liftiscellantons.

The Grand Duke Michael of Russia, attended by his suite and Captain Meynell, arrived at Mivart's Hotel on Thursday, from Wilton House, where he had been on a visit to the Countess of Pembroke. Baron Brunow had preceded the Duke by some hours, to prepare for his reception.

Lord Cardigan is reported to have instituted legal proceedings against the Times, for libel ; and against the Freeman's Journal, for publishing a letter signed " Captain Oman," which said, in what was meant for satire, that Lord Cardigan had voluntered to take the lead against the Repealers at Clontarf.

We regret to say that Sir Henry Wilmot still remains in a state to cause much painful anxiety to his friends. He was a little better last evening, but not quite so well this morning. At the hour at which we write, he is considered to be somewhat improved.—Derby Mercury, October 25.

Sir James Shaw has not long enjoyed his retirement from the duties of civic office ; for he died on the night of Sunday last, in the eightieth year of his age. Sir James was born at Riccarton in Ayrshire, where his family filled a respectable station ; but being one of many children, he was sent out early in life to seek his fortune. He gradually rose from one of the lowest seats in a mercantile house of the City to inde- pendence and wealth. In 1798 he was elected Alderman for Portsoken Ward ; in 1805 he was elected Lord Mayor ; and in 1809 he was created a Baronet. He resigned his Alderman's gown in 1831 ; when, on the death of Mr. Richard Clarke, he was created City Chamberlain ; and that post he filled until he resigned it in May lash His good deeds of charity are commemorated in glowing terms.

A fictitious rumour was circulated on Monday evening, that Mr. George Lyall, the Member for the City was dead. The Times and Standard, however, promptly reported that Mr. Lyall had been seen at his counting-house, engaged in the transaction of his usual business; and the Post added, that he had been ill, but not to create alarm, and was then convalescent.

It is understood that a marriage is on the tapis between Lady Chantrey, relict of the late Sir Francis Chantrey, the eminent sculptor, and Mr. Corbould, the artist. Her Ladyship is staying at Tunbridge Wells.—Morning Chronicle.

The journals of the party to which the unsuccessful candidate in the City belongs, take different views of the cause of defeat. The Times, for example, imputes it to the want of decided policy in the candidate's chief-

" Sir R. Peel is assailed in the City by no vehement hostility; but neither is be supported by any energetic friendship. Sir Robert Peel aspires to be ne- cessary to all parties, but identified with none. He partly succeeds ; the Tories

want him to defend them in Parliament against the Whigs—the Whigs to pass Liberal measures in spite of the Tories. He is cautions, candid, impartial, and unpledged. He respects the Church, but refuses to identify himself with it ;

he approves Free Trade, but refuses to carry out its principles; he defends agricultural protection, but reduces the duties on corn ; he acknowledges the hardships of the Poor-law, but evades the task of curing them ; he deprecates

Irish agitation, but has shrunk, until last week, almost incomprehensibly, from the shadow of coercion. He is civil to all parties and interests, and satisfies none. Be represents no popular principle ; and we may add, that personal attachment he seems rather to despise than court. He has the credit and au- thority of an able Parliamentary leader, who has been in the uniform habit of opposing certain other politicians from a certain direction ; and beyond this

men do not very well know where to have him. This situation has doubtless its advantages ; but it has its evils; and it was one of these which was shown on Saturday, when the Ministerial cause appeared to have fallen, not before any violent external cause—not through any extensive schism or defection— but because many of its former supporters had ceased to care about it—because

those who have formerly supported it, disappointed in many of their anticipa- tions, seemed to doubt whether it was worth supporting any longer, and so let it drop. The seat has been lost by indifference—an indifference which is the concomitant evil of Sir Robert Peel's temperate and subdued line of policy. We will venture to say that a body of Conservative electors sufficient to turn the fate of the election might be found, who neglected to poll because, after the experience they have had of Sir Robert Peel's policy, they really did not pee that it signified whether he was in or out."

The Morning Post imputes the defeat to a lack of Toryism in the candidate and the unpopularity of Ministers-

" It is no fault of Mr. Baring that the election has not been won ; for a better candidate of Ministerial Conservative politics could not have come for- ward. It is no such triumph neither for the Anti-Corn-law League, as they will endeavour to make it appear, although they have carried their remarkably heavy candidate. The real cause of the success of Mr. Peahen is the deterio- ration of the public character of the Ministerial Conservative party: The Ministerial Conservatives have not been true to themselves and their own avowed principles ; and the result is, that the enthusiasm in their favour which

carried all before it when they were Oppositiouists, in 1841, has died away. In 1841, when Sir Robert Peel was leader of the Conservative Opposition, and was driving the Free-trade Whigs before him like chaff before the wind, Mr.

Pattison appealed to the constituency of London to put him into Parliament.

He was beaten. The Opposition of 1841 have obtained office, and now the influence of Government is with the Conservatives ; but they are no longer the

assailants of the Free-traders. They say the Free-traders are abstractedly right, and would be practically right only that they are in rather too great s hurry. Under these circumstances, Mr. Pattison again appeals to the consti- tuency of London. Be is not beaten, but beats his Conservative opponent; who has every thing in his favour save that be is a Ministerialist, and pledged to the ambiguous half-and-half policy of Sir Robert Peel and his colleagues. Had Mr. Baring declared himself an out-and-out Tory, and a determined friend to protection of the people's industry, we believe he would have carried his election." A passage in our latest edition on Saturday seems to have rendered the Past yet fiercer- " Our contemporary the Spectator, after announcing that the League has retained Mr. Pattison for the City of London,' goes on to consider the cause of this, and concludes thus- ' The exciting cause is sought in the peculiar circumstance of the election, and that was the presence of the League. Mr. Baring joined issue n hh Mr. Pulliam on the ground of his connexion with the League ; thus seeming to recognize that body as his real opponent, and combating it. as an agency, more than Mr. Pattison. The League has triumphed in the first battle of its lately announced campaign. This is a new ele- ment in electioneering; a new power is introduced, which has succeeded in London, where the civic jealousy of intervention from without made its attempt most hazardous. The obstacles to the exercise of such an alien influence, which the commercial metro- polis presented. are not likely to occur elsewhere; and the formidable organization which has taken London in its grasp will be courted and feared in other contests.'

