The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-30 00:00:00

ARGYLL ROOMS.

Christmas without a dance would be almost as
bad as Christmas without a pantomime, and not a few
of the rising generation would rather forego their
plum-pudding than the quadrille party, which usually
accompanies the mistletoe season of festivity. Alas,
however, the great metropolis abounds in multitudes
of gay young sparks, and old ones toe, who know nut
the sweets of a rotnping jovial domestic circle, where
" Friends and families get all together,
And feelingly talk o'er the weather."

Their homes, where they were wont to trip it on the
" light fantastic toe" at
" Race-balls, and country-balls, and balls where you,
For eeven ebillings, got dance and suNer too,"
are far, far away; and biLce the cold isolation of a
third-floor front, or a second• floor back in a London
tolging-house is their only retreat, what wonder that
they . _

‘• Should seek to while, with dance or song,
Their sadder thoughts away,"
what wonder they should fleck in crowds to so
agreeable a place as the Argyll Rooms, where they
can dance to the brilliant strains of an orchestra
which, for its number, has perhaps few
equals in taste or execution ; nor does it,
in the least, detract from the pleasure of the
' countless Terpsichores and sylphs whu here in-
dulge in the exciting cry of " Vice la dansc," to know
that the same orchestra has often performed similar
polka,' waltzes, or quadrilles, for the gratification
of the distinguished patricians who may hive figured
last year at the halls of the nobility. :No musical di-
rector is more patronised in that way than M. Late.
rent, jun., who is not only a skilful conductor, but,
like his brother, the dui dorchestra at Drury-lane,
an accomplished composer. Tee success of the Ar-
gyll Rooms, however, may he rather attributed to the
circumstance of the saloon being as favourably
situated as it is charmingly decorated; and the fact
that every member of the orchestra is perfect in his
department. Concerts are given in addition to the
dancieg, and though, they are not quite so fieishe,i
end elaborate, they are less noisy, and to the lovers
of superior instrumentation equally as attractive to
those of 111. Jullien. Then, let all who wish to murk
the manncrs of the town, to enjoy a dance, t r feast
ears upia, music, that sofLers the passions
and soot:lee the aching heart, bear in mind that 1.
Laurent nightly waves his baton et the Argyll ROOMS.

M. ROBIN'S SOIREES PARISIENNES, ET
FANTASTIQUES, 232, PICCADILLY.

An opportunity was afforded us on Saturday even-
ing of witnessing an exhibition which, if we mistake
not, bids fair not only to rival, but to out-do all the
marvels hitherto presented to the world under the
name of natural magi; and we hasten to say natural,
became, despite of our strong Ehilosophic nsrves,
must needs do our best to believe that it was so, and
from past experience we know that the best way to
believe that a story is true, is to frequently repeat to
ourselves that it is ; and in this instance we would
not yield to the temptation of believing the contrary.
0 ye, whose motto is nil mirandum (which we beg
freely to translate thus—nothing new, &c., &c., &c.)
go and see the new aspirant to cabalistic fame, the
last candidate for pseudo-demoniacal honours, the
arch necromancer, Monsieur Robin, whose temple of
wonderful unrealities and real wonders, opens this
very evening its portals to a doomed to-be fascinated
public, and retract your past errors. oye that take
a contrary view of the subject, arid say that the ultima
ratio rerum is as far from us as ever (again we apolo
Igize for translating, wonders will never cease), go and
see him too, and thus anticipate upon the monster
prodigy of 1851, and if he enter not into a quart
bottle, he will, at least, conjure in and out of it such
strange things, that if you are mere ordinary mortals
you will find it hard to believe what you see, or see
what you believe: Lend him your money, your
rings, your snuff-boxes, anything and everything
(your souls excepted—we are not quite sure where he
would send them), and they will be returned to you
safe and sound, we are willing to guarantee the re-
sult; but what they Rill go through in the interim,
neither you nor we can tell. But all these are com-
mon-place feats, and though done to perfection,
would not secure him a resting place on the pinnacle
we have raised for him in our opinion. We
have seen him ascend to such a height in the
hitherto unexplored regions of the prodigiom, that
we almost feared he would spurn our said pinnacle.
Fortunately he deigned to reach the ground again,
and our intended peestal will nt,t, have been set up
in vain. Of one thing we reel certain, that those who
witnessed with ourselves his Coffre de Surete, hie
mprinterie de 1951, his Porteleuille, his Coffre
transparent, will bear us out in toe propriety of our
remarks. But Monsieur Robin is not alone the
centre of attraction—

