.3111sIttlintroug.

Mn. COIHOHC ON Ressm.—The journals of Monday contained an ad- vertisement that set all the quidnunes agog : "What next? and next? By Richard Cobden, Esq., M.P." Duly on Tuesday evening, Mr. Ridg- way issued some hundreds of " What next ? "—a bulky pamphlet of some fifty pages, containing Mr. Cobden's latest views of Russia ; and setting out what he would do were he "sent for." Mr. Cobden treats his subject rather discursively. Assuming that the Allies drive the Russians from the Crimea, that they take Nicolaief, "invest Perekop and the forts of the Danube," and drive the Russians from. the Trans- caucasian provinces, he asks, What then ? Will Russia come to terms ? What tennis ?—The war, he says will become a war of endurance ; in that case, how stand the belligerents ? To show what Russia is, he con- siders her under several aspects. Her commercial policy-is that of pro- tection; she suffices to herself, and can only be _affected to a small extent by a naval blockade. Her vast system of internal communication, her vast supplies of land-carriage, enable her to evade the blockade by overland transit, and to feed an army in any spot between the Don and the Carpathians where there is wood and water. Having established the position that we cannot materially affect her physical resources, Mr. Cobden applies himself to prove that her moral resources are equally great; that the Russians possess a "patriotism and love of country" unsurpassed; and that although the people are not warlike, yet such is their belief in the destiny of orthodox Russia to conquer lia- homedan countries—such the affection for "their soil"—that they go willingly to the army. Then Mr. Cobden treats of the finances, the weak point of Russia. He shows that the finances are utterly unsound. Taking up an assertion made by Tengoborski, that even if the deficit occasioned by the wax is 20,000,000/. a year as Lion Faucher said, still the Russian Government has immense properties which would cover the de- ficit, and furnish money for many years of war. Mr. Cobdea wonders where these convertible properties are ; and, showing that the paper cir- culation of Russia rests on a deposit of bullion kept in the fortress of St. Petersburg, he supposes that the Government would lay its hands upon this—estimated by Lion Faucher at 16,080,008/, and by Ten- goborski at 69,000,0001.—and thus possess itself of means to carry on three more campaigns, Having set Russia up as a power on which we can make no lasting impression, Mr. Cobden considers, and finds bad, our own condition and prospects ; and then writes out that prescription for the cure of the disturbed relations of Europe which we notice in another page of this journal.

Sin CHARLES Neer= AND •rifr TENES.—Sir Charles Napier has taken up the cudgels for the Navy ; and in a blunt pithy letter, going straig• ht to the mark, has -vindicated -his profession against the reiterated charges of the Times. He cannot "remain silent and see the whole of the Navy condemned as cowards and imbeciles." He knows the risk, but he will run it, and tell the editor of the big journal, plainly, "You know no- thing of the subject on which you write." Then he states the case of the Times, and appends a'direct answer. "I venture to affirm that there is as much talent courage, and dash in the British Navy now as there was in the days of Nelson. You say, Mr. Editor, in the last war, the' ships of England went everywhere, and did everything, with incredible daring and success; with only the aacertain winds and treacherous waves to rely on, they entered every harbdar ad scrutinized every creek ; and, provided they could get in, never troubled themselves with the superfluous consideration of how they could getout again- " Novr, Mr. .Editor, I served fifteen years in the last war, and it never

was the custom for ships to approach batteries at all. No admiral-ever ventured to take his fleet into an enemy's port, except Lord Nelson. He

went into Copenhagen, gained a victory, and was well pleased to get out ; and he never tried it again. He did not take his lumbering fleet, as you call it, to Carlscrona' or to the Swedish waters ; he never went higher in

the Gulf of Finland than Nargen. • - - "Sir James Sauma.rez, who was a most enterprising officer, little short of Nelson, lost a line-of-battle ship in attacking Algesiras ; never even went up to Cronstadt, nor did he attack either Riga, Bevel, or Port Baltic. "Lord Nelson remained several years off Toulon, and never thought of attacking it ; he never thought of running his fleet into Cadiz, nor did Lord St. Vincent or Lord Collingwood, though it was by no means-strong. "Lord Hotham never tried Toulon; neither did Lord St. Vincent, Sir Charles Cotton, or Lord Exmouth try the Tagus. Lord How_ ,e Lord Brid-

port, Lord Gardner, Sir Charles Cotton, Lord St. Vincent, Lord Gambier,

and Admiral Cornwallis, treated Brest, lochfort, and L'Orient, with the greatest respect ; the dashing Cochrane burned and drove on shore the French ships in Basque Roads ; and many dashing things were done by fri- gates, and- daring enterprises by boats' but by fleets never, except at Al- giers and Acre, and they were 'defended by inexperienced Turks and Egypt- ians.

