The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-09 00:00:00

CONSTANTINOPLE ;via TRIESTE), MARCH 3

Sir Henry Bulwer will shortly proceed to Eng-
land on family affairs.
The Western Powers have made proposals to
the Porte to assist in the maintenance of its rights
in Servia and the Danubian Principalities should
any complications and as armed intervention take
place there.
It is stated that the Porte has requested a treaty
of alliance with them for certain emergencies;

HUNGARY.
A letter from Pesth, dated March 2, says
Count Thunn, the Minister for Public Worship and
Instructian, has set his heart upon carrying his no-
torious plan for the organisation of the Protestant
Church in Hungary. Not satisfied with the very
questionable honour of having signed the concordat
with the Pope against the wishes of the immense
majority of the Roman Catholic laity and priest-
hood, he wishes to force his obnoxious organisation
upon the reluctant Protestants. At first he be-
lieved that the opposition against it proceeds ex-
clusively from political grounds, and is fanned
by the party of the so-called old Conservatives,
therefore he thought that political persecution
might deter the leaders of the Conservatives
from making speeches in the meetings of the dis-
tricts and taking the lead of the agitation. The
case of M. Zsedenyi, however, soon satisfied Count
Thunn that prison has no terrors for men of a strong
conviction ; the late imperial counsellor had no word
of apology before the judges, and refused to crave
for mercy at the doors of the Ministers. This
punishment did not prevent the defiance meetings of
the districts, and the interview with the deputation
headed by Baron Vay could not fail to impress the
Count with the conviction that all his threats will
not lead the Protestants to submission. He is now
abandoning his fruitless policy of bullying, which
only increased the agitation ; we do not hear that
he resents the obstinate resistance of all the Cal-
vinists and of the majority of the Lutherans; his

order in council threatening the recusant congrega-
tions, seniorates, and districts with the loss of their
corporate rights, seems to be suspended for all prac-
tical purpose, though it has not been formally modi-
fied or cancelled. But the minister has evidently
no intention to give up his plan of organisation,
which restricts publicity, and practically annuls the
liberty of election, by making the confirmation of
the elections by the political! authorities necessary
for their validity ; he only changes his tactics, and
now tries to bribe the Protestants into submission.
Well aware that the Protestant Church subsists on
the voluntary contributions and bequests of her
, and that tha clergy in general,
members, b eerN!
even the superintendants, are poorly
paid, he now sets aside 94,000 florins a
year (about £9,000) for the use of the Protestant
Church, equally divided between the 800,000
Lutherans and 2,000,000 Calvinists—since the lat-
ter are more obstinate, they get less of the subven-
tion—to better the condition of the clergy. The
superintendents of Pesth, Presburg, Oldenburg,
and Debreezin, are to get a subvention of 4,000
florins a year, those of Eperies, Szarvas, New
Verbasz, Komorn, Papa, Sarospatak, and New
Szivacs, 3,C00 florins, and each senior 300 florins
a year. Of course this Government subvention
will be paid only to those seniorates and districts
which shall have accepted the Ministerial organi-
sation, and will be withheld from the recusants.
A certain time is allowed for the working of this
measure, and if it prove ineffectual the Minis-
ter may resort again to bullying. The Protes-
tants are thus placed in an awkward dilemma,
ministerial favour and ready money on one side if
they give up the principle of an autonomic organi-
sation of the Church and place themselves under
the direction of the Jesuit ministry of public wor-
ship, and the loss of their corporate rights on the
other side, persecution and martyrdom, if they re-
main true to themselves. The eyes of all Hungary
are turned now to them, and though it cannot be
expected that some poorer congregations should not
be caught by the ministerial bait, it seems certain
that the Calvinist Church remains firm, and that
the majority of the Lutherans will not be reduced
to a minority.
We hear that the plans for the so-called consti-
tutional organisation of the empire have at last
been matured at Vienna : they amount to a mere
farce. The Council of the Empire—that most
obstructive of all the Austrian institutions—is to
become the propelling engine of the State. Its num
ber will be increased by about one-half ; they are to
be composed of 70 to 80 members, all of them to be
nominated by the Emperor ; but whilst he appoints
one-half of them for life according to his pleasure,
he elects the other half for six years, from lists pre-
sented to him by the provincial diets. Since, hovve% er
there are as yet no provincial diets in existence, the
Emperor appoints the first batch for the coming six
years according to his own pleasure. The Council
of the Empire, thus reinforced, has to control the
budget, and to deliberate, without a decisive vote,
the project of laws sent by the Emperor for its dis-
cussion; the first of these projects is to be the orga-
nisation of the provincial diets. In order that Eng-
lish readers may become fully acquainted with the
hearing of this measure, which in the official and
semi-official papers will be called a constitution, we
must remark here that neither this Council of the
Empire, which is to represent the Senates nor the
principal diets will have any legislative power, still

