The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDIVC:EVENING, DECEMBER 11, 1860.

Catholics—or Papists as they were then called—

and other enemies of the State. It was only at.
the end of the last century, when the House of

Hanover had been long consolidated, the party of
the STUARTS annihilated, and that of the Catholics
subjected, that on public opinion demanding a
modification of this rigorous legislation, Fox
obtained from Parliament a Bill for applying the
verdict of the jury not to the fact alone, but to the
character of the seditious publication or libel., which
alteration naturally made the legislation on the
matter considerably milder." But the Count comes
' down to more recent days, and adverts to the Acts
of 1819, and even that of 1848, intended to meet
the SMITH O'BRIEN, MITCHELL, and MEAGHER

sedition in Ireland, as showing how determined
the English Government and people have
been not to tolerate any attack on the
State itself—on the reigning dynasty, or the great
institutions of the country. With this example

before him, the Count argues that the application

of our management of the press to that of France
requires that no attack should now be tolerated on

the NAPOLEON dynasty, or the institutions it has

created, but that the measures of the GoTernmen

and its administrative acts should be subjects oi
free discussion. The example of England, he con.

:ends, proves in the most striking manner that

Liberty of the press must follow, not precede, the

consolidation of a new State or new dynasty ; and,
of course, as France is under the reign of a new

dynasty, adequate restraint must still be ready

for use.

The sum of Count DE PERSIGNY'S practical
remarks appears to be this—that his subordinates
are to permit free criticisms of all merely admi-

nistrative or legislative acts, but not to tolerate

any attack on the EMPEROR or the form of govern,

ment which he has set up, and that the personal
and dictatorial powers of the Minister are to remain
what they are. In other words, the laws of the
Press are to remain unaltered, and these laws

place it entirely in the hands of the Government

officials. The only difference is, that PERSIGNY
is now substituted for BILLAULT, and that the
former thinks discussions of subjects safe and useful
to the State, which the latter would think very
inconvenient—indeed, it was but a short time ago
that he prevented the editorship of a journal by
certain most respectable persons, just because they
were men of known moderation, and moderate men's
opinions had mere weight and influence than those
of a more extreme class. M. BILLAULT thought
the very discussions inconvenient which Count
PERSIGNY seems to wish to encourage.
In all this we have, of course, merely a change of
person, not of system or of law. M. BILLAULT
may again supersede the Count, provided it should
be thought in the highest quarter that a little
more severity was again needed. Count PERSIGNY
seems studiously to conceal the weak point of his
new regime, we mean as one to be in any way
compared with that of England—he does not
advert to the vast difference between excluding all
control of public opinion, and placing the whole
administration of the law, such as it is, in the
hands of officials who themselves may need the
severest censure of the press which is in their
hands— and the necessary intervention in every
case here, of a jury. It is true that our laws are
even now stringent enough—they ought, doubtless,
to be modified, but the simple fact of every
Attorney-General having to come before a jury is
what makes us so easy under them. No Attorney-
General in England can face popular opinion
when it is very strong. LOUIS NAPOLEON and his
Ministers could with ease have put down the
Anti-Corn Law League, and stopped its orators'
voices or the printing of their speeches ; but when
Sir ROBERT PEEL applied to his Tory Attorney-
General to prosecute the League, the reply was a
tender of his resignation. The League was un-
doubtedly illegal, but it could not have been sup-
pressed without defending itself before a jury,
and no English ;lawyer of standing, however
Conservative he might be, would risk a defeat
in such a conflict. It has been to public opinion
acting through juries that we owe the practical
liberty which we now enjoy. Officials have found
that juries in libel cases will give the utmost
latitude to their oaths in defence of public liberty,
and they have accordingly learned to submit
with patience to criticism, of which they would
too often be glad enough to make constructive
sedition, did the temper of the public allow.
To these functionaries the question is always
terrific, " Shall we get a conviction ?" A
French Minister has no such fears. He simply
says to himself, " this kind of writing is very
inconvenient to me—l will send a warning at least
—or, shall I suppress for six months ?"
On the whole, we must regard the Count's
letter as a very ingenious defence of past severities
towards the press, mingled with a persuasion that
if it be possible, a little more freedom will be better
for his master. The initiation of commercial free-
dom, the proffer of liberty to discuss the Royal
speech and the projets de lot, and lastly this
proffer of a certain amount of freedom to the
press, are all consistent acts. Each by itself
may go for little, but we can hardly think
that as a whole they are mere moonshine. If free-
dom in such humble measure seems at all injurious
to Napoleonism, we may be sure it will be speedily
' withdrawn ; but we incline to the belief that the
EMPEROR would be glad to reign with a little more
of constitutional liberty, and its safeguards to the
Crown. He and his faithful old servant have there-
fore concluded to make a trial of a measure of li-
berty, retaining the power to resume it again at any
moment if necessary. The electors, the delegates,
and the press, are all to have their chains conside-
rably lengthened, but by no means taken off. It may
thus be seen whether they may not next be trusted
with only a collar on their necks, to which the
chain might_ be fastened again in an instant ; and
if, after all, it be found that the pack gives no
signs of turning on its master, then, possibly, con-
stitutional freedom may be fairly conceded. As-
'
suredly it is only as a constitutional Emperor that
NAPOLEON can hope to leave his crown to his son.
He stole it himself, but if before his death the
nation feels that it is its own master, they may not
be 'unwilling to allow the son to take quiet and
peaceable possession of moderate power.
e

