SMSON PEACOCK. Editor. VOLUME XX. EVKNING BULLETIN. pogralrmr) EVERY RVE.RING. (Sundays excepted) at THE NEW BULLE rim BUILDING, 607 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia EY TEED "Evening Bulietin Association," PROPBLECTOBS. GIBSON PEACOCK, IT 0. WALLACE. F. L. PETHERSTON, T aos. J. WILLIAMSON GASPER SW:FLEE, Jr., FRANCIS WELLS. The Bunnwfilir Is served to subscribers in the city at Ti cents per week, payable to the carriers, or FP co per annum ..11.Akt KIE I'LIsrrALL—GODSHALL.--On the Ist inst.. by the rev. Franklin Moore, Van B. Tindall, ,St.. D, to Mf _Lavinia Godshall, both of this city. DP CD. BROWN.—At Washington, D. C., on the morning or the sth inst., James P ltrown.. annere services at St. Luke's Church, Germantown, to-morrow. Tuesday aft, rnoon, at 3 o'clock. BRUN - RR—On Saobatb morning, May 6th, Margaret C. Nagle°, wife t f James P. Bruner.- The relativee and friends of the family, are, without further notice, invited to attend the funeral, from her late residence, „Bridge, above Thirty-fifth street, on Wednesday afternoon, at 3 o'clock. Interment at Laurel Hill. era FISHER.—On the 6th inst., Henry G. Fisher, in the dld year of his age - - The relatives and friends of the fatally, are respect fully invited to attend the funeral, from his late resi dence, leo. 132 South Fifteenth Street, on Wednesday afternoon, at a o'clock. Interment at Monument CemelerY. NEAGLE.—riday morning, ith inst., Mr. J. B. Veagle_aged 69 years. The relatives, ills friends, and those of the family, are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, from his late residence. No. 16?4 Filbert street. Tuesday morn ing, at 9 o'clock. Solemn high mass at Cathedral. Interment at Cathedral Cemetery. _ WYBE & LANDELL are prepared to supply tams lies with Dry Good=, at the lowest pneez. .LINEN SHEETINGS, ALAIDSEILLES QIII• TS, TABLE LINENS, DAMASK TOWELS, 2. OUiEHOLD 1 RY GOODS. Wil-. HEACOC, 0 34 .INERA_L puaNisurlici EC INT)ERTAKEE, No. 18 North Ninth street, above market. ar.ll-Im* SPECIAL NOTICES. HOWARD HOtzPITAL, Noe. IEIB and /120 Lombard street, Dispenassy Department. me an' treatment and medicines ftirMibed eratnitonsly IS Ole poor. BE6'B U. CONCERT HALL. A grand concert will be given at Concert Hall. by the BLACK SWAN T4IOIIPE, on WEDNESDAY EVENING, May 16th, 18E6. The, time ana place for the sale of tickets will be an nounced soon. - • - in‘S-3trif3 THE FIFTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF theDRPHAN SOME"' Y OF PHIL %DELPHI& ; (be held in the Lecture Room of the First Presby terian church, Washington Square. on TVESDAY, May 8, at 12 o'clock M. The public are notified to t*at tend. i VTHE ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING of the .1 - SWISH FOSTER HOME SOCIETY take place on TITh SPAT. .May 8th.1666, at 8 o'clock P. M., at the Hall of the Harmonic) Society, "Coates street. Ist door nelow Franklin. The public are inVited to attend. its [O. :NATIONAL BANK OF THE NORTHERN LIBERTIES, PRILADELPH/A, May 7. 1566. ti he Directors have this day declared a Dividend of SEVEN PER MINT.. and an Extra Dividend of THREE PER CENT., payable on demand. clear of 'United States Tax. y7.6ti W. 01DIMERE, Cashier. OFFICE OF THE JEFFERSON FIRE IN. [1:SIIR &NCB COIIf.PAIIT OF PHILADELPHIA. at a Meeting of be ,Board of Directors held this day, a semi•annnal Dividend of THREE PER CENT., clear of all Taxes, was' declared, .-tv..1..e1e toaftnck holders, or their legal rearesentativea on and after the 17th instant. PHILIP E. COLEMAN. Secretary. my7-Sti Nay 7. 1866 10a REV. G. D. CARROW WILL DELIVER his fourth lecture on "Lite in Spanish America." to-morrow, evening, at %," to s o'clock, in Uni-n M. E. church. Subject- "Buenos Ayres and General 80ra4." - Mrs. E. If AUK will perform a voluntary on the new organ. ickets at Perkinpine & Higgins'.ll 56 N. Fourth st., and at the door, 50 cents each. its AMERICAN ACADEMY. OF MUSIC.—JOHN B. GOUGH will deliver a lecture on MONDAY E ENING, May 14th. Subject—"Pecnilar People." The sale of tickets will begin on Tuesday morning, Bth inst., and no tickets will be sold or engaged before that time. The north half of the house will be sold at Ash mead & Evans' Book Store, 724 Chestnut street, and the south half at Trumpler's Music Store, Seventh and <Chestnut streets. Price 45 , 50 and 75 cents. mys,3trpf WotiOFFICE OP THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA.. MAY 5th.1866. ce is hereby given that the provisions of the or dinal:use prohibiting persons from washing or causing to be washed "any pavement in the City of Philadel phia, between the hours of 7 o'clock-in the morning and 7 o'clock, in the evening," will be rigidly enforced guatil the first of October, proximo. By order of the Mayor SAMUEL G. RUGGLES, Chief of Police. mys-3trpf 10' THE UNION STATE CENTARL COM MITTEE will meet at the rooms of the Nations 4rfnion Club, No. 2105 Chestnut street, Philadelphia, on Wednesday, the 16th day of May. instant, at three o'clock P. M. The attendance of every member of the Committee is earnestly solicited. ParEanEr.riae, May 1, 1866 EUe. PIRLADRLPHIA AND BEADING BAIL ROAD COMPANY. Office =I South FOURTH Street, PILIGADELP.I3IA, April 28,1866, Notice is hereby given to the Stockholders of this Company, that the option of receiving their Dividend 2n Stock or Cash, under the resolution of •the Board of filth December, 1865, will cease on and after the 3ist of f.ay,lB66,tuld that such Stockholders as do not demand their Dividend to be paid to them in Stock on or before that day, will be thereafter entitled to receive it in Cash only. S. BRADFORD, Treasurer Ws NORTH PRESBYTERIAN CHURC H. Sixth street, above Green.