The Sun. — London, England, 1860-09-28 00:00:00

THE NAVY. 1r...-.^ . 1.. v.""), Th# a royal and topgallant yards of the screw pear l corvette Jason, 21, in Hamoaze, were crossed 011 Wednesday. She is nearly ready for the first division of the steam ordinary. _ The screw steam sloop Pantaloon, 11, was launched On Wednesday from Devonport Dockyard, in the presence of Commander Brown, Master-attendant, in the absence of Admiral Superintendant Sir T. Pasley, who is on leave. The ceremony of chris tening was performed by Miss Fanny Peake, daugh ter of the master shipwright. A considerable number of the crew of the screw steamship Mars, 80, Capt. J. N. Strange, a t Ply motdh, are on shore without leave. The sailing brig Philomel, 8, has been placed alongside the dockyard at Devonport to be fitted for the preventive service at Sheerness. Sir R. Maine and Capt. Mallalieu, of the metro politan police force, mustered two divisions of the dockyard police at Plymouth on Tuesday, and two on Wednesday. The screw steam gunvessel Espoir, 5, Comman der S. Douglas, having had her defects made good, was towed on Wednesday, by the Confiance, from Hamoaze into Plymouth. The following appointments have been made at the Admiralty :—Capt. the Hon. C. G. J. B. Elliot, C. 8., to the St. Jean d'Acre, vice Capt. T. F. Thompson, invalided ; Capt. Thos. Harvey, to the Cressy, vice Elliot ; Lieut. C. W. S. Blount, to the Ariel ; the Rev. W. C. P. Baylee, chaplain and naval instructor, to the Victory ; Dr. A. Watson, surg.-superintendent, to the Palmerston convict ship ; H. F. Saunders, promoted to the rank of acting second-class assist.-engineer in the Cordelia ; F. Gundry, third-class assist.-engineer, to the Megtera, as part complement ; A. Wilkins, acting third-class assist.-engineer, to the Megmra, as supernumerary ; J. Riches, second master, to the ' An d r a, ; C. Brent, master's assist., to the Sans pareil ; A. Robinson, paymaster, to the Wellington ; a. P. Rickard, paymaster, to the Victory;, and S. H. L: Giles, paymaster, to the Hogue. TILE dRDIT. The following circular, relative to the erection of separate barrack-room for married soldier; has been just issued from the War-office by direction of the Secretary of State for War:— " The Secretary of State for War has had under his consideration the question of the accommodation in barracks for married non-commissioned officers and soldiers. Special quarters for this object are being erected year by year as funds can be made available, but some time must necessarily elapse be fore such quarters can be provided throughout bar racks generally. With the view, therefore, of at onceimproving the condition of married soldiers in those cases where special quarters do not exist, Mr. Secretary Herbert has decided, in concurrence with his Royal Highness the General Commanding-in- Chief, and with the sanction of the Lords Commis sioners of her Majesty's Treasury, upon the follow ing regulations 1. The allowance of lodging money to 3 per cent. of married soldiers, which has been hitherto permitted to be charged in the regimental accounts irrespective of the accommodation available, will cease from the Ist of October, 1860, and lodging money will only be granted when accommodation in barracks on the scale hereafter laid down cannot be afforded. " 2. Every married soldier not in excess of the number hereinafter specified, living in barracks, shall, when a separate room has not been specially and permanently provided for his accommodation, be entitled to the amount of accommodation usually allotted to four single soldiers—e.g., a room lettered for 12 men shall be available for three married men and one room's issue of fuel and light in kind shall be issued to the three families collectively. The number of women to be admitted into barracks to which this regulation shall apply shall not exceed the following scale :—The wives of the regimental staff sergeants, the wives of the sergeants of each troop, battery, or company in the following propor tions, viz.,-3 out of 4or 5 sergeants,4 out of 60r7, 5 out of 8 or 9, and 6 out of 10 or upwards. The wives of all other non-commissioned officers and men in the proportion of 5 to 60 men, and above that number of men at the rate of 8 per cent. of the whole num ber of the regiment, battalion, troop, battery, company, or detachment as the case may be. " 3. As a rule, unmarried soldiers shouldbe first accommodated in barracks ; any surplus accommo d(tion should then be allotted to married soldiers in the foregoing proportions, and any married sol diers, not in excess of the above number, still re maining unprovided with quarters, should receive lodging allowance; it being clearly understood that the sergeants and soldiers having at present a sepa rate room permanently set apart for their use are not included among the number of married soldiers entitled to the advantages of this circular, and that in no case are the numbers of those accommodated in barracks or drawing lodging money, to exceed the number referred to in Article 2. "4. The lodging money of married soldiers for whom room cannot be found in barracks will be increased from 2d. to 4d: a day. This allowance will be claimed on form No. 1 of Circular 13 of the let of September, 1856, to which must be added the bjoint certificate f the commanding officer and the arrack master that the number of married ser geants and soldiers included therein do not, with the number accommodated in barracks, exceed those fixed by Article 2. " B. HAWES." A party of Royal Engineers have been engaged in engineering operations at Rochester, where they have been employed in blowing up the remaining portions of the foundation of old Rochester-bridge, and clearing away the piles and other obstructions from the bed of the river. The few fine days are taken advantage of at head-quarters, and as often as the weather will permit the officers and men of the Royal and Indian Engineers are employed on the field-works in throwing up batteries and earth works, and in other sapping and mining operations. IRON-CASED SHIPS. Admiral Sartorius says :—" I believe I was the first who, during the Russian war, suggested t o th e Admiralty, then headed by Sir C. Wood, and t o th e Count de Persigny, the French Minister, the feasi bility of uniting the qualities of invulnerability, comparative incombustility and weight, of the ship steam batteries, just then invented by the Ern rer Napoleon, with those of the agile and rapid steamers strengthened for the purpose , and so fo rm an eng i ne of war, invincible and irresistible when used a • gaunt timber-built vessels of every size, which could be the destroyed by incendiary projecti l es and shells from new craft or sunk by concus sion, by the forceof the blow from its beak, and all this with perfe c t them of the probability of impunity to that craft. I warned so simple an idea sug gesting itself to the Russian Government, and the fatal consequences to thu c nt t e . d fleets if we should not be prepared for the contingency. The peace occurring immediately after, s zntinued privately and officially to urge before cessive Admiralty Boards the vital importance of e question of these vessels; upon the practicability e l s the n prin ciple involved in the use of n upon which depended a radical change in the whole e sys tem of naval warfare, the construction of all the navies of the world ; many millions of the most useless expenditure and, what was of the deepest interest to ourselves, the rendering our shoresim. Possible to a successful invasion if the principle could be easily and practically carried out. pressed earnestly for a commission to be composed ' of the most intelligent men in their respective class es , . in ___ as a engineers civil and military, shipbuilders abie w:.° 7 th ia n n d iron, experienced naval officers and suits of all e s ; before whom should be laid the re the subject, t a ir a iments already made bearing upon with any further trials , the privilege of ordering they might think and examining any persons the results to the Government, ; then to report upon that commission. and I begged to be heard befor e warded also plans and e . ommission. I for under the sanction and approval4rawings drawn up and intelligent shipbuilders of most able tive of my views. lam sorry andengineers sugges yet to obtain any favour orgym not been able attention from miralty Board. Nevertheless, four any Ad vessels have been commenced within the two last Years mainly upon my suggestions , w ithout an y coinnioniai t with or acknowledgment t o me of the intentio ns c eu f the Admiralty. I must lea ve to the observations" which accompany this letter to illustrate ra y opinion as to the manner an d efficienc y with which which those suggestions have been attempted to be arried out. The question of vital importance to decide is "lie—can , a vessel be constructed compa r at ivel y incombustible and invulnerable, against which neither shot nor shell can avail ? Can such vessels be to con structedpossess greater swiftness and quickne ssof line-of-battle movement h. than all the timber-built ships of the day large frigates, and iron-cased Y Can such ship or vessel be built, not only to calibre to fire solid shot artillery of the heaviest tire i ncendiary proi t and all the most destruc- • 9 such as shells loaded I with molten iron, liquid lire, &c., but, above all, to possess weight sufficient to sink any