The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-02 00:00:00

FEBRUARY 2, 1856. grading to England. He therefore moved an amend ment that the meeting bad no hope of exacting an indemnity from Russia, or obtaining fit terms of peace, " until the present Ministry are deprived of office and impeached." Mr. Hart seconded the amendment. He believed an impeachment of the Minister who offered such terms of peace would be a glorious example, and the means of securing honesty for the future. The people of England, who once brought a king into open court, tried him, con victed him, and rolled his head ou the scaffold for treason to England, were not to be satisfied with the treasonable terms of peace now offered : This was the anniversary of the day when that execution took place, and let it not be said today that they were unworthy of their ancestors. Let them rather bring treason to light, whether it was couched in the palace of a prince, or the cottage of a peasant. Let the guilty person be brought forward, tried, convicted, and let execution follow. Mr. W. J. O'Connell said it was curious that some time ago Lord Palmerston was called to the head of a ffairs with the universal approbation of the people of England, and he feared it would form a bad pre cedent if a resolulion for impeachment were to be agreed to by this meeting. Several other speakers claime,fl t 9 be hears, but the meeting grey( impatient, the amendment was put, and carried almost unani mously, amidst great cheering. illttropolitan. THE LORD MAYOR gave a grand banquet on Wed nesday evening, to the members of the Metropolitan Board of Works. Mr. Thwaites, the chairman, in acknowledging the toast of the "Board of Works," alluded to the " industrious attempts " to sow dissen sion between the board and the corporation, and assured the latter body that the desire of the metro politan board was frankly to accept the friendly co • operation of the ancient corporation of London. THE ADJOURNED MEETING OF RAILWAY PROPRIE TORS was resumed on Wednesday, with Mr. Malins in the chair. The report of the committee was read, suggesting various steps to be taken, as essentially requisite to obtain such a concentration of proprie tary influence as must make itself felt in railway affairs. Offers of liberal contributions had been received, the establishment of local associations was approved, and the committee generally expressed great hopes that at no distant day the association would be potent for good, and conduce to making railway management as conspicuous for adherence to sound commercial principles as railway enterprise was for its pre-eminent magnitude. Mr. Matins, Mr. Goldsmith, and several gentlemen addressed the meeting, the report was unanimously adopted, and a council of twenty -five, with an executive com mittee of twelve, at once appointed. THE LAW AMENDMENT SOCIETY held a meeting on Monday, when Mr. Pitt Taylor read a report of the Statute Law Committee on the best means of consoli• dating the statute law. The report mainly recom mended the publication under authority and in a classified form of a revised edition of the statutes from which all. obsolete or repealed acts should be excluded, and the appointment of a Minister of Justice or Secretary of State for Law. After some discussion, in which Mr. l'ulling proposed a series of resolutions upon the consolidation only of the local laws, the original report was adopted, and Mr. Pal line's resolutions referred back to the committee. THE REGISTRAR GENERAL'S RETURNS for last week show 1,021) deaths, a number considerably below the average of former years, which reached to 1,165. Seventeen hundred and sixty-three births were regis tered for the same period. THE HON. AND REV. MONTAGUE VILLIERS, at his tenth serial lecture to the Young Men's Christian Association at Exeter-hall on Tuesday night, spoke upon the " Nobility of War." The rev. lecturer explained that the various mental and personal qua lifications war developed were of a high order, and enumerated courage, calmness, decision of character, and generosity, quoting apropos of his subject many well-known anecdotes of the present war. Passing to the reverse of the medal, Mr. Villiers slightly touched upon the battlefield and the hospitals, disclaiming any sentimental alliance with the "peace at-any-price party." He did not doubt the sincerity of those persons ; but, after considerable reflection on the subject, he did not hesitate to say that it was the result of individual folly ; that it showed the most intense ignorance of human nature, and sprung, in those who sp o k of it religiously, from a totally wrong view of God's Holy Writ. If war were always to be supposed to lie a sin in every party to war, then of course the soldier's profession would be a sinful one ; but when they found—and he did not confine himself to the wars of the Old Testament—the centurion commended, and numbers of soldiers in the time of John the Baptist, and no desire being expressed to them to give it up, he could not suppose that there was anything sinful in taking lip arms to defend one's country. No doubt the time would come when men would learn the art of war no more: but that time was not yet come. Front these two extremes THE PRESS. he wished to keep himself free; but more particularly from those who would sacrifice their country's honour to a mis taken interpretation of Scripture. THE NATIONAL GALLERY has received the Rogers bequest of three pictures, and is ready for the re cently-purchased Paul Veronese. It is understood that the latter will be placed in the gallery by Monday next. rotrincial. SIR EDMUND LYONS' HOME RECEPTION. Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons on Monday last was publicly presented with a congratulatory address from the inhabitants of Christchurch, Hampshire, in which town the gallant admiral was born on the 21st of November, 1700. Admiral Lyons had arrived at the residence of his cousin, Admiral Wal cot, M.P., at Winkton, on Sunday, and leaving the house shortly after noon on Monday, drove in pro cession into Christchurch, where the Earl and Coun tess of Malmesbury, the Earl of Arundel and Surrey, the leading residents of the neighbourhood, and an immense concourse of people, were waiting to receive the gallant admiral. On reaching the hustings, Admiral Walcot in a brief but feeling introductory speech expressed the highest admiration of his gallant cousin's distinguished services, " which had conferred reputation on his birthplace and honour on the family name." The Earl of Malmesbury then, in a speech of graphic power, reviewing the gallant ad miral's services to his country, pointed out his rapid and meritorious rise in his profession, his high diplomatic services at Athens, Berne, and Stockholm, and concluded by declaring that he had only the other day heard the Emperor Napo leon speak of Sir Edmund in the highest and most eulogistic terms. The ceremony of the presen tation of the address having then taken place, Sir Edmund Lyons, in a speech full of genuine feeling and manly sentiment, expressed his gratitude for the honour, and for the cordial and generous welcome so warmly given : He could assure them that both soldiers and sailors— officers as well as men—who were abroad in their country's service were sustained by nothing so much as by the ap• probation of their countrymen at home, and he could safely affirm that the proud gratification which he now felt at the honours which had been paid him would be shared by thousands under his command now in the Medi terranean. The compliment they were now paying him as their chief would be reflected on every man in the fleet, and on the day when they received the news of the kind ness shown by the inhabitants of Christchurch to himself, one common sentiment of gratitude would animate all. Sir Edmund Lyons, resuming his seat in Admiral Walcot's carriage, was then drawn in triumph by the " blue-jackets " to the King's Arms, where luncheon was laid for a hundred guests. The Earl of Malmes bury presided, and the usual toasts having been re sponded to, the noble earl, in proposing the health of Sir Edmund Lyons, spoke of the neglected condi tion of the resources of this country at the breaking out of the war, and related as an instance the positive fact that, " when at the funeral of the Duke of Wel lington seventeen guns were required as an escort, it was some considerable time before seventeen gun-carriages could be found in the arsenals in a sufficient state of repair to travel safely over the London pavement:"— Now, he did not conceive that the whole blame of such state of things rested on governments. It was the people who were to blame for allowing themselves to be deceived by speakers and others, who strung together volumes on false economy ; and if they listened to such teachers they might be again reduced to the same condition, without having the advantage of a strong, able, and faithful ally. by whose assistance they might be enabled to brave the world in arms. Such was the state of this country when the present war broke out, and yet in twenty months, by the extraordinary exertions of our officers, soldiers, and seamen, the colossal power of Russia had been reduced to a point of humiliation which never could have been expected to be attained in so short a period. With respect to the approaching peace, the noble earl expressed his hope that it would be a statesman like peace which England could share with honour and security. In conclusion, the noble lord briefly touched upon the distinguished services of their guest. Sir EDMI'ND LYONS, rising to reply, gave a bril liant sketch of the whole operations of the war in which the navy assisted, from the landing of the troops, through the battles of the Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermanu, down to the last assault, expressing his high opinion of the courage and endurance of the English troops, and of the gallant and efficient services performed in the Sea of Azoff and elsewhere, by the junior naval officers under his command in the Black Sea. Another cause, in additiun to those known of the failure of the attack upon the Redan, Sir Edmund Lyons explained . There is another circumstance also which deserves to be mentioned, though not generally known, but the truth of which I assured myself by asking General Neil the 107 other day in