The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-12 00:00:00

Commence at 7 o'clock.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,
Westminster-road.
Sole Lessee, Mr. William Cooke.
-

This Grand Hippodramatic Temple of the World IS NOW
OPEN FOR THE SEASON, elegantly re-embellished and
artistically decorated by Mr. Hurwitz, with new and ap-
propriate Act Drop, painted by Mr. F. Fenton, massive and
elaborate Chandelier by Mr. Hinckley. Powerful Dramatic
Company, comprising established favourites and additional
artistes, Gem and Star Equestrians, together with the best
and largest Stud of beautifully trained Horses in Europe.
Notwithstanding; the sum expended, the following is the
scale of' the reduced prices of admission :
Dress Circle, 3s. ; Upper Boxes, 2s. • Pit, ls. • ' Galleries, 6d.
Private Boxes, from £1 ls. to £2 25., and upwards.
The opening piece, full of striking situations and effects,
is a dramatised version of a tale in the Waverley Novels, by
Mr. T. Townsend, entitled THE COVENANTERS ; or, The
Battle of Bothwell Brig. Produced with new scenery, cos-
tumes, appointments, and properties, and in which the entire
resources of this leviathan establishment are called into
action.

The Illustrations of all Nations in the Arena include the
united strength of the First English, American, and Conti-
nental Professors of the Art of Equitation.
To conclude with THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
Stage Manager, Mr. R. Phillips.

CANHALL, TERBURY Westminster-road.—
OPEN EVERT EVENING.—The following* Company
of Vocalists are engaged for the performance of Selections
from all the popular OPERAS, MADRIGALS, CHORUSES,
GLEES, DIETS, &c., viz. :—Miss Russell, Mrs. Badsey,
Miss Bntnell, Miss Ray, Madame Bartoletti, Miss Montague,
Mrs. Lawrence, and Mrs. Anderson; Herr F. Jongtmans,
Mr. Renshaw, S Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling, Senor Antonio,
E. L Hime, Mr. Badsey, Senor Tiroli,llr. Cozens, Mr. Bell,
Mr. Barnard, and Mr. St. Albyn. Mr. John G. Forde and E.
W. Mackney. Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks—Harmonium,
Mr. Courtnay —Director, Herr F. Jonghmans. Commence at
7 precisely. Suppers, &c., until 12 o'clock.

NOTICE.—The Proprietor begs respectfully to announce
tnat in the present month

A FINE ARTS GALLERY,
now in course of construction, will be thrown open in COn.
nexion with the above Hall.

THE WEATHER.-SuN OFFICE, OCT, 12.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
55—highest since noon yesterday.
51—lowest this morning and during the 'light.
53—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-29.98.
WEYD, Westerly"; light, with fine cold weather.

THE SUN.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1858.

The protracted struggle respecting the Regency
question in Prussia has at last been brought to a

conclusion. The constitutional principle has happily
prevailed, and the heir presumptive to the Crown,
the father-in-law of our own Princess Royal, has
been invested with full and absolute power to act as
Monarch in every respect, despite the energetic
resistance of the reactionary party. We regret'
to be compelled to speak of "absolute" power in
such a case, but, unfortunately, it is impressed
on the face of the document. But for one brief
sentence it might be said that no such act of
FREDERICK-WILLIAM'S Government was so grace-
ful as his virtual abdication. But the pleasing
illusion is destroyed by the declaration that the
Prinee is to rule "according to the inspiration of his
own conscience, and responsible only to God, until
the moment the KING should again be enabled to
fulfil the duties of his Royal functions."
This " unsavoury" paragraph, which totally
ignores popular privileges, and is a virtual assertion
of " the right divine" of kings to do as they will
with their own, cannot be attributed to the poor
imbecile king, who is to all intents and purposes as
helpless as was our own GEORGE 111., when under
the care of his keepers. But it still shows the
ruling passion, and the deliberate determination of
those who to the last moment managed the wires
or pulled the strings that influenced the movements
of the Royal Marionette.
They earnestly strive to maintain the old rule, to
make Prussia still the satellite of Muscovy, and
its Sovereign merely a satrap of the Czar. But this
.would not do. The Prince was thoroughly
acquainted with "his rights," and by no means
disposed to relinquish any portion thereof, that
might affect the welfare or position of the k ing-
dom over which he or his descendants may be re-
quired to rule for a succession of ages. He
had witnessed the discredit cast on his country
by the vacillation of his brother, and the
intrigues of the Court Cabal, which operated on
the infirm mind of poor CLICQUOT, and led him to
act in accordance with the views of the back stairs
conspirators.

