The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-27 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.

M. Lafont took his benefit here last night, and ap-
peared as Jean and as the Chevalier de St. Georges.
As the gent subsequently transformed into the gen-
tleman, in the first piece, and as the all accomplished
mulatto in the last, he was equally at home. He
was excellently supported in the last piece by Madlle.
Nathalle, whoie Madame Presle was a perfectly
graceful piece of acting. The house was crowded.

MUSIC HALL, STORE-STREET.
Mrs. Alexander iv e wton, the deservedly popular
vocalist, gave her annual concert at the above hall
last evening.
We have remarked in her since her debut a constant
and steady improvement, with which we are glad to
find a gradually increasing fame has kept pee. Her
performance of last evening betokened still further
progress. In the duet, "Da quel di," the aria, "U
Luce di quest' anima," and a duet by Rossini, she
showed her mastery over the difficulties of the modern
Italian school ; whilst trios by Cimarosa and
Cherubini enabled her to display musical feeling and
knowledge of a higher order. When we add to
these the pretty Scotch ballad, "An' ye shall
walk in silk attire," and state that she sang it
very sweetly, we believe we shall have suffi-
ciently established the versatility of her talent. To
Miss Ransford and Miss Leslie, who appeared on the
occasion, we can also give a word of encouragement.
They both possess excellent means, which time and
study properly employed and applied may enable
them to turn to great account. The other vo-
calists were Misses Poole and M. Williams, Mdlle.
Zimmerman and Madame Mactarren, Mr. Henry
Drayton, Mr. B. Frodsharn' Mr. Whitworth, Mr.
Bodda, and Herr Mengis. Miss Poole's rendering
of a ballad by Mr. Maynard elicited a rapturous
encore ; and Miss Williams in a song composed
by her brother, and Mr. Bodda in Rossini's " Largo
al factotum," received the same compliment. Mr.
Henry Drayton, one of our basses, was loudly ap-
plauded in Meyerbeer's " Piff-paff," and Mesdames
Macfarren and Zimmermann, together with Messrs.
Whitworth, B. Frodsham, and Mengis, likewise
came in for their share of approbation. The instru-
mentalists were Miss Eliza Ward (piano), Signor
Giulio Regondi (concertina), Mr. Richardson (flute),
all of whom acquitted themselves very satisfactorily.
M. de Kontski, the violinist, also performed on the
occasion, and received a hearty encore in the popular
" Carnival of Venice."

POPE PIUS THE NINTH AND THE
CATHOLICS OF ENGLAND.
An influential meeting of Catholics was held on the
25th inst., in Windmill-street, for the purpose of taking
into consideration the address of the Catholic Bishops,
published at their annual meeting in London, calling
upon the clergy and laity of England to purchase a
superb remonstrance or ostenseriuro now in England as
a present to his Holiness Pope Pius the Ninth. Amongst
the gentlemen present we noticed the Hon. C. Stoner,
the Rev. Thomas Rooker, D.D. and president of the
Catholic Colleges of SS. Peter and Paul, Prior-park, the
Revs. J. O'Neill, J. Barnher; Messrs. Amherst, Bag-
shaw, Mostyn, Palmer, Ryan, Wallis, Dearsly,
The Right Rev. Dr. Morris, D.D., was called to the
chair. Mr. Dearsly, in proposing the first resolution,
said his Lordship would be aware that the
Bishops at their annual meeting had called for the zea-
lous co-operation of the Catholics with them in show-
ing sown mark of sympathy w ith the Holy Father in
the many sorrows nod afflictions which had lately visited
his Holiness. To that summons he, in common with
Catholics in general, responded with the most cordial
enthusiasm. England might, not do so much as other
countries, but she would do to the uttermost. The
testimonial which they were abot.t to present would, he
hoped, in the language of the Bishops, speek of the;
" faith and the zeal and .the devotion" of the EngliSh
Catholics. He believed there was not a city, town,
village, or hamlet, but would vie with each othei
in a noble rivalry In this good cause. An at-
tempt to describe this superb ostensorium would
be impossible. Its value was unknown. The late
Bishop Baines, so much lamented, and whose
exquisite taste and judgment in all things relating to the
fine arts, originally brought it from Rome. It had been
designed for the Basilica of St. Peter. It contained 1600 1
precious stoned. Its weight in gold and silver they
might imagine when he stated that it stood four fret
and a halt in height. There was but one place in the
world fit fur it, and that was St. Peter's, where it would
be in harmony with everything around, and, by its ac-
cumulations of riches and beauty, centre every eye
and every heart on the Holy of' Holies. It was most
gratifying to him to know that this movement emanated
from the Bishops, and that it had the full sanction
of that revered and eminent prelate Dr. Wise-
man. Mr. Dearsly then moved " That the sum of 1600/.
be raisad to purchate. the ostensorium as a present to
the Pope, on such occasion as the Bishops may deem fit."
Mr. Wallis seconded the motion. Carried unanimously.
On the motion cf Mr. Amherst, seconded by Mr. Palmer,
a committee was appointed. Mr. Bagehaw then pro-
posed, and Mr. 11) an re:tonded, that his Lordship
ehould communicate tho resolutions of the meeting to
the Right Rev. Nicholas Wiseman, D.D., V.A.L.D.
Mr. Barnwell was appointed treasurer and Mr. Palmer
secretary pro tem. A vote of thanks was passed by ac-
clamation to the Chairman. This being the first occa-
sion of a similar nature since the Reformation the
utmost enthusiasm seemed to prevail.

