The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

836 FRESH COMMERCIAL FRAUDS. IT is with the greatest concern that we note the fresh commercial embarrassments which are just now in course of investigation Under the very eye of the London public, the Royal Surrey Gardens Company seems to have verged on the catastrophe of the Royal Bri tish Bank. A capital of 32,5001., subscribed only fifteen months ago, is unaccounted for; additional debts have been contracted for 28,0001., of which 11,5001. are wholly un secured. This looks bad enough in all respects, but in point of positive criminality much worse remains to be told. A dividend of ten per cent. was declared last October ! And at that time there were 741 shares of the company still unissued. " Meanwhile," says the " City Article " in -the Times of Friday, "it is coin " plained that Mr. James Coppock, of Clcreland " row, St. James's, who is represented to have " been the acting director, makes no sign." Poor Mrs. SEACOLE is said to have not got a farthing of the money raised by the late manifestation in her behalf; and Monsieur JuntEn asserts that he has been cheated, and that he is a ruined man. The explanations given before the Bankruptcy Commissioner on Thursday do not clear the matter up. At Liverpool, an extensive broker has been committed for trial on the charge of obtaining money on false pretences by fraudulent use of bills of lading The tecused is prosecuted at the suit of Messrs. BIND HAM and Co. The evidence of Mr. JOHN BINGHAM, as reported, is extremely curious. " noferolant (Mr. :lons " DOHERTY) offered several securities with a " view to covering their loss ; but witness ob " ject.ed to them. chiefly on the ground that they " were not sufficient security. Witness very " likely suggested that he should obtain his " brother-in-law's (Mr. RICHARIMON'B) security " for 2,0001" In other words, " BINOHAM and Co. " would have hushed the whole matter up if they could have secured their own " L. S. D." This appears to be an extraordinary mode of doing business. Time was when (alleged) frauds of such a character should, by the law of commercial opinion, have been exposed on 'Change. " Black sheep " would not have been allowed to taint their neighbours. The recent railway reports, also, are most unsatisfactory to peruse. What with the ex travagance of some directories, the reckless ness of others, and the " wind ups" of some, the public feeling of confidence is much shaken. In truth, the commercial classes (.vhich the " Liberals " boast of as peculiarly their own) have little reason to plume them selves on the way in which they uphold the character of the country. Idle declaimers against " aristocracy " ought to study the scandals revealed lately. We should lie sorry to introduce a class test in morality. Human nature is essentially the same. and " tempta tion " is the trial which tests the presence of real virtue But we ask of the milers against " the aristocracy " or " the landed gentry " to think of the vast number of commercial frauds recently brought to light. Punishment must be inflicted in an exemplary manner on persons who com promise the character of the country. Sir JOHN PAUL was a baronet, but he was satu rated with the unscrupulous spirit that animates too many of our modern " commer cialists." He paid the penalty, along with his partners, for the crime. Ronsos and REDPATH have been brought to justice. SADLEIR was his own executioner, and his brother is an outcast from society, after having been spurned from the House of Commons. The new Act passed this year will doubt less operate to some extent as a preventive. But when the foundations of commercial morality have been once undermined its restoration is a matter of melancholy uncer tainty. It is, perhaps, hopeless to expect that this country should now listen to any warn ings against a too exclusively commercial THE PRESS, AUGUST 29, 1857. spirit. But history and experience would seem to show that commerce can never be the basis of national stability,— the converse is nearer to the truth; and while we aro in cessantly engaged in endeavours to diminish crimes of violence, we should bear in mind the still greater mischief effected by those classes who rob the country of its moral character. members do not carry out the intentions of the great Cardinal or their royal proprietors ; that, instead of aiding and instructing the unenlightened, their time is solely occupied at their meetings, in the distri buting of prizes for the best pieces of poetry and prize essays. The speech of M. de Montalembert at ihe Institute has been greatly criticised. It is generally consi- dered weak and illogical, and has received the sobriquet of " Sursum Cortla." M. Ferdinand de Lesseps, notwithstanding the opposition of Lord Palmerston, seems confident of being able to carry out his project of the Suez canal. This gentleman is now visiting all the Conseils Genereux of France, endeavouring to obtain a general manifestation in favour of his views. It would appear that the young Emperor of Austria is not only a good, but a courageous horseman. Lately at Kesber, a spirited horse whilst being shown to the Emperor madly seized the groom by the arm with his teeth, and would have torn him to pieces had not his Majesty jumped on the back of the furious animal, and seizing him by the throat almost choked him. Notwithstanding the want of rain, the grapes throughout the south are looking most healthy. The vintage will be abundant, and the wine excellent. Such has been the dryness of the season, that the Loire at Fonts-de Ce is completely dried up. This has not occurred for centuries. THE DIVORCE BILL AS AMENDED. Os referring to the clauses of this bill, we find from the amendments finally carried that Lord Granville gave up the jurisdiction in cases of divorce conferred by the House of Commons on courts of quarter sessions. In clause 25, the word "rape," as another ground for divorce from the husband, was retained. And then, on clause 28, which provides for the dismissal of a petition for the dissolution of a marriage if the court shall find that the peti tioner has during the marriage been accessory to or conniving at the adultery of the other party, &c., the Bishop of Oxford moved to reinstate the words (struck out in the Commons) "guilty of adultery," thus making the commission of adultery at any time during the marriage a cause for the dismissal of the petition, or, in other words, the refusal of the relief of divorce. The Commons' amend ment, which expunged the words in question, was affirmed. Clause F (added by 1.113 Commons), allow ing husbands to claim damages from the