His Highness.the Prince of Tour and Taxis has
arrived at the Clarendon Hotel from the Continent.

Laura Countess of Antrim and Lady Helen
M‘Donnell have arrived in town from visiting the Hon.
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Pierrepont, at Evenley Hall, North-
amptonshire.
Viscount and Viscountess Lismore and family
have returned to town from the Pavilion Hotel, Folkestone,
after a stay of :;even weeks.
Lord Huntiogfield has left the St. George's
Hotcl.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer left town on
Saturday evening for llawarden Castle, Chester.
Lady Musgrave has left the St. George's Hotel.
A very graceful compliment to dramatic art has
just been paid by two of the most eminent literary professors
of the art pictorial. Messrs. Clarkson Stanfield, R. A., and
David Roberts, R.A., in kindly remembrance of their old
connection with the theatres as scene-painters, have jointly
announced their intention of building a house in the Royal
ramatic College, and adorning it with pictures from their
I pencils.

Mr. Robert Stothard, one of the sons of the de•
signer, proposes getting up, in the. Spring, an exhibition a
his father's works,—Critic,

The Secretary of State for India has made the
following appointments in his Council for the ensuing
year :—Vice-President, Sir James Weir Hogg ; Chairmen
of Committees—Finance, Mr. IV. Arbuthnot ; Military,
Major-General Sir Robert Vivian, K.C.B. ; Revenue, Mr.
T. Prinsep ; Judicial and Legislative, Sir T. Erskine
Perry; Public Works, Colonel Sir Proby Cautley, K.C.8.;
! Railways, Mr. Eliot Macnaghten ; Political, Mr. W. J.

Eastwick ; Public, Mr. J. P. Willoughby.
The Right Hon. Sir John Young, formerly Lord
High Commissioner of the lonian Islands, will succeed Sir
William Denison as Governor of New South Wales.
The Empress of the French honoured M.
Tassaud's exhibition, in Baker-street, on Friday evening
with a visit, and was highly delighted.
THE EMPRESS ETJGENIE AT THE CATTLE SHOW.—
The pigs perfectly amazed the Empress Eugenie, and we
are not at all astonished at the fact. So large, so fat, so
round, so firm a collection was probably never got together.
In former years this used to be the most noisy part of
the show, but it is now got quite beyond that, for
there is not a single grunt left in one of tho animals. There
they lie, enormous cylinders of pork, and a gentle sign
breathed heavily at intervals is the only symptom of
vitality that comes out of any of the pens. Had the pigs
been aldermen of the City of London, and been brought up
on turtle, they could not have attained a greater perfection

of happy obesity and dignified repose.
Diplomatic relations between the United States
and Peru are entirely suspended, and the matter in dispute
goes before Congress for jurisdiction.
Mexican advices are dated at Vera Cruz on the
21st ult. The news of the capture of Guadalajara is con-
firmed. Seven thousand men were expected at Morelia, to
march with the liberals on the city of Mexico.
The Challenger and Dewa Gungadhur have
arrived from China with 1,206,4001b5. of tea, and 3,731

