The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-26 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 26, 1850.

HER MAJ EST Y'S THEATRE.

The performance last evening was tor the benefit
Madame Sontag, and, as might hs.ve been expected,,th,
theatre was crowded to excess. Tee perfirmances
commenced with the Barbiere iii Set Iglia compresse,_
int-) one act. In the siegtng lesson, Madame Sontag in-
Lroduced Rodes' air, and on beiug encored, substituted
for it, " At:l. voue dirai j.." These were, perhaps, fra
most womhrtully brilliant pieces of vocal.zation eve
heard. At the couelus.on of the Barbiere, we had one
act of Semiramide, in which aladame Senta4 appeared
as the Assyrian Queen fir the first time since her return
to the stage. This was formerly one of the great charac-
ters of Madame Sontag, and last night she was magnifi-
cent. She exhibited a dignity and a majesty of bearing
in her representation of Serniramide, for the possession
of which few who have not seen her in this character
would have given her credit. She was " every inch a
Queen." Her vocalization was perfection, never has the
Bel raggio" been rendered' with such clearness, such
beauty, and such force; it was the very perfection ce
singing. So delighted are we with what we saw last night
of- the Semiramido of Mtdarae Santis; that we hope
nefore the close of the season to see her perform the
character throughow. Sho was admirably supported by
Mademoiselle Ids Bertrand, whoa, Apace wee a perfect
triumpb. The " Oh! qual Giorao" was splendidly ren-
derei, nod the duet with Assur was full of tire and spirit.
Mademoiselle Ida Bertrand is by far the best contralto
we have at present in London. Tne opera was very
strongly cast. Coletti was Assur, Belletti, Oroe, and
Gardoni Idreno. This cast greatly strengthened the
concerted pieces, which were admirably given.

tiough tht re cannot be a doubt that in several
realities the lear,•6 and stalk, pr'•srnt a cheerless tip-
are obliged to almit that the tubers are
vet sate, and :Is the strongest proof that the hiLltt (it
b!ight of former ye.ira it be) has not descended. I send
you a specimen of stalks anti po!stoes, and when I as-
sure you that the stalks I seod wo.ra in their present
state 12 days &nee, I thiLlt you will odruit from the
..Junciness of the tubers, thst we have ',very reason to
tru,t that Go:I, in his iu?rcy, has subdued the ♦irulence
the disease, as with leavts such as I. send (iu torni-tr
years) all was gone."

FIRST NEWS FROM THE ARCTIC

EXPLORING EXPEDITION.
(From the New York Tribune.)

We have been kindly furnished with the following
extract from a private letter, written by an officer of the
Arctic Expedition is search of Sir John Franklin:—
•• United States' Brie Adv vice, eff Sc, John's

Newfoundland, June 7.

" Dear Sir,—Our proAre.ss thus far, has been much
sllwer than I anticipat-d in consequence of head winds
and heavy we4ther. In a gale on the 29th u!t., we
parted from our ccm,ort. This is not a subj,et of regret,
.ss we .shall probably reach our place of rendezvous sooner
Chan in coxpany.
" Thu sailing qualities of this ve3sel tre admirable.
Ve have bad several opportunities of trying her speed
with coasters aid fishermen, and beat theta all with
ease ; she will no doubt improve, too, as shs becomes
tighter.

"-"
Yesterday we made the so! there cape of Newfound-
hind, and at the slaw time fell in with several icebergs;
we have continued to meet them since, and now have at
least twenty in sight around us.
" The officers and meq are all in good health and
spirits, and, with myself, are sanguine as to the success
of the enterprise.

" There is a vessel now near us, by which I hope to be
able to forward to you these few lines, probably the last
that you will receive from us until the fall,"

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
BRISTOL, JULY 25.
Srocic EXCHANGIL—The market was dull and inactive
to-day, and the principal business done was in Midland
Stock (59:.), which remains unaltered from yesterday's qao-
tation.

