The Sun. — London, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

CrIZIT OP T 11.4 PUBLIC JOiiiiitiAL% •The Saturday Review remarks that the uncommonness of common sense is an old subject of reflection. Its want is principally shewn in two respects—namely, in undue neglect of particulars, and in false estimates of particulars. The first is the amiable weakness of dreamers—of poets, philosophers, and others who live in the kingdom of ideas ; who think that it rains legs of r,mutton at regular intervals, that with so much bread and butter about it must be impossible to starve, and that if there should ever be a deficiency of bread it will be no great hardship to fall back upon toast. The features of this phase are too broad and too well known to require comment. But the other phase, where want of common sense is shewn in a false appreciation of particulars is more subtle and more interesting. It depends upon a condition or habit of mind entirely different from that which occasions the first-named phase. It is the mental or moral condition analogous to that physical defect which (as Mr. Kinglake would say) men call short ,sight. It is a too great convexity of the cornea of the soul, causing the beholder to see details, when he looks closely at them, with almost microscopic acuteness, but prevent ing him from studying them at such a distance as to get the proper light and shade upon them, and so robbing them of all their true and natural tone and colour, and quite disabling him from :seeing what part they bear towards forming the general harmony of the whole. It is, in fact, a kind of ethical shortsight. No politician was ever probably more entirely free from the defect of ethical short sight than the late leader of the Liberal party in the House of Commons. Thoroughly practical, perfectly well acquainted with the details of his art, and eminently skilled in the manipulation of these details ; knowing, like a good painter, when to water his brush so as to keep the colour down, and when again to lay it on thick ; ready and able, moreover, at any moment to stand off from his work and form a cool opinion of its general effe .t —he managed matters, if not always to the satisfaction of Beales, Bradlaugh, Finlen, and Co., if not always to the satisfaction of the philosophers and their protege,s, of the young Oxford fanatics or of the emancipated ladies, at least in such a way as to make our progress sure, and save us from the dread of a violent reaction, What ever may have been his defects, we cannot reckon among them this of ethical shortsight. He was possessed of a keen mental vision, which enabled him to master as well as to study particulars, and prevented his mistaking molehills for mountains. But his mantle of common sense does not seem to have fallen upon any hitherto acknowledged leader of the Liberal party. The party has gained a leader im mensely superior to Lord Palmerston in volubility, in the profusion of profession, in self-assertion, in excitability, and in grim earnestness ; and yet how is it that practical, moderate politicians, men who persist in clinging to a belief in the necessity of common sense, and think ethical shortsight highly dangerous in a leader, begin to turn to Mr. Bright with something like a sense of -relief? It is said that a certain people, famous for their high-stepping horses, trained them to this lofty action by fixing magnify. ing glasses over their eyes, so that obstacles on the ground of very small diameter seemed to the poor animals to have a diameter of several inches, and thus caused them to acquire the habit of lifting their feet to a practically un necessary height. When next the heaven-born leader of the Liberal party favours us with a chapter of his Auto biography, perhaps he will inform us whether it is from an analogous process in his early training, or from the natural defect of ethical shortsight, that he has acquired his cele brated high-stepping action. The Spectator declares that Mr. Gladstone is reproached by the Standard with being proud and arrogant ; but the truth is that his greatest political weakness is due to a very genuine humility, of which he gave us a good example in his recantation of his misreading of the American Civil War. If Mr. Gladstone's political humility— or, rather, perhaps, the ecclesiastical humility from which it springs —sometimes misleads him in making him distrust heartily all violent interference with what he conceives to be the natural course of events, it is in one point of view a pure gain to political life—we mean in the new simplicity, the new realism of which it sets the example to statesmen. There has been hi herto too much of a silly mannerism of omniscience about statesmen, and a dread of saying naturally, " Well, I knew no more of this than anybody else, and, as it turned out, I knew less than some, for I was certainly wrong," which Mr. Gladstone's naturalness of manner should