The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-04 00:00:00

VESSELS SPOKEN ,WITH.

The Brechin Castle, from Callao for Queenstown, Oct. 28,
54 8, 59 W.

An English brig showing No. 3,8911, third distinguishing
pendant, Nov. 21, 12 S, 31 W.
The Caroline Agnes, from London for Singapore, Nov. 23,
8 S, 31 W.

The Napier, from Bombay for Liverpool, 67 days out, of
Ascension.
The Elizabeth, from Sunderland for Cuba, Nov. 4, 31 N,
23 W.

The Maria, for Rio Grande, Dec. 23, 2 N, 24 W.
The Chanticleer, bound south, Dec. 8, 35 N.
A brig, of Liverpool, Shearer, master, from Iquique, with
nitrate, for Queenstown, Oct. 28, 54 S, 60 W.
The Roebuck, of London, from Manilla for Falmouth, Nov.
28, 6 N, 16 W.

The Christina (Hamburg bark), from Newport for l'ernam-
buoo, Nov. 29, 8 N, 26 W.
The Queensbury, from Liverpool for Hong Kong, Nov. 30,
10 N, 27 W.
The Queen, standing south, Dee. 2, 16 N, 30 W.
The Ville de Bruxelles, from Santos for Falmouth, Dee. 8,
20 N, 29 W. _ _ _

The Edniur d Fr, yton, for Liverpool, Dec. 22,48 N, 28 W.
The Royal (?), for Vancouver's Island, Nov. 26, lat 20,32 W.
An English screw frigate, Dec. 4, one day after passing the
Line.

Zetland, Dec. 20, lat. 49, long. 17.
The Sevridge (Swedish ship) from Batavia for Cork, Oct
20, 35 S, 23 E. _

. .
The Emperor, standing south, Nov. 29, 4 N, 21 W.
The Echo, for Algoa Bay, Dec. 2.
The Gwalior, Dec. 2.

The Oharra (1) of Boston, from New Orleans for Liverpool,
Nov. 9, 41 N, 61 W.
The Parana, bound to Caldera, 160 days out, making a fifth
attempt to round the Ilorn.
The lleversham, from Newcastle for Calcutta, Dec. 1, 7 IV
26 W.
The Elise, from Liverpool itor St. Thomas's, Dec. 31, 30
miles South-west of Tuskar.
The D. 11. Watgcn, from Cardiff for Valparaiso, Oct. 10,
55 S, 61 W.
The Ocean Child, Oct. 7, lat. 15, long. 11.

THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON'S NENir TABERNACLE.
—Ou Monday evening last the friends of Mr. Spurgeon
held a meeting at Now Park •street Chapol with the view
of presenting their pastor with a New Year's offering to-
wards the completion of the new Tabernacle. A report was
read by Mr. Cook, the honorary secretary, of the ieceipta
and expenditure since the commencement of the undia •
taking, from which it appeared that the amount already
collected was mil) sufficient to answer about one-half the
requirements for the completion of the building. The.
sum of £9,000 was already absorbed in the purchase of
the ground and for other purposes. More than 100 men were
constantly employed, and the walls were rapidly rising.
There was still at the banker's £B,OOO, which is a large
sum, but when it was taken into consideration t bat at least
£30,000 would be needed by the time the b uilding was
finished it would be at once sewn that there mus .t be no lack
of energy on Mr. Spurgeon's friends' part til 1 the money
that was wanted was obtained. The gentleuia n who gave
£3,000 on the laying of the first stone had forw. trelod to the
secretary an intimation that he would give 1 2,000 more.
Several gentlemen addressed the meeting,
i very warmly ad-
vocating the work, and remarked that t was; t ruly sur-
prising that so large a sum should have been col to cted in so
short a time by the followers of this popular pr encher. It
is confidently hoped that by the end of this year the Taber-
nacle will be finished and opened for public servZce entirely
free from debt.
The Rev. J. W. Hallward was yest( IT day ap-
pointed to the chaplaincy of the 'Wandsworth House of
Correction, vacant by the resignation of the litev. Mr.
Hatch.

The preparations for the opening of the upper
half of the new bridge at 'Westminster are pro-
gressing with great rapidity. Yesterday the hoard-
ing, which during the last two years has hidden
the works from foot passengers over the bridge,
was removed, and the new bridge is now exposed to
public gaze. From the crown of the old bridge
to the middle of the new—for the new is so nearly
flat that it can scarcey be said to hava a crown at
all—the distanue is eight or nine feet, a diminution
of rise which will render the passage of the new
bridge a very easy matter for horses and vehicles.
A double iron tramway is laid down on the lower
side of the new structure for the fast traffic, while the
remainder, intended for the slow vehicles, has
been macadamised, and both portions are ready for
opening. The footway remains to be made, but this
will be proceeded with simultaneously with the con-
struction of the approaches, already in progress.
The block of houses from the Old lied Lion, at the
foot of the bridge, to Stangate, about 12 in num-
ber, are in course of demolition, and at the West-
minstor end of the bridge. Nos. 26, 27, and 28,
Bridge street, consisting of Denton's Hotel and the
two adjoining houses beneath the Victoria Clock
Tower, have been vacated by the tenants, and the
carcases are advertised by the Board of Works for
carly sale next week. These also are to be imme-
diately demolished, and there seems no reason why
the new half of the bridge should not be open to
public traffic in a month. Meanwhile the prepara-
tions are actively going forward for laying the
foundation of the piers of the other half of the
bridge.

