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

Ti3.E • [SUN, 'LONDON,' THURSDAY r,EVENING, APRIL 4, 1861.

indeed, it cannot be denied that the rebellious,
slaveholding South is showing great and unlooked
for ability and confidence in its management; it
knows its object, while the North is perplexed, and
its aims doubtful. The South means to be a separate
confederation. The North does not know whether
it must consent to acknowledge it; whether it can
muster force enough to coerce to reunion; whether
it can make any sufficient concessions; and whether
it must at least concede enough to keep the Border
States.

same. By the Ballot both combatants are certainly
placed on the same footing. The weapons of argu-
ment and persuasion are left to each; but the
power of coercion is taken from one, when the other
has no power to coerce in return. Anything fairer
than this we cannot imagine. If, therefore, fair
play be English, the Ballot must be English
enough. We think, also, that answers to the infor-
mation sought above would fully prove ,that Eng-
lishmen largely avail themselves of this obvious
means of securing fair play.

TELEGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY.

Indeed, we may suppose that the Border States
are now the great perplexity. Both sides are bid-
ding for their support. They are chiefly—what a
word to be used in Christendom !—Slave-breeding
States. The South proposes to receive slaves only
from States belonging to the Southern Confedera-
tion. The North can offer only the advantage of
belonging to the more powerful Confederation, and
of ultimately converting them to Free-labour States.
Virginia, the most influential, has just reported,
through a committee on federal relations, in favour
of the old Missouri Compromise, and some other pro-
visions which the Republicans of the North cannot
submit to without dishonour. A position, therefore,
more perplexing for Mr. LINCOLN and his Cabinet
can hardly be conceived. The Cotton States he
appears to have lost beyond recovery ; the Border
States, which would make the Union as powerful
as before, he can retain only by unworthy com-
promises. In thin country we may hope that he
will not disgrace himself y the latter. It is cer-
tain that, if the North be true to liberty, and if the
Border States go with the Gulf States, the slaves of
the States adjacent to free soil will be of little value
to their masters. This is the rod which the North
can always hold out over the Border States. With
no fugitive slave !aw, how will Maryland, Virginia,
Kentucky, and Missouri keep their slaves ?

Prince Murat.

VOCAL ASSOCIATION, ST. TAMES'S
HALL.

TURIN, WEDNESDAY EVENING.

The second concert of he season took place last
evening, and M. Benedict has good reason to
congratulate himself on the increasing popularity
and commendation attending his efforts to render
high class music acceptable and appreciated, even
among those whose ears may not have been edu-
cated to estimate the beauty and power of a Mozart
or Bach as readily as they recognise the spirit-
stirring accents of an Irish jig or the pleasing
harmony of a Nigger melody.
The programme of last evening afforded a charm-
ing variety of entertainment, well calculated to
attract and please a crowded audience, and evinc-
ing in the gifted conductor the greatest care and
desire to do his best for the elevation of public
taste. Few men are more earnestly and entirely
devoted to the Art they profess than M. Benedict.
He is a real " worker," doubtless finding ample
reward in the enthusiastic success which crowns
his labours, labours which denote him to be as
refined in mental selection as he is earnest in
practical performance.

The concert commenced with Mozart's "Ave
Verum," sung by the full choir, followed by the
beautiful old madrigal of Morley's, "Say Gentle
Nymph." The other performances of the choir
consisted of Bach's corale, " 0, let 'us praise the
Lord," Meyerbeer's "Paternoster," Benedict's
" Bunting Song," Webb's glee " When winds
breathe soft," " Ye Mariners of England," and
"Scots wha hae," the latter arranged for male
voices only. Of these we may notice especially
Bach's corale" 0, let us praise the Lord," and the
" Bunting Song" as being rendered with perfect
effect; well marked harmony of tone and careful
attention to "lights and shadows" being prominent
qualifications of these singers, convincing all who
hear them that the two hundred voices of the

