The

FEB. 24.

The Victoria Cross.-A supplement to the "London Gazette" contains a list of the names, and a description of the services of the soldiers, sailors, and officers, to whom her Majesty has awarded the Victoria Cross, or Order of Valour, "on account of acts of bravery performed by them before the enemy during the late war." This gratifying list includes eightyfive names; that is, of thirty-one officers, twenty-four non-commissioned and warrant officers, and thirty privates and seamen. The Navy takes twenty-four crosses, the Marines take three, the Cavalry four, the Artillery three, the Engineers five, the Guards nine, the Infantry of the Line twenty-nine, and the Rifles eight.

In every case, what may be called an accompanying biographical notice records an act of great daring. Many took up and threw away live shells with the fuze burning; many rescued wounded comrades under a heavy fire; some were conspicuous for devotion to their leaders; some for gallantly fighting alone against numbers; others engaged and succeeded in the most desperate actions where success was the highest service; and all, officers and privates, are so blended in these actions, that in point of valour the officer and the private stand on the same level. Where all are brave, it may seem invidious to take instances; but it is not really so, for a few will fitly represent the brotherhood in valour.

Commander Cecil William Buckley, and Commander John Talbot Burgoyne, then lieutenants, assisted by John Roberts, gunner, volunteered to land and burn Russian stores at Genitchi; and landing in the presence of 3,000 Russian troops, did what they went to do. Joseph Trewavas, seaman, "cut the hawsers of the floating bridge in the Straits of Genitchi, under a heavy fire of musketry, on which occasion he was wounded." Commander Commerel, and William Rickard, quartermaster, crossed the isthmus of Arabat and

the Sivash, and destroyed forage and stores in the Crimea; Rickard, in the retreat, gallantly carrying on his back a third man who fell in the mud. Captain William Peel took up a live shell that fell among some powder-cases, on the 18th October, 1854. The fuze was still burning, and the shell burst as he threw it over the parapet. He also fought with the guards at the Sandbag Battery in the Inkerman fight. John Shepherd, boatswain, tried twice to enter the harbour of Sebastopol in a punt and sink an exploding apparatus among the Russian war-ships. John Prettyjohn, corporal, Royal Marines, "reported for gallantry at the battle of Inkerman, having placed himself in an advanced position, and noticed as having himself shot four Russians." Private Samuel Parkes of the Fourth Light Dragoons, won his cross in this wise-" In the charge of the Light Cavalry Brigade at Balaklava, Trumpet-Major Crawford's horse fell and dismounted him, and he lost his sword; he was attacked by two Cossacks, when Private Samuel Parkes (whose horse had been shot) saved his life by placing himself between them and the TrumpetMajor, and drove them away by his sword. In attempting to follow the Light Cavalry Brigade in the retreat, they were attacked by six Russians, whom Parkes kept at bay, and retired slowly fighting, and defending the Trumpet-Major for some time, until deprived of his sword by a shot." Andrew Henry, then Sergeant-Major of the G Battery, defended the guns of his battery against overwhelming numbers of the enemy at the battle of Inkerman, and continued to do so until he had received twelve bayonet-wounds. Corporal John Ross, of the Engineers, for distinguished conduct on several specified occasions, and for intrepid and devoted conduct in creeping to the Redan in the night of September 8, 1855, and reporting its evacuation, on which its occupation by the English took place. Sapper John

Perie was "invaluable" on the 18th June.

Sergeant Alfred Ablett, of the Coldstream Guards, on the 2nd of September, 1855, seeing a shell fall in the centre of a number of ammunition-cases and powder, instantly seized and threw it outside the trench; it burst as it touched the ground." Private Mathew Hughes, of the Seventh Regiment, went twice to the Quarries with ammunition under a heavy fire. Corporal Philip Smith, of the Seventeenth, repeatedly went out and rescued wounded comrades on the 18th June. BrevetMajor Frederick C. Elton, of the Fiftyfifth regiment, on the 4th August, 1855, when there was some hesitation shewn, in consequence of the severity of the fire, went into the open, and working with pick and shovel, thus shewed the best possible example to the men. In the words of one of them, "There was not another officer in the British army who would have done what Major Elton did that night." A rifle-pit was occupied by two Russians, who annoyed our troops by their fire; Private M'Gregor, of the Rifles, crossed the open space under fire, and, taking cover under a rock, dislodged them and occupied the pit.

The "Victoria Cross" consists of a Maltese cross, formed from the cannon captured from the Russians. In the centre of the cross is the royal crown, surmounted by the lion, and below it a scroll bearing the words "For Valour." The ribbon is blue for the Navy and red for the Army. On the clasp are two branches of laurel, and from it, suspended by a Roman "V," hangs the proudest honour an Englishman's blood can buy. The decoration carries with it a pension of 101. a-year.

