The Press. — London, England, 1857-02-14 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 14, 1857. of vigour of thought. But, according to the standard we are compelled to adopt in review ingeontem porary poetry, it is above the average. • The Robin " is very pretty ; and " Ufton Court" deserves praise for elegance and metri cal skill. . _ --- - The last volume on our list (4), the work of a lady, breathes a spirit of religion which it is highly delightful to conteinplate, and we sin cerely trust may contribute to the domestic felicity of those to whom it is dedicated. We have not read it without pleasure, nor, let us hope, without profit. By passing this general eulogy, we trust we have fulfilled our duty better than by examining minutely a produc tion which piety and politeness equally bid us to respect. --- The Art Journal. January and February. 'THE lovers of English scenery should not fail to peruse " The Book of the Thames," by Mr. and Mrs. 'S. C. Hall, now publishing in the Art-Journal. The purpose is to trace the course of our beautiful and beneficent river from its soarce in a quiet, little known valley of Oxfordshire till it joins the ocean. The relationship between its fount and its termination is full of all kind of detail than can charm either the lover of natural scenery or the historic student ; and in this " Book of the Thames " remarkable localities of all kinds are not only faithfully described, but they are picturesquely delineated by the pencil. Mrs. S. C. Hall contributes some sketches in her own graceful manner illustrative of living manners and affections of the people. Our own experience tells us that there are no more delightful excursions than to trace the course of rivers—though the numerous mills and dams that obstruct their course, and the fences of private property, interpose many obstacles to such rambling enterprise. " The Book of the Thames " will smooth the tourist's way, and, if only as a guide-book to hun.lreds of pleasant excursions in the immediate neighbourhood of London, we imagine it cannot fail to be warmly welcomed and highly appreciated. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.—FEB. The Egyptians in the Time of the Phat oaks. Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson. Bradbury and Evans Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses. By a Ladyyolun7 tern Hurst and -13Iackett The Poetical Works of Lord Byron. J. NI umly Long Vacation Ramble in Norway and Sweden. X. &Y. Macmillan and Co. rulisaeria; or A Midsummer Niyhes Dream. Mrs. Pfeiffer. Lontnnan and Co. The Parlour Library.—"My Aunt Portypool." T. Hodgson .simart ' t f Dandeuth. Hon. Mrs. Norton T. Hodgson Buy Prince.: ; or Scions of Royalty cu off in Youth. John G. Edgar. I). Bogue _ _ The heroes of Asgard, and the Giants of .Totiinheim ; or the Ireek and its Story. D. Bogue 10' Halley, the Irish Dragoon. Charles Lever. 1171,iam Shakespeare Not an Imposter. An English Critic. Routledge. Rantledye's Shakespeare. Edited by H. Staunton. 4. c.oeleily of Errors." Rontledge The Liverpool Year-book for 1836. Lee and Nightingale. Benson,—Liverpool Miscellaneous Poems. An Indian Officer. Saunders and Otley Ailriee to Young lien, and (incidentally) to Young Women. Wm. Cobbett. Simpkin and Marshal The Day* of My Life. Hard and Blaekett The Hi;lory of the Baltic Campaign of 1854. Earp. Bentley. THE NATIONAL REFORMATORY AND itEFI'OE UNION SoctETY hell its first annual meeting on Wednesday last, at Wiilis's.rooms. The Earl of Shaftesbury presided, and in an eloquent address pointed out the necessity of reformatories as well as industrial .schools, and stated that this society proposed to establish a Ship Reformatory' on the Thames, and also to superintend all arrangements necessary for the emigration of children. Sir S. Northcote spoke strongly in favour of " parental responsibility." Several philanthropic gentlemen addressed the meet. ing, among others, Mr. Russ' l Gurney, who, by way of illustration, related the following anecdote of Lord Eldon : He recollected an incident that occurred to the great Lord Eldon, who when a boy had robbed an orchard with his brother, and the farmer had summoned Lord Eldon's father as well as the two boys, and the father was fined 3')s. The little boys did not mind that, but their father did, and be accordingly Bogged them so severely that they never once thought of robbing orchards again. New, if on that occasion, instead of punishing the father, the boys had been committed to gaol, was it likely thst little Johnny Scott would ever have sat on the woolsack or administered laws for this kingdom? That was the prin- ciple required to be enforced now. The Hun. A. Kinniard stated that in Glasgow eighty per cent. of those who had passed throu;h the refor matory were now doing well. Several resolutions in favour of extended efforts, and for State interference to send, at the cost of parents, their vagrant children to reformatories, were unanimously passel. 4. Lays qf Memory, Sacred and Social. By a liotlAvi and nun. Loudon: Hunt and Blitokett. THE, PRESS. Cation 3ntelligenct. AYLESBURY.