That is now happily all over, and the Prince
will have an opportunity of exhibiting his real
disposition. It has been confidently asserted
that he is inclined to follow, sed longo
intervallo, the English system, and to bestow
something of a constitution on the kingdom over
which he is, till the recovery of his brother, a com-
plete autocrat. We trust it may be so. Of
course we do not anticipate a complete revo-
lution, or the establishment of a perfect sys-
tem at a moment's notice. We have had a
precedent in our own country. GEORGE the
Prince was very different from GEORGE the Re-
gent, and still more so from GEORGE the Fourth.
There is a temptation in absolutism which few
have strength of mind sui6.eient to voluntarily
relinquish. It may be said that " uneasy is the head
that wears a crown," but still menwill run any risks,
commit almost any sins, to take upon themselves the
duties and responsibilities of the situation, and
none can be found to strip their diadems of a
single gem, although by doing so they may add to
the happiness, welfare, and prosperity of their
people, and, as a necessary consequence, their own
*iecarity and peace of mind.

• It remains- to be seen whether the Prince, now
the Regent of PRUSSIA, will follow the ordinary
precedent, or set a lnilliant example to all
future rulers. We must comfort ourselves
with the simple fact, that there is, at all
events, hope under his rule and that of his son,
while there could be none with that of the Cama-
rilla, of which the Queen-Consort was at the head,
and which, as we have already stated, were com-
mitted to a retrograde policy, and might have
carried it still further if they fancied they had the
power and strength to do so. We must now look
quietly into that which may be looming in the
future, and earnestlyhope that the quiet and hminine
influence of the PRINCESS ROYAL may have some
share in the good work of bestowing constitutional

freedom on Prussia and the Prussians. It is an
arduous task to devolve on one so young ; but she
is a daughter of England, and will, we d übt not,
well and faithfully discharge her duty however
difficult it may be.

The Greeks and Bears have been tter ly disap
pointed. Notwithstanding the large speculative
sales that had been effected on Wednesday and
Thursday, with not merely the apparent, but the
palpable object of damaging the market—notwith-
standing the necessity of lodging 20 per cent.
with every claim, the amount called for on Friday
was no less than £1,380,000, or, in round terms,
two-thirds of all that could be demanded. The
community at large have, therefore, manifested
full confidence in the validity of the security, and
those who endeavoured to depreciate it will have
"to pay very high for their whistle. The Times
of yesterday explains something of the true state
of affairs. It says :—" The nature of the recent
operations in the Turkish loan has been further
developed to-day. Although the public on Satur-
day paid an instalment of 15 per cent, on the first
£3,000,000, and a deposit of 20 per cent. on an ad-
ditional issue of £1,300,000, there were few sellers
even at improved prices, and the adverse specula-
tors find difficulty in closing their accounts. The
first quotation for the new issue this morning was
1 tol prem., and it ultimately advanced, until, after
regular hours, it stood at 1 to 14. The old scrip
opened at par, and left off at ,§; prem."
We have recently more than once pointed out the
true state of affairs, and the public have shown that
they fully appreciated the views we put forward.
There were " very few sellers, even at the im-
proved prices, and the adverse speculators find diffi-
culty in closing their accounts." There is a vast
quantity of information contained in that brief ac-
count. The old scrip that had been forced down to
a discount, closed at a premium, while the new
issue after hours stood at 11 to 4 premium. It is
satisfactory to know that those who acted on our
advice have had no reason to repent acting on the
conclusions which we arrived at after calm and
attentive consideration.

