The Press. — London, England, 1856-10-18 00:00:00

classes. Gentlemen, some of you may have read a speech of his delivered at a meeting in Norfolk a year or two ago . I well remember reading it, and was forcibly struck by the simple truths conveyed in every line. He said, you cannot materially improve the state of the labouring classes unless you can give them good roomy cottages—that is essentially necessary. Good schools for the young and adult schools are of very great importance, and well-orga nised benefit societies are a great help ; but when all this is done you have only then placed it in the power of the tenant-farmer to improve his labourers ; and unless the tenant.farmers are prepared actively to co-operate with the landlord—unless they bear this object constantly before them—unless they are content to take trouble and spend time in encouraging, warning, and advising individuals around them, your societies will fail, your schools become useless, and no comfort will dwell by the hearths of your cottages. Gentlemen, this is a great and proud responsi bility, and happy are those among you who discharge your duties toward them. They are your prop and your stay, and every association shall endear them to you. Their grandfathers, gentlemen, have lived. toiled, and died on farms to which your fathers succeeded, and their sons have transmitted to you the race of men who now labour for you with scarce a holiday throughout the year. Oh! then, let it be yours to see that each succeeding genera tion adds yearly something to the happiness of the labour ing man. The vice-chairman, in a speech this evening, has very gracefully referred to the schools and cottages as being in part the cause of the world-wide reputation which the Duke of Bedford's estate enjoys. It is true, gentle men, you have the implements to work with ; I say, let them not rust in your hands. I was sorry to see by a return which accompanied the last census that Bedford shire did not stand high in the scale of education, but I trust we shall soon improve in that respect. But the happiness of the labouring class depends not solely upon schooling, and I am happy to say that I believe the poor of our county are well cared for apd contented in corm parison with those of other counties. lam proud to know some tenant-farmers—and I believe and trust there are many more—who have that spirit which I have en• deavoured to point out as the mainspring of the welfare of the labouring classes. Mr. BLAKSMORE, M.P. for Herefordshire, was present at the Hay and Wyeside Agricultural Meeting last week, and, in acknowledging the toast of " The County Members," expressed the following opinion upon the question of agricultural statistics : What he contended for in his place in Parliament and elsewhere was, that agricultural statistics, if they were to lie gathered, should be gathered fairly and impartially, and not inquisitorially. No man was more anxious than he was for the collection of agricultural statistics upon a fair and equitable system ; but for the farmer to be subjected to inquisitorial visits in his house, his dairy, his farm yard, his corn and turnip fields, and his garden, to that he did object, and contended that the returns should be general and individual. His constituents, therefore, he trusted, would not be angry with him if he voted for a fair general return ; but to anything in the shape of an inquisitorial return he would never submit. As a farmer to the extent of 1,000 acres, he should hare no objection to give a general return, for he believed such returns would be of importance and value to the farmer; but he wished to effect at the same time an improvement in the present manner of taking the corn averages, which all must admit to he required. THE WALTHAM AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY held its annual meeting on Wednesday. The show of stock was considered superior to any hitherto exhibited. In the evening the usual dinner took place in the Agricultural Hall. The Marquis of Granby was un avoidably ab-ent, owing to the delicate state of health of the Duke of Rutland. Mr. Norton, of Elton, presided, and in proposing the toast of the evening alluded to the successes of the society, which had throughout been substantially supported by the Duke of Rutland. With respect to the great question of the day among farmers, agricultural sta tistics, Mr. Norton agreed with Lord Stanley, M.P., that the measure, to be effectual, roust oe carried out by a system neither vexatious, irritating, nor THE EcursE OF TUE Moorr on Monday was seen under tie most advantageous circumstances. With the exception of a slight scud now and then passing "full soon," the sky was perfectly clear and the moon shining with intense brightness, when about 9.21 the first shadow touched the eastern limb. 8y10.54 only a small edging of the moon's upper limb was free from the earth's shadow, which threw a colour like that of a strong wash of Indian ink over the moon's surface. For a quarter of an hour, says a letter from Mr. Howell's observatory, at Hove— The moon remained almost entirely buried in the earth's shadow, hut still visible, the larger portion being of a coppery glow, but towards the upper limb dissolving nto orange, this again into blue, and the very ama 1 segment at the top into yellowish green. The appearance of the moon was now very peculiar, like a transparent body crossed by coloured zones, parallel to our horizon. As time proceeded, the moon was seen slowly rising above the shadow (at one time looking like a crescent with its horns turned downward), and, as more of the illumined surface came into view, the colours gradually faded away in reverse order, until the umbra finally dia. appeared at twmty-seven minutes after midnight, at the south west edge of the disc, the obscuration baying lasted just three hours nix minutes. THE PRESS. gond ant intim'. Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert, and attended by the Court, left Balmoral on Wednesday, slept at Holyrood for ,the night, and arrived safely at Windsor on Thursday evening. Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam bridge and the Princess Mary arrived in town on Saturday afternoon from Frankfort. Their Royal Highnesses subsequently left town for Cambridge cottage, Kew. His Excellency the Ambassador of France and the Countess Fersigny have arrived at Albert-gate House from Buckenham-hall, near Thetford, Norfolk. General Sir George Brown, G.C.8., has arrived in town from Elgin, N.B. The gallant general con templates passing the appteaching winter in Italy. The marriage of Colonel Biddulpli, Master of the Queen's Household, and the Hon. Mary Seymour, one of her Majesty's Maids of Honour, is reported as shortly to take place. Volittr al. SIR S. BIGNOLD, M.P., met his constituents at Norwich last week, and reviewed the past and present position of public affairs. The performances of the last session of Parliament were, he observed, of the most ordinary routine character. Great law reforms bad been promised, especially in the appellate juris diction of the House of Lords, but the contrivances of the Government were so bungling that their measures proved abortive. The bill for reforming the ecclesiastical courts was withdrawn, and by adopting a similar course with regard to the bill for abolishing local dues on shipping the Government escaped an ignominious defeat. The provisions contained in the Counties and Boroughs Police Act were, he believed, calculated to promote the well being of the country at large. He particularly ap proved the clause disfranchising local policemen. At his election every poli.:e officer was unblushingly compelled to record his vote against him, although he believed many would have voted for him had they been left to exercise their own free choice. With regard to the field-day motions for the ballot, reform in Parliament, the abolition of Church rates, &c., the government did not seem to have any fixed principle of action, for some of its members voted on one side while others ranged themselves on the other. It was rather humiliating to any Government claiming to be a Government standing on the sup port of the people to have no definite policy. The next session would no doubt open with some pro• mise of reform in the representation, but with no design to carry a bill to alter the present basis of representation. Conservatives must be watchful. They had no clap-trap objects to attain by pander ing to the multitude, but their true policy was to seize every really sound measure of reform, reject ing hollow schemes put forth with no real view to the good of the people. Adverting to a dissolution, the hon. member said lie doubted whether it would take place next year. in the event of an appeal being made to the country, if they united on his name, he would stand by his party, but he had no private views to serve, and it he consulted his own ease he should ask his friends not again to elect him as their member. In any case, he trusted they would place the representation in the hands of a fellow-citizen, who must understand their wants and wishes better than any country gentleman or stranger. LORD GODERICH having been applied to to allow himself to be put in nomination for the representa tion of the city of Lincoln (hi conjunction with Major Sibthorpl, at the next general election, returned a reply regretting that be could not avail himself of the offer, as his obligations to his present constituents would not allow him to become a candidate for anot her borough, so long as they were willing to con tinue to him their support THE BRITISH SPECIAL MISSION is returning from Russia. H.M.S. St. Jean d'Acre, 101, Captain St. Vincent King, with Lord and Lady Granville and the other members of the mission, arrived at Kiel on the Bth. The Earl and Countess Granville proceeded immediately by the night train to Berlin, en route to Carlsbad in Bo' Cilia, whilst Sir Robert and Lady Peel set out on the 9th by way of Belgium and the Rhine to E, gland, and other of the members of the embassy started for Paris. Mn. JOHN STEEL, M.l'., presided last week at a public dinner given by Messrs. Fletcher, of the Tane bank Mines, Whitehaven, and in the course of his speech made some reference to the conduct of our officers in the late war. Mr. Steel took exception to some remarks made by Mr. Fletcher with respect to the ability shown by the English officers during the Crimean campaign : Our (Akers and soldiers fought manfully; though Mr. Fletcher hos said they were led by asses, I must beg to SATURDAY, differ with him. Gross mistakes may have been made, hut I believe both the officers and men of England did their duty. The arrangements might be bad in a vat iety of ways; bat if any member of the commissariat, for in stance, had given away clothes, and provisions, and what not, without having the