—Tne Central Presby tery of Philadelphia will meet in this Ccurch, This <Monday) Evening. to ordain to the Gospel Ministry Mr. Sylvanus Sayre. Licentiate of Princeton Seminary. The sermon will be preached by Rev. R. A. Beadle. D. l». Service.% commencing at 73 o'clock. The interesting series of meetings held far the last two weeks in the Lecture Boom of the Church, will be continued every evening except Saturday evening. * fr" LAYING OP A CORNER STONE.—The :17acorner stone of the New Baptist Church, on the ew Estate," oarner of Germantown and TJpsal streets, Germantown, will be laid on SATURDAY, May 12th,1 o'clock, P. M. Addre sea may be expected from Revs. A.B. Lung. George Dana Boardman, P. S. Henson and Dr. J. Wheaton Smith. The public are cordially invited to attend. GEORGE NUGENT, CHARLES H. CIIMINIDIGS, Y. B. HINKLE, Budlchng Committee J Take the Germantown 2 o'clock cars from Ninth and Green streets, to Germantown, and then the horse ears on Main street to Upsal. my7-sts Facts and Fanctis. Jeff. Davis, General Lee, Alex. Stephens, Duke Gwin and R. M. T. Hunter, are each writing a book. They all showed a fond ness for pens during the rebellion. Ander sonville, for instance. The itinerantsurgeons of Paris sometimes make $22 per day. The average receipts are only one dollar. They are almost the only class who make money by cutting their friends in the street. The library of George Augustus Sala has been sold—probably because the owner had no further use for it. It contained many curious books, with presentation volumes, 'and other interesting memorials. Most of the library consisted of light literature, and each volume was lettered G. A. S. On Thursday last a torpedo, which had been sunk for three years and one month in Charleston harbor, exploded off the beach of Sullivan's Island, in about eight fathoms of water. What a long fase it must have had! A sleeping-car, full of passengers, on the -Grand Trunk line between Montreal and Portland, was thrown off the track on Sat urday morning and fell down a fifteen feet umbenkment without seriously injuring a wrson. The car took fire in - the descent and was entirely destroyed: /t is difficult to realize the profound sleepiness of people 'who could go through all that without be in thg nred. Salamanders are nothing to em ..-,--.!.....,::.',..-:, • ~ , . ak ,..., ~ I . ii . . .. . .',. ,::'.. , . • „ ;`• -....,, . _ ~. • _ _ . .. . . ~.,..c. ~. ~.4.. iii•tl , _ . - ~ ' ~ - : '''-t., 1, , , ... . •,-..; ''',. .z,-, ~...., . , . O' .--' -..-. t , ~.. ' ~ - ,2 .* oz. :1` .. _ ... _ _ a , ' ' ',..• .1, , A '7-•:.:•.ii•.,... . .; -. • . '. . : • --• s . V- . • ..:1. ' '• . , 1 7. 4 . - .• . - ' •• " . 3 ,•ii , , ,. '.. '•• 4 P- • .?1 , I '?.' '-^ • ',, - . ' .. 11- * • ••• ' l ,l' d.141' . . . - NO. 25. The promenader along Chestnut street, west of the State House, will find it difficult to realize that but little more than half a century ago spots that are now covered with magnificent structures of marble, brown stone, iron and brick, and that are teeming marts of trade and fashion, were open lots with but few buildings of any kind among them, and of the few that ex isted the majority were mean and squalid affairs, such as are frequentlyfound in the suburbs .of a' growing.city. The square in which the new - Burmsrmr BUILDING is loca ted was, in one respect, In conformity with this ruleand in another respect an excep to it. ' Buildings were few and far between there; but there, was a good representation of pretentious structures among them. At the - beginning of the present century there were but three buildings upon the north Side of Chestnut street, between Sixth and Seventh streets. The first of these struc tures was the "New Theatre," which was still in an unfinished condition; the second was Tilghman's mansion, which occupied the site of the late. Arcade; and the third was a small two-storied wooden building, which stood at the northeast corner of Seventh and Chestnut streets. Tilghman's house ll was what was originally known as Carpenter's mansion, having been built by Joshua Carpenter soon after the founding of the city. The Carpenters were a wealthy and influential family in Philadelphia during the early days of the city, and Joshua, having become possessed of the square of ground bounded by Chestnut, Market, Sixth and Seventh streets, put up a fine old-fashioned mansion upon the spot where the Arcade lately stood. The house was of brick, two- stories in