The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

A SENSATION AT THE CAPE.

The Limerick Chronicle publishes the following letter
from Cape Town, dated Oct. 19

"Cape Town has been in a great suite of excitement
for the last month. It was announced that a very rich
gentlemen had arrived in the Lightning steamer, rejoic-
ing in the well-known name of Montefiore, as agent for
the great Rothschild, with power to invest capital at the
Cape in whatever he might consider most advantageous.
The mining and tramway shares rose immediately, and
everybody thought there was a good time coming for
the Cape at last. The bank and two or three of the
largest houses were advised by the Rothschilds to give
their nephew, Montefiore, unlimited credit. Although
a Jew, he gave 15/. to the cathedral, 101. to the syna-
gogue, .5/. to the Wesleyans, 101. to the public library,
and 101. to the museum—in fact, scattered his money
in all directions. There were Montefiore races, when a
greater number of horses started than bad ever been
known on the course before, and gentlemen riders hur-
ried from all quarters—myself among the rest ; 24
started to ride for the Montefiore Stakes, value 501.
Champagne was as common as Cape beer, and the Mon-
tefiore drove about the course in a carriage with four
outriders—the cynosure of all eyes. The ladies called
him duck,' and the gentlmen a regular 'brick,' although
be was only five feet high, wore spectacles, had deformed
legs, only half the proper complement of feet, the toes
of both havinc been cut off (ten, he said) by a rail-
way engine. He gave a grand dinner—no room was
large enough for so
magnificent a person—so he ordered
the lower rooms of the hotel to be knocked into one—
such a dinner !—the invitations, bill of fare, and pro-
gramme of music, were done in gold ; over 100 sat down;
his health was drunk after dinner, to which he responded
in a very neat speech, and as the small hour advanced
hiss delighted guests placed him in a chair, and carried
him on their shoulders round the room in triumph, to
the tune of He's a right good fellow.' One old gentle.
man actually kissed him, and called him his brother.
' The dinner was followed by a ball—the ball, like the
dinner, was magnificent—the room was crowded—and
Montefiore outshone all other attractions—dinnner suc-
ceeded dinner—and even the Cape gentlemen were
shamed into giving him a dinner, which they did to the
tone of three guineas a head, much to their surprise.
At last be announced that he had an engagement in
Ceylon, and must be off. He accordingly tnok
fainted,
pas.
her.'
urs after he w
sage, and put his traps on ladiesboalirddb;adtbseel
and all expressed their grief. The yes
m the n g
minor lady
charge wa
and the nephew of the Rothseh
fortunately refused ; in a fe as al,
Hopes revived—hleodpgrecdpionsegdwafohol
or,
rested and safely
of debt, backed by the graver one of forgery. I
forgot to tell you that, on h.s arrival at Cape Town,
the principal director of the bank called on him, and
requested he would patronise his hank—which he did
not fail to do to the amount of 1:8001. Thus was the
Cape career of a fearfully and wonderfully made
not wentgon tseeda
Jew, who, I am told, has been advertised in the Ceylon
papers as having absconded—a crippled Jew, wearing
spectacles, answering to the name of Moses Soloman—
no doubt, the same. He was brought up to the court
on the 15th, and remanded until letters are received
from England about the bills."

SIR CHARLES NAPIER.—We cannot avoid recording
our opinion that the conduct of the Times in treating
Sir Charles Napier as it did on Thursday was ungentle-
manly and disgraceful in the highest degree; and we have
not heard two opinions on the enbjeot.—Manc!teeter
Guardian.