bales of silk.
It is said in Paris that Mr. Gye has found a tenor
in Italy; also, that among his operas of 1861 are to be given
" Guillaume Tell," " L'Etoile" (with M. Faure as Peter),
and a version of the "Pre aux Clercs."
The Berlin State paper informs us that the
Commission appointed to award the prize for the best drama
of the last three years, has given its vote to the effect that
no drama will be crowned this time.
Amongst the papers of M. Frederic Braun, a
celebrated amateur of Dresden, lately deceased, has been
found the manuscript, of an unpublished opera by Winter,
composer of the " Interrupted Sacrifice."
Mr. and Mrs. Henri Drayton, according to recent
American advices, have been appearing with success at
Mobile.

" Ways and Words of Men of Letters" is the title
of the new work of the Rev. J. Pycroft, the author of
" Twenty Years in the Church, &c.
The intended performance of " La Traviata" in
Berlin has been forbidden by the authorities on the ground
that the libretto is unfit for the ears of a Protestant city,
The Manchester letters to-day mention the sus-
pension of Messrs. Blagomenos and Co., in the Levant
trade, with liabilities for £50,000, but with assets that will
prove ample, if time be allowed. Another house is also
stated to be in difficulties, but its liabilities are only
£15,000, and it is thought that a resumption will be prac-
ticable.