—Sir 11. Bethel!, who had vacated his seat upon being appointed Attorney-General, was on Monday re-elected without opposition. In the course of his address upon the occasion, Sir Rich ant Bethell, alluding to the great desire for public economy, said : Is any one whom I now address desirous that the glory and the pre-eminence which his country maintains should be detracted from by an unwise and foolish economy ? Look at the last war, and you will find that all our want of preparation was owing to an unwise antecedent policy of retrenchment. You must look not only to the wants of the day, but to the future. Every Government is desirous of retrenchment. But why? Because it is a cheap mode of gaining popularity. But would you like such retrench. went to-day as would lay you next year open to the insults of the other nations of Europe or America? In conclusion, Sir Richard Bethell said that the great plans of reform so long proposed and so eagerly an ticipated by the public, must be " the work of time, and take years to accomplish." HERTFORD.--The Right Hon. W. F. Cowper aD• peared before his constituents on Monday for re • election on his appointment as Vice-President of the Committee on Education. The hon. member, who was returned without opposition, addressed his con stituents at some length upon the income tax When the Chancellor of the Exchequer placed the esti• mates before the House of Commons of the expenditure for the current year, they would see that he would be in a position to take off the war portion of the income tax ; and he thought they ought to have had more confidence in the good feeling of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and in the experience, prudence, and caution of Lord Palmerston's Government, than to suppose that the tax would be con tinued in its present shape a moment longer than it was absolutely necessary. HULL.—Mr. Clay, who in 1852 was unseated for bribery and corruption, was returned for this borough on Wednesday last. Mr. Clay, who addressed the electors at some length, referred to Mr. Disraeli's notice of a motion for the reduction of the income tax :-- It occurred to Mr. Gladstone, a man of great ability and great influence, to say that he should support Mr. Disraeli in that motion. It occurred to the whipper•in to consult the gentlemen in the House of Commons, and to ask how many of them were under a pledge to their constituents, how many of them were ander pressure from their consti tuents, and how ninny were likely to support that motion fur economy and retrenchment. Now this is a subject upon which the people have spoken their minds, and whenever they speak their minds they will see it attended to. I have no doubt it was found that the pressure upon members of Parliament from their constituents for relief from this enormous tax was so great that it was impolitic to resist it, and that Government would have been left in a minority. For what was done? Did the Chancellor of the Exchequer stick to his estimates? bid the Minister of War say he could not spare a sixpence of the money he had asked fur? Did the First Lord of the Admiralty say that it was wholly impossible to reduce the naval ex penditure ? The hon. member declared his political creed as follows : The only pledge which 1 will make to you is to support, not men, but measures. And from whatever quarter good measures may proceed—whether from Lord Palmerston, whether from Lord John Russell, whether from Lord Derby—from whatever quarter good measures proceed, will support those only which appear to me calculated to support the two great principles of economy and reform, calculated to add to the happiness of the country, to the social and moral improvement of the people, and to the welfare of the working classes. EAST SUSSEX.—On Monday a numerous meeting of Mr. Dodson's supporters was held in the Town hall, Brighton. Mr. Dodson, in an exposition of his political views, declared himself in favour of free trade, the abolition of the hop duty, and the reduc tion of the malt tax. He also stated that he was opposed to all grants from the national revenue to any particular religious denomination, though lie would not support a measure dictated, not by a prin ciple of broad national policy, but by religious animosity. He considered that great reforms were needed in our legal institutions; that greater facili ties should be afforded for the transfer of land, that our laws on that subject should be assimilated to those of the United States ; that various antiquated tenures of land should be abolished, and the eccle siastical courts reformed. He was of opinion that the suffrage should be extended by the admission of qualifications which would give the right of voting t , ) clerks, skilled artisans, and others, now pre cluded by living in lodgings. With regard to education, he preferred the Canadian system to that of the United States. On Tuesday a meeting of electors favourable to the return of Lord Pevensey, was held in the Brighton Town-hall, Mr. Scott in the chair. Lord Pevensey, who was warmly re ceived by the meeting, stated his political views, which differed from those of Mr. Dodson principally on the subject of the Maynooth grant, which his lordship said he decidedly wished to see repealed. ' He also expressed himself strongly against the open- 163 ing of the Crystal Palace and similar places of recreation on Sundays. NORTH LEICESTERSIIIRE.