The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-02 00:00:00

of one ahlling for the entire, the undertaking deset yes
the success that appears to be attending it.

THE ROYAL POLYTECRNIC INSTITIITION.—That this
institution deservedly maintains its popularity is a fact
which was practically shown last evening by the im-
mense number of visitors. The building was crowded
in every part, and the varied amuQements provided for
the holiday folks were well selected. An entire new
room was devoted to Steven's exhibition of 80 distinct
and beautiful optical pictorial dioramic transparencies,
with stereoscopic effects; in commendation of which we
have often spoken; Mr. James, the ventriloquist, gave
a remarkable- exhibition of his powers in an original
entertainment, abounding with much comic humour.
The novelty was the appearance of Herr Veit Rahm,
who had also performed in the morning, and who played
some airs on the "tither," and afterwards sang and
accompanied himself on the guitar, giving at the same
,time imitations of the horn, &c. Good humour
pervaded the company, who retired much pleased,_
especially with the musical entertainment and the dis-
solving views, which are of a very interesting character.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, REGENT'S PARK.—Perhaps on.
no similar occasion were these gardens so crowded -as
they were yesterday. The extreme fineness of the day,
no doubt, accounts in some measure for this, but at
all events the wild bewts must have been istonistied.
The_dens of the lions and tigers were besieged —in-fast,
there was no approaching near them after about -12

(From the-Examiner.)
One of the many subjects which is to be cast upon
the broa I shoulders of the next session is that of the
compulsory examinations recommended by the com-
missioners of 1855, for the purpose of securing a
competent knowledge of law by persons entering
the legal profession.. The Inner and Middle Temples
admit the propriety of such a system, hilt Gray's-
inn and Lincoln's-inu are recusant ; so that the
subject is to remain over, with all the evils attend-
, ant upon the existing state of things, until the
great legal cOrporations shall he of one way of think-
mg. Next session it will probably be said that Par-
liathentary Reform is business enough to engross its
time and attention ; and thus a question will in all
likelthood be postponed again in which the public
has a very serious -interest. There is too much of
this procrastination. It weie devoutly to be wished
that there was sortie process to make the thieVes of
time and their accomplices amenable to justice.
Whatever may be urged in defence of things as
they are, on the ground that the public is sure to
decide correaly in the long ran on the qualifica-
tions of members of the bar freely competing fer
professional business, there is a large and most im-
portant 'clasS of cases to which the arguinent is ut-
terly inapplicable. The public is surely entitled at
least to have some guarantee for the capacity and
attainments of barristers appointed to all legal or
judicial offices. At present there is none. A cer-
tain number of years' professional standing is the
only peremptory qualification for a multirude of
sittiatioris reqUiring a high degree of legal effici-
ency, and there are numerous places, especially in
the colonies, for which the mere wearing of a wig
and gown is the single test of eligib lity. Now,
assuming it to be right to rely generally on the
principle of competi,ion, or, in other words, to
throwthe onus on individuals engaged in litigation
to make a judicious selection of their legal advisers,
ought there. not to be some be' ter security for fits
ness in the case of a man employed and paidy the
country for his professional services We have no'
such blind confidence in the distribution of patro-
nage by any Minister as to leave matters of such
moment as this absolutely in his bands, with no
rules to govern him but that his nominees are to be
of six or seven years' standing, or barristers in
"actual practice." The Minister may possibly
select competent men within those loose limits, but
what guarantee is there that he will be guided in
his choice by merit only What-protection is there
against any of the influences that tend so strongly
to improper selections I What reason
.can the
public have for believing that any given appoint-
ment has been conscientiously made on no other
"ground but that of the requisite amount of know-
ledge and ability We do not live in Utopia.
There is such a thing as nepotism. Dispensers of
places, like other men, have sons, sons-in-law, and
nephews. At all events, they have friendships and
prepossessions ; or they are under political or pri-
vate obligations ; or they are influenced, by those
who are ; in short, there a 'hundred temp-
tations to make wrong promotions, while, be-
yond the sense of duty to the public, which sits on
most men so lightly, there is nothing whatever to
direct or bind them. It is evident, therefore that
there should at least be a public test of legal attain-
ments for candidates for legal offices. Until there
is there will never be the confidence that ought to
exist in the administration of justice. Unfit men
will he always creeping into employments through
the notorious variety of crooked and dirty ways ;
and the most competent will not carry the weight
which the public proof of their abilities would give
them. We do not say that examination ought to be
the sole test; but we are satisfied it ought to be one
of the tests by which fitness for legal situations
should be ascertained.
Taking the instance of the
.county courts, we
cannot but think it would materially add to their
consequence and usefulnessw‘eretheirjudgesknown
to be men who had all passed with credit a compe-
titive examination in the principles and practice of
law by the heads of the profession. It appears to
us that much of the reluctance which we observe,
even On the part of Government itself, to extend
the jurisdiction of these courts arises from the want
of confidence which a public demonstration of at
tainments would supply. We have an instance of
this in the diScuSsions in the Honse of Lords on the
Divorce Bill. It was. suggested, and very properly,
by Earl Grey, that some of the questions arising
under the bill should be disposed of-by the judges
of the county courts. "He could not understand,"
he said,. "why somelocal tribunal, upon due cause
shown by the wife, and after the husbandhad a full
opportunity of being beard, should not be empowered
to decree a separation et mensa et thoro. He would
not., however, give that power to a single justice,
however high his opinion was of the magistracy of
England as a body. HO believed that the desired
Protection might be secured by bringing such cases
within the jurisdiction of the cotinty courts."
On the other hand, we collect from What fell
'num tau Lord TrnanteirOt sft& lid hh.S not sufficient
confidence in the county courts to vest in them
any part of the jurisdiction which the House of
Lords is- about to part with. Although the de-
clared object of the bill is to extend to all classes
of society a relief that hitherto has been the mono-
poly of wealth, and the county courts therefore so
obviously present themselves as the natural deposi-
taries of a jurisdiction intended to be popular and
cheap, they are not to be trusted with it : and this
we cannot help ascribing to the feeling that these
tribunals do not command all the respect that ought
to belong to them, even in the opinion of the Lord
Chancellor, who is chiefly responsible for their cha-
acter and efficiency.