tend to do away with. There is a notion in the world that,great statemen's opinions on poli tics are something more than opinions, whether they he formed on subjects with which they are rea!ly familiar or not. Mr. Gladstone's manner of saying, both with regard to the Irish Church and the American War, and many other matters, " really the public gives me credit for being much wiser than I am ; I made a great though a very natural mistake, which I am quite willing to admit," should do a great deal to make the public feel its own responsibility, and that even their greatest statesmen can never be more than a trifle in advance of themselves. If the public at large wholly misinterpret and misconceive great events, depend upon it that most even of the wisest of our statesmen must do so too. This is a very whole some lesson for all of us, and one which statesmen have usually been too pompous to teach us. They often retract opinions with great rhetorical flourishes intended to dis guise the fact that they have made great blunders, and are sorry for it. Mr. Gladstone does not do so. He says quite naturally what he feels—that he possesses no super human insight into political affairs, that his admirers are pleased to give him credit for more than he has, that he recognises some very great errors that he has made ; and directly he recognises is willing to admit them. This alone is a great gain for the truth of politics ; and humility of this sort, if still somewhat of an ecclesiastical virtue, is one of which we want a great deal more in political life. The London Review thinks that religious Liberals must be very much perplexed at the present aspect of the ritualistic difficulty. In alluding to the different con structions put upon the acceptation of the Prayer-book, it says : We may treat the Prayer-book as a mere conve nient standard of what itself calls decency, but directly we enforce it we come into collision with consciences which find in the Prayer-book as interpreted from the confor mity point of view no expression of their most cherished reli gious ideas. This is to them intolerable. Are they to leave the Church, or are they to be accommodated with a reasonable license of nonconformity within it ? The Privy Council has decided that at any rate the latter solution shall not be adopted ; and the Ritualists are considering whether they shall adopt the former. To this grave issue has come a controversy which has, till now, been held a mere unnecessary disturbance of the peace of the Church. The late Archbishop used to mildly remonstrate with the ritualists about their embroidery and their incense, just as a good-natured, heavy father might dilate to his sons upon the bad taste of loud waistcoats and neck scarfs ; and when he found that the vestments meant something, he paid the Ritualists the compliment of infusing a highly eucha ristic tone into all his communications with them on the subject of public worship, betraying the same sort of reverence for the Lord's Supper which a Protestant, who does not desire to be offensive in Catholic society, exhibits for the Virgin Mary. But the Ritualists are not satisfied with these empty courtesies. They want to acknowledge in their worship the Real Presence of the body and blood of the Saviour in the sacramental and sacrificial elements. The Privy Council refuses them the liberty of so acknowledging it. Dr. Pusey says : " Never mind ; we can express our belief in many ways not amenable to the law, and we must teach the Real Presence more strenuously than ever." Other High Churchmen say the same ; and a great meeting of Ritualists resolve upon a Real Presence propagandism as the only effectual compensation for the submissions they have to make in Ritual. But by this they are only postponing an issue which must come, and which will come very quickly. May a clergyman profess belief in the Real Presence? That is the question. Mr. Bennett, of Frome, has pro- fessed that bel ef, and he is to be prosecuted for it. On the issue of that trial will turn the secession or the continuance in the Church of England of a large body of able, devoted, and, in their present mood at least, not illiberal clergy. men. What are religious Liberals to hope for at such a juncture ? The John Bull considers that one of the earliest ques tions to come before the new Parliament will be that of pauperism, and this because it is a social and moral ques tion, as much as an economical one. If pauperism be really a necessity in a highly-civilised nation ; if it be really true that " the poor shall never cease out of the land," then at least it is a nation's duty to see how its pauperism may be best supported, for it is a maxim not only of humanity, but of law, that no man must die of want in England. And yet confessedly pauperism is not cared for as it ought to be. Our union houses generally have neither the classification, nor the space, nor the com forts, nor " the