Paris. When the French made their unsuc cessful attack on the 18th of June, it was discovered that they bad only imperfectly spiked the enemy's guns, which, in their retreat, were unexpectedly turned upon our allies. A more positive order ou this subject was subsequently issued, and on the Bth of September all the guns in the Malakoff which enfiladed the intervening space between Sebastopol and the Redan were too effectually spiked, and thus rendered useless to prevent the Russians from pouring their masses into the rear of the Itedan, and it was utterly impossible to withstand the overpowering numbers who rushed in. Of the heroic bravery displayed on that day, he spoke in high terms ; and to future successes, if peace were not concluded, he looked with confi• dence : It may be said of these gallant men what Lord St. Vincent said of Lord Nelson, after his want of success in his gun-boat attack on Boulogne--" It is not in mortals to command success; but you have done more—you have deserved it." The result of all these heroic deeds is that the allies stand on vantage ground on the eve of negotia tions. If these negotiations terminate in a safe and honourable peace, and comprise effectual guarantees for insuring its performance, then all the objects of the war will be attained. We must not forget the proverb — Si via pacem pars helium. There!will be no relaxation on our parts in preparing for a continuance of the war, so that if the enemy will not listen to reason, and prevents peace from being concluded, we may look confidently, through the blessings of God and a righteous cau►e, to another campaign. With a concluding compliment to the service of Miss Nightingale, Sir Edmund Lyons resumed his seat amid the most enthusiastic cheers ; and the party shortly after broke up. THE OXFORD WORKING M&ws' EDUCATIONAL IN. STITUTE is making great progress. A meeting was held in the Council Chamber on Tuesday for the ourpose of explaining publicly the course of instruc• tion adopted. From the report of the secretary, it appears there are now four classes—viz., an elemen tary drawing class, with fifty-nine pupils; an ad vanced drawing class, with twelve pupils ; a class for English language, with Latin, forty-two pupils ; a class for the French language, thirty-six pupils. Classes in chemistry, mathematics, anatomy, geology, botany, and biography are about being formed. THE SWORD OF HONOUR TO SIR COLIN CAMPBELL, we learn from a meeting of the committee, wh i ch took place within the Sheriff's Chambers on Friday week, has been subscribed for to the amount of 2801., which, deducting the expenses of advertising, boxes, leaves a lalance of 2501. to be expended on the sword and belt. The blade, of pure Scottish steel, and forged in Scotland, will bear the names of no less than twenty battles, all of which were victories in which Sir Colin bore an:honourable and distinguished part. A NEW RAILWAY TUNNEL underneath the Channel has been projected by Mr. Austen, of Messrs. Peto and Brassey's establishment. The tunnel is to be sunk sixty feet below the bed of the ocean, which is only 140 feet below the shore level. A triple way of three oval arches, securely locked by inseparable and indestructible blocks of masonry, is the main point of the plan proposed. The cost is estimated at 6,000,0001., and the time for construction seven years! A MEETING OF RAILWAY SHAREHOLDERS Was held at Liverpool, on Monday, to hear Mr. Malins, upon the proposed association of shareholders for the pro tection of railway property. Mr. Heyworth, M.P., took the chair, and explained that the time had come when something must be done to prevent the vast property invested in railways from being utterly ruined. He regarded much of the mischief done to railway property as arising from ruinous extension and branch lines, and immoral competition, which prejudiced the interests of the shareholders, and entirely absorbed all the profits. Mr. Malins then addressed the meeting at great length, repeating the same facts and arguments he used in support of his case at the great London meeting, on Saturday last, and concluding with an earnest appeal to share holders to combine earnestly, in order to obtain their manifest right, to have at least a voice in the general management of their own property. Several gentlemen addressed the meeting to the same effect, and resolutions pledging a co-operative movement in Liverpool were unanimously passed. THE LIVERPOOL JUVENILE REFORMATORY Asso- CIATION held a meeting on Tuesday at the Council Chambers, to receive the report of the executive, and to consider the necessary steps to be taken to advance the interests of the institution. The meet ing was fully attended. Mr. Heywood, Mr. Hodg son, and Mr. Brown, M.P., spoke in favour of adopting the report, which stated that the committee, though not yet able, from want of funds, to conclude the purchase of land for agricultural operations, had succeeded in obtaining the frigate Achbar as a float ing reformatory, wherein boys might be trained for sea service. Mr. Fwart, M.P., and other gentlemes, then addressed the meeting, when several resolu tions in accordance with its oiijects were unanimously passed.