The matter will not be quite so easily concluded.
The instigators of the hostile movement, who kept
in the background, may have rather more to pay
than they had calculated on. The £4,380,000
already subscribed will amply suffice to place
the finances of Turkey in a sound and healthy con-
dition. Every undertaking connected with the
country will now improve, and the unfair profits
that have hitherto been realised by those who have
directed their " hard calculations" to the affairs
of the Ottoman Empire, will be materially re-
duced, if not altogether swept away. There is
now no possible reason why the scrip should not
assimilate closely in value to the Six Per:Cent. loan,
and why both should not reach par, or £lOO for
every obligation to that amount.

The entire consolidated debt of the Porte now
stands at £12,300,000, of which £5,000,000, guaran-
teed by France and England, is at 4 per cent, the
remaining £8,300,000 at 6. The total charge for
interest is therefore under £BOO,OOO per annum ;
and inasmuch as £250,000 is provided by the
Egyptian tribute, there only remains £450,000 to
be liquidated by Turkey, and for that the receipts
of the Customs duties at Smyrna, Syria, and Con-
stantinople have been hypothecated. We shall
simply ask, What Foreign Stock stands on an
equally sound foundation ?

When shall we have a letter from Lord JOHN, or
a speech from Lord PALMERSTON ? Things are
beginning to work towards a Reform auction.
True, Mr. DISRAELI avoids meetings where he
would be expected to " come out," so does the
Colonial Secretary ; and- the Lord Privy Seal will
not uncloset his knowledge, whatever it may be,
not even though a brother Tory points smilingly to
the keys. Yet the auction is obviously awakening
the solicitude of the intending bidders. Sir G. C.
LEWIS has challenged the Tories with the threat
that any Reform Bill they may propose will turn
out, alas ! a real Reform Bill, and will inevitably
increase the democratic power in our Constitution.
With evident reluctance he says that he himself
will consent to this. This is the first Whig bid.
Low enough, to be sure—some additional strength
to democracy because it cannot be helped. The
Tory bid at the same meeting was almost, if not
quite as good. It was that of a real Reform Bill,
a bill in the interest of democracy, because any
Government must now succumb which would not
offer it.

But the auction goes on. Lord JOHN MAN-
NERS, descanting in Leicestershire, de omnibus rebus
et quibusdant alds, although he declares his lips to
be scaled on Parliamentary Reform, yet makes, in
general terms to be sure, a high bid, indeed—
nothing less than " the best electoral body, and the

pest representative body, which can be obtained for

the people of this country !" " The Best." What
can be the definite offer lurking under such words
as these ? It is not a business offer, to be sure.
We want Lord JOHN'S Cabinet standard to know

its value : still he has said, as plainly as generalities
could say it, that he purposes to alter both the
electoral constituency and the arrangement of
representatives—both which things the Whigs
have themselves proposed to do. They proposed
to mend their own work of 1832—t0 mend it by
modifications which nobody cared to forward or
oppose in the interest either of party or in that of
real representation ; to mend it, in fact, by annoy-
ing a few patrons of little boroughs, and by secur-
ing a few minority Whig members in the counties,
and by enfranchising a very few who could do
neither good nor harm. Lord J. MANNERS premises
for himself and coadjutors something to surpass by
far all this. "The Best"—that is the last Conservative
bidding—the best body of electors, and best body
of representatives too.

This is assuredly a most provoking bid—a sealed
tender indeed. The bifid Whig clique must be
sorely perplexed therewith. What shall they
offer ? How phrase it in generalities which shall
not fall below" the best ;" and, if particulars be
approached, great indeed is the danger. What
will Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S Letter offer, and when,
and to whom, will it be written ? we assume it as
certain that a Letter Lord JOIIN must write some
time between now and February; Lord JOHN'S
State Letters ad populum would never be complete
if the historian could not refer to one on the Reform
Bill of 1859. But what shall he offer? Shall he,
as in his Corn Law Letter, announce a policy
which shall make any other impracticable, which
the country shall insist on adopting, and which
shall issue in displacing his rivals and installing
himself? Is it in Loid JOHN to do a thing so bold?
Dare he concede, for instance, the Reform which
would put all rivals out of court, unless they also
accepted it, which they would possibly not do.
Dare he give the votes to the tenant farmers which
the landlords now use as their own ? Dare he
emancipate the intimidated electors everywhere, and
dare he nullify the power of Sir LO3IBARD-STREET
LONGPURSE, and bid every elector call his vote his
own and his country's—his own that he may use it
for his country, and not for his master ?

