The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MARCFI 29, 1858.

at one time hoped so earnestly for a descent that
they spared all the Affghan Kafilas. The treaty is
one of the many claims Colonel Edwardes has upon
the gratitude of England. It was his doing ex-
clusively, whoever may, by diplomatic custom,
claim the honour of the stipulations.
The trial of the King of Delhi has now lasted 14
days. It is a strange business. The King, seated
on a camp bed, listens to the most damning evi-
dence without attention, bat wakes occasionally
into fierce excitement as a favourite approaches. I
enclose a most singular and somewhat unexpected
piece of evidence given by a Christian half-caste
woman. It is fatal, and the trial, wretchedly re-
ported, certainly proves three things :
First. The revolt was instigated by the Shah of
Persia, who promised money and troops. His pro-
clamation to that effect was postedover the Mosque
gate, and was taken down by order of Sir Theophilus
Metcalfe, who moreover was warned by John Eve-
rett, a Christian Rissildar, very popular with the
natives, that he had been warned to fly, as the
Persians were coming, and that the Mussulmans
were exceedingly excited. Sir Theophilue thought
the matter one of no importance.
Second. A paper was produced addressed to Mr.
Colvin by Mattomed Dervish, revealing the whole
plot six weeks before it broke out. Mr. Colvin
treated the warning as unimportant, and never
even reported it to Government.
Third. The murders of the Europeans in Delhi
were committed by order of the King, in the pre-
sence of the Royal Family, and by means of the
IChassburdars, his special personal guard.
Another strong measure has been introduced into
the local Legislatnre. During the mutiny, when-
ever our authority terminated the old landholders
regained their power. They were in the position
of Irisb landlords in the South, sold out, but still
dear to the peasantry from old traditions, and a
general hate for the money-dealing class which has
supplanted them. The old riotous, wasteful, oppres-
sive, free-handedmen were popular. With the sanc-
tion of the courts they found themselves surrounded
by attached retainers, while the poor bankers had
neither followers nor bailiffs. In one district half
the land ohanged owners in a week. In another
the largest estates were seized by men whose title
was something like that of the Martins to Conne-
mara. In a third all the superiorities payable to
bankers were paid to the impoverished aristocracy.
We are bound to support our men, and they are to
be summarily restored by commissioners who decide
at once and finally. The law will create immense
excitement, but it is necessary to justice. These
lands were bought on the faith of our promises. and
the purchase must be upheld. In some districts I
fear the commissioners will require considerable
military force. I enclose the official report of Mr.
Harrington's remarkable speech on introducing the
Bill.
I enclose also a copy of a remarkable paper, of
which a few sentences only have been published. It
is the opinion of a very intelligent soubandar named
Hidayut Ali, now holding a commission in the Sikh
Police Corps of Bengal. He is much Anglicised by
long intimacy with Europeans, and some of his
opinions are absurd, but others are suggestive, and
he adds one great fact to our knowledge. The de-
termination to mutiny was formed 25 years ago,
and the native army, bespattered with praise, has
been in a mutinous condition ever since.
The army waits most anxiously for the final de-
cree. It appears to be forgotten in England that
some 1,500 British officers who have fought faith-
fully for our rule have been deprived of their regi-
ments, and are waiting a decree from Cannon-row.
They dread—with what reason you know, though we
in this country do not—a simple transfer to the
Queen's army without guarantees for pay and pen-
sion. I may mention that the abolition of the
double Government, expected in England to excite
the natives, scarcely created a remark. " The izara
(lease) has expired," was the onlypopular comment.
Native', when pressed, acknowledged that they
approved the change, because a King must give away
more largely than a Company.
P. S. I have only to add, that the statement given
above of Sir C. Campbell's force is exclusive, of
course, of Col. Franks's and Sir J. Outram's bri-
gades and Jung Bahadoor's army.
Her Majesty's 6th have arrived from the Cape.
Her Majesty's 54th have been ordered to pro-
ceed from Calcutta to Cawnpore instantly.

to state, for general information, that Canton having
been captured by the allied British and French forces
the city and suburbs are in military occupation and
under martial law.

" Tranquillity being re-established the Commanders-
in-Chief of the allied forces have already declared that
the blockade of the river and port of Canton will be
raised on the 10th inst., and have made public the con-
ditions under which persons, other than Chinese, desir-
ous to visit the city or suburbs, will be permitted to do
so after the blockade shall have been raised.

