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

TO CORRESPONDENTS. It is Impossible to acknowle Ige the mass of letters we reeehe, Their insertion is often delayed owing to a prase of matter. and when omitted. it is frequently from reasons quite Judd pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Communications should always be legibly written. and on one aide of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of finding space for diem. Whatttver is intended for insertion must be authenticated br the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica tion. but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertiaements sent from the country must be accompanied by a tenituance or II reference fur payment in town. TERBI3 OF SUBSCRIPTION FOR Abe Press: (STAMPED) Per Annum .. .. .. LI 6 0 .. 11 al I . Yearly.. • • .. 0 13 0 Quarterly .. • • • • .. 0 6 6 PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Subscribers are requeste I to sen 1 their orders through News Airents; if direut LI the ottl 10, aocoinoaniekl by a rein'ttalice. Advertise+ten:s also must have a referenee or rfonittauee. Money Orders to be wade payable to Mr. Aulteri Iva, 110, s r , A .„l, Ir'u ton. cI)T lortgo+ LONDON, SATURD.Y, AUGUST 29, 18'7. POSTSCRIPT. SPAIN. Thspatches from Madrid announce that General Lersundi, who is appointed Captain General of the Island of Cuba, will sail in the course of September for his new destination, and that he will tr.ke with him the final instructions of the Madrid Govetn ment with respect to the dispute with Mexico. The papers say that Senor de G.ifregua, instead of coming to Paris, has gone to Cadiz, and it is added tha' he was to embark there for his own country. Nothing more is heard of the mediation of England and France in that quarrel ; but there is not the slightest doubt that it was accepted, however teluctantly, by Spain, and that the Conference Was fixed to be held at Paris. Intelligence has been received from Berlin, Aug. 27, of a terrible fire having reducea n considerable part of the important town of Magilehurgh to ashes. The bridge of tho Wittenburgh R tilway and the military storehouses have fallen a prey to the flames. The feeling that these numerous fires are the acts of criminal incendiaries is scarcely opposed in official circles. Lieutenant-Colonel Brine (with reference to a leadimr article in the Times of Thursday, attacking Sir William Codrington for being in attendance on the Prince of Wales instead of serving his country in some military capacity) writes to say :—" Sit Wil. Liam Codrington, anxious only for any share in active operations in the fleld. and waiving all considerations of his military rank and former position, has already earnestly tendered his services for employment in India. Sir William is within a few hours' call should he be wanted ; and meanwhile his present charge is a mark of confidence from his sovereign of which he may justly feel proud." DEATH OF JAYE% PLATT, Esu.„ M.P.—We regret to have to record the death of Mr. James Platt, the lion. member for Oldham, by accident, yesterday after noon, whilst on a shooting excursion on the mo ira of S.addleworth. Yesterday morning, about eleven o'clock, Mr. Platt, with a shooting party, amongst whom were Josiah Radcliffe, Esq., mayor, and Joshua Ratcliffe, Esq., left Ashway Gap. Mr. Platt's hunting box—which is situated about two miles from the Greenfield railway station—for a shooting ex cursion. About a quarter past one o'clock, the party were proceeding through a gull), Mr. Platt being foremost, and Mr. Josiah R tdcliffe about six yards behind him, when the latter unfortunately stumbled, and his gun went off, the shot being discharged into the calf of Mr. Platt's right leg. The wound was immediately bandaged, and the unfortunate gentle man was conveyed to his house at Ashway Gap, but he never rallied from the shock ; and, althougn be bled but little, lie exr;red between two and three o'c . ock.—Manehester Guardian. THE CONGREGATIONAL. UNION will hold their autumnal meetings this ear in Cheltenham. The meetinp. are fix, d to the brccnd week in OctoLer, when re' reset wives from all the great towns of Eng•and and Wales will be I resent, including some three or four hundred of the most eminent minis.ers of the Church, and a large number of lay mem ben. THE PRESS, AUGUST 29,1857. glttraualitan. MANSION-HOUSE MEETING. AN influential — meeting was held at the Mansion house ou Tuesday at the Egyptian-hall, for the pur pose of expressing sympathy with our suffering fellow countrymen in the East, and also with a view to devise means of affording immediate relief to those who are enduring the calamities consequent on the rebellion of the native army. The Lord Mayor in opening the proceedings read an abstract from the requisition he bad received. It was from Mr. James Stewart, of the film of Messrs. Gordon, Stewart, and