The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-20 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1856.

nestly to be hoped that this same re-examination
of the evidence originally submitted to Sir JOHN
I.ll‘NRui and Colonel TonLocu—and set forth by
those eminent officers as the "-reason " for the
leliberate judgment pronounced by them through
t heir very memorable and authoritative Report---
t nay by some good fortune put as end to the con-
stant and apparently interminable bickerings by
which the military system of England has of late
been brought into deplorable ridicule, and by
which her more intimate Allies at least may be
said, without any exaggeration, to have been
grievously scandalised ! This, we say, is a thing
to be very heartily desiderated. But seriously to
expect so much would be simply—we all feel that
—nothing less than absolutely preposterous.
Everybody is convinced from the outset that the
whole ostentatious arrangement is what is vulgarly
but significantly termed in the homely vernacular

• " What will they say in England I" Such was
the last exclamation of a Crimean soldier who fell
in the hour of victory, but who survived suffi-
ciently long to witness the triumph of his coun-
try's arms. The thought deprived death of its
sting ! The patriot hero died rejoicing ! He
felt that he was one of a noble band, whose names
would long remain enshrined in the memories of
their compatriots. He fondly imagined that the
sacrifice would not be fruitless, but that the cause
of liberty and civilisation would materially profit
thereby—that the aggressive propensities of Russia
would be permanently checked, her vain-glorious
pride humiliated, and her overgrown power re-
duced to proportions better suited to the
permanent tranquillity of Europe and of
Asia. Had he for a moment supposed that
England would again lose by the pen what
she had just gained by the sword it would have
been misery indeed. Then would agonising
thoughts respecting the loved ones at home, whom
he could never more embrace, intrude themselves,
and add bitterness to the final struggle. But,
happily, he was spared that intolerable pang.
His noble enthusiasm remained unalloyed and
undiminished.

"What will they say in England ?" The ques-
tion has again been asked, but, alas ! in how diffe-
rent a spirit, and with what conflicting anticipations.
The blush of shame must have suffused the cheeks
of those to whom the interrogatory was addressed
by " the still small voice" which could not be
silenced—which was loudest at the hours dedicated
to rest, but which, like the detestable hag that
haunted the merchant AZUDAIT, could never
be completely banished. The thought
of the just indignation that must be felt by the
betrayed and deluded people of England at the
ignominious conclusion of the contest must have
intruded itself at all times and seasons on those
.responsible for the outrage to the best feelings of
the British comrnnnity, for the triumph of
. "Germanism," and the abasement of the Western
Powers. Even the parties who have achieved the
diplomatic triumph may shudder at tie conse-
quences " looming in the future," and doubt
whether the passing success may not have been
too dearly purchased. Russia alone may congra-
tulate itself on the event. It may suit her pur-
pose to dissemble for the moment the extent of
her delight at the easy manner in which she has
baffled her opponents, and by which the AUTOCRAT
remains at liberty to pursue the traditional policy
of his house, inaugurated by the savage PETER,
pursued by the harlot CATEIERINE, by the double-
dealing. ALEXANDER, and the audacious Nicuor..is !
The criminal has evaded well-merited punish-
ment. The chief sufferer is his intended victim,
and those who, with a spurious chivalry, took up
a cause which they had not the manliness to fol-
low up to the only legitimate conclusion.
We have not shrunk from our duty, nor
hesitated to explain the causes that have led to
this very untoward result. They have been
patent from the very commencement of the
Eastern difficulty. The vacillating, temporising
policy that waited for Austria and for Prussia,
that permitted Russia, to invade the territories of
her inoffensive neighbour without at once pro-
nouncing the aggression a casus MU, that sup-
posed that a greedy pirate could be diverted from
his dreams of self-aggrandisement by permitting
him to receive a portion of the plunder on which
he had set his heart, was the fatal error. That was
occasioned by an unconstitutional influence that
cannot be too deeply deplored by every true-
hearted Englishman, and which was well
obeyed by the ABERDEEN Government. The
servile twaddling of the nominal Premier—
the valuable financial demonstrations of
the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, who
prepared for the impending conflict by denuding
the department over which he presided of its
balances to pay off an old debt without the
slightest necessity—the ravings of the Peace
Society—all contributed to increase the magni-
tude of the evil ; but the chief cause was the
ConunG-Germanic influence above alluded to.
Can that be suffered to`continue in all its formid-
able dimensions ? Is there no English represen-
tative willing to denounce the obnoiious system,
and to raise the inspiring cry of "England for
the Eaglish—and no more German matrimonial
alliances ?" The frogs in the fable, after experi-
encing the tender mercies of the " Log " and
"Stork" dynasties, were at the eleventh hour
conscious of the delusion that occasioned so much
mischief. Will Englishmen for ever remain inert
and apathetic? Another victim is already adorned
fox the sacrifice, and will soon be brought to the
altar. The result, if permitted, may be the annexa-
tion of England to Prussia, and the government cf
Great. Britain by a German Viceroy. What may
be the possible consequences? We shudder to think
of them, but in a matter of such vital importance
to the well-being of the nation there should surely
be some effort made to prevent the consummation
so earnestly to be deprecated. We should strive,
while there is yet time, to avert" that rious evil
from our posterity !