A short time ago we suggested to the sincere and
earliest supporters of the Ballot in Parliament that
they must mend their tactics in respect to securing
a good discussion in the house of their all-important
reform. The first object should be of course to
muster too strongly to admit of a count out. A
practical point not to be overlooked also would be
to send word to the Liberal journals that they
might expect a thorough night's work on the Ballot,
since there is at least one well-known journal which
cannot be relied on to do justice to the subject even
to the extent of full reporting. But the grand
object is to be provided with matter, and interesting
matter too, and speakers, for a bona fide discussion.
Hitherto the hindrance has been that the house
would try to stifle it after Mr. BERKELEY had
spoken ; the Ballot was not to be endured when
the dinner hour came. A third requisite therefore
is a speaker who will not be put down by cries of
"Divide," or even by all or any of the other modes
of interruption by which our legislators attempt to
get rid of truth which is unacceptable to
most of them, as well as of worthless
bores and crotchet-men. Another desirable
arrangement we suggested, is the common one of
division of labour. If opponents endeavour, as
they so frequently have done, to finish up a de-
bate by their silence, some considerable care is
requisite to make up for the interest and variety
which is furnished by objections and replies.
Argument all on one side, without some manage-
ment, becomes very wearisome through the dan-
ger of iteration. At our ordinary public meetings
this is prevented by giving each of the speakers
a resolution which forms a distinct topic ;—ancl,
if the sullen obstinacy of Whigs and Tories com-
pels us to convert the House of Commons into a
kind of public meeting, let us cheerfully accept
the fact, and use it well. And if we do once use
it well, we may rest assured we shall not have a
second opportunity of doing it. The B.allot fur-
nishes, as we formerly observed, so many distinct
branches of illustration, and in the collection of
documents by the Ballot Society, a brief could pro-
bably be found so readily for each speaker that a
little determination and previous concert would
alone be requisite to make a House of Commons,
which shirked debate, the most efficient public
meeting on the Ballot in the world.
We know not whether our previous observations
attracted the notice of any member of the House of
Commons, but some Parliamentary friend of our
cause requests to be supplied with information on
the use of the Vote by Ballot, in-
1. Public corporations, such as banks, railways,
and other companies having large pecuniary trusts
to discharge.
2. Literary, scientific, and other similar societies.
3. Clubs, fashionable, military, and social.
4. Mechanics' Institutes and other similar bodies.
5. Benefit societies, such as freemasons; odd-
fellows, foresters, and others.
6. Any society, club, or institution, in which the
ministers of any denominaticn act in any way by
the Ballot.

Vocal Association Choir are thoroughly up to their
work. Madame Lemmens Sherrington was the
leading lady vocalist, and charmed the audience
with all she did. Mendelssohn's Psalm, "Hear
my Prayer," has rarely been better sung than by
her, and the delicious sweetness and delicacy which
marked the last verse could not easily be
excelled. Benedict's song, " The Skylark,"
narrowly escaped an encore, her treatment
of it combining all the spirit and freshness
which it requires. Miss Messent, Miss Augusta
Thomson, and Miss Boden were the other fair
artistes. The former sang the scena and aria
" Parto," from Mozart's "Clemenza di Tito," with
considerable ability, the clarionet obligato being
taken by M. Lazarus. Miss Augusta Thomson,
who belongs to the " florid" school, found ample
verge for her power in Auber's " Pouvoir du
Chant ;" and so ably was it delivered that a rap-
turous encore was bestowed. Miss Boden sang
Hatton's ballad," The Blacksmith's Son," with such
pleasing effect, that this also was re-demanded. In
the instrumental department Miss Ward Was the
pianiste, and elicited well-merited applause. The
theme selected was a fantasia by Fumagalli, "La
1. anse des Sylphes," played in a style which was
distinguished for clearness of touch, precision
of accent, and delicacy of taste. Miss
Ward was warmly applauded, and re-
called to receive the ovation due to her. M.
Sainton gave two exquisite performances on the
violin—the first being the " Romance in F," by
Beethoven ; the second, a Fantasia on Scottish airs,
in which he introduced the old Jacobite air,
" Wha'll be King but Charlie," and that rich bit of
pensive, heartholding melody, "Auld Robin Grey,"
with other:popular snatches of vital music which
never fail to rouse the most passive and elite of
listeners into something like active demonstration
of feeling. We never heard M. Sainton play with
greater effect than that which he produced in some of
the passages in the "Romance," while the brilliancy
and vigour which he imparted to other portions of
the composition, stamped him as a thorough master
of his instrument. The concert altogether was of
first-rate excellence, the only defalcation, in our
opinion resting with Mr. Riccardo, whose voice is,
at times, considerably out of tune and scarcely
equal to the demands he makes on it. The Hall
was crowded with a highly fashionable audience,
who appeared to truly appreciate the excellence of
the fare provided for them, and bestowed on
M. Benedict the greeting he so well deserves. The
third concert will take place on Wednesday,
April 17th.

