The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-24 00:00:00

:THE SITN, ',I‘:LONtoON, WEDNESDAY VENLNG, APRIL 24, 1861.

' since his accession to the throne,ipecially in
the great measure of the emancition of the
serfs, are a certain token of his desire realise like-
wise the ameliorations admitted b3ho state of
things in Poland. It is only to be wish that he may
not be prevented from so doing by mifestations of
such a nature as to place the dignitg the politi-
cal interests of the Russian Empires antagonism
with the tendencies of its Sovereign
It is true that France, like Englal, could not,
without kindling a general war, affd military aid
to Poland. But France as well t England can
afford valuable moral aid. There isiuch reason to
hope that ALEXANDER 11. is not extly the man
to defy the moral sense of Europ especially as
expressed by England and Franc Bad as the
late massacres, therefore have been it is wiser not
to refer them directly to the Czazill he compels
us to do so. Let them be the minanagement of
subordinates. Let the CZAR be ealt with as an
emancipator of serfs, and, therelre, a ruler from
whom Poland may have hope—atve all, let the
attitude of the Poles be that of to Hungarians.
Let them restrain themselves ; at them ask for
undeniable treaty rights—the ries of 1815 first,
let them do this peacefully, and heir turn must
come.

113 E EARL OF DIRBY.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MAZALL.

A magnificent series of photographic portraits
has with this remarkable picture teen commenced.
Mr. Mayall is evidently bent upor surpassing him-
self—and London, more particula?ly the west-end
of London, knows well enough 'ay this time his
already high repute, his many bril.iant, and some
of them really extraordinary, successes as a photo-
grapher. The series, of which the production here
designedly Eti AIWA? r.s2X,iggigraDitu
lie with "the counterfeit presentment" of our leading
men of eminence. And it begins, not inappropriately,
with one of the foremost men in all England, the
noble earl the late Premier, now Leader of her
Majesty' Opposition, and the leader once more (not
impossibly ere long) of her Britannic Majesty's
Government. It is a grand, noble, vigorous face in
its way—severe in its expression, but full of genius
and of intensity—keen, clear, piercing intelligence
in the eagle eye—resolute determination in every
line about the mouth the very character of
countenance one would expect to find as the reflec-
tion of Lord Derby upon the mirror of the pho-
tographer. We heartily wish success to Mr.
Mayall's new and truly admirable enterprise.

SHAILESPRA_RE'S BIRTHDAY.

STRATFORD-ON-AVON, Tuesday.

William Shakespeare's birthday was comme-
morated with the customary festive demonstrations
in his native town to-day. The people of Strat-
ford are always ready to do honour to their
renowned fellow-townsman, and this anniversary
is kept by them as a sort of holiday year after
year. Since the withdrawal of the Shakespeare
bequest, which was intended by the testator for aid-
ing the birthplace committee in restoring, improv-
ing, and endowing the house in which the gentle
bard was born, it has thrown them on the assistance
of the public in carrying out these objects ; but
several pleasing improvements have been made in
the gardens of the house during the last year.
Genuine scions of the celebrated mulberry-tree have
been there planted, a raised terrace made, and
parterres and walks laid out with good taste. Two
cornice stones have been introduced from the once
famous residence in Nov-place, and such other
mementoes as will rernird the visitors of the sur-
roundings of the house, as they really were in the
poet's lifetime. No little interest was excited to
day by the exhibition of a portrait of " Sweet Will"
himself, from which it ii alleged the bust in the
chancel of Stratford Chtr-ch, familiar to every pil-
grim to his shrine, was originally copied. This
picture is the only copy representing the bard in
the same costume as that of the bust, which Chan-
trey and Bell considered was moulded from a
cast "from life." Both portrait and bust exhibit
the bard with light hazel eyes, auburn hair and
beard, and scarlet doublet, covered by a black silk
gown, without any sleeves. The bust has within
the last few weeks been so restored that the whity-
brown pigment placed over it by Malone has been
removed, and the colours of the bust, corresponding
with those of the portrait, are now exposed to
view. Mr. W. 0. Hunt, town clerk, the owner of
the picture, at first thought of presenting it to the
British Museum, or National Gallery, but as grave
doubts have been cast upon its originality, it was
determined to leave it in the lands of the Birth-
place Committee, until its genuineness or otherwise
has been finally set at rest.

