The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-05 00:00:00

SPAIN.

MADRID, April 3.--4 will be an aide-de7camp_
of the King rho is to carry to Paris the insignia
of the Goblen Fleece, destined for the Prince Im-
perial, and the'Duc d'Albe rill present them to
his Imperial Highnessi - The journey of Marshal
Espartero to Valladollid is put off. The Cortes
havo agreed to the .first two articles -of M. Cruz's
:financial scherne;; thebasis for the law relative to
the militia has been decided 66 ; Workmen are eft-
'eluded. Tile Madrid, Gazette announces that the
Spanish Ciedit ‘l9-ibilier Company is now consti-
tuted.

r.
The Opinionp.;of Turin of the 2d, in commenting
upon the petice;• says :—" All the pOwer of Etirope
will prove insutticient :to prevent the political re-
vival of Italy in due season. It is but a question
of time and of liard trial, to be undergone in order
to attain that end. The time depends on the will
of God, the wisdom and perseverance of the nation ;
the hard trials both for Italy and Europe it belongs
to diplomatists to avoid."

„ 'ZEELAND.

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DUBLIN, FRIDAY MORNING.
THE ELECTIONS.
Precisely as' was anticipated, Mr. John Reynolds has
set out on a fresh electioneering tour, and bas this time
turned his eyes to the, borough of Athlone, with a view
of--obtaining possession of the seat.vacated by the late
Attorney-General!. Mr. Rtynold, it is said, has beed
quite successful in his canvask and, if he be fortunate to
secure the patronage of Bishop Browne, there would lie
more than a fair. chance of his re entrance into Parlia-
ment, ,:1,42pn defeat" in Dublin this very modest
gentreraa.n assured the public-that the matter was of:
very minor conanquence, to. ham, as--there were-seven,
or eight constitoencies ,waiting with, open arms to
receive him. A...., fair proportion of this numbers was
put to the test, and every one of thedlatterers proved
faithless. The Freeman of this moroing announces
that a formidable rival to Mr. Rtyn,:lds, the "Sad
leirito" candlola.to, ixbout to enter the lists in the
person of Mr. John gtinis, (Inane'• of the Bank-
of Ireland, and cihairtnan of the Midland Great Western
Railway, Mr. Ennis is enormously wealthy, has large
landed protiqty in the county of 'Wsetmeatb, is in.pot.•
tics a Whig, audio religicitr a Rom B Roman Catholic. e is,
nevertheless, riot very popular with the Liberal party in
Ireland,

TgE NEW I'OLICITOA-GENBRAL.
It is announced this evening that the Solicitor-Gene-
ralship bi's b:een,c-flered "to Mr. Cbristian, Q C., who ac-
cepted the 9ffer.c. The learned gor•Voman is one of the
first equity'' awj4rs at ,the Irish bar, and no more
popular appointment could be made.

SERIOUS CONFLICT.
A. telegraphic message from the south states that a
serious ,:t9nftiot plies yesterday at Templemore
races between the military and the peasantry. The
origin of the riot was the rescue from arrest of a female
pickpocket,. _T4v~' khildiers are stated to have died this
;morning,' pride'well is full ofprisoners.

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oUSPENSIOW, 0E MESSES,: SYERS; WALKER, AND CO.
'—ree suspension took place yesterday of Messrs."
:Syers, Walker, and East India and general mer-
chants. They Eave speculated extensively in various
' kinds of prifiduce; .and- their stoppage is attributed to the
fall in PnLOP' usequent
_,upnp,the peace.- The amount
of their liabilities bike got transpired, but it is probably
bout (30,0001.

REST6hATION OF THE ABBEY CIIU.Re_H
OP' ST. ALB.A.A"S.

-reSteTtaY;4l-1-2-157010ak, a Targe and influential meet-
ing-ofrthe-fmthility,-gentry, and clergy of --the county of
Hertford "was herd "'the Town-hall, St. Alban'e• to
6nsile'llEeTheif means 'of .reistcring and' upholding the
ancient Abbey Church of that town and of investing it
with the *pity of a cathedral, with the view to its be-
ing constituted the seat 'of a new bishopric, embracing
the whole of Hertfordshire. The Earl of Vfrularn, Lord.,
Lieu'enant of the::county; wai.called to the chair; and
among the noblemen and gentlemen on the platform and
in the body of the ball -we're the Marquis of Salisbury,
Lord R. Grosvenor, M.P.,. Lord R. Cecil, M.P., Sir E
B. Lytton, the Mayor of St. Alban's, Mr. Abel
Smith, M.P., Sir A. P. Cooper, Archdeacon Grant, the
Rev. Dr. Robinson Master of the Temple, Mr. C. W.
Puller, Sir T. Seloight, the Hon. and Rev., W. C. Tal-
botl the Rev. W 4 'R. Soßthwell, Mr. E. Denison, Mr.
G. W. Lydekker, Mr. S. Majoribanks, and Mr. W.