line-of-battle ship or iron-cased vessel by concussion or blow P This last quality is incomparably the most formid able and the most important. If, then, such a vessel, possessing all the qualities above enume rated, can be constructed, it is evident that no number of timber-built vessels could be safely op posed even to a single steam-ram, because by its superior swiftness and quickness it can force on or avoid an action at its convenience, it can burn and destroy timber ships by shot or incendiary projec tiles when at 'a distance, or by her beak, when near enough. Against her apparently more formidable opponent, the iron-cased ship, the latter is equally helpless. Shot and shell against each others hulls must be harmless, but the shot and shell from the comparative mastless steam ram could soon knock away the masts or bowsprit of the ship, or disable the rudder, so that the screw, fouled by the wrecks of masts and rigging, or the ship, helpless from her damaged rudder, a blow from the steam-rain sends her to the bottom. The limits of a letter prevent me from entering into those details which are necessary to prove to non-professional men, but what must be sufficiently evident to a sailor, the fact that a steam-ram, with out the protection of iron casing, but merely by the pow er of being able to sink by concussi on , a n d pursuing more cautious tactics,—attacking, for ins t a nce, at night—can be equally destructive with the shot-proof steam-ram against a ll o pp onen t s . The " observations" I have alluded to I must leave to another opportunity. THE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT. -41 , REVIEW OF THE NORTHAMTONSHIRE VOLUNTEERS. The Northamptonshire Rifle Association held their first meeting yesterday in Althorp Park, the seat of Earl Spencer, on which occasion the first competition for the prizes for rifle shooting and a grand review of the whole of the corps in the county by the Earl of Euston took place. The association is the result of the extensive support which the Volunteer movement has received in the county, and is founded on the plan of the National Rifle Asso ciation, most of the regulations of which they have copied. Earl Spencer was the first to recommend the adoption of the movement by the county, and to establish a corps, of which he is the:captain. His example was followed by Earl Pomfret, who raised a corps at Towcester; and by Lieut.-Colonel Loyd Lindsay, son-in-law of Lord Overstone. The wet weather on Tuesday and Wednesday considerably lowered the great expectations which had been formed with regard tothe number of visi tors ; but the rain ceased about 5 yesterday morn ing, and the sun coming out soon drove away the fog which hung over the country, and the ride to Althorp Park, which is between 5 and 6 miles from Northampton, was a pleasant one. The number of competitors had been originally fixed at five men, distinguished for: proficiency in the use of the rifle, from each of six corps ; but as one of the corps declined to compete, their number was equally distributed throughout the other five corps. These, and the 36 who had been chosen as competitors for an " all-comers" prize, assembled at half-past eight o'clock in front ofAlthorp .house, and were arranged in firing parties. They were then addressed by , Col. Kennedy, the Government Inspector, in expla nation of the regulations by which they were to fire. They were then marched off to their respec tive butts at various parts of the park. The shooting was continued throughout the morning until one o'clock, when the whole of the volunteers assembled to dine in a large tent, the Marquis of Exeter, Earl Spencer, and several other noblemen and officers dining with the men. In the afternoon the shooting was resumed, and was con cluded about three o'clock. The challenge cup, value £25, and several other prizes, were won by Sergeant Presland, of the Towcester corps. This cup, however, will not be retained by the winner permanently, but is open to annual competition. A cup, value £lO, was also offered as a prize to all corners, and was won by Mr. J. Biggs, of Elking ton. The shooting of the successful competitors was remarkable for steadiness, but many others, who are accounted good shots at ordinary practice, appeared to have lost some of their self-possession. As the time that could be given to shooting was necessarily short, the number of competitors was limited, and to furnish amusement for all, the com mittee of management had organised athletic games, such as running, leaping, &c. Earl Spencer entered the lists for some of these, and won a second prize for a running jump. There was also some archery, the prizes for which were well contested. The review was held in a very suitable portion of the park, the Volunteers being in a valley formed by extensive and gently descending slopes on either side, and was witnessed by about 15,000 people. A. platform was erected for the ladies who were visit ing at Althorp-house. Among those present at the review were Lord Overstone, Lord Lyvedeu, Mr. Ward Hunt, M.P., Mr. Knightley, M.P., General Seymour, the Countess Spencer, Lady Sarah Spen cer, Lady Overstone, Mrs. Loyd Lindsay, Miss Agnes Strickland, &c. When the review commenced the battalion was formed in the open column, right in front, facing the Brighton road. They then wheeled into line, and received the reviewing officer with a general salute, after which they - formed in open column, right in front, marched past in quick time, and re formed on the original ground. They again wheeled into line, and advancedby the centre. After halt ing they performed the manual and platoon exer cise. The field-day then commenced by firing one round by companies from right to left, the bugle sounding for firing. The line then retired, halted, fronted, and commenced file-firing from the right of company. They then re-formed quarter distance, column right in front on No. 3. The battalion afterwards skirmished, throwing out companies Nos. 1 and 2 as skirmishers, companies Nos. 3 and 4as supports, companies Nos. 5 and 6 forming the reserve. After advancing some distance and fir ing, the bugle sounded for cavalry, when they formed rallying squares and commenced to fire. Ou the word being given to cease firing, the kneeling rank fired a volley. They dispersed and reformed on the covering sergeants on their original ground and wheeled into line. The line then advanced in review order and gave a general salute. The men were then formed into three sides of a square, and, the officers having advanced, The Marquis of EXETER addressed them and said :—My Lord Euston, my lords and gentlemen,—l beg in the first place to congratulate you on the happy manner in which the proceedings of this day have gone off, and in doing so I must express my thanks to my noble friend, Earl Spencer (who has taken a great interest in the promotion of the Vn lunteer corps of this county from the commencement) for his kindness and liberality in lending us his park on the present occasion. I beg to thank him in my own name and in the name of the county of Northampton for his kindness. With regard to those gentlemen who have been so fortunate as to during prizes in mg t to-day, da y I which , expectations, they h m e may say yh a have e hadthat consideringa the np opportunityr theac t i c e short h as exceededtwiitime n e d of acquiring the different ranges. My remarks ' apply especially to the long-range shooting for the challenge cup. The competition for that and the good shooting was far beyond my expectations. Still, I deem it right to say that there is greatrootu f or improvement, and I trust you will not relax your efforts to become thoroughly proficient by another season. But, my lords and gentlemen, the country is greatly indebted to the Volunteers for their services. They came forward in a liberal, patriotic manner on the first alarm of a possible attack upon our shores, and they have rendered the country as great a service as if they had attacked the enemy themselves, and driven them from our shores. They have taught foreign nations that however large their armies and their naval equipments may be, if ever they should attempt an invasion of our shores, the whole population of England would in stantly rise to defend their homes and their liber ties. It is for this reason that I say, g so great gentlemen, that the V o l un t eer f orces h ave ren d er ed the country a service, for they have secured for us a continuance of the blessings of peace. I beg to ex• d in if fger theen different v n o n lu er ti press th e grat i fication which I have felt i n witness ' •with which day. ch you Te precision have h performed the which you marched and performed the various movementsexcueeodn the exceeded my expectations, and I con gratulate you upon have attained. I proficiency to which you hope, as I have before remarked, that you will not relax your efforts to make your selves as perfect as any regiment in her Majesty's service." The Lord-Lieutenant then proceeded to distribute the prizes, each gentleman as he stepped forward to receive his reward being greeted with much applause. Cheers were given for the Queen and for several noble lords who had taken part in the proceedings, and the corps with the multitude dispersed. The weather had been fine throughout, with the exception of one slight shower about noon. --- An inspection of the first battalion of Stafford shire Rifle