The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-09 00:00:00

/!z>riG~Y/-

Sir Robert Peel arrived at his residence in White.
var,lens e:-.ttrday evening, from Drayton Manor,
Ste Ifordshire.

Mr. La Touch, and a deputation from the Great
North-Wvstern Railway (Ireland) had an interview
with the Earl of Dalhousie at the l'i.oard of Trade
yesterday.

Lord Granville Somerset, Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster, arrived in town yesterday afternoon.
The Earl of Hillsborough, M.P., Viscount Newry
and Morrie, M.P., lion. J. H. Knox, and Sir John
Rennie, from the Newry and Enniskillen Railway.
Company, had an interview with the Earl of Dal-
housie yesterday.

MR. BRAIIAM'S CONCERT.
Braham, assisted by his sons, gave his first
concert for the season last evening, at Hanover-
square Rooms. The following was the programme :
PART I.
The Witches Glee (Mr. I'. King) ; Song, On the
Cold Shores of the Stranger (Bellini), Mr. C. Braham ;
Grand Scene, Sampson's Lament on his Loss of Sight
(Handel), Mr. Braham ; Song, Revenge, Thnotheus
cries (Handel), Mr. H. Braham ; Song, Molly Bawn
(Lover), Mr. Braham ; Glee, The Red Cress Knights ;
Scene, Adelaide (Beethoven), Mr. Braham ; Song,
from Bellini's Norma, Mr. H. Braham ; Serenade, from
Doo (Donizetti), Mr. C. Braham ; Duet, from
I,'Elisir D'Arnore, Voglio Dire, Mr. Braham and Mr.
If. Brahara.

PART IL
Glee, The Winds Whistle Cold (Sir H. R. Bishop) ;
Song, The Death of Nel►on (Braham), Mr. Braham
Song, My Heart with Lose is Beating, Mr. C. Braham
Song, the Wanderer' (Schubert), Mr. H. Braham ;
Duet, Qh ! Albion (Braila Mr. Braham and Mr. C.
Braham ; Song, Rage thou Angry b!, rin (Benedict),
Mr. H. Braham ; Song, the Watchmtv-, :'Tom Moore),
Mr. Braham ; Duet, The Brothers (knight), Mr. C.
Braham and Mr. H. Braham; song, The Bay if Biscay,
Mr. Braham.

The glees constituted the novelty of the evening.
hey were deligliCuliy given ; and we trust that
during the course of the season the Messrs. Braham
will give us many more spccimens of this, the national
music of England. T►ie Braharns were all there, in
excellent voice. What may he the age of Mr. Braham,
according to the calendar, we know not ; but, vocally
speaking, he is what he ever has been in our remem-
brance, about thirty—just in his prime. Long may
he so continue. Mr. C. Braham has ripened into a
delicious concert-room singer; but Mr. Hamilton
Braham should not confine his exertions to the concert-
room. The lyrical drama stands in need of his ser-
vices. Nature intended him for the prirno basso
cantate of Europe. The concert was well attended.

SHAKSPEAREAN.
We last night had the gratification of hearing the
first of a course of three lectures on the plays of
Shakspeare, delivered at the Eastern Literary and
Scientific Institution, Hackney-road, by Mr. T. Cross,
of Cambridge. The subject was the play of Richard
the Third, which the lecturer analysed and commented
upon in a manner that hew forth frequent and ethu-
siastic bursts of applause front a numerous and highly
respectable audience, who, by the usual testimonies
of approbation, exhibited their appreciation ef the
acumen, research, anti taste, of the talented gentle-
man who addressed them. Mr. Cross was pecu-
liarly happy in his selections. Ms introduction,
in which he noticed the genius of Shakspeare, &c.,
was most warmly applauded. At the conclusion
there appeared a general feeling of regret that the
lecture was not of longer duration. We understand
this is Mr. Cross's first appearance as a lecturer be-
fore a London audience, and it must be highly grati-
fying to that gentleman and his friends to find that he
met with such unequivocal symptoms of future suc-
cess. The next lecture, the subject of which is
Macbeth, is fixed for the 14th of February ensuing,
when the admirers of our immortal bard may, not -
withstanding all that has been written and said tippvn
his works, be startled by novelties on a -subject they
have thought exhausted.