" Admiral Young and Sir Sidney Smith, when they were captains, got their ships cut up severely by two round towers—one in Corsica, and the other on the coast of Naples, mounting one or two guns. "Lord Nelson did not dare attack with his ships the batteries of Bou- logne, but tried with his boata, and was defeated. He did not dare to at- tack Teneriffe with his ships, but did by boats, was defeated, and lost his

AIM.

"After this statement, you must not mislead the country again, or throw odium on her officers. If enough has not been done in the Baltic by the navy to satisfy you, Mr. Editor, why don't you put the saddle on the right horse, the Admiralty ? "

Sir Charles then describes, what he has often described before, the deficiency of means in both campaigns in the Baltic,—want of mortar- vessels and gun-boats in the first, want of line-of-battle ships in the se- cond.

Sir Charles says that he does not blame Sir Charles Wood or Lord Palmerston, who were not in their present offices when the Baltic fleet was fitted out, and who appear to be now in downright earnest, judging by the powerful flotilla in preparation. He suggests that the Govern- ment should follow the example of the French Revolutionists, and send a Times commissioner with the fleet in the spring ; and as he ha' reason to believe that his "former friend is the writer of these articles abusing the Admirals, he would be the fittest person to fill the office of Com- missioner." "The second campaign, the Admiralty took good care Ad- miral Dundas should not destroy Sweaborg. The third campaign had better be under Mr. Brian; and we shall see if he is as powerful with his sword as with his pen."

[Our extracts are copied from a version sent by the Admiral to the Morning Post; in which the printer had treated the "copy "sof a corre- spondent in the usual way. The 1Tmes deprives the Admiral of that advantage ; so that his spelling and punctuation tell the tale of imper- fect education or very illiterate habits.]

Aegonerwessrs.—Mr. Bramwell, a distinguished member of the Com- mon Law bar, has been selected as the successor of Mr. Baron Parke.

Mr. Sausse, a Queen's counsel at the Irish bar, has been appointed Puisne Judge in the Bombay Presidency.

This last appointment has caused some others. Mr. Sauase was Assist- tent Barrister of the county of Wexford ; he is succeeded in that office by Mr. Andrews, promoted from Carlow to Wexford ; while Sir Colman O'Loghlen succeeds Mr. Andrews at Carlow.

Mr. Brant, now her Majesty's Consul at Erzeroum, has been appointed Consul at Damascus.

Mr. Peter Benson Maxwell, of the English Common Law bar, has been appointed to the vacant Reeordership of Penang. The salary ia, we believe, 20001. a year, with a chance of ultimate promotion to the bench of the Superior Court; in India. Mr. Maxwell was called to the bar in 1841, and was a member of the Home Circuit ; he was also one of the Commissioners selected by the Duke of Newcastle in the autumn of 1854 to inquire into the state of the hospitals at Scutari-.Globe.

Mr. Sergeant Miller has been appointed Judge of the Leicestershire County Court. He is an Irishman and a Roman Catholic. The ap- pointment has greatly pleased the Irish. Mr. Carpenter Rowe, Recorder of Plymouth, has been appointed Lord Chief Justice of Ceylon.