'Divisum imperium cum autra

Robin habet"—
and another there is who had well nigh deprived
him of his bard-earned dicti notion, viz., Madame Rol,in,
who now claims a share of our attention. Is there
really such a thing as clairvoyance, Seconde vue
lueiditi, or whatever it may be called ? Go, pray,
and judge for yourselves. On she tames,
folded, and with an inconceivable degree of readiness
ulls him and describes to him whatever objects are
entrusted to hin► by the audience. But this has
been done before, and Madame Robin will go
farther. B,hold, then, Monsieur Robin, with a little
bell in his hand, again he borrov,,s object after object,
and upon his simply tingling his little bell, she gives
him real answers to suppostitious queries, and you
must be amazed !—then again Madame Robin stands
upon a table in the middle of the stage, one moment
she is coecealed from your view, by a large truncated
cone open at both ends, the cone is removed, and she
is gone—upon which, a tall young man is called up,
and desired to take his station where she had pre-
viously stood,—he too is covered up—and both are,
but we trust not for ever—gone!
We must also•add that Monsiekr Robin distinguished
himself in a manner we were not prepared to give
him credit for; and well may Monsieur Soyer
tremble for his nectareous fame ; we have tasted M.
Robin's Punch de Lucifer, and deemed it matchless.
Ye parents and guardians, whose tender offsprings
require to be treated in these holiday times, hasten to
M. Robin's Soirees Parisiennes, and be thankful you
have a good excuse for treating yourselves.
P.S. In justice to M. Robin, we are bound to add,
with a view to removing false impressions, that all
coins'. entrusted to him are returned, save those de-
posited at the doors, of which we wish him an ample
harvest.

PLANTING OF SALISBURY CRAGS.—The following
is an extract from a private letter from our distinguished
townsman, David Roberts, R.A. :—" I have carefully con-
Fidercd what has been said in the council and elsewhere, re-
spPcting the improvement of the slope around Salisbury
Crags, by planting it with shrubs and trees, as also the oppo-
sition to it by my respected friends Sir W. G. Crag and Mr.
Robert Chambers. As far as my feeling on the matter is
worth knowing, I am most cordially with you (in favour of
the planting). There are, perhaps, few more tenacious in
anything tending to alter the characteristic features of our
glorious and romantic town than I am ; but the matter in
question seems to me so obvious, that I only wonder what
the nature of the objections a-e that could counterbalance
the picturesque beauty that would result should your sug-
gestion be adopted; from boyhood I have thought so, and
am the more confirmed in it, on looking at the plantations
around the Castle Hill and the western slope of the Calton
, Hill, both of which I well remeber treeless and bare. Pray,
ask those who oppose this, whether either would be im-
proved by a return again to its primitive nakedness? I
fear you overrate my influence in this matter; a picture re-
presenting the sides of the mountain clothed in copses and
forest trees might have some avail —my pen, I fear, but
little. Still I have little fear that you will carry the point ;
and, as far as my co-operation can in any way be service-
able, you may command it "—Edinburgh Advertiser.