passages from Genesis or the Deealogue ea' be
perverted in their favour. They are days of
purely human invention. Even were it true that

the New Testament consecrated Sunday as the
Old Testament sanctifies Saturday, yet no one
will venture to tell us that the New Testament
says one word of Good Friday, or even of Easter
—the single passage where the word occurs in
our version being notoriously the rendering of a
word everywhere else translated Passover. All
pretext for a Sabbatarian observance of Good
Friday and Christmas-day is therefore utterly
wanting. Indeed as we read our New
Testaments we find not a word of Chris-
tian anniversaries at all. We admit the
reasonable inference from several passages
that a weekly day was, in a certain sense, ob-
served ; that the Christians, before or after the
hours of usual employment, did assemble for wor-
ship on the first day of the week, pursuing, for
the rest of the day, their ordinary avoca-
tions ; but of any other observance of days, and
weeks, and new moons, &c., the Gentile Chris-
tians were certainly innocent. Those who at-
tempted even such innovations were sharply re-
buked for it by an Apostle.

—a DO ! We know perfectly well that the upshot
of it all will be—after a. good deal of talking, and
cross-questioning, and minuting, and reporting,
and so forth, until everybody has become cor-
dially sick and tired of the whole transaction—
that no one has been in any way at all in fault !
That every one has acted from first to last to per-
fection ! That the Conamander-in-chief, Generals
of Division, Generals of Brigade, Adjutant Gene-
rals, Assistant Adjutant Generals, Deputy Assist-
ant Adjutant Generals, the Commissary General,
Assistant Commissary Generals, and Deputy
Assistant Commissary Generals, Colonels and
Lieutenant-Colonels, Staff officers and Aides-de-
Camp—every ono, in short, from the Field-
Marshal ruling off his recommendations for promo
tion with his bran new baton, down to Ensign
TITE BARNACLE paring his nails and warming the
calves of his legs in front of the mess-room fire at
head-quarters—has done his duty in every depart-
ment just exactly as England expected him to do it !
And yet that after all in some strange unaccountable
manner to be left a moot point and an unsolved
problem for ever and ever afterwards—everything
—somehow—went wrong and no mistake at al
I about that! Futare inquirers being left in after
times to form their own conclusions precisely as
the humour may suit them at the moment—as to
how on earth it came to pass that the Bri-
tish Troops before Sebastopol, in the winter of
1854-55 had no fuel and plenty of green coffee-
berries—had rags and vermin enough for a whole
generation of the Jews of Houndsditch had
boards for the building of hutu, but no nails or
hammers—had hatchets that would not cut, spades
that would not dig, pickaxes that would not on any
account whatever consent to pick without snap-
ping in two at the first blow—and so on through
all the maddening sections of that long, weary,
awful Chapter of Accidents !
How all this was so—people, of course, will be
left to decide just as they have been left to de-
cide as to the identity of PERKIN WARBECK, or
as to the mystery of the Man in the Iron
Mask, or as to the authorship of the "Letters
of Juenus," or as to the arrival of the Greek
Kalends, or as to the squaring of the circle.
That it was so—history relates, already in accents
of horror and lamentation. But how it was so—
is to be left, of course, as the Scotch have it, "not
proven." A miserable, disgraceful sham, in fact,
the whole scrutiny has been hitherto—and a miser-
able, disgraceful sham it will continue to be when
all has been said and done before the Chelsea Hos-
pital Commissioners. That—we all know. That—we
all feel certain of. That—we all look for. Even
Mr. FILDER—(and everybody appeared at least to
be perfectly agreed in his instance, everybody—
taking the paost lenient view of his case—seemed
to coincide entirely in the opinion that Mr.
FILDER had something excessively like a turnip
for a head) even Mr. FILDER, now that
he has given in his reply to the
Report of Colonels McNere and TULLOCH, comes
Out of the inquiry of course perfectly innocent,
completely whitewashed, thoroughly and t-totally
exonerated ! The fact is (we must all of us, at
any rate, have by this time arrived at thus mucn
of a conclusion), the fact is, nobody at all is in
any way to blame. The coffee ought to have
roasted itself, and ground itself, and cooked
itself. Nails and hammers ought to have grown
up among the grass with the Crimean crocusses,
or to have rained down from heaven with the
Crimean sleet, and snow, and hailstones. Bread
ought to have come like manna, and coats and
waistcoats, like the coats and waistcoats
deposited (according to a Nonconformist Joe
Miller) by the bedside of the Rev. ROWLAND HILL
during the nights that followed the days of his
benevolence. Nobody is to blame—it is the drift
of the whole inquiry—nobody at all is in any way
to blame—but—The Dead ! That is the one
inevitable deduction alone remaining to us.
And it appears to be the only deduction
authorised by the different statements
and documents put forth by living authorities in
the way of exculpation. Vide—as corroborative
of this the latest of these exculpatory explanations
—Mr. FILDER'S reply to the Report of the Com-
missioners ! If anything at all is to be deduced
from that reply it is most certainly that Lord
RAGLAN was to blame. Road it—and See ! Lot
the Supplementary Commissioners about to as-
semble in solemn conclave at Chelsea—read it,
and see ! It may suggest to them a loophole
for escape from their rather difficult, and most
delicate, and even embarrassing position. Cannot
they contrive to take the hint—not upon the
mawkish principle de mortuis nil nisi bonum, but
upon the inexorable and rhadansanthine one de
mortuis nil nisi verum. There are plenty of dead
scapegoats—RAGLAN, and BOXER, and CHRISTIE,
and NOLAN, and even the poor Scutari apo-
thecary I

