The Press. — London, England, 1854-04-08 00:00:00

316 belief that the decision of the Admiralty to send out no more searching ships is a wise one. The question is not of money, but of lives. Each vessel sent to look for FRANKLIN incurs a risk equal to his. The space to be searched is immense ; the means of locomotion amidst ice and in unknown seas are few; the hopes of suceess vague and feeble. Physically possible, the safety of the Erebus and Terror, or of their crews, is one of those hypotheses against which the balance of probability inclines so strongly as to amount to a moral certainty of the reverse. Government are bound, where the danger of sacrificing fresh expeditions exceeds the chance of recovering one already sent out, to consult reason rather than feeling, and forbid, or at least abstain from sanctioning, the enterprise. That ship.captain would deserve to lose his commission who should allow a boat to be lowered to save a man fallen overboard where the sea ran so high as to render its being swamped a probable result. MR. GRANTLEY BERKELEY ON THE POTATO ROT. MR. GRANTLEY BERKELEY has addressed to Lord Derby, and dedicated to the Agricultural Society, a brief and suggestive pamphlet upon a most impor tant subject—the potato disease. As an inference from prolonged investigation, he believes that the disease is an epidemic which, like the cholera, has been imported from abroad, together with some of the many foreign manures which have lately come into fashion, and which acts upon the vegetable organisa tion as fevers act upon animals, by disordering the circulation and drying up the vital juices. As the result of experience, Mr. Berkeley announces the discovery of a curative, or rather preventive, sys tem of culture. Last year, for example, upon a plot of four acres he raised a crop of fifty-three bushels, out of which the quantity spoiled was under a half-sack, or practically none. In this suc cess, moreover, he has combined, to use his own words, the " double event "—raising the crop first, and afterwards keeping it safely through the season. His principle of operation is to avoid the use of all manures that unduly stimulate and heat the plants, and even upon occasions to adopt a lowering process. The method in which this principle is worked Mr. Berkeley thus describes : " As soon after the crop is gathered as possible the land should be ploughed six inches deep, and left fallow to the frosts of winter. In February or March, according to the weather and state of the ground, the field should be har rowed, and dragged, and rolled, if the clots of mould re quire to be broken. The manure should be then hauled on, and deposited in heaps for drilling and ploughing in with the potato. All planting should be over, at latest,,,in March, and on no account whatever cut the potato for seed, and for this serious reason—while the vegetable is in this feverish state, the moisture contained in it should on no account, by cutting, be induced to exude. lam per. fectly certain, by experiment, that now, while this epidemic is in existence, if cut, and the spring chances to be very dry, a hundred potatoes for one in the olden time will become completely rotten. The moment my crop is ripe, the latter end of September, or early in October, if the weather is clean, I raise it. The potato is then, with as little dirt attached as possible, put into a dry barn, and subsequently covered with straw ; they should be then con stantly looked over, and any bad ones removed." The author finally sums up his conclusions with the hypothesis that the disease is a feverish epidemic introduced into this country, and fostered by the too great richness of the soil, and needing only a lower ing system to radicate it. We learn by advices from St. Petersburg that the Emperor Nicholas has issued orders to com mence fortifying that capital. A report is current in London that orders have been given by the Emperor Nicholas forbidding the removal from Russia of the heavy baggage and effects belonging to Sir Hamilton Seymour. Arrangements have been made for the transit of the British cavalry destined for Turkey through France in detachments of 400 each. They will be reviewed by the Emperor Napoleon in the Champ de M ars. Imperial orders have been issued to pro vide them with quarters iu the magnificent barracks called the CeF‘Tne d'Orcay, situated on the Quai d'Orcay, opposite the Tuileries. To afford this ac commodation the troops already occupying the Caserne have been encamped. Preparations are making by the French army for the reception of their visitors, and it has been determined by the privates to entertain the private soldiers of the English army, the British officers receiving a similar compliment from their French equals in military rank. Much excitement prevails in Paris, and windows overlooking the Boulevard let at extrava gant prices. - - - _ The Caradoc remains at Marseilles, waiting for Lord Raglan and the Duke of Cambridge. THE PRESS. VrotttlYings in V arlimnt. PRESENTATION OF THE ADDRESSES. Both Houses of the Legislature met at half-past two o'clock on Monday, according to arrangements previously made, as her Mojesty