The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-17 00:00:00

THE POLISH BALL.

The Guildhall of the City of London, with its
brilliant fittings, was once more devoted last night to
the cause of true charity—the increase of the funds
for the relief of the Polish exiles ; and again was there
a most numerous assemblage of beauty and fashion
to grace the ball-room with their presence. We can-
not pretend to enumerate the whole of those friends
of the poor exiles who shared in the gaieties of the
night. At one period there could not have been less
than 2,000 in the Hall and Council Chamber ; but
amongst them were—

The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor and Lady
Mayoress, and family; Mr. Alderman Hooper, and
Mr. Sheriff Pilcher and ladies; le Due de Guiche,
Earl of Chesterfield, Count de. Grammont, Earl of
Hillsborough, Earl of Portarlington, Lord Foley and
the Hon. Misses Foley; Viscount Castlereagh, Lord
D. C. Stuart, Lady Mary Berkeley, Lord Fitzgerald,
Lieut.-General Sir Burgess Camac, C.B. ; Mrs. and
Miss Hammersley, Sir Horace St. Paul, T. S. Dun-
combe, Esq., M.P.; M. Philips, Esq., M.P.; Lieut.
Hunter Blair, Sir Felix Booth, Bart., Sir J. L.
Goldsmidt, Bart.; and family ; Sir George Carroll,
Mr. Alderman John Johnson, Mr. Alderman and
Mrs. Thomas Wood, the High Bailiff of Southwark,
the Under Sheriffs ; William Ward, Esq., Mr. Deputy
Peacock, D. W. Wire, Esq., Mr. George Cash, the
Secretary, and other long tried friends of the charity.
The fete was announced as a fancy dress ball, but
most of the visitors most wisely adopted full rather
than fancy dresses ; where the general rule was de-
parted from, the failures were, with two or three ex-
ceptions, most manifest. One gentleman dressed bluff
King Henry extremely well; his robes were right
royal ; but there the personation ended, for there was
none of the fierce humour and gaiety of the king, who
kept the most witty of jesters, and who, in spite of
his corpulency, was one of the most winning of men.
Two or three very artificial Greeks, a real Turk, a
solitary Jagar, two -fac-simile ifghlanders, a fox-
hunter with a clean satin lining to his bespattered red
coat, and three or four nondescripts were lost in the
crowd. The gri-at attraction, however, of the even-
ing was an excellent concert given from the gallery at
the west-end of the hall, to which the following ladies
and keutlemen kindly and gratuitously lent their as-
sistance : —Mrs. Alfred Shaw, Miss Rainforth, Miss
Bassano, and Miss Maria B Hawes; Signor Ferrari,
Signor Burdini, Mr. Harrison, and Mr. Manners.
Conductor, M. Benedict.

The programme presented this popular selection :
FIRST PART.—Quartett, Miss Bassano, Miss Maria
Bs Hawes, Mr. Manvers, and Signor Ferrari, " Ecco
quel fiero instante " (Costa). Aria, Signor Burdini,
" Ecco it pegno," Gemma di Vergi (Donizetti).
Ballad, Miss Maria B. Hawes, " Oh chide me not my
mother," (M. B. Hawes). Aria, Miss Bassano, "lo
l'udia," Torquato Tasso (Donizetti). Aria, Signor
Ferrari (Rossini). Aria, Miss Alfred Shaw, "Ah
quel giorno," Semirarnide (Rossini). New song, Mr.
Manvers, "The Star of Poland," the words written
expressly for the occasion by H. J. Bradfield, Esq.,
the music composed by Mr. G. Reed; trumpet obligato
Mr. Harper. Glee, Miss Bassano, Miss Maria B.
Hawes, Mr. Harrison, Signors Ferrari and Burdini,
"Blow gentle gales" (Sir H. R. Bishop).

SECOND PART.—Ditett, Mrs. Alfa Shaw and
Miss Rainforth, "Dark day of horror," Semiranzide
(Rossini), charmingly sung, and kindly repeated on
an encore. Ballad, Miss Maria B. Hawes, "I'll
speak of thee " (M. B. Hawes). Song, Miss Rain-
forth, "Where the bee sucks" (Dr. Arne), which
was also honoured with an unanimous encore. Bar-
carole, Mrs. Alfred Shaw, " Ii segreto per esser felice,"
Lucrezia Borgia (Donizetti). Glee Miss Bassano,
Miss Maria B. Hawes, and Signor Ferrari, " Sleep,
gentle lady" (Sir H. R. Bishop). Finale, "God
save the Queen."

The dancing commenced soon after eight o'clock,
and, with the interval of the concert, continued with
spirit till a late hour. Refreshments, under the su-
perintendence of Messrs. Bathe and Breach, were
well served during the whole evening, and there was
nothing to detract from the pleasures of an evening,
which must have been most favourable to the benevo-
lent object for which the entertainment was given.

