The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON. MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 1842.

tations ; since, without order and calmness, the.. Abbe
observel, .it was difficult that there should be, any con-
staucy in opinions, or any continued progress. The,
Aationcti estimates the number of persons who went to.
the Rue Tronchet at 1,200.

tried in that supreme form, for it often _happens that the
Emperor, when occupied with more serious affairs, sends
it to the provincial Tribunal qf the First Instance. This
is what has given rise to the characteristic Russian pro-
verb, " An affair is never so near being won as-when it
is lost." In general, it may be said that in Russia tri-
bunals merely exist for form ; all is judged in the Ca-
binet of the Minister and of the Senators by obscure
and ignorant people. It is easy to see what a door re-
mains open to corruption with such a system and such
tribunals, judging according to indecipherable laws.
These laws, which the Emperor Nicholas has united,
form sixty--seven volumes in quarto. The extracts of
these laws containing the laws called obligatory laws,
which serve as a code for the judgment of causes, is com-
posed of twenty volumes, which are increased each year,
with an appendix, containing the orders of the Emperor in
the course of the year, and which have the force of laws.
The two sections of the Senate of Warsaw differ from
the others, in that one judges criminal affairs and the
other civil affairs. According to the last letters from
Warsaw, the Code of Napoleon, which the inhabitants
were already accustomed to, is about to be replaced by
a legislative digest, made under the inspiration of cen-
tral power at St. Petersburgh. The territorial tax will
be replaced by the capitation, such as exists in Russia.
This tax is paid by the proprietor, who answers to the
State for his peasants and serfs. The abolition of the
line of custom-houses in the two countries will be put
in execution. It is the only measure good for Po-
land, which; shut up between Russia and Prussia,
could not export its natural produce, nor its manu-
factured produce towards Asia, . especially towards
China, where its cloth would be sure of an advan-
tageous sale. The national and confiscated goods
and lands of emigrants have all been made over to the
Warsaw bank. All these lands, which form almost one-
third of the country, are to be sold, but the money which
comes from it will enter into the Imperial Treasury ; for,
according to the last decrees of the Emperor, the Bank is
to send the benefices and surplus of its funds to the
Treasury. The other measures, such as the . instalment
of the Archicathedral at Warsaw, the enrolling of Jews
in the army, the introduction of the Russian Enguage
into the acts of administration, and into all the colleges,
the obligation of wearing the Russian uniform, the trans-
formation into a public establishment of the Sybylle of
Pulawy, a temple consecrated to the Polish nationality
—all these measures are the complement of that level-
ling system, the aim of which is to destroy every vestige
of Polish nationality.

Besides, the Russian Government, no doubt fearing
to increase the authority of the territorial proprietors
in Poland, has just decided that the officers of the army,
who already occupy almost
..all the civil functions, will
be called to the functions of Mayor in the country places.
But here the calculations of despotism are at fault. The
officers who have no ininiOVable.property in the country,
and whose pay is insufficient, will be obliged to depend
on 'those they are .placed to watch; and will thus
irribibe ideaS from which they would have .been pre-
served, if they had kept their military. functign. •It is
well known what answer was given by a Governor of
a province, accused of too •much, mildness towards the
-Polk "There is," said
.he, ".something in the at-
mosphere which modifies thg, nature and the cha-
racter of man,' ailiPME.Mile-ror Were in Poland, he
would become a Pole." 'The 'Grand Dicke Constantine,
eldest brother of the Emperor Nicholas; after a few
years' stay in W arsaw, wished rather to abandon the
throne than renounce Poland, where he had married the
daughter of a simple citizen. What, then, is that magic
influence, that hidden power, which acts with so mach
force upon the Russians in Poland ? It is civilization,
the spirit of progress, which all the efforts of despotism
cannot root odt, and which will show itself sooner or
later among the Russians.
The Poles until now have only fought in the name of
their nationality and their independence ; but if they
would keep their flag till happier times, and then begin a
struggle in the name of that civilization which is so un-
worthily outraged, one of those corny-notions of which
Russia has already felt the fatal effect might take place.
Poland has always been the scarecrow of Russia ; the
Russian philosophers and liberals, full of hatred and na-
tional rivality, repulsed all that came from that part,
laws, customs, and liberties ; they thought it better to -
seek models in the Grecian and Roman annals or the
American Constitution. Now that simple Polish Consti-
tution, which one of their Sovereigns promulgated in a
moment of inspiration,, has given to politics principles,
to society better laws ; and these new dogmas will not
want ardent•disciples to propagate that. The Russian
empire is, no doubt, imposing by its elisentll3 and its ex-
tent. All classes are linked one to the other by a mili-
tary hierarchy, and by an iron discipline which directs
them at its will. But if a single spring of this vast ma-
chine gets out of its place, the whole is likely to fall,
leaving the field free for the old spirit of municipal free-
dom, and to ardent populations impelled in divers ways
by sentiments of nationality.