SUSSEX HALL, LEADENHALL-STREET.—A concert
took place here on Monday evening, for the benefit of Miss
Hinckesman, at which many of her pupils sung for the first
time in public, and their performances did ample credit to
her as their teacher. Besides these, several old public fa-
vourites took part, such as Miss Poole, Mrs. A. Newton,
Miss Norton, Miss Lizzy Stuart, with Mr. Leffler, Mr. Bodda,
and Mr. Frederick Chatterton, the harpist. The programme
contained selections from the most eminent composers, and
the artists acquitted themselves in their usual excellent man-
lier. There were several new songs, composed expressly for
the occasion, sung by the young ladies. The first is quaintly
entitled " Strawberries," by Lee, which Miss Rose Braham
rendered worthy the author's reputation. The glee of "Blow
gentle gales" was sung by Misses Poole and Stuart, with Mr.
Bodda, very effectively; but the solo song that met with
the best reception was, "Come off to the moors,' sung with
excellent feeling and judgement by Miss Stuart, which
pleased the audience so well as to cause an encore. '['his
young lady is improving rapidly as an artist, and bars pro-
mise of a prominent position among the native vocalists.
The-hall was well filled, and an agreeable evening, full of
intellectual enjoyment, was appreciated. Such eons
certs cannot be too often repeated, enabling, as they do, such
talent to be listened to at such modsrate prices.

We feel the neglect of others toward:l ourselves;
hut we do not even suspect our neglect of tbcm.
cook's Joirnal.

THE GREAT CENTRAL GAS CoNsumEns Com-
PANY'S BILL.—The above Bill came before the Standing
Orders Committee of the House of Lords yistorday. Mr.
1.-)Ariatnenta-ry ngtni fir the promoters. ' Thfir
Lordships having duly considered the provisions of the Bill,
declared the standing orders to have been complied with.
The Bill WAS unopposed in this stage of its progress.

POST-OFFICE SUNDAY LABOUR.

(From the Times.)
The late precipitate proceeding with respect to the
Post-office may lead to consequences not expected by
those who acted upon the accidental mejority of the
House of Commons. A grave question has arisen as to
the legality of the order lately issued, and the courts of
law may probably be called upon to decide the point. A,
mere resolution of either House of Parliament has not
the force of law, end we must recur to Acts of Parlia-
ment to ascertain the powers of the Postmaster-General
and the Crown with respect to the delivery of letters.
The question may, indeed, ho tried in various modes, and
Oe only persons likely eventually to profit by the re-
striction now imposed are the lawyers. Important
letters being delayed or delivery of them refused on the
Sunday, an action may be found to lie against the per-
son refusing or detaining them, and the inconsiderate
conduct of the Government may thus lead to almost in-
terminable litigation. It ought to be recollected that the
business of delivering the letters of the community is a
case entirely exceptional. The community, speaking
by Parliament, has determined both to impose
upon the Government the obligation of receiv-
ing, collecting, and delivering letters, and to prevent all
private persons from in any way sharing in the lan- 1
soiess. For reasons parily of finance, parily of a social
character, a complete monopoly bas been established.
The Postmaster-General has been made " a corporation"

