The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-04 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 4, 1858.

FESTIVE DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL
EIV TE.RTAINME N TS.

Maltese, of Dec. 18, received at • Gibraltar by the
British steamer Lebanon, Capt. Cook, which put
into the bay on the night of the 23d, from Malta
for Liverpool :
" The French steamer Province de Constantine
reached Malta on the morning of the 17th from
Tunis. She brings six Tailors belonging to the
Austrian barque Liburno, wrecked on the night of
the 12th ult. at Herkla, nearly 25 miles to the
west of Stpa, on the Barbary coast. Two of the
crew perished. The Liburno was from Taganrog,
bound to England with a cargo of grain.
" Capt. Morton, of the British steamer Blarney,
who arrived at Constantinople on the morning of
the Bth inst., reports that, having touched at the
port of Taganrog, he found the roadstead blocked
up with ice, which compelled him to proceed to
Marianople to discharge the cargo destined for the
first-named place. In the bay of Taganrog Capt.
Morton observed six vessels fixed on the ice, and
another (name and nation unknown) lying on her
side."

The entertainments on the occasion of the ap-
proaching nuptials of the Princess Royal are to con-
sist of four dramatic performances at Her Majesty's
Theatre previous to the day of her Royal Highness's
marriage, and a grand choral concert at Bucking-
ham Palace on the evening of that day. The ar-
rangements for the dramatic performances are under
the direction of Mr. Mitchell, in co-operation with
Mr. Lumley, and with the assistance of the follow-
ing managers of the principal theatres : Mr.
Buckstone, of the Haymarket ; Mr. Webster, of the
Adelphi ; llr. Harrison and Miss Pyne of the
Lyceum ; Messrs. Robson and Emden, of the
Olympic ; and Mr. Phelps, of Sadler's Wells. The
first performance is to be "Macbeth," under the
direction of Mr. Phelps ; the parts of Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth by him and Miss Helen Faucit ;
with Oxenford's farce, " Twice Killed," in which
Mr. and Mrs. Keeley, will appear. The second
performance will be Balfe's new opera "The Rose
of Cas jibe," as it has been given at the Lyceum,
wi, h a comediett t by Mr. Robson and members of
the Olympic company. The third is to be an Italian
opera, with Piccolomini, Giuglini, and other stars
of Her Majc sty's Theatre, and following by a ballet
divertissement. And the fourth will consist of an
English comedy by Mr. Buckstone and the Hay-
market company, with an afterpiece in which Mr.
Wright and members of the Adelphi company will
perform. The Queen and the Prince Consort, with
the Court, and her Majesty's royal and illustious
visitors, are to honour these performances with
presence ; a great portion of the grand tier of boxes
being set apart and magnificently fitted up for their
reception ; and the whole theatre, moreover, being
splendidly decoratod.

The Russian war steamers Bounivol, of 11 guns,
Capt. Jante Vink Dobrorolsky, and Vepre, of 10
guns, Capt. Vink, left Cadiz for the Med►terranean
on the 23d ult.

The Tabus brings Lisbon dates of Deo. 29. The
usual Portugwese- squadron was lying in the Tagus,
and the Brig Caroline, of Dartmouth, dismasted.
The Lisbstn exchanges are quoted this packet for
three months as follows :—London, 54t ; Paris,
515; Amsterdam, 431-; Hamburg, 48i; Genoa, 514.
On Loudon short paper continut'd in demand at
53 for 30 days' sight ; at 90 days' date the exchange
fluctuated from 54i to 541, the principal amount
being.effected at 'the quoted ra e of 54 and busi-
ness closed with money over for first-class 90 days'
date paper at 54k. On the continent the transac-
tions were of very little importance, paper in gene-
ral being scarce.
An improvement in the prices of stock had taken
place, more buyers having appeared. Three per
Cent. registered were at 461 to 47 ; Coupons, 46 to
46i ; Deferred, 27 to 28 ; Bank of Portugal shares
9 to 10 per cent. premiuin.
Our Lisbon correspondent states that no cases of
fever bad been reported after the 22d, and that the
total of the official bulletins during the 105 days
commencing on the 9th of September had amounted
to 13,482 cases of fever, and 4,759 deaths. The
weather at Li-bon had been clear, cold, and brac-
ing, with only one day's rain during the whole
month of December. The inhabitants were return-

The concert at Buckingham Palace is to be on a
large and magnificent scale, embracing the services
of our greatest -vocal and instrumental performers.
Madame Clara Novello, we learn, will come to
London Qxpressely for this occasion, and will not
return to Italy till the commencement of our
regular season.