THE DEAD WEIGHT ANNUITY.—Some account
of a transaction connected with the Bank of England may
possibly interest the reader. In the year 1823 the several
pensions payable to the retired officers of the army and
navy, which were granted after the Battle of Waterloo,
amounted to the large sum of five millions annually. The
amount was lessening every year, and it was calculated
that on the average of mortality the whole would come to an
end in 45 years. This suggested the idea of offering to a
great public body a fixed annuity for that term of years, in
consideration of their relieving the public of a part of the
immediate payment. The Bank of England accepted the
offer, and advanced the sum of £11,000,000 towards buying
up the pensions, receiving from the Government an en-
gagement to pay them an annuity of £585,710 until the
year 1867. This annuity was, and is to the present time,
very appropriately.
.termed "the dead weight."—llloney
Market Review.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—The Poultry Show opens to
morrow at 10 o'clock, in conjunction' with an exhibition of
agricultural implements, roots, seeds, &c. Between 2,000
and 3,000 baskets and packages of all sizes and shapes had
arrived yesterday at the palace. The four Lilliputian
African horses, scarcely 30 inches high, were safely stabled
under one of the counters, which had been specially fitted
up for their accommodation. These are the same diminutive
creatures which were exhibited before her Majesty the
Queen, at. Windsor, on their arrival in England and after-
wards mounted to the top of the Duke of York's Column to
take a survey of London. The owner expresses his intention
of letting them occasionally ascend the water towers for a
little exercise. Three sheep, weighing altogether about 501 b
and six cows in miniature, to match the horses, also arrived.
These curiosities will be shown in the centre transept. The
naves of the palace are transformed into an immense fancy
bazaar, replete with all kinds of articles suitable for Christ-
mas presents. One Shilling-day, Monday, Dec. 10.—Ad-
missions on payment, 611; ditto, by season tickets, 649;
total visitors, 1,230.
ROBBERY AND ATTEMPTED MURDER.—WAR-
WICK, Dec. B.—A mast determined highway robbery was
committed at Near-end, near Wroxhall, a few miles from
this place, to-night. A pig-dealer, named Smith, was pro-
ceeding in the direction of Solihull, from the Warwick
market, when he was stopped by three men, who no doubt
expected he had some money, and who asked him if he had
any pigs to sell. They immediately knocked him down,
rifled his pockets of all they contained, viz., a number of
receipted bills, and a certificate for shooting, and beat him
about the head with crab-sticks until he was insensible.
He was subsequently carried to a neighbouring farm-house,
and on being examined by a surgeon, it was found that he
had sustained such serious injuries that it is doubtful
whether he will recover.
DETERMINED SUICIDE IN GLASGOW. On
Saturday morning, Martha Meikle or Hood, forty-four
years of age, residing with her husband in Shuttle-street,
Glasgow, committed suicide, cutting her throat from ear to
car. Her husband was in bed in another room at the time,
and had his attention drawn by hearing his child scream.
The woman expired almost immediately. Her habits had
been drunken and irregular of late, which doubtless led to
the rash act.---Caledonians Mercury.
A RUNAWAY POST-MISTRESS.—The Galashiels
Record says !—" An officer of justice was in Galashiels last
week making inquiry respecting a post-mistress in the far
north (a town in Ross-shire) who has absconded and left
the affairs of the office in a confused and discreditable state.
The authorities in the north understand that she resided
for some six months in Galashiels, during the year 1856,
and that while here she had given birth to a child. The
register books of Galashiels and Ladpolo for the year 185 G
have been searched, but no entry applicable to the case can
be discovered. It is probable that Galashiels may in this
case have been confounded with Blackahiels, or some of the
other places with similar dames.
CAESAREAN SECTION.—This rare and fearful
operation was performed at Bethnal-green yesterday with
remarkable success, both mother and child being now alive
and promising to do well. The medical gentleman attend-
ing the patient called in Dr. Edmunds of Spital-square,
and, after an unavailing delay of five days, this operation
appeared to offer the only chance for either life, as exten-
sive cancerous disease of the mother caused insurmountable
obstruction to natural delivery. The operation was per-
formed by Dr. Edmunds, assisted by Dr. Giles and five
other medical gentlemen, and the operator's wife, Mrs.
James Edmunds, acted as head nurse on the occasion, and
superintended some important arrangements. Thanks to
chloroform there was no pain; when the mother returned to
consciousness she found herself comfortably placed in bed,
a living child by her side, and no sense of pain except the
smarting of the closed incisions.
SUDDEN DEATII.—A most awful and distressing
instance of sudden death, and one, in its mournful coin-
cidences, perhaps without a parallel, occurred at Eden-
ham, near Bourn, in Lincolnshire, on Thursday last,
December 6th. The eldest daughter of the Rev. William
Emerson Chapman, rector of the parish, had just been mar-
ried;and the guests, to the number of about 40, were assem-
bled at the wedding breakfast, when among other healths
that of the father and mother of the bride was proposed.
Mr. Chapman got up to return thanks, and after speaking
some few minutes, during which his voice and manner
became unusually loud and impressive, he fell forward,' and
died instantaneously. The heartrending scene that followed
may be more easily conceived than described. The deceased
was 65 years of age, and has left a widow and nine children.
He was domestic chaplain to Lord Willoughby De Eresby,
ono of whose seats (Grimsthorpe Castle) is in the parish of
Edenham, where Mr. Chapman had resided as rector for
40 years. He was widely known and respected.
ESCAPE AND RE-CAPTURE OF A CONVICT.--Dar-
ing the time the convicts were at work in Chatham-dock-
yard on Saturday afternoon last, a most notorious character
named Archibald Nicholls,who is undergoing a long period
of penal servitude, contrived to elude the vigilance of the
officers in charge and make his escape from the rest of the
gang with whom he was employed. As soon as his escape
became known every effort was made to recapture him, and
ext ra police-constables placed on duty at the dockyard gates
to prevent his passing out in that direction, the sentries of
course allowing no one to leave the yard by water. On
making his escape the convict stole a frock-coat belonging to
one of the workmen, which was lying about, contrary to
the express regulations to that effect, and then secreted
himself in a secluded portion of the yard. Notwithstanding
a vigilant search, nothing was seen. of him, and a reward of
,£5 was offered for his apprehension, it being believed that
he had contrived to pass out of the dockyard with the men
on their leaving their work. On Sunday night, however, one
of the Metropolitan Police employed in the yard under
Superintendent Richardson, succeeded in discovering him
closely concealed behind some timber, where he had re-
mained ever since his escape, the convict having on the
coat which he had stolen. He was at once removed to the
convict establishment, St. Mary's, to await the punish-
meat which, will be imposed for being At large,

LATEST NEWB.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

PEKIN, OCT. 13.
Pekin surrendered to the allies this day, yield-
.ng to all demands.
Parkes, Loch, and L'Estrang© were released on
the Bth inst.