REPEAL OF TUE WINDOW-TAI.--It will be ob-
served, from the brief accouyt we gave of what took place on
Saturday at the Marylebone Vestry, respecting the repeal of
the window-tax, that Sir Peter Laurie stated that he was
almost justified in pledging ',himself that the window duties
will be repealed in the coming session. Our information on
the same subject coincides with that of the worthy knight
but the conclusion at which we arrive is just the opposite of
his. lie says that, because Government are likely to repeal
the window-tax "jhere t.ught to be no agitation. We say,
assuming that Ministers do contemplate Ole rtrnistion of
tli.t obtioxic)us impost, which we have every reason to be-
lieve is the fact—that a vigorous agitation in favour ;of that
object will at once prove a stimulous to them to carry out
their purpose, and a vindication of their conductw
. have done more
But on this point We shall haveaay
a day or Ovo.—Advertisen hentoth ey

AFFRAY WITH NORTH AMERICAN
INDIANS.
(From the A'autical Stauclard.)
The following is an extrvct of a letter from an
officer of the Dtedalus, dated San Francisco, Oct. 31,
I850:
" We arrived at Esquimault Harbour, Vancouver's
Island, on the 221 of September, and after completing
water, and cutting spars, of which we took on board
more than 100, we embarked the Governor, and pro-
ceeded through the ..trait, for Beaver Harbour, where
we arrived on the 8:11 of October, having bad a nar-
row escape, the sbit passing within n few yards of an
immense sunken rock in Schucistic thy. The island
is full of good bays and harbours; the northern has
not yet been surveyed. The land, about Victoria,
appears to be the most :I(lvGn4J-geou,s for settlers, the
ground 13(u3g clearer there than am, other part we
visited. Tun scouery is delightful ; the immense oaks
in the large and beautiful parks reminded us inuoh of
dear old England. During our stay at Esquirmiult
we were supp;ied daily with excellent mutton, vkge-
tables, and milk; to the northward we could obtain
nothing.

" The object of our visit heine to demand the mur-
ders of three of the Hudson's Bay servants, and the
chiefs of the Newetta tribe hiving refused to give
" them up, the boats of her Msjesty's ship Dwialus
were teispatchsd, on the afternoon of the 12th of
October, to endeavour to capture their chiefs and de-
stroy their villages. A pull of twenty miles brought
them off the Indian settlement, but too late to attack
them. After a cold and miserable night the party
landed at daylight and burnt the village, and then re-
turned to the ship. Receiving information that more
of the Newetta tribe, said to consist of 200, well sup-
plied with arms and powder, were located at Bull
Harbour, the pinnace and cutter, in charge of L•eu-
tenant Burton, and Mr. Scott, second-master, with
Mr. Leonard, Lieutenant R.M., Messrs. Chads and
Bruce, midshipmen, and 46 men, left the ship on the
night of the 14th of October. The weather, unfortu-
nately, came on most boisterous, and after a fruitless
attempt to beat to windward, the pinnace came to an
anchor under an island for the night; the cutter,
thinking her consort a head, kept on their oars, and
arrived within a short distance of her destination at
daylight, when, seeing nothing of the pinnace, and
observing a canoe to seaward, gave chase, and was
fast overhauling her when the Indians fired their
muskets, and were immediately joined and taken in
tow by some dozen canoes, that swarmed out from
under the land, and assumed a most warlike appear-
ance, being fast reinforced by others. Nothing
daunted, our fellows gave way towards them ; but
finding they edged close to the bush, and seeing the
abject of the Indians was to decoy them close to the
bush, the cutter would not become the assailants,
considering sixteen men would be too small a
force to give battle to at least 100 armed Indiana so
protected. On the hosts rejoicing company they pro-
ceeded to the place where they had last sten the
enemy, let fly two or three rounds of grape-abut from
the pinnace into the woods, and then proceeded to
Bull Harbour, ordering the cutter to chase a canoe,
which eves observed watching their movements. After
a pull of ten minutes the cutter found herself in a
small creek, and having seen the Indians, she deter-
mined to cut their canoes out, but on running within
nine or ten yards of the beseh fund a landing could
not be effected at the head of the bight; a well-directed
tire of musketry from both sides soon held their
whereabouts, and having received orders not to go
in the bush, the cutter's people gave them 150 rounds
of hall certridge from the boat, the Indians yell-
ne and resleieg a most fearful noise. The am-
munition being nearly expended, and their fire
having ceased, the cutter hauled out and re-
gained the ship, now off the point. It is thought the
bushes mu-t have broken the fire of the Indians, seve-
rsl men being struck with spent shot, the second
twister wour;ded in the arm (several Plug shots also
entering his ch,the,, hut without injuring him).
George Doble, private R M., tally a °untied in the
leg, and lance corporal Cornish slightivy wounded in
the hand.