height, and furnished liberally with gables, heavy wooden cornices, pent roofs, Jec. The entire southern half of the square upon which the house stood was en closed with a fence, and cultivated as a gar den. Along the northern side a passage ran which was originally called Carpenter's lane, but in due course of time it became dignified into Carpenter streetand it is now styled Jayne street. Governor Thomas oc cupied the mansion a hundred and twenty.. seven years ago, and tradition says that the Governor's lady was liberal of the fruit and flowers produced in her fine garden. It was quite a walk out to the Governor's garden., in those days, and those who went thither when fruit and flowers were in season were not allowed .to go away empty-handed. There is a whimsical story told of a chal lenge that was sent to a rival by Peter Evans in 1714, asking the former to fight a duel near Carpenter's garden, the place be ingso distant from the town, and so lonely as to be adapted for pistol and coffee exer cise. . After Governor Thomas the house hadnu merons tenants, among whom were John Ross, Esq., John Smith, Esq., and Col. John Dickinson. The latter, in 1774, extended the building out further towards Chestnut street, with a handsome front upon the lat ter. The new front had a pointed gable in the centre, with wings, and the improved mansion was one of the most imposing in appearance of any upon Chestnut street. During the time of the Revolution the house, which was then owned byCol.Philemon Dick inson,was used as a hospitalfor sick soldiers, and many a poor fellow belonging to the Pennsylvania and Virginia lines died there of camp fever. After the war the house was elegantly fitted up for the use of Chevalier de Luzerne, the French Ambassador to the new republic. On the 15th of July, 1782, a magnificent entertainment was given by the Chevalier in honor of the birth of the French Dauphin. The fate was much talked of be fore it took place, and long after the event it was a topic of conversation. The garden between the mansion and Sixth .street was embellished with temporary structures, which were put up for the occasion, and everything was conducted upon the most splendid and expensive)scale. There were music, fireworks, feasting, dancing, and a "good time generally." General Washing ton, Count Rochambeau, many members of Congress, and distinguished persons in public and private life were present in abun dance. The victory at Yorktown had just solved the American question, and France was on the eve of its terrible revolution when this grand festival took place. The Carpenter building was demolished in 1827 to make way for the Arcade, and the latter having out-lived its usefulness, went down before the march of improvement in 1860 to make way for the elegant block of marble stores which now occupies its site. The first regular theatre in Philadelphia was located at the corner of South and Vernon streets, between Front and Second. The second theatre was at the corner of South and Crab (or Apollo) street, between Fourth and Fifth. It,was erected about the year 1766, and it was built just across the town limits so as to avoid the opposition of the city authorities. At a later period, a theatre was built on the north side of Chestnut street, above Sixth. In 1793 this establishment was first opened, and to dis tinguish it from the South street concern it was styled the "New Theatre." We have before us a picture of the New Theatre taken in 1799. The building, which stands back from the line of the street, has much more the'appearance of a church than a theatre. Its gable end fronts on Chestnut street, and its large round-topped window, in front. gives it very much the appearance of a church. A temporary shed extends out to the line of the street, and occupies the_place afterwards filled by the portico of the house Our picture was taken at a momen when the audience—thee gentlenaen in knee-breeches and the ladies in the very shortest of waists and the lankiest of skirts —were about pouring into the house, and FR. JORDAN, Chairman, myl.l4ti TB E NEW BULLETIN BUILDING. HISTORY OF THE LOCALITY. PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY; MAY 7,' 1866 crowding under the temporary shed in front. Some are obtaining their evening's supply of oranges, peanuts and apples, from sable dealers outside, and the scene is quite lively and animated. East of the theatre there is a rough wooden fence ; and the only build ings between the temple of Thespis and Seventh street are the Tilghman mansion and the small structure on the corner of Seventh street already referred to. The only familiar object in the entire scene.to the modern Philadelphian, is the County. Court House (then Congress Hall), which 000[1.- pies a position in the foreground of the pic ture. 