Co., agents, in Calcutta, dated Ju•y 4th, 1857, stating that "a great number of women and children, many of than widows and orphans, utterly destitute, who have lost everything, are arriving in Calcutta. A few of us are doitg our hest to relieve them. lip to this time 18,000 rupees have been collected, and I doubt not we shall have a large subscription." Colonel HENDERSON, in moving the first resolution, expressing sympathy with the refugees, stated that a committee had been already farmed at Calcutta for the purpose of affording relief and to collect general subscriptions, that Lord Canning hall sub scribed 10,000 rupees, and that, in anticipation of further support and sympathy, the acting committee had at once engaged commodious houses and fur. niched t:►em with the required absolute necessaries for the reception anal maintenance of the unhappy sill rers, thereby incurring a heavy liability, and depending on the forthcoming contributions of the public at large for their reimbursement and sup port : The meeting might wish to know who were the classes requiring relief' from such funds. It was scarcely possible t'or them to conceive that there could be so many suddenly thiown into the extreme necessity which he had described. But there were many of a class which they in England knew little about• who had been in comfort and many in affluence on the different branches of the river and at out posts not very distant from where the calamities had taken plaice. They were composed chiedy 4.f the wives, widows, anti children of public employes—military officers forming the leading classes—what hail been driven from their homes by the mutiny, within an area of many miles from Allahahad and Cawnpore. Many of the ladies had escaped at a llVJUtent's warning, leaving their husbands, if still alive, in the dangerous performance of their public duty. lui ad lit►on to these, there were also the missionary and educational departments, and also the families of a great number of East India Company's clerks, of whom there were hundreds at all the principal stations, and who, having Leen treated by the mutineers the same as the mili tary, had nut been able to escape with the same facility, in consequence of the station of life they occupied net affording them the means of so readily moving. Of that class the majority were without clothes, or the means of present support. Many refugee families had come down, of European tradespeople and shopkeepers at the different upcountry stations, also Amides of the employes at the indigo factories above Allababad, of European sergeants and pensioners, and the wives and children of European soldiers. That enutueratiqii, would give the meeting some idea of the vast numbers that were. never in a position to require the assistance that it was now proposed to place at the disposal of the commiuee in Calcutta. .• Further resolutions in support of the objects of the meeting were proposed by Sir Stephen Lushington, K.C.8., Mr. Theobald, Captain Lynch, C. 8., and Judge Raliburton.. In seconding the resolution proposed by Sir S. Lushington, the Rev. J. LEIFCEILD said : He could not believe that India would be lost to us; that was impossible. No Englishman would ever consent to lose India; and he prophesied that it would be recovered in duP time. He biped that while they were in course of recovering that empire, that they should not repay atrocity with atrocity, or employing cruelty as the repayment of cruelty. Though some severity might le necessary in warfare, he hoped that the examples or them would be as few as possible, and that they should hear very little more of helpless sepoys being blown front the mouths of cannon. Such punishment might be necessary, but be hoped it would not be too frequent. Judge HALIBURTON replied to the hope expressed by the re r. gentleman : The reverend centlemsti who has just addressed us so eloquenth•, and with so much feeling, also introduced a subject which perhaps it is not necessary here to consider, that is, the dehrer of punishment which ought to be awarded to these conspirators. Perhaps as an old judge, and accustomed to vindicate the criminal law of the land M which I lived, I might perhaps say that throughout my judicial life I have considered that crime should be followed with punishment ; and that the eertainty of that punishment in a great measure renders unnecessary the infliction of punishment. I might also say that I have acted upon that principle, and if it please Goil ever to call me again to the judicial bench, from which I have now re tired, I wou'd again act upon that maxim, that'' whoso sheilileth man's blood by man shall hie blood be shed." I have no mawkish sensibilities, and I do not cry " shame" far the punishment of those wretches whose conduct has Burtlassed all that history can produce. I am myself by birth and educati , in a British