The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-31 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESSS THEATRE.
THIS EVENING, Dee. 31, will be per-

onned

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.
After which, a new grand Christmas Pantomime, called
ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP;
or, Harlequin and the Genii of the Ring. Harlequin, Mr.
Cormack ; Clown, Mr. Huline ; Pantaloon, Mr. Paulo ; Co-
lumbine, Misa C. Adams.

ROY AL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
Lessee, Mr. Alfred Wigan.
THIS EVENING, DELICATE GROUND. Messrs.
G. Vining and Leslie; Mrs. Stirling.
A new Fairy Extravaganza, by J. R. Planche, Esq., called
YOUNG AND HANDSOME. Messrs. F. Robson, Rogers,
Leslie, G. Cooke, Danvers. Misses Swanborongh, Thiriwall,
St. Casse, Castleton, Bromley, Haskell, and Mrs. Melfort.
After which, CRINOLINE.
Commence at half-past Seven.

THEATRE ROYAL, AD ELPHI.
Great Attraction for the Holidays.
THIS EVENING, (Wednesday, Dec. 31), will be performed
PAUL PRY : By Mr. Wright.
After which will be produced a new and original union of
modern burlesque and old English pantomime (as originated
at this theatre), by Professor Wordspiuner, Member of Every-
thing, with entirely new scenery, dresses, transformations,
drc., called

MOTHER SHIPTON ;
or, Harlequin Knight of Love, and the Enchanted Whistle.
Harlequin and Columbine Ca la Watteau), Madame Celeste
and Miss Wyndham ; Clown, Mr. Garden ; Pantaloon, Mr.
Moreland; Scaramouch, Mr. Le Barr. Characters in the bur-
lesque by Mr. Paul Bedford, Mr. J. Bland, Mr. R. Romer,
Madame Celeste, Miss Wyndham, Miss Mary Keeley, Miss
Kate Kelly, Miss Arden, ttc.

ASTLEY'S - ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. W. Cooke.
THIS EVENING, Shakspeare's Tragedy of MACBETH,
with its Splendid Equestrian Illustrations by Mr. W. Cooke's
Trained Horses. Macbeth, Mr. James Holloway.
After which, the skilful SCENES in the CIRCLE.
To conclude with a new grand equestrian comic pantomime,
replete with fun, frolic, risibility, and extravagance, called
PAUL PRY ON HORSEBACK ; or, Harlequin and the
Magic Horseshoe.
Doors open at half-past six ; commence at seven o'clock.
fox.office open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr.
W. West. Equestrian Director, Mr. W. Cooke, jun.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.—
OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The follow-
ing company of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of
Selections from all the popular Operas, Madrigals, Choruses,
Glees, Duets, &c., viz. —Misr E. Pearce, Mrs. J. Caulfield,
Miss Brunell, an Miss Summers ; Mr. J. Caulfield, Herr F.
Jonghmans, R. Grover, T. Riino, T. Farrant, S. Jones, J.
Barker, W. Melling, and P. Cowie ; Masters Austin, Ben-
nett, and Coni; Mr. Sam Cowell and E. Mackney. Piano-
forte, J. Harroway, R.A. ; harmonium, J. Caulfield, jun. ;
director, Mr. J. Caulfield. Commence at Seven o'clock pre
:,•isely. Suppers, &c., until twelve o'clock. In addition to
the equal Vocal Entertainment, the celebrated SPANISH
MINSTRELS will appear in costume at Nine and Eleven
o'clock Every Evening, and sing some of their favourite selec-
tions

MGR WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Teas DaT—M.orn. 25 min. aft. 4—Evening 46 min. aft. 4

THE WE..A.TLIER—SUN OFFICE, DECRIEBER 31.
TUEIIIIOIIF.TICR, IN THE SHADE.
49 -highest sine noon yesterday.
48 —lowest this morning and during the night.
50 -this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 30 28.
WIND, S.W.-Light, with dull, mild weather.

52;
ri A4AN
ql-1

L'NDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1866

The remarkable year which closes to-day cannot,
we conceive, be regarded either politically, so-
cially, or commercially, with any great degree of
satisfaction. It cannot, on the contrary, but be
remembered in England as a year of great crime,
of many disasters, and of extraordinary abase
ment. In whatever we may be impelled to utter
during the course of this melancholy retrospect of
1856, we are solicitous to speak of public events
solely in obedience to the dictates of a conscien-
tious truthfulness. We are anxious to slur over
nothing by means of a paltry reticence. We are
particularly desirous,' iu cur epitome of the prin-
cipal occurrences which have transpired during
the past twelvemonths, to ".set down nought is
malice ;" while at the same time, in the course of
our resume, nothing whatever will be wilfully
extenuated.

It cannot, we do really believe, but arrest the
attention of the most fsuperficial observer, at the
very first glance down the vista of events extend-
ing back from the end of this present month of
December to the beginning of last January, that
while 1856 has been for England nominally a
Year of Peace, it has actually been pro-
ductive in all its evil influence of the calamitous
effects usually resulting from a Time of War. It
has evolved from, the Peace, literally from the
Peace, as from another PANDORA'S Box, the cus-
tomary concomitants of War—diplomatic compli-
cations, internal disorder, and financial extrava-
gance ! It has effected this simply, obviously,
notoriously, because that Peace was absolutely, to
all intents and purposes, nothing more nor less
than a most Disgraceful Compromise. The ter-
mination of the contest with Russia, in truth,
was altogether so disgraceful, so discreditable, so
fraught with infamy and degradation to England
as one among the very foremost of the reputed
arbitrers of the Destinies of Christendom—that
it is no marvel whatever to us that its fruits have
been solely the loss of blood, of treasures, and of
reputation. Turning our attention, however,
from generalities to particulars, let us, as briefly as
possible, recapitulate the prominent ills already
complained of collectively—counting them out
painfully one by one, as painfully almost as though
in doing so we "dropped our blood for drachmas"
—these evil fruits of 1856 classified politically,
socially, and commercially.
First of all, then, Commercially-1856 has
added, in round numbers, another 13,000,0001.

to the Consolidated Debt through the simple de-
vice of the financial operations of the present
Government. Accomplishing this by the funding
of Exchequer Bills to the extent of 3,000,0001.,
and by the negotiation of fresh loans to the tune
of 10,000,0001. Consols fluctuating meanwhile
from 851 to 91i—giving a rise of just 6 per
cent.: while the oscillations in the rates of dis-
count during the year have been still more remark-
able in their way, extending from 7 as the maxi-
mum to 4i as the minimum, 6 per cent. being at
last, for 1856, the closing minimum of the Bank
of England. Simultaneously the Railway Shares
exhibiting an extraordinary vibration—down to
up to 10/.—the interest involved in these
h actually.capitalrepresenting all the while an
as
ma
ors
ue n
to f
equivalent to the sum total of
the National Debt, namely 800,000,0001. At
the same time that the great monetary
barometer of the Funds, and the hardly less im-
portant monetary thermometer of the Share
Markets, have evidenced these astonishing vibra-
tions, oscillations, fluctuations, or whatever we
may like to call them—(significant tokens, we
cannot but regard them, of the unhealthy action
of public events upon Public Credit and Public
Enterprise, alternating between the flush of Ple-
thora and the pallor of Atrophy)—what disastrous
proofs have we not had of the morbid condition
of the mercantile system, resulting from all this,
as revealed to us in the exposure of divers now