o'clock.
THE GREAT GLOBE, LEIOESTER-SQUARE. —This sta•
pendous building was greatly patronised yesterday by
the holiday folks, who appeared much interested with.
the many attractions of the place.
MADARE TUSSittl) AND SONS, BARER-STREET BAZAAR,
whose oollection of life-like figures in wax has been
greatly augmented during the last few weeks, and con-
tains;in addition to former objects, capital likenesses Of
his Royal HighnessPrinee Frederick William of Prulisia,
her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, and various,
other notable personages. During the whole of the day
the large room was filled with members of the aristo-
crncy and others, drawn together prinCipally to see 'the
life-like figure of the future husband of the 'Princess
Royal.

GORDON CUMMING'S ENTERTAINMENT .(THE LION.
HUNTER),r—TbiI rxbibition was extensively patronised
yesterday, in,:pruof of which the great ball was densell
crowded. The exhibition, upon- the whol, is not only`
popular with the masses, but at the same time is very`
instructive, and must tend greatly to elevate the minds
of those who patronise the entertainment.
SOUTHAMPTON, Monday.--Excursion• trains from the
various stations on the South-Western Railway brought
a good quantity of visitors into Southampton, many of
whom availed themselves of the excursion trips to the
Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, &c., by the steam boats ;
others sought the New Forest, and not a few were yacht-
ing on the water. The benefit societies in the neigh-
bourhood, comprising the Old Fellows, Foresters, acs.,,
dined together, and passed the day in a festive manner.
Amusements of various descriptions were at hand to
tempt the pleasure-seekers.

THE LAST EMBASSY TO CLIINef.