THE EMPEROR AND THE BISHOP OF
POITIERS.

The litoniteur publishes the following Imperia

decree :

"NAPOLEON,
" By the Grace of God and the National Will,
Emperor of the French ;
"To all whom these fi
presents may concern,
greeting ;
" On the report of our Minister of Public Wor-
ship, in which he proposes to us to declare that
there is abuse in the pastoral letter of the Bishop
of Poitiers, dated the 22d February, 1861 ;
"Considering that the said pastoral letter was
read in all the churches of the diocese, published in
different journals, and offered for sale by several
booksellers at Poitiers and in Paris ;
I, Considering the written observations presented
to our Council of State, the 13th March, 1861,
by the Bishop of Poitiers on the commu-
nication made to him of the above mentioned
report ;
" Considering Art. 1 of the Declaration of March,
1682, and Arts. 86 and 201 of the Penal Code;
also, Arts. 6 and 8 of the law of
18"GCeormnsiindaelf,inAgn,
lo;
" And whereas, according to the terms of the
Declaration of 1682, it is a fundamental maxim in
the French law, That the Chief of the Church,
and the Church itself, have only received power
over spiritual things, and not over civil temporal
matters ;' that, consequently, the pastoral letters
which Bishops may address to the faithful of their
diocese, must only have for object to instruct them
in their religious duties ;
" Whereas, the Bishop of Poitiers, by his pastoral
letter of the 22d Feb. last, took on himself to cen-
sure the policy and to criticise the acts of our
Government ;
" Considering that the said pastoral letter also
contains an offence against our person and makes
remarks calculated to alarm the religious belief of
our Catholic subjects;
"Considering that these facts constitute an
excess of power, a contravention of the laws in the
Empire, and a proceeding which might arbitrarily
disturb the conscience of citizens ;
" Our Council of State having been heard,
"We have decreed and do hereby decree as
follows :
" Art. 1. There is an abuse in the pastoral
letter of the Bishop of Poitiers of the 22nd Feb.,
1861.'

7. Any schools or colleges in which the Ballot is
used to elect fellows, schoolmasters, or decide other

matters.

8. Rifle Corps in the election of officers.
Lastly. Any other public or private company or
society in which the vote by Ballot is used.