adulterous seducers of their late wives, was ordered to be retained. Clause 53, containing the famous proviso about the refusal of the clergy to remarry divorced adulterers and adulteresses, was left as amended by the Com• mons. It follows from this explanation that in only two cases were the amendments of the Commons disagreed to—first, as regards the jurisdiction of the courts of quarter sessions; and, secondly, as regards the "adultery committed in the conjugal residence" as a ground of divorce for the husband. The rest. of the bill remains intact and inviolate as it went up from the House of Commons, and received the royal assent. TILE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY select !committee have agreed to their report. The following are its more important portions :—The territory over which the compsny exercise rights is of threedescriptions ; the land held by charter, or Rupert's Lind ; the land held by licence, or the Indian territory ; Vancouver's Hand. The committee are of opinion that it will be proper to terminate the connection of the Hudson's Bay Company with Vancouver's Island as soon as it can conveniently be done, as the best means of favouring the development of the great natural advantages of that important colony. Means should also be provided for the ultimate extension of the colony over any portion of the adjoing continent, to the west of the Rocky Mountains, on which per manent settlement may be found practicable. As to those extensive regions, whether in Rupert's Land or in the Indian territory, in which, for the present at least, there can be no prospect of permanent settle ment to any extent by the European race for the purposes of colonisation, the opinion at which the committee have arrived is mainly founded on the following considerations : I. The great importance to the more peopled pprtions of British North America that lay and order should, u far as possible, be. maintained in those territories. 2. The fatal effects which they believe would infallibly result to the Indian population from a system of open competition in the fur trade, and the consequent i n t ro d uct i on o f sp i r i ts in a far greater degree than is the case at present; and. 3. The probability of the indiscriminate destruction of the more valuable furbearing animals in the course of a few years. For these reasons the committee are of opinion that whatever may be the valid►ty or otherwise of the rights claimed by the Hudson's Bay Company under the charter, it is desirable that they should continue to enjoy the privilege of exclusive trade which they tynv possess, except so far as those privileges are limited by the foregoing recommendations. preign dorrtsponttntt. PARIS, August 27. THE great question of the day is, " Will Lord Strat ford de Redcliffe be recalled or not ?" In the few political saloons now open, in the cafes, on the Boule vards, is the extraordinary conduct of the English Ambassador at the Court of the Sultan the general subject of conversation, and the opinion is that the eccentricities of this diplomatist have done more to increase the influence of Franco than years of intrigue could ever have effected. M. de Thouvenel, who possesses the full confidence of his Imperial master, kept his Government well informed, not only as to the outward acts, but secret manceuvres of the British representatives ; and it would be most inte resting, and at the same time highly instructive to rising diplomatists, could the despatches of the French Ambassador be published. The Emperor never decides on any line of conduct without mature reflection; but, once a decision come to, he is deter mined, coute que coute, to carry it out. But, whilst resolute in his purpose, he never loses sight of the fact that much more is to be obtained through con ciliatory means than by an arrogant dictation. It was in this spirit that M. de Thouvenel received instructions to be courteous in his intercourse with the English and Austrian Ambassadors, and most respectful to the Sultan. At the same time he received peremptory orders to quit Constantinople unless the elections were immediately annulled. The elections are annulled, not only without the consent of L )rd Stratford de Radcliffe, but in direct opposition to his wishes, and notwithstanding his court intrigues. In an aristocratic, saloon in the Faubourg St. Germain last evening, a Russian noble • man known to possess the confidence of his sove - reign observed, " Lord Palmerston will not recall Lord Red,diffo ; he would be an awkward customer in the House of Lords ; he knows too many secrets, and, when irritated, his passion overcomes his pru dence." That Franca is daily gaining in popularity and influence in the East cannot for a moment be doubted. Lock at the manner in which the fête of the 15th of August was celebrated everywhere. At Belgrade Hassan Pachn, the Kaimakan, and all the authorities, assisted at the Te Deum. In the evening there was a general illumination, the people parading the streets, crying out as well as they could in French, "Vive l'Empereur !" At Bucharest a serenade was given to Baron de falleyrand, at which assisted more than 2,000 persons. In the course of the day addresses were presented to the Baron, signed by almost every influential person in the city. At Tunis a deputation from the Christian colonists waited on the ConsudGeneral of France, and presented an address, in which they requested that their expression of gratitude might be conveyed to the Emperor for his generous interference in the cause of civilisation and humanity. This alludes to the late troubles. The Emperor arrived in Paris at an early hour on Monday mot ning from Biarritz. A Council of Ministers was held shortly after, at which his Majesty presided. On Tuesday his Majesty enjoyed a day's shooting at St. Germain ; and before the close of the week it is probable that the departure for the camp at Chalons will take place. The unwearied activity of the Emperor one day at Biarritz, the next at the Tuileries, and than shooting at St. Germain, is very generally remarked. He travels by night, and travels by day ; and his labours are not the lightest, for though the Emperor has the greatest confidence in his Ministers, yet every movement of the huge State machine is regulated by himself. There seems to be now a doubt whether the Queen will visit France this year. By some it is said that it. is owing to Indian affairs ; but the general opinion is that Lord Palmerston waits the result of the meeting between the Emperor of Rei.sia and Napoleon. The reputation of the French Academy is fast declining. The public complains that the learned 4