subject, a nauve of North America. lam acquainted with the hietury of that couutrt from its first discovery by Columbus to the preigit ann. & knew the Aborigines, and have mixed with them, have read of their wars with the white men, and nothing in all the history of British North America—all the doctrines, all the villanies of " the red devils," as they may be called, of the American forests, are the play of children compared with the outrages which have been committed by the mutineers of India. Therefore, I trust that although we may not be bloodthirsty, that the punishment inflicted will be adequate to the offence. Upwards of 1,0001. were subscribed upon the spot, an account has been opened at Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Co.'s Oriental Bank, and we rejoice to hear that the sum of 20,000 rupees was forwarded by the Lord Mayor to the Governor General by Wednes day night's mail, as a first instalment for the relief of our auffaing countrymen. THE FIREMAN AND ASSIsTANT ENGINEER Of the St. James's Baths, Marshall street, Golden-square, were scalded to death last Monday while cleaning out the boiler of the engine through the accidental turning on of the steam•valve of an upper boiler placed directly over that upon which they were at work. A verdict of " Arzidental Death " was re. turned. THE GREAT PROJECT to establish a central railway terminus at some convenient spat in London appears at length about to be realised. A plan has at length been made public to establish within easy reach of Charing-cross a terminus in Victoria-street, placing the West end in connevion with all the railways south of the Thames. There are some considerable advantages alreadz available for the promoters of this plan. They will obtain the Grosvenor Canal—which will be a iivrk ready executed to their hand—on ex ceedingly reasonable terms. They anticipate no diffi culties in constructing a new viaduct across the river near the new Battersea Suspension IA idge, and should the scheme be executed every West-end traveller ou his way to Brighton, Dover, Southampton, the Crystal Palace, Gravesend, Croydon, Epsom, King. ston, or Richmond—the whole country, in fact, an the right bank of the Thames, up and down—will find his station in the centre of Westminster. A FATAL SEWER ACCIDENT occurred in the White. chapel road on Thursday, which resulted in the death of three men. THE REGISTRAR GENERAL'S RETURNS for the week exhibit a decided decrease in the number of deaths, which have fallen from 1;238 in the last week of July to 1,091 in the last week in August. The births of 860 boys snd 832 girls—in all 1,692 children—were registered fur the same period. VrabintiaL THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND, in carrying out his benevolent schemes for the improvement of the moral and spiritual condition of the merchant sea men visiting the Tyne, has requested the Bishop of Durham to appoint a clergyman to conduct rt ligious ►service in the home, and to visit the crews of vessels on the river. The Tyne Sailors' Home, built it the sole expense of his Grace, is proving eminently suc cessful, is a " real home " for the seamen, and happily is ruining the trade of the crimps and low lodging house keepers in the port. THE TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM, is to be thrown open on Tuesday evening next for a devotional meeting, in reference to the affairs of India. The services are to be conducted by the Rev. Dr. J. C. Miller, Canon of Worcester and Rector of Birming ham ; the Rev. Isaac Spooner, Vicar of Edgbaston; the Hon. and Rev. Grantham Yorke, and other clergymen of the town and neighbourhood. THE ELECTION OF A HI AD MASTER for Rugby School. in the loom of the Rev. Dr. Goulburn, who has intimated his intention of resigning at Christ mas, is appointed to take place on the 12th of No vember. It is required by the Act of Parliament 17 George 111., cap. 71, that the masters of Rugby School shall be Protestants of the Church of Eng land," and shall have taken the degree of Master of Arts ►n the University of Oxford or Cambridge. THE HERRING FISHERY along the east coast of Scotland and at Wick is as yet much under the average of the last seven years, and fears are now entertained that the take will be a short one. THE POTATO DISEASE I)SS appeared in various parts of the counties of Banff, Moray, and Aberdeen, during the last week. The tubers are slightly affected. THE RIYEII CLYDE was completely stopped up last Saturday, by the grounding, this side of Renfrew, of the large new steamer Australasian while being towed down to Greenock. A strong ebb tide running at the time swang the ship rapidly broadside on, and there she lay for the afternoon and night, com pletely blocking up all entrance or exit. Nothing could pass her. Fortunately. by Sunday morning the ship was sufficiently lightened to be gQt off At 11:gh tide.