There is not, therefore, the shadow of a pre-
text for depriving all who don't adopt particular
ecclesiastical views, of their amusements on these
two holidays. Let those who feel the obligation
of abiding by the institutions of Episcopacy, or
any other denomination do so ; but if the State
interferes to secure a holiday, let it be a holiday.
Let the poor pent-up millions who have no eccle-
siastical scruples enjoy themselves to the full ;
especially let every place which can , mi-
nister to mental and. bodily recreation
be opened without restraint. If a plea be
set up for indulgence to the servants in these

places of amusement, we can heartily listen to it ;
but we reply, give them their turn on other days
which are not leisure days to the great public.
The many would thus get the full benefit of their
holidays, while the few would not lose theirs.
Nothing, in fact, but ecclesiastical lordliness
stands in the way of Good Friday and Christmas-
day being perfect holidays to all who have no reli-
gious scruples respecting them.
But why not have more State holidays for
the million ? In Catholic countries, which are
charged with laxity in regard to Sunday, the
saints' days and holidays are much more numer-
ous than in Protestant communities, and afford
proportionate relief to the jaded sons of toil. In
the manufacturing districts there are sotne half-

dozen statute holidays, and with great physical
advantage to the people. In Manchester there
is the voluntary half-holiday on Saturday also.
Now, what city in the world can need such
relief more than the one in which we
write ? Nowhere in England, we might
say in Europe, perhaps in the world,
are there so many acres of streets covered by such
an atmosphere of smoke. Nowhere has the
seeker of recreation further to go for green fields
and a sight of the sky, and nowhere is the din
without and the fog within so ceaseless and. unre-
lenting. To those who quit it all every afternoon
all this may not be quite so oppressive, but to
the toiling many it must jade eve-,•y faculty of
body and mind. For such we (night to demand

net only Good Fridays and Cliristmas-days, but
half-a-dozen ether days at abetter season of the

year.

