The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-23 00:00:00

~ere

PRic-e, 50.

CHORLEY.

~ ~~r.-~

HE AFFAIRS OF CIRCISSIA. -v,
SINOPE, JUNE 10.—Among the passengers
a Turkish trading vessel arrived fro9i,-attimilwi
\)
Os!nan Oku, one of the most petvie" :chVg_-Orr,-'--
Uhikhs in Southern Circassia. He fa .
Iladi Dokan Oku, the most renowll6o2
w.S;itiaariht)irngtitfo'nt'of_7„:,
Caucasus, whom Mr. Bell styled ~t
Circassia," and who died two years tip, Ali Osman -C.-L="4
Oltu is proceeding to Constantinople, intendinJo &Nall
on to Adrinople, with a view, in the natt.lideviciaß#
Circassian chiefs, of inducing Sefir Beg-,- one of the
three great chiefs (.f Circassia, to return to his country.
The other two princes, Selim Beg and Pschimet Beg,
have lost all their influence in the mountains, being
supposed to have been bought over by Russia. They
behaved with pusillanimity, taking no part in the meet-
ings, except to exhort the mountaineers to lay down
their arms and cease all attacks against the Russian forts
on the Black Sea. But the name of Sefir Beg is still
extremely popular in the mountains, and the general
opinion is, that he alone is capable of putting an end to
thr differences which now exist in Circassia, uniting
under his order a number of tribes, and sustaining in
the Western Caucasus as glorious a part as Schamyl has
played with so much glory in Dagestan, and in the whole
of the eastern portion of the Caucasus. Sefir Beg has
not visited his country for ten years. He then went to
Constantinople to solicit the assistance of the Porte in
favour of Circassia. He was lured with vain promises,
and finally the Porte was weak enough to yield to the
influence of M. Boutenieff, who had imperatively de-
manded the removal of the Circassian Prince, and to
order him to repair to Adrinople. Here Sefir Beg leads
a retired life, having lost all hope of the future destiny
of his country, and passes his time in prayer in the
mosques. He, however, from time to time writes to his
countrymen, exhorting them to persist in their hostility
to Russia, and to prefer death to a base submission.
But all steps taken by his countrymen, and their solicita-
tions to induce him to return to his country, have been
in vain, his answer being that he would not return but
when the Porte gave hire assistance. Sefir Beg is a
de-cendant of the oldest and most powerful princely
family in Circassia.
We have not had any direct news from Tiflis and the
Eastern Caucasus for two months, but by the passengers
arrived from Batum, we learn that the late appearance
of Schamyl in the plains of Cabardia, had produced an
immense impression among all the mountain tribes of
the west. Notwithstanding the jealousy and natural
antipathy of the various populations who do not
speak the same language, the voice of the prophet
Schamyl had not failed to produce its effect in Ca-
bardia, and numerous tribes of the plain had taken up
arras for him. The numerical superiority of the Russian
Briny, which amounts to 60,000 men, on the borders
of the Terek, has compelled Schamyl to retire into
the mountains, not having the means to contend in the
plain with advantage against the combined Russian
coinpact infantry and cannon, but many of the Cabardian
tribes have followed him into the interior of the great
Tsehetschuya, leaving behind them their villages to be
destroyed by the Cossacks, and only carrying away
with them their arms. These tribes have considerably
increased Schamyl's army, whieh already consisted
cif 20,000 men, when he crossed the Terek. Al-
though the bold plan of this renowned chief did not
wholly succeed, his intrepidity is, however, to be
admired. He had spread alarm even to the walls of
Tekaderinadad, the capital of the Tsehernomerian Cos-
sacks. At no time had a Tschetschentsian chief ven-
tured to undertake so long and bold a march through a
triple line of Russian fortresses. So great was the con-
sternation among the Russians, that General Luders did
not think himself safe at Stauropol, the head quarters of
the Russian army of operations, which he hastily left,
marching in the direction of the fortresses on the bor-
ders of the Kuban
Vi/ HO KIL

