The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1861

proving of Dwellings of the Industrious Poor, and
other similar associations successfully engaged in
erecting lodging-houses'and model cottages for the
poor. "It was the success of these various associa-
tions, benefitting thus largely the districts in which
they are situated, which led to the establishment of
the Hertford Building Company. The subject was
only mooted at the commencement of the present
year, but it has already obtained considerable sup-
port, thought not nearly to the amount which might
have been expected from a country so wealthy as
our own. Nearly 400 shares have been subscribed,
making a capital of £2,000, while some persons,
who have not thought well to take shares, have
shown their interest in the work in hand, by con-
tributing donations to the amount of £2OO. Thus
its present capital exceeds considerably that of the
Hastings Society when first established, as also
that of the Ramsgate Association, of which the
funds amount at the present time only to £1,650,
and starting with greater advantages than these,
we may look forward to its attaining even more
satisfactory results. Differing in one respect to the
scheme of the Metropolitan, its shares are limited to
the trifling amount of £5, so that few can be ex-
cluded, of necessity, from taking part in the good
work, and lending their aid towards diminishing
the evils attendant upon cottage neglect in this our
county of Hertford."
_

After the reading the company took tea and coffee.
An interesting conversation followed, which was
closed by a vote of thanks to Mr. Dimsdale and to
the chairman.—Hertford Mercury.

LOUIS NAPOLEON.-EUROPEAN

Al FAIRS.