The Crystal Palace is to be opened in the
afternoon of Good Friday, and special trains
provided. The sight of a placard to this effect is
very suggestive ; it reminds us first of our Sabba-
tarian friends—a large portion of them think Good
Friday a holier day than a Sunday, and would
enforce its observance more stringently ; they
would have us not only abstain from work but from
food also. Anotherlargesection hold the observance
of this day and of Christmas-day also to be sheer
superstition. In England the former party is
triumphant, in Scotland the latter. The result
is the Scotch lose two holidays, the English gain
two days free from business, at least, and attend
to their worship or their amusements, according
to their tastes. The Protestant Dissenters on
this side the Tweed concur, for the most part,
with the Presbyterians, in so far as they reject all
religious observance of these holidays ; they use
them for visits, pleasure, and frequently for school
anniversaries and treats. It occurred to us when read-
ing the above announcement—why should not the
Palace be open in the morning ? The afternoon
is but a short time just now ; the families aro
very numerous to whom it would be a treat in-
deed to spend the whole day there, and who, as
things stand, have no other day in the year to
give to such a pleasure.

In regard to both the holidays referred to, the
chief ground of the Sabbatarians is unde-
niably cut from under their feet. No one
who has learned to read pretends that these
are days of Divine appointment. No inisapplied

Immediately after Easter, Chelsea Hospital is
to be the scene of a new Military Commission.
An investigation, it will-be, into an investigation
An inquiry upon, an inquiry 1 It is a thing ear,

THE SON, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 19, 1856.