Volunteers by Lord Hatherton and the Inspector-General of the district, took place at Trentham on Wednesday last. The ground was kept by the Newcastle and Pottery troop of the Queen's Own Yeomanry. The companies of Rifle Volunteers present Lon were the followi ng — name ly gton, Hanley lat, Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke grove, New cast l e, and Hanley 2d. Lord-Lieutenant,ids accompa n i e d b y his staff, Theupon- 'lrent K arrived on the ground about 4 o'clock, when the inspection commenced. When the inspection had been about half gone through the Bun suddenly die-' appeared, and the rain came down in torrents;greatly interfering with the latter half of the inspec tion; both cavalry and infantry, however, stood the pelting of the storm bravely, and, if as steady under fire as they were under water, they will make first rate soldiers. The inspection was very satisfactory. The contest of rifle shooting which took its rise from the late review of Volunteers at Newton com menced on Wednesday at Southport, and will be continued from day to day throughout the week. There is a numerous entry of competitors. The ranges, placed along the shore, are 16 in number, and each range can be extended to 1,000 yards, great precautions having been taken to insure the safety of the markers. The competition on Wed nesday was confined to shooting for the Grand Cup, value £5O, given by the officers of the Man chester, Salford, and Ardwick Regiments, open to the Volunteers of Great Britain. There was also a second prize of £2O, and a third of £5. There were 240 competitors in this competition, and it necessarily occupied a long time. On the whole the shooting was far from first-rate, but this might be accounted for to some extent by the high wind which prevailed. The conditions of the contest were that the shooting should be with Govern ment Enfields, at ranges of 300, 500, and 600 yards, each of the competitors to have five shots at each of the distances ; the Hythe position to be used in firing. The winner of the cup was Ser geant Basil Hale of the 13th (I) ukinfield) Cheshire Rifles. His shooting was very steady, and he scored 16 points, his nearest competitor being Mr. Adshead, of the Bth (Macclesfield) Cheshire, who carried off the second prize, scoring 13 points. For the third prize four gentlemen made ties, each scoring 11 points, and in shooting off the palm was won by Captain Shepherd, of the 2d (Black. burn) Lancashire. An objection was raised that the captain, as a paid Government adjutant, was not a Volunteer. A grand review of the Rifle Volunteer forces of Wilts and some of the adjacent counties, under the authority of the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, Secre tary of War, took place in Clarendon-park, near Salisbury, the seat of Sir F. H. H. Bathurst, on the afternoon of Wednesday last. A variety of evo lotions were gone through, according to an official programme, in the presence of the reviewing officer, General Lord William Paulet, C. 8., at the conclu sion of which there was a general salute, the bands playing the National Anthem. The General after wards addressed the Volunteers in complimentary terms, as did also the officers in command. A cold collation was subsequently partaken of on the ground, and the yeomanry who kept the ground were also entertained, the latter by Sir F. H. Bathurst. Various games followed the luncheon, and as the corps left the park hearty cheers were given for Sir Frederick for his kindness in giving them the use of it. The following is a list of the corps present :-Ist Battalion—Salisbury, Trow bridge, Bradford, Southampton, Market Lavington, Mere, Warminster, Melksham, Romsey, Andover. 2d Battalion Malmesbury, Devizes, Maiden Bradley Westbury, Milton, Portsmouth. The first great meeting of the 2 d battalion Glo cestershire Rifle Volunteers took place at Chelten ham on Wednesday morning. The competition was restricted to three members of each of the 14 companies of the 2d battalion, and the prizes com peted for were the county prize of £25, £l5, £lO, and £5, at 300, 500, and 600 yards range. These prizes were won by Glocester and Cheltenham in the following order :—First prize, Private T. A. Washbourne, 3d company (Glocester); second p r i z e, Ensign Gregory, 13th Cheltenham; third prize, Private Jack, 7th company (Cheltenham) ; and fourth prize, Private Riddeford, 3d company (Glocester). REV. DR. GUTHRZE ON THE VOLUN TEER MOVEMENT. Towards the close of a grand volunteer fete at Lochnaw Castle, last week, the Galloway Adver tiser says : At the earnest request of all the guests as sembled, Sir A. Agnew prevailed upon Dr, Guthrie to address the volunteers, who were drawn up in front of the main entrance. The rev. doctor, who was received with loud acclamations, said—Ladies and gentlemen, and particularly gentlemen volun teers—l have great pleasure, and consider it a great compliment to be allowed to address you on this interesting occasion. My friend Sir A. Agnew, with whom I am staying, was pleased to apologise for not being able, as he said, to pay me attention ; but I said to him that I considered it far more flattering to be allowed to pay you atten tion. (Cheers.) I never addressed a corps of volunteers before, but there is no person in the country who sympathises more with the . great Tolunteer movement. A friend of mine, a minister whom I need not name, to whom I expressed this feeling, said to me, are you not a man of peace ? I said I am a man of peace, but if the French fleet were In Lueliry all you would booeuno ce man or war yourself. (Great laughter and cheers.) I am, as I ought to be, a lover of peace, but to ensure peace we must be prepared for war—we have on divine authority the prayer " Load us not into tempta tion," and I hold that the men who have the charge of the destinies of this country would merit tne severest reprobation were they, by allowing us to remain defenceless, to tempt our neighbours into war. The rev, doctor then referred to the great Indian mutiny, to the paucity of our troops, to our arsenals entrusted only to treacherous Sepoys, and asked if that was not enough to tempt rebellion, and what other cause need be assigned for the dreadful convulsion ? He then referred to the Emperor Napoleon, who, he said, was a man of too much sense to think of ' attacking us, as he knew the first cannon shot he fired would be the signal for his own doom ; but that of course was contingent upon our keeping up a strong defensive position. He referred to two timid ladies who could neither eat nor sleep for fear of invasion, but he contrived to quiet their fears by solemnly promising that whenever Napo leon actually landed he would come and breakfast with them. (Great laughter.) He believed that any visit that potentate would make would be a pacific one, and he thought we ought to have invited him to come and see our Queen review 21,000 brave and armed men in the park at Hely rood, and then give him his dinner, and that would put all thoughts of invasion out of his head fast enough. (Laughter and cheers.) I value, he con tinued, the voluntary—(laughter) —no, I mean the volunteers ; but, after all, it was one and the same word, for are not volunteers voluntaries ? I value the volunteer movement because it is not, nor can it be, one of offence or aggression, but is and must be one of defence alone—like our national em blem the thistle, with its motto, " Nemo me impune lacessit," which means, hands off if you're wise. (Great laughter and cheers.) The thistle is a quiet enough plant —it is only when you meddle with it that you feel its prickles. (Loud cheers.) Such being its object, I hold that every man who has health and strength ought to be a volunteer—and there is no woman deserving of the name who should not say to her lover, " Join the volunteers, or I'll have nothing to say to you." (Great laughter and cheers.) The doetor then jocularly referred to the notion among the fisher women, that the wife had to keep the husband, and said that certainly a man was un worthy to obtain a wife unless he was prepared, as a volunteer to defend his fireside. Ile continued—l have six sons—two aro already volunteers, and I hope that all will become so except one, who is a minister like myself—and should, which God forbid the enemy land upon our coast, I should go with my sons to the battle-field, not to fight, but to cheer them on and share in their peril, in defence of all we hold dear. I again repeat, lam a man of peace, but I inherit the blood of those who died upon ui the aut se Is freedom scaffold r n yd o aee nlw t fdh entitled n t b a t l t etdl nationale t - fi oi e nc do d en pg i e n r nadefence you ando ou upon the di s pl ay you have made this day. I con gratulate g r ther e f ore e ra i an assemblage t o shar h i g s n h e o w s p t p a o l i n t s b — r i g e o i n n g g rsautcuh late my Lord Dalrymple for the noble corps he has raised and commands so well--and I confess I felt prpuder of my name when I heard the speech of your gallant captain—Provost Guthrie. (En thusiastic cheers.) It is the duty of all men to de fend their liberty with the last drop of their blood, but they must be qualified to use their weapons with skill and efficiency, they must mind their drill. Our ancestors at Pentland and Bothwell Bridge were the bravest of the brave, but they wanted drill, and so they lost the day. I am sure I have said nothin g to