SEEING THE OLD YEAR OUT AT WHITE HORSE
CHAMBERS, FETTER-LANE.—Hearing that the proprietors
of the monster lodging-house in Fetter-lane intended
giving the inmates of the house a Christmas treat, we
dropped in on Thursday evening to see what was going
on, and gladly confess to the gratification it afforded us
to behold some two hunored of the least fortunate of our
fellow-creatures in the enjoyment of a happy hour.
They had partaken of a substantial tea, and were passing
the remainder of the evening in a concert, and while we
were looking round the piano was playing most merrily.
The large room in which the concert took place was
decorated with evergreens and banners, and densely
packed with rather hirsute faces, on which want and
care had carved many furrows. From what we observed
the entertainment was strictly of -a teetotal character,
but not the leas productive of an hour's social sunshine
to those for whom it had been provided.—Oity Press.
THE CHRISTMAS of 1857.—A plate of raspberries
was gathered on Christmas eve, in the open air, in the
garden of Mr. John Wood, of Kingsthorpe, near North-
ampton. In our more northern county of Durham we
hear from our rural friends of simple birds that have
built their nests in the hedgerows. An old farmer,
who had four ploughs at work in one field on the 28th
ult., said he had never known such weather, his land was
in April order. On Saturday a brown linnet's nest was
found at Newbiggin waggon-way with four young ones;
and on Monday a sparrow's nest was found with four
eggs in it. Whinbushee are everywhere in• golden
flower. Pansies and polyanthuses are reported by our
Sunderland c..rrespoi,dent to be in full blow in his
locality. On the 29th wild strawberries were gathered
between Shildon and Sedgefield. Women were gath-
ering wickens" on the 30th near Durham. A
hedgesparrow's nest, with four eggs, and the old
bird sitting on them, was found on a farm at Bar-
low a few days ago ; and at the same time the po!y.
authus was blooming at Ryten, and roses and woodbines
were ready to blow. A picnic party left Gateshead in
an open conveyance on the last morning of the old year.
At night there came a nipping frost, and the earth was
horn on Ne N Year's morn ; but the day was delightful
—at once sharp and eummery.—Gateshead Observer.
[lt should he remembered that the mildest Christmas-day
on record (that of 1837) immediately precede the long
and severe frost of January and February, 1838.]
NEW METROPOLITAN POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.—
On Friday a new and important alteration in the postal
arrangements for the facility of letter del;veries through-
out the north-western district of the roetropoliscame into
operation, by direction of her Msjesty's Postmaster Gene-
ral, in the establedament of a central officefor the entire
north-west district. This establishment, which con-
sists of a manager and perfectly separate staff, has been
erected at great expense in Evershelt-street, Oakley-
square, St. Pancras. It is exceedingly capacious, situate
just at the entrance to Camden-town, and as nearly
central as possible in the north-western district.
The effect of this new system is stated to be, that
alt the letters posted in and belonging to the di-,
trict will find their way to this central office, from
which, having first been duly sorted, they will be de-
livered direct, without having, as heretofore, to travel
to St. Martin's-le-Grand, and then hack again to the dis-
trict in which the letters are posted. The re-ult to be
obtained by the establishment of these central district
offices is that all letters within the district will be
delivered two hours earlier every post than they were
under the old system. Should the new plan be
found to work well, of whiob there is but little doubt, it
is understood to be the intention of the Post-office au-
thorities to establish a similar central depot in every
postal district of the metropolis. The establishment is
also a central office for general post letters up to a later
hour than five o'clock.

ing to their town residences, and business sh6wed
signs of renewed vitality, which led the merchants
to anticipate a brisker trade tLau u,ual in the
month of January.
The House of Deputies had at last been consti-
tuted on the 28th, when 56 members assembled ;
but, being only two above the legal number, little
progress could be made even in the election of the
standing committees, much less in any contested.
legislative act.

January Ist, in lat. 48 6 N., long. 6,4 W., the
Tagus passed the brig Harriet Josephine, of Caen,
steering south-west; and 1.30 p.m. same day a
French bark, in lat. 48 15 N., long. 5 45 W.
The Tagus will have to leave Southampton again
on Thursday next with the outward mails, passen-
gers, and cargo for the Peninsular ports.