• Norman and Anderson have died from the effects
of brutal treatment.
Thirteen soldiers have also been released.
There is little hope of the return of Brabazon,
Bowlby, or the French officers missing.
The Emperor and the Tartar army have fled, and
none of the enemy are to be seen at Pekin.
The Emperor's summer palace was taken and
looted on the 6th of October, The quantity of

spoil was enormous.
The Pekin gates have been given up to the
troops, who are all healthy and encamped on the
wall.

The allied army will winter in the north.
Lord Elgin and Baron Gros are at Pekin.
Indemnity ready when demanded.

SHANGHAI, OCT. 20.

All is quiet here. A new and distinct rebellion
is reported in the province of Shensi. It is said to
be headed by influential people.
Little is known of the Taeping rebellion.

PARIS, TUESDAY MORNING.

The ffloniteur publishes a decree cancelling the
avertissements given to the journals up to the
present date. The report of Count Persigny,
which precedes the decree, contains the following :
Oblivion of the past will be a new token tendered
by the general policy of the Emperor, which aims
at the reconciliation and union of all the intelli-
gence of the country. I have invited the press to
use great freedom of discussion. But against
those who may attack the State my conscience
will be so much the freer and stronger; because
in effacing the past, his Majesty offers to writers
a noble opportunity of displaying their pa-
triotism.

The 111oniteur also publishes a decree organis-
ing the Government and superior Administration
of Algeria.

The Meniteur says :—The Marquis de Ploeuc,
Inspector of French Finance, who is now on a
mission at Constantinople, has not been authorised
to accept the post of Commissioner for supervising
the return of the revenues given as a guarantee
for the new Turkish loan.
The Dloniteur announces the appointment of
Count Baciocchi, as superintendent of the Imperial
Theatres.

CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. 10.

The Porte has stopped a Sardinian vessel coming
from Genoa, loaded with arms and ammunition,
and having false papers. The Porte has protested
against this fraud and the violation of treaties
which it constitutes.

VIENNA, DEC. 11

The official Vienna Zeitung of to-day announces
the appointment of M. Kameny as Provisional
President of the Court of Chancery of Transyl-

Dania.

The Vienna journals publish a telegram from
Pesth, dated the 10th instant, asserting that the
city was splendidly illuminated on the occasion of
the opening of the congregation of the comitat of
Pcsth. Public order had not yet been disturbed.

VIENNA, DEC. 10,

The Austrian Gazette says :

" The Ministerial crisis is over.

" Baron Schmerling has been definitively ap-
pointed Minister of State, and it is reported was
present at the Council of Ministers held yesterday.
" Herr Plener has been definitively appointed
Minister of Finance.

" The future destination of Count Goluchowski,
the former Minister, is not known."

PESTH, DEC. 10.
The congregation of the Comitat of Pesth was
opened to-day.
Count Karolyi and Nyari spoke in favour of the
re-establishment of the laws of 1848.
Agitation prevails in Pcsth, but no disturbances
have as yet taken place.

PARIS, DEC. 10

The Patric says :--
" It is not true that Austria has addressed repro.
sentations to Turkey on the subject of the state 01
things in Moldavia and Wallachia."

The Patric also says :
"Agitation prevails in the Danubian Prinei,

palities.

" At Jassy, the Metropolitan and the Minister of
the Interior have been arrested and conveyed to a
convent, where they are provisionally undergoing

imprisonment."

The Paris journals announce that the subscrip•
,ion to the New Turkish Loan will be opened to.

morrow.

CALCUTTA, NOV. 8.
The Government Committee has recommended
he Bombay tariff for all India.

MELBOURNE, OCT. 26

Mr. Stuart and his companions have been driven
back by the natives, after having penetrated as far
as lat. 19, long. 134. The country was found to be
rich and fruitful.

The following are the departures of gold ships :
The Roxburgh Castle, with 41,703 ounces, and the
Great Britain, with 118,560 ounces.

The exports of wool reach 2,790 bales. Business
is steady.
Accounts from New Zealand are to the 12th Oct.
The news of the rebels is still unsatisfactory.