The Sun. — London, England, 1862-02-06 00:00:00

IHE CONSULATE AND THE EMPIRE. The Civil Tribunal of the Seine has just given judgment in two actions, in which MM. Lheureux and Co., the pub lishers of M. Thiers' " llistoire gdu Consulat et do I'Ein pire," and M. D'Anchald, gerant of the United Journals Company, were in turns plaintiffs and defendants. It appeared from the statement of counsel, that when M. Mires was gerant of the United Journals' Company he made a contract with MM. Lheureux and Co. for 20,000 copie s of M. Thiers' work, to be given, at a reduced price, as premiums for the s u b scr ib ers t o the journals belonging to ir thesaid company. M. D'Anchald, who has succeeded Miresloo,of as gerant, now sued MM. Lheureux and Co. for the oor.da'rages, offered the ael been on the ground that the publication of work h unduly delayed, that the publishers had volumes to the public at a price below the mini.• mum mentioned in their contract, and alio that the work exceeded the numbe r of volumes agreed upon. MM. Lheu reux. D'Anchald for the recodemrvand, and Co. resisted that the volumes already delivered, and on their side sued 42,500 fr., the value of damageslhe Tribunal decided that M. D'Anchald's demand for the delay in publication was not the fault inadmissible, as ult of the publishers, but incident to the nature of the work grounds of complaint were not contrary and to that the other he the contract demand of e made by his predecessor. With regard to tt MM. Lheureux, the Tribunal decided that the were due on the Ist January last, and ac co rdingly. su demned M. D'Anchald to pay them the said - la) with interest, from the abovn date, mul all C 045 of suit. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 6, 1862. THE CIVIL WAR IIV AMERICA. deployment of guns and horses in the deep snow, mud, or soft pasty earth on either side of the road it appeared to him to be a n eas y ma tt er . But let winter present such aspects all over the theatre of operations as it does here, and it is quite certain that the "grand combined movement of columns" on which the very soul of the North is new depending must be a physical impossibility. A small corps of hardy troops could undertake enterprises in winter which are not feasible for large bodies. Will it be resented as impertinence to point out such obvious considerations, or do Americans imagine they are exempt from the operations of the laws of nature? The Congress approaches the question of popular taxation in a very gingerly manner, and with an obvious hesitation ; and they are gently reminded by a New York paper that if they attempt any mea sure which shall practically reduce the soldiers from 13 dols. to 10 dols. a month there are 200,000 armed men close to the Capitol who may take the law into their own hands, and who are pleasantly described as a guarantee for a sound currency. (From the Special Correspondent of the Times.) NEW YORK, J.N. 21. Within a little while the assurances that some thing is going to be done, often trusted to and often falsified during the weary months which have rolled over us since July last, have been revived and be lieved. The appearance and evidence of General M'Clellan before the Military Inquisition hare given rise to many rumours, and he is thought to have ( opened the eyes of the members in reference to some matters respecting which they had infirm and per verse theories. The idea, of which a good deal was heard before General Scott's retirement, that a large boa constrictor of armed men was enfolded round the Southern States, and at some given signal would contract its folds and squeeze out their vitals, is once more in favour. It is the cherished image, and it imparts much comfort to the minds of people who have seen in their childhood prints of the reptile engaged in smashing in the cracking ribs of an unhappy buffalo, and who think some similar operation is about to be performed on the whole of Secessia. But there is another boa winding round the Northern States themselves in the shape of an enor mous financial crisis, full of deficits and dangers, and if the other boa does not begin to work very soon on the South this one will either kill the North or reduce it to such a state that it cannot continue its exertions. Within a month—in the month of February—it is declared by those who pretend to know that the army of the Potomac, co-operating with the forces on the coast and with the Western expedition, and with the Kentucky army, will ad vance and crush out rebellion. If they do not suc ceed ? Well, then, the minds of men will be found to have worked out some process of demonstration that the continuance of the war is impossible, and that it will become necessary to ascertain on what terms the Southern States will enter upon negotia tions. There will be many to resist such a conclu sion ; many who will talk about the last man and the last dollar ; but if the mass of the nation see clearly that all their efforts are in vain—that they have lavished men and money, and saddled them selves with a prodigious debt without having ad vanced perceptibly nearer to their object—if they discover that there is no Union sentiment where they looked for it, and that, on the contrary, the hatred to the "Yankees," which seems an animating principle in the South, has become a universal passion,—they will, probably, abandon the pursuit of an object which carries ruin in the endeavours to seek it and is of doubtful attainment in the end. IMPORTANT FINANCIAL OPERATION BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT. (From the Times' City Article.) An artificial operation in French finance on the London money market, analogous in some respects to others that have taken place on former occasions, was announced yesterday afternoon. The French Government, it is stated, desire to borrow a sum— ran ging, according to different reports, between £2,000,000 and £4,000,000, but believed to be the former—from London capitalists, on the security of French Rontes, for a period of three months, with an option to the lenders of an extension to six months. The rate of interest to be paid is 4 per cent., with a commission of a half per cent., which would toge ther on a three months' loan be equivalent to the rate of 6 per cent., and it is to be stipulated that if the Bank of England minimum should in the interval be put up to 4 per cent. an additional 1 per cent. is to be paid from that date. The Rentes to cover the advance are to be hypothecated at the price of 60, and are to be held by Mr. Baring, M. Hottinguer, and another banker, as trustees. Sub scription lists w ere commenced to be formed in the afternoon, and looking at the present and prospec tive state of the discount market, there can be little doubt the whole amount will speedily be fur nished. Concerning the wisdom of the measure the estimate here will not be ♦ery favourable. The object, of course, is to sustain the Paris Bourse so as to facilitate the proposed conversion of the Four and a-Half per Cents., and some persons may be disposed to question whether it is quite fair or dig nified to use extraneous means for such a purpose. Our own Government, however, in effecting similar reductions in former years were not altogether scrupulous on that point, although their measures were never so singularly transparent or expensive. In any case the public will view the matter in a friendly light if it should promote the success of M. Fould in his honest effort to restore the revenue and expenditure of France to a sound