FLANDERS AND DUTCH MAlL-
have made our readers ac-
BRUSSELS, JAN. 6.—We
(painted avith the new convention relative to the part
which the Belgian Government has concluded with that
of France for facilitating the reciprocal transmission of
the correspondence between the two countries.
This convention was to take effect on the Ist January,
1842. The Minister of Public Works had even given
orders to the Belgian frontier post-office to begin to act
upon it at that date, but we learn that the French post-
office will not be ready to execute the convention before
the 15th January.
It is said that the King of Holland will again visit
Luxembourg in the course of this month, in order to
make himself acquainted with the real state of affairs in
that country.
In the course of the year 1841, 197 ships arrived in
the port of Ghent ; nine of these ships came direct from
the Havannah, and other distant ports, laden with raw
sugar, cotton, and rice. .

blur ssELs, JAN. 7.—The cold has become very intense
since yeSterday evening. This morning the Contigrade
thermometer was at 901. ' The navigation of the canal
of Charleroy and Willebroeek is interrupted by the frost.
Alfred du Rosset, a foreigner, has just been condemned
to a year's imprisonment and costs, for having altered
his passport, which was originally authentic, or at least
ofihaving made use of an altered passport.
A. letter from Amsterdam, dated Jan. 3, in the Eman-
cipation, says—" It seems that the Cabinets of the Hague
and Brussels, severally desiring to put an end to the dif-
ferences between them, have become sensible that it is very
difficult, if not impossible, to come to a solution of all the
negotiations left to the Conimissions instituted according
to the treaty of the 19th of April, 1839. These Com-
missions having communicated . with each other, it was
found that none of them could take account of the con-
cessions made- by another and make a concession in
return. Each naturally endeavoured to obtain from the
adverse party as many advantages as possible without
having means to grant an equivalent. The two Cabinets
have therefore agreed to take up the result of the pro-
ceeding of .the Commissions at the present, which they
have now attained, and to take it at the basis of one
negotiation, to be entirely carried on diplomatically.
DUTCH FUNDS.—AMSTERDAM, J.N. 7.
Money. nii.s.
Actual Dobt, 256 per Cent
Jitto, ditto 5 per cent
Amort Srndic,4% per cent 9134 S 2
Ditto, ditto, 3)4 per cent 76 7634
Commercial Company, 4% per cent
Ditto (1835 and 1837) 5 per cent.
Loan 1837, 5 per cent. • 97% 98
Exchange on London, One
Two months ...... .s :l2
Hamburgh, One month 35 68%
Two months 35 43%
Dutch Pdpers, Jan. L
BELGIAN k UNDS—Bauserms JAN. 7.
Actual Debt, 234 per Cent.
Rothschild's Lean, 5 per Cent lOl%
Loan of Thirty Millions, 4 per Cent. 92%
Sper Cent.
Thirty seven
---(1340) lOlll
Loan of City, 1':32, 4 per Cent. 95
Society)! Commerce, 4 %per Cent PB
Bank of Belgium, 5 per Cent..„........:: 75%
National Society.
Exchange on London (shot t)
Brussels Papers, Jan. 7.
AUSTRIAN FUNDs.—VIENNA, Dec. 31.
fire per Casts. Mctalliques
Foes per Cents. 99
hree par Cents.
dank Shares IE2I
—Aagenzeine Zeilutte. Jan. 3.

EDINBURGH HIGH COURT OF

JUSTICIARY.