LED THE CORN-LAWS ?
(From the Bristol Mercury.')
Now that the corn-law is fairly knocked on the head,
an inquest is being held for the purpose of ascertaining
who had the merit of putting an end to its existence.
The evidence is very contradictory. A large portion of
the public attribute its decease to Sir Robert Peel, and
th:a protectionists swear " alone he did it !" but Sir
Robert denies " the soft impeachment," and says Richard
Cobden was the man. Richard Cobden acknowledges
that he had something to do with the matter, but that

the catastrophe was greatly owing to the exertions of
Sir R. Peel, Lord John Russell, Col. Thompson, Mr.
Villiers, and various other labourers in the closet and on
the platform. The Examiner thinks that those who
worked for the Reform Bill—who swept away the rotten
boroughs, and so brought the Cobdens, &c.. into Parlia-
ment, and gave additional force to the voice of the con-
stituencies, contributed their fair quota to the result; and
Tait puts in a claim on behalf of Ebenezer Elliott, the
"Anti-Corn-law Rhymer." Adam Smith, too, and
various other mighty pioneers, cannot be set aside as
having done nothing, simply because others have for-
gotten, or are ignorant of, what they have done.
Honour to all workers l—but we cannot help think-
ing that our modern great authorities, in complimenting
each other, rather lose sight of a power that had, after
all, something to do in killing the corn-law, to wit—THE
PRESS. The newspaper press, for the most part, was
strongly opposed to the corn monopoly, and laboured
early and late before leagues were started or ministers
converted. The press it was that worked in independent
c() operation with the League organisation, and that
gave it name, fame, and efficiency. Nothing could be
more admirable than the conduct of that organisation,
but without the press, instead of " a great" the League
would have been a little " fact," and the corn-laws yet
no repealed.
In short, a past amount of power was brought to bear
against the corn-laws from different quarters ; and the
nearness of the result shows how little of it could have
been spared. Substract any one of the principal agents
—Sir Robert Peel, Lord John Russell (who brought
over his party), Richard Cobden, Col. Thompson, the
League, or the Press, and who will venture to affirm
that the corn-laws would not have been yet on the
statute-book, To some honour is pre-eminently due ;
but there have been many humble but earnest workers,
whose individual labours have in no slight degree ton-
triltuted to the great result.
Nor should we forget divers very efficient workers of
another class. Is it to be supposed that Mr. Wm. Miles,
with his grease and tarred-butter orations, and unaffected
horror of abundance; that Sir Edward Knatchbull, with
his claim for " protection" on the score of Kentish pip-
pins and marriage jointures; that Lord Stanley, with
his preposterous Tamboft blunders; that the Duke of
Richmond, with his ingenious admissions about salmon;
that Colonel Sibthorp, by his brilliant sallies;—is it to
be supposed, we say, that these men did nothing towards
the downfall of monopoly ? Certainly they did. A.
speech from a Miles or a Tyrrell in favour of " protec-
ti.,n" was only less destructive than a speech from
Cobden or Villiers against it. Most ungrateful would
it be, when we take into account the causes which led
to the downfall of the corn-laws, to forget the speeches
of the Protectionists.
We are afraid, however, that these latter gentlemen
will modestly decline being identified with the death of
monopoly. Well, every man to his taste. The work
is done, and well done ; and those who did it are not
likely to quarrel amongst themselves for the sake of
appropriating the " lion's share" of the credit. Posterity
will settle that matter. without fear, favour, or partiality.