the fault would no, be his, but that of those with whore
ae lied to dell in toe !rive aetiore
Sir J. /Wait; concurred with his Noble Frienkl
the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the ad-
vantages of steam cominueteadon with the Ails-
e-alian colonies ; hut he cumelained that the Right
Honourable Gentlemen, Matfetd f coelining hiinseli
t she renders that foal been in to that effect, to the
proposals that had boss made err the subject, to the,
reuies that had been laid (lowa. anal to the' oilier rnattpra
in question, had, as regarded the Etet India Company.
taken a ceurse at once uncalled fir, and he would add
unfair—(Hear, and Oa.) When the correependence
that had taken place between the Government and the
East India Company on the subject had been moved fur
a former night, the Right Hon. Gentleman had re-
fused the motion on the ground that this correspondence
was confidential in its character. Bat the whole of the
Right Hon. Gentlemen's speech on the present occasion
wes nothing but an ex parto statement of the contents
of that cerrespendenae. which he (Sir J. Hoge) shouai
/nova for himself the first opportunity, and then leave the
[Luse to judge between the Government and the Ee,t
India Company in the matter. •When the Right Hoe
Gendeesee made allusion io the proposition fur having a
line from Singapore to Bombay, he suppressed a most
impurtaut fact. Whin steem cominunicetion to India by
way of the Red Sea was first thought of, the first clues-
non was with whom the carrying out of thec irrenunicetion
t seen Bombay and Singapore should rest? Politeeel
considerations of great importance were mixed up with the
question. It was submitted to the Cabinet of the dal,
and they determined, on account of the impoi taut con-
siderations involved in the question, that the communi-
cation between Singapore and Bombay should rest in
the hands of the East India Company, and be performed
by the East India Company's navy. Upon that distinct
understanding, that this should be the condition prece-
de:en before the Kist India Company entertained the
proposition, a steam navy was established for this ser-
vice, the East India Company contributing largely to-
wards the expense. Now, he asked was it fair when
granting this service to the East India Company as a
condition precedent, that as soon as the communication
was established that this company, assisted by Govern-
ment, should try by indirect means to get rid of this
condition with the East India. Company? When the
communication was first established, there were txo
what the Right Hon. Gentleman called heavy mails.
One was abandoned, and why? Not for the sake of the
public, but because it was found to be a useless expense.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company stated their case
to Government, and the Right Hon. Gentleman assented
to their petition, and the line was abandoned. He was
glad to find that the communication with India had so
much increased of late years as to render the resump-
tion of a double communication necessary. the
Peninsular and Oriental Navigation Comeaoy wished
to have the communication; and he was glad
of it, and he hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would
give it them. He was glad this company were in a
flourishing condition, for he considered that the public
service was never better performed than when in the
hands of such companies; but, then, let not the Right
Hon. Baronet import into the question the cry of the
public service, when the main object was to get the two
communications to India into the hands of one company.
He would call attention to the time when the contract
saos first formed with the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany. At that time steam expenses were leas under-
stood than now, nor was the passenger traffic under-
stood. It was supposed that traffic would always con-
tinue to go round by the Cape of Good Hope, and that
the Peninsular and Oriental Company would have little
benefit besides the mails—a few parcels and an occa-
sional passenger. The contract was entered into on
that understanding. The result, however, had been the
reverse of that -expected, and he was glad of it. All
passengers now came by the company's line steamers,
and few by the Cape of Good Hope. His rejoiced that.
the Peninsular and Oriental Company had got a bene-
ficialc d of contract; the company was composed
enter-
prising men; they encountered a difficulty when the
means of overcoming it were nut well understood. Trey
had reaped a fair reward, and had got a large profit
from their contract. But as the company had
enjoyed a good contract for so long a period, neither he,
the House, nor the country, would be willing to subscribe
to the proposition for extending the contract unaltered
for ten years longer. In two years the contract would
expire. The East India Company suggested that it
should be renewed—but only after the terms were fairly
discussed. Government ought to say they were willing
to give the company the preference in this new contract;
but then they ought also to say, ° As you have si-
re idy had one good bargain, enter now fairly into the
matter—make a fresh bargain and you shall have a fresh
contract. But if you will not do this, then we will make
it public, and throw the contract open to competition."
The Right Hon. Gentleman hail told the House that the
company were willing to du the additional service for
5,000/. is year if they got a renewal of their contract.
Why if the company did the service for nothing, on thut
condition, they would have an atimirable bargain. The
meaning of offering this was that the company might
continue to charge the same rates to Singapore. If the
Right Hon. Gentleman renewed the same rates to Sin-
gapore, the company could afford to go to the other parte
for next to nothing. It was the renewal of the contract
to Singapore, at the present rates that the East India
Company resisted, and would resist, and he trusted the
House would support him in resisting anything
of an indirect character. The East India Company said
they would go heart and hand with the other company
to ffect a common object,
,but would resist a private