The CHAIRII4.N, in opening the proceedings, adverted
to the encouragement' be had received in the shape of
direct countenance and of promises of liberal contri-
butions whereVer he —had propounded the project of,
restoring the venerable and magnificent fabric of the
Abbey Church ;of St. Alban's. He proceeded to say
that, if the report of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners,
made a OW .'"eirs. ago, Which recommended the erec-
tion of a new: biahOpric: in that neighbourhood, bad
remained untouched, it Might not hare been neces-
sary fur the county of netts to move in the matter;
but since that time the Cathedral Commission had issued
a report which ignorrd the• recommendation made by the
Ecclesiastical Centenissi,.nerß, and it Was now' therefore
imperatively incumbent upon the inhabitants of Rert-
lerdshire to make a great effort to elevate the Abbey.
Church of -St. A:iba.ri's into the rank of a cathedral, ad-
mirably adapted as it was for that purpose, and to con-
stitute it the seat and centre of a. diocese. (Cheers.)
The present relationship of the county of Herts to the
diocese of Rochester of which it was now a part, could
,not be Moreoptly 'described than in the words of a friend
of his, whoiaa4ed *hat could be more undesirable anu
unsatisfactdry' the people of Hertfordshire than to.
have their cathedral on the other side of the Thames, and
their bishop living near the German Ocean ? (A. laugh,)
They had now the remedy :for that lamentable state 01
things in their own hands, and he was sure the meeting
would not separate without inaugurating, the restoration
of are edifice erected on the spot where the proto-martyr
of England dieel, and in which the Crusaders had knelt
in devotion. (Cheers.) He appealed to them to sup-
port him on that occasion in his efforts to divert from
himself and them the opprobrium allowing a fabric se
rich in architectural beauty and grandeur, and so re-
plete with bistorioal'assoniations of a stirring and en-
nobling kind, to rot on the ground, until in tee lapse of
time it became only a heap of rubble to indicate the place
where a temple had stood. (Cheers.)
The Rev;; Dr. NICHOLSOIi; at the request of the 'chair-
man, read an elaborate and interesting report, drawn up
at his (the chairman's) instance by 'kr. G. G. Scott,
the eminent ecclesiastical architect, in reference to the
Present condAtioneof the 4chbey, the grounds on whicl..
it ought to receive the dignity of a cathedral, and the
works necessary
.for adaptiog it to that purpose. "The
gualificaiionar Mt:- Scutt stated, " which would entity
a church to lify chiim to selection- froM among others f.:r
the dignity of a cathedral were, 'a commanding historica.
interest markingit out pre-eminently among the churches
of the proposed diocese as the first and most distinguielied
among them ' • it? own magnitude and dignity awl the
architectural beauty both of the fabric and its accessori.-r;
and the suitablehesa of its plan and structure to the
actual practical used of a cathedral. He pointed nut the
historical interest attaching tis St. Alban's as the successor
of the great Ronaine-Blitiih city of Verulam,And the
scene of many of the greatest events in the early histor.y
of our island. Founded in the days of_ Constantine the
Great, in honout of England's first Martyr, and within
ten years of his martyrdom; it was probably the earliest
of anyh,rharett new existing in Britain, and possibly
the only instance of a church clearly proved to be the
lineal successor of- one of those beet on the first este
blishmeut of 'Christianity•itl our naintry. The church,
as built by 04' eailtNorrnati abbots, was of vast dimen.
sions and of a beautfully*mmetrieal plan. The nave
in the western arm of the crass alone measured inter-
nally no less, than 270 feet in length, and the total length
of the churchiltppeai.ed to hive been as much as 450 feet.
It bad no le.-s tliaq six apyidal chapels, besides the great
apse, containing, the high altar and .the shrine of St,
Alban, and its dignity externally was enhanced b 3
three vast towerc,one.. at:, the interseation of the cross
and two on the western facade. The whole edifice in
its perfect, unaltered state Must have been dignified and
noble in the highest degree; though being built "entirely
Of Roman:briek and coveted both within and without
:with an4itaiktation of planter, its beauty was the resell
of outline, piepertiOn, "and saltness, rather than of, ar-
tificial details. In .the. 13th and 14th centuries great
alterations and extensions Were made in the architecture
of the church. The church thus extended exceeds it,

length any tier church orcathedral in Great Britain

and though in other dimensions Malls short of York and
*orne other of our great churches, it, as a whole, , woulo
rank in point of extent among our principal cathedrals
During its whole history as an abbey church it was from
time to time enriched by accessories such as Monument,
and screens;, so that even in'its present condition it is s,
'perfect MAIO of the architecture of the middle ages,
possessing specimens of the most remarkable kind of
every period of Esglish ecclesiastical architecture. nit
report then described--the building in detail, and ad-
verted to its baying been despoiled of its costly acces
sories at the diltelution of the monasteries. It esti
mated that the total cost of arranging and repairing tb,
iedifice so as to have all the practical requisites of a' ca
thoroughly substantial,
Would be about 18,000rIt'ii'dded that the present scat,
ofhe cape intervening between the choir and. tht
Lady Chapel was a standing disgrace, not only to St.