create dissension or to spoil unanimity ; we differ among ourselves—we would be fools or slaves if we did not—but we love ene another, and will stand by one another. (Cheers.) He then alluded to the huge iron-sheathed ships which Napoleon was pre paring —which, he said, reminded him of the clumsy armour worn in the olden time, in which wh en a man was down he was as helpless as a " partin," and could not get up again—(laughter)—but he said that neither these nor the fortifications we are rearing at such expense would, under God's bless ing, be as available as the banded united will, the rsetoliugtiohues feeling art, thestwrohnigeharwmo,ualnddptrhoevheigouhrmsuorrael and and derence. The rev. doctor concluded amidst loud and long-continued cheering. D t r o . G addressuT it i E themo n was an d v vociferously f they oii s literally c al le d on would take no denial, he came forward an d s p o k e to them at some length on their moral and religious duties. He showed how the fear of God raised a n m a an above namin i t a y l I whichoth er fears, piety and,gave, p in ad a illustration i hgh o of an g well-deserved compliment to the memory of the late THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 28, 1860. Sir Andrew Agnew, and closed by calling on them to be, amid the temptations to which all men are exposed, as good soldiers of the Cross as he had no doubt they would prove themselves, were the enemy to invade our shores, brave defenders of their Queen and country. The Doctor then retired amid testi monies of deserved applause and sympathy. SOCIAL SCIENCE CONGRESS. GLASGOW, SEPT. 25. THE LORD-ADVOCATE ON JURISPRUDENCE. The LORD ADVOCATE, who was received with cordial cheers, rose and said,—Ladies and gentlemen—After the very comprehensive view of the duties and objects of this associationwhich was delivered last night by your noble pre sident, I shall proceed to fulfil the duty imposed upon me by the kindness of the committee in asking me to preside over the section devoted to jurisprudence by a few introductory remarks, confined entirely to the proper business of that section, and devoted to elucidating shortly, and as clearly as I can, the principles upon which we should seek for the reformation and improvement of the law in respect of its re• lation to social science, and some of the more salient and im• portant topics which may probably fall under our attention in the course of our deliberations. We are to consider in this section law as a branch of social science—that is, in its immediate practical relation to common life. In one sense it is nothing but a department, or rather the embodiment of social science, inasmuch as it is the mainspring of all social movements and relations. But the science of jurisprudence, in its more specific acceptation, is apart from its social results. It deals with what is, not with what ought to be, and the ten dency of the study is rather to shut out than to enlarge the contemplation of its practical effects. It is, indeed, a science of the highest order, tasking the intellectual powers by demands on them for all the qualities combined which the exact and the more general sciences require—the grasp of generalization, which is essential to mental philosophy, with the careful analysis or induction characteristic of mathematical inquiry. We are to try this great science by its existing results, as compared with existing necessities, to see how far this great machine corresponds in its effects with the great object for which alone it was created. Lord Bacon says, in his essay on the advance ment of science: —" All those who have written of laws have written either as philosophers or as lawgivers, none as statesmen. As for the philosophers, they make imaginary laws for imaginary commonwealths, and their discourses are as the stars, which give little light, because they are so high. For the lawyers they write, according to the States where they live, what is re ceived as law, and not what ought to be law; for the wisdom of a lawmaker is one, and of a lawyer is another." Jeremy Bentham, in his Treatise on Legislation, treats the lawyers with still more suspicion; he says,—" When a religion falls, its ministers fall with it. Everything which diminishes re spect for the idol enfeebles that felt for the sacrifice to it. So the voice of all jurists is raised in concert to celebrate an established system, and the people, misled by their unani mity, do not stop to discover the self- interest which produces it." It is impossible to deny the justice of this sentiment. The juristsleals with men as with the pieces on the chessboard, the debtor and the creditor, the man with security and the man without, the grasping landlord or the refractory tenant are so many dramatis persolue, who are to play their parts and be removed, according to the most approved rules of the art. But in the intellectual absorption of the struggle, the flesh and blood of the matter is necessarily forgotten. Such is the inevitable tendency of the exclusive pursuit of any science ; but in the study of the law, and the practice of it, which entails such stern demands on a life's erection, it is inevitable. Of course, this criticism, or rather con fession, of the necessary tendency of legal training is only comparative. I need not, in this presence, tell you that a great lawyer may rise above the trammels of his art and combine the grasp of the philosopher with the know ledge of the jurist, and superadd to both the practical sagacity of the statesman. Still less am I disposed to en courage sciolist or empirical innovation, springing gene rally out of specific cases, and propounded in ignorance of the system to which it is proposed to apply them. If high scien tific acquirements in jurisprudence have a tendency to pro duce too extensive devotion to things as they are, it does not by any means follow,that enlarged views and wholesome change are only to be looked for as the companions of igno rance. Still, in prosecution of the objects of the department over which you have asked me to preside, we must be content to throw behind us the professional fetters of our training. I therefore come to consider in what spirit and on what prin ciples the social results of our system of law are to be can vassed and reformed. I shall start with a caution on the other side. If the jurist be too apt to hug the chains of his science, and magnify the importance of time-honoured forms and axioms, the unskilled reformer has also perils of his own, and among the chief is the danger of unsettling much in order to rectify a little. The legal system of a country like ours, in which the laws have not been dictated by a Justinian or a Napoleon, but have been made by the people for their own use, is a plant of slow and gradual growth, spreading its tendrils widely, and striking its roots deeply around and throughout the whole social economy of the community ; just as our system of civil liberty and Parliamentary Government subsists and flourishes by a secret spell, the fruit of gradual accommoda tion to the habits and associations of the people, notwith•• standing many anomalies and theoretical contradictions, so it is with our laws. -xli. : theory may be most useful in practice, or may, through length of time or repeated judicial consideration, have be come, while retaining its outward form, animated by a spirit never contemplated by its authors. Wo shall be merely shallow innovators if we neglect this unseen, but potent element—that which in truth is the very life-blood of a nation's prosperity. It might, I believe, be said of our law, as was said of our political constitution that if the whole fabric were swept away at once, and the greatest which the land could furnish were to devise a new system, they would not produce anything which would be compar able to that which they had destroyed. I may here remark, that the element to which I speak is one of which the legal reformer cannot avail himself. What he dons in:the way of change must be done by specific enactments. He can not provide for the effect which his new law may have when a century of application and decision has passed over its head. Lord Bacon felt this so strongly that in a sketch which he entitles " A Proposal for Amending the Laws of England," he has hardly courage to propose proceeding by Act of Parliament. He says : " It is objected that labour were better bestowed in bring ing the common laws of England to text law, as the sta tutes are, and setting both of them down in method and by titles." To which he replies:— "It is too long a business to debate whether lex scripta ant non scripta, a text law or customs well registered, with received and approved grounds and maxims, and acts and resolutions judicial, from time to time duly entered and re ported, be the better form of declaring and authorisinglaws. It was the principal reason or oracle of Lycurgus that none of his laws should be written. Customs are laws written in living tables, and some traditions the Church doth not disauthorise. In all sciences they are the soundest that keep close to particulars, and sure I am there are more doubts that rise upon our statutes, which aro a text law, than upon the common law, which is no text law. But, howsoever that question be determined, I dare not advise to cast the law into a new mould. the work which I pro pound tendeth to pruning and grafting the law, and not to ploughing up and pruning it again ; for such a remove I should hold indeed for a perilous innovation." Yet, Lord Bacon on this, and some other of his fragments on the same subject, shows himself to have had large and enlightened views on the subject of legal reform, and was not unprepared to have proceeded boldly enough in the direction of repeal. Lord Stair, a name not unworthy to be placed alongside of that of Bacon in respect of power and learning, but who does not disclose the same tendencies in favour of freedom, treats the same subject in strong and serious language, but in sentences tinged with the predi.. lection for the arbitrary power of courts, which was cha racteristic of our Scottish system for many years after...