humanities " which are due to infant, aged, imbecile, and sick pauperism. Then, again, out-door relief is administered, particularly when wile-spread and and chronic pauperism falls on a district, on very harsh terms and with a grudging hand. Again, there is little or no distinction made between the real distressed way farer and the rascally professional tramp ; all are huddled indiscriminataly into the sane (lens of straw and fleas or dingy barracks, resounding with blasphemy and n , nseous with dirt. Every attempt at improvement in these matters, if it inrolre additional cost, is resisted to the utmost by the local authorities, and at tast grumblingly accepted. In short, the whole country, while it confesses the miserable fact of pauperism, is groaning under the vexatious and well-nigh intolerable burden. Such a state of things ought no longer to continue ; a reversion should he made to the old just elastic law ; the strain of injustice is rapidly becoming intolerable ; the principles of equity are the true principles of policy ; all classes of the rich have their share in creating the pauper class, because pauperism is the debris of an industry evoked to minister to their luxuries, and continually displaced by their shift ing fashions ; all classes of the rich should have their share in maintaining the pauperism which they have created— pani ratione, the conveniences and safeguards which are devised for the whole community, are very unjustly thrown RI a charge upon its smaller section. ELECTION PETITIONS. WINDSOR.—In the case of the Windsor election petition by Colonel Gardner against the return of Mr. Eykyn, at the sitting of the court yesterday mornieg, Mr. O'Malley, Q.C., on the part of Colonel Gardner, said that after the observations made by his lordship on Thursday Colonel Gardner abandoned the case, feeling bound in honour to admit that no case had been made out against Mr. Eykyn such as he had supposed would have been made out. Mr. Eykyn and his agents were exa mined, and they %11 denied the charges of bribery and cor rupt practices which had been preferred against them. The counsel on the respondent's side, after a long consultation, decided not to go into the recriminatory' charges against Colonel Gardner. The Judge said he had determined to report to the Speaker that the sitting member was not guilty by himself or agents of corrupt practices ; that cor rupt practices did not extensively prevail in the borough, and that the costs of the trial must be borne by the petitioner, Colonel Richardson Gardner, although his lordship did not find that the petition was frivolous and vexatious. NonwicH.—Mr. Baron Martin proceeded with this petition yesterday morning, at the Shire-hall, Norwich. His Lordship took his seat at ten o'clock. The petitioner is Mr. J. H. Tillett, the unsuc cessful Liberal candidate at the late election for Norwich ; the respondent is Sir H. J. Stracey, M.P., the Conservative sitting member. The counsel for the petitioner are Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, Mr. D. D. Keane, Q.C., and Mr. Sims Reeves ; for the respon dent, Mr. Serjeant Sleigh, Mr. Rodwell, Q.C., Mr. E. L. O'Malley, and Mr. J. J. C. Wyld. Serjeant Ballantine opened the case, stating that bribery, treating, and personation were charged against the sitting member. Evidence was then taken. It is stated that two persons, named Hardiment and Virorlledge, who were subpcenaed, have left Norwich. These persons are among those who were charged with the commission of bribery on behalf of Sir H. Stracey. SOUTHAMPTON.-Mr. Giffard, Q.C., yesterday morning obtained, in the Court of Common Pleas, a rule on behalf of Mr. Russell Gurney, M.P. for Southampton, to reverse a decision at chambers that the security given was suffi cient. The point was the same as that raised in many other cases, that as both seats were attacked two separate secu rities of £l,OOO each should have been given. The Law Times is authorised to state that there is no foundation for the rumour that the Recorder of London intends to bring an action against the petitioner in the matter of the Southampton petition. CONSERVATIVE BANQUET. The members for the Eastern Division of the West Riding were entertained at a banquet by their supporters at the Lowther Hotel, Goole. Mr. Wells, of Booth Ferry, was in the chair; and, in proposing the toast of the evening, congratulated his friends upon the success they had met with at the last election. Mr. Denison re presented the commercial and landed interests, and Mr. Fielden the manufacturing interest, and he felt convinced that they would deserve the confidence of the electors. Mr. Denison expressed his thanks for the cordial reception he bad met with on that occasion, and rejoiced that they who bad worked so hard together should bo enabled to meet and celebrate their triumph. Mr. Denison alluded to his own experience in Indian affairs, and expressed a hope that he