Mona Tnaess OF FRANKLIN'S Palms—When Dr. Rae returned from his last expedition to the Arctic regions in search of Sir John Franklin, it may be recollected that he brought back evidences that a party ef White men had perished somewhere near Um mouth of Backs or the Great Fish River several years ago. With the view of gaining more intelligence, if possible, an expedition was seat forth by the Hudson's Bay Company. It consisted of two leaders, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Stewart, and seventeen men, including three Iroquois voyageurs, famous for their skill in navigating rapid streams. The party set out on the 22d June from Fort Resolution, on the Great Slave Lake, in two bark canoes. In these vessels they proceeded down the Great Fish River, a stream extremely difficult of navigation being obstructed by more than a hundred rapids. Having gained the outlet, the party akirted its Eastern shore as far as Point Beaufort; and finding no traces of the lost party, they pushed their bark canoes boldly out into the Arctic Ocean, with the view of gaining Montreal island, some twelve miles dis- tant, the place Dr. Rae understood the F,equimaux to mean when de- scribing where the White party perished in 1850. The navigation here was most perilous, as the adventurers had to force their way through drifting masses of ice seven or eight feet thick. Arrived on the island, they soon discovered evidence confirming Dr. Rae's report. There -were the remnant of a boat, marked "Terror," part. of a snow-shoe hearing the name of Dr. Stanley, the surgeon of the Erebus. From friendly Esquimaux they obtained bar iron, rope with the Government 411 i1 oars branded with the broad arrow, the remains of a blue flag; a-letter:1614er, a step to a mast, boat-kettles, meat-tins, and other articles ; but no boas, no papers, no human remains. As the beach is sandy, it is conjectured that the bones of Franklin mid his oomradee, if not swept away by the sea, lie buried in the sand. The region was dreary in the extreme—not a blade of grass, not a stick of timber, no game of any kind. The Esquimaux placed their fingers-in their cheeks and their hands on their stomachs to indicate that Franklin's party died of starvation. One Eequimaux woman saw the last man die, it is in- ported: " he was large and strong, she said, and sat on the sway heath, with his head resting on his hands ; and thus the last survivor of Frank- lin's expedition yielded up his brave spirit." The wolves were very thick around the spot, and it is supposed they devoured the dead. "A few facts," says the itontreal Herald, may serve to bring home to our appreciation what this North-west expedition accomplished and went through. In thirteen months to a day, the Iroquois who were sent from Lachine to form part of the expedition, returned thither, thus perform" in one year the same service that Sir George Back got through in three. o sixty days and nights the party saw no fire there being no timber on the Great Fish River or Arctic coast; and during those sixty days they travelled incessantly in open craft in a wretched climate, never had dry clothes or slept on dry blankets, and never ate cooked victuals except on rare occasions, when they made a little tea by means of a lamp. This party of sixteen in all travelled in bark canoes down one of the most turbulent rivers known, even to North-west voyagers ; ventured among the ice on the Arctic Sea ; and returned to their starting-point without meeting a single accident to person or property—and, withal, performed all that was required of them ; and, had they. gone out four or five years earlier, would no doubt have been instrumental in saving the lives of a portion of Franklin's party."

?dr. Crampton, in the name of the British Government, has thanked Dr. Kane, his officers and crew, engaged some time since in a naval ex- pedition to search after Franklin's party.