'The "New Theatre" was completed about the close of the last century, and in 1805 it was enlarged and improved. It was then considered the fineit building for dra matic purposes in the 'United States. On Sunday, April 2, 1820, the theatre took fire. The alarm was quickly given; but the efforts of the firemen could accomplish but little; the flames spread' rapidly, and furiously through the combustible material with which the building was filled, and in the course of a few hours no trace, except a heap of smouldering ruins, was left of the theatrical temple of which Philadelphia was so proud. The prompter's dock, a model of a ship, and a mirror, were all that was saved of the valuable contents of the house. On the outside, the fine figures of the Tragic and Comic Muses, carved by Rush, escaped damage, and they graced the front of the successor of the original Phila delphia "Old Drury." The flames extended to two dwellings. on the west of the theatre, which were unroofed, and the upper stories were destroyed. The theatre was rebuilt,and in December, 18_ 9 2, it was again opened to the public. The dimensions of the new "New Theatre" were ninety-two feet in front by one hundred and fifty feet in depth. The front was of marble, in the Italian style. An arcade of five arches supported a screen of composite columns and a plain entablature. This was origin ally designed to have been crowned by an ornamental pediment, but, from want of sufficient funds in the early days of the theatre, it was never constructed. The con sequence was that what might have been made one of the most tasteful buildings in the city, always presented an unfinished ap pearance. Over the wings were niches filled with the excellent figures representing Tra gedy and Comedy, and below these were semi-circular recesses withrepresentations of the tragic and comiomuses in basSo-relievo. The audience part of the house was de scribed on a semi-circle of forty-six feet diameter. There were three rows of boxes, resting on slender cast-iron columns. The lobbies, saloons, stairways, tke., were on a commodious scale, and the whole interior was considered a model in its early days. The design was that of the late William Strickland. The bas-reliefs of the tragic and comic-muses were sculptured, in marble, by an Italian artist, named Francisco Jardella. "Old Drury" was long a favorite home of the muses. Here Cooke, Cooper, Kean • Macready, Booth, Power, the Kembles, El len Tree, Forrest, the oods, Jenny Lind, Sinclair, Mrs. Austin, Malibran, the Se guins, Elsaler, Celeste, Burton, the Cush mans, the Jeffersons and other excellent players and artists, "fretted their hoar upon the stage," and brought delighted crowds to the house. There were also, occasionally, entertainments of a different character within the ancient walls. Here, the first grand ball in aid of the funds of the Association for the Relief of Disabled Firemen was given; and here, too, was the grand .ball in honor of - Henry Clay, which was given when that illustrious statesman was a prominent can didate for the Presidency of the United States. In course of I time the march of fashion left " Old ) Drury" lagging in the background, and it lost favor with the fashionable portion of the play-goers in the community. The Ethiopian Opera, the performances of learned dogs and monkeys, and the dramatic butcheries of companies of bipeds who were worse, professionally, than any respectably trained dogs or monkeys, hur ried the declining establishment rapidly down-hill in public estimation; and if the ghost of Shakespeare ever revisited his old temple in its later days, he must have been driven from it in disgust long before the final close of the house. On the first even ing of May, 1855, the last theatrical per formance was given within the walls of "Old Drury." The auctioneer came next, and sold out the dilapidated properties, in the midst of a curious crowd which was gathered together by the_ favorable oppor tunity which was offered of making a first appearance upon the stage and of pene trating the hidden mysteries of the theatre. The theatre was at once demolished, and its site was covered with three elegant brown stone structures, which are now numbered respectively 603 & 605, 607 and 609. The building os. 603 & 605 was erected by the firm of R ckhill & Wilson for 3 1 3 their own use, and the wo structures west of it were put up by r. Rulings Cowper thwaite. -The latter afterwards disposed of his interest in the property. In June, 1865, the proprietors of the EVENING BULLETIN purchased No. 607 as a permanent location for their office. On the night of January let, 1866, the building took fire and was, almost totally destroyed. The flames also commu nicated to Nos. 603 & 65, and to No. 609, damaging both structures badly. The rav ages of the fire have since disappeared, and the publication of the EVENENG BULLETIN commences at this time in the NEw Bumn- TIN BUILDING, which is located on a spat made interesting by its association with curious events in the early history of the city, and rendered almost classical in the views of some by its dramatic antecedents. Our sketch of the history of the locality would not be complete without some allu sion to the Shakespeare Building which occupies the northwest corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets. The