The first annual dinner of the London Warwick-
shire Men's Shakspeaxean Club" took place last
evening at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet-street,--Mr. G.
Linn Fens Banks in the chair, supported by George
C ruikshank, Esq., Dr. Lockhart, Messrs. G. W.
Simpson, J. M. Philp, Thomas Whetstone, James
Abbott, R. H. Hopwood, J. C. Onions, Handley,
W. Gilchrist, Knibb, S. Payne, Cheesewright, J.
Powell, &c.,—in all about 60. Letters of apology
for non-attendance were read fram Mr. Scholefield,
Esq., M.P. ; George Augustus Sala, Esq., and
several other gentlemen who oad promised to be
present. The toast of the evening was given by
the chairman in a mcst able and eloquent speech
of nearly an hour's length, and was afterwards
drunk in solemn silence. The
toast of the " Drama,"
Pro-
fession," the "Press,":
the " Histrionic
Ctairman" &c., were
veLockhart, 'Mr. Cruik-
shank, Mr. Handley, Mr. Simpson, &c. During
s,,eEnrgallilsy h
pArrotpoasnedd A
by Artists,"
Dr.sts ,
the evening a snuff box was handed round, cut
from the well-known Shakespsre elm, in the pos-
session of Mr. J. C.
Onions, Government bellows-
maker, Birmingham.

THE POPE AN]) THE KING OF ITALY

The following is the text of tha protest which the
Pope lately caused to be addressed to all the repre-
sentatives of foreign Powers at his Court against
the title of "King of Italy" essumed by Victor
Emmanuel :

"home, April 15.
" A Catholic King, forgetful of every religious
principle, in contempt of all right, trampling ander
foot all law, after having by degrees despoiled the
august chief of the Catholic Church of the largest
and most flourishing part of his lawful possessions,,
now takes the title of King of Italy. By this he
wishes to put the seal on the sacrilegious usurpa-
tions which he has already accomp ished, and which
his Government has manifested the intention of
completing at the expense of the patrimony of the
Holy See. _ _ _

"Although the Holy Father had solemnly pro-
tested against each fresh enterprise by which his
sovereignty was attacked, he is not the less obliged
to make a fresh protest against the at by which a
title is assumed, the object of which s to legitima-
tise the iniquity of so many anterior ones.
" It would be superfluous to mention here the
sanctity of the possession of the patrimony of the
Church and the right of the Sovereign Pontiff
over that patrimony--a right incontestably re-
cognised at all times and by all Governments ;
and whence it follows that the Holy Father can
never admit the title of King of Italy, which the
King of Sardinia arrogates to himself since that
title is opposed both to justice and to the sacred
property of the Church. Not only can he not re-
cognise it, but still more he protests in the most
absolute and formal manner against such a
usurpation.
" The undersigned Cardinal Secretary of State
begs your Excellency to make Mown to your Go-
vernment this act made in the name of his Holi-
ness, feeling assured that it willadmit the absolute
propriety of it, and that by joining in such a deter-
mination it will contribute by it; influence to bring
about an end to that abnormal star, ofof things which
has for so long a time desolate' the unfortunate
Italian peninsula.
" It is with these feelings, dm.

"Cardigil ANTONELLI."

DECAY OF THE STONE WORK OF THE BANK OF
ENGLAND.—The stone employed in tie building of the ex-
terior of the Bank of England has manifested evidence of a
rapid decay, of a similar character to that which has re-
cently become so apparent in the stoneused in the erection
of the new Houses of Parliament. Vith a view to arrest
the insiduous progress of the decompo►ition, the coating of
a newly-invented composition is now, bp, way of experiment,
in course of being applied t 3 the surfiao of that portion of
the building in Threadneedle-street treating the Royal Ex-
change, where the principal entrant' is situated. The
buildings of tho establishmentof the Balk of England were
erected in 1732, enlarged in 1771, iro?roved in 1706, and
partly rebuilt in 1814,