At the present moment when the public aro anxiously
looking out for tidings of Lord Elgin, it may not be unin-
structive to present our readers with a brief resume of
Lord Amherst's mission. The story is highly charac-
teristic of Chinese civilization, and from the novel pioture
it exhibits of British andjAsiatic re 1-tapeism in contact,
will always rank among the curiosities of modern diplo-
macy.
In 1816 the annoyances and impcisitions of the local
authorities at Canton had reached such a height of impu-
dence that the Government resolved to communicate direct
with the Court of Pekin. Lord Amherst, formerly minis-
ter at Palermo, was selected to be the chief envoy, and as-
sociated with him as second and third commissioners were
Sir George Staunton, who had accompanied Lord Macart-
nay, and, the late Sir Henry Ellis. The embassy left Eng-
land early in February and arrived off Tiensing, the first
town on the Pei Ho about the middle of August. They
were immediately boarded by the mandarins deputed for
the purpose, and invited neat morning to a grand banquet
iu one of the Emperor's country palaces. At this enter-
tainment arose the first difficulty about etiquette. Com-
missioner Kwang maintained that, as the feast was given
by the Emperor, the foreigners must go through the same
forms as though he were actually present, and specifically
required the Kou-tou, which is the grand court ceremony,
and consists in kneeling and knocking the head against the
ground nine times consecutively. Lord Amherst waved
the question as to what he might do when he arrived at
Pekin, but absolutely refused to execute this abject per-
formance before the yellow table which represented the
."Sun-of Heaven" upon the present occasion, and eventually
the matter was compromised by his making a low bow for
each prostration of the mandarins.'' After this the route
Esu-tou. " Would Lord Amherst perform it before the
Emperor ?" The affair was becoming serious, and Lord
Amherst took counsel of his companions. Sir George
Staunton declared that compliance was " incompatible with
national or personal respectability." The East India Com-
pany's officials at Canton believed it would be " highly
injurious to the interests of the company," and pointod to
the members of the Dutch Embassy who, having shown
much facility upon the point, were compelled to bang their
heads about in a most ridiculous manner upon every trifling
occasion. On the other hand Sir Henry (then Mr.) Ellis
and Dr. Morrison, the interpreter, were of opinion that the
ambassador should submit. Willing to conciliate, but
tenacious of the dignity of his sovereign, Lord Amherst
made two very reasonable proposals, either that in return
for the performance, a Tartar of equal rank with himself
should go through the same ceremony before the portrait
of the King of England, or that the Emperor should de-
clare that if a Chinese ambassador should at any time be
sent to London, be should be required to observe precisely
the same f rm. The surprise with which the mandarins
received these propositions and their refusal even to lay
them before the Emperor clearly evinced the implied mean-
ing of the ceremonial itself. In spite of these disputes the
embassy still proceeded and reached Sing Chow, near Pekin,
on the 21st of August, where a new mission from the
Emperor met them to join in the discussions. It consisted
of Ho, a noble of the first order, and Moo-tosjin, a sort of
Lord Chamberlain and President of the Board of Ceremo-
nies. These people behaved with great rudeness, alleging
as their business that they were come to instruct the Em-
bassy in the performance of the Kou-tou. Lord Amherst
had by this time fully made up his mind to decline the
ceremony, and entered at length into his reasons, in a let-
ter to the Emperor, which he gave to Ho. To the great
surprise of the Embassy, the moment he received this final
decision, Ho desired them to prepare for an immediate
journey to the capital, naming a very early day for the
audience, and hinting that all ceremonial would be arranged
without any more concession on their part. After travel-
ling all day and all night they were conducted past the
walls of Pekin to Yuen-rnin-yuen, where the Emperor then
was. The Embassy were hurried into a small apartment
much out of repair, and Lord Amherst had scarcely
taken his seat before Ho sent a message to say that
the Emperor wished to see him immediately. The impos-
sibility of such a proceeding was urged in reply—the
fatigue incurred of travelling through the night—the want
of proper costume—and, above all, the irregularity of ap-
pearing without credentials. Ho at last came himself and
used every possible means of persuasion, telling the Am-
bassador that he might use his own ceremony, and adding
an invitation to his private apartments, where a referents
to the Emperor might be more easily made. Lord Am-
hor.t, bovevoi, had included illness as one of the causes
of his refusal, and it was obvious that if he could visit
Ho, he could visit the Emperor, so ho therefore positively
declined to move. He then left the room, and shortly
afterwards a message arrived from the Emperor, stating
that he dispensed with the Atabassador's immediate at-
tendance, and would send his physician to give him medi-
cal advice. The medical gentleman came, and probably
reported to his master the fallacy of the plea of ill health
for in a very few hours after it was announced to thet
that the Emperor, incensed at their non-attendance on his
summons, had ordered their immediate departure ! Such
was the termination of the last mission to Pekin. Lord
Amherst was certainly right in refusing to degrade him-
self and country by submission to an act of barbarian in-
solence, but it is to be regretted that he did not see the
Emperor when the point had been conceded.

THE NEW CLUB-HOUSE OF THE JUNIOR
UNITED SERVICE CLUB, REGENT-STREET.

(From the Builder.)
The design is in the Italian style of architecture,
the bow-window in Regent-street forming a promi-
nent feature in the composition, above which is a
sculptured group allegorical of e army and navy.
The whole of the sculpture and ornamental details
throughout the building is characteristic of the
profession of the members of the club. The exterior
of the building is surmounted by a richly-sculp-
tured cornice, with modillion and dentils, and
beneath it an elaborate frieze, having medal-
lions with trophies and other suitable em-
blems, separated from each other by the rose, sham-
rock, and thistle. The external walls of the build-
ing are of Bath stone, and the balustrade round
the area is of Portland stone ; upon the angle-
pieces of this will be bronze lamps, supported by
figures not yet placed in position. On the left of
the entrance-hall is the morning-room, 63 feet by
30 feet, with a how-window fronting Regent-street.
On the right of the hall is the members' coffee-
room 65 feet by 41 feet, with a bow-window front-
ing Charles-street. At the back of the members'
coffee-room is the visitors' coffee-room, 55 feet by
21 feet, lighted by a turret-light, filled with painted
glass, and separated from the members' coffee-room
by Sienna marble columns in scagliola, in pairs.
Communicating with this is the house dining-room,
23 feet by 22 feet ; and beyond this the smoking-
room, 54 feet by 22 feet, lighted by a dome-light with
painted glass, and approached from a corridor lead-
ing from the entrance-hall, with an exit for mem-
bers in St. Alban's-plaCe. Upon the first floor
fronting Regent-street, and over the morning-
room, and a aie same dimensions, is the evening-
room, which is also used as a picture-gallery, '24
feet high, with a bow-window fronting Regent-
street. In the gallery are portraits of military
and naval commanders, her Majesty and Prince
Albert, and the Emperor Napoleon, and an alle-
gorical group in silver, presented to the club by
the Emperor. Messrs. Nelson and Innes, of
Whitehall, were the architects. Mr. John Thomas
executed the sculpture. The total cost of the
m, building will be about 50,0001.
ID