(From the London Correspondent of the Liverpool Albion.)
Unless animal magnetism fail to draw out a
fellow-feeling in the long-eared tribe, hilarious
must have been the congenial hee-haw where-
with the tickling telegram touching Tuesday's
doings at the Tuileries was read on Wednesday
morning by the four Liverpool merchants who
once asked our august, unsophisticated ally over
the water where and when he meant to land, and
were informed by M. Mock-hard that his Majesty
hadn't quite made up his mind about coming, but
when he had, would acquaint the brayers of the
quadrupedal quartette. Heretofore New Year's
Day in France has been called jour de l'an ; but
unless Persigny's press privileges be a hoax, every
journal pour tire must henceforth call it jour de
Pane—or Donkey Day—or feast of all saints of
Assissi, because of the Imperial prank played off on
the assembled diplomatists, who standing round
the throne with pricked-up ears to hear heaven
knows what, were confidently informed that the
omnipotential potentate hadn't a word to say save
wishing them a remarkably fine afternoon ; and
thereupon turned upon his heel and departed. If
poor Eugenie have a laugh left, since she returned
from her Tam o'Shanter ride through the Arctic
snow-wraiths of Scotland, she must have smiled
at the thought of the thistles left behind. Appro-
priate New-year's gift, indeed, a handful of stimu-
lating flowers would be among the wiseacres, who
must have scratched their heads under the impres-
sion that the metempsychosis of Bottom had been
wrought in their particular purses ; and doubtless
the brain of each has since been wool-gathering,
like that of the translated Weaver, fearing to
recount the untranslatable mid-winter day's dream.
Unlucky are the playwrights just now, to be sure,
or what a hit in a pantomime would not this scene
at the Tuileries have made. Only Tom Taylor is
in the Civil Service, and it would therefore be
uncivil to make some fun of anything govern-
mental; he might dramatise the incident for a
screaming Adelphi farce, and a roaring one it
would be, showing each functionary going in full
fig, stiff as buckram in gold and twice as stiff in
brassy pomposity, having previously arranged for
instantaneous transmission of the thrilling tidings
to their respective courts, and mayhap to
their stockbrokers ; and then all ending like the
Needy Knife Grinder's story—none to tell.
But the take in didn't terminate there. If the
Corsican conjuror gave his dumbfounded dupes
nothing to say, he furnished them and their mas-
ters with plenty to think about. Tokens of remem-
brance were circulated in the room, in the shape of
coins with the effigies of a Third Napoleon in coro-
nation tailory, including the Caesarian orb, Charle-
magnesque sceptre, and Bonapartean fees; but no
Empress on the obverse, or side by side, as in the
old Dunmow flitch-of-bacon style of the original
Boney and his Josephine rib, spare-rib, though well
jointured, as she afterwards proved. Here, then,
is the first glimpse of the real beginning
of the real end. Having, as incessantly said
here for ten years, ever set his heart, he now
has set his head upon the crown, but not yet
the crown on his head. When will he ? Never.
Hugo has said it ; and Victor, vates and poet, will
prove a triumphant prophet in this particular as in
the other prediction, namely, that in his early youth
the spurious and sinister Louis was a conspirator,
so has he lived conspiring, and would conspiring
die. Coronation—who is to crown him ? The
Patriarch of Moscow perhaps might do it for him
as one of the Romanoffized-Beauharnais satraps of
the Czardom ; but that would be letting Bruin Nes-
selrode's cat out of the bag rather too precipitately ;
and there are too many ambidcxterous tricks for
the French monkey to play yet ere the livery of
him who secretly pulls Jocko's strings be openly
put on. At present the triple hat crushes both
the golden and iron diadems, unless, indeed, the
latter should be assumed in Milan, as in the
Uncle's case, and then the Father of the pro-
digal eldest son of the Church would whisk off
to the snowy-domed Duomo, and do it, crying
Finis coronet opus? by opus meaning the
undoing of the Solferino business. But what
of Victor Emmanuel ? Nothing ; that is, nihilo
nail fit ; and it is very fit, and proper too, that the
impostor regality should return to the nothing his
worthless and therefore worthy papa left him, for
all the trash about his being Re Galantuomo is
over long ago, with divers other dognate quackeries.
To that it must come at last, as it was intended
from the beginning ; and the sooner the better the
pretence to the contrary is done with ; and then we
shall begin to know who's who and what's what in
1861. Mazzini has unmasked to day a battery of
annihilating facts against the fictions of the last
six mouths about the popularity of the huxtering
Savoyard ;—making known to all, what many well
knew before, that the treatment of Garibaldi is of
a piece with the conduct in 1848, and must have the
same issue, though in a different interest, the in-
terest of the regime of the Second of December—
for the present.
Of the perplexity of that present, up to the
passing minutes, take this sample. A short time
ago the beleaguered Bombalino received from Bona-
parte an autograph letter complimenting him on
the defence of Gaeta, but adding that, as enough
had been for kingly and for knightly honour, it
was time to knock under without another blow.
Francis wrote back that praise of soldiership from
Napoleon was praise indeed, and that a wish from
one who had so befriended him should and would
be law, bat for this—the devotion of his troops for-
bid the obedience gratitude imposed. He was
therefore resolved to hold out to the uppermost,
and at least to die as became almost the last owner
of a name conspicuous for centuries in the first of
virtues, valour—importuning his Majesty, at the
same time, by all his hopes of an hereafter of
chivalrous repute, not to desert a fellow sovereign
in extremity, but at all events to continue the
enforcement of that neutrality at sea which should
allow the handful of Neapolitans to cope, as they
were well able, with the myriad foe in front,
whose wiles and money had been more formidable
than their arms, but were innocuolis now. To this
the Imperial taciturnity answered never a word ;
but he took care that the missive should find its
way in a twinkling to the corps diplomatique.
Thereupon there hurried hotfoot to Thouvenel, the
Cerberi of Catholicity, namely—Bavaria, Austria,
and Spain—opening their triple brazen j e.ws in iron-
tongued clamour against the sea dogs-of-war
being let slip upon the stricken Bourbon deers,
and entreating that France would remember its
antecedents, and Rot suffer an unfortunate Prince
of long/descended dynasty to be done to death
by a perfidious kinsman, scandalising Europe
with the spectacle of a Sovereign playing ban-
dit with a crown on his head and the maxims of
a freebooter on his lips. Thouvenel hummed
and hawed, and hawed and hummed ; but evi-
dently with the " coy, reluctant, amorous de-
lay" of one wanting to be pressed, and had
already consented, while protesting, like Donna
Julia, that he couldn't think of such a thing.
Just as his virtue had virtually given way, there
came a rat-tat at the portal, and in stalked the
veritable British lion ;—a very ratty sort of animal
for the last dozen years in Paris, looking precisely
the kind of creature that would be delighted to bolt
down a sewer, or other subterranean exit from day-
light into oblivion, so as to escape observation, and
consequently the cost of keeping up appearances,
especially as regards the alimentary canal. On this
occasion, however, there was an astounding change
observable. The whilom crawling Cowley was now
a rampant Bull :—" pride in his port, and defiance
in his eye," and altogether a stupendous person-
age. His • airs showed Thouvenel what was in the
wind at a glance, and accordingly he explained,
the least needed,a n
interrogatory
pired
which
w wi
wasn't
s Ministertnh' tei n
adding trio,
did not take precisely the same
supposi-
tion that perhaps his Excellency her Britannic
Majesty's
view ofthe situation P No, his Excellency did nothing
of the sort, nor her Britannic Majesty either, and
didn't intend. Fee-faw-fum, he was instructed to
demand
instanter and as much sooner as convenient,

Willy nilly, and no shilly shall:,, whether the
French fleet would draw off from i t s present waters
and leave Gaeta to be showered uvon with a cata-
ract of combustibles that would bri jag Francis to his
senses by blowing his brains out, :8 nd his head off,
but head nor tail could be made o f him while the
Emperor was at his back. " You hear, gentlemen,
you hear," cried Thouvenel,affecti)og sudden illumi-
nation as to the darkness of the di lemma. " We do
hear, but heed not," rejoined the 'trio ;—" the Em-
peror's honour, the credit of Europe, the cause of
humanity require that brigands, ge masquerading
in monarchy should not be suffti red to triumph."
"Fiddlesticks !" quoth Cowley., snapping his
fingers with a vivacity worthy iof the cow that
jumped over the moon on hearing the tune of
" High Diddle Diddle," which was doubtless
originally played on a Hereford shire long-horn.
i
This hyper professional nterjectic ,n of Fiddlesticks
(it sounds tremendous in French- ne me soucis
non plus de cola que de n.
en ! ) appeared to pique
Thouvenel, who drew himself up, and said it was
impossible that the remonstrances. of three allies of
his master could be disregarded, but that nothing
could be said definitively till the Emperor himself
had decided, and then the decision should be com-
municated simultaneously to all the ambassadors,
ordinary and extraordinary, of course including
Milor Kouloi. And so the curt itin fell upon the
scene.