"'Under these circumstances the undersigned declare
that the city and suburbs will continue in military occu-
pation and under martial law until further notice ; but
that hostile operations against China, except such as the
Commanders-in-Chief of the allied forces may consider it
necessary to adopt for the security of their military
position in Canton, are for the present suspended.
"'Beyond the limits of the military operation the
relations of British or French subjects, and of persons
entitled to British or French protection, with the
Chinese, are regulated by the provisions of the existing
treaties.

" ' ELGIN AND KINCARDINE.
"'Baron GROfil.

" Canton, Feb. 6.'
"A combined expedition of Mandarin junks and
English gunboats was started by Captain Rigel! on the
morning of Wednesday last, to scour the Fatshan,
Hamilton, and Moneypenny creeks for pirates. As
the Lee, Haughty, and Kestrel, with the pinnaces
of the Tribune, Highflyer, Acorn, and Phlegethon
(French), and four Mandarin junks in tow of the
Lee, passed Fahtee there was a great sensation among
the natives at the sight of the red and blue bargee,
the distinguishing flag of the flotilla. Lieutenant
Graham, in chief command, was directed to be back off
Canton as yesterday. Captain Edgell, in conjunction
with a Chinese mandarin, will continue, to send out
similar squadrons until the whole of the adjacent waters
are safe to traders ; the first step towards China open.'
"Tae arrival of the 70:h Bengal Native Infantry has
given muck satisfaction to the garrison. On Thursday
last the men were inspected by General Van Strauben-
zee on the Tartar parade ground, and complimented on
their efficiency at drill. Present at the inspection were
the wives of two of the officers—the first English ladies
ever seen within the city. Prior to the arrival of these
native troops the average rest for all hands was 2i nights
in bed out of the seven ; but, as the General does not
harass the men with unnecessary drill or assemblage,
work is taken to kindly, and they are in excellent health.
"A morning or two after the landing of the first de-
tachment of the Bengal Native Infantry three men were,
unfortunately shot by French sentries. The conse-
quences might have been serious had the men bad their
arms at the time. From all we can learn the French
were not justified in their precipitancy—indeed it is
hardly safe to walk along the streets in the vicinity of a
French guard at any time. The other day a poor fel-
low quietly selling sugar-cane received a bullet in the
leg and died under amputation. The shot was intended
for a youngster who had been guilty of Berne trifling
peculation and was running away.
"We had almost forgotten to say that the site deter-
mined on for the foreign factories extends from the Five
Genii Gate below the Dutch Folly up to the old Con-
goo-house (Mowqua-street)—the French taking the sec-
tion lowest down, the English the next up, and the
Americans as of yore. The wall of the new city
forms the best protection in the world against fire,
and a Praya along the Strand will render the site the
most commodious imaginable. As to the old city,
about 40 sign boards, bearing in large white letters on
a black ground Rue de l'Est, Rue des areniers, Rue du
Sud, Rue Haute, Rue de /a Folic, Rue de l'Execution,
Rue de la Parade, &c., sufficiently indicate its future
fate and permanent holding. The boards for the Road
to the Cathedral,' and the Street of the Church of our
' Lady,' are not painted yet."

WEST-END ROUTE TO THE CRYSTAL
PALACE.