* wards. But iu both there is much truth; and herein lies the great difficulty, in England especially, of dealing with the great mass of the statute law. There would be no great difficulty in expurgating thq statute book of laws wholly repealed ; but the next step Is surrounded by difficulties. The re-enactment of statutes partially repealed, and the consolidation of laws relating to the same subject, bring the legal reformer at once into contact with that unwritten law which has sprung from the stem of the statute, and has been engrafted in it by judicial decision. This difficulty has always appeared to me so great that I am rather in clined to think that either more or less should be attempted, and that if we are ambitious of more than publishing a compendious edition of the statutes, embracing those in ordinary use, it will be found impossible to effect any very material improvement short of codification in some branches of the law. (Applause.) It is worthy of considera tion whether in the more important branches of tho law codi fication should not supplement the attempt to consolidate. It would be presumptuous in me to do more than offer a suggestion on this important subject, in so far as it relates to the sister kingdom. But,. looking at the enormous and heterogeneous mass of statute law under which the juris prudence of England lies, and through which the precious ears of grainare to be searched for,it would seem a task more likely to succeed to sweep away much that exists,and supply its place not by new words, professing to repeat old provi sions, but by clear and specific codification. With us the case is different ; the statute law of England was the bulwark and protection of her liberties. If,in Scotland's early history, we could not boast of similar protection, on the other hand our statute-book is not similarly encumbered ; unlike those of England, a Scottish Act of Parliament is abrogated by disease, and those that remain are short general enactments, drawn to be the basis of future law, to be founded on them by judicial interpretation; and so, as Lord Stair expresses it, attain the maturity of a law. This, however, is a sub ject which the members of this section will bo better able to discuss than I can pretend to be. The same general pt in ciple which makes it necessary for the legal reformer in the changes he proposes to consider the effect of long-continued discussions or indurated popular customs, applies with still greater force to the introduction of the laws of other coun tries on the faith of their popularity or success where they prevail. It were easy to furnish or imagine illustrations of laws, admirable where they prevail, but entirely inappro priate to other conditions of society. (Applause.) To a stranger or a philosopher it is apt to seem a trivial ano maly that in one island of no very great extent two different systems of law should prevail ; and the anomaly appears au the gieatet *hen the community of transactions and of interests is considered. It would algd 'melt; in art abstract consideration of the condition of the country, that the laws which are good for 18,000,000 would also be good for 3,000,000. The conclusion which a philosopher would draw from this would be that the laws of the two ends of the island should be assimilated by those of the larger being imposed on the :Association. It needs, however, but a moment's reflection to satisfy any one that such an attempt would be wholly impracticable, simply because it would be made without any regard to the associations and traditions of a people jealous of their na tional integrity, and without estimating the necessary al- ;hough tacit part which these bear in the operation of any system of law. But, if convinced of the difficulty of the task, our philosopher should abandon this:design, and pro- pose to assimilate the laws of the countries bye considera tion of the abstract merits of each, the impediments which beset this path are quite as great. He would find the ab stract advantage, for the most part, on the side of the mi nority—an advantage arising, in great measure, from the fact that it is a minority. It is easier to produce results by working on a model than on the large, and so it is easier to produce a harmonious system of law in a small nation than a large one. The law of Scotland has been the work of jurists; that of England, of the people. With us, laws have been framed to carry out legal principles ; with them, to protect their freedom. While the law of Scotland, framed on the feudal and civil systems, and borrowed from, and illustrated and methodised by, the analogies of Continental nations, presents on the whole a theoretical and philoso phical unity, the law of England is a work of gigantic power, reared from materials of English growth, and piled up from one century to another by the hands of great judges who defied the powers of courts and of patriots jealous of the liberties of the Commons, and forced into rugged but magnificent administration by the wealth, the enterprise, and the commerce of the people. (Applause.) Judged of by its results, the world never saw a more beneficent or en lightened system ; but, taken in detail, few of its component parts would stand the test of philosophical scrutiny. But shall we therefore come to the conclusion that this work of assimilation should be conducted on abstract merit only, and propose to abrogate at once the great common law of England, under the mighty shadow of which her vast empire and human liberty has so long prospered and reposed? We must content ourselves with humbler and more attain able improvements, and proceed in the great work of assi milation by such degrees as may seem practicable and safe. But in this direction there is a great and important field open to the legal reformer. Of late some important steps have been taken in this direction, some by direct, and others by indirect assimilation. A few years ago a com mission was appointed, consisting of eminent English and Scottish lawyers, to consider to what extent the law mer chant of the two countries could be assimilated, and their deliberations ultimately received the sanction of the Legis lature in an Act of Parliament. The subjects which were dealt with by this statute were carefully selected, and, I think, well and successfully disposed of. And, in regard to the points to which legislation was applied, preference is given to the English or Scotch law according as such might seem to have the advantage. The changes introduced by it were not very radical or extensive; but the proceeding indicates the principle on which assimilation may be at tempted, and, I hope, is only the forerunner of reforms equally well considered, and of more enlarged general operations. Indeed, as regards the general system of mer cantile law, it is to the sister kingdom that we must look for the soundest principles and the best administration of them. It is not by any means a hopeless task—indeed, it is one which I trust to see attempted—to place the mercantile law on the same footing. This leads us naturally to say a word on a subject which will engage our attention more at large—l mean the law of bankruptcy. In common with all who take an interest in legal progress, I lamented the fate —the undeserved fate—of the bill of my friend, the Atter-. ney-General, during the last session. The general features of a useful system of bankrupt law may be very safely gathered from what I may call the instinct of trade. When we find traders flying from the laws made for their benefit, and re curring to private tribunals of their own construction, we may conclude with absolute certainty, first, that there must be some especial defect in the law as it exists ; and, secondly, that the true remedy to be sought is in the direc tion to which, with all its difficulties and uncertainty, the creditors of insolvent debtors have had recourse. In other words, let the creditors, as tho Attorney-General proposed, manage their own affairs when they propose to do so. The true object of the law of bankruptcy should be the rapid, thorough, and :economical application of the whole available funds of the debtor to pay his creditors. (Ap plause.) That is the main and primary object of a system of bankrupt administration. The discharge of an innocent, the punishment of a fraudulent debtor, are subsidiary ob jects, important in themselves, but which should not be allowed for a moment to interfere with the main object of realising and distributing the debtors' estate with economy certainty, and despatch. (Applause.) It should never be forgotten that the end and aim of all proceedings in bank ruptcy is the benefit of the creditors ; and no