building of the "New OUR WHOLE COUNTRY. heatre", was followed, in the early part of !he century, by the erection upon the lot nimedistely east of it, of a large four- -Storied structure, which was styled the Shakespeare Building. The edifice was of brick, four stories in height,and it extended one hundred and fifty feet to the north on Sixth street. The lower story was fitted up for stores, and the upper apartments were used for dwellings, workshops, &a. Upon the second floor was the Shaespeare As sembly Room, which was first opened by Jacob VogdeS, about the year 1804. Francis Dnrang's balls were given there soon after the erection of the building. The AS sembly Room was sometimes used for ex hibitions, and some of our older readers will remember the invisible lady and acoustic temple which excited wonder there more than fifty years ago. The building had a varied existence, being used at dif ferent times for very many different pur pose; until the night of December 27th, 1851, when, on the occasion of the burning of Hart's building, the flames communi cated to it, and the structure, with most of its contents, was totally destroyed. A lofty five-storied structure of brick, resting upon marble columns at the first story, was erected on the ruins of the old Shakespeare Building, and the new edifice was chris tened with the old name. DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE. BANCROFI'S SPEECH IN ENGLAND. Earl Russell Denies Mr. Bancroft's Statements. MR. BANOROFT'S REPLY. Lord Bassett to Mr. Adams. CHESHAM PLACE, Feb. 2S, IS66.—Dear Mr. Adams: I observe in The Daily News of yesterday, extracts from a speech of Mr. 'it croft, delivered in the House of Repre sentatives on the 12th inst. In this speech Mr. Bancroft is represented to have said, referring to the breaking oat of the civil war: "The British Secretary of the State for Foreign Affairs made haste to send word through the palaces of Europe that the great Republic was in its agony, that the Republic was no more, that a headstone was all that remained due by the law of nations to the late Union." As words pronounced on such an occasion, and by so eminent a man as Mr. Bancroft, may hive an , effect far beyond the injury which my personal character might suffer, I must request you to convey to Mr. Ban croft my denial of the truth of his allega tions, and to refer 'him to facts of a totally opposite character. Soon after the news of the resistance in arms of the Southern States to the Govern ment of the Union arrived in this country, a member of the House of Commons stated that the bubble of Republicanism had burst. I replied in the same debate that the bub ble of Republicanism had not burst, and that if the curse of slavery still hung about the United States, it was England who had made them the gift of the poisoned garment which was now their torment. In fact, I have never had any doubt that, whether the United States consented to separation or pursued the war to extremity, the great Western Republic would remain, happily for the world, a powerful and inde pendent Republic. The authors of the Declaration of Inde pendence in declaring for separation from Great Britain, after enumerating their com plaints of her conduct; go on to say: "We must therefore acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our separation and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, ene mies In war, in peace friends." That we should be enemies in war, is easily understood; but when we are at peace, why should we not be friends, as the great men of the American revolution intended us to be ? If they, in the moment of sepa ration and of war, looked forward to a period of peace and, of friendship, why should we, more than three-quarters of a century after these events, keep up senti ments of irritation and hostility founded on a mistaken apprehension of facts, and tend ing to lay the foundation of permanent alienation, suspicion and ill-will ? As Mr. Bancroft's speech is likely to have very extensive publicity, I reserve to my self the power of making public this letter, at such time as I shall judge fit. I remain, my dear Mr. Adams, your faithful servant. RUSSELL. P. S:—l subjoin an extract of my speech on the 30th of May, 1861, as reported in Hansard's Debates. Mr. Bancroft to Mr. Adams in Reply. Naw YORK, March 23, 1866.