The Great Tasmania, sailing transport, arrived at
Portsmouth yesterday from the Crimea with nearly 400
invalids on board.
Letters from Stockholm state that the mixed com-
mission charged to prepare the bases of a customs union
between the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Nor-
way have just presented an international bill on the
subject.
The Duke of Bucoleuch has abandoned his intention
to rebuild Montagu House, Whitehall, for the present.
The noble duke and tarnily will occupy it during tit°
season. His grace has rented the late Earl Brownlow's
mansion, in Belgrave-square, during the last two years,
'nhich, however, the ducal family have not resided in.
The noble duke has just made over the unexpired term
ke held of that elegant mans* to Lord Evelond.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN DOCTORS' COMMONS.—Last
night, at a few minutes before ten o'clock, a fire occurred
at 4, St. Andrew's-hill, Doctors'-commons, occupied
conjointly by Mr. T. Guy, a tailor, Mrs. Hart, Miss
Clark, Mr. Busnall, and Mrs. Manley. The loss must
be very considerable, as, out of the many sufferers, only
two were insured. As to the origin of the misfortune
nothing could be gleaned.
On the 15th inst. six Wallachian officers arrived at
Vienna, where they are to remain until they have
learned the system of exercising and manoeuvring prac-
tised by the Austrian army. Prince Gortechakoff left
for St. Petersburg on the night of the 15th, and it is
generally believed that he will net again return to this
city as the representative of Russia.
SUICIDE IN AN HOSPITAL—About a fortnight ago a
man named Edward Jones, of Windermere-terrace,
Boandary-street, Liverpool, jumped out of a window
while at a fit of delirium tremens. He was conveyed to
the Northern Hospital in that town, where he remained
under treatment until the 7th inst., when he jumped
out of bed and ran into a room below. When over-
taken by one of the porters, who had followed him, he
was, with great desperation, sawing his throat with a
kn fe. He succeeded in making a frightful wound, which
caned his death yesterday. An 'inquest will be held
the body to-day.
Tem SUSSEX MEMORIAL AND THE ROYAL FREE Hoe-
rrrAL.—The committee- for managing the Sussex Me-
morial Fund have decided upon having erected on the
new wing of the Royal Free Hospital, in Gray's-inn-road,
a colossal statue of his late Royal Highness the Duke
of Sussex,. 'as a mark of respect to his memory. The
statue is to be executed in stone by Mr. John Thomas,
at his studio in Paddington.
THE ALLEGED POISONING AT HARTLEPOOL.—On
Tuesday the adjourned inquest on the body of Mary
Taylor was resumed, and Mr. Green, surgeon, spoke to
the results of the post mort,em examination. No trace
of poison was found in the stomach of deceased, neither
was she enceinte. The brain was in a congested state,
and his opinion was that deceased died from natural
causes. The frequent vomitings might be ascribed to
sympathy with the brain. The jury returned a verdict
"That the deceased died from congestion of the brain,
produced by natural causes."
FATAL ACCIDENT OT MR. ORRIDGE, LATE GOVER-
NOR OF CAMBRIDGE COUNTY GAOL—This gentleman,
we regret to say, lost his life on Tuesday evening in Grace-
church-street, by a heavy-laden coal waggon passingover
his neck. He had but a few minutes previously arrived
in town from Cambridge, and was in the act of crossing
the street, when he dropped his walking-stick, and in
picking it up it is supposed his foot must have slipped,
as he fell beneath the wheels of a coal waggon, laden
with two tons of coals, which happened at the time to
be passing, and almost instantly the hind wheel passed
over the unfortunate gentleman's neck and throat, caus-
ing instantaneous death. Yesterday the driver of the
waggon was examined at the Mansion-house, but Mr.
Alderman Wire considering it was an entire accident he
was discharged. Mr. Orridge was 7G years of age.
EDINBURGH ADDRESS TO THE FRENCH EMPEROR.-1
special meeting of the Town Council of Edinburgh was
held on Tuesday forenoon for the purpose of considering
the propriety of voting a congratulatory address to the
Emperor of the French, on the occasion of the birth of
an heir to the French threne. The Lord Provost, who
presided, proposed the following address, which was
unanimously agreed to :—"To his Emperial Majesty the
Emperor of France. We, the Lord Provost, magis-
trates, and town council of the city of Edinburgh,
humbly approach your Majesty to offer our warmest
congratulations on the auspicious event of the birth of
an heir to the throne of France. We cordially sympa-
thise with your Majesty, your august consort, and your
people, in your joy. We hail with delight the advent of
a prince allied to our country by hereditary descent,
and destined, we trust, to draw still closer than even
-hitherto the bonds of amity which have so long subsisted
between the French and the Scotch people. The efforts
to restore tranquillity which are now being made by
France and Great Britain, in conjunotion with our allies,
will, we earnestly pray, be crowned with success, and thus
constitute the prince the harbinger of peace to the world.
It is otir fervent hope that the prince may be spared to
realise the fondest wishes of his illustrious parents, and
that he may prove a signal blessing to the French na-
tion, . whose prosperity and progress we shall never
cease to regard with anxious solicitude. Signed in name,
ilice • JOHN MELVILLE, Lord Provost.
EXECIIVON AT LEICESTER..-The execution of ,john
rowkes for the murder of his nephew at Snareston
the 25th, of November. -last -took place in front of the
Leicester County Gaol yesterday • morning. • For some
days ate: the prisoner's condemnation, on the 6th inst.,
by 'Lord Campbell, he appeared to regard very little the
awful position in which he was placed, frequently deny-
ing his guilt and uttering strong expressions on the con-
duct of some of his relatives. The chaplain (the Rev.
J. W. Fletcher), the governor, and schoolmaster of the
gaol lost no opportunity of impressing on the mind of
the convict how hopeless it was for him to believe the
law ',wouldbesetayed in its course, and when he found
there was no chance of escaping the dreadful sentence
he made a full confession of the murder, also admitting
that ho "intended to bare shot his brother Bill if he
could have got them both in,a lire." It will be recol-
lected that the priisMer's brother received some of the
contents of the gun in his head when the shot was fired
through the window by the prisoner at his nephew.
The prisoner's brother turned round when he heard the
crash in the window, and hooted, " Why, that's
Butcher I" meaning the prisoner. After the convict
had made his confession be became much composed in
his mind, exihibiting the utmost repentance, anel paying
great attention to the clergyman. He spent the ereater
part of Tuesday night in prayer, and at 8 o'clock yes-
terday morning he was conducted to the scaffold, where
the preliminaries were speedily gone through by Cal-
craft, the fatal bolt drawn, 'and the convict died almost
without a straggle. There was an. immense concourse
of people to witness the execution, estimated at upwards
cf 20,000. The convict was 45 years of age, and has left
a wife and eight young children.
THE RECENT RAILWAY COMPETITION.—A m'nute of
the directors of the Great Northern Railway has just
been communicated to the officers and servants of the
company relative to the recent competition between
the Great Northern, the London and North-Western,
the Midland, and the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
colnshire Railway Companies, as follows " Read,—
Report of March 3, from the general manager, enelos-
ing a statement showing that in the five days ended
Feb. 29,11856, during which very low fares were charged

LATEST NEWS.

VIENNA, 'WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The Oesterreichische Correspondent has the fol-
lowing despatch, dated the 13th inst.:--

There is groat mortality among the French in
the Crimea.
The health of the French at Constantinople is

improving.
General Luders has ordered all officers on fur-

lough at Odessa to return.