Thursday the Court met for the trial Of a number of
lases, among which was one which attracted an unusually
genteel auditory.
James Bower Burn, John Topp, Richard Blennerhasset,
And Thomas Chater, students of medicine, were charged
with a breach of the peace, by fighting u duel last sum-
mer ; as also assault by means_ of, loaded tire-arms,
whereby Mr. Topp was wounded in .tha leftt,chigh: by Mr.
Burn, the other two gentlemen aiding and „abetting, by
uting as seconds. These charges were laid' first as at
common law, and the act of shooting with intent to kill
or do some grievous bodily harm, was also charged under
the statute. _

The prisoners pleaded guilty of the assault, to which
the Lord Advocate restricted the charge. An eloquent
Ippeal was made on behalf of the prisoners by Mr. P.
Robertson, their counsel, who stated the high respecta-
bility of the young gentlemen, of which he held ample
documents. He also urged the extreme rareness of the
offence, in order to show that a severe punishment was
unnecessary for its prevention in future, no similar case
having come before the Court during the last fourteen years.
Their Lordships, in consideration of all the circum-
stances, considered themselves justified in awarding a
sentence of two months' imprisonment in the Jail of Edin-
burgh; and to find caution to keep the peace for two
years, under a penalty of 501. each.
FRIDAY.—The only trial of interest which came before
the Court, this day, was that of James Boyd, engineman
on the Dundee and Arbroath Railway, charged with cul-
pable homicide, in so far as in the month of October last
where the railway passes through the village of West-
'aaven, he caused the death of an old woman, 82 years of
age, and who was quite deaf. She was driven off the
rails by the engine, which the panel was driving, and
was so much injured that she died. The Jury returned
a verdict of Not Guilty. The trial lasted for about seven
hours.

Last summer Sir Thomas M. Brisbane pur-
chased a school in Largs, at .an expense of more than
3001., and has endowed it to the extent of 30/. per annum,
kw the benefit of the poor and working classes there.
The school is now crowded with scholars, receiving edu-
cation at a very cheap rate. Sir Thomas has also re-
cently sent 20/. to assist in finding work for the unem-
ployed in the parish ; 10/. to aid the e;lion ill relieving
distress ; and 5/. to support-
the parish missionary ; With
kind assurances that more will be given, if required.—
Ayr Advertiser.
A young gentleman, named Wright, of Fethard,
accidentally shot his companion on Friday last. " In
joke ho presented his gun, saying, " I'll shoot you."
The gun went off, and unfortunately had the expressed
effect. The grief of Mr. Wright is inconsolable,

• FAMILIES OF LITERARY MEN.
The Quarter 4 Review, in discussing . an objection to
the Copyright Bill of Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, which was
taken by Sir Edward Sugden, gives some very curious
particulars about the progeny of literary men. "We
are not," says the writer, " going to speculate about the
causes of the fact—but a fact it is—that men, distin-
guished for extraordinary intellectual power of any
sort, very rarely leave more than a very brief line. of
progeny behind them. . Men of genius have scarcely
ever done so. Men of imaginative genius, we might
Say, almost never. With the one
,exception of the
noble Surrey we cannot at this moment point out a re-
presentative in the male line even so far down as in the
third generation of any English poet, and we believe the
case is the same in France. The blood of beings of that
order can seldom be traced far down even in the female
line. With the exceptions of Surrey and Spencer we are
not aware of any great English author of at all remote
date from. whose body any living person claims to be
descended. There is no other real English poet
prior to the middle of the eighteenth century,
and we believe no great author of any sort—
except Clarendon and Shaftesbury—of whose blood
we have any inheritance amongst us. Chaucer's only
son died childless. Shakspeare's line expired in his
daughter's only daughter. None of the other drama-
tists of that age left any progeny—nor Raleigh, nor
Bacon, nor Cowley, nor Butler. -The granddaughter
of Milton was the last 3.19100 d. Newton, Locke,
Pope, Swift Arbuthnot, Hume, Gibbon, Cowper, Gray,
Walpole,avendish—and we might greatly extend
the list—never married. Neither Bolingbroke, nor
Addison, nor Warburton, nor Johnson, nor Burke, trans-
mitted their blood. M. Renouard's last argument
against a perpetuity in literary property is that it would
be founding another noblesse. Neither jealous aris-
tocracy nor envious Jacobinism need be under much
alarm. When a human race has produced its bright
consummate flower' in this kind, it seems commonly to
be near its end."

Poor Goldsmith might have been mentioned in the
above ILA. The theory is illustrated in our own day.
The two greatest names in science and in literature, of
our time, were Davy and Sir Walter Scott. The first
died childless. Sir Walter left .four children, of whom
three are dead, only one of them (Mrs. Lockhart)
leaving issue, and thi, fourth (his eldest son), though
living, and long married, has no issue. These are cu-
rious facts.

