The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-28 00:00:00

SACRED LIAR3IOIVIC SOCIETY.

Mr. Costa's oratorio of " Eli " was again per-
formed by this society last night, at Exeter-hall.
This talented and successful work has already
achieved a reputation, and its merits were attested
by the crowds wilt) assembled to hear it last even.
ing. Mr. Costa himself was the conductor, and
the orchestra was as usual very efficient. Madame
Itudersdorff and Miss Dolby took the parts of
Hannah and Samuel, and distinguished themselves
very highly. Madame Rudersdorff, who took the
soprano part, was very successful in the air, " I
will extol thee," and Miss Dolby rendered the
music allotted to Samuel with her usual abi-
lity and expression. It bad been antici-
pated that Mr. Sims Reeves would have
been prevented from attending by illness, but
ho did appear, and, not with-tanding the rules
of the society, was much applauded in the air
Philistines, hark !" This passage, which is the
most str.king in the oratorio, produced its usual
effect—the chorus catching up the war cry, and the
a imirable adaptation of the instruments are very
effective. Signor Belletti took the arduous part of
Eli, and acquitted himself with credit. Mr. Mon-
tern Smith and Mr. Thomas, two promising singers,
who have lately appeared at this Society's perform-
ances, undertook the minor parts. The hall was
crowded in every part, and the audience apparently
highly gratified. The " Creation" will be the
next oratorio given by this Society, and will be
performed on the 13th of March.

MR. ALBERT SMITH.—The "Ascent of Mont Blanc,"
which bad been interrupted of late by a severe domestic
affliction in the family of this most popular of " enter-
tainers," was on Thursday night resumed with all the
eclat that usually belongs to it.

THE PEOPLE'S MONDAY EVENING CONCERTS.—The
Lord Mayor has kindly forwarded, through Mr. Under-
Sheriff Anderton, a donation of 51., in aid of the Fund
now being raised for defraying the expenses incurred in
establishing the Cheap Concerts for the People at St.
Martin's Hall. His lordship, with several of his friends,
recently attended one of these popular concerts, and was
so highly pleased with the result, that, in compliance
with the express wishes of the managing coniwittee, he
promised, at the earliest opportunity, to pay another
visit, with the Lady Mayoress, and, he hoped, the
Sheriffs and their ladies.

THE BANK CHARTER ACT.—Yesterday an important
return in reference to the Bank Charter Act was issued,
showing the operations of "banks of issue." The names
of 47 banks are given which had ceased to issue their
own notes prior to the order in council, according to the
provisions of the act /th and Bth Vice, c. 32. The
amount of the authorised circulation of the banks was
712,6231. On the 13th of December, 1855, the amount
of Bank of England notes issued under the order in
council, for replacing the amount of circulation with-
drawn by banks of issue up to that date, was 475,0001.,
since which date no further issue had been made. Fur-
ther, it is shown that seven banks have ceased to i.sue
their own notes since the order in council, and they were
authorised to have a circulation of 111,0201.
ACCIDENT AT A BREWERY, RaTeLlFF.—Yesterday
morning, between 9 and 10 o'clock, a shocking accident
occurred at the premises of Messrs. Walker and Sons,
Daiphiu-Brewery, Broad•street, Eatcl ff, to a man named
Roger Spanswick, aged 45 years. He was standing on
the side of a copper containing a large quantity of boil-
i„g liquor, when he slipped and fell in, and was scalded
iu a most fearful manner. He was removed to the Lou. do,, Hospital, where Mr. Jenkins, the house surgeon,
raridered every assistance to alleviate the poor fellow's
sufferings. He lies in a dangerous state.
THE VICTORIA CROSS --Mr. C. F. Hancock, of Bru-
ton-;treat, has teen intrusted with the manufacture of
the "Victoria Cross for distribution among the officers and
privates of her Majesty's soldiers who distinguished them-
selves for their valour in the late Crimean war. The
Cross, which is of the order " Victoria, in,tituted and
created 29th January, 1836," is manufactured from the
metal of Russian guns captured at Sebastopol. It is of
the Maltese pattern, and bears the inscription, " For
valour," the escroll being the Royal Aroma. It la to be
worn by the navy with a blue ribbon, and by the army
with a red. In execation it is neat, and will form for
the distinguished wearers a pleasing souvenir of their I
toil; and perils that, are past. The decoration carries
with it a per.ision of 10/. a year.

LATEST NEWS.

CHINA.

PARIS, FEB. 27.

Letters from Macao, of the 10th of January,
state that the Emperor of China had just placed
in a state of siege the five ports of the Empire
open to Europeans.

The Paris correspondent of the Times (second

edition) says :
" The French and Turkish Ministers at Teheran
have received instructions to support England in
the present difference with Persia. The former,
in particular, has, I understand, been charged
by his Government to urge on the Sbah the
necessity of ratifying the treaty which has
been negotiated in Paris, and the draft of
which has been submitted to the English Go-
vernment, and otherwise to co-operate to the ut-
most of his power towards the satisfactory solu-
tion of the question. If Russian influence be
not uppermost when the treaty is received at Tehe-
ran it will be ratified ; if otherwise, the chances are,
as I have already mentioned, against us. In the
meantime it is stated that an armistice has been
agreed on between the officers commanding the
British troops in Persia and the Persian forces.
The armistice will be in force for three months, and
will date from the Ist of March. Three months
would be about the time for the treaty to reach
Teheran, and an answer to be received.
Having alluded to the convention said to have
been concluded between Russia and Persia on the
18th of January, I may again notice the fact, which
•has not been denied, of the visit of a general of en-
gineers, accompanied by other officers of the same
arm, to the country about Mount Ararat and the
pass of Bayazid, and of their having examined and
taken plans of it, no doubt with a view to the erec-
tion of forts. The object, as averred, was simple curi-
osity or harmless study of topography—as harmless,
no doubt, as the archaeological visit of the Russian
officers to Athens before the war broke out, when
King Otho was ordered to be ready.
" It is announced in the Patric that the Russian
Government has recently despatched a memo-
randum to the Russian diplomatic agents in foreign
countrie.., in which the union of the Danubian pro-
vinces is said to be as natural as it is desirable,
inasmuch as the population of the two Principali-
ties are the same by descent, by religion, and by
language, and that their union cannot by any
means be prejudicial to European interests.

