna, and
represents the civil power, while Sala considers himself
to be the military chief."
A letter from Posen, of the :24th, in the Voss Gazete,
mentions a rumour that, in several of the districts of the
Grand Duchy, the peasantry have signed a declaration,
that, being grateful for the welfare that they had enjoyed
under the rule of Prussia, they were resolved to oppose
all attempts at revolution on the part of the nobles, and
by the energy of their own resistance render unnecessary
any proceedings on the part of the Government.
A letter from Breslau, of the 24th ult.., states that a

of insurgents, under a noble, is in occupation of
the forests of the district of Ostrolewka, which communi-
cates with the famed forest of Biavelege, in Lithuania..
This body is composed of a race of halt noble peasantry,
called Kurpics, who from remote times poi,tess lands
:ziven to them by bishop; or Starcsts, in remuneration of
:race; rendered to the church or to the country.
These Kurpies, on multiplying, had partitioned out the
lands in numerous portions, but when the estates of the
clergy were confiscated by the Government, they became
tenants of the Crown, without king subjected to :toit
rind service.

. A Consistory is to be held at Rome on the 16.11
April, at which the Archbishop of NAPLES will rec. ire
a cardinal's hat. A letter from 1:ome, dated 20th ult.,
sqys that the POPE has obtained from Russia the per-
nission for an Apostolic Nuncio to reside kt St. Peters-
burgh, and the Cardinal Prince ALTIERI will be ap-
point,d to that office.

The Augssurg Gazette publishes a letter, dated Odes:a.
Ifarch 8, which contains the following important intel-

lipnce from Persia :
" We have news from Persia by Trebisond.
bodily health of the Shah is improved, but his mind, it
is sad, suffers. It is now exceedingly difficult for the
`ereign ambassadors to have interviews with him. Great
astonishment was excited at Teheran by the unexpected
return of Mirzs Dschafar Khan, the extaordinary am-
bassador from Tiflis, without having continued his jour-
ney to St. Petersburgh. It is known from a good source
that during his sojourn in the former city, the Governor-
General, Prince de Woronzow, received dispatches,
which authorised him to conclude a secret convention
with Persia, relative to several reci➢rocal concessions.
In order not to excite too mach the jealousy of England,
the Russian Government, it is said, intimated to the am-
bassador that it did not desire his presence in St. Peters-
burgh. In place of a formal treaty, a convention was
nerely signed betweeen the Persian plenipotentiary and
the Governor-G'rneral of Trans-Caucaiia. It is certain
hat Russia, even before the return of Alirza Dschafar
Than, was already in possession of the important advan-
,-.ages which this convention Confirms. Naval arsenals
and dockyards were already commenced on the pai t
the Russians in the Persian ports of the Caspian Sea, and
he barbo-ars of Engeli and Astrabad are now in a certain
measure in their power. Between Reschz and Teheran
he construction of forti ied caravansaries to protect trade
iias also been begun, and from the manner in which the
ioldiers of the Russian lineconduct themselves, one would
almost imagine that the Cabinet of St. Petersbargh was al-
ready in possession of that province of Persia. At Astrabad a
number of Russian miners were daily expected to work,
ror the Russian Government, the rich mines of copper,
tin, and coal, abounding in that part of the country. 'The
Arsian Government has farmed out these mines to the
Russians. It having been reported that the Russian

deserters in Persia —were to be cent to the Araxes, a
number of them who were at Tauris fled for refuge to
Turkey. Many had entered the Persian armj, and
turned Mahometans. Pechmen Mirza, brother of the
Shah, is said to have favoured their flight. But some
of them, who had fixed their residence in other towns of
the empire, have been given up to the Russian authori-
ties. The Persian Government has also entered into an
engagement to force the families of peasants, which had
• migrated from A: minis and Tart,ry, to return to the
Russian territory. All these concessions have been made
by the Vizier to secure, by a formal engagement of the
Russian Government, the succession to the throne of the
son of the present Shah, a lad of only 16 years of age,
and half an idiot. The Russians have, in fact, numerous
troops on the Araxes, to put down any revolt that
might be attempted in favour of one of the Sons of Feth
Ali'zhali. It is only in case that Peehrnan Mirza, bro-
!her of the Shab, should declare in favour of this young
man that he could Lave any chance of success. The
I.rmy is well inclined towards him, and hitherto Pech-
man Mirza has manifested great attachment to his bro-
ther and his family. The cholera is raging in several
provinces in Persia, having been originally introduced
by the Neret caravans into Khorassan. From thence it
spread all over the country. At Meschid, a third of the
population has perished, and at Teheran and Ispahan
the inhabitants of entire quarters have been carried off.
To-wards the middle of February Asserberdshan was
still exempt from this plague.

Accounts from Madrid, dated the 4th instant, an-
nounce that General NARVAEZ had resigned, that
his resignation bad been accepted, and that the fol-
lowing appointments had taken place :

M. ISTURITZ, President of the Council and Minister
of Foreign Affairs ;
M. AR3IERO, Minister of Marine ;
M. EGANA, to remain as Minister of Justice ;
M. MoN, Minister of Finance.

It was reported that the real cause of the crisis was,
the unwillingness of the late Ministers to agree to a
proposition made by EGANA and PEZUELA, for the im-
mediate marriage of the QUEEN with the son of Don
CARLOS. The law on the subject of tune bargains was
merely put forward as the excuse. Generals CONCHA,
CORDOVA, :Hos DE OLANO, and A RAOZ, bad, on the
2d, after some delay, obtained their passports, and were
preparing to leave Spain without delay. GONZALES
BRAIN), who had resigned his embassy to Lisbon, had
arrived in Madrid. Orders were seat to Corunna on the '
2d to place the brig-of•war Constitution at the disposi.