position, and as far as we are directly concerned there is nothing but gain to ensue from it. Instead of finding difficulty in employing their balances at 2 per cent.,as would certainly have been the case but for the sudden Paris demand, our capitalists will make 6 per cent., and we may at the same time be saved from the inflation that might have resulted during the period of three or six months in which money would thus have been a drug. When the date arrives for its repayment to us, the American war may, perhaps, be at an end s or commerce may have found such openings in other directions as to afford sufficient employment for our floating funds at fair average rates. Meanwhile it is not expected that the effect of the arrangement as regards the Bank of England terms of discount will be muck more than to pre vent the lately anticipated reduction, unless the total should prove to be £4,000,000, and be drawn away rapidly instead of gradually. At all events, the utmost change that can be thought likely is that an approximation may take place between the rate of the Bank of France, which is now 41 per cent., and that of the Bank of England, which is 21. In favour of our market we have the announce ment that the Federal Government of America have resolved to persist in their scheme of flooding their country with paper, and that the Australian gold shipments to England during the month of Decem ber amounted to about £700,000. The Hatteras expedition, the Ship Island expe dition, and the Port Royal expedition, from which were expected the occupation of North Carolina, the possession of New Orleans or Mobile, and the capture of Charleston or Savannah, have as yet ended in nothing but the conquest of sandhills and of the ground held by the troops. Burnside's ex pedition added to the list of failures would provoke infinite discontent. It is intended, probably, to cut in on the line of communications between the South and Richmond, near Gainsborough. The Cairo expedition is far more important in reference to the grand scheme of operations, if there be any, than these operations along the sea-shore ; but the fact is gradually growing on the people, in despite of promises, that there is a want of military qualities in their officers which forbids them to look for certain results from the best planned and best equipped columns; and, were it not that I have the authority of American papers to rest upon, I should hesitate to admit the wholesale accusations which are made against the men in the service who have been honoured by the confidence of their fellow citizens. Regiments have been drawing pay which cannot be found in any local habitation, and have only a name which is an airy nothing except on the paymaster's list. It is stated to-day that a number of recruiting officers have been sent out of the ser ice because they obtained money as rent for offices which were only the taprooms of public-houses, A number of cavalry regiments have been turned into infantry battalions, or are to be so metamorphosed, because of misunderstood relations between the men and the horses. Nothing that could be said by any stranger against the effect of unrestrained demo cracy could equal in severity or authority the charges which are made against its developments and the men it produces by native Americans. Corruption in every shape is alleged as a guiding principle of action and mode of success, and the masses are reached through the pockets of their pockets. FRIDAY, Jan. 17.—There is nothing of conse quence to report—a day of miserable rain. An officer just from Washington tells me the roads are quite impassable. SATURDAY, Jan. 18.—The Committee of Ways and Means does not approveMr.Chase's plan agreed upon with the representatives of the banks, but the Senate has passed the resolution of the Finance Committe declaring it to be the intention of Con gress to impose taxes to the extent of £30,000,000 a-year with only one dissentient. It remains to be seen what course the Committee of Ways and Means will propose in order to put the Treasury into working order, but the rejection of the Secretary's proposals and the bank propositions produced, it is said, a good effect on the funds and the stock market in New York yesterday. Mr. Cameron's nomination to Russia was carried by a vote of 24 to 14 in the Senate, alter much debate, and that gentleman will no doubt repair to St. Petersburg in a few weeks. The steamers Gladiator and Vanderbilt had run the blockade, and had arrived respectively at Savannah and Charleston—how, one cannot understand, Some of the papers are very angry at the arrival of the Sumter in Cadiz, and at her reception in a Spanish port after the "piratical arson " of three merchantmen. It would look as if the mortarboat expedition now fitting out is intended for the Southern cities on the seaboard. No news of the Burnside expedition. The duel between Braxton Bragg and Harvey Brown had been renewed and ended at Pensacola, without loss of life on either side. A. railway for horse cars is to be made across Hilton Head, where there are signs of another expedition beiLg prepared. And yet again the Mississippi expedition has made a move, and has crept down within 12 miles of Columbus, on the Kentucky side of the river, whence there is a railway to Memphis. So much for the heads of news. As to the great questions of the day, there aro few novel considerations presented which demand attention. The New Fork 7 i , ),es urges the enormous cost of the army as a reason for immediate a ction ; the weather says, " No ; you must stand fast." Itis raining now on deep masses of snow. As each United States' soldier in arms costs £2OO a year, it becomes desirable to use him when he is multipli e d by hundreds of thousands. The army and navy together of the United States are now drawing on t h e nation at the rate of over 1;160,000,000 sterling per annum (L 162,000,000). France paid or got credits for 11:3,000,000 in 1860 to maintain a larger army. Ten times the rate of expenditure which reduced France to own a deficit o f £40,000,000 is rather alarmin g. Besides, the French army could be d epended upon ; it is a perfect d ma chine ; it moves and acts and obeys and fights. The New Fork Times says," o n ur armies have rushed into the field." So they have, but their advance has been checked. It is affirmed ea the same autho rity that the Government owes a floating debt of 100,000,000 doll, or £ 20,000,000 sterling, an d its ex penditure is certainly not less than £430,000a day at present. Well may the journalist exclai m , cannot indefinitely prolong the war; we shall, if continued long, sink under the exhaustion." And 7 per cent. on the loans too ! Well, this is all very true ; but move „your armies you cannot. It is asto nishing what apathy or self-conceit has prevailed among military men in Washington on this subject. They talked about famous winter campaigns made by great Generals in Europe, as if they had either the armies or the experience or the country of which they spoke; or they referred to some paltry expe ditions of a few hundred men on the frontiers with out artillery or cavalry, or such vast baggage and transport trains as would be required for the heavy corps are to be set in motion, as proof that there would be no great difficulty in undertaking, opera tions in the winter. One General, for whom I have a high respect in every way, thought it would be easy to march to battle over corduroy roads to be laid down as the troops went along. As to the (horn the Daily