The Press. — London, England, 1856-02-09 00:00:00

1 124 own. It was impossible to resist the jus tice of Mr. CAIRNS appeal. It was received with thunders of applause. Mr. LowE was stripped of his borrowed plumes in an instant, and presented one of the most pitiable in stances on record of political nudity. TIIE PEESS. pulsion if it can be avoided. Certainly the best thing would be, that the public should of its own accord be enthusiastic and intelli gent, and sound and practical, and should voluntarily found and conduct the requisite number of reformatory establishments. Fail ing this, we. may as well permit the levying of rates, because the bare permission does at least secure a slight element of voluntaryism, and we should be sorry to see that element wholly eradicated. It is a very easy thing to levy a rate. It is no such arduous matter even to pay one. It is quite another thing really to reform a single criminal. We advise our readers to lose no time in making the acquaintance, if they have not already done so, of some man who has proved his capacity to achieve this truly difficult result. There is more than one such man in this city. The governor or superintendent of a London reformatory is generally such a man. Visit him, converse with him, examine his method and study his principles, give him sympathy and substantial support, and you will perhaps be able with sounder judgment and clearer conscience to talk, and if needs be to write, concerning the reformatory movement. SATURDAY, RocwEsTEß.—The nomination of Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Martin took place on Thursday, and the poll commenced yesterday, when TAMWORTIL—Lord Raynham was elected on Thurs day without opposition. In the course of his remarks upon the occasion, his lordship stated as his opinion with respect to the war that the five points about to be discussed at Paris " would not meet the demands of Europe": A peace founded on these propositions would, be was afraid, be without honour to England, while it would give no security to Europe. It behoved them all to see that the blood of our soldiers and sailors was not shed in vain. In his opinion it would be impolitic to allow the present op portunity to pass away without restoring Poland to the list of nations. Finland ought also to be wrested from the grasp of Russia. He was sorry that Russia had agreed to preliminaries for peace, as lie trusted that proper terms might yet be obtained from her. The noble lord, noticing several measures proposed in Parliament, said " they all bore the impress of the energelic talent of the Premier," and added that he was in favour of the abolition of religious disabilities. TAUNTON.-Mr. Labouchere was re-elected for this borough on Tuesday without opposition. In his address to the electors upon this occasion the rght hon. member spoke of the prospects of peace, and said be should rejoice if the negotiations led to such "peace as might afford a prospect of durability." WIGTOWNSHIRE.-Sir Andrew Agnew, of Lochnaw, Bart., has offered himself as a candidate to succeed Lord Dalrymple. In his address, the hon. baronet states that he holds Liberal opinions, but maintains strongly that the Protestantism of the Constitution should be preserved. He will support any well considered measures for extending to all classes the blessings of a sound education. He is in favour of religions toleration, but opposed to the Maynooth grant, and will resist all attempts to alter the regula tions by which the nation acknowledges the Divine authority of the Sabbath. PRINCE PastriEwrri,u, whose death is an nounced this week at Warsaw, was so celebrated a man in the military history of Russia as to de serve a brief notice of the leading events of his life. Born on the 12th of May, 1782, at an early age he was attached to the personal service of the Emperor Paul, and soon after appointed lieutenant in the Guard and aide-de-camp. In 1805 he served in the campaign of Austerlitz, and from 1800 to 1812 was on active service in the Turkish war, where he dis tinguished himself on several occasions by the exhi bition of great military talents. In 1812, having reached the rank of general, he was appointed to the command of the 20th Division of Infantry, under Prince Bragatiow, and was present at the battles of Dachkofka, Soultanofka, Smolensko, and Moscow. Upon the retreat of the French, Paskiewitch distin guished himself greatly by his untiring activity in following up the enemy, and in 1813 was intrusted with the blockade of Modlin. In the autumn of that year he was ordered into Saxony, was present at the battle of Culm, commanded the advanced guard at the