TRIESTE, MARCH 19.

in competition with the London and North-Wedern
Company, 21,8431 passengers were conveyed by the
cheap trains on the Great Northern Railway, pro-
ducing a total receipt of 3,7561. 155., and remarking
that the arrangements for the accommodation of
the traffic were so well considered and carried out by the
superintendent of the line and his assistants that he, the
general manager, has not yet heard of a single complaint,
ner did any accident occur on the Great Northern Rail-
way, though there was a slight one near Wcodhouse
Junction, on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire
Railway, on the return of the last train of empty car-
riages.—Resolved, that the Board has great pleasure in
thanking the officers and men in the service of the Great
I Northern Railway Company for the judicious arrange-
ments and the efficient manner in which the passenger
traffic was conducted during the late period of competi.
tion. J .R. MowATT, Secretary. To Mr. W. Leith."
The superintendent of the line has much satisfaction in
making known the above resolution of the Board.
The Barcelona papers contain accounts oft wo strange
crimes just committed in that city. A toreador named
Sevilla got into a quarrel with a butcher of the Plaza
de San Miguel, and struck him in the face, after which
be took to flight. The next morning he walked slowly
before the butcher's shop, and the butcher's rife seeing
him, cried out that if ever he dared present himself be-
fore her again she would make him repent his insult to
her husband. After a while, the toreador returned,
and said tauntingly, " You see, my fine lady, that lam
not afraid of you I" The woman, making no reply,
seized one of the huge knives which Spanish butchers
use, and which are nearly as sharp as a razor, and with
one blow, skilfully applied, cut his left arm completely
off. She was immediately arrested, and as she was being
conveyed to prison, exclaimed repeatedly, " I care not
what is done to me, as long as my husband is avenged !"
Before the emotion caused by this affair had subsided the
second crime was perpetrated. A. young man of 20,
and a girl about 16, after walking arm-in-arm in the
Calle de Capellanes, proceeded to the Plaza de Ca.
leuque, where they faced each ether as if about to
separate. After an animated but apparently not
angry conversation, the girl suddenly drew a poignard
from her pocket and stabbed her companion in the
breast. The young man fell covered with blood and
fainting into the arena_ of a labouring man who hap-
pened to be passing at the moment, and the girl took
to flight and could not afterwards be discovered. The
man was conveyed into a druggist's shop, and there
a medical man ascertained that the dagger was poi-
soned. Means were immediately employed to coun-
teract the effect •f the poison, and the wound, when
dressed; was declared, although serious, not mortal.
The young man refuses to divulge the cause of the
quarrel.
NUMEROUS DETERMINED SUICIDES OF FEMALES.—
Yesterday the Coroner, Mr. Baker, held the following
inquests upon females who had committed self-destruc-
tion :—The first was taken at the King's Head, White
Horse street, Ratcliffe, on the body of Mary Kelly, aged
42. She was found on Monday morning suspended by
a handkerchief from the bedpost, and when cut down
life was extinct. The second was held at the Anchor
and Hope, Edward-street, Mile.encl Old Town, on the
body of Mary Ann Scott, aged. 60, the wife of a news-
vendor. She had been for a long while in a desponding
state of mind. On Sunday morning, about seven o'clock,
she got up, leaving him in bed. Soon after, as she was
absent a long while, he went in search of her, and. found
her legs projecting from the water-butt, in which were
her head and body. The third case was held yesterday
evening, at the Peacock, High-street, Homerton, on
view of the body of Anne Benham, aged 44. She was
respectably connected, and received assistance both
from her relatives and the parish. She had inflicted a
desperate incision across her throat with a dessert knife.
A verdict of teropntary insanity was returned in each
C 8440.

Accounts from Constantinople to the 10th state
that three Russian officers have entered the regi-
ments of Ottoman Cbssacks. Fires continue of
frequent occurrence in the Turkish capital.

COPENHAGEN, MARcu 19.

Ten nobles of Holstein have made the following
proposition :—" The Council of the Kingdom
shall request the King to cause an examination to
be made into the constitution and the law of elec-
tion for the: state of the duchies. In the event of
amendments being proposed, they are to be sub-
mitted to the examination of the Council of the
Kingdom."

MADRID, MARCH 18.

The discussion of the bases of the bill on admi-
nistrative organisation has been brought to a close
in the Cortes. The Government has declared
that it will not make a Cabinet question of the
plan of finance presented by M. Santa Cruz.
General tranquillity prevails.