_ .
for this purpose; a certain fixed sum or charge has been
settled to be paid by those who send and receive letters;
and heavy penalties are imposed on those who shall pre-
sume to interfere with the duty of receiving, collecting,
and delivering them. Fur many years the chief consi-
deration of the Government in this matter was the sum
collected; the tax was the thing regarded. Security,
indeel, seemed to En increased by the Government tak-
. .

ing upon itself the duties of the Post-office; certainty
also appeared more likely of attainment in consequence
of the same proceeding. But many circumstancem have
occurred to shake the public confidence as to these sup-
posed advantages. All unity and precision and security
are likely to be lost, if the late proceeding is to be taken
as a precedent. The merest accident will hereafter have
fatal sway over our most important interests; and ore
great advantage derived from our advance in art, and
in our commend over the powers et nature, will
have to be struck out of the account to be - made
of the benefits derived from the exist-
erica of society. The people of this country are, we re-
joice to believe, an eminently pious people. But their
piety is not always a reasoning and rational piety. They
are not unapt to permit their common sense to be sur-
prised by interested professions of peculiar excellence,
and to be thus led to sactifice the substance and true merit
of piety for mere outside observance. An imperious de-
sire to compel others to obey our own peculiar opinions
and rules of conduct is but too often the real motive
leading to an unnecessary strict observance of the letter,
in place of the spirit of the law; and of the molement in
the country which eventually led to tho late resolution
of the House of Commons, the greater part was the re-
sult of mere personal interest, and a mechanical obedi-
ence to mere outward forms. Of the multitude who
signed petitions for the abolition of Sunday labour in
the Post.offiee, a very , large majority acted without
any real consideration of the consequence. The
mere signing one's name was deemed an easy way
of escaping remonstrance and importunity, as
well as of earning a character for piety. Little atten-
tion was paid to the motives of those by whom the
majority of the petitions were concocted, and signing the
naene:was generally believed to be all that would occur.
The first stir was made under a misapprehension. Those
who were unwilling to have a Sunday delivery of letters
in London (which was never contemplated, in fact, by
anybody) did not fail to take advantage of the feeling
which they found general in the metropolis, and the cry
was raised, Why not make the whole country like
London? Why need there be a Sunday delivery in any
part of the kingdom? Two °lessee very distinct in their
character, and as to the objects which they had in
view, were active on the occasion ; and proved, what
experience has, indeed, but too often shown, that
en active, persevering, and interested minority will
generally obtain their object in spite of the tame
Opposition of an apathetic majority. All persons con•
+meted with the delivery tf letters, and more especially
those who receive a fixed salary, had a powerful interest
in diminishing by one-seventh the labour for which they
were paid. To grace and cloak this mere sordid inte-
rest, they dexterously put forth their demand for an un-
employed Sabbath. They asserted that from being
mcupied during the Sunday they were unable to attend
their religious clutter, and prayed Parliament not to per-
mit the continuance of so grievous a wrong. To an ap-
peal of this descripion Parliament and the country were I,
tnxious to lend a willing attention, and all must wish
that every facility should be afforded in such a matter.
But works of necessity must still be performed; and of the
Lheusands who signed the petitions presented to Parlia-
ment there are few who relieve their own servants
from every duty beyond what absolute necessity
remands. The ordinary work of every household is
performol, though it includes many more than mere acts
.4* necessity. Food is prepared; carriages and horses
ire employed; visits are made and received. Some there
may be, but still a minute fraction of the whole commu-
nity, who restrict materially the duties of their house-
meal servants on a Sunday. But take these with all
'heir s;ricteess, and much that is mere superfluity will
still be found to remain. A crust of bread and a glasz
plain water are sufficient healthily to sustain a healthy
person for a single day. Fire need not be lighted ex-
.:ept for purposes of warmth—for the purpose of prepay-
tug food it is wholly unnecessary. The very persons
Nho claim exemption in this case because of the restric-
tion upon their time for religious observance deal. we
are Prepared to w.sert, with the time of others, as re-
gards themselves, in a far different spirit. They who
have servants command their services. They who have
the means of bu) ing enjoyment spend their money to
purchase the voluntary service of others to that end.
But who shall say that the transmission of some
letters on the Gunday is not a work of necessity?
Mid if we allow it in any case, we must allow
it in all, for no cl,scrimination can be made. We have
now before us many complaints of the misery which
this restriction has already inflicted. One case is an
instance of most 'grievous misery, most wantonly in-
dicted. A mother lies dangerously ill on the Saturday,
many of her children are absent, and she, believing her
end near, wishes to gather round her bed of el( ath the
children from whom she is destined soon to part for ever.
No letter can be sent. The family is net in affluent
circumstances, and the children are scattered. To send
For them is impossible. This is no fancied case. The
proof of its afflicting reality is now before us. In an-
other instance the circumstances are different, but the
suffering is nearly equal. The child in this case is ill
—additional advice is wished for. Again the family
is not affluent—and without greater, and for the
parents almost impossible, expense the advice desired
cannot be obtained. The great mischief of the matter
id that the evil thus falls chiefly on the poor. The
rich man, whether as respects his pleasures or his
wants, is able in most cases by his wealth to obtain what
he desires. Servants are dispatched, arrangements are
predetermined, and at an increased cost the thing is
done. But as respects the very end sought to •be ob-
tained by this restrictive system, that is wholly frus-
trated. Sunday labour, instead of being diminished, is
greatly increased; while the good which that labour
effects is materially lessened. The same train that car-
ries one messenger would carry thousands of letters.
The train Ira eels, all the servants needed for it are em-
ployed, but only the rich man's messenger proceeds upon
nis journey. The messenger of the poor man—his un-
expensive letter—is stopped, and hearts may be wrung,
Trepsreble wrong may to inflicted, and the poor pre-
'ence for which all this evil has been accomplished has
not the grace of being even in appearance what its
Authors desire. We assert, without fear of refutation,
that the restriction on the Post-office, instead of di-
etching, must of necessity greatly increase Sunday
labour.