had fixed upon three as the hour of receiving the addresses in reply to her message respecting the declaration of war, and which it had been determined to take up by de putations of the whole house from either branch of the Legislature. In Palace yard a considerable crowd had assembled, with a view to seeing the anti cipated pageantry. A vague impression appeared to prevail among the people that the whole cort4ge would be of the most gorgeous and imposing descrip tion, and it is almost needless to say that on this head they were utterly disappointed. The ceremony, regarded as the unanimous expression of an indig nant nation's will, was doubtless imposing and signi ficant enough ; but, looked at either from a scenic or processional point of view, or as a holiday-sight for idle loungers, it was devoid of all external interest. There were some handsome uniforms and still hand somer carriages among the Peers. The Commons were but scantily supplied with either, and the effect of their display was totally spoiled by the presence of a numerous sprinkling of common hack-cabs, and not all of these of a remarkably prepossessing exte rior. When the names of the peers present, about forty six, were duly called over, the Lord Chancellor took his departure from the principal entrance of the House of Lords. His lordship was attired in his state robes of office, and headed the cort4ye from the House of Peers in his state carriage. The junior peers followed in their order immediately after the Chancellor. Nearly all their lordships were attired either in the Windsor or Ministerial uniform, or in their uniforms as lords lieutenants of counties; con sequently under this disguise but few were recog nised by the crowds in waiting. Lord Aberdeen, Lord Derby, Lord Clarendon, and a few of the lead ing and better-known members of the Upper House, were pointed out and warmly cheered. While the Lords were still moving slowly away up Parliament street, the members of the House of Commons, to the number of some three hundred, commenced taking their departure, the rich old fashioned state carriage of the Speaker leading the way. Lord John Russell, Sir Charles Wood, Mr. Cardwell, Mr. Strutt, Mr. Frederick Peel, and other members of the Government wore the Ministerial uniforms, as did also Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Bankes, Sir John Pakington, and the leaders of the Opposition. Lord John Russell was instantly recognised and warmly cheered ; Mr. Disraeli also was very loudly cheered. The other members of the house,after the departure of the Speaker, scrambled into their va rious cabs and carriages in Palace-yard as well as they could, and the scene for a moment was one of rather undignified hurry and bustle. Some of the members wore court suits, and a great many their uniforms either as officers of militia or as deputy lieutenants of counties. Indeed, the whole aspect of the hon. members as they first issued out en masse was sanguineous and warlike to the last degree, and quite in keeping with the mission on which they were bound. The procession, which was often marred by the appearance of three or four honour able and gallant members in full uniform stuffed into one little cab, proceeded up Parliament-street, through the Horse Guards, into the Mall. Beyond the crowd in Palace.yard, there were no spectators except the ordinary passengers along the route. The whole affair seemed to be treated by the populace as a mere matter of course, and as a sort of constitu tional technicality without which the " Rooshians" could not be decently thrashed. The deputations were received by her Majesty in the throne-room, whither they were successively con ducted with proper state and ceremony. Then the Lord Chancellor felt the Upper, and the Speaker for the Lower, House respectively presented their ad dresses, and received from the Queen a gracious reply. To the Peers her MAJESTY said: I thank you for your loyal and dutiful e.ddress. It is highly gratifying to me to receive your assurance of co operation in giving effect to measures which I think neces sary for the honour of my crown and the welfare of my people." To the Commons : " I thank you for your loyal and dutiful address. The declaration of your sentiments on this occasion affords me great satisfaction. And I rely with confidence on your co-operation in the measures which I consider necessary for the honour of my crown and the welfare of my people." After their interview with the Queen, both Lords a Commons retired and dispersed, their houses being adjourned until the evening. Upon meeting again, between five and six, the Lord Chancellor and Speaker severally communicated the fact of their having waited on the Queen during the day, and read the royal answers they had respectively received from her Majesty. SATURDAY, THE FLEET IN THE BLACK SEA. Captain SCOBELL on Monday referred to a strange paragraph which he said he had seen in some of the newspapers, stating that the movement of the Black Sea fleet was impeded in consequence of the want of coals. He inquired touching the accuracy of that report. Sir J. GRAHAM had great pleasure in informing the house that he