TH E SU N, TO ARRIVE THE SAME the very pernicious practice of " hoarding," the
EVENING, supplied to any STATION on the EASTERN
COUNTIES RAILWAY, Carriage Free, by CLAYTON and SON, effect whereof is precisely the same as if so much
general Newspaper and Advertising Agents, 265, Strand, London.
specie
had for the time being been absolutely de-
_ GOLDSMITH'S GEOGRAPHY IMPROVED BY HUGHES. stroyed. We have already (in our impression of
New and enlarged Edition, fcp. Bvo., price 3s. 6d. ; KEY, I S., Thursday) referred to the testimony of the Times,
GOLDSMITH'S GRAMMAR OF GEOGRA- which declares that Sir ROBERT PEEL " could not
PHT. Edited by E. Humus, F.R.G.S., Head Master of
the Royal Naval Lower School, Greenwich Hospital ; author of a foresee the insane terror which the misapprehension
New School Atlas of Physical, Political, and Commercial Geography
(royal Bvo., price 10s. 6d.) of its possible consequences would occasion"-
S. HALL'S
AIsFIRSTo, in oor ELblong
EMEN priceTARY EighteenATLApS. ence,
adding "that it was the terror of the Act, and
Map Projections, Is. I Outline Maps, is. not its operation, that required to be palliated,
London : Lohman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
was shown by the fact that the moment this ter-
THE ORIGINAL EDITION, CORRECTED BT ror was removed every man found himself at
A. THIBAUDIN.
New Editions, revised, in 12m0., price 4s. bound, ease !" Such a statement, emanating from the
HAMEL'S _NEW UNIVERSAL FRENCH recognised organ of the bullionists, and perhaps
Syntax,
Being an accurate System of French Acei
Bence and Syntax, on a Methodical Plan. A New Edition, carefully -with the single exception of Lord OVERSTONE
corrected and greatly improved by A. TAIBAUDIN, late French
• Master in Queen Elizabeth's School, Ipswich. himself, the most strenuous advocate of the law
Also, corrected by M. Thibaudin, in 12m0., price 45., then enacted-might be deemed conclusive on the
EXERCISES on Hamel's Grammar,-KEY, price 3s.
Lately published, in 12m0., price ss. Gd. bound, point. But we find that statement corroborated
HAMEL'S FRENCH GRAMMAR and EXERCISES. A New
Edition, In One Vclume. By N. LAMBEII.T.-KET, 4s. and confirmed by a body of unimpeachable wit-
London : Longman and Co., and Whittaker and Co. nesses, many of whom were also favourable to the
CONTRACTS FOR SEAMEN'S CLOTHING, doctrine thereby established.
Department of the Comptroller for Victualling, The Lords' Committee, in their very able and
Somerset-house, 12th January, 1856.
THE Commissioners for Executing the Office of elaborate Report on the Causes:of the Commercial
Lord High Admiral
and Ireland, DO HEREBY of
GIVE the U
NnitedOTlC Ki
E, ngom of Great that on THURSDAY, Britain Distress of 1847, declared that they had come to
at One o'clock, they will be ready to treat with
the 31st instant, the conclusion that " the recent panic was mate-
such Persons as may be willing to Contract for supplying and
delivering into her Majesty's Victualling Stores at Deptford and Gos- rially aggravated by the operation of that statute
port the undermentioned articles, viz.:-
(the 7th and Bth Vie., c. 32), and by the proceed-
To be delivered at
ings of the Bank itself. This effect may be
Deptford. Gosport.
-- -- traced directly to the Act of 1844, in the legis-
No. No. 1
Flushing Jackets, No. 1 .... 12,000 2,000 One - fourth lative restrictions imposed on the means of ac-
Do. No. 2 .... 10,000 5,000 of each quail-
Yards. Yards. ttty to be commodation, whilst a large amount of bullion
Blue Cloth, No. 1 35,000 18,000 delivered by
Do. No. 2 55,000 55,000 the 31st was held in the coffers of the Bank, and during a
Dock
Flannel ...... I.;. ...... ..... 500,000 150,000 other fourth time of favourable exchanges." They also declare
