The Press. — London, England, 1857-04-25 00:00:00

mean duty, for we find that no less than 2,400,000 letters and 550,000 newspapers were either so badly or erroneously directed that all attempts to find the persons for whom they were intended failed. The total number of letters delivered in the United Kingdom in 1856 was 478,000,000 ; of which 388,000,000 were English, 42,000,000 Irish, and 48,000,000 Scotch. The total increase on the num ber delivered in 1855 is 22,000,000. In England the increase is five and a half, in Ireland one-twentytitth, in Scotland four and a quarter per cent. London absorbs nearly one quarter of the whole number delivered. In consequence of the reduction of the postage to India from is. to 6d. the number of letters has increased from 800,000 to 1,100,000. In a similar way a decrease of postage has caused an increase in the correspondence with France-200,000 last year, 800,000 the year before. There has been an increase of 125,000 with the United States. The whole distance over which mails are now conveyed within the United Kingdom, exclusive of conveyance by steam•vessels and boats, and not counting the walks of rural letter•carriers, or the carriage of mails from post•otffces to railway stations, is upwards of 61,000 miles per day; 2,600 more than at the en lof 1855. Mails carried by railway traverse 28,629 miles per dad ; mails carried by coaches, omnibuses, mail carts, 4.7 c., travel over 22,721 miles daily. The cost in the former case is 9td. per mile; in the latter 141. Among the improvements in the Post•o®ce system, we may remark the pillar letter-boxes, which have been so successful that they will be extended to Dublin and Edinburgh, and various parts of the country ; the sorting of country letters before they reach London—about one-third of the whole number —are now sorted for London districts in provincial offices ; the district initial system for London, in carrying out which the public have readily accorded their co operation both in London and in the pro ♦inces. THE UNSUCCESSFUL. PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES at Manchester, Huddersfield, Rochdale, and Oldham, received at a public meeting on Monday night, in the City-road, an expression of sympathy from the working men of London, who also decided what reforms ought to be demanded from the new Parlia• ment. The room held about 1,000 persons, nearly all of whom belonged to the operative classes. The chair was taken by Mr. S. Lucas. Mr. Wiles moved the first resolution, expressing regret at the exclu sion from Parliament of Messrs. Cobden, Bright, Gibson, Miall, and Fox, at a time when they laboured successfully in checking dictatorial power and pro moting beneficial refo:ms in Church and State, The chairman observed that the mover and seconder of the resolution were quits willing that the name of Sir Joshua Walmsley should be added to the resolu tion, and it would therefore be inserted. Mr. Dickey moved the adoption of " the charter, the entiro charter, as a means to an end." (Great uproar.) A person in the body of the meeting here rose He observed that the real question was whether Messrs. Cobden and Bright were the Mends of the working classes. He was an advocate of high wages, and what had they done to promote that object? Distress and misery bad increased to an awful extent, and when any measures were pro posed in Parliament for the benefit of the working classes those gentlemen opposed them. He con cluded by moving as an amendment that "the ex pulsion of Messrs. Cobden, Bright, and Gibson from the House of Commons was a just retribution for their opposition to measures for the social benefit of the working classes." The original resolution and the amendment expressing disapprobation of the conduct of Messrs. Cobden, Bright and Gibson, were then submitted to a show of hands, and the chairman declared the former carried. Mr. J. J. Lockhart enlarged at some length upon the defective state of the present representation, and the injustice which it involved to the working classes, and con cluded by moving : That this meeting is of opinion that any measure of reform in the representation of the people to satisfy the country at large should at least contain—first, manhood suffrage ; second, a more equal distribution of electors to population ; three, no 'property qualification for members of Parliament ; four, vote by ballot; five, triennial Parlia ments. Mr. Bligh, who declared himself to be an uncom promising chartist, moved an amendment in favour of annual Parliaments and the payment of members. The resolution as proposed to be amended was then put and carried. Mr. J. P. Adam; proposed a reso lution declaring the meeting be in favour of a scheme of national secular education, to be sup ported by the money now paid to the clergy. This resolution was seconded by Mr. Healey, and carried unanimously. THE STATISTICAL. SOCIETY held a meeting on Tuesday evening, in the►r rooms in St. James's square, Colonel Sykes in the chair. A paper was read by Mr. Brown on the statistics of fire insurance. THE