On Saturday the ceremony of opening the West-
end and Crystal Palace Railway took place, in the
presence of the chairman and directors of the com-
pany, the leading men connected with the Crystal
Palace, the chairman and several of the directors of
the London and Brighton Railway, and many other
gentlemen. The northern terminus of the line abuts
—for the present, at least—upon the Thames, close
to the park at Battersea, and in immediate conti-
guity to the magnificent new suspension bridge at
Chelsea, which is to be this morning opened to the
public ; so that from this day forward there will be
—what had been so long desiderated—a direct and
speedy mode of communication between the dis-
trict of Belgravia and a great part of the western
suburbs of the metropolis and the Palace at Syden-
ham. That this new route will be of great advan-
tage to the Palace in a pecuniary point of view no
one can doubt, irrespective of its convenience to
the inhabitants of that large portion of London.
From the first moment of the conception of remov-
ing the Crystal Palace from Hyde-park to Syden-
ham, and establishing it there as a permanent ex-
hibition and place of recreation, it must have oc-
curred to every man of ordinary intelligence that
the means of access to it on all hands should be
cheap, easy, and prompt. Up to this time it can-
not be said to have been the case, and the Palace
has, consequently, had to contend with a radical
inconvenience which exerted a more lasting pressure
upon the enterprise than the defalcations of Rob-
son, the gloomy period of the Crimean war, and
the rival exhibitions in Paris and at Manchester,
all put together. To three-fourths, at least, of the
two and a half millions of inhabitants of the metro-
polis and its large population of visitors the difficulty
has hitherto been not so much how to get to the Crys-
tal Palace as how to reach the remote transpontine
locality from which the only railway communication
to it began. That once attained, access to the Palace
was only a matter of 20 minutes ' • but it was the
"middle passage," so to speak, by land or water,
from the west-end and all the suburban districts
to London-bridge, in which annoyance was expe-
rienced, and which made the trip as formida,ble, in
point of time, as one of 30 or 40 miles by rail into
the country. Even now, after the West-end line,
so called, has been opened, the populous dis.rict of
which Charing-cross is the centre is as remote from
Sydenhani, measuring distance by time, as ever it
was. The result of the change to the inhabitant of
St. Martin's-in-the-fields or Westminster simply is
that he has now a choice of evils if he wishes to go
to the Crystal Palace. He can go by water from
Hungerford or Westminster, either to London or
Chelsea bridge, and thence be conveyed to the
palace by rail, as he may elect.
The line opened on Saturday is nearly eight miles
in length, and 'after leaving the Palace passed
through the districts of Nor wood, Balham-hill,
Streatham, Tooting, and Wandsworth, terminat-
ing on the edge of the Thames close to the entrance
to Battersea-park, where an extremely commodious
and well-lighted station has been erected at a cost
of about 30,0001., including all the necessary works
and adjuncts, but exclusive of the price of the land
on which it is built. The railway company are also
erecting a steamboat pier, which is near comple-
tion, and in the immediate vicinity of the terminus
at Battersea. The country intersected by the new
line, though short in distance, is extremely intri-
cate, necessitating tunnels, embankments, deep
cuttings, and viaducts, some of them of the most
formidable description. It has consequently been
one of the most costly in the kingdom, the expense
of its construction being estimated at between
600,0001. and 700,0001., or nearly 100,0001. a mile.
On leaving the Palace the line is carried through a
tunnel below the building itself, half a mile in
length, then, after passing through several deep
cuttings along a viaduct of 13 arches, built of
brick, with i, on girders at Lower Norwood, and
again encounters a tunnel, a quarter of a mile
along, at Streatham. It runs parallel with the
South-Western Railway for some little distance,
and then crosses it underneath. The engineering
works, of which these are the principal, are all
executed in the most substantial manner, and
and the line was surveyed and approved on Tues-
day last by Capt. Tyler, who then made the usual
inspection on the part of the Board of Trade in
the public interest. The whole line has been con-
structed under the personal superintendence of Mr.
Charles Watson, the principal agent of Messrs.
Peto, Brassey, and Betts, the contractors, a man
who has been practically concerned in half the great
railway and engineering enterprises in this country
during the last 30 or 40 years. The engineer was
Mr. G. P. Bidder.
Among the gentlemen present at the opening of
the line were Sir S. M. Peto, Sir Joseph Paxton,
M.P., Mr. Beale, M.P., its chairman, Capt. Wal-
ter, Mr. Tite, M.P. Sir Cusack Roney, Mr. Schus-
ter, chairman of the London and Brighton Rail-
way, Mr. Till, Mr. Farquhar, Mr. Ferguson, Mr.
Lasts, Mr. F. Fuller, and Mr. Bidder. The com-
pany, in number about:2oo, afterwards dined at the
Cryst 41 Palace. It may be of public interest to
know that the new line to the Crystal Palace will
also be used from its terminus at Battersea as a
branch of the main line from London to Brighton,
which it joins at the Upper Norwood station.

EtY OF STATE.
UNCIL.
of the Secretary of State, or
r six members.

THE NEW GOVERNMENT OP INDIA BILL.