"It appears to us that this 'new element in electioneering ' is not a thing of which the existence should be noted without some strong expression of reproof— unless, indeed, we must admit any thing rather than the calm fair working of the British constitution. Combinations like that of the Anti-Corn-law League, for the purpose of influencing elections to Parliament, do not certainly come within the scope of any such constitutional influences as have ever been re- cognized by British jurists or statesmen. We do not know whether the Minis. ter may not think the influence of the League a better thing to be conciliated than attacked; but we are quite sure which course would be the more consti- tutional, and the more conformable with Conservative principles and senti- ments. We believe that nothing in politics can be more detestable than such a conspiracy as the Anti-Corn-law League. We dread nothing in the course of politics more than we dread the continued success of such a conspiracy. The thing commonly called despotism would be virtue and mercy compared with the base compound of cunning and effrontery to the tyranny of which we should be made subject if the League should succeed, and to which, no doubt, we shall be made subject, if it be not dealt with as the Repeal conspiracy has been dealt with in Ireland. That the League is an engine of the Jews, the Quakers, the Unitarians, and other money-worshipping wretches, who loug to have the power of oppressing the poor more completely in their hands than they have at present, has been made very evident during the recent election. A fine thing it is for England, and for London, to see them under the away of a confederate gang of greasy jobbing Jews and sleek bustling Quakers !"

Sir Robert Peel's new speech at Tamworth is diversely received by the different parties. The Whig Morning Chronicle commends it, and bails its Free-trade bearing ; the Tory Morning Post commends it, but objects to its sanction of competition, and glances with alarm at the snake in the grass, Free Trade ; the impracticable Times commends it, but ridicules the egotism of its lecturing-

" A creditable speech has been spoiled by the place of its delivery. Nothing could be more useful than the suggestions of the right honourable Baronet, no- thing more unobjectionable than their tone, nothing more creditable than the pledges with which they were accompanied. One only depreciating remark will suggest itself: could not the same advice, the same suggestions, the same promisee, have been delivered with something less of Sir Robert about them ? We are not blind to the advantages of a shining example, such as Sir Robert truly presents to the world. We know there is a species of duty incumbent on a Premier to make the most, as others are ready enough to make the least, of all his‘own good deeds. But still, we must say, that there is a certain prominence of Number One, which appears out of taste, to say the least, on the semi-public occasion on which Sir Robert Peel addressed the Farmers' Club of Tamworth. It is I' who will buy the bull—' I' who grew the potatoes—' 1' who utter 'no empty declarations '—'I ' who 'makes acrifices of my personal pleasures'—' I ' who have just given a nineteen years' lease—' 1' who will kill off all the bares and rabbits. Most proper and fitting that 'I ' should do and promise all this, if it were but at my' own dinner-table. There, nothing would be more fitting than for the owner of Drayton naturally and unaffectedly to tell his tenantry what he was ready to do for them ; and nothing would have been more likely than that the example there set would have been as largely known as it now is, and as generally followed by his brother landowners. But, as delivered to a 'numerous body of landed proprietors and farmers,' collected to the tune of about 240 in the Town-hall of Tamworth, these very circumstantial announce- ments of 'my own' intentions and merits savour of the egotistical; a failing in which we would rather that our excellent Premier should not be chargeable."

At this season begin to appear the worst cases of misery, leading to crime, at the Metropolitan Police-offices. For example, at Lambeth Street, on Wednesday, a woman named Biddell was charged with illegally pawning some trousers which a slopseller bad given her to make. Her wages were sevenpence a pair, out of which to find thread The Magistrate, instead of sending this poor woman to the House of Correction, sent her to the workhouse ; assuming for the nonce the Royal prerogative of pardon. This and some other cases have revived the periodical thought for the poor ; and the Times, foremost io that good work, has wrought to such effect that it has directly induced more than one five-pbund and even larger notes to be sent to the Police Ma- gistrates : a welcome subsidy ; for we observe some of the Magistrates complain that the funds in the poor-box run low. Some time back we suggested that Government should take a regular vote for a sum to be placed at the disposal of Police Magistrates. No persons have such opportunity of dispensing casual charity where it is most needed ; their own pockets are often unduly taxed by the claims of pity ; and no other public officers could so safely and conveniently be trusted with the ne- cessary discretion in the use of such funds.

The Morning Post states " upon authority," that the Queen and the Queen Dowager have discontinued their private boxes at Covent Gar- den Theatre, because the meetings of the Anti-Corn-law League have been held in that Theatre. Mr. Henry John Wallack begs the Post to add, that the statement is not made on his authority.

Mr. Ormsby Gore, Groom-ia-Waiting to the Queen, was obliged to leave Windsor Castle on Monday morning, for his town residence, in consequence of an accident. He fell from his horse while riding after Prince Albert's harriers on Wednesday last week, fractured a collar- bone, and was severely bruised. He was conveyed to the Castle, and received immediate attention ; the Queen and Prince manifesting much concern for his suffering.

A fire was discovered in a corridor of Frogmore House, at six &dock on Tuesday morning; caused by the overheating of a flue. It was extinguished without doing much damage. The bedchamber of the Dutchess of Kent is over the corridor ; and as there is a great deal of wood-work about the house, the consequences of such a mishap might have been most serious.