object. The rates to Singapore was the gravamen of
the case, and the great object in getting the contract to
Singapore renewed for ten years was to be able to con-
tinue to charge these rates. The Right Honourable
Gentleman talked of giving the public the benefit of
competition for the service to be performed for the short
distance beyond Singapore. But he could not under-
stand what that meant, nor could the Right Honourable
Gentlemen have any clear idea of what he was stating.
If the Peninsular and Oriental Company got four-fifths
or, rather, live-sixths of the whole way without competi-
tion, what was the use of saying that, fir the remaining
one-sixth, competition ,should be established ? The
proposition wes ridiculous. Tee East India Company
were ready to acceee to anything reasonable or fair.
But this would not do for the Right Honourable
Baronet ; he would only be content with having the
contract renewed for ten years. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman said Government were joint parties with the
East India Company, and could not act without them.
The Right Honourable Gentleman had never told the
chairman of the Ea't India Company that he was in
communication with parties on the question until he had
adopted the particular route. Then it was he came to
this chairman, and said that is the route I have decided
upon, will you support me in it? The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman ought to have come to them, and said " We wish
to have a certain route to China, India, and Australia,
which is fhe best route?" But he did no such thing.
He had forgotten to mention that when the Peninsular
and Oriental Navieation Company abandoned one line to
Singapare, that the East India Company built four or
five additional steamers at their own expense for this
service. The Rieht Hon. Gentleman told them they
need be at no expense—all they had to do was to give
up their steamers—dismiss and pay off their establish.
ment. Why no private gentleman would talk of dis-
charging his grooms and servants in that way. The
East India Company could not do as advised—they
could not discharge their servants without expense—
they must pension them off; and if the proposal were
adopted, so far from effecting a saving, as stated by the
Right Hon. Gentleman, it would actually be an addi-
tional expense to the company of at least 85,0001. a year.
He again complained of this discussion having been
raised without the correspondence having been first
laid on the table. The Right Hon. Gentleman ap-
peared to have a curious idea of what was confidential,
for he described the correspondence as confidential,
and then gave a pretty full intimation of its pur-
port. Now what was the communication that was
to he established by the Peninsular and Oriental Navi-
gation Company? It was only postal. He wanted to
know whether such a communication would satisfy those
patties on whose behalf petitions had been presented?
There had been deputations from Liverpool and other
great towns, stating that they were decidedly opposed
to the scheme. They did not want postal communication
only; but they wanted a merchandise and passage com-
munication round by the Cape of Good Hope. No per-
son of small means could go by the present route. lie
did not say the charge was too high for the route, but
he said the charge was so high by that particular route
no one could go by it to Australia. No merchandise
was carried that way, and only a few parcels. If the
route was continued to Australia that way it was pre-
posterous to suppose it could ever pay. What all disin-
terested parties wanted was to see the best line of com-
munication established between Australia and this coun-
try. If the East India Company viewed the question
in a selfiah light, they would rather have the route by
Singapore; but they wished for the best, cheapest, and
most efficacious route between India and Australia,
and when such a route was proposed they would lend it
all its aid. He complained that the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had held up the East India Company
to obloquy for frustrating his efforts to establish a
steam communication with Australis. Were there no
otber means of communication than the one proposed?
Why did not the Right Hon. Gentleman state all of
them—why did he not lay all the particulars before the
House, and thus let the House judge which project was
best? The fact was, the Right Hon. Gentleman had
come forward with a pet project of his own, and was not
in good temper with the East India Company because I
they would not fall in with his views. He admitted
that the Right Hon. Gentleman was competent to take
his view of the question, but then let the East India
Company, which in fact was ell they asked, have a little
bit of voice in a matter which concerned them deeply,
and far which they had to pay. The East India Co-
mpany had not seen a single tender; all they knew was
that the Right Hon. Gentleman had decided something,
and that he wished the East Company to adopt it. He
should move to have the correspondence laid on the
table, awl when that was done he should call the atten-
tion of the House to If e Right Honourable Gentleman's
argument, the*, everything was better done by a single
company than by many companies. Now, in the
public papers of that day lie saw un Admiralty ad-
vertisement for a centract for a communication to
the Cape. Why not let the two services, as a communi-
cation with Austral a by the Cape was alto desired, be
done by one company, it one company can, as asserted,
do the work cheaper? He avow, d that the East India
Company were ready and willing to co operate with Go-
vernment iu all fair means of establishing a communica-
tion with Australis; but they could nut help looking at
the unfair way in which
.the Right Hon. Gentleman
sought to effect his own oliject. It was just the same as
it parties wishing to make a line from London to York
should say, if they get g od terms for that project, they
would re Ace a line to Richmond at a cheap rate. He
contended that the offer of the Peninsular Company bad
no ciiiiriaxien with the Australian route—and because
the East India Company misted it they had been held