The Archbishop of Paris has narrowly escaped being
poisoned He partook of an ice, into which some
coburing matter, composed of acetate of lead had been

.citroduced.
- the leNatees of M. Paul Delaroche for the purchase of
The. Count de Nieuwerkerke has made proposals to
several of that artist's pictures for the Louvre..
_____--.----nce of the grow-
CRYSTAL PALACE. —ONE SHILLING` DAY, Monday, In most parts of Francreibtn aap
spmeaorsat favourable, but,
June I.—Admissions on payment, 2,081 ; ditto, by ing crops of grain is de.sc
A rumour is afloat that the Nord is to be given up.
season tickets, 731 ; total visitors, 25,812. fon the recent
'mmediate censurer> t ,
INTERFERENCE OF PEERS AT ELECTIONS.—An import. of the demand for .
ul tained. In the United States the
ant petition has been presented to the House of elm- high prices are mai
. owiugto the reduction in the. stocks, and to the activity
but the appearance of the wheat
in-ms from certain electors of West Norfolk, praying for• season is backward,generally
an inquiry into alleged interference in the late election plant is , PERTH, AND DUNDEE AND SCOTTISH
for the division by the Earl of Leicester, lord-lieutenant THE EDI
11BAILWAY COMFANTEs.—The directors of the
of the county, Lord Hastings, Lord Sondes, and Lord CENTRAL ,
Perth,
and Dundee Railway Company have
Waleinghatn. The petition commences by citing "an Edirii.bshu gb promising.,
red a statement in regard to the working agree-
ancient resolution of your honourable house" as fol- puha;
between that company and the Scottish Central
lows .—" That it is a high infringement of the fiber- rj,le,lway company, The agreement, which came into
ties and pritilegea of the Commons of the United ding- r.a'
>oration in January, 1856, and has now terminated,
Joni for any Lord of Parliament or other peer or prelate
(glave rise to a long correspondence with regard to the
(not being a peer of Ireland at the time elected,
proportion borne by the actual working expenditure of
each line to the expenditure with which it was charge.
not having declined to serve for any county, caitnVdt;
able under the agreement. The directors of the Edin-
burgh, Perth, and Dundee line state their conviction
or4borough of Great Britain) to concern himself
ni s
that the prospects of their company will not suffer by
the election of member ono serve fur the Colninme
at
in Parliament (exi.;',l3t y any peer cf. Ire a
where
such election in GCrer: Britain respectivel w independent management.
such peer shall by himself or' An elegant banquet of the officers of the Queen's Dra.
be elected), or for any lord-lieute,2ant or Lerived from his goon Guards took place yesterday, at the London
county to avail himself of any aut.hoi:itY
any
members to Tavern ; the Hon. H. J. C. Cavendish, colonel of the
any others bveeprrnoYoproosfedartiyo
commission to influence the election a ' 'lie petitioners regiment, in the chair, supported by Lieutenant-Colonel
serve for the Commons in Parliament." l't,; at proceed- H. Campbell, Captains Keene, O'Hara, C. Hutchinson,
then state that they have reason to believew were
->ractised G. P. Smith, Seymour, Silvester, Calvert, Meynell, &c.
ings in direct violation of this resolution
ionedtk-au,d
par. ,
.HE COMING ALLlGATOR.—Arrangements are making
at the last election by the noblemen t in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's-park, for the recep-
electoral rights of to tion of an alligator, which is expected to arrive at
to compromise and supersede the
ticularly by the Earl of Leicester, lomrden•lieutenant, Q. as
Southampton iu the West India steamer Orinoco about
xi'
.Ic. , „,,,, the middle of next month from the great swampy river
for inquiry. The
constituency, and they therefore
. -1. 'I °"1'!I ) utor Grey Tom), iu Central America,
after the Whitsuntide recess.
petition is to be presented by Mrp.rßayoebt.tc,k, ~..