The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-07 00:00:00

PARTRIDGES AND RABBITS.

The Norfolk News gives another curious Rabbit
Case ; not, however, this time, one which led to
a magistrate's pocketing a sovereign, compound-
ing a felony, and getting a fine of 2001. and a
year's imprisonment ; nor a case, for commenting
on the illegal and arbitrary treatment of which a
peer and magistrate threatened an editor, tried
to provoke him to a due], and was within
a little of standing in the dock at
the assizes. The self constituted magistrate in
this case was a gamekeeper, and the attacked
party a Norfolk farmer. In the parish of Hock-
ham a Mr. Gayford and his son jointly rented a
farm of a Mr. Partridge, with the express condi-
tion in the lease of permission to kill rabbits.
Mr. Partridge's gamekeeper, in the plenitude of
his authority, determined to put down the
warrener employed by the Gayfords to
catch the rabbits ; he caught them with snares,
and the inference was that something else was
caught with the snares. Gayford went twice
early in the morning to see whether the charge
against his warrener was true. He found
the old man had caught nothing but rab-
bits. The second morning, however, Mr.
Gamekeeper came up in great wrath, but
the farmer interposed. He then attacked the
farmer, and the gamekeeper's son attacked the
farmer's son. Right furiously they fought ; but
the gamekeepers obtained, ultimately, the physi-
cal victory, so far as to get the snares, while the
farmer had to ride home to breakfast without
them. The farmer's turn was, however, to come.
The gamekeepers appeal to the Hall ; but at the
Hall it was found that the lease was explicit, and
with ample apologies Mr. Gamekeeper had to re-
turn the snares, and think himself well off if he
escaped without an action for assault and battery.
Norfolk will become famous for Rabbit cases.
But how long are the barbarous laws to last which
give rise to them !

COMPLETION OF THE TELEGRAPHIC
LINE TO CORFU.

We have been favoured by the Secretary of the
Mediterranean Extension Telegraph Company
(Limited) with the following communication :
" CAGLIARI, 3.52 Era., 6TH DEC. 1857.
" Elba arrived at Malta to-day. Communication
with Corfu completed.
(Signed) " CRAIG."

We heartily congratulate the Company on the
entire length of their line being now completed.
But why not go on ? There is the gap to Alexandria
still calling out for rope. How long must we wait ?
As it is the shareholders in this company have now
a Government guarantee of six per cent. for twenty-
five yews, which comes into immediate operation.
The Government ought now to take a lesson from
take enterprise of the directors of this company, and
push on an independent line of their own to Alex-
andria, as we hinted a few days ago, and so
leave Austria in the lurch of her own cupidity.
Is it to be tolerated that we, who never hesitate in
spending millions upon millions for some foreign
crotchet, shoul 1 yet boggle to advance,
simply to advance, a few thousands, or even
tens of thousands, to facilitate our intercourse with
India, by which thousands of valuable lives might
have been, and may yet be saved, while the b •nefit
accruing to our commercial interests may be reck-
oned by millions ? Our great wonder is that men in
power are so dogmatically apathetic ; but the more
mortifying wonder is, that,the commercial public so
long permit it.

BRAZIL AND THE SLAVE TRADE.

TO THE EDITOR. OF THE SUN.

Sin,—ln The Suit, of this evening the Rev. David
Livingstone, in a letter on the slave trade, writes
as follows :—" While our attention is directed to
a greater number of slaves being imported into
Cuba, we must not shut our eyes to the fact of
another market being closed altogether to the trade,
nor forget that the present position of Brazil is
owing to the moral influence of Great Britain." As
a lat.) visitor to Brazil, and having the means of
testing the truth, I must deny totally the conclu-:
sion the rev. gentleman has arrived at, as far as the
empire of Brazil is concerned.
The importation o f :Awes is strictly forbidden
by the laws of Brazil ; for reasons unnecessary to
state, those laws are worthily upheld by the Em-
peror and Government of Brazil ; this, and this
only, effectually prevents the importation of blacksinto Brazil—not the British squalron, as has often
been
gentleman
proved, canprevent them landing, or, as the
,asserts, the moral influence of Great
Britain, either in England or through her resident
merchants in Brazil, hardly one of who:n are not
slave-holders, in the strictest sense of the word; an
assertion very easily proved.--I remain, Sir, your
obedient servant,
WELLINGTON GUERNSEY,
Dec. 5, 1857. Lieut.-Colonel.