DIES. Inn.—Another fowling letter from the Directress of the Rus- sian Sisters of Mercy, who saw the last of Sebastopol, has been published, dated the 10th December. The first paragraph strikes the dismal key- note. Sebastopol was abandoned; but hew? "The town was changed into a sea of flame—the batteries and bastions were blown tip. It wasa horror of desolation—a chaos—more dreadful than helL" How could she have borne such terrors and survived such agony ? On the 7th, she crossed from the North to the South side. "Balls were flying about " ; the water splashed over the boat and drenched her. Reach- ing the Sisters, she finds them taking tea; when a ball falls through among them : the powder-cellar is beneath, but the sand-bags save it from explo- sion. On the next day, the fatal 8th, two Sisters were severely but not mortally wounded. From the North side she went to the bridge, and begged to pass. General Buchmeier held back the Sisters—it was too dangerous. Making the sign of the cross, they ran over the bridge. The troops, mining in a mass, pressed it down wader water ; the strong wind blew the wares over it; "balls fell close beside us." When she reached the Sisters' room, she was "wet- up to her waist." She hastened to find Count Osten-Sacken. "I went up a narrow wooden flight of steps, but could only crawl up very painfully, and when I was up my senses were all but leaving me. I mai just ask the Count what his commands were for the Sisters in the Nicholaieff battery. Ile answered, Take them all away. God knows what may happen in a few hours.' Somebody said, the enemy's fag was waving already on the Mala- koff. A horrid depression seized my soul. I wept without tears, and I don't know how I got down again. I ran to the Sisters, begged them to let everything alone and follow me to the Michaieloff battery. The rumour spread that our troops had cut down the enemy's flag—what great, what a universal joy that was ! Crossing the bridge amid a shower of balls, with Father Benjamin, a monk of Mount Athos, Sister B. fainted, and was half dragged along by the monk and a soldier. They arrived safely. It would seem that the balls of the Allies went sheer over the bay ; for while she was pushing her way to her carriage, a ball passed obliquely through a column of militia ten steps in front of her. Again, her attendant soldier had just brought her horses, " when a bemb burst over our heads in the air ; a splinter from it broke a soldier's head into fragments, and his brains were scattered over the cloak of the man who was supporting me. I stepped into the car, and the cold somewhat recovered me.' Another time, she found the Sister at a battery "overworked, so many sick and wounded—everywhere crowds of wounded —two barracks quite filled with officers." The "way to the Belbek was strewed with the wounded; whoever was strong enough walked ; immense vans were conveying others ; and their cries, their wailings, were dreadful to listen to." Meaning to go to the Michaieloff battery, so often mentioned, what a Sight met her eyes! "One huge cloud, black but yet glowing, shrouded Sebastopol! our troops had set the town on tire—they themselves were OR the march to the Tehms. .aya. Everywhere wounded were walking or being transported ; the regiments were returning from the city. The Lord now sent me tears—it is seldom I cry—and this relieved my heart." She went to the battery, however. On the place there was a chaotic mass ; the bridge was broken away,. the ships of the line and the frigates were sunk, the city was in flames, black smoke mounted to the clouds, and explosions of powder made the earth tremble on every side. How hard it is to bear these trials, and how heartrending to be a witmess of all this misery !" She urged one of the Sisters to leave a battery, because in case it were blown up all would be bnried in the atones. The Sister begged that she might be left with the wounded ; she was "resigned to what might happen, even to being blown up ; she would share the fate of those she was nursing " : and with a "great effort" the Di-

rectress granted the "sacred" request " Not one of the Sisters has slept 's wink, so much have they had to do. May the Lord himself strengthen. them ! I am not able to praise sufficiently their zeal and sacrifice of self."

Tsui BASTRRN COUNTIES RAILWAT.—OR the 12th December, the Corporation of Norwich transmitted a request to the Board of Trade that the line of railway between London, Cambridge, and Norwich, should be inspected. The Board appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Wynne , to execute that task. Colonel Wynne's report contains the following passages. "The under-bridges and viaducts on the line are mainly constructions of limber, and of timber and wrought iron combined ; they have in general three or more openings ; their construction is of the simplest character ; the piers and abutments are single rows of piles carrying capaills, over which are laid the longitudinal timbers that Atreus& openings and carry the rails; the piles, Camila, -and longitudinal timbers are composed of. whole balks and where the openings do not exceed twelve feet they are spanned by single timbers, but where above that width, the balks have been split down the centre, and a wrought-iron plate one inch in width and twelve in depth in- serted between the half-timbers, and the whole bolted together ; when the openings have' been very wide, or very oblique, a second plate and another half-timber have been added. The under-bridges and viaducts on the lino between London and Norwich are very numerous.

"I found them all in an advanced state of decay and general deteriora- tion: the piles were deeply rotted between wind and water, or where they enter the ground; their heads decayed and the parts exposed the weather mere or lees gone ; the capsills very much decayed, especially- on their un- der-sides, and in some instances crushed down on the heads of the piles; the longitudinal timbers likewise much decayed throughout their length, and greatly gone where they rest on the capsllls. The planking of the au- pentructure of all was so rotten as to make it dangerous in many places to walk over them.