ARMAMENT FOR STEAM-VESSELS, &C.—The follow-
ing armaments for steam-vessels, &c., fitting at the various
ports, have been ordered to be prepared :—The Amphion
steam-frigate, fitting at Woolwich forecastle, one 56-
pounder gun, 87 cwt., 10 feet, on a pivot-slide and carriage ;
quarter-deck, one 56-pounder, 87 cwt., 10 feet, on pivot-
slide and carriage ; and eight 32-pounders of 25 cwt., 6 feet,
on compressor carriages and slides; main-deck, six 8-inch
guns, 65 cwt., 9 feet, and 14 32-pounders of 50 cwt. 9 feet
6 inches, on common carriages. The Bull Dog, fitting
at Chatham—one 56-pounder, 87 cwt., 10 feet, and one
10-inch gun, 85 cwt., 9 feet 4 inches, on pivot-slides and
carriages ; four 32-pounders, 42 cwt., 8 feet, on compressor
carriages and slides. The Rattlesnake, at Woolwich—main-
deck, six 32-pounder guns, 25 cwt., on compressor slides
and carriages, two 12-pounders, on common carriages, and
one 12-pounder brass howitzer on field carriage, with limberuer
for boats; two 12-pounder brass howitzers, two 3-po
Abstinence
asocmieeetyt: brass guns, three rocket tubes, and 31b. shell-rockets.
DRlNKlNGingofthe
Bod
evening last, a resolution.
held at the Music Hall, on M y
adopted, deeply deploring "the increased.
'sTolitalEAALbrsiltin.
a
rnasiinokeuirinntganofirwrrirunlikAeYnlnbeserst,swhheaichl
thwiinll probably be caused by
drinking Prince Albert's health in intoxicating beverages
-street
w
and with a view of averting this result," adopting an ad-
dress to his Royal Highness.—Liverpool Mercury.
NECESSITY FOR FIRE-PROOF ENTRANCES TO BtrILD•
INGS.—The value of that clause in the New Building Act,
hich provides that the stairs and landings of public build-
ings, and the floors of their halls, vestibules, and passages
shall be fire-proof, is brought forcibly to the mind by the ac-
count of the recent dreadful loss of life through the burning
of the Theatre Royal in Quebec. It is not quite clear (in the
accounts) whether or not the staircase, to which all rushed in
the awful confusion of the moment, gave way, though
this seems to be the impression of one who wasan eye-witness
of the occurrence; but one feels, when reflecting on such an
event, the immense importance of safe means of egress from
buildings where large numbers of persons congregate, and
the even greater importance of having it understood publicly.
that there are such means, as this knowledge, giving confi-
dence, would lessen the ill-considered rush to escape, through
which. under such circumstances, life is usually sacrificed.--1
The Builder.

Some months since the German journals stated that a
young Hungarian gentleman, named Stanislas de B—, who
was in great poverty, had discovered among the archives of
his family a great number of secret documents of the high-
eq importance concerning the House of Orleans, which he
had sent to the King of the French, and that his Majesty,
with the Princes, his sons, in order to recompense M. de
ll— for this important service, had taken him.under their
protection—had granted him an annuity for his life—and
had presented him with large sums of money, and several
articles of great value. As this account was not contradicted,
and as the gentleman in question wore the insignia of
the Legion of Honour, and appeared to live in great luxury,
every one believed in. his rapid fortune, and he was every-
where received as a protege of the Royal Family of France.
This illusion has, however, by a singular chance, been just
dispelled. Being in a coffee-house at Vienna, dressed as an
Ilungarian noble, he was showing to several young men of
his acquaintance a magnificent Turkish sabre, which he
boasted of having received as a present from the Prince de
Joinville. While his friends were passing it from one to the
other, and admiring the exquisite workmanship of the
v.-eapon, an elderly man suddenly stepped forward, seize
the weapon. and declared that the sabre had been manu-
f Ectured in his worhshops at Presbourg, (Hungary), where
lie was established as an armourer ; that he had sold it to a
young Hungarian named Mullenta, who had left the town
without paying him, and that he recognised his creditor in
M. de B—. The pretended Royal protege was immediately
arrested, and the researches made by the police have already
proved him to be nothing more than a chevalier d'industrie,
living on the dupes he was enabled to make.
-DISEASE IN THE BARLEY Caor.—A correspondent of
the dtfork Lane Eapress writes to that journal, that all th
barley on the Cotswold Hills and in the Gloucester `ale his
been more or less attacked by a species of grub, which eats
off the ear at the bottom, before it comes out. This grub is
white, about a quarter of an inch long, and as round
Was_
knitting needle; when grown it becomes much like *
Werra.

_2_,,,- -

T