LORD _PALMERSTON AND .PARLIAIIIS.II7,
TARY REFORM.

Can any one believe that the mention of repre-
sentative reform was tacked on to the Royal
Address for any other reason than that the Premier
was afraid to leave it out? The recognition of the
subject was cold and distant. It was evidently
an unpalatable intruder—endured, but not wel-
come. Not that we believe Lard Palinerstou's
aversion to reform is based on any rational disike
of innovation. But he does not understand the
subject. And, should it ever become the question
of the day, others would take the lead out of
tooppothsietioCn and is what adds fuel
his hands. This is the secret of his concealed
abtionetßedfoisramg,reements on the topic.
But we must never forget that opposition based
solely on motives of self-interest is liable at any
moment to be changed into advocacy. If his
lordship should once imagine that more danger
might be incurred by thwarting Mr. Llcke King,
or Mr. Roebuck, than even by submitting to a
contrast between himself and more accomplished
statemen, he would yield that instant. We sin-
cerely believe there is no proposition of Reform,
even to the total disrupture of our social system,
from which he would withhold his assent. Lord
Granville, we mustremenabar, spoke with more
decision than his chief. And we trust the united
Conservative party will continue on their guard '
against those artful rumours of the Premiei's Con-
servative tendencies thrown out only to disarm
suspicion till the moment for action shall arrive.—
The Press.

The Queen and Court will come to town early in
January, and a series of sp'endid entertainments, in
honour of the marriage of the Princess Royal, will inau-
gurate the commencement of the season of 1853, at an
unprecedentedly early period of the year. The approach-
ing season may, therefore, be expected to be one of great
brilliancy.—Court Journal.
MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCESS ROYAL.—We hear Vat
the marriage of the Princess Royal of England with
Prince Frederick William of Prussia is likely
to take
plaee in the third week. of January—probably on Mon-
day, the 18cb. The newly married princess will hold a
firewell reception at court previous to her departure
from Eugland.—Observer. —The nuptials of the Princess
Royal and Prince Frederick William cf Prussia will be
celebrated on the 25th January, and not on the 18th.
This postponement is understood to be quite unconnected
with the arrangeinens in this country. —Court Journal.
A. Cabinet Council was held on Saturday at the official
reldence of the First Lord of the Treasury in Downing-
street. - The Ministers present were :—Viscount Pal-
rnerston, the Lord Chancellor Earl Granville, the
Marquis of Lansdowne, the- Earl of Harrow by, Sir G.
Grey, the Earl of Clarendon,: Mr. Secretary Labouchere,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Charles Wood, the
Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith, Lord Stanley of Alderley,
the Duke of Argyll, and the Right Hon. M. T. .Baines .
The Duchess of Buckingham has re!urne.d to
Hampton-court Palace, from visiting the Marquis and
Marchioness of Westminster at Eaton Hall, Cheshire.
The Cuuutess of Westmorland and Lady RO3O Pane
have arrived at the Eedford-hotel' Brighton. The Esrl
and Countess of Yarborough and Lady Sophia Pelham,
and Mr. ant Lady Augu-tag
Sturt and Miss Sturt, are
staying at the same establishment. Lady Brougham leaves town tc-day
for Dover. The
noble and learned lord is pa.aing the season at Cannes.
Lord Holland has arrived- in town for the session of
Parliament.
Lord and Lady
John Russell have arrived at Far-
raace's Hotel, Belgravia:
who sin the close of hostili-
ties Woburn Abbey.
Lord Dunkellin,
-11-P
ties in Persia has been staying at Calcutta with his uncle
the Governor-General, is not Expected to return to this
country until the Spring
The Countess of Jersey and Lady Clementina Villiers
leave town to-day for bliddletou-park.
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