The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-25 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kenn.
Last Reek but One of the Present Season, and Last Nights of

The Merchant of Venici."

THIS EVENING will be presented Saakspere's Play of THE
MERCHANT OF VENICE: Shylock, by Mr. C. Kean; Portia, by
Mrs. C. Kean. Preceded by the Farce of LIVING TOO FAST.

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE.
Manager, Mr. Edmund Falconer.
On TO-MORROW, Thursday, August 23th, will be produced a
New and Original Comedy, entitled EXTREMES; or, Men of the
Day ; in which Mr. Emery, Mr. James Rogers, Mr. Barrett, Mr. E.
Falconer, Mrs. Charles Young, Mrs. Weston, and Miss Kate Saxon,
will appear. After which, the Farce of THE DANCING BARBER ;
Fitzfuggle, Mr. James Rogers. Doors open at half-past 6, to com-
mence at 7. Box-office open from Itto 5 daily.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Las Lessee and irectris, Miss Swanborough.
t Four Nights of the Present Season.
TlllB EVENING, the Comedy of COURT FAVOUR : characters by
Messrs. Emery, Belford, Poynter, Misses M. Wilton, Hughes, and
Mrs. C. Melville. After which, the Farce of KING'S GARDENER:
Messrs. J. Clarke, Poynter, Burt, and Miss) Wilton. To coricude
with DEAF AS A POST : Messrs. Belford, larke, Poynter, Misses
M. Wilton, E. Wilton, Hughes, and Mrs. C. Melville.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.
OPEN EVERY EVENING.—The following company of Vo•
~ ealists are engaged for the performance of
Selections f
DUETS, &crom all the
popular' OPERAS, MADRIGALS . CHORITSES,
viz.:—Miss Russell, Mrs. Badsey, Miss Brunell, Miss Ray, Madame
Bartoletti, Miss Montague, Mrs. Lawrence, and Mrs. Anderson ;
Herr F. Jonghinans, Mr. Henshaw, S. Jones, J. Barker, W. Melling,
enor Antonio, E. L. Hime, Mr. Badzey, Senor Tiro Mr. Cozens,
Mr. Bell Mr. Barnard, and Mr. St. Albyn. Mr. John G. Fordo,
and E. W. Mackney. Pianoforte, Mr. Cecil Hicks ; harmonium'
Mr. Courtnay ; Director. Herr F. Jonghmans. Commence at seven
'clock precisely. Suppers, &c., until twelve o'clock.

THE WEATHER—SUN OFFICE, AUGUST 25.
THERMOMETER, IN THE► SHADE.
71—highest since noon yesterday.
59—lowest this morning and during the night.
67—this day at noon.
BAROMETER, 30.07.
WIND, North-Westerly to West ; rather fresh, with fine
cather.

Geographically, we know, of course, that Russia
was nearer to China by the breadth of the whole
European Continent, But not until the receipt of
the astounding news conveying to us, via St. Peters-
burg, tidings of the close of the war between the
Celestial EMPEROR and ourselves, could it have
entered into any reasonable man's conjecture that
the Muscovites at Moscow are literally, in point of
time, a month nearer to Pekin than we sluggish
Anglo-Saxons are at London. It appears even
scarcely credible, hardly comprehensible, and yet the
fact that it is so is far beyond the possibility of any
one's misapprehension.
Intelligence—to put the matter as plainly as may
belbefore us—intelligence from the Peiho up to
the 27th of June had, by the 20th of August,
reached, not Moscow merely, but St. Petersburg

Yet the news from the Peiho received in this
country on the 25th of August was only up to
the 4th of June ; so that we positively have the
great despotism of the North beating us by a whole
month in rapidity of communication with Pekin.
This—while Russia has, stretched out before her,
the woful wastes, the sandy deserts, the giant
mountain ranges, forming Eastern Europe, and
Western and Northern Asia—and, as the sole means
of traversing the wilderness lying between Pekin and
St. Peterburg, relays of horses, and half-savage post:

messengers ! V Whereas, on the other hand, England
has the world of science and industry before her
where to choose—her enormous fleets, warlike and
mercantile, to aid her in the enterprize, steam power
applied to the assistance of their sailing powers by
paddle-wheel and screw-propeller, and beyond all
this, the magic copper wire and gutta percha sub-
marine cables that wing the words of man with the
speed of lightning.
It is a fortunate coincidence, we cannot but think,
that the startling intimation that Russia (of all the
Powers in the wide world !) has this advantage of a
whole month over us in regard to communication '
with the capital of the Chinese Empire, should come
to us, as a last and crowning incentive to our enter-
prise, upon the very morrow of our completion of the
Atlantic telegraph. That last-mentioned most wonder-
ful achievement proves as plainly as anything can
prove that a broad ocean is no obstacle whatever to the
paying out, and the laying down, of one of those mar-
vellous threads of metal incased in gutta percba, for
the transmission of electricity. Already we had

learnt much from the successful accomplish-
ment of the now, comparatively-speaking,
insignificant enterprise of the electric cable
across St. George's Channel between Dublin and
Holyhead, as also the yet more important one across
the British Channel, bringing France and England
into momentary intercourse. But the Sub-Atlantic
Telegraph completes the lesson—leaves us literally
nothing more now - to learn in the matter
as to the difficulties these electric cables can van-
quish. Traverse the bed of the Atlantic and nothing
more wonderful or more difficult, in this way, re-
mains to be accomplished. Compared with the line
now actually thrilling with questions and answers
between Valentia and Newfoundland—any other
may be regarded trivial in difficulty. It only re-
quired that we should recognise as clearly as possible
that there are reasons glaringly before us why in the
matter of these wire lines we should be at once heart
and soul bestirring ourselves. That there are such
reasons, the astonishing fact that St. Peters-
burgh is nearer Pekin by a whole month
than London has been just now painfully de-
monstrated. Wherefore—let us without further
delay take the initiative in laying down a series of
telegraphic cables from England eastwards, along the
Mediterranean, across Suez, along the Red Sea,
through the Straits of Babelmandeb, and so onwards
to Bombay,Madras, Calcutta, Hong Kong, even to the
mouth of the Peiho,to the very gates of Pekin. Tnen—
adieu to the advantages now in the possession of the
merchants of St. Petersburg ! Then, instead of
being a month behind, we shall be fifty days a-head
of the Muscovite post messengers.

Almost at the very time we were writing yester-
day on the loose manner in which the certificates of
" skilful" persons were given—certificates which may
condemn innocent persons to incarceration for inde-
finite periods, placing them wholly at the mercy of
their keepers, and depriving them of any society
save that of either really insane persons, or helpless
and despairing victims like themselves—our views
received a singular and extraordinary corroboration.
In the inquiry into the state of mind of Mr. Itrcx,
is gentleman of fortune and good position, one of the
" skilful"- persons was examined as to the
" symptoms of insanity" manifested by the alleged
lunatic. We do not at present wish to pre-
judge the result of the investigation in the
slightest degree. The case of Mr. Rucx is before a
competent tribunal. He is ably defended, and will
doubtless receive full and complete justice. He may
be sane or insane ; but what we have to say cannot
be at all affected by the result of the investigation
Mr. RICHARD BARNET, a Member of the College of
Surgeons, of 33 years standing, and therefore a fully
qualified and a skilful person, certified to his insanity,
and authorised his incarceration.. Had he been
con_
tented with merely p
ronounemg judgment, no
been taken. There might
exception could have
rounds or not. Mr.
have been adequate g
te some deep-seated
BARNET might have detec
Tendered him in-
delusion —something that
own affairs—as
competent to manage his
compelled to
dangerous to society. But he was
ome of
assign reasons, or, in other words, to
had formed
the symptoms of insanity on which he detail s
his opinion, and he was decidedly exceedingly unfor-
tunate in the selection.
One of these " aynaptems," prominently put for-
ward, was stated to be " profligate expenditure.'
Another, " indulgence in intemperance ;" and Mr
BARNET has, under cross-examination, stated what
he considered sufficient to justify him in arriving at
the conclusion which consigned Mr. Rum( to a luna-
tic asylum, and induced his wife, doubtlet a acting
in the best spirit, to sell off his stock, which pro-
duced some X 1,300,—retaining thereof £5OO for the

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THE SUN.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1858.