The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LON'DO'N, FRIDAY

frigate, and her MAJESTY'S Advocate and Soli-
citor-General were of opinion that the capture
was not illegal, although they were unable
to see any ground whatever upon which the
condemnation as prize can be supported.
Very different, however, were the views of the
Attorney-General, which will carry with them
conviction to every disinterested and unprejudiced
mind. Sir FITZROY KELLY gave it as his " clear
and decided opinion," that even " the capture of
the Cagliari was contrary to the law of nations,"
and he sustained it by a reference to the undis-
puted facts of the case. These facts, as summed
up by the Attorney-General, are as follows, viz. :
" 1. That at the time of the capture of the Cagliari,
pacific relations subsisted between Sardinia and the Tw,
S:cilies.
"2. That the Cagliari was a private merchant-vessel,
well known to the captors as belonging, on account of
her occupations, in a marked and special manner to the
Commercial Marine of Sardinia.
"3. That under force and duress she had been com-
pelled to land convicts and rebels upon the Neapolitan
coast.

" 4. That at the time of her capture she was neither
de facto nor de jure, piratically employed.
" 5. That she was seized upon the high seas, within
no territorial jurisdiction, after a display of force, and
the menace of a shot fired at her by a ship of war be
longing to the Kingdom of the Two Sicillies."

And to these facts the unquestionable proposi-
tions of international law laid down by Sir
FITZROY KELLY, are strictly applicable. They

shareholders painful lessons respecting the position
in which they may be placed, and the formidable
nature of the instrument always suspended over
their heads—an instrument more terrible in many
instances than the sword of DAMOCLES. Until
something be done to mitigate the danger, few
will be disposed to try similar experiments ; and,
unless Mr. HEADLAM'S or some similar bill be
carried, we may easily conceive that the extension
of joint-stock banking capital will be virtually
prohibited.

The principle of limited liability has received
legislative sanction. But banking establishments
where it is more urgently required than in any
others, have unfortunately been excluded from
its operation. The cry has been altogether for
" innocent" depositors; bat "innocent" share-
holders—men who have had nothing whatever to
say to the management, who invested their money
with the most perfect good fath—who sought no
unfair advantages, are deserving of at least equal
sympathy. Besides, the very notion that men of
known wealth and resources are involved, has
fostered and strengthened that blind confidence,
which has in some instances led to such deplor-
able results. S 3 long as deposi tors know that
they had only the paid up-capital, with a fair
margin perhaps of equal account, they would in-
quire for themselves as to the proceedings, and
solvency of the concern. But the knowledge that
there were oue or two millionair es amongst the
shareholders, dispensed with this salutary cau-
tion, and they went on blindly and recklessly
because some wealthy neighbour, some provincial
CReasus, should be reduced t) destitution, and
surrender all Ma property, real or personal, before
they could sust in any serious loss.
Such persons would be willing to contribute
handsomely towards the losses, although not to
give up their all. There are too many instances
where they have become exiles from their country
in consequence of the stringency of the law, and
where consequently those who were grasping at
everything obtained nothing. The evils on both
sides were palpable. They would be averted
by the passing of Mr. HEADLAM'S bill, but still
it is strenuously opposed not only by those inte-,
rested in maintaining the existing banking mono-
poly, but also by well meaning persons, who can-
not shake off old prejudices, and who aro misled
by the speciou s fallacies propounded against it.
We trust that- the next discussion will remove
many of the objections, and that notwithstanding
the delays that have occurred, the salutary mat-
ter may yet pass into a law during the present
session, and that Mr. HEAIDLANE may obtain the
complete success which his indefatigable exertions,
and clear and convincing reasonings have so well
merited.

THE ROYAL ACADEMY—(This Day).