proper order, he would have caused himself, as the saying is in this part of the country, " to be called over the coals," for having parted with such things without proper authority. The fault was not in the field officers, the general officers, or the brigade officers. The disasters of the Crimea were such as no human in• genuity could have foreseen. The Russians were a more formidable enemy than England was ever before exposed to. Much of the grumbling about the mismanagement of the war had arisen from the party spirit of the Protec- tionists, who, because they were beaten on the corn laws, charged the Government with having caused great losses, which no human foresight could have foreseen, and they fell also upon the character of our officers. It was no easy matter to feed and clothe an army in the face of the enemy in a country something like that between Enner dale Lake and Loweswater, in winter, and mistakes might be made. But was the cholera the fault of the officers or the general ? It was the visitation of the Creator of all things. The frost and snow were not the fault of the general officers. When we bad to contend with the finest troops in the world, there was something more than ordinary talent required. It may, perhaps, be objected that the Russian soldiers are not the best in the world, but at any rate they are men who understand the art of war, who will stand to be shot at, and when they are dead there are others to take their places. The English never quailed in the fight, and when the winter came on, then the officers endured the most indescribable privations in common with their men. I have felt obliged to answer the remarks made by Mr. Fletcher, as I really do not like to hear unjust aspersions cut upon the officers of our army for things which it was impossible to avoid. Future historians will do justice to the really praiseworthy con- duct of the English army in the Crimea, do justice to our officers, and say that the circumstances which occurred on that occasion were such that no foresight could provide against them. Iffironolitan. THE COMMITTEE appointed at a recent meeting of the coalwhippers of the port of London have re ceived a reply from the chairman of the committee of coal factors, &c., who have now the government of the coalwhippers' office, in answer to a memorial from the men, praying for relief and an alteration in their mode of being employed. This reply says If, however, any of you prefer to accept the offers publicans make to you. and work through them as the committee have ascertained that some of you ,lo at lower rates than those obtained through this office, it would be iu vain to apply to Parliament for the remedy of an evil that you re fuse to avoid when the means are open to you. The com mittee are using, and will continue to use, their influence to bring the work to this office, but on your part you mast enable them to offer to do it on terms as low as others will undertake it for. THE CLERICENWEIL INCUMBENCY ELECTION has not terminated satisfactorily. The Rev. Mr. Maguire was elected by the vestry; tut Mr. Roberts, one of the defeated candidates, asserts that the vestry have usurped the rights of the ratepayers generally, and that Mr. Maguire has no right to the office. A placard to that effect was posted about Clerkenwell last week. This placard caused a good deal of excitement, which was added to by a rumour that got into circulation, that on Sunday morning Mr. Roberts would claim the right of preaching in St. James's Church, to the exclusion of the elect of the vestry, the consequence being that on Sunday, long before the commencement of Divine service, the church was filled in every part, the aisles were crowdod, and there was not even standing room. The Rev. Mr. Ford read prayers, and the Rev. Mr. Maguire was in attendance in the churchwarden's pew ready to officiate. The Rev. Mr. Roberts bad taken the precaution of being there first, and, backed by his friends, insisted upon preach • ing the sermon. Mr. Maguire and his friends very wisely yielded rather than risk any disturbance where so many had met for Divine worship, and Mr. .Roberts preached from John v. 38. Mr. Maguire remained in the churchwarden's pew, and the greatest excitement prevailed. THE LATE BISHOP OF LONDON received a farewell address last Saturday from the clergy of Sion College. The right rev. prelate in his reply observes : Amongst the many duties of my office there were few which I discharged with more pleasure than that of visitor of Sion College. I felt it to be of no little importance to the wellbeing of the Church in the eastern part of the metropolis that the pious intentions of the founder of Sion College should, as far as possible, be carried out, and the college to made a centre round which the dewy of the City and its neighbourhood might gather for purposes I f friendly intercourse and mutual edification I think it possible that with increased raeans at your com mand, the college might at some future time be made the centre of a system for promoting education in the east of London, for encouraging missionary efforts, and generally for advancing the Church's salutary influence amongst the people committed to sour charge. I hope that every year may witness the increasing usefulness of an institution left in trust to you by the pious munificence of a former age, and capable of being extended and adapted to the larger needs of our own times.