Netes City Article.) It transpired yesterday afternoon, though the news was confined to certain circles, that a finan cial operation of much importance has just been arranged between the French Government and some English capitalists, foremost among whom are Messrs. Baring Brothers and Co. The Government of France finds itself hampered by the natural effects of a course of financial improvidence, namely, a deficiency in the Treasury. Its embar rassments are believed to have been increased by the large purchases of corn which it made last autumn,and:which were partly buttemporarily pro vided for by means of bills. Meanwhile it is anxious to force a feeling of confidence at Paris, with a view to facilitate the proposed conversion of the Four and a Half per Cent. Rentes into Three par Cents. It has accordingly arranged to borrow the large sum of £4,000,000 sterling from this country for three er six months (the period being probably optional on the part of the Government, depositing as security Three per Cent. Rentes at the price of 60 per cent. in the names of Messrs. Barings, Hottinguer, and other trustees. The rate of interest is to be 41 per cent. with per cent. commission, or equal to GI per cent. on the loan. Private lists have been made, in which the names have been enrolled of capitalists and other desirous of taking part in the transaction. From the in fluence brought to bear there is no doubt it will be carried through, although, seeing that at least 10 per cent. can be obtained from solvent persons on the Paris Bourse for loans on security of the Rentes, it does not appear at first sight to be a very tempting one to ordinary subscribers. Neither is it likely to be viewed with favour in general circle, for the borrowing propensities of the French Go vernment do not deserve encouragement, and there is a strong suspicion that no small portion of the money will be applied to purposes connected with bolstering up the market for a temporary object. The operation may havo a considerable effect upon the money market, for, unlike one of a some what similar character, but for a smaller amount, which was effected some months back, it comes at a time when the exchanges have already declined to the specie point, and when we have embarrassed ourselves with some considerable purchases of Italian and other foreign securities. There seems little reason to doubt, therefore, that a large amount of gold will leave the Bank of England, and that that establishment, far from responding to the anticipation of a reduction to 2 per cent., expressed in some quarters, will shortly, in self defence, raise its rate of discount. Forced and temporary loans of the kind under notice, however, need never excite real uneasiness. A rise in the value of money from its present unduly low point will have a conservative action. THE INTENDED NEW BRIDGE AT 13 LACKFRIAI?S. it. If, as well as being strong and spacious, it is' cheap and handsome too, why all the better still ; but a bridge of some kind must be built at once, for no one denies that the present structure is in an un safe condition. The centre arch is completely broken, and resting entirely on the massive timber centreing beneath it. It vibrates dangerously under the passage of the traffic, and if any further settle ment of the piers were to take place the whole structure might come into the river in a few days. The immense web of scaffolding now around and under New Westminster-bridge so impedes the ebb and flow of the tide that the water, when running up or down, is from 12 to 13 inches higher on one side of the bridge than on the other. When all these obstacles are removed, as they will be by the end of next March or beginning of April, the flux and reflux of the water will be so much the greater, and with this the scour of the river largely in creased. The condition of the defective piers at Blackfriars-bridge would then most probably be come seriously affected, and need the most anxious care to enable them to carry traffic at all. It is from foreseeing the evils which may thus arise from fur ther delay that we do earnestly hope that the Court of Common Council will come to a final deci sion in this matter. All the public want is a safe bridge, whether it is Mr. Page's or anybody's else, though we are at once willing to admit that we should be sorry to see the decision of the Bridge house Committee disturbed from a simple feeling that the metropolis would thereby lose the chance of getting one of the handsomest bridges that has been designed for many years. At the beginning of last year, when the design for the bridge across the Thames for the Chatham and Dover Railway was first talked of, the Commit tee of the Bridge-house Estate determined seriously to consider the state of their old and expensive in curable at Blackfriars. Fortunately the case was one which offered no particular difficulties in its solution, inasmuch as Blackfriars-bridge has been built for a century, and during the last 25 years of its existence has raised quite a school of bridge en gineers, all whose efforts have been concentrated upon the infirm old structure to keep it, by main force, from going bodily into the river. In this laudable object they have, up to the present time, been eminently successful, and as the s u m spent in repairs is still within the amount which would have given us a new bridge 10 years ago, the job is, on the whole, not considered as more than ordinarily unsatisfactory and wasteful. But when it was known that it was intended to build an iron railway bridge only 100 feet to the east of it things wore a very different aspect, and even engineers who had a kind of blind confidence in the structure from its having held up so long, in defiance of all laws, readily admitted the increase of danger to its stabi lity if its piers were further disturbed by other piers being sunk down near them. The Bridge-house committee therefore, as we have said, turned their attention to the case, and after much anxious deli beration arrived safely at the conclusion which the public had reached many years before, and decided that a new bridge was not only necessary, but would be cheaper in the end than trying to keep up the old one. They therefore called on the principal en• gineers in England for designs, and 12 gentlemen sent in plans and estimates—viz., Mr. Barlow, Mr. Brereton, Mr. Goodchild, Mr. Brunlees, Mr. Joseph Cubitt, Mr. Bidder, Mr. Edwin Clark, Mr. Mylne (grandson of the architect of the present bridge), Mr. John Fowler, Mr. Hawkshaw, Mr. Rennie, Sir John Rennie, and Mr. Page. We had heard sufficient of the general nature of the various designs sent in to learn that all, in fact, were very good, and that the committee out of such a selection as was offered to them could not possibly take a bad one. The designs for granite and cast and wrought iron bridges were as follows :—Sir John Rennie, a granite bridge of three arches, the centre span being 236 ft 10 in ; Mr. Geo. Rennie, five arches, centre span 150 feet; Mr. G. Rennie, five arches, each having a span of 125 ft ; Mr. Mylne, five arches, each having a span of 156 ft. The designs for a wrought-iron arched bridge were submitted by Mr. John Fowler, three arches, centre span 275 ft ; Mr. John Fowler, five arches, centre span 184 ft ; Mr. John Hawkshaw, three arches, spans 200 ft each ; Mr. John Hawkshaw, five arches, spans 145 ft each ; Mr. P. W. Barlow, three arches, centre span 250 ft. The design for a wrought-iron girder bridge was submitted by Mr. R. P. Brereton, five