Blue Serge ......... • • .... 500,000 110,000 by the 30th that "an attempt to enforce by law, under all
*White Cotton Drill
tlue Jean ...... •• ..
Pairs. Pairs. e by the 31st ,
Worsted Stockings for Men BO,OOO 65,000 May, and the management of a National Bank of issne,
Do. for Boys 6,000 3,060 the remain-
Mits . 20,000 10,000 der by the seems inconsistent with the best-written autho-
No. No. 30th June
Blankets. 50,000 15,000 next,or ear- rities, with the general principles of economical
Shirts for Men ....... • •
Black Silk Handkerchiefs
Wersted Caps
Bed Cases .... • • ... ....... 30,000 20,000 I tendering. witnesses of practical knowledge and experience.
bs.
Hair for Beds 22L0,000 150,00 Lbs. 0 J It can hardly fail to be productive of most serious
Their Lordships reserve to themselves the power, when the ten- evils, more especially when a contraction of
dera are opened, of contracting either for the whole, or for such part issues indispensable in a state of adverse
thereof only as they may deem tit, or-for a greater quantity, or of )
not contracting for any. foreign exchanges, is rendered imperative,No tender will be received unless made on the printed form pro-
vl led for the purpose, and which may be obtained on application at as it is by the Act of 1844, under
the said Office, at the Victualling Yards at Gosport and Plymouth, or
to Commander Bevis, conducting the Packet Service at Liverpool, or circumstances which may be wholly opposite.
to the Collector of Customs at Bristol.
Tenders will be admitted for any portion of the above quantities, It has been shown that an enlargement of the
but separate tenders must be made for each place, and no attention
will be paid to any offer not so made. issues of the Bank, under a favourable foreign ex-
Samples of the articles may be seen at said office between the
hours of Ten and Two only, and also at the Victualling Yards at change, would frequently be expedient at times
llosport and Plymouth.
The conditions of the revised contracts, to which particular alien- when, under the provisions of the Act, no such
Lion is called, may be seen at the said office, at the Victualling Yards
at Gosport and Plymouth, and at Liverpool and Bristol. No tender
enlargement
would be possible ; and even in cases
will be received atter One o'clock on the day of treaty, and It will
not be required that the party tendering, or an agent on his be- where, by the Act, a compulsory contraction would
half, should attend at the office on the day of contract, as the result be enforced. It is difficult, in the judgment of
of the offer received from each person will be communicated to him
and his proposed sureties In writing.
Every tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the Admiralty. the Committee, to appeal to more demonstrative
and bear in the left-hand corner the words " Tender for evidence on this subject than is to be found in
and must also be delivered at Somerset-House.
______ the Treasury letter of the 25th October. That
111.111=1,M.•••••••••=11.., .
THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY-LA:SE, letter was a practical repeal, by an act of autho-
Lame, Mr. E. T. Smith. rity, of the restrictive clauses of the Act. It ap-
- Tina EVENING, pears impossible at once to defend the restrictive
THE GREAT GUN TRICK. provisions of this Act, aud to justify the letter,
After which.
e.
HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE; or, Harlequin King Nonsense and the which in this respect abrogated, or at least sll -
Seven Ares of Man.
pended, those very restrictive provisions. " The
-
THE A.T RE ROYAL, II I.I,ISIARKET. Committee consider that those restrictions materially
Under the Management of Mr. Buckstone. aggravated the pressure, and produced the panic of