had received a letter from Admiral Dundas, dated so late as the 19th of March, and up to that time there had been sent to Constantinople since the Ist of January 10,000 tons of coals, and 6,000 tons were in store at Malta, to be transmitted, whenever necessary, to the Bosphorus. It was then expected that in a few days the whole fleet would commence cruising in the Black Sea, and that very morning accounts had been received by telegraph stating that the fleet was in the neighbourhood of Varna. (Hear, hear.) In the Peers on Thursday the Earl of MALMES BURY inquired whether there was any truth in the report that the Russian fleet had left Sebastopol, and landed a number of troops at the mouth of the Danube? Nothing could be more mortifying than the inactivity of our fleet in Beicos Bay under such circumstances, when it might easily have intercepted the Russian reinforcements. _ . The Earl of CLARENDON had reason to believe that the Russian fleet had not quitted Sebastopol at all. The story of its having been seen at sea was found on investigation to be unworthy of credit. The port of Sebastopol had been carefully watched, and cer tainly so late as the 22nd ult., when it was recon noitred by an English steamer, the Russian fleet was still there. On the 24th the whole cf the combined fleets left Beicos Bay for Varna, and the latest despatches of Admiral Dundas expressed his entire disbelief of the report that the Russians had quitted Sebastopol. The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH deprecated all criti cism on the conduct of our naval and military com manders. The house might depend upon it that the inevitable consequence of failure was sufficient to deter those commanders from doing wrong, while the reward that accompanied success would be suffi cient encouragement to continue their exertions. The Earl of MALMESBURY quite agreed with the opinions expressed by Lord ELLENBOROUGH, but thought good would result from the answer elicited from the Government. GREECE. Lord Joax RUSSELL on Thursday, in reply to a question from Mr. M. Milnes, stated that diplomatic relations were broken off between Turkey and Greece. He thought the former power was justified in the course it had pursued, for it had good ground for com plaint against Greece which had fomented an insur rection in Turkey which would otherwise not have taken place. The British Government had given the requisite instructions upon the subject to its agents abroad, and the Government of Greece must he responsible for the consequences. RAILWAY LEGISLATION. Mr. CARDWELL, in moving, on Thursday, for leave to bring in a bill " for the better regulation of traffic upon railways and canals," explained the principles on which the Government proposed to deal with the great question of railway legislation : " He briefly described the magnitude of the system of intercommunication which had been created within the last twenty years. The number of organised railway com panies was 132; the construction of 12,609 miles of line had been authorised, and 7,685 miles were actually finished • 95 millions of passengers were conveyed last year ; 80,006 persons were employed in different departments ; powers had been given to raise capital, amounting to 356 millions sterling, of which 204 millions had been paid up ; and the gross revenue arising in pretty equal proportions from the passenger and goods traffic during 1853 was not less than 16,700,9001. Conceding the justice of leaving the directors of the several companies unshackled in their administra tion of the interests of their shareholders, he contended that the Legislature should interfere, and the Government be responsible for the safety and protection of the public. With this object, a committee, of which he himself had been chairman, had collected a mass of evidence, and issued a report, containing a variety of recommendations, whose nature he explained. These suggestions related to amalgamation, to arbitration, to working arrangements, to the 'running clauses,' to the standing orders of Parlia ment, and to the prevention of speculative projects and bubble companies. Mr. Cardwell then recapitulated some of the facts which came to the knowledge of the committee, to show the evils they sought to cure, and the difficulties with which they had to contend while endeavouring to combine the results of protecting the travelling and trading tiblic, - without fettering_ the a ct ion of the directors, or puL damaging the property of the shareholders. Passing on to the details of the bill he intended to introduce, he stated that its provisions would have these principal objects : first, to give the companies power to enter into such work ing arrangements as were calculated to unite and harmonise the railway system ; secondly, to provide the machinery for arbitration under the supervision of the Board of Trade, with appeal to the superior courts of law. The arbitrators were either to be members of the Board of Trade or to be appointed by the railway companies under sanction of that board. Their decision upon all points of railway admi nistration was to have a statutory effect under certain iiiminmii,‘lll