The request is a good one. We gladly give ...
publicity. We shall be able to furnish him with a
few pertinent facts of the kind he asks from our
own personal knowledge and our own circle, and
shall feel pleasure in doing so. We presume it is
desirable that in every case the communication
should be from personal or very certain knowledge,
not from common repdrt and the views and objects of
those who so use the ballot ; the results of their
experience warrants them in attributing to its
use the absence of unpleasant consequences; and,
if it be not obvious, the class of persons who use it
should be stated. There is probably a much wider
use of secret voting amongst all classes of English-
men than would be suspected unless all were
brought together. Probably, few of us are not
connected with some kind of institution in which
secret voting is not thought desirable in some of
the elections, and a wide inquiry might prove to
demonstration, that so far from being un-English,
the Ballot is really a most English plan of voting.
Indeed, the charge of cowardice is so absurd as
to be, in truth, cowardly itself. It is a charge l
made to hide the accuser's own fear of meeting
dependent or needy electors on equal terms. As
Lord TEYNIIAM well observed lately, "it is no
sign of want of courage to fight behind a shield."
If indeed it be so, what means all this training
our riflemen to avail themselves of the slightest
cover, and to dig themselves rifle pits ? What means
all this discussion about iron-armour plates :__ _-
for our ships of war. Are our brave sailors DEPARTURE OF TEE COURT FOR OSBORNE.--1 he
skulkers ? Indeed, as General NAPIER, if we
Queen and Prince Consort, accompanied by the Prince of
recollect rightly, said, " War is the art of hiding. Princess
" W ales, Pr.
Prince
Princess Alice, Prince Arthur, Princess Helena,.
Louise, Leopold, and Princess Beatrice, left
At all events, to fight on equal terms is the first Windsor Castle at half-past two o'clock to-day for Osborne.
demand of every Englishman, and the most willing In consequence of the very deep mourning in which her
Majesty and Royal Family now are, th® usual guards of
concession of his opponent. But what equal terms
honour and all ceremonies
were dispensed with by her
can there be between the Liberal tenant farmer Majesty's command.
and the Tory landlord ? Or between the Liberal The navigation is expect td to open very early th.o
debtor and the Tory creditor ? Or between all the year in Upper Canada. The late thaws have occasioncd
dependent Liberals and the Tories who have power, tremendous freshets, and bridges and mills have been car-
ried away, and many parts of the country are now under 1 'RANCE.
without assigning a reason, to injure, harass, and water. This bas been the most singular winter ever PARIS, WEDNESDAY.
annoy them ? And, of course, in too numerous , known. 'f he quantity of snow that has fallen is quite un-
The squadron of evolution has finished taking in
eases, we might reverse the
precedented ; there are in some places 10 feet of snow in stores at Toulon a
rid is making preparations for
positions of the terms our streets, which, steep as they are, will, when the rcfal sailing. It is said, that four ships of the line and
Whig and Tory, and the inequality would be the thaw comes, make waterfalls all over the place, '
one frigate will prt oceed immedial,ely to the Syrian

"The said pastoral letter is and remains sup-
pressed.
" ' Art. 2. Our Minister of Public Worship is
charged with the execution of the present decree,
which shall be inserted in the Bulletin des Lois.'
Given at the Palau,' of the Tuileries, this 30th
day of March, 1861. " NAPOLEON.
(Countersigned) " R.OULA.ND."

LATEST NE

The Moniteur of to-day says :—" The reports of
pretended modifications in the Ministry are without
any foundation."

The Moniteur reproduces the note published by
the Constitutionnel on the subject of the letter of

In to-day's sitting of the Chamber of Deputies
the discussion on the affairs of Naples was continued.
The Minister of the Interior, in reply to the re-
marks made by Signor Massari, Paternostro, and
Ricciardi, in yesterday's sittings declared that the
inconveniences of the administration of Naples
pointed out by those members had been exaggerated.
He said he would remedy those which really
existed, and stated that Government would increase
-the military forces in the southern provinces as a
measure of public safety.

The Minister stigmatised the accusations brought
against some public functionaries as calumnies, and
refuted the other points in the interpellation of

waters, where England is increasing her naval
force.