element which interferes with or retards the accomplishment of that object ought to be admitted. (Applause.) Thus, it may be true that settlements by composition have a tendency to pi event investigation, and encourage the reckless trader. Still, if the creditors thereby receive their share of the debtor's estate more rapidly and cheaply, these contracts ought to tie eut,utt:aeue. (Applause.) We roust look to more general and deeper sources for the repression of the gambling spirit in commerce. A sounder and more healthy tone of mer cantile morality and the instinct of self-preservation are the only real safeguards against it, while by endeavouring to the prejudice of the creditors, to make our bankrupt system one of rewards and punishments, we shall accom plish little in the way of improvement, and promote much individual injustice. (Applause.) I cannot say that in the recent discussion on Sir Richard Bethell's Bill I was much impressed by the objections which were raised to the extension of its provisions to non-traders. Indeed, I am at a loss to understand what prejudice can possibly accrue to non-traders by the extension of a system beneficial to the mercantile community. (Applause.) The exclusion of non-traders from the provisions of the bankrupt law is not a privilege, but a penalty. The vicissitudes and un certainties of commerce were supposed to excuse the in solvency of those engaged in it, while on the part of the community at large bankruptcy is regarded as an offence. The law abated none of its rigour in regard to the non-trading debtor, as the dismal walls of Whitecros s street and the Fleet can so well attest; but it withheld, as a boon not deserved by him, the ready means of payment and discharge which it provided for the unfortunate trader. In all this, there is not favour but discouragement to the hon ourable trader ; it is exclusion from a privilege, not exemp tion from a penalty, which is the object of the law. (Ap plause.) There are many reasons which to my mind are con clusive for the abolition of this distinction. A non-trader is as much bound as a trAder to pay his debts, and to pay them according to the precise time and manner of his contract. It is as desirable for the creditors of a non-trader as for those of a trader that his available estate should be rapidly, cheaply, and justly . iealised and divided. But there are two special reasons for extending the operation of the bankrupt law to non-traders—one in which the public has an inte rest, and the other important to the debtor. The first is the equalising operation of bankruptcy. Of all the frauds to which insolvency gives rise, collusion and secret prefer ences are the worst, and the greatest and most salutary benefit of a correct system of bankrupt administration is the even-handed justice it secures. There can be no reason why the creditors of a non-trader should be deprived of this pro tection. (Applause.) The other is the power of discharge. It has been said that the worse use you can put a man to is to hang him; certainly it is little more profitable to shut him up, or to leave him at large an encumbrance on society. It may be true that it is a homage to the virtues of prudence and forethought to nail unhappy debtors to our barn- doors, and leave them there to the terror of the lieges ; but I doubt if mankind ever learn the lessons which such discipline teaches. The man may be useful if free—ho is worse than useless if he is not—and at all events it is but reasonable to give him the chance of freedom, if those who have suffered through him be willing, and his own conduct has been honest. (Applause.) The distinction between trader and non-trader has become so shadowy that the filmy line of principle which used te separate them is now utterly capricious in its operation. I conclude, therefore, that the bankrupt law of both coun tries should extend to all, and should have for its object the shortest and cheapest way of dividing the debtor's estate rateably among his creditors, subject to judicial inspection, but under the management of the creditors themselves. (Cheers.) Turning from the department of mercantile law, I glance for a moment at the great subject of our land rights, nor is there any department of the law more conver sant with social science than this. The feudal system under which the land of Scotland is held, combined with its sys tem of public registers, has given us a very logical and safe series of titles to land. It is expensive, but it is sure. But it is another question whether it does not admit of improve ment, by the adaptation of some English principles, and whether our neighbours might not also beneficially learn from us. But first I would suggest, as regards both sys tems, they are far too complex and far too dear. I should gladly see all restraints on the transfer of land removed. (Applause.) What a practical satire on the law of entail it is that the proprietor of an enormous estate should not be able to give a few square yards to build a school on, excepting under the special and stringent provisions of an Act ofPar liareent 1 (Applause.) The change I would shadow out is one too sweeping to be practicable in the present state of public opinion ; but in principle the transfer of land should bo free. (Applause.) Secondly, it should also be as cheap as is consistent with security. (Applause.) thirdly, land rights should be public. Land is so stable mid permanent a source of income that its commercial value should be put to the highest account. But this can never be done, unless the public, who buy a land in the market have the means of knowing the state of the incumbrances which affect it. It seems, therefore, desirable that a system of public regis tration should prevail in both countries,:and that land rights in England should be registered. (Applause.) The landec: proprietors dread the publicity it implies ; the provinces dread centralisation ; the profession in the metropolis do n et see their way to the c ha nge . Ido not venture to attemp t a solution of difficulties. I only suggest what seems asound fundamental proposition. Fourthly, conveyances should be simple ; and since I have suggested that our southern neighbours should borrow our system of registration, I may, on the other hand, express an opinion that the time has probably now come when our feudal fictions might / cease and our tenures bo freed, as those in England so long hare been, of the sub-infeudations and mid -superiorities which so much complicate our conveyances. (Applause.) I hope in the course of the discussions which we are promised some useful practical hints on this subject may be thrown out, and, in particular, that some viers raay bo suggested as to the best mode of securing vested interests in the pro secution of what otherwise would be a great public, benefit, (Applause.) It has always occurred to me that the Ord• nance survey, now nearly completed in Scotland, on a large scale, might be made very available in the way of cheapen ing conveyancing. It is, tts you know, on a scale of an inch to the acre. In a map of that scale there is scarcely any bit of land that could not be clearly and accurately delineated, and as a science has now given us the means of multiplying these maps with great economy, it is obvious that in the matter of boundary, instead of those extraordinary unintel ligible descriptions which every one of you who has the smallest particle of land must have seen, it would be a very simple thing to say that we sell such and such a bit of land as marked on the map, to which we put our signatures. I turn to another subject to which your noble president last night invited our attention. I mean the subject of a Minis ter of Justice, or public prosecutor, in the criminal depart ment of the law. Now, this is a very large and very impel.• tant matter, but more fitted to be dealt with by English hands than by mine. As regards ourselves, I am hardly an impartial witness as to the usefulness of a public prosecu tor. '(Laughter and applause.) At the same time I think I am entitled to say—because I speak now from very consi derable experience of that office—that every year that I have had the opportunity of seeing the working of the system has increased my conviction that it would be very difficult in deed to devise a mode of prosecuting criminal business which would accomplish the twofold object which the pro secutor ought to have before him—the detection of the guilty and protection of the innocent. No eoubt a public prosecutor in an arbitrary State is very dangerous to the liberties of the people ; but a public prosecutor under the influence of public opinion and Parliamentary responsibi lity is, in my opinion, as far as the practical working of it is concerned the best mode in which the criminal affairs of a country can be conducted. It is impossible to deny that as crimes are crimes against the public, so the public should be at the expense of prosecuting and punishing them. (Hear.) And whatever may be the practical operation of the system in England, of which I say nothing, because I do not know much—whatever may be the practical opera tion of it, it has no right to leave upon a private prosecutor —who may be supposed to prosecute only for the injury done to himself—the vindication of the great public law, the breach of which is truly at the groundwork of the pro ceedings. (Applause.) And, accordingly, it has been