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

MR. CHARLES DICKENS.

After a three months' provincial tour of the most
unparalleled success, succeeded by a short respite,
Mr. Dickens last night again addressed a metropo-
litan audience at St. Martin's-hall. The building,
which has been thoroughly renovated and refitted,
and now presents a most comfortablo appearance,
was crowded in every corner. Independently of
the ordinary attraction of hearing one of the most
beautiful prose poems in the language, "The Christ-
mas Carol," from the mouth of its author the
" seasonableness" of the date of reading (Christmas
Eve), on which the action of the story is supposed
to take place, lent an additional charm to the
entertainment. The second part of the reading,
" The Trial from Pickwick," was a novelty in
London, although it had proved one of Mr.
Dickens's greatest successes in the provinces, but
it assuredly will take rank among Mr. Dickens's
happiest efforts. It is difficult to which impersona-
tion to award the palm, whether to the stammering,
lisping, idea-bereft, mind-wrecked Winkle, to the
loquacious, Lindley Murray-defying Mrs. Cluppins,
or to the imperturbable, good-humoured, opposition-
counsel-badgering Sam Weller. One and all are
perfect in their way, and the entire reading was
greeted with applause which rendered it a personal
ovation.

It is quite needless for the Times to go across the
Channel, or the Atlantic, for illustrations of the im •
possibility of working Democratic institutions in
England. Its own columns will furnish one, and
will show too that Democracy must ever seek relief,
as Mr. BUCHANNAN expresses it, under the shade of
Despotism. The most democratic of our institutions,
one democratic in name as well as in fact, is in
danger of surrendering its liberty, because, like our
neighbours over the water it has abused it till the
public safety is in danger ; and the aid of despotism
will be invoked, because those who put forward not
only "the many," but literally the whole com-
munity as their object, quarrel who shall serve the
said community, till the poor community is likely
to get the worst of it in the fierce struggles of its
benefactors. Whether " the Constitution " be for
all, or primarily for ten-pound householders and
fifty•pound tenants-at-will, we must leave Mr.
BRIGHT and the Times to settle; but it is no fiction
that the Omnibus is for all. It is constructed for
all, it hails all, it admits to a seat, on the payment
of twopence, fourpence, sixpence, and occasionally
double the last sum, all residents in the United
Kingdom. It is supported not only by universal
or manhood suffrage, but by female and childhood
suffrage too. It knows nothing of privilege. If
Lord DERBY should condescend to ride in one, the
cobbler would not yield him priority of choice, and
if his Countess should step in, her milliner's assist-
ant would retain the best seat .in the 'bus, if she
had taken it. There is, however, one take off from The marriage of the Hon. Miss Byngli eldes
such irrational Democracy. It will not work, it daughter of Viscount :Enfield, with Captain H. Hylton
never will work, and we see, now as ever, that the Jolliffe, M.P., son of Sir Wm. G. Hylton Jolliffe, M.P., is
appointed to be solemnised on Thursday next.
Omnibus " Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity," is A marriage is announced to take place shortly
altogether by the ears, and that Sir RICHARD between Capt. Charles George Tottenham, Scots Fusilier
MAYNE and an Act of Parliament are talked of as Guatds, eldest son of Mr. Charles Tottenham, M.P., of
Ballycurry House, county of Wicklow, and of New Ross,
the only hope for our omnibuses.
county of Wexford, and Miss Catherine E. Stapleton, eldest
Our readers may have seen that the grand in- daughter of the Hon. and Rev. Sir Francis J. Stapleton)
quirt' before Mr. PAYNTER hag been renewed this Bart., of Mereworth Rectory, Kent.
week, and apparently brought to a premature close. His Excellency the Baron Bentinek has returned
to town from a visit to the Marquis and Marchioness of
It is now hoped that arbitration may do something, Salisbury, at Hatfield House.
though the very parties who indulge this hope seem The Duchess (Dow.) of Cleveland, we are in-
to think that an act of Parliament will yet be ne- formed, continues in a weak state of health at Newton
House, Yorkshire.
eessary. The general case, almost every one of us The Earl and Countess of Jersey have removed
who walks or rides in the streets of London, knows from Middleton Park, Bicester, to Selby Hall, the seat of