(From the Daily News.)
In common with every one who has given any
real attention to the great subject of the future go-
vernment of India, we felt that the great difference
between the India Bill of Lord Palmerston's Go-
vernment and that of the Derby-Disraeli Adminis-
tration must reside in the constitution of the
Council which is to take the place of the Court of
Directors of the East India Company. We knew
that a large number of the majority who voted for
the introduction of the former were preparel to
oppose that portion of the bill which contempl,ted
the establishment of a Council composed of eight
members, the whole to be nominated by the Crown.
This project was altogether so objectionable that
only men who, foreseeing the vast amount of pa-
tronage which would thus be thrown, directly or in-
directly, into the hands of the Minister of the day,
believed that they would profit by the change, were
willing to support the measure. The bl et was so
patent, so notorious, that it was certain that the
new Government would hit it. And they have hit
it. The bill which on Friday night they obtained
leave to bring in, after an exposition which was not
followed by anything that can be called a debate,
outwardly recognises the principle for which we
have so earnestly contended. It recognises the ne-
cessity, for purposes both of practical utility and in.
dependent action, of an enlarged Council, nomi-
nated in part at least by a popular constituency.
Whether the constituency or constituencies contem-
plated in the new bill are suited to the purpose, is a
question which we do not propose to discuss in this
article. We are thankful, at least, for the recoLni-
tion of a sound principle—a principle which is the
very life of the present Government of the East
India Company. Next to the perpetuation of teat
Government, that which we still believe is the best
calculated, or might with some very unessential
modifications be made so, to promote the prosperity
of our Indian Empire, is the establishment of a
Government the constitution of which nearly
resembles that which it shall supersede.
But it is not alone in the composition of the
Council of India—in the character of the men ap-
pointed to that Council, and in the mode of their
appointment—that the desired security for good
government is to be found. The best Council in
the world must be inefficient if it possesses no
power either of independent or of practically in-
fluential action. We confess that we have been
unable to derive from Air. Disraeli's statement any
very clear conception of the duties and the powers
of the Council of India. But as far as we are able
to interpret certain parts of his speech, which on
this point is remarkably obscure, it appears to us,
that whilst the duties are said to be so onerous as
togequire the undivided time and attention of the
Councillors, the powers are of that dubious, misty
character which is described, in other effusions be-
sides the address of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
by that very convenient word " moral." " To esta-
blish," said Mr. Disraeli, on Friday evening, " a
British Minister with unrestricted auth 'city, sub-
ject to the moral control of a body of men, who by
their special knowledge, their independence, their
experience, distinction, and public merits are in-
vested with an authority wlech can control even a
despotic Minister, and which no mere Act of Par-
-1 atrient can confer on them is, I admit, no ordinary
difficulty." That the Council should have some
power to control a despotic Minister is thus ad-
mitted to be one of the main objects of the bill.
But we can, at present, perceive no guarantees for
the practical attainment of this object. It is pro-
bable that this essential point has not yet received
the consideration which its importance demauds.
There is, fortunately, still abundance of time to
bestow upon it the attention it merits.

The Directors of the East [ndia Company, al-
though the President of the Board of Control has
" unrestricted authority" to set aside nearly all
their acts (the recall of a Governor-General being
one of the excepted cases), have still much real
power. The Court of Directors exerci-es this
power, because it initiates all the ordinary business
of the Home Government of India. Except in
matters of peace, of war, the negotiation of certain
treaties, &c., which belong to the Secret Depart-
ment, the instructions sent out to the Indian Go-
vernments emanate from the Court of Directors of
the East India Company. Practically, all the business
of Indian administration, which devolves upon the
Home Government, is performed by the Court. Tile
Board of Control may alter the Court's despatches,
or substitute its own ; but, practically, the power
of the Board is exercised, in essential points, only
in a few exceptional cases. There is really, there
fore, some vital action in the present direc`orial
body. Now, if the new Council really to have any
life in it, this power cf initiation must be vested in
it. The President may alter, may reject, may sub-
stitute his own despatches for those of the Council
(the Council of course having the right of recording
their grounds of difference), but if the 18gentlemen
who are to be nominated or elected to the office of
Indian Councillors are really to constitute an ad-
ministrative agency, it must be their part to ini-
tiate the ordinary business of the Home Govern-
ment of India, not merely to sit in judgmeet upon
the acts of the President without the power to can-
eel or to amend them. If this much of authority
be not entrusted to the Council, the new system, a
few months after its inauguration, will drift into a
pure despotism. There ought also to be statutory-
days for the assembling of the whole Council ;
whereas, according to Mr. Disraeli's exposition, it'
is only to meet when summoned by the Minister,
or upon a requisition of six members.
We cannot too emphatically insist upon this
point. It is one which, in spite of its importance,
does not seem to have received the consideration
whichit merits from the framers of either of the bills
now before Parliament. But of what use is a council,
however well it may be composed, however sound
the principle upon which it is constituted, if for all
purposes of practical .utility it is to be little more
than a name ? Of what use is all this knowledge,
all this experience, all this high character, all this
independence, if these qualifications are devoted
only to the embellishment of a .consultative body
which may or may not be consuliel, according to
the caprice of the Minister of the gay ? The richly
endowed Councillors, of whose especial recommen-
dations for high office we heard so much on Friday
night, will, it we not take head, subside into mere
precis-writers ; and the Council itself will soon, in
the empharic language of the Palmerstonian jour-
nals as applied to the India Bill of the late Govern-
ment, "sink into contempt and subside into
desuetude." Such a Council as Lord Palmerston
sought to establish was worthy of no better fate.
But the principle recognised in the present measure
is so much more worthy of public confidence that
we must earnestly implore the two Houses of Par-
liament to see that its salutary action is not marred
by any inadvertence on the part of the framers of
the bill—we will not say by any unwillingness on
their part to give fair play and full scope to the
principle whin they have enunciated, and which
we are not disinclined to give them full credit for
a desire to carry out with all sincerity of purpose.