THE SERGEANT'S WIFE.
The announcement by Madame Celeste that it was
intended to reproduce the melodrama of " The Ser-
geant's Wife," which lives only in the recollection
of those who thirty years ago had the pleasure of
witnessing the admirable performance of Miss
Kelly and that distinguished band of performers
who are almost extinct, but whose example appears
to have inspired a not unworthy race of representa-
tives, was a surprise to the play-going public, but
the realisation of the performance of last night was
more gratifying even than the recollection of by-
gone achievements. As was said by some cynical
traveller on the road to Chalons, in reply to a
romantic allusion to the dreams of Rosseau, " La
route vaut mieux que les souvenirs," so we
may venture to express our opinion that this
well constructed melo-drama was better represented
last night than when we were affected in our youth
by the alternate emotions of pleasure and pain
which the powerful situations of the piece are cal-
culated to inspire. Miss Kelly, who stood un-
questionably at the head of this class of dramatic
representations, is an historical association which
can never be separated from "The Sergeant's
Wife ;" and so much artistic care had she devoted
to the impersonation of the character, that it will
be remembered when that lady opened her dramatic
school at Soho she commenced her season with this
performance—a triumph of histrionic skill which at
that period of excellence was acknowledged to be
the perfection of the art. If we remember rightly
Miss Kelly is the last remaining representative of
that distinguished of artistes. Mrs. Keeley appeared
last nig b t in her original part of Margot, the strongest
test which could possibly be applied to the singu-
lar talent of Madame Celeste. Mrs. Keeley is in
possession of so much experience and so much
ability that these qualities would have over-
shadowed any second rate artiste ; but in the case
of Madame Celeste they only served to bring out
in stronger relief the extraordinary natural and
acquired powers which that lady possesses. The
passion, the intensity of expression, the perfect
command of every situation presented in the drama,
elntituted a perfect and finished study of this school
of dramatic art, which was fully borne witr.ess
to by the fixed and earnest attention of an appre-
ciative audience. It is scarcely possible to imagine
anything more intensely absorbing than the inte-
rest which Madame Celeste, by refinement of art,
contrived to surround the particular scene
upon which the whole interest of this
melodrama turns, namely, that wherein the un-
fortunate sergeant's wife is condemned to witness
without a hope of escape, as she imagines, the mur-
der of the father of her husband. Nor was her
by-play less to be admired, in that scene where she
escaped from the chateau. We may be excused
for not detailing the plot of the " Sergeant's Wife,"
since it must be familiar to all who take any inte-
rest in theatrical affairs. It is sufficient for us, at
the present moment, to declare our decided con-
viction that it would be impossible to produce, in
any other theatre, an ensemble more perfect than
that which we had the gratification of witnessing
in the representation last evening of the " Ser.
geant's Wife." We should not be justified, how-
ever, notwithstanding what we have said, in clos-
ing this notice without remarking upon the very
great care with which each character was sup•
ported. Old Cartouche was admirably brought out
by Mr. T. Lyon, who reminded us fore bly of the
palmy days of Dowton ; whilst Mr. James Vining
exhibited remarkable talent in dealing with the
character of Denis. Mr. Johnstone's Gaspar, a
very ungrateful part, was nevertheless well sus-
tained ; and the Robin of Mr. Rouse gives addi-
tional confirmation to the very high opinion we
have already expressed of this gentleman's dramatic
talent. It was, ir.deed, perfect; and we feel per-
suaded that it' Mr. Rouse prosecutes the study of
his art with the same care and energy which he
has already shown since his introduction to the
London boards, he is destined to attain the very
highest rank in his profession.

MR. COBDEN AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

The following letter from Mr. Cobden, M.P., has
been received by Mr. Mellor, town-clerk of Roch-

dale :

Cannes, France, March 3,_1860,

Dear sir,—Your letter, addressed to the House of
Commons, did not reach me, and I have only to-day
received your favour of the Bth ult., enclosing the
resolutions passed by the town council of Rochdale,
and the public meeting of the inhabitants of the
borough, approving the conduct of their representa-
tive in relation to the negotiation of the treaty of
commerce with France.
I regret that I should thus have been accidentally
prevented from tendering to my constituents a more
prompt expression of my gratitude for this mark
of their confidence and kindness; and the more so
because it would have given to me an opportunity
of explaining to them the cause of my absence from
the House of Commons.
In compliance with the advice of my ualdical
attendant at Paris, I have pa'd a visit to this tem-
perate region, to avoid the severe weather and the
late hours incidental to London parliamentary life
in the months of February and March. It is, how.
ever, my intention to return to my post the firsl
week in April ; and I need hardly add how mud
I regret my absence from the house uring
the re.
cent discusssions.—l remain, dear sird, yours truly
RICHARD COBDEN
Zuch. Mellor, Esq., Town.elerk, Rochdale.

