The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-27 00:00:00

Zbe prezz: (sTA]drED.) Per Annum .. .. • • Half-Yearly ... .. ... Quarterly .. • • • • Payable is advance. .. Al _6 0 :-. - 6 is a .. o 6 6 Subscribers are requested to send their Orders through their Nears Agent; if direct to the Odice, aecompanied by a remit tance. Advertisements also must have a reference or remittance. Mosey orders to be made payable to Mr. ALVIULD IYE, 110, Strand. London. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Fox the reasons which we gave last week, we must' beg our correspondence to excuse us from publishing their letters on the war. They are so numerous that it would be impossible to find room for even a selection from them. We are grateful to the writers for setting their views before us, and with► an earnest expression of our thanks we beg them to be content. We observe that the Morning Herald has published a letter addressed to this journal, signed, "R. S. S." The writer, as an " original subscriber," claimed something like a right to express his opinion through our columns. Now, independent of the considerations that we could not have admitted his letter without admitting a hundred others which had as good claims to our space, and that there were assertions in it which would have led to lengthened controversy, that letter contained expressions which we should be sorry to countenance in any way what ever. " Miscreant robber " is not a phrase which, even by implication, should be applied to a nation with which we are at war. The policy of Russia has been aggressive ; but is that a new fact in the history of nations ? Are not all the rising nations of the modern world aggres sive ? How has France won Algiers, and England won India? In the case of Russia, the aggression has reached that point when it must be checked, and the limits of her territory defined ; but , while engaged in this great work, what need is there to embitter the war by heaping oppro brious epithets upon our adversary. It is through such unreasoning rage that wars have been protracted when their original causes ceased to exist. To some other correspondents who incline to the view that the present is a contest between Western civilisation and Northern barbarism, we reply that Russia is not a barbaric power. She has not our civilisation, nor is her civilisation advanced, but it is, or it was, advancing. Her trade, the sure precursor of civilisation, was steadily grow ing, and the beautiful city of Odessa is sufficient of itself to show the social progress she has made. The letter of " R. S. S. " has, we are glad to see, drawn forth an admirable reply from " H.," published in the Morning Herald of yesterday. His remarks are perfectly just. Tax Pitess desires no peace which shall not be honour. able, solid, and satisfactory. But, unlike its opponents, who vaguely state that they, too, desire an honourable and lasting peace, but avoid saying on what terms they would have it based, Tax Faxes declares the general principles which it conceives Russia may now be expected to con cede, and which would fulfil all . the conditions the allies could reasonably require. '4_ 1 4 )T 0 ritlig+ LONDON, SATURDAY, OCT. 27, 1655. POSTSCRIPT. A ROYAL WARRANT about to be issued from the War-Office contains the most important changes with regard to the system of pensions to the widows and families of officers killed in action, or dying of their wounds within six months. Henceforth, under certain provisions, the " Regulation Price of the Commission " will be paid in full in lieu of pension, to the widow and children first, then to the father, mother, and sisters, but, having once reverted to such members of his family, if none of them attain the age of twenty-one the money reverts to the Crown. The warrant to take effect only from the commence ment of the present war. The TRIAL OF SIR JOHN DEAN PAUL, STRATIAN, AND BATES commenced on Friday morning at the Old Bailey, before Mr. Justice Willis, Mr. Baron Alderson, and Mr. Baron Martin. The Attorney- General, Mr. Bodkin, and Mr. Poland were for the prosecution ; Sir F. Thesiger and Mr. Ballantine appeared for the prisoner Strahan ; Mr. Sergeant Bytes and Mr. Hawkins for Sir John Dean Paul ; and Mr. James and Mr. Parry for Bates. The de fendants being called upon to plead to the indict. ment charging them with making away with 5,0001. bonds, the property of Dr. Griffiths, and with a conspiracy to defraud, Sir Frederic Thesiger ap pealed, under the provisions of the Old Bankers' Act, 7 and 8 Geo. IV., cap 29, sec. 40, 52, which provides that disclosures before a Bankruptcy Commissioner quash any conviction and evidence. The plea was overruled by the Judges after a brief consulta tion, and the Attorney-General shortly opened the case THE PRESS. for the prosecution on behalf of Dr. Griffiths. The rev. gentleman was then called, and gave evidence of having daposited the 