might make it of service to the country. When he was in the House of Commons few men in that assembly possessed more intimate acquaintance with our Indian Empire, and those who did should not be idle. The hon. member went on to justify the prediction he had made with respect to Mr. Fielden. The result had proved that he was not wrong in asking them to give him time that ho might make his own way. He then spoke strongly in favour of Working Men's Conservative Associations, de claring that ;there could not be two opinions about their utility. Chambers of Agriculture should likewise be encouraged. Referring to religious topics, Mr. Deni son observed that he had no fear for the Church, and he believed that the Church of England never commanded more universal respect than it dons at present. With respect to the general election, Eng land proper had not given its sanction to the measure for the spoliation of the Irish Church. He concluded by affirming that the Conservatives in opposition, as a compact minority, would be far stronger than if they were in offi le, opposed to an adverse majority. Mr. Fiolden expressed his great satis faction at the result of the recent election, and informed his hearers that he was not a party man. He held certain opinions with regard to the working of the Constitution, and hence he was a true Constitutionalist or Conservative. He was induced to come forward on this last occasion be-, cau , o he thought that a direct attack was being made on the connection between Church and State, and he considered it to be the duty of all to defend the institutions of our country from innovations. Mr. Fieldon alluded to the victory that was achieved in Lan cashire wben the eight county seats wore carried for that Conservative cause by storm, and declared his belief that the victory was owing to the antagonism created by Mr. Bright. He considered that the Conservatives had hitherto overlooked the working men too much, and had thus lost a great source of strength. The working men's Conser vative associations were of service, if only in showing both aides of the question to those who attended them. LAW AND FOLICE. ------ 0,--- A SURGEONS' BILL.—At the Bail Court a curious case has been tried. The plaintiffs were surgeons at South Norwood, the defendant a merchant living near with his family. In 1867 Mrs. Arnold, the defendant's wife, and some of her children had the whooping cough, and the plaintiffs were called in. Their bill was £5B, and the defence was that their charges were exorbitant. However, the jury thought otherwise, and found a verdict for the plaintiffs for the full amount. THE PROFITS OF A BOX. OFFICE.—In an action for the breach of an agreement for letting a box and ticket office near the Alfred Theatre, Church-street, Edgware-road, tried at the Court of Common Pleas, some noticeable facts transpired. The plaintiff claimed the right of taking care of the coats, &c., in the theatre, and of selling the bills, and it was stated that h:s net profits, after paying a rent of £7 per week, the wages of his servants, and the cost of printing the programmes, ranged from £4 to £lO per week. The defence was that his charges were exorbitant and injured the theatre. The case was not settled. CASE OF MR. ELLISEN.—The January sessions of the Central Criminal Court were brought to a conclusion on Friday. In the case c,f Mr. Ellisen, who was charged with having published a libel upon the directors of the Ottoman Railway Company, the jury were unable to agree, and were discharged, the defendant undertaking to appear at the next sessions, should he be called upon to do so. ATTEMPT TO BURN A RAILWAY STATION.—At the Leeds Town Hall, a young man, named John Clay, who said that he came from Cleckheaton, was charged with setting fire to the Central Railway Station. The prisoner was ordered to be imprisoned with hard labour for two calendar months. Fifty-eight bodies have been entered for a baby show in Kentucky. There are 6,000,000 cotton spindles now in opera tion in the United States. The question whether aeratea bread is fancy bread was decided in the negative at the Livarpool Police-court on Thursday., A boiler explosion, by which one man was killed and several other persons were severely scalded, took place on Thursday at the Timber Field Colliery, near Clay Cross. Mr. T. Holdsworth, the occupier of the colliery, was amongst the injured, and he is now in a precarious sta'o. At Ripley, Derbyshire, on Wednesday night, the police received information that an attempt would be made to stop the traffic on the railway by pulling u:, the line. 