The Press. — London, England, 1856-04-19 00:00:00

370 Hardwicke, Lord Stanley, M.P., Mr. her Seymer, M.P., Mr. .italins, M.P., Mr. J. Macgregor, M.P., Mr. Wentworth, late member of the House of Legisla ture, New South Wales, and other gentlemen con nected with the Australian colonies. The LORD MAYOR opened the proceedings, and in troduced Mr. WENTWORTH, who said he had passed the greater part of his life in Australia, and he could conscien tioously say that there was but one feeling of indigna tion and disgust in reference to this question preva lent from one end of the Australian colonies to the other : Steam communication was officially promised to the colonies in 1 1 48. and that promise, tardily made, was reluctantly fulfilled in 1852—six years afterwards; and then. in-tead of giving the service to one competent public company, it was split into two parts, and the one assigned to the General Screw Company, and the other to the Peninsular and Oriental Company, and both of which failed to do the service under sixty-four and eighty-four days. At the breaking out of the war it was decided to carry on the steam communication with China twice a month, and to drop the Australian service altogether. Since that time they had had what was called a clipper line, one of which clippers had been out 110 days ; so that, bad as the postal communication was carried on by the Peninsular and Oriental Company, it was certainly better than it was under the clipper service, for those clippers had been 81i days on an average in going out, and 931 days on an average in coming home. The Treasury minute now proposed, instead of the immediate renewal of postal steam communication, a reference to the colonies, in order to ascertain the exact amount of money each colony was willing to contribute to the cost of a postal steam line—a delay he considered vexatious in the extreme. As to the shortest route he was satisfied that it was that via Suez and the Indian Ocean. Mr. Wentworth then moved a resolution to the effect " that while the long con tinued interruption of all postal steam intercourse with the Australian colonies had been productive of serious discontent and detriment to them, it had been in a still greater degree injurious to the com merce and finances of the United Kingdom. Mr. RIVENSHAWE seconded the resolution. Carded unanimously. The Earl of HMI DWICKE for the present would prefer that the route from Men to King George's Sound should be rather by the Mauritius than by Diego Garcia, until a lighthouse was erected on that island. He concluded by moving that it was impoi,ant that immediate steps should be taken to re-estaolish a postal communication with the Austra lian colonies suited to their vast commerce and growing importance. Mr. KFR SEYMER, M.P., seconded the resolution, and remarked that a meeting like the present was a fit lever to overcome the via inertia of Government. Agreed to. Lord STANLEY said that nothing but a conviction of the culpable carelessness of those in power in a matter de •ply affecting the interests of an important portion of the empire would have induced him to appear in the matter. The complaints now made by the colonists anti by people at home were threefold— first, that the steam communication between the colony arid the mother country was superseded with out necessity . He would not ask how many steamers were lying idle in the harbours of Btiliklava and Constantinople when the suppression of this postal communication with Australia took place. At that time the Duke of Newcastle—and lie wished to speak of him with all courtesy as a gentleman eminently fitted for private life—was in office; and it was rather remarkable that at that time when every order that emanated from that department of the public service went to the wrong Jerson or the wrong place, and when every a -t was either left undone, or, if done, was done sir nq nth 4 a'ter it was directed to be put in force, the one act th t, *at well and effectually done was that of stopping toe Aus r liin postal service. They next complained that, communication having been interrupted, no rains were taken to re store it. In a moment of emergency the Government might require the service of every steam-vessel on which they could lay their hands : But no single step was taken for replacing that which in a moment of temporary exigency they had taken away ; a fact which could only be explained by a reference to that inveterate habit of poll ticians of the old school of giving a disproportionate share of attention to questions affecting foreign Courts or ques tions of diplomacy, and overlooking the more important interests of the British colonies. The third complaint was that, when restoration waq propose], the boon was clogged with an unpre• cedenten condition : He was not going to pledge himself to any opinion with reference to the question of subsidy. He would only ob serve that if England and Australia obtained a mutual benefit in this matter it was only fair that the colonies should pay their share of the expense. But the hardship was that the colonies had shown they were prepared to /fly 73.00:11.