(From the Morning Herald.)
Opponents ofsthe Government, both in and out of
Parliament, are reduced to direful extremities. Real
and perfectly justifiable grounds of complaint are
altogether wanting. The home as well as the foreign
policy of the new Cabinet gives general satisfac-
tion ; public business is transacted without tedi-
ous delays and in the moat creditable manner,
and the popularity of those in authority increases
thy by day. The nation at large hail the change
that has occurred with enthusiasm, and are pre-
pared, should an appeal be made to them, to afford
Ministers that constitutional support of which men
in their position stand in need. The oczupation of
cavillers and discontented critics is gone. Opposi-
tion is, however, a necessity of their political exist-
ence, and of course they must murmur and find
fault so long as a Conservative Administration is iu
power. If a,:tual grievances are not to ho found,
they can fall back upon the imagination. Although
incapable of governing, and unable either to con-
ceive or carry out a bold, spirited, and patriotic
policy, they surely can assail the occupants of office,
and endeavour to persuade the public that they are
not a whit butter than themselves. Such is the
hue of argument that these poli icians have recently
taken up, and, what is more remarkable still, it is
propounded by Earl Granville, in the House c f
Lords, and in the colunam of our truth-defiant con-
temporary, the Globe, and those of other Opposition
journals. Neither the ex-Minister nor the NA, lx:g
organ can soar above the shallow, to quoque style,
" Oh, if we committed certain blunders a short
time since youare actually doingthe same thing now,
and this, therefore, affords our justtfication." Upon
such foundations do these advocates raise) their de-
fence of a long career of error and imbecility, and by
such artifices seek to escape from t he retribu t ion they
so richly deserve. For manyyears the arguments em-
ployed by the evening organ of the Opposition have
been of this weak and ltunailiating character, and we
are bound to receive the best that it can offer in a
charitable spirit. The case, however, with those
who have been Cabinet Ministers is not exactly i he
same, and it is a matter of goner 1 surprise that
Lord Granville should have condescended to em-
ploy, in the upper branch of the British Legis-
lature, weapons ill suited to the statesman.
Lord -Ellenborough has been singled out as the
peculiar object of attack. The bitterness and ran-
cour which marked the method of assault in the
House of Lords are only equalled by the vulgarity
of language employed by the noble earl's assailants
of the press. The latter we consider unworthy of
any lengthened notice. People never resort to
abuse when they have arguments at hand, and we
de not desire a better proof of the President of the
Board of Control's fitness for the important office

which be holds, or of the success with which he is
discharging his duties, than may be found in the
fact that he is attacked in the true Billingsgate
fashion. We leave brawling and vituperation of
this kind to the usual guardians of the puhlike peace,
and turn to Lord Granville's equally unjustifiable,
though perhaps more polished, onslaught. The
tone and manner of the speaker showed at once
that be meant mischief. Without proper notice
the ex-President of the Council desired to ask
a question. The answer was freely given ;
but neither question nor reply affJrded him the
opportunity which he sought. Lord Ellen-
borough's reproof of the late Cabieet bad been
called forth by their refusal to furnish the East India
Company with some information for which they
asked; and Lord Granville fancied that be had hit
upon a case in point against the present Admini-
stration, because the President of the Board of
Control had not conferred with the East India di-
rectors quite so often as (Earl Granville) deemed
proper. This absurd charge, garnished with cer-
tain insinuations about events the over-sanguine
ex-President of the Council imagined to have
taken place in the time of the late Sir Robert Peel,
formed the material of this terrible onslaught.
Probably a more extraordinary scene was never
witnessed within the walls of either house, and Earl
Grey at once seized the, opportunity, and censured
thntactics pursued by members of the Opposition