TUTS F,VMNDUI,

THE RE tUX STRtTAGEL

1847 !"

After which the New Comic Cltriitma3 Pantomime, entitled

Nor could any other conclusion have been
arrived at under the evidence adduced. Mr.
HORSLEY PALMER, who had received the high and
very unusual compliment of being re-elected to
the Governorship of the Bank, declared that " in
consequence of that sudden reduction" (in the
banking reserve) " the Bank was compelled, under
the Act of 1844, forcibly to contract, in order to
regain its position, and which forced proceeding
caused a very severe pressure on the money mar-
ket." * * " These extensive suspensions
caused a general discredit, and an abstraction of
Bank notes and coin from circulation to a very
material amount, thereby creating a largely-
increased demand upon the reserve of the Bank,
which, under the Act of 1844, it was found most
difficult and impossible to sustain." * * " The
demand continued to increase until the 25th of
October, when relief was afforded by withdrawing
the restrictive clause of the Act of 1841, and by
which the pressure was immediately relieved."
The fact of hoarding was also established b -
yond the possibility of doubt by the evidence of the
then Governor and Deputy-Governor of the Bank.
They stated that " money Was hoarded to a consi-
derable extent, so much so that, notwithstanding
the notes and coin issued to the public in October
exceeded by 4,000,0001. or 5,000,0001. the
amount with the public in August, still the gene-
ral complaint was of a scarcity of money." And
Mr. SAMUEL GURNEY added the weight of his
great experience and sound judgment in the fol-
lowing answer, "Under the Currency Act they
(the Bank) found themselves under the necessity
suddenly of not only withdrawing their usual
accommodation by way of discount, but of
calling in, with a severe and unrelenting
hand, the loans they had made upon the
security of bills, Exchequer Bills, th.
The suddenness and severity of this change was
forced upon the Bank by the Currency Act. Had
it not been for that, they would have spread over
months what they felt themselves compelled to do
in a few days, to the serious derangement of the
Money Market, and to much alarming disaster !"
Mr. G. C. GLYNN, M.P., in like manner
declared that the pressure in October " proceeded
from an apprehension on the part of all mercan-
tile men, that the want of confidence was becom-
ing so great, that at last the reserves of the Bank
would be driven so very low, that, in point of
fact, persons who wer3 possessed of property
would not be able to convert that property into
Bank of England notes."
There is but little need of accumulating testi-
mony. We shall only refer to two other pieces
of evidence—one a statement respecting the con-
dition of things in Liverpool, quoted by the Com-
mittee, to the following purport :—" This showed,
beyond dispute, I think, that the scarcity of
money was artificial, not real, and that the panic
was a moral one, caused by the mischievous and
whimsical provisions- of the Bank Act of
1844, and not by the want of confidence
in the securities themselves." * *
have no hesitation in stating that in my opinion,
the letter of 25th of October virtually annulled
the Bill of 1844, and saved the country from an
almost universal stoppage of payments, in which
the banking department of the Bank of England
would have been included."
The last witness we shall quote is one whose
authority will not be despised by " Mercator."
The then Mr. SAMUEL Jonas LOYD, now Lord
OVERSTONE, observed :—"The remedial character
of the measure (that is the issuing of the Treasury
letter of 25th of October) was not the discounting
at 8 per cent., but the declaration to the public
that at 8 per cent. interest there was an unli-
mited supply of bank notes at their command.
The Bank could not possibly make that offer with-
out the sanction of the Government."
Here we shall rest. It will be seen that we
have only quoted the evidence of witnesses
avowedly favourable to the Act of 1844,
although we might have produced even more
' striking statements, by persons who would be
received by the country as, at least, as high
financial authorities as any of them. We prefer,
however, to rest on testimony respecting which
there can be no controversy ; and if the nation
to "Mercator's" doctrine, "to be is, according
guarded not only against calamity, but the fear

lIE RUTTP:RFLY'A tr,r. .I.\Tr) GRAA:HOPPEIt'i
FEAST ; or, Harlequin and Vie Genius of the Sprint.

To c n hide with
ONLY A HALFPENNY

3.ITAL PRINCE33'3 Otmlft!)-3-7,Vr,h;t,
Under the Manaqement of Air. CHARLVA Kate.

TTITS EVFNIN'G,

THE CORSICAN BROTHERS.

After which,

iRLEQUIN AND THE MAID AND Tl{ MAGPIE ; or, the
Fairy Paradisa and Hanky Panky, the Enchanter.

harlequin, Mr. Cermack; Clown, Mr.lialine; Pantaloo t, Mr
Pinl9; and Coltun')ine, 51i35 Caroline Adams.

TUEATRZ UOYAL ADELPIIT.

Proprietor, Mr. is. Wehster.—Directress, Madame Celeste.

TIM EVF.NING,
DallEirm E'JONOMY.

After which,

URGENC PRIVATE AFFAIRS.