just as well without legal inquiry and columns of the Hon. Frederick and Lady Elizabeth Villiers, in North-
evidence, as we can do by their aid. We have all alaPt
onshire to pass a few weeks in retirement.
The Earl of Carnarvon left town yesterday for
of us seen the "nursing," and laughed or been Hiolclere, his seat in Wilts, for the Christmas holidays.
wroth, according to the temperament of the mo- The Earl and Countess of Norbury have left
ment. We never laughed, however, if we were Claridge's Hotel for Valence, Westerham, Kent.
have left the
found to enter the tenderly-cared-for 'bus, and The
found our ears assailed by the oaths and curses ofCastel lac
Countand familyd
Brunswick lto n S Shee has
re-
turned h
C o 1
Hotelntes s
for C
quarrelling conductors, and our head or shoulders, Gen. Sir Harry and Lady Jones have arrived at
to the same establishment.
perhaps our honour itself, threatened by the pole Farrance's Hotel, Belgravia, from Sandhurst.
and horses of the nurse behind. This said nursing The Right Hon. Frederick and Mrs. Peel passed
must be a very effective system, but we should
through town yesterday, from Hampton Park, Warwick-
shire, for Airington, on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Shelley.
think rather an expensive one ; otherwise we might Col. Edward A. Somerset, C. 8., who retired from
have recommended it to Lord MALMESBURY as a. the Rifle Brigade last week, is about to enter on the duties
solution of the great American Flag difficulty. Put of Assistant Quartermaster-General of the South-Western
District.
a man-of-war before and another behind a slaver, Great. excitement was produced at the convent
which, appropriately enough, hoists the flag of the to which Mercadante has retired for the last three years by
the arrival of the telegraphic message from Calzado, which
great Slave Republic, and she would find some dif- announced the succes of "Il Giuramento" inb Paris.
the event,iis
fieulty in getting her complement of black assert- holye m ebrttliletrsno nothing
dsbfertotme
ftheir
the deaths ofrsthey Pope could
gem She certainly would, if res nautiece per- have occasioned anxiety great enough to warrant a.special
mitted the men-otwar to keep as close a-head messenger, and already was the whole convent repairing to
and a-stern of her, as do the nursing omni- the chapel, when the roil fact was announced, creative of
disgust and pity, rather than awe and sorrow.—Court
buses in the very . busiest thoroughfares of Journal.
nglish girl, of good fortune, who has long
London. Expense,
however, is nothing to the
lived in Paris, was about to be married to a young French
chancellor of the exchequer
advocate of great renown and immense popularity at the
of a great omni- present moment. The young man, being rather nervous
bus company. When he meets his house of
however, rne cglish loanddyi t
ttotuttbtehe
shareholders he can eag u'motherei' odratlite-otiiirepeolseect well
known in Paris and London, should bind herself to the
o sily persuade them that the
outlay was a piece of most prudent foresight ; and atodhper
tioenwnofeobnlesein,
sgclaer oau dinyeterwdreexsese,
peteargptee same.edy
then, Mr. BRIGHT'S pacific hopes from an extended however, being of independent character, and addicted to
all the colours, has peremptorily refused the terms pro-
suffrage notwithstanding, he knows that he can at posed, and the marriage is broken off in consequence. •
The gaily-attired matron has just left Paris for Heidelbert
least appeal from the pockets to the pugnacity of where she intends to reside for the future.—Court Journal. !

Mr. Dickens reads again on Monday and on
Twelfth-night.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, FRIDAY.
There was no addition to her Majesty's dinner party
yesterday.

The Queen, with Prince Arthur and Princess Louisa,
walked in the Home Park this morning, and visited the
Princess of Leiningen at Frogmoro.

His Royal Highness the Prince Consort and the Prince
of Wales went out shooting.
Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar and the Prince of
Leiningen, accompanied his Royal Highness.

Lord Chamberlain's-office, Dec. 24.

Notice is hereby given that the State apartments of
Windsor Castle will be closed to the public after this day,
until further orders.

A deputation, consisting of Dr. Babington, F.R.S., Pre-
sident of the Epidemological Society ; Dr. M'William,
C. 8., F.R.S., Hon. Secretary of the Society ; Dr. Seaton,
Hon. Secretary of the Small-pox and Vaccination Com-
mittee ; Dr. W. Camps, and Mr. Marsons, had an inter-
view with the Lord President of the Council, yesterday, at
the Privy Council-office.