—Mr. Frewen has retired from the contest. Lord John Manners will be re turned without opposition. SourxAmpxos.—Mr. Weguelin, Governor of the Bank of England, was returned on Tuesday at the head of the poll. The numbers were : Mr. Weguelin 994 Sir Edward Bader 962 Mr. Andrews GUEENWICIL—Sir Edward Codrington was re turned on Tuesday with a triumphant majority, the numbers being General Codrington Mr. Sleigh Majority for Codrington — 1,334 NEWPORT.—Mr. Kennard has been returned for this borough. The election took place on Tuesday last, when the numbers were . Kennard 271 Seeley 250 WEST KENT.—The nomination fora representative of this division of the county of Kent is fixed to tnka place at noon on Monlay next, at Pennenden-heath, near Maidstone. The pulling will take place in the various districts on the following Thursday, and by a recent Act of Parliament, will be confined to one day only. DUMFRIESSIIIRE.—Mr. Hope Johnston has been elected without opposiziou in the room of Lord Drumlanrig, now Maroais of Queensberry. BUTESIIIRE.—The Hon. Stuart Wortley has been re-elected without opposition. HEREFORD.—The nomination took place on Thursr day, when the show of hands was declared in favour of Mr. Clive. A poll was demanded for Mr. Davies. A CONFERENCE OF THE FRIENDS OF NATIONAL. EDUCATION was held last week at Manchester. The main object of the scheme is to obtain from Parlia ment a local rate, administered by the local authori ties, in addition to the Government grants. Mr. Cobden was unavoidably absent, but he wrote strongly in favour of the movement, and said : need hardly add the assurance that, when the question is brought into the house, I will give it my strenuous and unfailing support. Lord Stanley wrote as follows I shall give my humble support in Parliament to Sir .T. Pakington and Mr. Cobden's bill with peculiar satisfaction, hoping fur great good, both in the present and future, from such an alliance for such a purpose. The anhject of education is not the only one by many on which I think I see a marked tendency on the part of sensible men of all parties to draw together. Various resolutions in accordance with the object of the meeting—viz., the extension of national edu cation, not to provide schools, but to pay a portion of the expenses of teaching, and the whole expense as far as concerned those who were destitute—were pro posed, seconded, and carried unanimously. Sir J. K. SHUTTLEWORTH then addressed the meet ing. He said this year he happened to know the education grants, including science and art, would be 630,0001., and he believed it would reach 1,000,000/. in three years from this time. He did not think Parliament could long postpone the period when it must decide whether this great burden, which was annually increasing, should be localised cr not. It was a most serious question to entertain. Sir J. PIKINGTON touched upon the secular and religious point of the scheme. He said that the ground they took up was the broad principle of religious freedom, and perhaps they had adopted, like most settlements of complicated questions, a basis as simple as any that could be : It was merely this, that hereafter every school should teach religion as they thought right, that there should Le no interference with religious freedom, that every school should teach religion according to their particular belief, with only that one great rule, that great indispensable re quirement, that no man's conscience should be violated, and that the utmost respect should be paid to the religious scruples of every parent who might send his child to the school. That was the principle of the bill ; and he believed it was a bill which every friend of education, be he the most rigid secularist, or the most religious and conscientious clergyman, might conscientiously and cor• dially adopt. After speaking in terms of regret at the absence of Mr. Cobden, the right hon. gentleman said that his object in referring to Mr. Cobden was this—to say there before the people of Manchester, and speaking as he now did in public, he knew that he was saying it before the people of England, that he was ready to cooperate heart and hand with 11. r. Cobden in the promotion of this measure:— He could see no reason why he should not cooperate with Mr. Cobden, and with those who were opposed to him in public life. upon this one great question, which ought not to be a subject of party difference. He saw strong reasons and motives in forour of this co-operation, and whether they look to the effect on Parliament, or to the effect on the country, he was sure the moral effect would be great, to see men of opposite parties in public