THE FROST,—THE PARKS, &c.
Notwithstanding the severity of the frost for the last
few days, neither the Serpentine River nor the Canal in-St.
St. James's Park, are frozen over sufficiently strong to
allow the public to venture on. Yesterday and Saturday
the wind was most keen from the north-east. The ther-
mometer at the Receiving-house in Hyde Park, at eight
A.M. yesterday, was as low as 26 ; at the Tent in the
Regent's -Park, it was 28 ; during the day the mercury
did not rise higher than 29. The west end of the Ser-
pentine River was frozen slightly over, but no vestige of
ice was to be seen at the head. The Round Pond, in
Kensington Gardens, was frozen sufficiently strong to
bear, and during the day a multitude of scientific skaters
were on the ice, and the gardens were thickly attended
by fashionable company. The Regent's Park was the
grand resort in the afternoon. There could not be less
than 10,000 persons ass-enabled, and, we are glad to say,
no fatal accident happened. There were a great number
of persons within the enclosure in St. James's Park, and
a few on the edges of the canal, where the ice was not
more than a quarter of an inch thick. At four P.M. the
thermometer in Hyde Park was 27, with the wind E.N.E.
During the day a small quantity of snow fell.
(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
Loss OF LIFE.—The ice, with the single exception of
that on the round pond, Kensington-gardens, was, how-
ever, in an insecure and dangerous condition, and nume-
rous inimersions took place during the day, but through
the prompt exertions of the officers of the Royal Humane
Society, they wore unattended with fatal consequences,
until a late hour in the afternoon, when three young
men, who were skating on the ornamental water in the
Regent's-park, were suddenly immersed ; and although
every possible assistance was immediately rendered, so
long a period elapsed before they were extricated, that,
after more than one hour's application of the remedies
recommended by the Society, two only were restored to
animation, the third case being shortly after given up as
hopeless. It appears that the ice had been in a most
dangerous state throughout the day, notwithstanding
which many hundreds of persons persisted in venturing
upon it ; and the Report of the Superintending Officer
states that upwards of thirty were taken out of the water
in the space of five hours. The accident, which has
terminated so fatally, took place shortly before five
o'clock, in the afternoon, opposite Sussex-place, at which
time it was getting dusk. As soon as the alarm was
given several officers of the. Society hastened to the spot
with ice-boats, and after great exertion, three of the ice-
men being. themselves immersed in the water, succeeded
in recovering two of the young men. The third sank
under the ice, and several minutes elapsed before his
body was found. It was ultimately brought up by the
drags and conveyed to the receiving-house (a tent
erected within the grounds) of the Society, where Mr.
Norton, of Baker-street, and assistants, were in attend-
ance, and used the most unremittinc, exertions to restore
animation. As previously stated, in the two first cases
he was successful, but every means failed in the third—
the vital spark having fled. The deceased was a tine
young man, apparently about twenty-five years of age,
but no card nor paper was found upon him to lead to his
identity. The body was placed in a shell and conveyed
to the workhouse to await the inquest. The names of
the young men who recovered were stated to be James:
Wood, of Avery-street, Bloomsbury-square, and George
Demounay, of Cottage-place, Peckham. Much praise
is due to deputy superintendent Giles Barr, for his ex-
traordinary exertions, he having been immersed in the
water no less than four times.

The situation of Lieutenant-Governer of Que-
bec is vacant by the death of Gen. Mikes, formerly of
the Fusilier Guards.

Mr. Babington, F.L.S., of St. John's College,
Cambridge, is announced as a candidate for the chair of

Botany at King's College, vacant by the death of the late
Professor Don. Dr. Leman and Mr. Kippist are both
announced as carididates for the situation of Librarian of

the Linnwaii Society, 'also held by the former.
The Paris Post-office has published a notice that
the mail with the letters sent from Paris to St. Peters-
burgh on the 23d, 24th, and 25th of November, has been
lost between Riga and the Russian capital, and that all
effortS of the Russian Government to find it have hitherto
been unsuccessful.