(From the Chronicle.)
XL:Asters and their partisans seem to be extremely
delighted at the notion of the annoyance and incon-
venience which the country has begun to suffer from
the weekly obstruction of its postal communications.
They appear to regard it quite as a feather in Lnrd
John Russell's cap, that the House of Commons, of which
he is the official leader, has blundered into an absurd
and mischievous decision, the consequences of which
are likely to be intolerably vexatious. "People are
already finding out the effect of this measure," was the
boastful exclamation of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, not many nights ago, in answer to a remonstrance
against the stoppage of the Sunday delivery of news-
papers; and be evidently much enjoyed the thought of
the thing turning out many degrees worse than he had
himself predicted. It is regarded as particularly good
fun for the Government that the Sabbatarians themselves
have been among the first to cry out, and that they have
not blushed to denounce the "animus" apparent in the
new regulations—the said animus being as nearly as
possible identical (minus the murk) with that
which has marked their own fanatical agitation.
On the whole, it seems to be assumed by Ministers,
that the worse the new system works for the country
the better it is for them, and that every fresh develop-
ment of the oppressive consequences of this nuisance
redounds somehow to their credit.
For our own part, however, we doubt whether the
public will let the Government off so easily. All this
would be very well if Lord John Russell had been under
any real compulsion to accept, as final and authoritative,
the result of a chance vote in the House of Commons.
We can enjoy the laughable fright and mortification of
the too successful Sabbatarians as heartily as our
neighbours; and if it had been absolutely necessary to
give these agitators their own way, we could have
borne a good deal for the sake of seeing folly and
fanaticism work out their own cure. But there
was
no such necessity. The vote in question was but
one out of some half-dozen or half score occasions (we
have long since left off keeping an exact account)
on which, in the course of the present session,
Ministers have been outnumbered by an adverse
majority of the House of. Commons; and had they
been really in earnest in resisting what Sir Charles Wood
calls " an exceedingly great hardship and inconvenience
to all classes, and especially to the poorer classes," they
would have found a way of reconciling constitutional
propriety with common sense and public convenience.
The plsin fact is, they have deliberately chosen to maks
the very worst of this business. Totally regardless of
all considerations except their own official convenience,
they hare eagerly seiz:d on what they thought a good
opportunity for " giv.eg a Jerson" to their supporters.
It is a selfish end shabby policy, and we are much miss
taken if the issue dons not prove far from satisfactory to
its inventors. It will not Le by any means to easy as
Ministers imagine, to persuade the country that the
whole and solo responsibility of the late vexatious lone-
vetion rests with Lord Ashley and the House, of Com-
mons, and ti.at none of it devolves on those who have dis-
played so lad, cerous au enter's.) in "carrying out" a scheme
which they never miss an opportunity of denouncing. Peo-
ple are not used, in this country, to see great and sudden