openings, the centre opening being 220 ft. The designs for a cast-iron arched bridge were submitted by Mr. Thomas Page, three arches, centre span 280 ft ; Mr. T. Page, five arches, centre span 156 ft ; Messrs. G. P. Bidder and Edwin Clark, five arches, each span being 172 ft ; Mr. George Rennie, five arches, centre span 160 ft ; Mr. George Rennie, five arches, centre span 175 ft ; Mr. George Rennie, five arches, centre span 180 ft ; Mr. Robt. Wm. Mylne, five arches, centre span 163 ft 6 in ; Mr. Joseph Cubitt, five arches,' centre span 150 ft ; Mr. James Brunless, five arches, centre span 172 ft. Each and all of these were really noble designs, but while the committee had them under their consideration we most carefully abstained from saying a single word in reference to the competition lest we might influ ence the decision in the slightest possible degree. When, however, the committee announced their award we hastened to lay before our readers a descrip tion of the long-needed structure decided on, and Till? CAUSES AND PROBABLE , _RE SULTS OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL IPAR. (From the Record.) The Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, and Mrs. Kinnaird, invited a number of gentlemen and ministers of various denominations to their residence, 2, Pall mall East, on Friday evening, to meet the venerable Bishop of Ohio, who was asked to give information on the present war in the United States. Additional interest attached to the occasion from the presence of Me. Thurlow Weed, a leading American politi cian of the Republican school, to which Mr. Lincoln belongs, and of Mr. Bancroft Davis, a nephew of Bancroft, the eminent American historian. The company having assembled in the drawing• we also expressed our belief that the committee had certainly chosen the best out of the many fine de signs sent in to them, and congratulated them sin cerely on their choice. The design selected was Mr. Page's, which was one of the handsomest and one of the cheapest. It was to consist of only three arches, the centre one being of the gigantic span of 280 ft, or 40 ft wider than the central arch of South wark Bridge. From the springing of the arch to the crown the rise is only 20 ft, which, in a span of such an extent, merely amounts to the most gentle curve ; so that, when seen from the river, the line of the structure would appear almost straight. The cornice beneath the parapet is of exceedingly bold and handsome design, surmounted with a parapet above of solid granite. The spandrils of the outer iron ribs on each side were closed, but filled up with figures in bas relief and ornamental scrollwork. The piers were designed to form the most massive and noble looking features of the whole. There were to be four of these—two at the shore side arches, and two in the river for the support of the centre arch. Each was to be of granite, of immense size, width, and depth, surmounted with a red granite Doric column, 40 ft high, 23 ft in diameter at base and capital, and 18 ft diameter in the column. Each, though built hollow, would weigh upwards of 500 tons. Their capitals reached to the summit of the bridge, and Mr. Page proposed tosubsequently adorn them with colossal groups of statuary. The length of the bridge was to be the same as the present, but its width nearly double—namely, 76 ft against 42. There were to be two roadways of 14 ft wide, instead of, as now, two of 7 ft. There were to be two tram ways of 81 ft wide. These were to be placed in the centre of the roadway, leaving two roads, each 16 feet wide, for the omnibuses and light traffic coming and going. The whole area of road and footway was to be 78,000 feet, instead of 41,000, the area of the present structure. The cost of the old bridge was at the rate of £3 15s. Cd. per square foot of surface, while the cost of the new bridge, estimated at £245,000, is at the rate of £3 Gs a foot, or, size for size, nearly half the price of the old one. Such is a rough general outline of the design which the Bridge-house committee selected and re commended to the Court of Common Council for adoption. To use the words of their report, they chose it for " the manifest grandeur of style and beauty of the proposed structure, which they deem worthy in all respects of this great municipality," and "combining the desiderata best calculated to meet the rtquirements of the public." It is just upon six month ago since this decision room, Mr. KINNAIRD explained, that his object in call ing his friends together was to aid in removing the misapprehensions which prevailed in regard to the unhappy conflict now raging in America. It could not be denied that, among certain classes in this country there was a disposition to favour the South ; and there was also a general want of information as to causes which had brought about the present dis ruption. He had, therefore, taken this opportunity just before the meeting of Parliament, to ask their American friends to give explanations as to these causes, and as to the probable results of the war. Bishop M'ILVAINE then rose, and made a length ened and interesting statement on the whole subject of the war, and its causes, proximate and remote, He opened with an emphatic denial of the assump tion, put forward in some quarters, that there was an inherent and irreconcilable incompati bility of union and association between the people of the North and South respectively-. The close intercommunication in all matters — educational, ecclesiastical, and social—which prevailed between the two parts of the country prior to the disruptio n entirely negatived the allegation in question. If then the division could not be accounted for by na tural antagonism of races or sections—what was the cause? It was an institution ; not the people, not man, but a thing. It was simply slavery and nothing else. The Right Rev. Prelate then entered on an historicresume, to show that the disruption is only the culminating point of a conspiracy, pre pared and steadily kept in mind by the slave-power for 30 years past. He traced the origin of the secession to the promulgation of Mr. Calhoun's doc trine of " Nullification," which asserted that an individual State, not agreeing with a law passed by the'genez al Congress, might nullify it within its own boundaries ;—a principle which was the seed of secession. He next adverted to the effect produced on the slaveholding interest by the adoption of the Missouri compromise, prohibiting the formation of new slave States north of 36 deg. 40 min. north latitude ; and, by the growth of population, and the consequent increase of the political weight of the free States, while the slave States were almost stationary. The election of Mr. Lincoln was (he said) only a pretext, a mere convenient moment, for the outbreak of the slaveholding conspiracy, so long prepared, under the operation of the circumstances which he had detailed. The rebellion had some times been attributed to the operation of the tariff laws ; but neither the Morrill tariff, nor any other cause, had the weight of a feather in the matter, except this question of slavery, and the power of extending it to the (as yet) unoccupied territories of the Union. The bishop next combated the pretext of " a legal right of secession" in the individual States of the Union, quoting the provi sions of the Federal Constitution, which proved its fallacy. Its assertion was, in fact, equi valent to that of " a legal right to destroy Govern ment." The question was not " the legal right of