attack on Dresden, and for his gallant conduct at Leipsic was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. lie was subsequently employed successively in the blockades of Magdeburg and Hamburg ; in 1814 he was intrusted with the command of the 2nd Division of Grenadiers, then in France, and at the battle of Arcis-sur-Aube he had a horse killed under him. At the conclusion of the war he returned home, and in 1820 was appointed to the command of a divi sion of the Imperial Guard. In 1820, in the Persian war, he was nominated second in command under Yermoloff, and at Elisavetpol rendered such im• portant services that he was presented by the Emperor Nicholas with a sword mounted in diamonds, and bearing the inscription—" To the Conqueror of the Persians at Elisavetpol." In the next year General Paskiewitch succeeded Yermoloff in the chief com mand, and penetrating into Persia, took several for tresses, defeated Abbas Mirza, captured Erivan and Tauris, and forced the Shah to conclude peace on the 10th February, 1828. For these eminent services Paskiewitch was raised to the rank of Count of Erivan, and presented by the Emperor with a mil lion of roubles. In the war with Turkey which followed, Paskiewitch captured Kars and Erzeroum, and was marching upon Trebizond, when hostilities were put an end to by the signature of a treaty. For these results the Emperor Nicholas conferred on him the rank of field-marshal. The Polish insurrection in 1831 was the next great occasion on which Paskie witch distinguished himself. Having succeeded to the command on the death of General Diebitch, ho signally defeated the Poles and captured Warsaw — services for which he was raised to the dignity of Prince of Warsaw, with the title of Highness, and the power of transmitting it to his heirs. He was,. moreover, appointed Lieutenant of the Kingdom of Poland, and, with the exception of the temporary command (and failure) at the siege of Sili~tna, in 1854, concluded his long and honourable career in that high position. JUVENILE REFORMATORIES. THE conversation which took place last week in the House of Commons upon this subject showed very clearly the experimental nature of the present reformatory movement. The only point on which every one see►ns agreed is, that it is advisable and necessary that juvenile offenders should he reformed. Even Government has mastered that idea—mas tered it to an extent which, according to Sim' JOHN PAIUNGTON, we shall be surprised to hear. "He doubted whether the country was " aware of the very large powers conferred " upon the courts by the act which was passed " two years ago." This act, it appears, em powers any two magistrates, without interven tion of a jury, to confine juvenile offenders in reformatory institutions for a period of five years. Seeing how few institutions of the kind were inexistence two years ago, the " very large powers " conferred upon the courts resemble the ♦ery large powers committed by a doctor to a penniless patient when he recommends a plentiful consumption of port wine and turtle soup. The lapse of two years has not very much mended the matter, according to Mr. MILES, who still contrasts the enormous number of offenders with the paucity of in stitutions. What, then, is to be the remedy ? Is it to be of a permissive or a compulsory character? Or are we still to trust to the efforts of voluntary benevolence ? It is, perhaps, almost prema ture, in regard to the country at large, to come to any con fusion unfavorable to the latter, seeing that public attention has only just been awakened to the subject, and that public meetings have recently been held in various places, animated by the most enthusiastic spirit towards these institutions. Yet, if we look to the situation of affairs in the metro polis, the prospect is far less encouragin g . It is said, and we believe with perfect truth, that the very spread of philanthropy in the pro vinces has been detrimental to the cause in London. In the Metropolis, the reformatory movement was never supported either by general local charity, or systematic parochial action. The funds came principally from strangers, who now, however, appreciating the truth that charity begins at home, are seeking to found these institutions in their own vicinities, and are thus compelled to withdraw their assistance from metropolitan establishments. No substitute has been found, and London reformatories are languishing for want of funds. Thus far the voluntary system has failed in London. Have we any similar test of the efficacy of permissive rates ? In the conversation of last week we find an appropriate answer. " Did not," says the Home