the desire in England for many years to accomplish, if possi ble, this most desirable change. Again we are beset, how ever, with the same difficulties that I have alluded to in speaking of other subjects. We work here upon a small scale—we can keep everything within bounds—the public prosecutor and his deputies are cognisant of every offence that takes place in all parts of the land. He knows the proceedings that have been going on, and therefore he can judge personally for himself on his personal responsibility, of the things that are done. Well, a great Minister of Jus tice in England would find it difficult to overtake the work to this extent, and it is quite true that withou t direct per sonal responsibility the office is one unquestionably exposed to danger and risk. Then, again, from the enormous mass of the English population, it would be a very difficult thing to keep within the Crown-office, as we do, the whole records of crime—of such crime as requires public prosecution ? Well, there is another question that has been raised. If we are to give a public prosecutor to England, are we to take a coroner's inquest and grand juries from England ? All I can say is that if a coroner's inquest is intended for the protec tion of the subject—if it is intended for the purpose of taking care that the cases shall be investigated and examined, I think that object may be attained without the necessity of importing so large and wide a system from England. But I own I do not very well see how the administration of criminal law can proceed much longer in England without some institution like that of a Minister of Justice. The next branch of inquiry to which I will allude, though it is a very important one, is alluded to in the interesting letter from Russia, read this morning. I mean the interna tional law ; and that not much between us and continental nations as between ourselves and England—these two fo• reign countries, as they are termed in the legal courts, an, which sometimes seem to lie in wait for each other, in order that they may enforce their jurisdiction, that foreign coun try which supposed to know nothing of the principles of law and justice. (Laughter and cheers.) A great deal more I think, can be done to bring the two countries out of that relative position of foreign countries, the courts of which consider themselves entitled to look at the decision of the foreign court and confirm or disregard as they themselves approve. There are many things in the judicial system of England and Scotland that could bo put on a proper footing by special legislation, defining the limits. Last year there were a good many Englishmen came down to Scotland, having a great admiration for our bankruptcy system par ticularly in the west, and living for 40 days at some agree able residence—Tobermory or elsewhere—and then claimed the benefit of the bankruptcy law in this country. (Laughter.) And a great deal was said in England as to the barbarous state of the law which could permit such a thing. I am happy to say that among the small number of useful measures passed last session, we have put an end to that, and have provided that in such a case the courts of Scotland shall simply send the debtor back to England, where he came from. But how is the law of England in this matter ? I rather think that notwithstanding their suspi cion at the state of our law, if a Scotchman found himself in England, and was clapped into Whitecross Prison, an Insolvent Court will make no scruple of taking him up, without oven the interval of 40 days. Now, I would sug gest that if we are to assimilate our bankruptcy laws, we should have a clear line of distinction between the two courts so that you will not have both judging the same matter. There is another matter which has very lately arisen, and which I shall only allude to, becauseit is a case which is still going on—l mean as to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery in one part of the land and in the other. There was a case in which a pupil under trustees in Scotland was seized by the Court of Chancery, and retained by them. That court maintained that the pupil being in that part of the kingdom they had jurisdiction, and were entitled to see that the estate was properly administered. The trustees consequently found themselves in the awkward position of accepting a trust and having no ward in whose behalf to administer the trust. (A laugh.) The other day a case of the same kind occurred here. A pupil s under the jurisdic tion of the Court of Chancery came down here; his guar dian followed him, and went to the Court of Session. But they, mindful of the lesson read to them by the Court of Chancery, did not at once deliver up the pupil, but said, " This is a decree of a foreign court, we will look into the matter and see what is to be done." Now, that is not a state of things which should be allowed to go on between England and Scotland. (Cheers.) There is no reason why the one court and the other on either side of the border should be watching for unwary pupils. (A laugh.) Tho inconvenience is so great that it should be put an end to by Act of Parliament. A still more serious matter is the sub ject of marriage. (A. laugh.) It is certainly very extra • ordinary that a man should be married on one side of the border and not on the other, and very awkward that one man himself should not be able to say with certainty whe ther he was married or not. (Laughter.) A good many years ago a decision was given in one of the English courts that a divorce granted by a Scotch court was not one which they could recognise, and the unfortunate man was actually tried for bigamy because he had married again after being divorced. I made an attempt to remedy that matter in a bill introduced into Parliament this year, but there was a difference of opinion as to whether the mode in which it was proposed to regulate that matter was the best or not. Many nations have good systems of laws, but there is a stage and a progress in which we have now to a great extent outstripped the rest of the world. There have been many great and beneficent systems of law an nounced by despotic rulers—the next stage in a nation's history is the potent, free, and independent administration of them, and for this, more than anything else, have come the bloody wars on which the freedom of nations has been gradually built up, judges rising against the power of the Crown if it required them to decide contrary to the spirit of the constitution and the laws under which they lived. It is to England that we owe it chiefly, and it is a great boon for which we never can be sufficiently thankful, that even in the very worst of times, and when political principles were forgotten, the noble spirit of her judges stood upright amid the crash of everything else that was noble and free in that country—(applause)—and asserted there for, the first time, I believe, in the history of the world, the majesty of the law above every other power in the country. (Applause.) But we are past that stage, the thing is done, we have vin dicated the power of administering the law, unawed by terror from ony side; and now we stand in the position, —and few countries can say the same—happy is the country that can—that in perfect security, the law, be what it may, will be administered with honesty and vigour. (Applause.) We can call such an assembly as this of those who are lawyers and those who are not—those who have transactions and those who have to regulate the law by which they pro ceed—we call such a meeting as this to deliberate what the law ought to be, in the perfect conviction that if, in the end, public opinion shall come to think that there shall bo a change, that change will bo effected by the most constitu tional means. (His Lordship sat down amid loud applause, his address having occupied above an hour and a half in the delivery.) Mr. W. BUCHANAN, M.P., then rose and proposed a vote of thanks to the Lord-Advocate for his able address, when Lord BROUGHAM, with considerable emphasis, which caused some laughter, informed the right hon. member that the votes of thanks were left for the last day's pro cee various departments w ere th en constituted, and the Tdiiine g s. - 4 discussions proceeded with. td. THE WEATHER AND THE HARVESTS .—Alth ou gh the wheat crop has now been fully secured in Norfolk and Suffolk, a large quantity of barley is still in the fields, and wet and unfavourable weather during the greater part of the current week has rendered the chance of saving it rather remote. The appearance of many fields, in which the sod don, discolour e d crop is lying about, is truly distressing, although a change which took place in the weather yester day rendered the aspect of affair, a little more cheering. THE HOLYHEAD MAIL STEAMERS. SOUTHAKPTON, Thursday.