secession," but " the legal right of revolution." What, ho would next ask, were the matters of grievance put forward by the seceded States—what the pleas for revolution ? Just nothing. The only serious plea was that fugitive slaves, who had escaped to the free States, were more or less pre vented from being returned to their owners, and that certain States had enacted personal liberty laws, conflicting with the Fugitive Slave Law. The law of Ohio, for example, freed every slave putting his foot upon its soil; and the practical operation of this law of liberty was illustrated by an interest ing example. The right rev. prelate dwelt at eou • siderable length on this and kindred points, refer ring in detail to events in Virginia, which exhibited in a strong light the tyrannous proceedings of the leaders of secession in keeping down, by armed in timidation, the largo substratum of Union feeling in that, and, as he believed, in other Southern States. Among the facts bearing on the last-named point, he had just received a copy of the Memphis Appeal, a journal published in Tennessee, a Secession State, was arrived at, and yet nothing has since been done but to cavil at the decision and intrigue against it till the prospect of a new bridge now seems even more remote than when the designs were called for last March. Some object to the proposed structure on the ground that the low curve of the arches will at high tide prevent laden barges and steamers pass ing under them close to the piers ; but the general practice of these craft seems to be always to take the centre of the arch for their passage. If, however, there is anything in this objection, it is easily met by demonstrating that a bridge with only two piers in the stream leaves a greater space of waterway navigable than ono with slightly higher arche3 that requires four piers for its support over the river. The real secret of the opposition appears to be a desire to get a five-arched bridge, and to make its architecture sub servient to that of the bridge for the Chatham and Dover Railway, the promoters of which, naturally enough, do not wish to incur the expense of a three arched viaduct, such as they will have to build if a three-arched bridge is chosen for Blackfriars. But our object in drawing the attention of the public and the corporation to this matter now is simply to point out the valuable time which has been lost in these disputes, and in striving against the award of the Bridge-house Committee. We are very glad, there- fore, to find thatsome steps have been taken to bring the matter to a conclusion one way or the other, and that the whole subject has been brought under the consideration of the Court of Common Council. This Court is perfectly competent to deal with the question, if the whole subject is not made a stalk ing-house for endless debates and fortnightly adjournments. The Court have simply got to say Yes or No, If they find that they have, or can get, a better design than Mr. Page's, let them at once throw MPage's overboard and adopt the other. But least the city has a rig ht to expe c t th a t at i•. something should be done toward s a final decision. If the Common Council can give t he public a strong and spacious bridge they will bq very glad to get and it contained an article regretting the failure of attempts to organise the militia, and declaring that "If the Federal troops were to march in, thousands upon thousands would welcome their approach." The bishop's statement was followed by conver sational remarks and questions, in which the Rev. J. Hampden Gurney, the Rev. William Arthur, Mr. Joseph Hoare, the Hon. and Rev. Baptist Noel, Mr. G. Rochfort Clark, the Rev. J. Davis, Mr. Kin naird, and other gentlemen took part. A leading point in this discussion was, the cause of the alleged want of English sympathy towards the North. This was attributed by Mr. JOSEPH HOARE to the fact that as yet there had not been the slightest sign that if the North were at once restored to power the condition of the slave would be one atom im proved. (Hear.) Mr. ROCHPORT CLARK having asked information as to the past policy of the United States Govern ment in regard to the amelioration of slavery, and as to whether the suppression of the rebellion would not be followed by the re-establishment of the Union on the same principles as formerly, Itt r. THURLOW WEED gave some details in regard to the policy of the Whig or Republican party, to which the present Federal Government belong. As to the prospects of the future, he said they not only desired but expected emancipation as the fruit and result of the war. Slavery was, and would be, burned out: of every acre and' rod of territory conquered from the rebels. The slaves of rebels were confiscated, while those of the loyal would be paid for; so that, by process of war, and by legal enactment, if the United States Government were successful, slavery would cease to exist. The discussion was continued by the Rev. NEW MAN HALL and the Rev. S. MINTON. The Rev. WILLIAM ART-IIUR gave inter alia some details on the mutual misapprehension in the two countries (England and America) as to the feelings of each towards the other. He also asserted the existence of a pro-slavery feeling among certain c l as ses, and in certain organs of the English Press. The Rev. HENRY STEVENS, •On the other hind, declared that, from travelling widely throughout the country, he was convinced that the supposition of any English sympathy with slavery or slave holders was entirely groundless, He believed that, as there had been no evidence of any tendency among Americans to put down this monster evil, the war had been permitted by Providence as the means for its extinction. ( dear, hear.) Bishop APILvAINE again rose, and replied with much earnestness to various points which had been urged in the course of the debate. He dwelt em phatically on the difficulties which beset the United States Government in connection with the subject of slavery, and the fallacy of scllemes resting on the proclamation of immediate emancipation, or in volving submission to the dismemberment of the Union. With evident and deep feeling the bishop expostulated on the want of consideration for these things among the people of England, and also on England's virtual support of slavery by the import of its very pabulum—slave - grown cotton. Mr. BANCRGIT DAVIS also delivered an address, in the course of which he urged that the United States Constitution did not recognise property in slaves, and had not the word " slave" in it. He proceeded to show, by a variety of facts, that the war was one of slaveholding aggression on the part of the South. _ _ The explanation given by Mr. J. H. Murray, of aesterle-street, iron-founder, of the cause of the fracture, differed slightly from Mr. Hoskings' ac count. The beam had certainly not been broken by its usal work, but by concussion. When the engine lost her load in the pit the piston would strike violently on the bottom of the cylin der, and then the beam would be broken. The fracture of the cross-beam, he thought, proved this. The proportions of the beam were very good, though it would have been improved by the addition of more metal in the centre. The proceedings were closed with prayer by the Rev. G. T. Fox, vicar of St. Nicholas, Durham. TILE HARTLEY COLLIERY ACCIDENT. SEATON DELAVAL, TUESDAY. When the jury met this morning, Emmerson, one of the sinkers employed, was called and gave much the same account as Mr. Coulson of the ope rations in the shaft, which