looks out from the canvass a bonny matron
enough, carrying her sleeping bairn on her shoul-
ders, tucked up in her pladdie, bearing upon her
arm a basket of field flowers. Tura we, however,
from the large central room into the north-east
apartment where, in the place of honour over the
mantelpiece—yet notwithstanding that, but indif-
ferently hung after all, without doubt badly hung
considering the high merit of the production—
there appears, to our thinking about the most
remarkable, as it is certainly the most ambitious
among all the figure pictures in the Exhibition.
It is numbered 583, is entitled "Elaine," and is
described in the catalogue as painted by C. Goldie
I and H. W. Brewer. The incident pourtrayed, as
the name of the picture will have indicated to the
readers of " The Idylls of the King," is taken from
that last fragmentary masterpiece of the Poet
:Laureate. Elaine, the I:\eautiful Elaine, is there
steered by the " dumb old servitor," floating in the
antique barge "upwards with the flood" towards
Camelot—Elaine, dead, with the lily in her hand—
Elaine, fair as the lily in her life, fairer in death,
lying extended there upon her bier—
all her bright hair streaming down,
And all the coverlid rich cloth of gold
Down to her waist, and she herself in white."
The river and its burthen, the distant towers of
Camelot, the old man and the dead maiden—all are
revealed to us,by an exquisite artistic device of the
painters, through the grand sweep of a Norman
arch in the foreground. The barge is represented
at the moment of its gliding up to the palace
doorway, and the two armed knights (who guard
the porch), clad in their white tunics and shining
mail, are approaching awe-stricken (one of them
almost in the act of kneeling) to receive the dead
and living voyagers. Exception may be taken, no
doubt, bythe more fastidious archaeologists both to the
armour and to the architecture as anachronisms—
but the era of Arthur Pendragon dates back so
vaguely and remotely into the far off antique, is so
hazed over by the twilight of.fable that it remains
a moot question to the last as to what may be, or
may not be, in its regard, a distinct anachronism.
Beyond which it would be difficult to define the
precise extent of the poetic license allowable in any
work of art so purely and pre-eminently poetical
in its whole character, as is this bewitching realisa-
tion of one of the loveliest dreams ever dreamt by
Tennyson. The cynosure of the collection this
season among the landscapes, is in its turn readily
pointed to. It is No. 125, by Mr. Vicat
Cole, and represents, with resplendent truth-
fulnes to nature —" A Surrey Cornfield."
Let any rational man, who has ever looked forth
with eyes of love upon the reality of a scene like
this. stand before that noble picture and say
frankly, without knowing whose the brush that
limned it, whether it be not in truth a superb pro-
duction. Such to our mind it is indubitably : as—
though in a lesser way, because simply upon a
smaller scale and with fewer pretentions—is yet
another picture in the Gallery from the same easle:
No. 491. "Autumn," with wonderful dead and
dying fern and litter of undergrowth in the fore-
ground. Not far from the latter, in the south-west
room, is a marvellous red-legged King Cophetua,
No. 476, by W. J. Montaigne, a gawking King
Cophetua choosing the beggar girl for his wife—
the wonder being, however, her accepting him—that
spindling piece of royalty half flamingo, half
Mephistopheles ! Another amazing work of art not
far from it (both in position and extravagance), is
J. Lee's (No. 443) " Sweethearts and Wives "
such Jack Tars, to be sure, and their " Missusses"
—Williams without a touch of romance, and Susan'
remarkable, we may be certain, for black eyes of a
very different character from those mentioned in
Mr. Gay's old ballad. Quitting the room haunted
by that kingly caricature of our own Edward
Longshanks, and rendered dreadful by the mere
remembrance of that boatful of sea-lubbers—we
will pause a while in the outer room to console our-
selves by a glance round the collection of water-
colours. Here, at once to begin with, is a "sweet-
heart " indeed ; a sweetheart capable, upon the
instant; of exorcising the demon recollection of
those others,taose mere pretenders to that dulcet
designation. No. 656 is on the margin—" Gret-
schen" is her name—J. Bouvier sen. is the delicate-
handed artist who has pencilled her, as she stands
yonder, by the porch way in the garden, picking the
daisy to pieces, as she dreams there fancy free in
" maiden meditation I" Several other charming
productions from the same hand we notice, the
majority of them at once green ticketted, "sold,"
like this one of pretty " Gretschen." Instance No.
687, " Mary Magdalene" standing at early dawn on
that first Easter morning by the open sepulcher.
Or, again, No. 780, the same artist's " Flores del
Balcon," at Tortosa—blooming flowers peeping
coyly, coquetishly over the grass-green balcony,
flowers, the mere acquaintance of which it would
be pleasant one might think to cultivate. Hap-
pier than this last mentioned picture is the compa-
nion painting by J. Bouvier, sen., No. 765,
" The Home of the Izard Hunter" in the Basses
Pyrenees. The delicious scarlet head-dress of the
young mother contrasting so exquisitely with the
downy flaxen head of the little baby nestling on her
bosom—