'The rumour turned ont a canard, but it had the effect of testing the vigilance of the police, who mustered in strong force. The Cork correspondent of a contemporary telegraphs that an attempt has been made to assassinate a farmer named Carboy, at Grange, Limerick, who was sus pected of endeavouring to get a neighbour's farm. He was fired at, but narrowly escaped, the bullet passing through his clothes. The police have no clue as yet to the assassin. Farewell addresses will be delivered to the present Bishop of Lincoln from the clergy and laity of the counties of Lincoln and Nottingham on Friday next, either in the library or chapter house of Lincoln Catbelral. A service, consisting of the Litany and the Holy Comn.uuion, will ho held on the morning of the same day. Captain Scott, of Lyth wood Hall, Shropshire, has been committed for trial on a coroner's warrant. on a charge of manslaughter. Captain Scott was driving through a turnpike, and a man named William Fenaday was driving a horse and cart in the gateway. The captain struck at Ferraday with his whip, the latter's horse started off, Ferra day was thrown out, and killed ou the spot. RUMOURED WITHDRAWAL OF CAMBRIDGE FROM THE UNIVERSITY BOAT RACE. There are rumours of Cambridge withholding the annual challenge to Oxford. It is stated that owing to the unexpected inability of one of the most promising members of the intended Cambridge crew, together with the absence of any leading man to middle the boat, it will be impossib7e to row on anything like equal terms, and a resolution to withdraw will be made. We trust, however, that this resolution will be rejected. In this great public contest between our univer saleq defeat is not disgrr ce.—Land and Water. MISCELCANEOUS A.ETVS. ?SR. DUDLEY BAXTER ON TIIE RESULT OF THE ELECTIONS. Mr. Dudley Baxter means to hold his own against the critics. In reply to various comments, he main tains—firstly, that his estimate of the Liberal majority at 111 is not too small, for it is as large as many Liberal estimates, and the only difference between his and the highest calculation is that he omits some four or five doubtful members, about whose politics no two persons agree ; secondly, that his estimate of the Liberal majority at 74 is not too large, since he derives it from the division list of April 3, 1868, when there were 365 Liberals and 287 Conservatives ; thirdly, that the principle of arranging the population according to the politics of their representatives is fair, and is borrowed from Liberal newspapers which were accustomed to accept this mode of reckoning until now, when it appears to be unfavourable to them. Mr. Baxter repeats, as a fact eminently encouraging to the Con servatives, " that there are in the new Parliament 385 Liberals, representing 16,800,000 population, and 274 Conservatives, representing 12,100,000 popu lation, being a larger population represented by Con servatives than in the last Parliament by 200,000. while the population represented by the Liberals is less by 200,000, thus making up a difference of 400,000. So in England alone 219 Conservatives now represent 9,000,000 population, whereas in the old Parliament 220 Conservatives only represented 7,900,000, shewing a very large Conservative gain in the importance and population of the seats repre sented, and a corresponding loss of nearly 1,100,000 in the population and importance of the seats repre sented by Liberals." THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUA.RY 16, 1869. such movement. IN either extreme Is at present pre pared to yield one inqh. That is the more reason why both will probably have to move. THE IRISH RAILWAYS. There is being organised very strong opposition to the purchase of the Irish railways by the State. The Times—which was almost alone in its opposition to the Government Telegraphs Bill—now leads the way in its criticisms of the commissioners' report. A correspondent addresses a very strong letter against the proposed transfer. Ilis argument is that there is no analogy between Belgium and Ireland, and the report of the commissioners being based to a great extent on the supposition that there is, analogy is comparatively worthless. The correspondent (who signs himself " Railway Official") also objects that the public have no guarantee for the continu ance of certain very convenient arrangements which now prevail. We have already shewn the weakness of the first argument, but the latter seems to us absolutely puerile. Cannot Government carry out arrangements as well as a private company ? " Railway Official " proposes that instead of purchas ing the railways the Government should lend the companies money, requiring in return a fixed rate of interest and power to appoint a director at each board—a policy - not likely to benefit the general pub lic, but rather tending to promote unpleasantness at the board. lle also suggests that the three large companies shall buy up or acquire in some way all the small lines in their immediate localities—a proceeding productive of a large unpayable debt. SOUTH DERBYSHIRE ELECTION. In spite of the tremendous efforts used in behalf of Mr. Evans, the Liberal candidate, his opponent, Colonel Wilmot, has succeeded in beating him by the narrow majority of 29 votes. The