he described as being very unsafe all the time they were at work. The masses of stone which fell were so large that they had to be split up before they could be removed. No air came up through the ruins at first, but when they had made sufficient progress for the air to rise up it smelt " stythy"—i. e., laden with gas. Mr. John Taylor, coalowner and check viewer to the colliery on behalf of Lord Hastings, the lessor, was the next witness. He was at the pit shortly after the accident, and assisted in the first opera tions for clearing the shaft until it was given over into the hands of Mr. Coulson. He felt no alarm until the Tuesday, when Mr. Coulson came to him and asked whether there was car buretted hydrogen in the mine. Upon that he went down and made an examination of the air returning from the pit. He could discover no indications of gas with the lamp or candle, but his head was affected, and shortly after that the sinkers were obliged to come up, being affected by the gas which rose in the shaft. He was convinced that every possible exertion had been used by Mr. Coul son and his men to get through the obstruction. Mr. Taylor said he had paid great attention to the sub - ject of gas generated in mines, and ho believed that in this case when the beam fell, carrying the brat tice with it, the openings by which the air was taken into the middle seam and the furnace drift were both blocked up, the consequence of which would be naturally that the smoke from the furnace would travel backwards and forwards in the middle or yard seam where the men were. The oxygen in that seam would thus be deteriorated, imperfect combustion would . be going on, and carbonic oxide would be generated, which, mixing with the car bonic acid gas naturally produced in the mine, would kill the men. Hartley Colliery, he believed, had been skilfully managed, and every precaution had been taken for the safety of the men. It was not a dangerous colliery, nor was there any inflam mable gas in it. Mr. John Short, the engine-wright, was recalled, and gave the following dimensions of the engine and beam. The engine was 300 horse power. The diameter of the cylinder was 861 in., with a 10ft. stroke insi, h 9ft. 3in, outside, and seven strokes per minute. e beam was cast by Messrs. Losh, Wil son, and Bell, of the Walker Ironworks. Its weight was 42 tons. The weight which it had to lift, in cluding the spears and the column of water, was 43 tons 18 cwt., and it was calculated to carry at least three times that weight, if not more. The length of the beam was 34ft. Gin., and the vertical section in the centre where it broke was Bft. 2in. It was formed of two separate sides, joined together by bolts and studs. The diameter of the piston rod was Kin., and its weight 4,8161 b. The weight of the piston was the same, and the weight of the cross head, which was of malleable iron, and was frac tured by the accident, 1,9041 b. The cap of the cross-head, which was also fractured, was 3tin. thick on the top side, and 3 on the under side. The main dry spears or pumping rods were 14 in. square, and the bottom spears 10 in. square. They were of Memel pine. The pumps in the staple worked from the cylinder, and were not disturbed by the acci dent. The load of the engine was balanced by a counter beam and by a metal catch-pin. Thebottom and middle pumps were 24 in. diameter in the bar- I rel, and the staple pumps 20 in. The steam was condensed on both sides of the cylinder. Mr. Short reiterated his opinion that the spears broke before the beam. The face of the fracture was quite bright and there were no indications of a previous crack. Mr. Blackwell remarked that he could not agree with the witness that the piston had struck the cylinder. The spring beam had received a very severe blow, as ho should be able to show. The next witness called was Mr. H. Warence, of the Walker Iron Works (where the beam was cast), who produced an entry from the books of the firm showing the composition of the casting was one third Blenarvon No. 3, cold blast, and two-thirds No. 1 0.M.0. Scotch. At the conclusion of this witness's evidence the inquiry was further adjourned until Wednesday, at 1 o'clock. The following is a copy of a petition which it is proposed the miners of Northumberland and Durham should sign and send to the Legislature " To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled, the humble Petition of the Coal Miners of Great Britain respectfully showeth,— " That from the frequent number of terrible disasters oc curring among miners, produced by ono shaft, which is necessarily bratticed, to one mine, as in the last appalling catastrophe at Hartley Pit, your petitioners are convinced there is no safety for themselves, or security for their families from destitution, whenever your petitioners are ex posed to the dangerous conditions of single-shafted mines. That your petitioners have arrived at the inevitable con clusion, from sad experience among their class, that every mine, previous to working coal, should have two dis tinct shafts sunk, one at the dip and another at the rise, with a view to the ulterior plans of the mine ; and also that, in proportion to the extent of royalty to be worked, a proportionate number of shafts ought to be put down, not only for better ventilation and the security of the miners, but also, in the judgment of your petitioners, for the cheaper and more advantageous working of the mines. Your peti tioners therefore humbly pray that your honourable house will cause inquiry to be made into the present system of ventilation and working of mines, with a view to the better protection of miners from the appalling disasters that aro perpetually overtaking them. And your petitioners will ever pray, &c." Mr. T. Hoskings, C.E., chief engineer to Messrs. Hawks, Crawshay, and Sons, was next called. He said that he had minutely examined the whole of the beam and was of opinion that the metal was of very fair quality and would be calculated to carry a weight considerably greater—at least four times as great—than that which it was carrying at the time of the accident. A sudden check, operating with other causes, would be very likely to cause it to break. He did not believe that the slipping down of the beam from the hydraulics when it was raised three inches out of the brasses would have fractured it, and certainly if there had been a crack then it would havo gone on to complete fracture long before the accident, which he understood was several weeks after. The face of the fracture was quite bright, but if there had been a crack before it would have been rusted by the atmosphere. The sides of the beam were what were called opens and castings, which would not be so strong as box castings. The cavities in the beam revealed by the fracture had occurred from the contraction of the fluid metal dur ing the process of cooling. Such cavities would always occur in cooling where there was a large sec tion to cast, unless the metal abstraction by the con traction were supplied by a process of feeding. That might prevent such cavities occurring to a certain extent, but not altogether. The centre gudgeons or axles of the beam had been wedged and keyed into a hexagon hole in the beam. This must have re quired very great force—so much so that their heads showed strong marks of the " swages " used to drive them. The effect of this would be to throw an enormous strain on the cohesion of the metal surrounding the gudgeon-hole, and probably it would be one of the causes assisting to break the