" The Neuchatel affair is not improving, and,
fiom what we can learn, all the parties concerned
are in a very bad humour with each other. The
Emperor Napoleon cannot but feel mortified at
being duped by the King of Prussia,

. . . whose word no man relies on ;
' Who seldom says a foolish thing, and never does a wise

one.'

"His Imperial Highness finds he has gone too
far in lecturing the poor Swiss, as he took
the liberty of doing when he thought he had the
King of Prussia all to himself, and in pledging
himself to the Swiss that all would be right. He
finds now that all is not right. Then the King of
Prussia is angry that Dr. Kern should have pro-
claimed in all the 'cabarets' of the Confederation
that the Emperor of the French showed him his
private and confidential letters, in which the de-
scendant of the Great Frederick was understood to
pledge his word that if the prisoners were set free
renunciation would follow. These effusions were
of course most amicable, and not a little senti-
' mental, and thq bore the impress (so at all events
we are told) of being composed in those moments
when the Royal heart is most expansive. Then
again the Federal Government is annoyed that the
hopes it held out to the Cantons are not yet
realised ; the Cantons are indignant that
they are not realised, and feel that they have been
duped; and poor Dr. Kern, conscious of having
acted with much indiscretion, and of meriting the
charges of overweening vanity, if not of more
serious faults, is worried to death by reproaches,
to some of which he has certainly laid him-
self open. Russia has not named her Plenipoten-
tiary ; until that is clone no day can be fixed for the
opening of the Conferences, and people here begin
to suspect that there is an understanding on this
point between Berlin and St. Petersburg. The
King is also vexed that the Royalists should, before
they were liberated, have signed a declaration that,
on their restoration to their country, they would
abide by the laws of the Canton of Neu-
chatel ; and, as might be expected, his
Majesty profits by every circumstance to avoid
fulfilling his promise—or what was entirely under-
stood as a promise. The Emperor of the French is
much to blame in this affair; the moment the pri-
soners were liberated he should, without any delay,
have summoned the King of Prussia to keep his
word. Ho showed bad taste and no small ingrati-
tude towards the Swiss in the beginning ; the best
way of redeeming his error was to have compelled
his prevaricating 'brother' to perform his part of
the implied bargain."

The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post
(second edition) says :

" An exchange of despatches has lately taken
place between the Cabinets of Vienna and Turin of a
somewhat serious nature. M. Buol is understood
to have protested against the encouragement which
Piedmont offers to the national cause of Italy.
The reply of M. Cavour is said to be dignified and
loyal. The correspondence is reported to have
been submitted to the Governments of England
and France. The Austrian Cabinet has found, I
hear, little sympathy in Paris, whilst at the same
time her Majesty's advisers have not, by any
means, encouraged the threatening language of
Austria. The relations between Austria and Pied-
mont are not likely to improve. The former Power
seeks to bully the Sardinians, and they are nob in
a position to accept insult."

FRANCE.

The following telegraphic despatches have been
received :

" TRIESTE, 25TH.—.Intelligence from Constanti-
nople has been received to the 20th. The commis-
sion for organising the Turkish gendarmerie had
been nominated. The English fleet was still at
Bujukdere. Two intendants had been arrested
at Constantinople for being concerned in a consider-,
able robbery from the treasury of the Sultan. The
Hungarian Mehemet Bey had accepted a high com-
mand among the Circassiaus ; and 400 robs who
had belonged to the legion had left for Circassia.
Tile Russian flotilla in the Caspian Sea was, it was
said, to land 2,500 men at Astrabad. Letters from
Athens to the 21st announce that a Greek student
was found concealed with arms on his person in
King Otho's cabinet and arrested. He was de-
clared to be insane."
TRIESTE, 26TH, EVENING . —Advices from Bom-
bay to the 2d state that Mr. Murray had arrived
at Bushire, and that the English were establishing
their head.-quarters at Bassora."
" MARSEILLES, 26TH. —News has been received
from Palermo to the 21st. The official journal of
tivegla'sSici
lytatmesovtehmaten,
Stpinaonzzd
severalseconda,other fu
olteadernritßiv
were arrested by the assistance of the peamnt3.

Letters from Naples to the 23d state that the ut-
most tranquillity prevailed there."
" TURIN, 26TH.—The Grand Duke Constantine
arrived Lere to-day."

BOURSE, Feb. 27.—The following were the last
quotations :
Cash. fr. c. End of Month.
4i per Cents
3 per Cents 69 75 69 85
Now Loan —
Bankl Shares 4,200 Roman
Credit Mobilier 1,415 Austrian 91
Belgian Fives ...... .. 99a Spanish Threes 4O
Pied moutese (5) 9O 75 Home Debt
RAILWAYS—FOR CASE.

fr c
Orleans 1,415 Western
Northern 970 Strasburg
Lyons 1,437 50 New Ditto
Mediterranean 1,825 Grand Central
Lyons Geneva
Cette