Rome.-Gibson has just finished the cast of a fine statue of Pandora holding her box, for Lady Marian Alford; it is very much admired, and many hope that he will not be permitted to colour it. He is now understood to be working at his design for the Wellington monument. The only new things in his studio at present are a beautiful bust of the Duchess of Wellington, and a monumental tablet to the memory of Mrs. Pigott. The idea expressed is of an angel carrying her to heaven, and the execution is very fine; but it is not considered equal to the memorial of her mother, Mrs. Cheney, of Badger-hall, one of his best known and most characteristic works. Miss Hosmer, the American sculptoress, and pupil of Gibson, has nearly completed a figure of Beatrice Cenci as she lay peacefully sleep. ing in her cell when the sentence of her death was brought to her. As it will be shortly exhibited in the Crystal Palace,

and the criticisms here are all unfavourable, your readers shall be left to judge of it for themselves.

FEB. 26.

Siam.-The Moniteur de l'Armee, of Paris, publishes some curious details relative to the army of the King of Siam, but we are by no means sure that the story is not apocryphal. "One corps particularly attracts the attention of strangers, which is a battalion of the King's Guard composed of women. This battalion consists of 400 women, chosen among the handsomest and most robust girls in the country. They receive excellent pay, and their discipline is perfect. They are admitted to serve at the age of thirteen, and are placed in the army of reserve at twenty-five. From that period they no longer serve about the King's person, but are employed to guard the royal palaces and crown lands. On entering the army they make a vow of chastity, from which there is no exemp tion, unless any of them should attract the King's attention and be admitted among his legitimate wives. The King's choice seldom falls on the most beautiful, but on the most skilled in military exercises. The hope of such a reward animates them with extraordinary zeal for military instruction, and Europeans are astonished at the martial appearance of that battalion, as well as its skill in manoeuvring and its excellent discipline. The costume these women wear is very rich. Their full dress is composed of a white woollen robe, embroidered with gold. The cloth is extremely fine, and descends as far as the knee; it is covered with a light coat of mail and a gilt cuirass. The arms are free, and the head is covered with a gilt casque. When wearing this dress on state occasions their only weapon is a lance, which they handle with wonderful dexterity. With their undress they are armed with a musket. The battalion is composed of four companies, and each company of 100 women, commanded by a captain of their sex. Should the captain die, the company is drilled for three days by the King, who appoints the most competent to succeed to the command. The battalion has been commanded for the last five years by a woman who saved the King's life at a tiger-hunt by her courage and skill. She possesses great influence at court, and is much respected by those under her command. She has the same establishment as a member of the royal family, and ten elephants are placed at her service. The King never undertakes any expedition without being accompanied by his female guard, nor does he ever hunt, or even ride out, without an escort

of the same guard, who are devotedly attached to his person. Each individual of the battalion has five negresses attached to her service, and, having thus no domestic occupation, she can devote herself exclusively to the duties of her profession. There is a parade-ground near the city, where one company is stationed for two days every week to exercise themselves in the use of the lance, the pistol, the musket, and the rifle. The King attends once a month at those exercises, accompanied by his brother, who shares in some degree the sovereign power, and distributes prizes to those most deserving. These rewards consist of bracelets or other valuable jewellery, to which the girls and their families attach great importance. Those so honoured fill the offices of sergeant and corporal. Punishment is very rare in this corps, and when it is inflicted it consists of a suspension from service for a period not exceeding three months. But duels are much more frequent. They must be sanctioned, however, by the female captain, and be fought with swords in presence of the entire company, When the death of one of the parties ensues, the deceased receives a magnificent funeral, and the high-priest pronounces a panegyric, declaring that the deceased by her valour has merited eternal rest in the abode of the blessed. The survivor receives the congratulations of her companions; but, as a measure of discipline, she is sentenced to pass two months away from her company in fasting and prayer. The military organization of this battalion is so perfect that the entire army endeavours to imitate it."

MARCH 2.

The Tower of Babel.-M. Ernest Pillons has addressed a letter to the "Journal de Constantinople," on the recent discoveries in Assyria by the French Consul, M. Victor Place, who succeeded M. Botta in that capacity at Mosul. He states that in digging for the bulls, now removed, M. Place had caused trenches to be opened through an enormous mass of rubbish, formed by the ruins of a series of terraces the earth thus fallen in between the walls of the different apartments, preserving a perfect impression of the sculptures and bassi-relievi, against which it had pressed and hardened. It contained also a great profusion of ornaments and engraved stones and coins of ancient Nineveh. These last must be invaluable, and especially if in the Cursive character, we would observe. On a cylinder of this collection, and beautifully carved, is a figure, robed, and with curled hair and beard, who extends one hand towards a kind of