in terms which they Will not readily forget. The
Premier with a grace and good humour that do him
infinite credit, took a portion of the blame to him-
self, although everybody present could see plainly
enough upon whose shoulders the lash fell. Lord
Derby might smile and speak pleasantly, the re-
proof touched him lightly, for the noble earl made
such an exhibition of himself ; but Lord Granville
certainly did not feel comfortable, if we are to judge
from his looks. In fact, like all disappointed men,
the leader of the Opposition was ill at ease. The
blow which he had aimed at Ministers recoiled
upon himself, and, instead of damaging an oppo-
nent, he actually ruined his own cause.
An eulogium:upon the Earl of Ellenborough is un-
necessary ; in his public services both here and in
India may the best testimony to his extraordinary
merits be found. Of many excellent appointments,
than that of Lord Ellenborough to the Presidency
of the Board of Contrel is decidedly one of the
best. From the moment that the mutiny broke
out in India his name was upon everybi dy's lips.
A determined opponent of jobs and favouritism of
every kind and degree Lord Ellenborough has
always distinguished himself as an administrative
reformer. At a perilous crisis Lordßlenb(!rough

restored our supremacy, then rudely assailed in
India, and converted despondency and failure into
confidence and success. Again, at this juncture,
the appearance of this able statesman at the head
of our East India direction is hailed with general
satisfaction; and the bill its trod uced in t o the House
of Commons and read a first time on Friday, con-
tains further evidence of his ability and discrimina-
tion, Lord Ellenborough's popularity and his
statesmanlike qualities are as gill and wormwood to
his opponents and detractors. Indiscriminate
censure and vulgar abuse will not, however, con-
vince and whilst our opponents are constrained to
make use of such weapons their condition must be
truly deplorable.

ARTISTS' GENERAL 13 &NETT° LENT
INSTIT UTION.

The forty-third anniversary of this society was
held on Saturday at t he Freemasons' Tavern, Great
Queen-street, Lord Elche, M.P., in the chair ; sup.
ported by the Hon. Ethelbert Anson ; Wm. Stirling,
_Esq., M.P. ; John Scott Russell, Esq. ; Rupert
Potter, RAI. ; Torn Taylor, Esq. ; John Dillon,
; George Christie, Esq. ; Sir Caarles L. East-
lake, P.R. A. ; D. Roberts, Esq., R.A. ; Richard
Redgrave, R. A. ; Alfred Elmore, Esq., R. A. ;
E. W. Cooke, Esq., A.R.A. ; J. C. Horsley,
A.R.A. ; C. A. Cockerell, R.A. ; Augustus Egg,
A.R.A. ; F. R. Pickersgill, A.R.A. ; R. J. Lane,
A.R. A.; H. Weeks, A.R. A. ; W. Boxall, A.R.A. ;
Frederick Taylor sq., President of the Society of
Water Colours ; J. Philip, A.R.A., &c.
Ablut 120 of the friends and supporters of the
institution sat down to a splendid dinner, which
was served with characteristic liberality by Messrs.
Elkington and Co.