As yet the two Whig Lords have kept silence
Sir G. C. Lzwis alone—himself, if report does not

belie his purposings, an expectant Premier—has
spoken. Can the ex-Premiers keep entire silence
much longer with safety ? Will it do to let the Tories
be turning the Parliamentary vacation wholly to
their own advantage ? The ominous fact is now
before them, that Toxopholite is sold at last ! Lord
DERBY must now turn to politics, if only for con-
solation. He must, now, mean to keep in office ;
and it is the direct or implied testimony of all the
speakers of his own party that he can retain office
only by means of a Reform Bill which he can back
against any Bill entered by any who mean to run
at the political Derby of next spring. What, then,
will be the tactics of Lord JOHN and Lord DERBY?
It seems obvious that Lord JOHN should attend
at some meeting and tell us pretty explicitly what
he is thinking of. We should recommend the
electors of London to arrange a meeting for that
purpose. The Tivertonians, of course, would
never think of holding a meeting unless bidden
to do it. The electors of London are,
most of them at least, independent men,
and seeing that the Members for other
places are giving to their constituencies an account
of their last session's stewardship, and a promise
of what they mean to do next session, it is quite
time that the metropolis of the country should call
upon its members to tell their mind on the great
question of the ensuing session. Without assump-
tion or arrogance, London is fairly entitled to tell
the whole country its views, and it cannot do so
better than by approving or repudiating those
announced by its representatives at a public meet-
ing. It would be.of service to all the parties who
intend next February to bid for popular support,
to be aware of the price they must pay for it.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL especially, from the pro-
minent position he occupies, ought to let the coun-
try know whether he has been capable of learning
anything by his late political afflictions. He
ought, indeed, to try the temper of his constituency,
and to ascertain whether, in the event of a disso-
lution, he must retire to some pocket borough
which any Reform Bill must extinguish, or whe-
ther he has qualified himself to remain a represen-
tative of the first city in the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Lord DERBY cannot afford to be
idle. He has two courses before him—a manly
reversal of his anti-reform policy, and thus throw-
ing himself on the country, which would trium-
phantly sustain him, or an attempt to get off with
the smallest measure of Reform which the country
would tolerate. In the former course he would no
doubt affront many old political friends, and lose
their support, but he could do without it, and he
would succeed. He would have taunts in plenty,
but if he were satisfied in his 'z'wn mind that he was
doing not only what the covntry demanded, but
what it had a right to deman , he would, like Sir
ROBEltr PEEL, have the double reward of a good

conscience and an approving nation.
The other policy has, we are aware, plausible re-
commendations, but plausible ones only. He might
say, I can and will prevent the House of Lords
from passing any measure more advanced than my
own—is it not better for the country to take what
it may now get, than refuse a small measure and
get none at all? But veil such a threat as decently
as he might, would the country put up with it ?
Would it not act like the Duxes declaration of
Reform, and be the means of humbling the arro-
gance of a set of men destitute of any intelligible
right to domineer over the country at pleasure ?
Hereditary arrogance and incapacity would be
told to set its own house in order and to leave
the people's house to the people. At the least I
a meagre bill would never be accepted, and
would be merely a stepping-stone to renewed agi-
tation. As to what we deem to be the elementary ,
principles of any Reform Bill, Lord DERBY knows
well enough what they are. He did us the honour
to quote them in reference to Lord PALMERSTON,
and we are sure he has not forgotten ouißefor-
mer's Catechism. We may, however, have occa-
sion to recal it to recollection.

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