5,0001. bonds with the prisoners, and of never having given them any authority to convert those bonds to their own use. Mr. Peppercorn, stockbroker, proved the purchase of the bonds. Mr. Beattie proved the receipt of the bonds from Sir John Dean Paul, Bart., as security for an advance of 20,000/. Mr. Gibson proved the sale of the bonds on behalf of Mr. Beattie; and the case for the prosecution closed. Sir F. Thesiger, Mr. Sergeant Byles, and Mr. Edwin James severally addressed the jury on behalf of their clients, — Sir F. Thesiger grounding his defence of Mr. Strahan upon the plea that there was no evidence to prove that gentleman cognisant of the sale of the bonds, Mr. Edwin James following the same ground on behalf of Mr. Bates, while Mr. Sergeant Byles relied upon the Bankers' Act (7 and 8 Geo. IV.) for the defence of Sir John Dean Paul, which aet, the learned sergeant stated, completely absolved his client from the consequences of his own proceedings. The case was then adjourned till this morning at ten. Mr. Bates was admitted to bail ; the other two prisoners were locked up in New gate. rittNITS in V arliament. PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT. Parliament 011 Tuesday was further prorogued by Royal Commission until Tuesday, the 11th day of December next. The Lor) CHANCELLOR, the Earl GRANWLLE, and the Earl of HAssowsy having taken their seats at the foot of the throne, the Usher of the Black Rod was directed to summon the Commons to hear the Commission read. _ _ _ Shortly afterwards, one of the Clerks, attended by the doorkeeper and some of the other officials of the house, appeared at the bar, when the Commission was read by the clerk at the table. The LORD CHANCRILOR then, by virtue of the Com mission, declared it to be her Majesty's royal will and pleasure that the Parliament should be further pro- rogued until the day therein named ; and it stood adjourned accordingly until the 11th of December. The usual words conveying the significant intima tion that it would then meet for the despatch of business, were not contained in the Commission. The ceremony, which was simply one of form, did not last many minutes, and beyond the few per • sonages immediately engaged in it there were only a few persons present. Cation nttliigturt. SOUTHWARK ELECTION. A MEETING of the electors of this borough , took place on Tuesday evening. A resolution expressive of the deep sorrow of the electors for the death of Sir William Molesworth, and of their high appreciation of his talents and integrity, was passed unanimously, after which a resolution that " Mr. Scovell represent the borough " was proposed by Mr. Parker, and carried against one dissentient. Mr. Scovell d telegraphed from Paris his willing ness to stand for the borough, and promised his address speedily. A committee of electors was ap pointed to take the necessary steps to secure Mr. Scovell's election, and it was stated by Mr. Sturmy that no public meeting would be held until after the burial of their late representative. Mr. Scovell is a wharfinger in the neighbourhood, and at the last general election polled 2,909 votes to Mr. Apsley Pellatt's 8,857, and Sir William Molesworth's 3,940. Mr. Conyngham, Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., and Mr. Thompson are. spoken of as likely to contest the borough, while Sir Charles Napier issued a laconic address late on Tuesday, stating that he had been solicited to offer himself as a candidate, and that if the electors approved of his sentiments, which were opposed to a personal canvass, they would send him to Parliament, and if not they would choose a better man. On Thursday evening Mr. Scovell, who had arrived from Paris, met his supporters, in order to explain his political sentiments and present his address. Mr. Martin, who was called to the chair, read the address, which stated that Mr. Scovell was prepared to vote for the ballot, the non-endowment by the State of any religious sect, an extension of the suffrage, b reform of the defective system of administration in our pub lic departments, and for all measures which would promote the well-doing of the working classes. A resolution was then unanimously passed, expressive of the approbation of the meeting of Mr. Scovell's sentiments, and that every step be taken to secure his return. In a brief speech, Mr. Scovell further stated that he should vote !or the emancipation of the Jews, and that he was opposed to Church rates. On the same evening, Sir Charles Napier attended a crowded meeting of his friends at the Bridge-house Hotel. The gallant admits' addressed the audio's* SATURDAY, at some length, and after a vigorous attack on the Government for their management of the Baltic campaign, upon the request of a gentleman to tell the audience "something they did not know," Si r Charles stated he was no bigoted supporter of any party, that he was a Liberal to the backbone, an d that he thought we