—The official trial of the Connaught, Captain Williams, another of the new Dublin arid Holyhead mail steamers, took place to-day in Stokes Bay. Great interest was taken in the result of this trial, as contrasted with that of the Leinstef, which came off about nine weeks ago. The latter vessel was built by Messrs. Samuda, of London, and the former by Messrs. Laird and Sons, of Birkenhead, both being engined by Messrs. Ravenhill, S,Nlkeld, and Co., of London the engines being identica.. l . in every respect. The Connaught ;left the docks at noon, with a large party on board, including two of the directors of the Dublin Steampacket Comi,Nany, the Admiralty and Board of Trade surveyors, 0.1.;(1 several gentle men connected with the different steampacket companies of this port. The four' runs at the measured mile were as follow :—lst run, 3 min. 20 sec. or 18 knots per hour ; 2 d run, 3' min. 18 sec., or 18.181 knots per hour ; 3d run, 3 win. 21 sec., or 17.910 knots per hour; 4th run, 3 16 sec., or 18.367 knots per hoar. Average of the .four runs, 18'079 knots, or 21 statute miles per hour. Revo lutions, 25 1 ; ; pressure of steam, 25th. ; vacuum . , 26 .1. On the occasion of the Leinster's trial here, 'ie weeks ago to-day, the result was as under :—Avo • rage of four runs, 17.977 knots, or 20 statute miles per hour ; revolutions, 26 ; pressure of steam, 251 b. to the square inch (264-Ib. in the fourth run) ; vacuum, 251. It will therefore be seen that, comparing the two trials together, the palm must be awarded to the Liverpool-built ship, she having beaten her competitor by half a mile per hour, with half a revolution less of the engines. The Con naught's extreme length is 350 ft.; breadth, 35ft. ; 2,000 tons burden ; engines, 700 nominal horse power. Her draught of water during the trial was 12 ft. 9 in. fore, and 13 ft. 2 in. aft. The rate of speed attained to-day is the highest ever yet; reached on the measured mile. The engines worked up to about six times their nominal rate, and the action of the machinerlf was beautifully smooth and easy, scarcely any vibration being felt in any part of the ship. After partaking of a sumptuous dejeuner in the capacious saloon, over which Mr. Ravenhill, sen., presided, the customary loyal toasts were drunk, followed by " Success to the Connaught and the hcaith of the Builders and Engineers," " The Dublin Steampacket Com pany," " The Peninsular and Oriental and Royal Mail Steam Navigation Companies," " Mr.Samuda, the builder of the Leinster," &c. In the course of his remarks Mr. Watson, the chairman of the Dublin Company, stated that ' the sei•Tioe unde r the I new contract was fully to commence 0,7 1 Monday next, two of their fast vessels—the LeinO ter and the Ulster—being already on the station ; the Connaught would leave here to join them early to-morrow (Friday) morning, and the Munsi.er was rapidly approaching completion. He highly' complimented the Messrs. Laird, Mr. Samuda, and Messrs. Ravenhill and Co., on the success fal and satisfactory manner in which they had severally completed their contracts, and expressed the perfect satisfaction felt by the directors with the three ships which had been handed over to them. In proof of the excellent qualities of the Leinster he mentioned that the shortest time in which she had made the run between Dublin and Holyhead was three hours 21 minutes, which she had accom plished several times, whilst on one occasion she made the passage in three hours 50 minutes against a very severe gale, thus showing her great sea going qualities. le believed the Ulster had run across in a little less time than the Leinster. From these facts the public would see that vessels of a first-rate character were now being placed on the station, and all parties would have reason to be proud of them, and the manner in which the wants of the Government and the public were being pro vided for. The toasts of " The Ladies," and " The Press" were also drunk, and the good ship Con naught returned into dock in time to allow of London visitors returning by the 5 p.m. train. The Connaught is to leave here at 6 a.m. on Friday - for Dublin. - COUNTRY MARKETS. BIRMINGHAM-SEPT. 27. There was a fair attendance to-day, and a moderato business done. Prime dry English wheat was at an ad vance of is to 2s per qr, and is on damp qualities. Barley held for is advance. Oats firm, but no higher in price. Beans unaltered. Peas 6d to is per qr dearer. MANCHESTER—SEPT. 27. A very fair business was done in wheat to-day, with a short supply. English dry wheat has advanced is to 2s per qr, and foreign is per qr over former prices. Fleur held generally for is more money, but in limited request. Indian corn is per qr higher. Beans were held for higher rates. Oats steady, and maintained their value. Oatmeal receded ls, with an inactive demand. MELTON MOWBRAY-SHPT. 25. There was a middling show of wheat to-day, with a better demand, at the following quotations :--White wheat, 614 Od to 6Ss Od ; red, 62s Od to 66s per 36 stone; barley in less supply, at 38s to 43s for malting, and 32s to 36s per qr. for grinding oats, 30s to 36s Od per 24 stone; beans, 48s to 54s for old; new, 49s per 38 at. PLYMOUTH—SEPT. 25. The market has been brisk, and prices were at the full currencies of last week for wheat, namely :—English white wheat, 66s to 67s ; red, 62s to 63s per qr ; French do., 60s to 61s; grinding barley, 31s to 355; oats, 26s to 275; and beans, —s to —8 ; flour, 46s to 495. ' EDINBURGH GRAIN-SErr. 26. Wheat on the top 2s Od up M average Os 5d down. Barley on the top is Od down .average le 2d down. Oats on tho top is Od down. average le 6d down. Beans on the top 9s 6d up average Gs lld up. Averages per Imperial quarter. Wheat.... Barley . 1 16 5 7-12ths Oats Beaus Total Supply and Sales. Wheat .. 677 qrs Sold 291 qrs 8ar1ey........2683 qrs Sold 2438 qrs Beans "24 qrs Sold 24 qrs Oats .1376 qrs Sold 906Ars DERBY SMITHFIELD-SEPT. 25. There was an average supply of fat beasts to-day, with a fair attendance of buyers ; the best quality were in re quest, and improved in price; inferior sorts a heavy sale. The supply of sheep and lambs not so large, but equal to the demand. Fat and store calves were not numerous. Pigs scarce, and in good sale. Beef 6ld to 7d Veal 7d to 71c1 Mutton . Lamb —d to —d Rough fat, 5s Od per stone. Hides, 31d to 41d; calf skins, 5d to 6d. [ADVERTISEMENT.] Pills andl medicine invariably ag vravate and perpetuate diseases ; their annoyance, dis appointment, and expense may be avoided by persons in indifferent health sending - only their address to E. S. Barry, Esq., 77, Regent-street, W. London, and they will receive gratis and free by post the "INVALIDS' OWN GUIDE," or Natural Restorer, without medicine or ex pense, of perfect digestion, strong nerves, sound lungs, and refreshing sleep, to the most enfeebled, insuring the removal of indigestion (dyspepsia), constipation, liver complaints, nausea, epilepsy, paralysis, debility, nervousness, palpitation, cough, asthma, consump ti o n, dr opsy , flatulency, diarrhoea, dysentery, biliousness , fevers , sore throats, catarrhs, colds noises heartburn,inntehureaelagra: rheumatism, gout, impu r iti es, eruptions, irritability, sleepless ness, ac idi ty, palps, hysteria, Cation,headache, despondency, c ram p s , s i n ki n g, fits. ronchitis.—" Unquestionably the safest Guide to health." [ADVERTISEMENT]. --Holloway's Ointment and Pills.. Visible or invisible ailments.—ln all outward diseases this fine Ointment will be found soothing, cooling, and curative. It speedily allays inflammation, and reduces to a healthy condition all wounds, sores, ulcers, and sprains. It dis charges all irritating matters and stimulates the vessels to wholesome action. When this Ointment is rubbed on the skin, over any organ afflicted by disease, it exercises a cor•. responding recuperative power, and in conjunction with Holloway's Pills rarely fails to banish any internal dis order be its origin when or where it may. Whilst using these purifying preparations the tongue cleanses, the appe tite improves, chills and flushes depart, and the complexion becomes clear; whilst the spirits attain an elevation con sonant only with health. BIRTHS. BYRON.—On the 25th inst., at Stoke Talmage, Oxford shire, the lion, Mrs. W. Byron, of a son. 11IAYnns•—On tho 21st inst., at Ileavitree, Exeter, the wife of Lieut.-Col. Mayers, of a son. STATRAM.—On the 23d inst., the wife of the Rev. Francis F. Statham, incumbent of St. Peter's, Walworth, of a son. MARRIAGES. CR ABRE—ALLEN.-onthe 26th inst., at Charlton, Kent, Benjamin Crabbe; Esq., R.N., of her Majesty's ship Hawke, to Mary, eldest daughter of Joseph Allen, Esq., R.N., of Greenwich Hospital. CARTER—ASHTON.—On the 26th inst., at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Islington, Mr. W. Carter, of Leaden hall-street, solicitor, fourth son of Mr. Carter, of New gate-street, to Sarah, only surviving daughter of the late Job Ashton, Esq., of Camden-street, Islington. - - , - DEATHS. CAMPBELL.-9n t o b f e c 2 r s ai t g h ie in . st., at Craigio House, James D A Ri, Parley,EjYo- Campbell, Esq., Co unTENAv.--On the 24th inst., at Old Brompton, Henry Courtenay, Lieut. R.N., 1815, aged 65. Henry Brewster 12Strat'inton 11Ianor, in COLBATCII.—On the 24th inst., at Sylvan Lodge, Brigh ton,h_En os Ci . , thelbo a f t e 2A h l s; dt E bi i q s_ pt . , . aged :irakt, s ap B na O du . the North Riding, aged 51. HENDILIE.—On the 26th inst., at Croydon, Surrey, Mr. S. Hendrie, architect, aged 74. 111,(LNE.—On the 25th inst., at Cheltenham, Major Chas. D. Mylno, Bombay Army, aged 50. r„ A TT.—On the 26th inst., John Esq. , formerly of Mi n cing-lane, aged 82. Pratt, WENILAM.—On the 26th inst., at West-hill, Highgate, E. Wenham, Esq., late Actuary of the Union Assurance Office, aged 63. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNo, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The SUt3 Jffice, No. 112, Strand, in the Product of the Savoy, in the county of Igidaluovat, Friday, Sep temper 28,1.860.