" On hoisting is the beats we made sail for San
F.anci,co, arriving there on the 231 of October. We
lost overboard a poor boy in a gale of wind, on our
pass;3ge down, thesecond-m-ister leading the life-boat's
crew, although his arm vv:ts still bad from the wound
rectfivi,d at Vancouver's Island, but which did not
deter him from being again firs;-, on that duty. We
sail for Valparaiso on the 10th of November, taking a
quantity of gold dust on fteight.

Lois OF LIFE BY FIRF.-0,3 Saturday Mr. H.
M. Wakicy held an inquest at the Duke of York, York-place,
St. John's-wood, on William Ball, aged four, the son of Mr.
Ball, architect and laud-surveyor, 12, Elmtree-road. De-
ceased was left for a short time by himself in the parlour,
when he began playing with the fire, and he was quickly en-
veloped in flames. The nurse, attracted by his screams,
soon extinguished the flames, hit the little sufferer sustained
such injuries that he only survived one day.—On Friday Mr.
Payne held an inquest in St. Thomas's Hospital on Mary
Anne Moore, aged four, whose clothes caught fire while she
was playing with Christmas candler, and she was burned
almost to a cinder. Verdict in both cases—`• Accidental
death."

Her Majesty has been graciously plersed to direct
that the Servants' Provident and Benevolent Society, whose
establishments, recently removed from Cork-street to Great
Marlborough-street, have been personally inspected by his
Royal Highness Prince Albert, be in future styled the Ser-
vants' Royal Provident and Benevolent Society.
Several colliers from Kilmarnock have b'en birea
by the Hudson's Bay Company to proceed to Vancouver's
iu order to work the coal mines.

AT THE EGYPTIAN HALL, PICCADILLY.—
Yesterday afternoon the utmost excitement prevailed in the
immediate neighbourhood of Piccadilly, in consequence of a
cry being raised that the well-known place of amusement
called the Egyptian Hall was on fire. In an instant a body
of flame was perceived issuing apparently from the Exhibition
of California, on the first floor. This caused the cabmen
and others to travel with all possible expedition for the aid
of the firemen. Three engines belonging to the London
brigade were remarkably quick in arriving, when the fire-
men found that an escape of gas having taken place in the
frame of the large transparency belonging to Messrs. Paul
and Co., the proprietors of the diorama representing the
overland route to California, it had caused the painting o a-
side the building to become ignited, and the great heat melted
the gas pipes, so that the flames eventually communicated
with the wooden frame of the window, and broke a number
of squares of glass. The firemen and police succeeded in
soon extinguishing the fire, and before more clatdage was
done than previously stated. With the exception of the
destruction of the transparency and the broken glass, the
lees may be termed inconsiderable. The pence mustered in
strong numbers, and prevented the populace from breaking
into the premises, and thereby much damage was spared. It
could not be ascertained whether the premises were insured
or not.