, •
Alban e, but to the 'country at.large. That a bnildine
iso exquisite in its design and details should, year after
year, be left;in a state worse than ruin, and exposed to
a wanton and ruthless mutilation till it was now difficul
accurately to trace out the design of the lovely ar
chitectural deoorations once lavished upon it, and
with a footway actually carried through the midst of it,
was one of the most: melancholy proofs of the low ebb to
which taste and good feeling had fallen which the write'
had ever witnereied Reverting to the exterior of th-
nave, and the older portions of the church, he expressed
a strong feeling that in any future repairs which they
might undergo, no attempt should be made to smarten
up the old Norman structure. There was a stern ma-
jesty about it which forbade the tampering of tke modert
restorer. He would say, repair those portions where
necessary, but attempt no restoration. Those mighty
walls of RoMan brick deeaanded nothing at hour hand
but a few slight repairs, 'and any attempt to do mere
would only infringe upon their grandeur."
The Mariii-dwof-Saresaarar said he wi4eed the tad
of proposing the'first resolution, which devolved upon
him, had been confided to hands more able to do justice
to the beauties of the venerable structure which it we,
the objectaif that meeting, if possible, to restore ; but the
able report just read to them, which treated of that pare
of the subject in. great detail, had rendered it unnecessary
for him ta advert to the architectural merits of the edifice
or to its histeeriearassociations. All who had _heard that
report must have been impressed with the beauty of the
original iiiriicturee degraided as it now was by the dilapi•
dations which liactaakeaplace lie the lapse of time. I'
tad long been a Metter el pain to him that such a menu:
went of Christian-grandeur should be suffered to fah
inacedecay withatit,an effort being :made by the country
at large to arre,t the progress of dilapidation. The father
of the noble earl now in the chair, by great exertions
raised a considerable sum of money, which was judiciously
applied in his time to the restoration of the:abbey—
(hear)—and it vtai:owing -to that restoration- that the
abbey was .now in a state which warranted them it
meeting to '.:Consider whether it was now in their power,
by liberal, ciptileibutiona of money, to restore it to its
pristine grandeur, 'ln so doing hefelt assured they would
meet with the support not only of the county in which
it was located, but of the country at large, by which it
was regarded in-the- light of a national monument.
(Cheers.) There- were peculiar reasons why this time
should be otiaisert making the contemplated restore-
tier'. The rapidaincrease in the population all over the
country bad given rise to the necessity for increased
church accommodation. That . church acconernodatioi
had increased, largely in that county, and it had in it:
turn enfailed•the necessity for a greater amount of epis-
c -pal supervieion;., He believed in no case .was the want
of that supervision so marked as in that diocese ; for the
present Bishop,of:•Rochester, zealous as he was, and.
great as had been his exertions, was not able adequately
to overlook, so false an extent of territory as was now
assigneditortini. The ditteulty, of the task was enhanced
.by ttid bleivOidable distance at which the bishop resides
from that locality, 'end that circumstance entailed a heavy
expense upon the venerable prelate himself. For these
reason 3 it was the more desirable that they should restore
the abbey of St. Alban's to something like its origina:
grandeur ; and when in :that way they had provided e
cathedral worthy of a diocese be thought they woule
be in a positada to dertnaad from the Government
the creation of a -neer- bishopric, of • which St. Alban'•
would be the centre. -Meer, hear.) The noble marquis
concluded b moViaigee, resolution,_ to, the effeCt that, the,
Ab ey hula- 48t,,411?aWs was worthy of every effort
being made for its preservation_ by the county of Hert-
ford and y-tire country in -general.
• Lord It. Gnositemost, ItLP., seconded therreebletione
and in doing:io he referred -to the interest and veneration;
which the Abbey Church of St. A:ll4We, assa:statvia.
monument of piety and antiquity, had awakened in him
in his boyhood, as he was acctletorned to pass through'
the town five or six times a-year to the residerice of his
family in the country, He also adverted to lament-,
able condition into which the people of this country had
lapsed in reference to ecclesiastical architecture at thee
time when lie carte to roan's-.estate; He heped that
that period had now passed Away,' naci - that an earnest
desire now ietevailecl among nearly all -classes of the
people tee.see„t he erection of suitable churches through•
out the refigith and br_adth of the aad. He felt that the
Abbey Church of St. -Allezi:We was worthy of every effee
being made to restore it, and that its present poeitioe
was a standing opprobrium not only to the county o:
'Hertford, but to the whole country. (Cheers.)
The resolution was put, and carried with acclamation.
Archdeacon GRANT-moved the next resolution-- .
"Thati'•the'perinanent'',sustentatiOn of the - building-
Would be secured, and the spiritual interests of the
county is whip!' it:stood greatly benefitted by its being
made abi hiip's see ; that -subscriptions be at once
s
entered into with a view to its entire restoration and
'adaptation to the purposes of a cathedral."
proceeded to show that, since the time of the sup-
.
oressioo .• the ieoreeeteries, the abbey had been iiia
constant stags. of disrepseir,Lowiag to
-its, Laing. isolated
from that valet and wealth): ponastio system which first
gave it birth, and whiob wAQ ProductiTo ago much

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