beam. In addition to that the angular shape of the gudgeon hole was unfavourable to its strength; a circular hole would have been the best. Two of the angles of the gudgeon-hole, those at the top and bottom, coincided with the line of fracture. The modern practice in fitting these gudgeons on axles was to bore a circular hole in the beam, turn the gudgeon to fit, and then simply secure it by one key. That mode threw the least possible tension on the metal. On being asked his opinion of the cause of the fracture, Mr. Hoskings said there must have been two or three causes in operation. In the first place, he thought the gudgeon had been unduly keyed—driven home with unnecessary force. There had also been a want of due distribution of metal ; there was too much metal in the centre boss, and the vertically curved ribs along it, instead of adding to its strength, would impoverish the metal in the line of the fracture. If the gudgeon worked hot—which he had been told was the case —a slight expansion would thus bt produced, and, with the tight keying, this would be another ope rating cause of the fracture, especially at the time when it took place, there being a severe frost. Mr. Hoskings did not think that the pumps had got wedged, but the .bottom spear had given way, jucging from the fracture he had seen, from the weight which was on it. The wood did not appear to be of the best quality. The engine would this be relieved from the outside weight, and the beam would strike violently on the spring bewn inside, i producing a severe shock, which, taken in combi- held at Ilnainster on Saturday Mr.J.Lee in the chair. nation with the causes he had before referred to, The report stated that the Act incorporating the sufficiently accounted for the accident. A very company received the Royal assent on Aug. 7 last. slight and comparatively inexpensive engineering Au effort to raise capital on the Stock Exchange arrangement would be quite enough to prevent had not been successful. Arrangements had subse beams from falling under similar circumstances. quently been made with the Bristol and Exeter Either a strong scaffolding might be built under- Company for prosecuting a Bill in the ensuing Ses neath, or it might be secured by trusses and iron sion of Parliament, authorising the latter company bridles ; but, in ono way or another, it would to subscribe a further sum of money towards the be the easiest thing in the world to secure a undertaking. beam working in such a dangerous position so that The report was adopted, and the retiring direc it could not fall down the shaft, if it should un- tors were re-elected. The sum of £l2O was voted to happily break in a similar manner, the secretary. Mr. Baker and Mr. Rutler were ap- Mr. Thomas Clark, ironfounder, of Newcastle, pointed auditors. The meeting was then made said the quality of the metal was very good. That special, and the Bill authorising the Bristol and was shown by the fracture, for any east iron which Exeter Company to subscribe a further sum of possessed strength showed an irregularity in the money was approved, and the proceedings termi fracture ; and in looking at the beam he had Lb- nated. served a great many fragments still hanging to it, not broken entirely away. This showed great tenacity. The appearance, too, of the section of the fracture was very favourable as to its casting, and its colour also indicated good iron. SALISBURY AND YEOVIL. A special general meeting of this company was held yesterday at the offices, Leadenhall-street— Mr, R. R. Notman in the chair. The secretary having read the notice convening ,he meeting, The CHAIRMAN explained the object for which it had been called, and concluded by moving the fol• lowing resolution—" That the directors be autho rised to borrow on mortgage, under the provisions of the Salisbury and Yeovil Deviation Act, 1860 any sum or sums of money not exceeding in the whole £49,500." Mr. HUGGINS seconded the resolution, and it was carried unanimously. The meeting then separated. STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON. The report of the directors state that the re ceipts for the half-year ending tho 31st of De cember, including £558 from the preceding half year, amount to £215,342. The expenditure, including interest, amounts to £116,502, leav ing a talance after payment of the preferential and guaranteed dividends of £49,000, out of which the directors recommend a dividend at the rate of 81 per cent per annum (making the dividend 81 per cent. for the year 1861), leaving a balance of £1,346. The arrangements entered into with the North- Eastern Company have been cordially carried out during the past year. The Eden Valley line from Kirkby Stephen to Penrith will probably be opened for traffic next month. The capital account shows that £3,144,470 had been expended to the 31st of December last, leaving a balance in hand of £145,910. RAILWAYS AND OTHER COMPANIES. GREAT NORTHERN. The directors of this company have determined to recommend to the proprietors, at the general meet ing, on the 22d inst., to declare a dividend for the half-year ending the 31st of December, 1861, at the rate of £7 15s. per cent. per annum on the original stock of the company, giving for the half-year £3 17s. 6d. per cent. to the original stock ; £3 per cent. to the B stock; and £4 15s. per cent. to the A stock. These rates will make the dividend for the whole year 1861 as follows—viz., £5 15s. per cent. on the original stock; £6 per cent. on the B stock ; and £5 10s. per cent. on the A stock. BRISTOL AND EXETER. The half-yearly accounts of this company to the 31st of December last were laid before the directors yesterday, and they decided upon recommending to the proprietors a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum. MARYPORT AND CARLISLE. The directors of this company intend to propose to the shareholders at the ensuing ordinary meet ing a dividend at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum for the half-year ending the 31st of December last. VICTORIA STATION AND PIMLICO. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yesterday at the office, Parliament-street, West minster ; Mr. W. Lee, M.P., in the chair. The report, an abstract of which has appeared, was taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the repent, said he hoped they considered it satisfactory. He was glad to say that the technical difficulties between the Brighton Company and the Hotel Com pany were now settled, and the Victoria Company would be free to manage their own affairs, as the two representatives of the Brighton Company would no longer remain at their Board. The question of raising new capital he would leave to Mr. Parks, and with those observations he moved the adoption of the report. Mr. PARKS explained that the company was authorised to raise £550,000, and of this amount £225,000 consisted of ordinary capital, leaving £325,000, of which from £50,000 to £lOO,OOO would not be required. The debentures were at present in excess of the usual amount allowed, as the origi nal capital of the company had been reduced by the Brighton Company taking away their share of it, amounting to £450,000. They proposed to get rid of the existing debentures by creating a perpetual 41 per cent. preference stock to take their place, which would save the expense of renewals. In the first instance they proposed to raise £130,000 of this stock, with the understanding that any further amount they might require should rank,pari passu, with the £130,000. Mr. HOLROYD