Anyone who has not yet heard Mr. Dickens read
aloud one of his own inimitable productions, who
has never seen him upon the stage enacting before
the footlights soma imaginary character, or listened
tellies upon the platform, as he stood there last night
in propria persona, turning over the leaves of " The
Cricket on the Hearth," and giving new life by the
glance of his eye and the intonations of his voice
to the creations already stamped upon the page by
the vivifying impress of his own written descrip-
tions anyone who knows "Boz" exclusively
through his books, can form no notion whatever
(not the very faintest) as to what is meant by one
of these Readings. The entertainment is not in
the smallest particular, not the heist bit in the
world, in any way like what one of these wholly
uninitiated might conjecture. The reason blue.
simply this—that Cuarles Dickens (for we drop the
Mr. as something in him we regard es quite super-
fluous)—that Buz (a name still ringing familiarly
in our ears by reason of its many joyous and de-
lightful associations) is not merely the most popular
Author of his Age, but one of its moat gifted
Actors and Elocutionists. Everyone acknowledges
this who has once seen him in one of his own riant
farces, or in Bulwer Lytton's elegant comedy, or
in one of Wilkie Collins' weird and harrowing melo-
drama. Here, as a wearer of the sock and buskin,
is one who, by his protean genius, is no mere
amateur upon the boards, but a veritable, true-
born actor, one who exercises at his own free
will and pleasure a perfect mastery over
our emotions—at once tragedian and comedian—
who wins, as he lists, by his voice, by his look, as he
has so 0f:420, rod ,often done by his matchless
writings our-Vlra and our laughter. But—subject-
ing bimselttcyr.% 136:0 erer test than any encountered
by the histriopic aiventurer—Obarles Dickens has
proved tiro. 'lore sognan.y e6aos enU itg4lu, ere—,
without the 'Aid of one touch of carmine, or one
par•icle of knid...nici?, when without powdered
peruke, or vei:zvet doublet he has come before an
audience just Pacisely as he is himself, carrying
only iu his,hend, it may be, a little magical paper-
knife, and reading to us one of his little Christmas
story books as it could assuredly only be read by
such an author and such an elocutionist rolled into
ono ! As a triumphant testimony of his power over
his audiencee--there was the readingof his "Cricket
on the Hear th" last evening ! Listening to it as it
fell from his lips yesterday—well though we knew
the book hefole—ib seemed in some unaccountable
way or another, as though we hal 'never known it
until then ; certainly as though we had never ade-
quately aepreciated it. And this not casually, but
continually—from the 'first " Chirp" to the last.
-Beginning with the kettle and ending with the bro-
ken toy upon the hearthrug. The characters of the
tale 'poke to us audibly, moved before us almost
visibly. Dear little Dot who was both fair and
young, " though something of the dumpling shape
—but I don't myself object to that." Honest stal-
wart Carrier Peseybingle " who was often near to
something or other very clever, by his own ac-
couter —but always stopping when half expressed
for fear of spoiling it ! Boxer, the dog, with that
rreposterous "nothing of a fag-end of a tail of his,
describing a circle of barks round the horse, mak-
ing savage rushes at his mistress and facetiously
bringing himself to sudden stops." Tilly Slowboy
the nursery girl, who was continually in the
matter of her costume making surprising re-
vAatouaoleonio flannel udder-vestment of a sin-
gular structure," and "affording glimpses in the
regime of the back, of a corset or pair of stays, in
colour a clsad-green 1" Time very baby, whose head
is being partially brought (by an ingenious con-
trivance on the part of Miss Slowboy) into
contact with deal doors, dressers, stair-rails, bed-
posts, and other foreign substances ! Other per-
inages, toe—Gruff, and Tackleton, the Toy mer-
chant, a savage old reprobate, or rather a " domes-
tie Ogre," whole soul revels in the construction of
hideous hairy red-eyed Jacks in Boxes, and demo-
niacal tuinblsrs who won't lie down, but are pi r-
petual ly flyieg forward to stare infants out of coua
tenance, and with Tackleton his right hand man,
Caleb Plummer, who asks of little Dot, to her
astonishment, " You couldn't have the goodness
to let me pinch Boxer's tail, mum, for half a mo-
ment, could you ?" " Why, Caleb ! What a
question !" "Oh, never mind, mum. He
mglitn't like it perhaps. There's a small order
just come in for harking dogs ; and I should wish
to go as close to IV caul-. as I could, for sixpence."
How they all lived again, and talked, and looked
again, on the platform of St. Mai tin's Hall last
evening! How the artelieuce roared to hear them
—or listened in breathless silence at other moments
ast • a cash of us, here, Ise One together, for a white,
somewhat tlB ()Orb was when hearkening to the
Blind Girl's talking, when—" Her father could
• not ehousit hull hie moist eyes overflow ; she was
so earnest and pat he ic." From first to last the
Reading was in truth—a treat. And as for the
reception cif Mr. Dickens at its commencement,
and his greeting upon its conclu,ien, it was in sim-
lde realty nothing less than an ovation. On Thurs-
day n'-xt the saws Hall will echo to our great
novelist's voice reading his '' Chimes ," and on the
Thursday following, to the thrilling music of his
exquisite and matchless " Carol." L' appetite vient
en maneeant—Why cannot we hope ever to hear
hint read choice pasrgt s selected from his larger
volumes, to have hisn reproduce with his mobile
features, and his marvellous voice—say, Mrs. Gamp
and Mr. Pecksuiff, from Martin Chuzzleavit ;
Sa'nlit'l Weller and Tony Weller, from the Pick-
w ck P. pees ; Captain Cattle and Major •Bags'osk,
fruit Dombey and Son.; and so on throughout the
whole Wonderful and motley catalogue ? Let
1-13 Less the gifts the Gods have given us,"
I"wes'sr, and fall to.. The intellectual ban-
quet pi ei-ared for us is sufficiently appotizmg
—"ire's course (the [list of which we enjoyed,
with a tel sil, v.. stercley) anal— The Desert,
fi r none (the': !Into the great popular Au: hor-and-
iu one, the waiter of this charming Fairy
Tale of II me, The Cricket on the Hearth. And
''°, with berdite thanks to Charles Dickens, a grate-
ful fare Soil—atc recoil. 1

GOVEINAIEXT EXIIGRATION.—Her Majesty's Earligra-
t. on Commissioners cbar'ered yesterday afternoon,
29 h inst., the Bee, 1,352 tons, to sail from Liverpool
for Adilaide, South Atisiralia, at 13/. 184. 6.3, per eta
to e adOt, to be ready for the'reception of passengers on
such day as the commissioners may fix upon between
the 10th an 19zh of June. They have also given n .tice
of their intention to receive tenders next Thur,•day, the
6th priximLo, for a ship to proceed to Sydney, New Scuth
Wales, to be ready to sail any day the commissioners
may fx upon between the 19th and 30th of June.