—My Dear Mr. Adams: I have received from you, by Lord Russell's desire, a copy of his letter to you of the 28th of February last in which he denies the truth of; a certain allegation in my address to Congress on the 12th of the same month. The passage which he cites contains these three allegations—That, as British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he viewed this Republic as "the late Union;" that he sent this view of our country through the palaces of Europe and that he made haste to do so. When Lord Russell calls to mind the authority for these statements, he must acknowledge them to be perfectly just and true. On the 6th day of May, 1861, Lord John Russell, then Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, wrote a despatch to Lord Lyons, in which he describes the;condition of America as the disruption of a Confederacy," and he further uses these words: "Civil war has broken ont between the several States of the late Union. The Government of the South ernportion has duly constituted itself. Her Majesty's Government do not wish you to make any mystery of that view." Here is irrefragable proof of my first allegation. On the day on which the Minister of the Queen thus wrote, he addressed a despatch to Lord Cowley, her Majesty's Embassador at Paris, designating our Republic as " the States which lately composed. the American Union:" "the late United States;" "the late Union;" and he enclosed - in that despatch, for Lord Cowley's instruction, a copy of the above cited letter to Lord Lyons. Having thus ostentatiously communicated his view of our country as "the late Union," he asked in return "to be made acquainted with the visors of the Imperial Goiern ment." My second allegation is therefore true in letter and in spirit. That Lord John Russell, as Secretary of State, was in a haste to do this, appears from his not having awaited the arrival of the American Minister of Mr. Lincoln's appoint ment, and from those very letters of the 6th of May, 1861, to Lord Cowley and to Lord Lyons, for in those letters he confesses that tie had not as yet "received from Lord Lyons any report of the state of affairs and of the prospects of the several parties," but that on coming to the decision which was so momentous and unprecedented, he acted on 'he reports of "some consuls," and "of the public prints." it is -Arne that twenty-four days after Lord Jelin Russell had officially described our country as "the disruption of a Confede racy," "the late United States," "the late Union," he reproved a member of the House of Commons for openly exulting "that the s great Republican bubble in America had burst," and owned "that the Republic had been for many years a great and free State;" but he uttered no expectation or hope of the restoration of our Union, and rather inti mated that the Americans were •'about to destroy each other's happiness and free dom." Lord John, on that occasion, rightly attributed the rebellion to the "accursed in stitution of slavery," and confessed that England was the giver of "the poisoned gar ment;" that • the former . Governments of Great Britainwere "themselves to blamefor the origin of the evil." But this confession must be interpreted by the light of his aver ments on the 6th of May, 1861, and by Lord Russell's later assertion that the efforts of our country were but a contest for "empire." Iu speaking to the American Congress of the life and character of Abraham Lincoln, it was my unavoidable dutytto refer to the conductor the British Government toward our country during his administration, for nothing so wounded his ftelings, or ex ercised his judgment, or tried his fortitude. I was asked to address the two Houses of our Congress, and those only. When I learned that the British Minister at , Wash ington was likely to be one of my- hearers, I requested Mr. Seward to advise him not to be; present, and through 'another friend I sent him a similar message, which he re received and perfectly understood. I need not recall words of 90 years ago, to be persuaded that in peace America and the United Kingdom should be friends. I have a right to say this; for, when in the public service, proved it by public acts, and as a private citizen I have never wished our Government to demand of a foreign power anything but justice. Pray send Lord Russell a copy of this letter, which he is at liberty to publish; and I consider myself equally at liberty to pub lish his letter, to which this is a reply. I am ever, my dear Mr. Adams, very truly yours. GEO. Berzcnorr. • Lord I. Russell to Earl Cowley. FOREIGN OFFICE, May 6, 1861.—My Lord: Although Her Majesty's Government has received no despatches from Lord Lyons by the mail which has just arrived, the com munication between Washington and New York being interrupted, yet the accounts which have reached them from some of Her Majesty's Consuls, coupled with what has appeared in the public prints, are sufficient to show; that a civil war has broken out among the States which lately composed the American Union. Other nations have, therefore, to consider the light in which, with reference to that war, they are to regard the Confederacy into which the Southern States have united themselves; and it appears to Her Majesty's Government that, looking at all the cir cumstances of the case, they cannothesitate to admit that such Confederacy is entitled to be considered as a belligerent, and, as such, invested with all the rights and pre rogatives of a belligerent. I have stated this to Lord Lyons in the despatch of which I inclose a copy for your Excellency's information. In making known to M. Trouvenel the opinion of Her Majesty's Government on this point, your Excellency will add that you are instructed to call the attentionof the Fre.nch