THE CORN TRADE IN FRANOE.—The f oniteur pub-
lishes the official return of the price of wheat for the
last week of November and the first fortnight of Decem-
ber, in the different markets of France by whi,th the
import and export duties on corn and fi)ur are regulated.
The highest price is 23f. 21c. per hectolitre in the market
of Marseilles, and the lowest, 14f. 78c., in that of Metz.
The highest average price for any district is 19f. 9?., in
the markets of Toulouse, Gray, Lyons, and Marseilles,
and the lowest, 15f. 34c., in those of Metz, Verdun,
Charleville, and Soissons. The average for the whole of-
France is 17f. 850., being a decline of 110. on the last
return. The following has been the progressive decline
in price during the last six months ;—End of July,
25f. 75c.; August, 21f. 62c.; September, 20f, 23c.;
October, 181. 73c.; November, 17f. 96c.; and December,
17f. 85e. The average price at the end of December,
1856, was 27f. 82c., and at the corresponding period of
1855, 33f. 47c. The prices are now sufficiently low in
all the sections to allow corn and flour to be exported
at the simple scale dues of 25c. per hectolitre of wheat,
and 500. per metrical quintal of flour. As to the
imports, they are not now subject to the regulating
table, as they remain free until the let of September,
1858.

TIIE SUPPOSED POISONING AT KEIGHLET.—On Thurs-
day, the adjourned inquest on the body of Barbara
Sagar, aged 39, matron of the Keighley workhouse, was
held before T. Brown, E-q., coroner for the district, at
the Court-house, Keiebley. The court was again densely
crowded. John Sagar, deceased's husband, was placed
in the dock, on suspicion of having administered the
arsenic from which death bad arisen. The case was
watched on his behalf by Mr. ''.7asney, of Skipton, The
jury returned the following verdict :—" We find that
Barbara Sagar bas died from the effects of arsenic, but
by whom administered there is no evidence to show."
The Coroner—l don't know that you could have returned
any other verdict according to the evidence,—There was
no manifestation of feeling on tile part of the crowded.
audience when the verdict was announced. The prisoner
was detained in custody till yesterday morning, when
the magistrates discharged him. It might be noticed, in
connexion with this inquiry, that not one of the medicine
bottles taken possession of by the police has been ana-
lysed ; although the deceased invariably took her medi7
cine from her husband's hands, and complained that the
stuff burned her.—Lecds Mercury,
POISONING AT HALIFAX. —On Wednesday afternoon
an inquest was held at the Dusty Miller Inn, Halifax,
to inquire into the circumstances attending the death of
.Mary Eastburn, wife of Mr. R. Eastburn, stover, Pal-
lon-lane. The husband of the deceased, who has been in
business in Halifax many years, bas latterly been unfor-
tunate in the investment of his capital, and the result is
that the whole abler property is advertised for sale, under
an order of the Bankruptcy Cour'. Mr. Eaetburn's
embarrassment has been taken much to heart by his wife,
and on Tuesday morning, in a state of mental delusion,
she poisoned herself and endeavoured to poison her hus-
band. The case, as stated by the witnesses at the inquest
appears to be as follows :—On Monday the deceased
was out all day with her two sons, on Mr. East-
burn's busimse and on her return she appeared
more than usually depressed in spirits, and remarked
that the family would be turned out of doors.
Next morning, about five o'clock, she went dow stairs,
and took from the cupboard a bottle containing oz. of
laudanum, purchased for Mr. Eastburre be being in the
habit of taking it with burnt brandy for spasms in the
stomach. Having poured into a cup a portion of the con-
tents of the phial, she drank off the dose, and then pre-
sented one to her husband, telling him it was rhubarb
wine. Mr. Ea-tburn took oily a small quantity of the
liquid, bet his wife drank the remainder. As she bad
taken scarcely anything to eat for some days past, and
had, therefore, au empty stomach, the poison speedily
took effect, and though Mr. Nowell, surgeon, and his
assistant, Mr. Stocker, were early in attendance, and did
all they could to preserve life, the unfortunate woman
died about eight o'clock in the evening of the same day.
In the case of Mr. Eastbourne, however, the medicine
eperated, and happily he was soon out of danger. The
occurrence caused a very painful sensation in the neigh-
bourhood. The jury returned as their verdict that the
deceased had died from laudanum, administered by her-
self whilst in a temporary fit of insanity.