Commodore Watson, C.B. The vessels, in their
cruise up the Baltic, had found much floating ice
along the coasts, and the cold was very severe.
With respect to any Russian ships of war having
been seen at any time moving about the Gulf of
Finland or the Baltic Sea, such a thing had been
impossible, even had they wished to do so, on ac-
count-of the great masses of ice seen on all parts of
the coast.

The navigation of the Elbe, for some miles down
the river, has experienced a complete stoppage for
want of a sufficiency of water to convey vessels up
and down, in consequence of the easterly winds
which have prevailed for some days past. Even the
city canals cannot be traversed by lighters to con-
vey goods to and from the vessels in port, and
business is therefore at a thorough standstill.
The wrack of the Hamburg ship Adolph, Captain
Henningson, which took place some days ago in
the British Channel, on her voyage to Africa, has
created some sensation. She had a valuable cargo
in her.

The telegraphic despatch announcing the birth
of the Imperial Prince caused au extraordinary
sensation at Marseilles. All the vessels in the two
harbours, foreign as well as French, were in an in-
stant dressed with flags. The port of La Joliette
in particular presented the most picturesque aspect.
The Caradoc steamer, of the English Royal Navy,
distinguished herself by the richness and variety of
her colours, among which the flag of France occu-
pied the place of honour. At night the entire
city was spontaneously

VIENNA, March 16. —The Oesterreichische Zeitung
contains a letter of the 13th, from its Kalisch cor-
respondent, which gives some insight into the
opinions of the Russians in regard to the Hatti-
Sherif recently published by the Porte. The pro
raised improvement in the position of the
Christians has considerably diminished the ardour
of the war party, " which feels that at the price of
the emancipation of tke Christians Russia can
afford to make some few concessions."

The G6-ntan Journal of Frankfort states that
on the 16th the Minister of France accredited to
the Germanic Diet received the congratulations of
all the members of the Diet and of the Diplomatic
Body, of the Burgomaster of the free city of Frank-
fort, of the President of the Federal Military
Committee, and other distinguished personages, on
the occasion of the birth of the Prince Imperial.
A To Deem is shortly to be sung in the cathedral
to celebrate this event.

A letter from Berlin of the 16th, in the Deba ts,
says :--"lminediately after the arrival of the Paris
despatch announcing the birth of a Prince.lmpe-
riAl, a courier was despatched to Baron de Manteuf-
fel with a letter of congratulation, to he delivered
by him to the Emperor Napoleon. The clesing
of the chambers will take placa in the first
days of next month. The Prince-Bishop of
Breslau will arrive here to- morrow, to consecrate
the new Roman Catholic church.

By a decree in the Moniteur, M. A. Fould, Mi-
nister of State, and Admiral Hamelin, Minister of
Marine, have been promoted to the rank of Grand
Crosses of the Legion of Honour.

Admiral Penaud, Commander-in-Chief of the
Baltic naval division, has left Paris for Brest.

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH BETWEEN LOY-
DON AND CONSTANTINOPLE.

VIENNA, March IG.—Major Biddulph, who has
been here on business connected with the telegraph
between Constantinople and Loudon, has left for
Berlin. While here the Major had an interview
with the Minister of Commerce, and explained to
him how it was that the communication between
Bucharest and Uermannstadt was so often inter-
rupted. Ou the Wallacho-Austrian frontier is a
great deal of land , which is uninhabited, and
whenever any injury happens to the wire there,
a long time generally elapses before it is dis-
covered and repaired. Another matter to which
the attention of the Minister has been directed is,
that copper wire is used in Austria ; copper is
a better conductor than iron, but wire made
of the last mentionel metal is the mom durable.
It is the wish of the British Government to estab-
lish an " instantaneous" correspondence between
Constantinople and London, and this may be done
by means of " Translatoren" (transferrers), which
were, some two or three years t-ince, invented by
M. einheil, the present Director of Telegraphs in
Bavaria. It is not yet settled whether the new
wire is to pass through northern Germany and by
the Hague, or throng!! south-western Germany
and France. Experience has taught me that the
one line is no better than the other ; the former is
very slow, and the latter cannot be relied on. It
may be mentioned, that the electric cable between
the Crimea and Varna, which was broken in No-
vember last, is not likely to be repaired. The
French do their work very well between Varna and
Bucharest.

SOUTH LONDON GAS CONSUMERS' PRO-
TEIJTION IiSSOCIATION.