To conclude with

JACK AND THE BE I.N SITALK : or,
.11xrimuin *tut Xltlo.r

Goose at Home

Til which sfeien. J. Mini; P. RI Wont. Ha.lame Celo3o, 11131
Wyn.tharn, and Mist E Arden will ap3e tr.

ROYAL. SURREY THEATRE.

Lessees, Mes.ri. Shepherd and Creswlck.

TIII3 EVENING

PARIS IN 1792.

To conclucif3 with
A Pitt Nr;P: OF I' -L.\ REA ; or, Harlequin and Tain Shorn.

I".3lrkt RTRA?i() TIKA.TRA.

Under the direction of Mr. Fame.
TUN EVE MING,

THE HOLLY 'MEE INN.
After which,
HOW Is IT DOVE'

To conclude with

kItLEQUIN BLACK-EYED SUE; or, All In the Downs and
Davy Jones's Locker.

R')YAL OLY'.lPfe THEXTRE.

Lessee and Manager. Mr. Mimi Wigan.
TIM EVE gING,

JEkr.oll3 WIF2.

Characters by Messrs: A. Wigan, G. Vining, Emery, Leslie, Dan-
vers, Mrs. Stirling, and Miss Marston.

After which will be produced a New and doubly-moral. though
excessively old, Melodramatic Fairy Extravaganza, entitled
TEM DISCREF.T PRINCESS; o-, the Three Glass Distaffs.
In which Messrs. Emery, F. Robson, 11. Cooper, Miss Marston,
and Miss Masten will appear.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.
Lessee and Manager, Mr. Wm. Cooke.
TRIS EVENING,
The popnlar and Interesting Spectacle de Roman, called ROIK-
WOOD; or, TURPIN'A RIDE to YORK. Wondrous adventnres,
narrow escapes, leap of a flve•barred gate, death of the m Ire Black
Bess !
After which the SCENE; in the ARENA.

To conclude with a Grand Equestrian Comic Panto nime,
HARGEQUIN AND ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON, or the
Seven Champions of Christendom.

,tox-oftice open from Eleven till Four. Stage Manager, Mr. W.
West. Eqnestrian Director. W. Cooke. inn.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

'rue DAY—Morn.-57 min. aft. 4—Evening 21 min. aft. 5
7',1- NIOURO CV—Morn. 45 min. aft. 5 —Evening S min. aft. 6

of calamity," it can only be effected by the total
and unqualified repeal of an Act which produced
a panic far more severe and injurious to the
national credit than those of either 1837 or 1839,
and, perhaps, even greater than that of 1825, when
the Bank and nation were only saved by the
issue of 1/. notes, a box of which was accidentally
discovered ; when, as "Mercator" says, " a parcel
of old discarded one-pound notes were drawn from
a refuse cellar." They saved public credit, how-
ever, and we would now ask " Mercator" what
would then have been the result but for their
fortunate discovery ? And why should not
similar instruments now be resorted to ?

JACK afloat or JACK ashore is about the easiest-
going philosopher to be met with. He takes mat-
ters pretty much as he finds them, and makes the
best, according to his notions, of his lot. Afloat
his chief object is to do his duty at whatever risk,
and that done to while away the time as pleasantly
as possible. It is not in human nature to rejoice
over mouldy biscuit, or biscuit that needs breaking
with a hatchet, any more than over salt junk tough
enough to give a shark the toothache. But after
hours spent aloft on the groaning spars amid the
wild whistling cordage, and on the tossed deck
washed by the roaring waters, JACK will wipe his
eyes clear of the salt spray and tumble down below
to masticate no better food with hardly a grumble,
provided he can wash it down with a stiff glass
of grog—that luxury that makes music to his ears
of the elemental roar, and renders comparatively
indifferent to him everything but a gaining leak,
a smouldering fire, or a nearing lee shore. The
tidy ship will make head and bear him safely
through the storm before long into port, where
" the girl he left behind" will haste to greet him,
and a run of enjoyment will make amends for his
past hardships. The thought of this braces him
afresh, and once ashore he takes especial care to
realise his dream by enjoying himself to the ut-
most until he has never a shot in his locker, or
his time is up, when he finds the aching of a
somewhat jaded frame materially to diminish the
natural regrets which he carries aboard with him,
and in less than forty-eight hours JACK'S alive
again.