THE MERCHANT SERVICE.
There are many thousand seamen in the merchant
• service who will come under the jurisdiction of the
new Act, in AV hie 11 are several provisions respecting
the perfornethee of their duties, and the punishment
prescribed for negligence or desertion. By the 6th
section it is d-clared that in case a seaman, whether
before the commencement or daring the progress of
any voyage, shall at any time neglect or refuse to join
the ship on board of which he shall have engaged to
serve, or shall refuse to proceed to sea in such ship,
or shall absent himself therefrom without leave, or
shall desert, it shall be lawful for any justice of the
peace in her Majesty's dominions or the territories
under the Government of the East India Company,
upon complaint made upon oath by the master, mate,
or owner, or his agent, to issue his warrant, and cause
such seaman to be apprehended and brought before
him; and in case such seaman shall not give a reason
to the satisfaction of such justice for his neglect, re-
fusal, or absence, or in case of desertion, it shall be
lawful, upon due proof of such neglect, refusal, or
desertion, to commit such seaman to prison or to
house of correction, with or without hard labour,
at the discretion of the justice, for a period not
exceeding 30 days; or it shall he lawful for the
said justice, if he shall so think fit, at the re•-,
quest of the master, mate, or owner, or his
agent, instead of committing such seaman, to
cause him to be conveyed on board the said
ship, or to delivered to either of the parties men-
tioned, for the purpose of being so conveyed, and
proceeding on the voyage, and also to award to the
master or owner such costa incurred in the apprehen-
sion of the seaman as shall seem reasonable, not ex-
ceeding 4Cs., which shall be chargeable against, and
may be deducted from, the wages of such seaman ;
and whenever any seaman shall be committed to
priso • n, the justice shall cause his register-ticket to be.
delivered to the keeper of the prison, who shall retain.
the same during the imprisonment of the seaman,
and, at its expiration, return the same ; and whenever
a seaman shall be sentenced to death or transportation.
the officer having the custody of such seaman shall
transmit his register-ticket to the registrar of sea-
men. By other provisions, it is enacted that absence-
from the ship, or otherwise from duty, shall subject
seaman to forfeit two days pay, an I in case of deser-
tion' his clothes and effects on board are to be for-
feited. A penalty of 10/. is provided for harbouring
a deserter. No debt exceeding ss. incurred by any
seaman after he shall have engaged to serve, shall be-
recoverable until the service agreed for shall have,
been concluded,
nor can any seaman's effects be-
detained under pretence of a debt ; and in case of
such detention, the offender be liable to a penalty not
exceeding 10/. These several provisions (and there
are others to enforce the right of seamen against flue
master and owners) to take effect from IVednesday
last.

SOUTHAMPTON, JAN. B.—The Oriental steam-
packet, Captain Soy, arrived at 10 a.m. this day, at the
Motherbank, from Alexandria. The East India and
China mails, consisting of 53 boxes, were brought ashore
in a small steamer, and forNarded to London by the one,
o'clock train. Her dates are—Alexandria, Dec. 23, and.
Malta, 25th. The Oriental has a full cargo of silks, 86e.,.
and sixty-three yassengers. Her Majesty's ship Heels:
was at Alexandria, and several men of iar belonging to
the Paella of Egypt. Her Majesty's ship Scout, two
Danish men of war, one Danish steamer, three Swedish
meta of war, and one French corvette, were at Gibraltar.
Thu Oriental is expected to be released on Friday from
quaeantinc. The Royal Tar will take out this week's
Peninsular mails, and will leave for Gibraltar at three
P.M. to-morrow. The Duke of Palmella arrived hero on
Monday in the Royal Tar, and left the same evening in
the Grand Turk, for Havre.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.—The Speaker of the
House of Commons is already in training tier the opening
of the session. He sits in kis easy chair every evening
for several hourst.=.fter dinner, doing nothing but ti.od-
ding occasionally to the opposite sides of the 1,0111. Or,
certain evenings the housemaid moves an adjournw,mt at
an earlier nour by turning down the rtIL
the tire. The Speaker bus nicknamed her
ICT••
ton."—.Punch.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.—The Queen .and Prince
Albert walked out for some time this afternoon.
The foggy and unfavorable state of the weather
during the day prevented the Royal Family from
taking their usual airings.
1 The Marquis and Marchioness of Exeter arrived at
the Castle to-day, on a visit to the Queen.
His Excellency the Austrian Ambassador and the
Countess Dietrichstein took their dt-earture from the
Castle to-day. The Earl of Liverpoul, the Earl and
Countess Delawarr, and Lady Mary 'West, also left
the Castle to-day.
Mrs. Bouverie had the honour of joining the roya
circle at the Castle at dinner this evening.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester
visited tie Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge
and the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburgh
Strelitz took an airing to Kew yesterday, returning
to Ca.ilbridge House in the afternoon.
A deputation from the Great Western, Uxbridge,
and Staines Junction Railway Company, consi;.ling
of Mr. Richard Carpenter, Mr. Swynfen Jervis, Mr.
Martin Stutely, and Mr. J. 11.heelton, members of
the Provisional Committee; Mr. John Davis Paine,
. engineer ; and Mr. T. J. Mawe, solicitor, had an in-
terview with the Earl of Dalhousie yesterday, at the
office of the Board of Trade.
Mr. Dean, Chairman of the Customs, had an inter-
view with the Chancellor of the Excheqn,r yesterday,
at his official residence in Downing-stri-et.
The Hon. William Ashley and a deputation from
the Central Kent Railway had an interview yesterday
with the Earl of Dalhousie, at the Board of Trade.
Mr. Archer, jun., and Mr. T. Smith, had an inter-
view with Lord Stanley yesterday, at the Colonial-
office.

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