Secretary, " the Middlesex magistrates " obtain such permission a year and a half ago, "and what have they done ?" It must be ac knowledged that the plans for a building, which Lord ROBERT GROBVENOR assured the House are forthcoming, are but a sorry result to point to. Neither must it be denied that, as human nature is constituted, permission does often operate as a wet blanket. Let us not, however, in the present case, at once condemn the principle of permission upon an induction, per eimplicent enumerationem, of a single instance. Possibly Sir GEORGE may, after all, have asserted this paradoxical law of our nature only by way of twitting the Middle sex magistrates. Wk• not permit first, and then if needful compel? Experiment seems to be the order of the day. Let permission be the next experiment. Will Sir GEORGE go so far as to denoance it altogether, on the ground that it is absolutely certain to extinguish all charitable ardour, and that the compulsion we shall be afterwards driven to employ will but send the country gentlemen like sulky schoolboys to a task 9 Let us hope better things. We would rather not have the corn- elution izttiligtnrt, CAMBRIDGE.—The poll was opened by the Vice- Chancellor (the Master of Trinity), with the usual formalities, on Thursday morning. Among the first votes recorded was that of the lion. George Penman, of Trinity, in favour of his opponent, the Right Hon. spencer Walpole. Mr. Walpole soon returned this compliment by voting for Mr. Denman. The poll closed at four, to reopen at half-past seven. At the close (half-past eight) the num bers were as follow:—Walpole, 329; Denman, 179. Among those who polled early for Mr. Walpole were—Earl Jermyn, Lord John Manners, Lord Inchiquin (who had travelled from Ireland for the purpose of voting ), Mr. Williams (from Aberystwith), Lord Arthur Hervey, Lord Charles Hervey, Lord Charles Wellesley, the Lord Justice Turner, Arch deacon Browne, Dr. Bayford, Archdeacons Thorp and Waring, Mr. Laiaj, M.P., and Mr. Currey (of the Charter-house). LEEDS.—The Rt. lion. T. M. Baines was re-elected without opposition on Wednesday. In his address to the electors Mr. Baines, after alluding to the origin of the war, said with respect to peace that, as the negotiations about to commence were entered upon by England with a perfect disposition to do what was right, he trusted that they would result in a peace honourable and permanent. He assured them that on the part of the Government there would be no unnecessary delays, no retrenchment of advan tages won, and no relaxation of warlike preparations. In reply to questions, Mr. Baines expressed himself in favour of an extended franchise, but opposed to the ballot. MIDBURST.—Mr. Samuel Warren, Q.C., was re turned unopposed for this borough on Thursday. The learned gentleman, in his address to the electors, assured them that he should enter the house per fectly untrammelled, and in no way disposed to be guided by principles of expediency. With reference to the war, he was not for having " peace at any price " nor " war at all hazards." He trusted that peaco would result from the conferences, but if Russia would not give substantial security against further aggressions the war mustgo on. Upon the Maynooth question, although he should not in the first in,tance have voted for the grant, there were now so many partial difficulties connected with the matter that he would rather wait the result of an honest and searching inquiry into the question before he pledged himself to vote one way or the other. He was thoroughly opposed to the admission of Jews into Parliament, to the opening public places of entertainment on Sundays, and in favour of religious education and law reform. NEWCASTLEATPON-TYNE. - The election of Mr. Ridley, though not unopposed, took place on Tuesday. Mr. Ridley, in his address to the electors, expressed himself in favour of Ad. ministrative Reform, of better payment in the civil service, of a religious basis for education, of the Maynooth grant and the Regitim Donum, but he would not add to the list of grants far ecclesiastical purposes. He was in favour of the abolition of Church rates, and of the ballot under certain even tualities. Upon the subject of the war, he approved of the course adopted by the House of Commons in abstaining from interference while negotiations were pending. Mr. Richard Hart offered himself as a re presentative of the working classes of the borough, and charged the English Government with treachery in the conduct of the war. Th e s h ow o f b an d s was in favour of Mr. Hart, but that gentleman declining to go to a poll, Mr. Ridley was declared duly elected. U I