Government to the bearing which this unfortunate contest threatens to have on the rights and interests of neutral na tions. On the one band, President Lincoln, in behalf of the Northern portion of the late United States, has issued a proclamation declaratory _of an intention to subject the ports of the Southern portion of the late Union to a rigorous blockade; on the other hand, President Davis, on behalf of the Southern portion of the late Union, has is sued a proclamation declaratory of an inten tion to grant letters of marque for cruisers to be employed against the commerce of the North. in this state of things it appears to Her Majesty's Government to be well deserving of the immediate consideration of all mari time Powers, but more especially of France and England, whether they should not take some steps to invite the contending parties to act upon the principles laid down in the Second and Third Articles of the Declara tion of Paris of 1856, which relates to the se curity of neutral property on the high seas. The United States, as an entire Govern ment, have not acceded to that Declaration; but in Rractice they have, in their Conven tions with other Powers, adopted the second article, although admitting that without 601110 such Convention, the rule was not one of universal application. As rege.rds the third article, in recent treaties csncluded by the United States with South American Republics, the principle adopted has been at variance with that laid down in the Declaration of Paris. Your Excellency will remember that when it was proposed to the Government of the United States, in 1856, to adopt the whole of the Declaration of Paris, they in the first instance agreed to the seoond, third and fourth proposals, but made a condition as to the first that the other Powers should as sent to extending the Declaration so as to exempt all private property whatever from capture on the high seas; but before any final decision was taken on this proposal, the Government of President Buchanan, which in the interval had come into power, withdrew the proposition altogether. It seems to Her Majesty's Government to be deservingtof consideration whetherajoint endeavor should not now be made to obtain from each of the belligerents a formal re cognition of both principles as laid down in the Declaration of Paris, so that such prin ciples shall be admitted by both, as they have been admitted by the Powers who made or acceded to the Declaration of Paris, henceforth to form part of the general law of nations. Her Majesty's Government would be glad to be made acquainted with the views of the Imperial Government on this matter with as little delay as possible. I am, dce., J. RUSSELL. Lord J. Russell to Lord Lyons. I'OBEIGN OFFICE, May 6, -1861.—My Lord Her Majesty's Government are dis appointed in not having received from you in the mail which has just arrived; any report of the state of affairs and of the pros pects of the several parties, with reference to the issue of the struggle which appears unfortunately to have commenced between F. L FETHERSTON. *NM= DOUB E SHEET, THREE CENTS. them; but the interruption of the communi cation between Washington and New York , ufliciently explains the non-arrival of your despatches. The account, however, which Her Ma jesty's Consuls at different ports were enabled to forward by the packet coincide in showing that, whatever may be the final result of what cannot now be desig nated otherwise than as the civil war which has broken out between the several States of the late Union,:for the present at least those States have separated into distinct Confederacies, and, as such, are carrying on war against each other. The question for neutral nations to con sider is: What is the character of the war; and whether it should be regarded as a war carried on between parties severally in - a positionsto wage war,and to claim therighhi and to perform the obligations attaching to belligerents? Her Majesty's Government consider that the question can only be answered in the affirmative. If the Government .of the Northern portion of the LATE Union possess the advantages inherent in long established governments, the Governmentof the South ern portirn has, nevertheless, duly coned. toted itself, and; on in a regular form the administration of the civil government of the States of which it is composed. Her. Majesty's Government, therefore, without assuming to pronounce upon the merits of the question on which the re epets tive parties are at issue, can do no less than accept the facts presented to them. They deeply deplore the disruption of a confede racy with which they have at all times sought to cultivate the most friendly rela tions, they view with the greatest apprehen. seen and concern the misery and desolatime in which that disruption threatens to in volve the provinces now arrayed in arms against each other; but they feel that they cannot question the right of the Southern States to claim to be recognized as a bellig erent, and, as such, invested with all the rights and prerogatives of