"All the larger bridges that I examined appeared to have undergone re- pairs, and to have been strengthened, some years since, by having half-tim- bers to the longitudinal timbers ; but whether thaw repairs were done with old matmie.ls or very inferior timber, the fact is that they are now the most decayed portion of the bridges. "Extensive reparations and renewals are at the present time in progress on the bridges and permanent way. In the former the piles are being fished and the bearing timbers strutted ; the magnitude of the works to be under- taken rendering an immediate renewal hardly possible over the whole ex- tent of the line. When these repairs have been or are being carefully and deliberately executed by closing to the traffic one line of rails, so as to allow the extent of decay to be fully investigated and properly met, I have every confidence that they will be sufficient. This has been done at the Norwich end of the line, where the bridges are most numerous and in a very bad state. Here one of the lines has been closed for some time ; but in those bridges where the repairs have been done without stripping the superstruc- ture, and rather as a temporary expedient than to meet the necessity of the ease, I cannot feel the same confidence. . . . . Until every bridge has un- dergone a careful overhauling in the manner I have summted, I am of' opinion that the public cannot travel over the railway between London, Cambridge, and Norwich, without incurring serious risk. "The result of my examination of the permanent way was to show, that, while vast numbers ofold sleepers have been removed and repined by new ones, evidenced by the eat piles of old sleepers lying along the line in dif- ferent places, and which were in a state of decay such as I have rarely met with, numbers yet remain in the line quite as much gone. Although this is a matter of serious moment, it is not so bad as that of the bridges; for the sleepers, though much decayed, have some soundness at the core, and the danger could be met for the time by maintaining a greatly reduced speed over the line. Should the permanent way not be renewed till after the re- paration of the bridges is completed, it will be necessary, for the public safety, to prescribe limits to the speed of the trains."

This report was forwarded by the Railway Department of the Board of Trade to the Secretary of the Eastern Counties Railway Company.

Pending the publication of the rejoinder to Mr. Waddhigton, under- stood to be in preparation by the Committee of Investigation, 1 smart controversy is kept up by the opponents of the Chairman individually. This week brings forth Mr. Henry Bruce who, in a long letter, contro- verts some of Mr. Waddington's statements; and Mr. Peter Ashcroft, late Resident Engineer and Superintendent of Works, who states, that had the works begun by him been continued, a short time would have sufficed to place the permanent way in perfect safety.

PUBLIC Hz.tynt.—The deaths of 1247 persons, namely 630 males and 617 females, were registered in London in the week that ended on Saturday. Taking the first week in each of the last ten years, (1846-'55,) it is found that the average number of deaths then registered was 1311, which, if missed in proportion to increase of population for comparison with the pre- sent return, becomes 1442. The public health, therefore, may be stated to be better than it usually is at the commencement of the year. In the first

i

week of 1854, and also n that of 1855, the deaths rose above 1400. The milder character of the weather, indicated by a rise of 14 degrees in the mean weekly readings of the thermometer, has been attended with marked effect in the reduction of the mortality.—Registrar-Getterar s Report, Jan. 5.

The Quarterly Return _just issued show that during the last quarter 13,840 persons died in the Metropolis. The largest items are—consumption, 1627 • bronchitis, pneumonia, and pleurisy, 2208. Deaths by violence reach the large figure of 448, but that includes accidents. No fewer than 2496 died in the public institutions, above one-half in workhouses. The Regis- trar-General reports, that, in consequence of the strenuous efforts of the water companies, "the people of London are now largely supplied with comparatively pure and wholesome water, admitting still further, without doubt, of improvement, but incomparably better than the water of 1849 or 1853."

The Bishop of Exeter has addressed a long and elaborate letter to Dr. Lushington, on the Doctor's judgment in the case of Westerton and Lid- dell. The Bishop dissents from only one particular—Dr. Lushington's de- cision regarding the credence-table. He argues, that some table is neces- sary for the full perfonuance of the rites of the communion ; as there must be some place whereon the bread and wine can be placed "before the obla- tion is made." He sets forth at some length his view of "the great ca- tholic doctrine and duty connected with the oblation of the elements.

The Emperor Napoleon, with fine taste and delicate courtesy, has sent over to the Queen a very pretty and very precious Christmas gift. It is in the form of a lady's album, and the subject of it is an artistic memorial of her Majesty's visit to Paris. The drawings are in water-colours, by the most renowned French masters. The Queen at Boulogne is by M. Moral Patio, and the departure from that port by M. Mogi'. 3f. Chavet contributes two illustrations to the Royal Album—the Ball at Versailles, and the Imperial Supper. The Queen's arrival in Paris is drawn by M. Guerard. M. Eu- gene Lami illustrates the arrival at St. Cloud. A few other drawings are by artists less known in England. The case which contains these treasures is got up in the most exquisite style, and with all the richness of ornamenta- • tion for which French design is renowned. The book, we believe, was pro- duced for the Emperor at a cost of a thousand guineas.—Athesueum.