THE WEATHER.—The weather during the
past week has presented a succession of frosty and over-
cast, cloudy and fine, nights, with occasional small
showers of broad snow flakes. A rain-guage at Hack-
ney, up to Sunday at noon, indicatel but three-hun-
dredths of an inch occasioned by the melting snow.
There was a prevalence of northerly winds, and the high-
est range of the barometer was 30.5 inches on Saturday,
the average maximum for the week being 30.15, and the
minimum 30 inches. On Sunday,. at four o'clock, the
thermometer at the Zoological Gardens was 27 deg.,
which was also the ' lowest point of temperature during
the day, at three o'clock in the morning. During the
present year the lowest daily range of the thermometer
was 28 deg. at two o'clock on the Ist ; 28 deg. at four
o'clock on 2d ; and 22 deg. at midnight, being the cold-
est point of the year ; 29° deg. on.the midnigt of 3d ;
'at four o'clock on sth • 24 deg. at- four o'clock
on al • 28 deg. at four o'clock on 7th, and 28 deg. at
four on Saturday. The average difference be-
tween the external temperature and that of the, giraffe
house, varies from 26 deg. to 30 deg., and of the, mon-
houSe 28 deg. It may be interesting to remark that
...ithin the corresponding Vresent week 'and those of the
is ,t fifteen years, the highest temperature arthe Horti-
cultural Gardens, at Chiswick, occurred on the 15th of
January, 1834, when the thermometer was 56 deg., and
the lowest on the 14th, in 1838, when the thermometer
was 4 deg. Notwithstanding the confirmed frosts, the
Regent's Canal remains open for navigation.
ANECDOTE OF THE DUKE OF WELLING-
TON.—When his Grace the Duke of Wellington, who is
known to be a very early riser, was last at Windsor
Castle, upon a visit to her Majesty, the following inci-
dent occurred, aftbrding another proof of the strict mili-
tary discipline so closely observed and practised upon
all occasions by his Grace. One morning, between
seven and eight o'clock, the Duke, accompanied by his
youngest son, Lord Charles Wellesley (who was then in
waiting as one of the equerries upon her Majesty),
walked from the Castle into the quadrangle, .which he
was about to leave by the iron gate near the entrande to
the state apartments to proceed on to the North Terrace.
The Duke and his son, however, were stopped by the
sentry (one of the 72d Highlanders) stationed at this spot,
who stated that his instructions were not to sutler any
person to pass from out of the quadrangle-at that early
hour in the morning. Lord Charles Wellesley imme-
diately stepped up to the soldier on guard, and said,
" You surely can't know who this is—it it the Duke of
Wellington, my father." His Grace instantly responded,
" Pooh, pooh, nonsense ; let the sentry perform his
duty;" and returned to the Castle until the hour ar-
rived at which the sentry could suffer them to pass out
through the gate in question.
Invitations have been forwarded to the Right
Hon. Sir Robert Peel, Bart., the Duke of Wellington, and
the chief members of the Government, to witness the in.
teresting ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the
Royal Exchange, on Monday next, by his Royal High-
ness Prince Albert. The Lord Mayor gives a splendid
banquet at the Mansion House to his Royal Highness,
when all the members of the Cabinet, and the Earl of
Jersey, Earl of Liverpool, Earl Delawarr, and the lead-
ing officers of her Majesty's Household, will honour his
Lordship with their company to meet his distinguished

guest.

COMING OF AGE OF LORD CURZON.—On
lie 16th inst. (Sunday next), the above Nobleman,yldest

son of Earl Howe, attains his majority, when that happy
event will be celebrated with much rejoicing at Gopsall
Hall, Leicestershire. Preparations are already in pro-
gress for the fete, which is to take place the following
day. The poorer classes on the Noble Earl's estate are
to be bountifully regaled at his Lordship's expense, in ad-
dition to their having received excellent warm clothing
for. the winter. A grand entertainment is to be given' to
the principal family tenantry, and the troop of yeomanry
cavalry, of which his Lordship is Captain, -are to dine to-
gether in commemoration of the joyous occasion.
The only remaining Chimpanzee of the three
added to the collection at the Zoological Gardens during
the past summer died on Saturday evening, of an affec-
tion of the chest, under which it had lingered for some
weeks. This makes a total loss to 'the Society of five
of these rare and interesting animals, and it would ap-
pear that all attempts to acclimatize their in Europe
will be in vain, particularly as all that have been intro-
duced to the Jardin des Plantes, which would appear
much more genial to them, have also died. The Society
Liss likewise just log a valuable monkey in one of the
act ive Gibbous,