The Mayor of Birmingham has received the
following letter•from Mr. Cobden, M.P. :
Cannes, France, March 2, 1860,
Dear Sir,—l have received with feelings of
sincere gratitude the resolution passed at a public
meeting of the inhabitants of Birmingham, thank-
inn. me for the services rendered to the cause of
free trade by the recent negotiation of the French
treaty. It must ever be a source of legitimate
pride to a public man when his acts receive
entd Ihe
sanction of large bodies of his countrymen ;
can
unfeignedly assure you that I have felt espe-
cially gratified and honoured by this proof of the
approbation of the intelligent and public-spirited
community over which it is your privilege to pre-
side. Pray accept my thanks for the kind and
friendly expressions conveyed in you letter accom-
panying the resolution ; and I remain, dear sir,
yours very sincerely, RICHARD COBDEN.

THE ALPACAS IN AUSTRALIA.—The shearing of
Mr. Ledger's flock of alpacas has been alocessfully com-
pleted, and we may soon expect to have the wool in the
English market,-404.0 *on and New Zealand Oazettft

Why should such ideas be banished from civil conten.
tions ; nothing is gained, while much is lost, from
their decadence. It would be difficult to say if any
public man has had more to struggle against in his
career than he who now leads the Conservative party
in the House of Commons with a dexterity that no
chief of party in the present day has equalled.
While their vaunted majorities have fallen away in
the hour of need, he has twice led his minority to
office. In this article, however, the writer merely
refers to Mr. Disraeli's literary achievements, and
although it is not likely that the claims of public
life and the desires of private ambition will
allow the politician to resume the novelist, the
author of Coningsby and Sybil gained no inconsi-
derable reputation among the authors of his coun-
try before he took his place among her most
eloquent orators, and therefore this criticism is
appropriate in its purely literary sense as here
scrupulously considered. It is truly said that Mr.
Disraeli's literary fame will chiefly rest on his poli-
tical novels, of which Coningsby was the first and
foremost ; and those who remember the excitement
that it created, and the great success it immediately
obtained, will not deny the statement. Not many
of the novels of the day, whose name is legion,
have three editions in three months in England,
and have fifty thousand copies sold in America.
" The Two Triumvirates" is really a most admirable
composition, full of dash and daring, while it dis-
plays much wit, and exhibits some independence of
spirit truly national. This magazine is celebrated
for its smart verses ; and the lines on " Co3sar
Postiche" are also very entertaining, and those who
do not like the purpose of the writer must be
amused by its perusal. " The Proprietors of Pro-
gress" is the political subject, and of course it is
occupied with the budget and treaty, which are
described as detrimental to our interests, and inju-
rious to our influence at home and abroad as at
present constituted.

Bentley's Miscellany.
" Ovingdean Grange " increases in interest in
the present number. The perils surrounding the
young hero have reached a culminating point, and
with breathless anxiety we share the perplexities
of Dulcie while her lover is within reacb of the
pursuers, and both friend and foe are quarrelling
for her smiles. The one ready to betray, the other
eager to arrest him, and a word or look of hers the
signal for his destruction. The vivid impassioned
manner in which all this is described reminds us
of Mr. Ainsworth's happiest offorts. Among the
novelists of these latter days we know none so
gifted as he in the power of exciting vivid interest.
Other writers may equal or surpass him in other
qualities, but in that magic power which en-
thrals the reader's imagination and keeps his atten-
tion, for the time, spell-bound, the author of
"Jack Sheppard" and " Crichton " stands pre-
eminent. These new chapters of Ovingdean
Grange give further illustration of this capacity.
" A Story of Twenty-four Hours" is taken from
the German of Hacklawder ; it is full of interest,
and so is the amusing account of " How my Brother
stood for Cantilborough "—an election sketch full
of humour and vivacity. Dudley Costello con-
tinues his novel of our own time, " Gurney : or
two Fortunes," and Frederick Enoch and Nicholas
Michell have contributed two little poems on
" Footsteps " and " French and English Beauties "
—both very musical—the first mournful, the last
most gallant and patriotic.