This institution was founded in 1814, for the
relief of distressed and meritorious artists, whether
subscribers to its funds or not, " whose works have
been generally known and esteemed by the public,
as well as of their widows and orphans," merit and
distress constituting the claims to its benevolence.
The toasts of "Her Majesty the Queen, the Pro-
tectress of the Institutson ;" " His Royal Highness
the Prince Consort, the Patron of the Institution ;"
" His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the
rest of the Royal Family ;" and the " Army and
Navy," having been severally drunk with great
enthusiasm,
Tue. CHAIRMAN proceeded to give the toast of
the evening—" Prosperity to the Artists' General
Benevolent Institution, and, in doing, so, said a
story was toad of a celebrated divine who, upon
the occasion of preaching a charity sermon,
quoted the text. "He that giveth to the poor,
lendeth to the Lord," and quaintly concluded his
discourse by saying, "If you like the security,
down with the dust." (Hear, and a laugh.) Now,
feeling his own inability to do justice to the merits
of the institution involved.in the toast which he
had the honour to propose, he remarked that its
valeta was told in its title, and that they would act
in t spirit of true benevolence if they contributed
largely to its funds and thus promote its prosperity.
(Hear, hear.) They must not expect him, on that
occasion, to dilate upon art, or to give them a lec-
ture on the fine arts ; to do so would be great pre-
sumption, seeing that he was surrounded by gentle-
men, and whose works were the aclmira ion of the
world.- (Hear, hear.) He must, however, be al-
lowed to say, that never, from the time of Sir
Joshua Reynolds, did the arts stand higher—never
were they-More widely spread, or deep seated in
the estimation of society, than they were at that
moment. (Hear, hear.) He was enabled to say
this, having been a juror on the fine arts, in a re-
cent exhibition never was there a time when there
were so many fine arts exhibitions as at the present
time. They had an exhibition of the French school
and another df the German school, but they had
' not, as yet, one of the Italian school • and he be-
lieved, from the specimens he had ately seen in
Italy, it would-be a long time before they had one.
Moreover, art was spread throughout the land ;
and everything, even a teapot minus its spout,
and perhtps its handle—(a laugh)—if it had the,
slightest semblance of art—would fetch a most ex-
traordinary price. (Hear, hear.) As a member
of the House of Commons, he knew how well that
body was prepared to promote art atnongst the
people. It was but the other day that his friend on
his left (Sir E. Eastlake) sent in a bill for 14,0001.
for new purchases, which was immediately en-
dorsed, notwithstanding that some 10,0001. was
annually voted for the purpose, aid furthermore
over 70,0001. per annum was expended in support
of schools of design throughout the country. It
could not, therefore, be said that the House of
Commons was indifferent to the claims of art. Now
let him speak of the claims of the institution which
they were met to support. As it would be danger-
ous to carry out the principle of supporting every
institution professing to be established for the pro-
motion of art, lest it might teud to its deteriora-
tion' so would it be dangerous to foster the idea
that every prbfessiog artist could come to this so-
ciety for relief; as they would thereby encourage
persons to take up the profession who were totally
unqualified for it. In this society the applicants
for relief must not only be recommended by two
parties, one of whom must personally vouch for
the position of the applicant, but a specimen of
the works of the artist, or whose family, sought
for relief must be produced to the committee. He
was happy to say that the funds of the institution
were most economically managed, and during the
last year no less than 1,020/, had ten disbursed in
the relief of applicants, some of whom received as-
sistance from the society for the 34th time, it being
one of the fundamental principles of this society
that all applicants should annually come before
the committee for the continuance of relief, the
committee having only power to give temporary re-
lief upon each applic ttioo. (Hear.) The noble lord
concluded by proposing the toast of the evening,
and by making a warm appeal to those who desired
to encourage the pursuit of the fine arts to subscribe
liberally to the funds of an institution which effected'
ro moon good. (Cheers.)
Sir C. FA.STLAR; proposed " The health of the
noble Chairmen," which was drunk tith great cor-.
diality, and the noble lord briefly acknowledged the
compliment which had been pad him.
Mr. STIRLING, M.P., gave "Sir Charles Eastlake
and the Royal Academy," and Sir Chas. Eastlake
responded in graceful terms.
Several other toasts were given, and the enter-
tainment gave universal satisfaction.
We cannot omit to mention the musical arrange-
ments, which were tinder the direction of Mr.
Lockey, assisted by Miss Banks, Miss Eyles, Mr.
Winn, and Mr. J. L. Hatton. We regret our
limi ed space precludes us from par i:mlarising two
or three very choice subjects which were given.
Mr. Spencer was the toastmaster, and acquitted
himself in a very creditable manner,

PRESENTATION TO THE VICAR OF BT. PANCRAS OT
ms Bust— Oa Thursday, the 25th instant, a beautifully
sxocuted bust by I3ehnes was presented to the Rev. T.
Dale, as a token of regard from many of his parishioners
and friends. It was previously exhibited at Mr. Scad-
ling's, in Gordon—treet, who has acted as secretary to
the subscribers, to each of whom a lithographed portrait
by Mr. Vinter, executed by Day and Son (a perfect and
animated likeness), was presented.