altar, beyond which appears a crescent moon rising above a star. But more important still would be the asserted discovery of the actual Tower of Babel, standing on a quadrangular base of 194 metres, say 600 feet in length on each side. Of the original eight floors or stories six have disappeared; but the ruin is still visible from twenty leagues' distance-sixty miles. The bricks of the building, which were covered with writing before they were burnt, were of pure white clay originally, but burned to a pale yellow colour nearly. The slime or pitch that cemented these is found in abundance close to the spot. In the bright sunlight this glorious ruin, the earliest monument of human science and achievement, displays a magnificent mass of colours, blended into hues that challenge and defy the genius and palette of the artist. The characters traced on the bricks are executed with an artistic delicacy of finish perfectly unapproached by any of the specimens known hitherto; and though regular, and even severe, the upright strokes of the letters are adorned with flourishes like heads of nails. Photographic copies were taken. A similar process was employed on the ruins of the palace of Queen Semiramis, which is stated to be built upon an artificial mountain overlooking the mighty solitudes of Lake Van, in Armenia. We would remark, that the Armenian historians speak only of an immense causeway or embankment of the river, and describe the castle as erected on the natural heights. Schulz also refers it to the rock rising abruptly in the middle of the plain.

MARCH 3.

Defeat of Ministers.-After a debate of four nights, the following resolution, moved by Mr. Cobden, member for the West Riding of Yorkshire, was carried against Ministers by a majority of 16; the numbers being 263 to 247-"That this house has heard with concern of the conflicts which have occurred between the British and Chinese authorities in the Canton river; and, without expressing an opinion as to the extent to which the Government of China may have afforded this country cause of complaint respecting the non-fulfilment of the treaty of 1842, this House considers that the papers which have been laid upon the table fail to establish satisfactory grounds for the violent measures resorted to at Canton in the late affair of the Arrow."" Lord John Russell, Mr. Gladstone, Sir Jas. Graham, Mr. Sidney Herbert, Mr. Disraeli, and nearly all the most eminent members not connected with the Government, voting with the majority.

Malton.-There are but few districts richer in the remains of our British, Roman, and Saxon forefathers, than the country surrounding Malton, the exhumation of many of which we have from time to time recorded. We have been informed that within the last fortnight two more of these remnants of the past have been added by Mr. George Pycock to his very interesting collection of local antiquities, -the one a Roman fibula, the other a Saxon sword. The first was found when making the excavation for the Malton and Thirsk line of railway, close by the vallum of the Roman camp in the Orchard-field, Malton. It is of the lyre shape, richly ornamented, and gilt. The material is iron, but the pin (which it is to be regretted seems to have been designedly broken) is of bronze. It is very similar to the fiugre No. 1, page 327, Wright's "Celt, Roman, and Saxon." The second is a Saxon sword, about eighteen inches in length, like, in all respects, the figure in the same work No. 5, page 404. Th's was discovered recently in a bar ow (or ancient grave) on Acklam Wold, along with other sepulchral remains. It is of iron, has a fine point, with sharp edge and blunt back. The handle, as is always the case when not of metal, is, of course, wanting.

Ruins of Carthage.- Accounts from Tunis announce that Mr. Davis, a gentleman who a few months ago obtained from the Bey permission to explore the ruins of Carthage under certain conditions, and who has been engaged, during the last two months, excavating in that locality under the auspices of the British Government and the Museum, has made some valuable discoveries. Au Arab having found a piece of elegant mosaic, Mr. Davis was induced to push his excavations in that spot, and his labours were rewarded by the discovery of the remains of an ancient temple, which is believed to be that of Dido. After cutting through two layers of flooring, which must have been laid down at lengthened intervals, he came on a most splendid piece of mosaic of many square yards in area, and in which were delineated two heads, each three feet high, supposed to be those of Dido and Juno, besides several graceful Eastern figures, and a number of highly elegant devices and ornaments, equal, it is alleged, to the most beautiful specimens of the art yet brought to light. Mr. Davis has taken every precaution to guard the mosaic from the influence of the weather. GENT. MAG. VOL. CCII.

It is supposed that the British Government will despatch a vessel to convey it to England, as well as other objects of interest which he has discovered.

MARCH 7.

Austria and Sardinia.-If there is a foreign country which at the present moment ought to engage the respect and sympathy of England, it is Sard nia, threatened by an exercise of Austrian power, upon grounds which are distinctly stated. Let us for a moment consider the nature of those grounds. The complaint presented by Count Buol to the Government of Sardinia is, that although confidence is establishing itself everywhere in Lombardy, there are a few spirits who hesitate to join in that confidence without reserve, because their discontent is maintained by a provocative action from with

out.