PRESS. He commenced by giving an historical sketch of the progress of fire insurance, which has not been es tablished in this country above 170 years ; previous to which time it was customary in case of fire to levy contributions on the inhabitants of the district, such contributions being sometimes voluntary and some times compulsory. The Hand in-Hand was the first office in this country for insurance against damage by fire. It was established in 1696, and in a few years after the Sun Fire-office and the Union were established. The success of those undertakings shortly gave rise to numerous others, and at the present time there are 74 fire insurance offices in the United Kingdom. In 1805 the value of property in sured against fire was 181 millions of pounds sterling ; in 1q55 it had increased to 807 millions, exclusive of farming stock, which is exempt from duty ; and in 1856 the value amounted to 927 millions. In France, the first public company for insurance was formed in 1816. The amount of property insured against fire in Great Britain, in France, and in Germany, in 1856, is 4,482 millions of property. The total annual premiums paid on the amount insured is estimated at eight and a half millions, and the total annual loss at four and three-quarters. Mr. Brown maintained that not more than eighty per cent. of the property of this country is insured, and that if the tax were reduced one-half, the insurances would be doubled, and would thus prevent any deficiency in the revenue from that cause. THE FREE EMIGRATION OF THE LABOURING POOR was discussed at a numerous meeting of the work men of Westminster on Tuesday evening. It was expected that a number of members of Parliament would be present, and that Mr. Cox, M.P. for Fins• bury, would take the chair. The secretary, however, read letters of apology from Lord Goderich, Mr. Locke, Sir J. V. Shelley, Mr. Roupell, and Mr. Cox. Mr. Clancy, a working man, having been called to the chair, said that he did not look upon emigration as the universal remedy for the complaints of the working classes, but he looked upon it as a means of ameliorating theircondition, that would ultimately be felt beneficial to them. He then read a report from the committee of the association. It concluded by recommending the establishment of local com mittees, with the view of obtaining a Government grant to aid them in their object. Several working men spoke. The speakers all took the same view of t'ieir affairs ; they looked forward to the British colonies as their future homes, and considered that Government ought to lend them the means to emi grate, and take the money back from them by instalments. Some of the speakers very severely criticised the conduct of the M.P.'s who bad not attended the meeting, and who, they said, did not care much for the working people. A petition to the House of Commons was unanimously approved of and adopted. THE SANITARY STATE OF THE CITY, according to the last report of Dr. Letheby, is satisfactory. The following is an extract : The mortality returns for the last fortnight indicate a favourable state of the public health. The total number of deaths is 105, of which 43 were among children of lets than five years of age, and 27 among persons of sixty and upwards. There were 44 deaths from diseases of the re spiratory organs—namely, 12 f rom b ronc hi t i s, 1 2 from plithisia, 10 from pneumonia, and 10 from whooping. cough. During the last week this disease was fatal in eight instances, and it indicates an unusual severity of the disease. There were also 5 deaths from fever, 3 from scarlet fever, 3 from measles, and 8 from the convulsions of infancy. Most of the other deaths were occasioned by diseases of a chronic character. I beg to submit certfi cites as to the overcrowding of 29 rooms, in which there are lodged 51 families, composed of 42 men, 58 women, and 43 children—in all 143 persons; and lam of opinion that it is necessary to the public health that those houses should be registered as common lodging.houses. THE RATCLIFFE RATEPAYERS have held " an in dignation meeting " this week, to express their sur prise at the unjustifiable conduct of the vestry refusing to permit the ratepayers to exercise their right of electing a churchwarden and twelve trustees accord ing to ancient usage. Resolutions pledging the meeting individually and collectively to prevent the re election of those vestrymen who so interfered with the rights of the ratepayers were unanimously passed on Monday, and the District continues in an unex ampled state of parochial ferment. THE FUNERAL OF A FRENCH EXILE, which took place on Sunday morning, that. of M. Bougie, whose body was interred at the rower Hamlets Cemetery, attracted an enormous concourse of foreign exiles, who to the number of about two thousand formed in procession, and followed, carrying flags, bearing various republican devices, encircled with crape fringed with silver. The procession proceeded from the Blackfriars road, through the Borough, over London bridge, and along Fenchurch-street and the