BOURSE, April 3.—The market has, since the
termination of the settlement, relapsed into the
same dull and inanimate state which marked the
conclusion of the month, and prices have again re-
ceded. Threes, for the Account, which opened at
67f 65c, are now at 67f 45c. Railways quiet.
The following were the last quotations :-
41 per per Cents ... 95 l Credit Foncier 935
Do. end month.... —1 Belgian 4
3 per Cents
Do. end month 67 65 Roman
Bank Shares 2892 50 Austrian
Credit Mobilier.... 637 50 Spanish Threes 4B
Do. Account 640 Home Debt

" Tete sacree I enfant aux cheveux blonds I bel ange
A l'aureole d'or I"
Another graceful picture by J. Bouvier—junior
this time, however—is in the adjoining apartment,
No. 573, " The Little Truant"—a truant, we may
rest assured, who will only be corrected with
kisses—beaming out upon us roguishly from the
painting—blue eyed, golden haire'd, all glowing
and dishevelled, as she sits there on the rustic slab
bridging the rivulet, sorting the wild flowers in her
lap. Among the other contributions to the Suffolk-
street Gallery, from the same artist family, there
are two sweet little pictures in the water colour
room, both of them from the hand of Miss Bouvier;
one (No. 671) " Blue Eyed Peggy," (surely the
twin sister of the little truant, if not the truant,
herself in another aspect of childish beauty)—and
No. 672, "Little Gipsy Jane," leaning upon a
stile, ready upon the instant, doubtless, to go any-
where a-nutting or picking blackberries. Clints
there are, as a matter of course, in the Gallery,
this year as during so many previous seasons—
with sunsets of the most gorgeous vermillion !
Boddingtons, with sedgy river banks, tempting
one even in April to take " a header" into them,
like the hero of the " Colleen Bawn !" Subjects there
old
are too selected by the miscellaneous contributors, 111
and as trite as
amusing variety—subjects as
No. 253, " Little Red Riding Hood," or as No. 557,
,
the closing incident in " Bluebeara" (Sister Anne
4' Hefty
t her on theph
yT Toeoawni
d e
Ti
from
snueblj,:fc
osta
Adam
a,n,melwv
Bedehaas t
N w ill he do witho 3
:"
as 55'
No. 366
o
it" (Bulwer ought to know, however, not painted
by Vance!): or as " Eva and Lord Montacute"from
" Tanered," the last of the brilliant series of novels
written by the right hon. gentleman—novelist, now
no longer, but statesman and orator exclusively—.
the leader of her Majesty's Opposition. Enough
has been here said, however, of the worthless shells
or of the gems of " purest ray serene" discoverable,
by those who care to look for them, in the five
rooms, those yet unfathomed caves of the Suffolk
Street collection. Enough of the rare flowers and
abundant weeds blooming upon the wide waste of
this art wilderness.

A QUESTION FOR THE HORSE GUARDS.--When

Peace is concluded, is War commenced ?—Punch.

A MAN BAKED TO DEATII.—An accident of a
shocking character, and by which a man named John Rees
met with a dreadful death, has occurred at Mountain Ash,
Glamorganshire. In the neighbourhood are some kilns for
the manufacture of lime, at one of which the deceased, who
was a steady, well-conducted man, of between 30 and 40
years of age, was engaged, when he accidentally slipped

through the crust into the burning kiln. His cries brought
help, and strenuous efforts were made in the hope of extri-
cating him from the appalling situation in which he was,
but, unhappily, they proved unavailing, and the poorfellow
was slowly burnt to death in the kiln. His charred and
mutilated body was ultimately got out, and information
having been forwarded to the coroner for the district, Mr.
George Overton, that official at once issued his precept,
and an inquest was held at the Boot Inn, Aberdare. From.
the evidence adduced, it appeared that the death was en-
tirely to be attributed to an accidental cause, and the jury
returned a verdict to that effect. The deceased was much
respected in the circle in which ho moved, and his horrible,
death has caused quite a gloomy sensation in the neigh..
hourheed, _