suggested that the amount of the proposed 41- per cent. stock should be limited. Mr. TAYLOR wished to know when they were to expect a larger dividend. The SECRETARY then read a report as to the pro bable amount of the future dividends. It showed that 2 per cent. would be paid for the past half year, 4 per cent. for 1862, 5 per cent. for 1863, 6 per cent. for 1864, 7 per cent. for 1865, 8 per cent. for 1866, and 9 per cent. for 1867. This estimate included the estimated receipts from the London and North-Western, when they used the station ; but, if they should not come in, it was stated that it would ❑ot make more than a half per cent. dif ference in the estimated dividend. Resolutions were passed adopting the report ; declaring a dividend of 2 per cent. for the past half year, payable on the 10th inst. ; and re-electing the retiring directors and auditor. The meeting was then made special, and the di rectors were authorised to create and issue a 41 per cent preference stock to the amount of £130,000, reserving power to issue a further amount of this stock when requisite, but to redeem the bonds. The amount of this stock was not to exceed in the whole £275,000. A vote of thanks to the chairman and directors concluded the proceedings. COLCHESTER, STOUR VALLEY, AND SUDBURY. Tho half•yearly meeting of this company was held at Colchester yesterday ; Mr. T. L. Ewen in the chair. The balance-sheet, a summary of which has ap peared in 7 Ile Sun, was submitted, showing a dis posable balance of £3,810. On the motion of the chairman a dividend at the rate of £1 13s. per cent, free of income-tax, was de clared, leaving a balance of £42 for the next half year. CHARD AND TAUNTON. The first ordinary meeting of this company was RAILWAY BILLS. Yesterday the following cases were disposed of before the Examining Barristers of the Houses of Lords and Commons : EASTERN COUNTIES.—To vest in the company the powers of the Epping Railway Company, to abandon the railway from Epping to Great Dun now, to make a railway to Crouch-street, Colches ter, to raise £140,000 by shares, and borrow £46,600. NEWPORT AND RYDE.—To construct a railway from Newport to Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, and raise £lOO,OOO. CANNOCK CHASE EXTENSION.—To make a rail way to connect the Cannock Chase Railway with the South Staffordshire Railway, and to raise £40,000. The other railway bills disposed of were the Shrewsbury and Hereford (for lease to the London and North-Western), the Shrewsbury and Welch pool (to widen and improve their main line, and to raise £80,000), the Newtown and Machynleth (to make agreements with the Great Western Com pany), the Furness, to enable them to make a branch line to Hawcoat Quarry, to vest in them the Ulver stone line, to enable them to purchase and hold steam vessels, to raise £142,000, and borrow £40,000. The bill for the Carlow, Tulle w, and Newtown barry Railway was withdrawn. COUNTRI MABEE 2S. s .., HULL—FEB. 5. To-day a small supply of English wheat, with a slow sale, at is per qr cheaper. Foreign generally held above the ideas of buyers. Wheat.... Old white per qr. s4s Od to 58s Od Old red New white .. „ New red .... , Dantzic, Konb , Sze. old white 568 Od to 62s Od Dutch, Belgian, and French. 58s Od to 62s Oct Baltic and Hamburg, red. St. Petersburg and Ri ga , Old 5OB Od to 52s Od Barley.... English malting 3ss Od to 38s Od Grinding 32s Od to 34s Od Saal and Oderbruck Holstein and Danish 34s Od to 36s Od Grinding 3OB Oct to 31s Oct Oats English, old Archangel and Riga, per st osl2ld to 13d Friesland and Dutch oBl3cl to 08130 Swedish and Danish osl2lcl to 0813c1 Beans ....English, old, per qr New pigeon 42s Od to 44s Od New tick. Egyptian 3Bs Oct to 408 Od Peas Foreign breakers . 368 Od to 38s Od Grinding Tares ....Spring —s Od to —s Od Indian Corn Linseed, feeding crushing Linseed cakes (Anil) Foreign' Bl5 oto 910 0 Rape cakes 517 6to 6 0 0 Bones 5 5 oto 510 0 NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE -FEB. 4. At our Exchange to-day there was a fair attendance of farmers. The sales were excessively dull, and prices for wheat were unchanged. The weather has been unseason ably mild during the week. NEWARK—FE n. 6. At to-day's corn market the quantity of wheat exhibited was tolerable, with a slow business, and a decline of is per qr on last week's rates was submitted to. Barley scarce, and without demand. Oats at late rates. White wheat, new, 608 to 63s Barley, grinding.. 29s to 31s Red do. sss to 51s Oats, old, .. oos to 35; Old white 6OB to 63s New do 23s to 27s lied do, 468 to 56s i Beans. 45s to 47s Barley, malting 328:th 39s 1 Beans, new 44s to —0 Peas, ....48s to 545. Several of the French journals state; that from the Ist of April all postage-stamps in France will be per forated outside, so as to admit of being easily separated without the aid of any cutting instrument. This improve ment has longbeen adopted in England. [ADVERTISENIENIA—HoIIoway's Pills.—Ease for the Dyspeptic.—lndigestion, with torpidity of the liver, is the cuts° of thousands, who spend each day with accumulated sufferings, all of which might have been avoided by taking Holloway's Pills, according toltheir accompanying direc tions. They strengthen and invigorate every organ sub servient to digestion. Their action is purifying, healing, and strengthening. They may bo safely taken without interfering with ordinary pursuits, or requiring much re striction in diet. They quickly remove noise anl giddi ness in the head, and dispel low spirits and nervous fears. These balsamic Pills work the cure without debilitating or exhausting the system; on the other hand, they conserve and support the vital principle by substituting pure for impure blood. BIRTns. Hones.--On the 3d inst.. at Alma-terraoe, Belfast, the wife of Lieut.-Col. llobbs, of a daughter. InitY.—On the 3d inst., at The Orange, Taplow, the Hon. Mrs. Irby, of a son. LAYARD.—On the 3d inst., at Hurn Cottage, Beverley, the wife of Lieut.-Colonel B. Granville Layard, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. ALT,OIf--CARRICK.—On the 4th inst., a t St. M ar y Abb o tt's, Kensington, by the Rev. W. Wright, M.A., curate, Arthur Thomas Allem, Esq., of 28, King-street, Covent , garden, to Isabel, second daughter of Thomas Carrick, Esq , of Campden-hill-road, Kensington. B IDDITLPII—HOWARD.—On the 4th inst., at St. Georges, lisnover-square, It. Myddelton Biddulph, Ist Life Guards, the eldest son of Colonel M. Biddulph, of Chirk Castle, Denbighshire, to Catherine Arabella, the third daughter of the late Edward Howard, Esq. COLLISTER—FLANAGAN--On the 4th inst., at the Ora tory, Brompton, John Collister, Esq., of Kensington, to Jane Mary, widow of the late Terence W. Flanagan, of Spring-gardens. DEATHS. BEDINGFIELD.—On the 4th inst., at Oxburgh, Norfolk, Sir Henry Richard Paston Bedingfield, Bart., aged 62. CROFT.—On the sth inst., in Queen Anne-street, Sir John Croft, Bart., aged 84. FREMANTLE. — On the 31st ult., at Brighton, Georgians, eldest daughter of the late Colonel Stephen Fremantle. MORGAN.—On the 2d inst., at Bridgend, Glamorganshire, Cadogan Morgan, late of the Middle Temple, barrister, aged 63. NEAME.—On the 4th inst., at Ilythe, Miss Nearee, late of Luton House, Selling, TAYLon.—On the Ist inst., at Prestbury Lodge, near Chel- t tenham, Lieu! : -General Taylor, Colonel of the 59th Re giment, aged 72. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office, No. 112,Stran d. in the Precinct of the Savoy In the County 'Thursday, February 6, 1862, of Middleisx• e • 1)