The Piedmontese press, "faithful to its abject habits," misrepresents the true state of things in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, and counsels revolution, or even regicide. The Government of King Victor Emmanuel associates itself with that press by its toleration; and receives subscriptions, not only for its frontier defences when it is not attacked, but for a monument commemorative of the action of the Piedmontese army in Lombardy. Such is the statement of Count Buol.

The last two points appear to be thrown in as makeweights. They misrepresent the facts. The Government has not received subscriptions for a monument to the Piedmontese army; and if it has received contributions towards its frontier defences, it is precisely because that threat was anticipated which is now conveyed by Count Buol.

The gravamen of the despatch is, that the press of Piedmont encourages sedition in Lombardy, and that the Government permits it. Now, what are the facts with regard to the Piedmontese press? We speak not without some knowledge of it. We can compare it to a press with which our own readers are familiar-the press of this country. It is true that we have not in Piedmont any journal resembling the "Times" in size or in the universal completeness of its reports; but there are journals that pretty closely resemble a very high model-the Journal des Débats in the best days of Louis Philippe ; conveying information in all departments, domestic and foreign, with very able political articles. From that standard we have many varieties, down to humorous prints of a cheap kind, and democratic sheets intended for circulation among the working classes--still like our own. Among other varieties, we have High Church pa

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pers of the most absolutist and conservative opinions. In short, so far as substantial information goes, with representation of all opinions, ability of discussion, and a true reflex of public opinion, the press of Piedmont may be compared to our own, and will not lose by the comparison. Perhaps its succinct dimen-ions are not an unmixed evil. It necessarily follows from the very nature of such a press that the conduct of the Government is canvassed with great freedom. There is a Republican party, which believes the Government not to go far enough; a Reactionist party, which believes the reverse; but between these, those journals which have the largest circulation give currency to a strictly constitutional view, fairly explaining to the public the conduct of the king and parliament. Foreign news falls uder the same criticism. It is, we are convinced, untrue that the press of Piedmont counsels revolution or regicide. There have been such suggestions in extreme organs like those that we have in our own press; but it is the effect of a coupletely free discussion, and of the strength given by the constitution in its free working to the combination of the highest classes with the middle and the better portion of the working classes, that swamps all such excesses with the weight of a steady common sense. You could not have out that manly and unreserved utterance of common sense without a press free even for the utterance of folly.

What is the effect of that freedom? Prosperity and tranquillity are seen in every part of the Sardinian dominions. Republicanism, like Absolutism, is dying out for want of sufficient support. Law is supreme, without arbitrary dictation. The government of Austria, professing to cultivate improvement, cannot be injured by the criticism of a press. Count Buol says that it is not injured, becau-e confi dence is restored in the Lombardo-Venetian kingdom, save among a very few. Now, either that statement is false, or the suggestions of some Piedmontese journals are devoid of effect. Either Count Buol is making a baseless complaint, or Austria trembles before the free press of Piedmont.

The Piedmontese Government and Legislature have provided for neighbourly relations. By a special law, not only the Government or natives of Sardinian states may prosecute a Sardinian journal, but foreign governments may do so. Austria

indeed knows that fact experimentally, having prosecuted a journal called the Espero, but so long after the offence that the jury awarded rather low damages; and the Emperor now finds prosecutions incon

The Speaker of the House of Commons. -Mr. Shaw Lefevre having intimated his wish to retire from the Chair at the end of the present session of parliament, Lord Palmerston moved a vote of thanks, which was warmly seconded by Mr. Disraeli, and supported by Lord John Russell. The right honourable gentleman has since been called to the Upper House by the title of Viscount Eversley. The "Spectator," remarking upon the retiring Speaker, says,

"Mr. Speaker Lefevre will stand conspicuous in the list of Presidents of the House of Commons for the very high position which he takes on retiring,-a position undoubtedly higher than that of men who might on some technical points be accounted his superiors. He had none of the opportunities which have enabled men to stand forth as leaders in grand

parliamentary movements. There may

have been men more learned in the business of Speaker; for, although Mr. Shaw Lefevre's decisions have been collected into a volume, embodying a mass of 'parliamentary precedents,' which will hereafter have their force, we are not prepared to take it for granted that he has on every occasion delivered exactly that judgment which the highest authorities in the House of Commons would indorse. He was not, like Manners Sutton, made the victim of party conflict; his resignation has not been made a ministerial question. Living in tranquil times, he has had the less opportunity for displaying some of the qualities that his office has called forth in predecessors. But after all, tranquil times, especially with a long endurance of service, must try the sterling qualities of a man; and it is a great fact that Mr. Shaw Lefevre has been able to occupy the most responsible and conspicuous post in the House of Commons for eighteen years, and to retire with a declaration from every part that he has amply sustained the authority of his office without giving offence to any. During the occupancy of no other Speaker has there been such immense im