—that sum was available for the purposes of th communication —and it behoved the Government at on .e to declare they would enter into a temporary arran.:e• moot to carry out the great object, leaving the permanent arrangement to be settled at a future time. But in the THE PRESS, Colonial Department of the Government those in power were too apt to treat the affairs of the colonies as if they were negotiating with hostile or at least neutral parties, and not with friends. The noble lord concluded by moving a resolution to the effect that it appeared to the meeting that, pro vided the usual postal speed of tea knots, or nautical miles, per hour be adhered to, the trans mission of letters to Australia may easily be effected in forty-four days. Mr. HARRY GORDON seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. A petition to the house was then agreed upon, and the meeting separated. THE ADMISSION OF JEWS TO PARLIAMENT, and the disendowinent of all religious sects in Ireland, were considered at a public meeting, held on Thurs• day evening, at Myddelton-hall, Islington. There w.ts a large attendance. Mr. James Ball, M.P., who presided, having opened the proceedings, a resolution, pledging the meeting to support Mr. Milner Gibson's Abjuration Bill, was pro. posed by Mr. Williams and unanimou,ly adopted. On the motion of the Rev. Dr. Massie, supported by the Rev. Basil Cooper, a petition to Parliament was adopted in support of Mr. Nliall's motion for a con. sideration of the temporalities of the Irish Church, and of the pecuniary provisions for religious teaching and worship in Ireland. The Rev. Basil H. Cooper, Mr. Carvell Williams, Mr. R. S. Braden, and Mr. Riddell, were then appointed delegates to attend the triennial conference of the Liberation of Religion So ciety, after which the proceedings terminated. PREPARATIONS FOR THE DISPLAY OF PEACE FIRE WORKS IN HYDE AND THE GREEN PARKS are com pleted. In Hyde park the site selecttd is the high ground near the magazine guardhouse, the front of the building facing towards Park-lane ; in the Green park the building has been placed contiguous to the site of the old reservoir, fronting to Bucking ham-palace. A considerable space of ground has also been inclosed to keep the public out of danger. Upwards of 500,000 pieces of fireworks will be dis• played in each park. There will also be balloon ascents. AT THE GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS, on Wednesday night, Colonel Sykes in the chair, a paper was read by Mr. F. Bennoch on "Thread ur Fibre Gilding," in which the processes employed in the manutacture of gilt wire, and its application to the plating of silk or cotton threads, and the formation of gold tissues, were described in detail. After a concise sketch of the simple manual methods used in India from a very remote period in the preparation of gold thread, Mr. Bennoch pro ceeded to describe, in greater detail, their later developments in the more refined mechanical pro• cesses at present employed in Great Britain ; illus trating his remarks, in many instances, by th,: actual exhibition of the wire in its different states of pro gress, from the rough lump of unrefined silver to the almost callillary gilt thread, and the richly finished artic:e of apparel. In conclusion, he expressed his opinion that some form of electro-gilding would soon supersede the tedious and complex processes at present in use. THE ANNUAL FESTIVALS of the various charitable societies have been held during the week. The Sestnan's Hospital Society held its thirty - fifth anniversary on board the Dreadnought, last Saturday. Sir Charles Wood presided, and stated that the Admiralty were about to replace the Dreadnought as a hospital - ship by a three•decker, H.M.S. Camperdown, in order to afford greater accomodation for seamen.—'t'he Turkish Missions Aid Society held its second annual meeting on Monday, at Willis's•rooms. The Earl of Shaftesbury took the chair, and explained that the present mission proposed to work through the agency of the American one, which bad already established numerous churches and schools near Constantinople and converted between six and eight thousand Turks to Christianity. Dr. Sandwith of Kars also addressed the meeting, and insisted that the only regeneration for the Turk was through Christianity.—The Royal Humane Society and the Orphan Schools have also held their annual festivals, under highly satisfactory circumstances. THE HACKNEY CARRIAGE PROPRIETORS have decided upon starting their cabs as metropolitan stage carriages. A better return upon their invested capital is anticipated. A BAZAAR under distinguished patronage will be held at Willis's-rooms, on the 15 h and 16th May, in aid of the funds of the Royal Naval Female School, at Richmond, Surrey. The Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Colchester, &c. dec., have-con sented to hold stalls. A NEW PICTURE BY MANTEGNA of "The Virgin and Child," has been added to the National Gallery. There is, we believe, no doubt of the authenticity of this picture. The Turner pictures, now the property of the nation, will soon be made over to the trustees