Mile.end Road, to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery. Large as the procession was at starting, it increased in magnitude as it proceeded, until by the time it arrived at the canal bridge in the Mile-end Road it Could not have numbered less than 10,000, When SATURDAY, the coffin was lowered into the grave, M. Pyat pro nounced a funeral oration over the grave. M. Tilaa dier, M. Louis Blanc, M. Dilliart, and Mr. Nash also addressed the assemblage. The people, who had conducted themselves with decorum, then retired peaceably from the burial-ground. THE FREEHOLD, LEASEHOLD, AND REVERSIONARY PROPERTY OF REDPATH, including his houses at Weybridge and in Gloucester-place, Portman-squar e , and houses in Westminster and Soho, have this week been sold for 4,3801. Sr. JAMES'S THEATRE was put up for sale on Tuesday by Messrs. Robins, and bought iu at 16,5001. Smith, of Drury Lane, made the first bid of 10,0001. The reserve price was 19,9001., at 1001. bids. THE DISTRESSES OF GnVERNMENT ARTISANS AT WOOLWICH led to a public meeting being held in the town on Saturday evening, and a committee of dockyard workmen being appointed to present a report, and communicate with a committee of work men employed at the arsenal. THE NEW RECTOR OF MARYLEBONE, the Rev. Charles James Phipps Eyre, M.A., was educated at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge, where he gra duated in 1835, being thirty•sixth senior optime in mathematics. His name does not appear in the list of classical honours. In 1843 he was appointed to the incumbency of St. Mary's, Bury St. Edmunds, which he has held up to the present time. On the resignation of the rectory of All Souls', Langham place, by Dr. Thompson, Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, it was offered to Mr. Eyre, who declined it. The new rector of course belongs to the Evangelical section. AN EXTENSIVE FIRE occurred at Lambeth on Wednesday morning, at the Imperial Pottery pre mises of Messrs. Green. The discovery was made between four and five a.m., and in a short time the brigade engines were on the spot, bat the supply of water was so scanty that the fire was spreading rapidly, when the steam-float was at length brought to bear, and, after several hours' hard work, the flames were at length subdued. The damage is estimated at 0,000/. A serious fire a few hours earlier burned out the premises of Messrs. Goodyear, of St. Paul's-churchyard. The loss was also heavy. THE REGISTRAR•GENERAL'S RETURNS show a slight increase in mortality, 1,084 deaths being returned, over 1,059 of the previous week—the births num• bered 1,933. Vrobiuttal. MAJOR-GENERAL WINDHAM, K.C.8., was last week presented by his Warwickshire friends with a testi monial in the shape of a magnificent silver gilt Warwick vase and pedestal, standing on an ebony plinth. From the four angles of the plinth rise in frosted silver groups of the allied flags, while the four panels of the pedestal contain a bas-relief of the Redan attack, a bust of the gallant general, his arms, and an appropriate inscription. The presenta tion took place privately at the gallant general's residence at Learning:on, Lord Leigh and a select number of the local committee attending. THE BROTHERTON MEMORIAL, it has been decided by the Salford committee, shall consist of a monu ment ovet the tomb in the Salford Cemetery at New Barns, and a bronze statue in the Peel-park. The commission for the statue has been given to Mr. Matthew Noble ; and its coat, we believe, will be one thousand guineas. The pedestal will be of granite ; and in its general character the work will be similar to the Peel statue, in the Peel-park. Nothing has been decide , ' as to the monument to be placed over Mr. Brotherton's tomb. LIANDAFF CATHEDRAL, which has lately been partially restored, was opened for public worship last week. THEIR HIGHNESSES THE PRINCES OF OUDE are at present on a visit to Manchester and Liverpool. Their Royal Highnesses have met with a most distinguished reception from the local authorities, and express themselves highly gratified with their visit. AN ACCIDENT occurred on the Great Western Rail way on Tuesday. The ten a.m. train, with about forty passengers, when making the sudden curve between Uxbridge over the Thames and Windsor station, ran off the rails. Fortunately the engine turned towards the centre of the line, instead of to the outside, in which ease the engine and carriages must have been precipitated into the Goswells, the line from the bridge being entirely on piles. The traffic from that part of the line to the station has been suspended, and the passengers from town have to be drawn into the station on trucks. Beyond the fright, the passengers sustained no injury. A DREADEUL BOILER Exmostos occurred in Wol verhampton on Wednesday, on the premises occupied by Mr. Benj. Mason, fireiron-maker, between Bilston street and Walsall-street. About four o'clock, the boiler in Mr. Mason's building burst with a force which shook the houses at a considerable distance, Tbo maltbouse was knocked down, and a piece of