TUE RAKE'S PRO6III7SS.—On Siturday Mr. 11.
M. \Yakley concluded, at the Old King's Head, Short's-
garders, St. Giles's, an adjaurned inquest on Samuel
Townsend, aged 50, son of the late Mr Townsend, well
known at Tattersall's and on the turf, and celebrated as a
horse denier, in which capacity he invariably purchased
carriage arid racing studs for the then Dukes of Buccleuch,
Norfclk, Richmond, and other distinguished noblemen.
James DraM, d. ceased's companion, stated that deceased
was so destitute that he slept in cedars, doorways, lanes,
courts, or anywhere he could. On the night of his death
he slept with witness on the bench of a taproom, in an
unoccupied beer-shop in Wyld-street. Before going to
bed he complaintd of bis condition, declared that
he could bear it no longer, and that he would destroy him-
self. Missing him in the middl9 of the night, witness went
in search of deceased, whom he found lying dead in the
dust-hole, his face buried in the dust. Latterly he earned a
few pence by begging and attending cabs, which was his
only support. He told witness that lie had a wife and child
in good circumstances in Gloucestershire, but that his family
wholly disowned him. It was further stated that in early
life deceased drew a cheque for s,OOO/. on his father's bankers,
which he spent in folly and dissipation in Paris; after which
his family discarded him. Mr. Bennett, surgeon to St.
Giles's workhouse, deposed that be performed post morlein
examination, and tnat deceased died of aneurism of the
beast. Verdict—Natural death.

OXFORD.—The county meeting on the Papal ag-
gression is appointed to be held on Thursday nest, the 2d
of January, at the county-hall. The names of the Duke of
Marlborough, and of Lords Abingdon, Jersey, Macclesfield,
and Valentia, together with those of many of the principal
Imled proprietors, &c., are appended to the address, which
will " pray her Majesty to adopt measures for repressing the
vaunted usurpation of the Queen's supremacy and preroga-
tive, and the grievous insult to our Protestant country."
THE MARBLE ARCEL—Oa Friday morning a
number of workmen commenced pulling down the railings
and the lodge at Cumberland-gate, the entrance to Hyde-
park from the top of Oxford-street. At the same time they
began building a smith's forge and workshop, together with
sheds for the accommodation of bricklayers and masses. On
inquiry it was stated to be the intention to erect the marble
arch which had been taken from the front of Buckingham
Palace upon this site.

REVENUE SEIZURE.—SERIOUS AFFRAY.—A party
of the revenue police stationed at Mountfield proceeded on
Sunday night, in consequence of previous information, to the
townland of Aughmeenacroy, under the command of Lieu-
tenant Graves, where they seized a still in full work, with a
large quantity of illicit liquor, in the stage known as
" singling." They also took three prisoners after a sharp
scuffle, the persons being well known as desperate characters.
When returning to Mountfield, about half-past two o'clock in
the morning, with the prisoners, they were fired upon by a
number of persons concealed in the heath through which the
road ran. The first shot took effect in the thigh of one of
the police, named Thomas Keys. Lieutenant Graves imme-
diately ordered the man to form a square, and the hindmost
rank to keep up firing in the direction whence the attack
came, while the whole party moved steadily forward, keeping
the prisoner in the centre. After about 20 :hots had been
exchanged the firing ceased on the part of those ambushed
in the heath, owing, it was supposed, to the fear of wounding
the prisoners, who themselves called out loudly for their
friends to desist, or they would be murdered. The revenue
party thin made their way good into Mounttield, when me-
dical aid was procured for the wounded man. It was found
that the wound bad been inflicted either with a rifle bullet
or some larger missile of a square form, and was very dange-
rous.ptah
parties
amputationeahav have
hee
am uasptpbr
ee
hreens odretde.d tlot.
6.lCx
oftelatttisactkelpregd
e that the
organised,a t t a ck
severalniust
heavyhave been p
seizuresr e c ohnacveirntge d
recentlya d re-
gularlybee n made in that district by Lieutenant Graves and his
party.— Tyrone constitution.
LIYERPoOL, DEC. 28.—The United States Mail
steamer Atlantic, Capt,in \Vest, pail, ci for New York this
afternoon, carrying ut a number of passengers and a fair
cargo of go. a pretty heavy mail. The
Arctic, tl 4 n. to lea\ r lie', York on ion 2'a , %Ail; probably
arrive about ihursday. _ _

Mr. Dodsworth bas, it is stated, placid his resig-
nation in the bands of the Bishop of London.
ST. HELENA.—Sir James Emerson Tennent, Colo.
nial Secretary at Ceylon, will succeed the late Sir Patrick
ROMP GroYeruor of st. Helena.