of the National Gallery; but until the new building at Brompton is concluded we may not hope to see even a selection exhibited, ~= SATURDAY, SIR RODERIDK MURCHISON'S annual geological report has been publi s h e d. I t appears that, in the why of geological survey, th e tota l fi eldwork executed during the past year extend s over nearly 1,700 square miles of Great Britain. In the ensuing year it is expected that the mapping of the southern districts of Hants and Sussex will he concluded, and that :.hen the survey of the London basin will be com menced. The present drain upon the coal-fields of the country is set down as above 54,000,000 tons a year. Some interesting experiments relate to the analysis of certain ancient bells —such as those of York Minster and Lincoln—with a view to ascertain the best composition of metals to be employed for the great bell of the new Houses of Parliament. A DEPUTATION OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SOCIETY had an interview with Mr. Bouverie, on Tuesday, for the purpose of pressing on the attention of the Go. vernment the necessity of qualifying the female inmates of workhouses to attend upon the sick during epidemics. Mr. Bouverie admitted the impor Lance of the subject, and promised as soon as he had collected Liformation on the point to communicate with the society. THE REGISTRAR- GENERAL'S RETURNS for the week show 1,115 deaths and 1,684 births. The rate of mortality, allowing for the increased population, is less by seventy-two than the average for the last ten years. NUMEROUS FIRES have occurred in the metropolis this week. Among the principal may be mentioned, first, the entire destruction on Sunday evening of the Vauxhall railway-station. The fire broke out about eight o'clock, while passengers were in the act of booking themselves for a down train, and spread with such rapidity that in a few minutes it had crossed the line and caught the down station. In little more than an hour the whole station was burnt to the ground. Two trains passed through while the station was burning, but the remainder were shunted off to the Nine Elms station. The permanent, way was cleared for traffic by Monday morning. On Tuesday a tremendous fire broke out on a tallow•chandler's premises at 55, Albany-street, Regent's-park, completely destroyed the house, and severely injured the houses imme diately contiguous ; and on the same day a fire broke out in the Lavender Dock, Rotherhithe, and de stroyed a whole range of buildings used as a pitch and sailcloth stores before it was subdued. kik, V robintial. GENERAL PATRICK GRANT, C. 8., was last Thurs day presented, by the mayor and town council, with the freedom of the city of Inverness. THE LANARKSHIRE COI.LIERS, numbering some fourteen thousand men, have struck work, on account of the coal masters giving notice of a reduction of wages from five to four shillings a day. Large meetings have been held by the men who have bound themslves not to work for less than the old rate. The strike is expected to extend to Renfrew and Ayr. THE STEAM BOILER OF THE CLYDE GRAIN MILLS at Glasgow exploded with tremendous force ou Sa turday last. The explosion was so violent that the south gable of the mills, three storeys high, was blown out, the side walls and roof displaced, a ,table close by blown completely to atoms, a boy playing in the street 150 yards off struck on the head with a brick and killed on the spot, and five men buried in the ruins, besides several severely injured. A strict investigation is being held, as it is believed the boiler was long known to be in a corroded and dangerous state. THE DEER OF ST.UNBOROUGH•PARK, BARNSLEY, near Manchester, were last year worried by a mad dog. They are now nearly all rabid, attack each other furiously, and upwards o: a hundred died last week. A CURIOUS ANTIQUARIAN DISCOVERY of a number of oblong oak chests, about six feet by three and two, placed Ina circle and buried underground, has been made at Salter•hill, near Loch Spynie. Every ar rangement is being made to unearth this antiquarian mystery. . . "THE • QUEEN'S COLLEGE AT BIR3IINGHAM is at pre sent unfinished. A meeting of the finance committee was held last week, at which it was determined to appeal for public support to finish the buildings and museums. M. Kossuru has been delivering lectures in Liver pool, in St. George's-hall, on "The Concordat, and its probable effects." The hall was crowded on each occasion, and M. Kossuth was very warmly received. A MEETING OF WOMEN was held at the Town hall, Leicester, on Monday night, to consider the laws relative to the protection of women. Some clever speeches are said to have been delivered by a Mrs. Woodford and a Mrs. Wigfield. The injustice of the existing laws, by which a woman is deprived of all control over her own earnings and offspring, was vehemently denounced, and it was unanimously resolved to support the motion of Sir Erskine Perry for a revision of the marriage laws. A petition to I _ a at re is is 1. at e le Y )• le k d k n e e It e ti It )f a e. r. .s I- le Ls le a in et et . 13 a st er o, rn - In - ?ci Id r- id a. is ie a e.