A. meeting of this society was called at the Equer-
teian Tavern, io the Black friars-road, yesterday after-
noon, for the purpose of forming a deputation to wait
upon the director; of the South Metropolitan Gas Com-
pany, and urge upon them the propriety of making a re-
Auction in the price of gas. It should be observed that
the four companies-namely, the one we have named,
the Surrey Consumers', the Phoenix, and the London
Gas Company, which supply different districts on
the south of the Thames—having entered into an
arrangement two or three years ago to charge an
uniform price for their gas, the South London Protec-
tion Association has a!ready sought an interview with
the directors of each of those companies separately ; and
yesterday was appointed for their meeting the directors
of the South Metropolitan Company.
Ten or a dozen gentlemen having assemble), Mr.
EVANS, the vice-preSident of the association took the
chair.

In the absence of. Mr. Wineam, t e secretary,
letter from the directors, prornisiog to receive the depu-
tation, was read by Mr. Itireis, who likewise read the
circularrissued by the directors to every consumer on the
2d of January, 1854, which ran as follows :

" Sir,—The directors have instructed me to inform you
that in consequence of the unexpectedly large increase
in the price of coals and other materials connected with
the manufacture and distribution of gas, they have
been c impelled very reluctantly to rai e the price of gas
61. per thousand cubic feet fi om Christmas last ; and
they trmt this small advance will be readily conceded
them by the consumers. When the directors issued
their circular in September last, a,nouncing the ar-
rangement for confining the company to a ckereie dis.
trict so as to enable them to conduct their works more
economically, the rapid alteration in the prices of almost
every article squired for their business could not be
contemplated ; but that mea4ure, by diminishing the
waste of gas and the cost of diAribution, has prevented
a larger advance than sixpence per thousand cubic feet,
which is far from equivalent to the extra amount paid
for coals alone. At the same time the &rectors h ice
the advance will not be permanent, bu that a fall of the
prices of coals and iron may warrant a return to the old
charge."
The CHAIRMAN then asked whether any of the gentle-
men present hal any fresh arguments to urge in addition
to those which they presented on the 12th inst. to the
directors of the Phoenix and of the London Gait Com-
pany ?
Mr. COCKAYNE observed that at this time the best
house coals might be delivered at 245. a ton, and the
gas manufacturers entering into large contracts would,
of course, get their coals for much less ; besides, out
of a ton of coals they could make a chadron of coke,
which was now worth lls. or 124., and, so far,
wouldTlesrien the cost of the coal. The chairman of
the Phoenix Company, and the chairman of the London
Gas Company, told the Association the other day, that
in 1555 they had paid a larger sum for coals than for
many previous years, but if the companies had been so
injudicious as to eater into very high contracts, the
public ought not to suffer by them. It had been said
that as much as from 9s. 3d. to 10s. a ton was paid for
freights last November ; but those high rates of freight
it was now to be hoped, would not continue.

After some remarks from Mr. Harris to the same
effect, the gentlemen present went together to the esta-
blishment of the South Metropolitan Gas Company, in
the Old Kent-road, where they were received by the
following directors of the company :—Mr. Alderman
Farncomh,:chairman ' • Mr. Simpson, deputy-chairman ;
Captain Heathorn, Mr. Baker, and Mr. Drew.
Mr. EVANS briefly and simply stated the objects of
the deputation.
Alderman FARNCOMB said that the directors would
give their best consideration to all that bad been said.
The deputation thanked the directors for their cour-
teous reception of them, and then retired.

DINNER AT THE MANSION-HOUSE.—The Lord Mayor
and the Lady Mayoress gave the .usual dinner at the
Mansion house on Easter Monday, and a distinguished
party has been invited to meet his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, who has intimated his intention of
honouring the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress with his
presence on that occasion.
A reward of 2001. has been offered by the authorities
to any person who will give such information as shall
lead to the discovery of persons who stole the Royal
plate chest and a recovery of the property.
GRATIFYING TESTIMONIAL.—The Board of Trade have
awarded to John Anderson and James Newham, two
young seamen belonging to the port of Shields, the sum
of 50s. each, as a reward for their noble conduct on the
occasion of the collision between the Josephine Willis
and the Mangerton, when they bravely, at great personal
risk, succeeded in saving the lives of 9 persons, who were
on the inizenmast, and, after rowing half a mile, enc•
Ge4ei.liu rescuing A gentleman from a life•buoy.