a belligerent. I think it right to give your lordship -this timely notice of the view taken by her Ma jesty's Government of the present state of affairs in North America, and her Majesty's Government do not wish you to make any mystery of that view. shall send your Lordship, by an early opportunity, such further- information on these matters as may be required for your guidance; at present I have only to add. that no expression of regret that you may em ploy at the present disastrous state of affaks will too strongly declare the feelings with which Her MajesVs ;Government contem plate all the evils which cannot fail to re sult from it. I am, (ex., J. Rl:lsamu: Extract of Lord John, Russells Speech 1 the House of commons, tiny 80,1861. My Honorable friend, the Member for the West Riding of Yorkshire, alluded the other night to one subject in a tone which I was very sorry to hear used by any one. My honorable friend said that 'the -great Republican bubble in America' had burst." Now, Sir, I am proud to confess—l maybe subject to correction—but for my part, when I find that a dark and tyrannical depotiain has been abolished, and that people are likely to enjoy free government in its place, I rejoice. It is my duty to represent Her Majesty as friendly to all existing States; but if a despotic Government fall, and the people subjected to it are likely to obtain better and freer government, I cannot con ceal that it gives me satlefeetion and that sympathize with them. But I own I have very different feelings when a great Republic, which has enjoyed for 70 or or 80 years institutions under which the peo ple have been free and happy, enters into a conflict in which that freedom and happi ness is placed in jeopardy. I must say the joy which I felt at the overthrow of some of the despotisms; of Italy is counterba lanced by the pain which I experience at the events which have lately taken place in America. I admit that I have thought and' that I still think, that in this country we enjoy more real freedom than the United States have ever done. I admit also that the great founders of that Republic, wise and able men as they were, had not the materials at hand by which they could interpose, as we are able to do in this country, the curb and correction of reason in order to restrain the passionate outbursts of the popular will. Yet we cannot be blind to the fast that the Republic has been for many years a great and free State, exhibiting to the world the example of a people in the enjoyment of wealth, happiness, and freedom, and afford ing bright prospects of the progress and im provement of mankind. When I reflect that the reproaches which are cast by, the States of the North upon the States of the South, and the resistance which they have called forth. have arisen from that accursed institution of Slavery, I cannot but recollect also that with our great and glorious insti tutions we gave them that curse; and that ours were the hands from which they re ceived that fatal gift of the poisoned gar ment which was flung around them from the first hour of their establishment. Therefore, I • do not think it just or seemly that there should be among us any thing like exultation at their dis cord, and still less that we should reproach them with an evil for the origin of which we are ourselves to blame. These are the feelings with which I heard the remarks of my honorable friend the other night, and I must say that I believe the sentiments which he expressed form an exception to the general impression in England. In deed, I think nothing could be more honor able to our country than the prevailing pain and grief which have been occasioned by the prospect of that great and free people being about to rush into arms to destroy each other's happiness and freedom. OBSEQUIES OF COUNT GIT.ROWSKL—The funeral of the Count Adam Gurowski took place at Washington yesterday, and was attended by a large concourse of people, among whom were Chief Justice Chase. Seen tary Stanton, the Italian Minister, Senators Sumner and Wilson, and Repre sentatives Roscoe Conkling, of New York, and Hooper and Alley of Massachusetts; the pall bearers officiating on thisoccasion were the Spanish and Russian Ministers, Senator Wade, Gov. Boutwell, Hiram Barney, Mr. Ashton, Assistant Attorney General, ex- Mayor Berrett, General Maynadier, of the Ordnance Department, and Mr. Rhyner, a - number or the Swiss Legation, who was assiduous in his attentions to the Count during his illness. The rites of the Unita rian church were performed by the vene rable Rev. Dr. John Pierrepont, and the remains were deposited in the Oak Hill Cemetery at Georgetown. SAYS To-DAY's N. Y. NEWS.—That clause of the new Excise Law which prohibits the opening of bar-rooms on Sunday went into operation yesterday, and seems to have been very rigidly enforced throughout the city. GREAT REDUCTION IN THE PRIOR OF DRESS GOODS.—Read the announcements Of Messrs. Hall & Co., No. .% South Seconj street, in another column, this evening
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