The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-25 00:00:00

his countrymen, and obtain indemnity for dimi-
nished dividends by the cry, " Beat them and put
them down we will."
Whether the charge 'of conspiracy could be
made out in the legal sense or not, it is not for us
to decide. We suppose the attempt to prove it is
now abandoned. That the thin charged was
done—that the Saloon' Company's omnibuses were
" nursed" by those of the London General Omnibus
Company, the evidence, so far as given, seemed to
prove conclusively. Indeed, the evidence could be
needed for formal purposes only. The object, how-
ever, in order to prove conspiracy, was to connect
the managers of the great company with the deeds
of their servants. In this respect the evidence
seemed to bear hard upon some of them ; and, in
so far, it only confirmed the impression which
every one must receive from seeing the servants of
any employer publicly and regularly pursuing a
course of which it were absurd to suppose the em-
ployers could be ignorant. Probably, apart from
prejudicing themselves in their legal position, the

masters of these " nurses" would boast of what they
did in their own circles, and be only too well
pleased to be able to add, that they had nursed the
objects of their solicitude to death.

One thing is certain—the nursing system must
be, and will be, put down. The magistrates be-
fore whom such charges have been brought are
agreed, as they ought to be, that they will deal
severely with the nurses if they cannot reach the
companies whom they serve. Let the omnibuses
compete as much as they please in furnishing good
accommodation and civil conductors, in keeping
well their time and lowering their fares, and doing
everything else that may render their omnibuses
attractive ; but the public will not tolerate any dic-
tation as to which omnibus it shall use, and much less
being driven from the door of one, which has been

hailed, by a rival making it dangerous to enter.
We shall not enter into any discussion of the merits
of one company's or another's omnibuses ; we have
already acknowledged that the new company did
lead the way in considerably improving these
vehicles, and the old companies are following its
lead. But we shall insist upon the right of getting
unmolested into any omnibus which suits us,
whether it be one, indeed, fitted up like a saloon,
or be one of the most ricketty old waggons in the
metropolis.

As to what an Act of Parliament can do, we are
not so sure. Perhaps the best thing it can do is to
give large powers to the magistrates in the way of
conviction and punishment for such interference
with rivals as at all annoys the public. Nothing
limiting the number which shall run on any par-
ticular line can be allowed; that would of course
confer a monopoly on those who first obtained the
line. It does, however, seem practicable to force
the companies to compete, as all other rival com-
panies must, by the quality or cheapness of the
article they offer.to the public—not by making it
dangerous or inconvenient to use the article pro-
vided by their rivals.

RAILWAYS.

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 25, 1858.

A letter from Schwerin, in the Duchy of Meck-
lenburg-Schwerin, states that notwithstanding the
failure of the recent conference to come to an un-
derstanding for the reduction of the tolls on the
Elbe, Prussia and Austria have entered into diplo-
matic negotiations with Hanover, Mecklenburg, and
Denmark to obtain the realisation of that object.

A correspondent from Copenhagen, the 20th,
says :—" M. de Levetzan, who was royal commis-
sioner in Holstein in 1857, will fill the same post:at
Itzehoe, where the Diet opens in a fortnight; the
report of his having declined the honour is un-
founded. An important pamphlet has appeared
on the constitutional relations of the Danish mo-
narchy and the Germano-Danish struggle,' from
the pen of M. Raaslif, a member of the first
Scheele-Hall ministry of Schleswick. M. Scheele
himself has been on a visit to the King for three
weeks, a circumstance which has given rise to un-
founded rumours of intrigues and a probable minis-
terial crisis. The weather, after having been very mild
until the night of the 17th, changed, and there was
a sharp frost. The Diet of the kingdom will close
before Christmas, although a number of bills remain
undisposed of.

SPIRIT-RAPPERS DISTURBING A
CONGREGATION.

of the immense resources possessed by Spain and
France will be the more rapid and tho more effi-
cacious when accomplished with the constant accord
of the two governments and the close union of the
two nations. It is towards the realisation of this
great and fruitful idea that my efforts will be con-
stantly directed. I venture to hope that the
august kindness of your Majesty will deign to
encourage them."
Her Majesty replied :-
1 " Monsieur l'Ambassadeur—l receive with the
mostly lively satisfaction the letters by which the
Emperor of the French accredits you as his ambas-
sador near my person. I see with pleasure
reiterated the desires which his Imperial Majesty
has constantly manifested to me to strengthen
the bonds of friendship and of good neighbourhood
which happily unite two nations who have so
many reasons for feeling reciprocal esteem. Ani-
mated by the deep conviction that the close union
of the two nations and harmony between their
Governments must powerfully contribute to the
rapid development of their immense resources, I
shall neglect nothing to secure them. The time, the
civilisation, and the position of the two countries
render the realisation of such noble and exalted
views very easy. Be assured, M. l'Ambassadeur,
that you will find in my Government the most
friendly dispositions to facilitate you in the accom-
plishment of the important mission which your
august Sovereign has confided to you. The qualities
which distinguish you, and the honourable antece-
dents which I am pleased to recognise in you, will
contribute to the realisation of so interesting an
object, and will give you a right to my greatest
kindness."
The ambassador then delivered the letters from the
Emperor into her Majesty's hand, and after having
had an interview with the King, was conveyed
back to the embassy with the same ceremonial as
attended his arrival at the palace. On the same
day, M. Barrot paid a visit to Marshal O'Donnell,
President of the Council, and M. Calderon Col-
ludes, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Gazette
also contains a royal decree enacting that a cathe-
dral in honour of the Immaculate Conception shall
be built in the capital. The Senate had again
been occupied an entire day in a debate on the
address on the Queen's speech, and had again
adjourned the discussion. The only point of in-
terest in the debate was that M. Pacheco, a Mode-
redo ex-Minister, had declared that he would
support the Cabinet, because he believed that for
the present neither the Moderadoes nor the
Progressists are capable of carrying on the
Government. The Monarquia, an Absolutist
journal, had been fined 20,000 reals for a
seditious libel. A telegraghic despatch, mentioning
what the President of the United States had said
in his message on the subject of Cuba, had created
some sensation. The .Espana expresses the opinion
that his proposition to purchase that island ought
not to be regarded seriously, inasmuch as it is pro-
bably only made to catch popular applause, and to
obtain re-election. A somewhat extensive decline
had taken place all over the country in the price
of wheat.

According to advices from Vienna, the projected
voyage of Prince Danilo, of Montenegro, to Paris,
is to be postponed until the spring, when it is
expected he hopes to meet the Emperor Alexander
there. Meantime, he has just given his subjects a
Code Danilo, which contains in 30 pages and 95
articles the whole of the Montenegrin Corpus Juris
viz., the civil, penal, ecclesiastical, and political
codes. It cannot be said, at least, that the inhabi-
tants of the Black Mountain are likely to lose them-
selves in the labyrinth of their laws.