We have much pleasure in stating that Dr. Sivadwith, one of the gallant defenders of Kars, has reached London, after undergoing extraordinary pri- vations on his journey from Kars to Batoum. Dr. Sandaith was set free by General Mouravieff, in consideration of the great attention he had bestowed on the Russians wounded in their unsuccessful attack of September 29.— Times.

" At the end of last week the life of Rear-Admiral Lord Adolphus Fitz- elarence was considered to be in danger. Lord Adolphus had suffered for three weeks from an attack of gout, which at length flew to his head. Early on Sunday morning a favourable change took place, and he was pronounced out of danger; but on Friday the bulletin indicated a relapse.

Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour has lost the sight of one eye from the effects of the explosion of a Russian "infernal machine" in the Gulf of Finland last summer.

The Morning Post, whose Paris correspondent reported the death of Lady Ellenborough in Arabia, now states that the report was unfounded. Let- ters have been received from her, dated Damascus, December 10. The re- port was originally derived "from a good source at Athens."

The Duke of Calabria, Prince Royal of the Two Sieilies, has been betrothed to the Princess Caroline Therese Helene, daughter of Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, and sister of the reigning Empress of Austria.

The Btoik du Arord has been produced at Vienna with great success. The Emperor and Empress were present at both the first and second repre- sentation; and Meyerbeer was called for a score of times.

The Baron Dumoulin, who was orderly officer to the first Napoleon, died recently, at Paris.: The tenantry of the Duke of Rutland have requested him to sit for his portrait to Mr. Grant, that they may present the *nun& to his Grace as a family heirloom, while a plate should be engraved from it by which each tenant might possess the likeness of their venerable landlord. A deputation presented an address asking for this boon ; the Duke assented, in a written address, full of kindly feeling, which was read by Lord John Manners, as his father was Buffering from indisposition. The Duke expressed additional satisfaction at sitting, as the painter named is related to him. The deputa- tion afterwards dined in Belvoir Castle.

It is said that Mr. Layard has another work on Assyrian antiquities in the press.

M. Horace Vernet has promised to paint in fresco, gratuitously, the walls of a new church at Bugnerre de Bigorre, Halides Pyrenees.

Mr. Benjamin Webster pleads, through the Times, that some portion of the revenues of Dulwich College—founded by an actor—should be appro- priated to the assistance of "poor players" and the educating of their children.

Among the several banking firms who have presented to their clerks 1000/. for distribution since the commencement of the new year, are—Messrs. Heywood and Co., London ; Messrs. Heywood and Co., Manchester; Messrs. Prescott-and Co., Messrs. Hankey and Co.' and the London and West- minster Bank. In addition to these gifts, it is understood advanced sala- ries have in some cases been granted.

It is stated that a detachment of the Foreign Legion from Shorneliff, principally Pole; have been ordered to Tilbury Fort for duty at that sta- tion : their numbers are shortly to be augmented.

The quay of Joliette at Marseilles, so long occupied by successive supplies of implements and munitions of war on their way to the East, is now en- cumbered with enormous quantities of shells arriving from the seat of war.

The French exporters have overdone the supply of merchandise to Ka- miesch—goods are selling there at less than cost-price.

A detachment of seventy-five Paris firemen have left Marseilles for Con- stantinople. In consequence of the great rise in the price of food, the lower classes of Government employes in Austria are in great straits : the Emperor has di- rected that they shall receive temporary aid or increased salaries.

A feeling prevails in Austria in favour of getting rid of the antiquated guild system, which trammels industry and trade.

The Cape of Good Hope is recovering from the commercial depression with which it has been afflicted ; trade is more sound; the mining mania is at a low ebb, but large quantities of copper have been shipped from Namaqua- land. 'The South African Museum at Cape Town has been resuscitated ; and it is expected that it will make a very respectable figure in a few years, many persons presenting contributions. Some of the settlers in Natal have petitioned the Home Government for a supply of convict labour ; but the majority are opposed to its introduction, and have got up a counter-petition. The law-expenses of the county of Durham in the late poisoning case amounted to no less than 521/. .

CRYSTAL Rsrs.sez.—Return of admissions for six days ending Friday, 11th January 1856, including season-ticket-holders, 4843.