The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-21 00:00:00

IHE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1870.

THEATRE ROYAL,TIAYMARKET.—Twenty-
eighth Night of a NEW FAIRY COMEDY. IRIS
EVENING (Wednesday) and during the week,fincluding Satur
day (Christmas Eve) at Seven, the 11 OLF AND
THE LAMB. Messrs. Chippendale, Howe, W. Geordon,
Madame E. Fitzwilllam ; after which,- at a quarter to
Eight o'clock, a new Fairy Comedy, in Three Acts,
entitled THE PALACE OF TRUTH. Characters by
Mr. Buckstone, Messrs. Kendal, Everill, Clark, Rogers,
Braid, Mesdames Robertson, Chippendale, C. Hill, Fanny
Wright, and Fanny Gwynne. After which UNCLE'S WILL--
Mr. Kendal and Miss Robertson. Concluding with FAMILY
JARS. Box office open daily from 10 till 5.

EGYPTIAN HALL, PICCADILLY

Commencing MONDAY, November 28
Every day at 2.30 and 8 p.m.
POOLE and YOUNG, the Proprietors and Exhibitors of tho
Overland Mall, by TelMu and Grieve, Albert Smith's Egyptian
Hall Panoramas, beg to announce a new subject—
THE PRESENT WAR
iiktwoon the French and PlllBBth,Lll3.
Each Picture on bOO square feet of canvas, and painted by
England's greatest scenic artists.
THE NATIONAL MUSIC.
THE FINEST QUARTETTE IN EUROPE.
POOLE AND YOUNG,
THE EGYPTIAN HALL ONLY.
NILE WAIL—POOLE AND YOHNG'S PANORAMA,
moTPTIAIt TALL.
Prices to Poole and Young's Panorama of the War, Os., 25., 14

MADAME TUSSAUD'S EXHIBITION, Baker-
street—On view Portrait Models of the ex-Emperor and
Empress of the French, and Prince Imperial. Also, Marshal
Bazaine, Marshal Canrobert, General Trochu, &c., &c. &c.—
Admission, is. ; Children under Ten Years of age, 6d. Extra
Rooms, 6d. extra. Open from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m.

MADAME TUSSAUD'S EXHIBITION, Baker-'
street.—On view Portrait Models of the King and
Crown Prince of Prussia, Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern. Also
Count von Bismarck and Count von Moltke.—Admission ls. ;
children under ten years of age, 6d. Extra rooms, 6d. extra.—
Open from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC. Professor Pepper
"ON THE WAR, AND THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPLE-
MENTS USED. THEREAT," daily at quarter to 3 and quarter to
8, with Elaborate Pictorial Illustrations, which have been sup-
plied by the War Correspondents of the Polytechnic, &c. Mr.
Suchet Champion will sing the German, French, and English
Patriotic Songs.—The Explanation of the Ghost as usual.—THE
PRAEGER FAMILY give their CONCERTS daily at quarter past
4 and quarter past g.—GREAT PREPARATIONS FOR CHRIST-
MAS ENTERTAINMENTS.

significant Lot Kin regard to Mr. BRIGHT -himwalf,.
and in regard to his colleagues. Their_ views have
hitherto run parallel to each other. From this point
they diverge.. The ex-President of the Board 'of
Trade resigns his place, but preserves his consis-
tency. The economising administrators with
whom he has heretofore been 'connected for
the first time resolve upon abandoning their
long since overdone system of economies. The
altered circumstances of our foreign relations gene-
rally constitute for them, in this, their complete jus-
tification. Tempora mutantur—the words. are AB
true as they are trite—et nos mugamur sn allis. With
Russia evidencing her inclination to tear up
the Treaty of 1856, and Prussia bent upon
doing the like with the Treaty of 1867; with
the integrity of Turkey once more jeopardised, and
tie autonomy of Luxemburg openly threatened—
with the old balance of power in the New World
utterly gone, now that the French Empire is rolled
in the dust in the midst of indescribable disasters,
while simultaneously there is emerging again to view
the revived glory of the imperial unification
of Germany precisely at this momentous
juncture, while the Free States of America
are reiterating more resolutely than ever theiriresolve
that the Alabama claims shall at last be brought,
route qua coute, to a definitive settlement, now, but
not until now, Mr. BRIGHT forces upon the reluctant
acceptance of his colleagues his already too long
meditated and over, deliberate resignation. The
surrounding circumstances are, to say the least of
them, ominously suggestive.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.

The American reports of the instructions given to
General Schenck, the successor of Mr. Motley, are
not at all favourable to Mr. Sumner. The theory of
damages for "moral support" to the Con-
federates, " unfriendly neutrality " &c., is
entirely abandoned. General Schenck, it
would seem, comes to ask the payment of
the claims by American shipowners for vessels lost,
and the reimbursement of the expenses incurrred
by the United States in consequence of the depre-
dations by the Confederate cruiser. The one impor-
tant point is this : there is apparently to be no arbi-
tration. England is to recognise the justice of the
demand, and pay it. It remains to be seen whether
the British Government is prepared to do so much.

impress upon the Goyernment and Parliament the
justice_of abolishing the ancient statutes by which
Crown property is emempted from paying its propor-
tion of local rates. M±. C. Mills, M.P., who presided,
said that the Government had promised to bring in a
bill to rate Government property, but they did not
fulfil that pledge. In that neighbourhood there were
large Government establishments which did not con-
tribute to the support., fthe poor except in a very small
degree. If the dockyard and arsenal were fairly
charged, the Government would pay two-fifths of the
whole local rates, whereas they now only paid one-
twelfth. A letter was read from Sir David Salo-
mons, M.P. for Greenwich, in which he declared
that the Government privilege in respect to rating
was obnoxious, and the claim for immunity odious
and absurd. After vigorous speeches a resolution
in favour of rating Government property was passed.
It is in contemplation to hold a conference on the
subject in London.

questioned the driver of the So,uthpciii train as to
whether he had not seen the danger signal raised, to
which the . reply was that he: 'ilea, but only
when within three • yards of the signal
post. The weather was foggy and it was
but 260 yards beyond the post where the
passenger train met ' the overthrown goods engine.
The driver in his examination declared on oath that
he had heard no fog detonators as he approached
I;olton, and no one made any statement, apparently,
to prove that they had been used.