THE WEATHER AND THE PARKS,

Thousands of persons assembled in the various
parks yesterday. On the Serpentine last night
there were upwards of 1,000 sliders and skaters,
and a procession was formed by several hundred
torch-bearers. They were headed by a band of
music and proceeded along the ice amid universal
cheering. There was also a display of fireworks,
and altogether the scene was novel and exciting. It
is stated that there is to be a fair and also a grand
display of fireworks this evening, at which a large
number of the Rifle Volunteers will be present.
The Serpentine during yesterday was visited by
16,000 skaters and sliders, including several mem-
bers of the Skating Club. There was about the.
came number of spectators. Upwards of 20 persons
were taken into the Receiving-house, having sus-
tained very severe cut heads and contusions. Their
wounds were dressed, and Dr. Christian, the society's
medical officer, was unceasing in his attention.
On the Long Water and the Round Pond there
were about 6,000 persons. There were a few acci-
dents, but nothing of consequence took place.
In St. James's Park the number of visitors was
also very large. Several immersions occurred, but
all were rescued.

It is computed that there were about 10,000 per-
sons in the Regent's Park. Some rather serious
accidents took place during the day. About half-
past 4 o'clock Mr. John Welch, of High-street,
Marylebone, fell upon the ice and broke his collar
bone, and it was deemed advisable to convey him
to the hospital.

There is a good deal of ice in the Thames, and
the navigation is atmost entirely suspended.

The weather in Devonshire during the past week
has been extremely severe. A rapid thaw took place
a few days ago, which caused the rivers Exe, Culme,
Creedy. and Clyst to overflow their banks, and so
great was the spread of water that the adjacent
marshes had the appearance of a sea. Some vil-
lages were inundated, and ricks of hay and other
valuable agricultural stock were carried away by
the water. At Hatherleigh, in the north of Devon,
a party of Marines, being on their way home in an
omnibus to visit their friends, after a sea voyage,
got immersed in the water, and their lives were
saved with great difficulty. On the road to More-
ton, which is near Dartmoor, a old man, 75 years
of age, named William Rolestone, was found dead
in the snow. The poor old man was on his way
from Dunsford to Moreton with a donkey and
cart containing apples, but he never reached the
latter place alive. At Kingsbridge another old
man, named Drew, while working in a lane,
dropped down and died from the severity
of the weather. On Sunday there was a heavy
fall of snow in Exeter, and generally throughout
Devonshire. It is gratifying to state that zealous
eforts are still being made to mitigate the suffer-
ings of the poor through the medium of public soup
kitchens. In Exeter large quantities of excellent
soup are daily supplied to the poor ; and at a pub-
lic meeting held a few days ago the Rev. Chancellor
Harington announced a donation of £3O from the
Dean and Chapter,and £5 ss. from himself towards
the funds of the soup kitchen Other gentlemen
subscribed to the amount of £130; and it was re-
salved that parochial coliectians should be made.
The benefit conferred upon the poor by the opera-
tion of the Exeter Soup Kitchen is incalculable.
The Earl of Devon has made arrangements with
the committee for a supply of soup to the poor at
Kenton, a village distant seven or eight miles from
Exeter. In several other towns in Devonshire soup
kitchens have been opened with gratifying success.
The frost has been remarkably severe in Worces-
tershire, and the Severn and Avon are at this
moment completely frozen up, the former above
Worcester, and the latter throughout the whole
course through Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
The Avon is also flooded to a great extent, the
whole of the flooded .waters being frozen up, and
representing in the vale a perfect sea of life. At
Worcester the racecourse was flooded after the
melting of the snow last week, and completely
covered with water from the Severn. This froze
at the end of the week, and on Sunday and yester-
day (Monday) was covered with many thousands of
persons skating, sliding, and otherwise disporting
themselves oa the ice with perfect security, for the
water, having rapidly subsided, has left the ice on
the surface of the grass several inches thick with-
out any fluid under it. Such an event was
never recollected before in the local annals.
The canals are all frozen up and the traffic upon
them has ceased ; that upon the Severn was also
hindered from the same cause, so that we have no-
thing to depend upon for our traffic but the railways.
On these the snow offered some obstructions at first,
but now excellent time is kept, and, happily, there
have as yet been no accidents. Yesterday morning
the thermometer stood at 14 deg., on Christmas-
day it was as low as 4 deg. There is every
appearance of the cold continuing.
Yesterday, the quantity of ice which has floated
into the Humber from the North Sea had accumu-
lated so much outside the port of Hull as to render
a stoppage of the ferries between that place and
New Holland a measure of imminent necessity, if
it has not actually been adopted. A similar sus-
pension, for one day only, took place about four
years ago. After dark, of course, the danger to
navigation is the greatest.