But with all his philosophy JACK entertains
an unconquerable prejudice against drowning, and
has a rat-like a,rersien to a doomed vessel. A
smart craft he takes a pleasure in. He will sail in
a tub, and take his revenge in salt water jokes,
but he won't, if he can help it—agreements not-
withstanding—go aboard an unseaworthy or un-
der-manned vessel. Dead men tell no tales, JACK
is given to story-telling, and whatever he may
think of sounding, has a decided objection to
take the deep in propria persona when there is no
chance of his return to tell the altitude. Aud he
is quite right. The bravest of the brave, he
would be the veriest fool if he hadn't. Why
should he expose himself unnecessarily to all but
certain destruction to gratify the inhuman greed
of an owner. The ship, if it goes to the bottom,
goes to the bottom insured, and the owner may
be the better for it—but if JACK goes to the bot-
tom he reaches the briny ooze uninsured, and leaves
his wife and children a good deal the worse for it,
without possibly himself being much better. Is
there no better use for a brave seaman than to
ship him for Davy's locker ? Certainly, JACK,
there is. Your logic is ours ; and when we hear of
a hard.fought aotion, in which British bravery
has surmounted with blood, sweat, and muscle,
hazards to which, but for the incompetency of
its leaders, it need never have been exposed,
our first and most eniuring impulse is to de-
mand, "Is there no better use for British bravery
than to march it to wanton immolation ?" Better
use, indeed, JACK, and you do well to grumble !
Yes, JACK has been grumbling (JACK of our
mercantile marine—that's the JACK we have been
talking about), and with good cause. He has
been grumbling at the state of the law with re-
gard to seamen and owners in connection with
unseaworthy, ill-manned ships. JACK is not
over-thoughtful beforehand, and not seldom signs
articles of agreement without being acquainted
with the condition of the vessel. Once engaged
ill-news reach him fast, and he finds he has agreed
to sail in a bad ship bound for the bottom, or one
so ill-manned as to render it problematical whe-
ther it is likely to be kept deck upper-
most, at best at the top. JACK turns his
quid, discharges a trifle of savoury juice
and " calculates" he wont go. The owner
calculates if he doesn't the law is against him,
and with all his (the owner's) good-will he will
have to go to prison and enjoy a few weeks at the
treadmill. JACK persists, and the owner puts his
threat into execution. JACK thinks whoever
ought to go to prison in such a case (say for in-
stance the owner--the suggestion is ours) he ought
not to be so hardly used as to be sent there for
doing what is every man's duty, and that flesh
and blood ought not to endure it. So JACK takes
another quid, gives himself a long hitch, and sets
to work to talk the matter over. The result is a
memorial to--certainly not Sir GEORGE GREY ;
catch him having anything to do with the land
lubbers at the Home or any other office—but to
the QUEEN herself—to her most gracious MA-
JESTY, who knows JACK don't sing out without
cause, and who, as a matter of course, will un-
derstand his wrongs, and put them to rights
better than anybody else. The QUEEN, GOD
bless her, ought to know that the A.B.'s of
the mercantile marine are " compelled to sail
in an unseaworthy vessel, and have had
no redress at common law for any injury
they may in consequence sustain." Only think
of that ! By the piper that played before MOSES
there'll be keel-hauling somewhere before long
when she gets to hear of it. So, " God save the
Queen " and three times three ! Seriously, the
memorialists have had strong ground for com-
plaint, and however matters may be mended by
the interpretation of the law of the case by the
legal advisers of the Crown, as given in
our columns yesterday, it seems to us that
no vessel should be suffered to go out without
being pronounced seaworthy by some competent
authority, against whose decision there 'might be
permitted an appeal to a local board, on which
sailors, as a class, should be represented as
well as owners. A provision of this sort would
make the present law workable.