were now in a position t o grant i peace if Russia sued for t ; that be was for the bal lot, against Church rates, sad in favour of adminis trative reform. REPRESENTATION OF HUNTINGDON Comm. Kr. James Rust, of Alconbury, has been returned, without opposition, for the seat vacated in this county by Viscount Mandeville succeeding his father as Duke of Manchester. Mr. James Rust is a Conser vative, and his claims to the representation were shortly stated by the Rev. J. Linton, who seconded his nomination : That gentleman not only resided, but was bred and born among them. He had also considerable landed pos sessions in the county, and had, besides, an intimate prac tical knowledge of the proper modes of cultivating th a t landed property, and therefore no man more fit could be returned to Parliament to represent a purely agricultural county. (Cheers.) Mr. Rust was, besides, an secomplished scholar. He took the highest degree that the University of Oxford had it in its power to bestow; he was also at one time rising in his profession of the bar, and when that profession was beginning to be remunerative to him he, in the most disinterested manner, relinquished its emolu ments in order that he might exclusively devote his time and his talents to the business and the interests of his native county. (Cheers.) Mr. Rust stated the course he intended to pursue : He should most certainly take his place in the House of Commons as one of that great Conservative party which acknowledged the Earl of Derby as its head. iCheers.) He should, however, judge of measures for himself, and according to his views of what was really Con servative .-- The true Conservative spirit appeared to him to consist of the utmost willingness to adopt every well-considered scheme for the improvement of the administration of the public affairs, and for increasing the general prosperity and good order of the country. (Cheers.) They, as Con servatives, repudiated all inclination to innovate from mere love of change, and they wished to uphold, from a deep sense of their value and importance, alt the essential and fundamental principles of our constitution. (Re newed cheers.) He, as a Conservative, should be ever most especially desirous of maintaining the Protestant spirit of our constitution. While he would concede to the members of the Romish church, as he would to all others, the free right of worshipping God in the manner and form most agreeable to their conscientious feelings, yet he would ever oppose, both in and out of Parliament, every attempt on the part of the Court and Church of Rome to regain within this empire that power which, two or three sen tries ago, was wrested from them at the Reformation. (Cheers.) On the great question of the war, he considered that the aggressive designs of Russia must be fairly resisted, and not until ►he abandoned them could there be a prospect of peace: Should ever Russia, by adopting a wiser course, show a just regard for the independence of her neighbours, and offer to us terms such as England and France would be justified in accepting, who among them would not rejoice at such a termination of the present war? In coneuding his address, he was anxious again to repeat the assurance he had already given, that until such a result could be ob tained, the Government of this country should have his support in carrying on the war with the utmost vigour. (Loud cheers.) ➢lr. J. M. Heathcote, in the Liberal interest, ad dressed the electors, stating his intention to come forward as soon as a reasonable prospect of success presented itself. TontEss.—Mr. Mackenzie has, we believe, with drawn from the contest, and left the field open to the nominee of the Duke of Somerset., Lord Gifford. SuNtomarip.—The report that Mr. Hudson is about to retire is denied by the Newcastle papers. HEREFORD.—The bankruptcy of Sir Robert Price, it was expected, would have created a vacancy in this borough ; but we read in the Hereford Journal that the seat will not become void until twelve months have elapsed, and that if the bankruptcy is super seded within that period there will be no vacancy at all. WELLS. —The death, last week, of Mr. It. C. Tudway, M.P., the Conservative member for Wells, has left a vacancy in the representation. Captain Jolliffe, son of Sir W. Hylton Jolliffe, of Merstham, has been solicited by the Con servatives of Vells to offer himself for the vacancy caused by Mr. Tudway's death, and he has ac cepted the invitation. Captain Jolliffe's family is largely interested in the county of Somerset. From motives of delicacy, no active steps will be taken until after the funeral. The feeling of regfet for the loss of Mr. Tudway, and of sympathy for his family, is universal in Wells. It is reported that Mr. Sergeant Kinglake will offer himself on the Liberal interest. MEATH.-Mr. Meredith, a relative of Sir William Somerville, is mentioned as about to oome forward on he Liberal interest.