ABINGDON GAOL.
The question of closing the gaol at Abingdon was
finally con.sidered at the Epiphany Sessions for
Belles, held at Reading on Monday. At the
Michaelmas Sessions, when most of the magistrates

expected that the gaol at Abingdon would be
wholly closed, the discovery was made by the
Right Hon. E. P. Bouverie, M.P., that certain
steps had been omitted to be taken, and that there-
core all former proceedings had become a nullity.
He proposed that a committee should be appointed
for the purposeof considering what steps should be
taken to accomplish the object, having special regard
to the interests which the borough of Abingdon
claimed in the maintenance of a gaol, from having
in the year 1805 given up the old gaol and a site
on which the existing county gaol was erected.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Walter, M.P.,

and carried by a large majority.
As it was anticipated that the question would as-
sume a different form at the present sessions, there
was a considerable gathering of magistrates. The
chair was filled by Mr. R. Palmer, late M.P. for

the county.
A report from the committee appointed at the last
sessions, signed by the Right Hon. E. P. Bouverie,
M.P., was read by the Clerk of the Peace.
Mr. T. L. Cx'ooDLAKE remarked that the Court

had determited the expediency some time ago of
closing the gaol at Abingdon, as by the erection of
the one at Reading it had become unnecessary.
The Right Hon. E. P. BOUVERIE, M.P., said the
simplest answer that could be given to Mr. Good-
lake's remarks was that the Court really had not
the power to do it. The question of the expediency
of closing Abingdon Gaol was very properly dis-
cussed by the Court, and upon the facts stated the
Court, whether rightly or wrongly, decided that it
was expedient to close the establishment. Then
there arose this question about the legality of their
proceedings, the rights of the borough of Abing-
don, and the power of the Court to close the gaol.
It was in consequence of these doubts and difficul-
ties, which seemed. o tie their hands and made them
feel like persons groping in the dark, that he (Mr.
Bouverie) at the last quarter sessions proposed that
the question be referred to a committee to ascert tin
the position in which the county magistrates stiod.
Mr. IValter, the hon. member for the county,
seconded the motion, and it was carried. It had
been said that the legality of their proceedings had
no reference to the expediency of the question ; but
he (Mr. Bouverie) contended that it was not
expedient for the county to do a thing which
was not strictly legal. (Hear, hear.) It would
not be expedient to close Abingdon Gaol if the
attempt to eo so would involve law proceedings on
the one hand, or a breach of the law which-would

leave them open to be proceeded against either by
process from the Queen's Bench, or the Secretary
of State. The hands of the county were tied, and

the committee to whom the question was referred
dealt with it like practical, sensible men of busi-
ness, and grappled with the first difficulty that
arose. The question first presented to them was,—
What could the magistrates do, and if they could
do anything, how were they to do it ? They de-
cided that they ought to take learned advice, and
they felt that they could not do better than submit
the whole question to Mr. Tomlinson, who thouzli
not known out of tLe profession, was well known
in the profession as a man of very great ability and
experience. That learned gentleman had' given a
very clear and decided opinion as to the powers of
the county, and Mr. Tomlinson and Mr. Wickens
had given their joint opinion as to the rights of the
Corporation of Abingdon. That being the state of
things, he submitted to the Court, whatever might
be their opinion as to the abstract question of ex-
pediency, that their hands were tied—that it was
of no use starting this question to be discussed over
again without anything practical which would re-
sult from,it. (Hear, hear.) He trusted, after what
the committee had done, the Court would be of
opinion with him that the best mode of dealing
with Abingdon Gaol was to leave it in the condi-
tion it was in at the present time. He approached
the consideration of the question in the first place
without any feeling of bias, or, if he had any, it
was in favour of the closing of the gaol ; but finding
that there were great legal difficulties in the way,
he was of opinion that the matter should remain as
they now found it. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. MERRY was unwilling to revive a discussion
upon the question, but he wished the Court to sus-
pend forming any decisive opinion upon the matter
for the present. He was not aware of the course
which the committee pursued with reference to tak-
ing the opinion of counsel, but he had placed it in the
hands of a thoroughly disinterested solicitor,to draw
up a case from the deed upon which the Corporation
of Abingdon relied, as justifying the claim they
made for the county maintaining the gaol, in order
to take the opinion of the ablest lawyer in the
kingdom—the Attorney-General. That opinion he
expected that day to have received, but it had not
reached them. In the absence of that opinion, and
from such a person, he asked the Court to defer
judgment on the question until lie had had an op-
portunity of laying that opinion before them.
Mr. G. CHERRY observed that the opinion of the
Attorney-General would only be upon the deed of
1805, while the opinions obtained from the other
learned gentlemen had been given upon the deed in
conjunction with. subsequent proceedings. The
deed was not the only thing to be considered.
Mr. Bros said an opinion upon the deed of 1805
would not influence the Court on the question of
closing the gaol. Supposing the Attorney-General
gave an opinion contrary to the other two gentle-
men, the Court could nit close an existing gaol.
That was the real question. It could only be done by
Parliament with the sanction of the authorities of
Abingdon.
The report of the committee on the whole question
was ordered to be entered on the records of the
Court, without any formal motion being made in
reference to it. The result of the proceedings is
that Abingdon Gaol, which by previous quarter
sessions was ordered to be abolished, will be re-
tained, unless the county can arrange with the
borough of Abingdon for its being closed, and their
prisoners transferred to Reading on terms as ad-
vantageous as at present.

PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Park
is about per milk d, and the short exchange ou London is
2.5.10 per D. sterling. On comparing these rates with the
English Mint price of £3 17s. 101 d. per ounce for standard
gold, it appears that gold is at about 2-10ths por cent. dearer
in Paris than in London. By advices from Hamburg the
price of gold is 423 per mark, and the short exchange on
London is 13.3/ per £1 sterling. Standard gold at the
English Mint price is therefore about 3- lOths per
cent. dearer in Hamburg than in London. The course of ex-
change at New York on London for bills at 60 days' sight
is about 109/ per cent., which, when compared with the Mint
proportions between the two countries, shows that tho ex-
change is about at par ; and, after making allowance for
charges of transport and difference of interest, the present
rate leaves no profit on tho irunnrtation of gold from the
United States.
THE LATE WEST YORKSHIRE ELECTION.—At
a meeting of the central committee of the West Riding Con-
servative Association, held at Wakefield on Friday last, the
Hon. Edwin Lascelles in the chair, it was resolved that,
under the circumstanees of the case, the total expenditure
on the Conservative side at the late election ought to be
defrayed by 'the West Riding, and that the Hon. James
Stuart Wortley, who was the Conservative candidate at that
election, ought not to be a contributor, and that a fund be
raised to defray the outstanding liabilities. Some hundreds
of pounds were subscribed at the meetimr.
THE ALESSANDRIA GUNS. —The Minister of War
at Turin has published an account of the subscription com-
menced in 1856 for the 100 guns Of Alessandria. The sum
subscribed in Italy amount:el to 106,459 f. ; that subscribed
in foreign countries, to 47,454 f., making a total of 153,913 f.,
besides a piece of ordnance sent by the citizens of Boston,
and another sent by M. Carlo Perla of Aarau. The above
sum being sufficient to cover the expense of 126 guns
already cast, the Minister has given orders to place them
all in the fortress of Alessandria. Each of them is to have
engraved upon it the motto, "National offering, 1856,"
and the name of one or more of the donors, the list of which
is published with the above account. Among the names
we find those of Victor Emmanuel I 1., Norberto Rosa (the
originator of the subscription), Manin, the press, the army,
the Italian students, the Italians at Rio Janeiro, Odessa,
Boston, Chili, Peru, Bologna, Brescia, Aarau, Paris, 6:e.

" First, we must have its nu►abers increased as
much as possible.
" Secondly, it must be divided into three cate-
gories—the sedentary, or veteran militia, consisting
of old men destined to the service of the towns; the
active militia, which might do duty in the environs
of the towns, could garrison fmqrcsses, &c.; and
mobilo or moveable militia, to whom all those men
should belong who, without being actual soldiers,
might, be capable of taking the field with the regu-
lar troops in the case of need. This third category
should immediately embrace all the numerous at-,
cees and soldiers who, for any other but a dis-
honourable Motive, happen to be now out of em-
ploymont.

"The men of the third category should receive,

if they need it, some subsidy ;Or indemnity, which
ought, however, to be something very different
from a regular pay or stipend. Patriotism would
easily put up with the modicity of such a subsidy.
I have myself served the popular cause in America
for a periol of 14 years without any remuneration
whatever. There can, you know, be no lack of
men to offer their free services to their own
country.
" It would not be difficult, out of a select national

militia, to form corps of mounted Guides, as we
managed in the late war—such light skirmishers
being found greatly more useful than any expen-
sive and unwieldy regular cavalry—at least for all
the purposes of Italian warfare. The Zouaves and
the Hunters of the Alps have very lately shown
that it is quite possible to fight very excellently
without being choked by a stock or stiflcd with
tight lacing.

A national armament, such as I conceive it,
would just suit the highly patriotic soul of Ricasoli ;
and if he makes himself the promoter of it, there
will be no man unwilling to help, applaud, and
imitate it. Do that, my dear friends, and I assure
you God and the Congress will then be with us.
" G. GARIBALDI."