GENERAL MS TRESS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Stn,—l have for some years been a daily reader of
your Paper, and deeply lament that your liberal sen-
timents are not general with men of all parties. But
the time has now arrived when politicians must cease
to strive for victory, and direct their energies and at-
tention to the good of their country, without reference
to Whig or Tory Liberal or Conservatives. In
fact, the present distress of the country, must force
itself upon the attention of all men, and it is our duty
to view the state of our affairs calmly and uispas-
sionately.
The knowledge of a disease is half the cure ; and
the question we have to resolve is—How can we
diminish the general distress ? There is but one answer.
We must find profitable employment for our la-
bourers of all descriptions, whether agricultural, com-
mercial, or manufacturing. You most justly observe
The quantity and value of manufacturing and com-
mercial products must be increased before there can
be an ,thing more to give to the farmers." This is a
truism which should be impressed upon the considera-
tion of all statesmen. No improvement in agricul-
ture, no draining, nor increase of produce, can be of
any service to the farmers or landlords, unless they
can increase the number of profitable consumers, of
men who can earn wages by their industry. Trans-
porting the " turn. outs," or sending them to prison,
and their wives and families to the workhouse, will
not diminish, but rather increase our distress.t !They
are all unprofitable consumers of food, inasmuch as
they live in idleness, and must be supported by an ad-
dition to our taxes and poor-rate.
There is a melancholy and mistaken opinion, too
prevalent with farmers and landlords, that they are
sometimes sacrificed to the manufacturers. Now if
they will only reflect upon the subject, they must be
aware that this cannot be the case, and that the more
the manufacturers flourish, so much the better for the
agriculturist, as it necessarily increases the value of
the land, and all its produce.
No trade can be injured or depressed without the
injury being felt in a greater or less degree by all
classes, and it is for the benefit of society at large that
all should be prosperous.
Irreparable injury has been done to the farmers by
our Corn-laws, which have driven our capital and
skill, our men and machinery, to seek more profitable
employment in other countries, to the primary injury
of our own manufacturers, and the consequent distress
of our farmers and landlords, who only reap a tem-
porary benefit, from our unwise and unjust policy.
The mischief that has been done is past remedy,
and freeing trade more and more, without any refer-
ence to commercial treaties, can alone arrest our
downward progress, a truth which is now admitted
by reflecting men of all parties.
• We have much to dread from our notoriously cor-
rupt Commons, for ,Montesquieu has foretold that
" the English Constitution will perish when the Legis-
lative power shall have become more corrupt than the
Executive." But let us hope that this may not be
the case, and that the union of good men of all par-
ties may arrest our downfal, and save us from still
further misery and misfortune.
Your most obedient servant,
A KENTISH LANDLORD.

Nov. 10.

MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE .—On Tuesday, 26th
ult., an occurrence of a most painful nature took place
between Kishorn and Applecross. A young man,
passing on a visit to his parents from the former to
the latter place, was unable, owing to the fall of snow
that had taken place during the night, to proceed by
the way that crosses over the top of the hill. Taking a
byeway which leads from the end of Loch Kishorn
to the farm of Arighriseach, from whence he thought
he would soon reach his father's, as he was passing he
went to a house at Russel to warm himself; being com-
pletely benumbed with cold. The hospitable occupants
of the house entreated of him to remain a few days till
the road should be passable, but no solicitations could
prevail upon him to wait. The weather, instead of
clearing up, became more and more boisterous, and
the young man, unable to reach shelter, was not heard
of again till the Saturday following, when his body
was found by some shepherds at some distance from
any path.—Caledonian Mercury.
' Rot-AL " BICKER."—Among the various presents
made to her Majesty during her tour in Scotland,
one, and that not the least interesting, which has re-
mained unnoticed until now, was a bicker, or quaich,
presented to her by the arl of Mansfield during
her short sojourn at Scone Palace. The quaich was
sent to the Earl by Mr. M'Robie, lapidary, George-
street, for presebtation to her Majesty, who after ac-
cepting it, and examining it carefully, expressed her
admiration of the ingenious manner in which it was
fashioned. It was made of 500 pieces of four different
kinds of wood, of Scottish growth, and did infinite
credit to the artist who pit it together, an individual,
we believe, belonging to the Carse of Gowrie. Her
Majesty. and Prince Albert, we understand. partOok of
doch-an-dhorris out of the bicker, immediately pre-
vious to the Royal carriage leaving the
Palace.—
Perth Courier

BRIGHTON, Nov. 15.—Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean
have entered into a third engagement with the mana-
gers of our theatre, commencing last night. Mr. Kean
played Macbeth and Mrs. Kean Lady 11facbeth.- This
evening they appear in the Rose of ArraFon, to .mor-
row in Richard the Third, on Thursday in Much Ado
About Nothing, and on Friday they take their benefit.
During the whole of their engagements they have
been playing to excellent houses. It is a fact that the
managers reckon upon the engagement of Mr. Kean
as the only means of enabling them to go through the
season. Mr. and Mrs. Kean go from hence to Bir-
mingham, to fulfil an engagement.
A subscription has been entered into at Brighton
in behalf of the family of Nicholas Humphrey, who
it will be remembered lost his life by his fishing-boat
being run down by th© steam-packet Albion. It
already amounts to 611