result, however, shews that the Liberal cause has gained some ground since the election in November, while the Conservative interest has correspondingly lost in numbers. At the late general election, the two successful candidates, Sir Thomas Gresley and Mr. Rowland Smith, polled an average of 3,596 votes each ; on the other hand, their opponents, E Mr. Colvile and Mr. vans, could not muster more than an average of 3,363, thereby giving the Conservatives a majority of 233. On Thursday Colonel Wilmot polled 101 less than his party did in November, but Mr. Evans brought up 103 more, thus reducing the majority of 233 to 29. To spew the equality of figures polled at the general election, two months since, and the present contest, it may be stated that the total number of electors polling for Sir Thomas Gresley and Mr. Colvile (the highest Conservative and the highest Liberal) was 6,990, and the total polling for Colonel Wilmot and Mr. Evans was 6,961, being only 29 less, which, curiously enough, is exactly Colonel Wilmot's majority. This is not the first severe fight in this division of the county. At the general election of 1859 Mr. Mundy was elected by a majority of one over his Liberal opponent, the Hon. A. 11. Vernon, and in 1865 Mr. Colvile turned the tables on Mr. Mundy by polling 31 more. The constituency contains a population of about 150,000, which would go a considerable way towards Mr. Baxter's gain of 400,000 for the Conservative party. A difference of less than one per cent. of the Derbyshire electors in favour of the Liberal would have reduced that gain to 250,000. This one fact shews how worthless all calculations are, except those based on the actual number of voters who recorded their votes. THE HOME SECRETARY IN RENERHIVSEIRE. Renfrewshire seems likely to give Mr. Bruce a seat. lle has commenced stumping the county, and appears to have had " a successful day" on Thurs day. He addressed meetings at Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Johnstone. The opposition offered to him at the first-named place was on account of his not being a " Renfrewshire man." But a largo majority of the meeting thought his other merits overrode the one of birth. In his speeches he referred to the subjects of the Irish Church, economy, national education, and the Ballot. Those who are looking for the revealing of " the Cabinet secret "--what will be done with the Irish Church funds—will be disappointed by Mr. Bruce's speech, for he contented himself and his audience with generalities. The Government mea sure, he said, should be distinguished by at least two principles—one, that no injustice should be done to any living man; and the other,.that the question should be so dealt with that in future it should not be said any injustice had been done to one religion as compared with another. The measure would be imperfect if there were in it any seeds of future discontent. It was a question of enormous difficulty, and to be settled only by fair and just con cessions to all. The right hon. gentleman appealed to the electors to exercise in the matter a sound political judgment rather than a religious judgment. Proceeding to speak on economy in n itional expenditure, especially in the army and the navy, he said he believed that reduction would be effected, but gradually, not hastily. Glancing at the increase in the expenditure on education, an in crease which he thought no one regretted, be took up the general question of national education. Ile warmly eulogised the Scottish system, and expressed a hope that the subject would be considered with a view to improvement during the ensuing session. On the subject of the Ballot, Mr. Bruce said he had in the past refrained from voting either for or against it, as he saw objections both to secret voting and to the system at present practised ; but what he under stood had been done during the last election in the way of intimidating voters had determined him to support the Ballot. 6-6 THE PLATFORM " OF THE REFORM LEAGUE. The Reform League, after a great deal of trouble, have at length fixed upon what the Americans call " a platform." It consists of seven planks. From the first plank we shall hear unity extolled, and work ing men advised to combine for political purposes. The second is to be used incessantly, and the Ballot will doubtless prove it to be sufficiently vindicated. Those :who occupy plank 3 will raise their voices for the repeal of the rating clause of the Reform Bill ; and the abolition of the minority clause will occupy the energies of those who stand still further to the right. The payment of the election expenses out of rates, the assimilation of borough and county franchise, and equal electoral districts will also be advocated by the Adelphi orators. ALDERMAN GIBBONS. London Conservatives are very angry with one of their candidates for having, as they affirm, done a great wrong to his party. It Is said that at the Uaty election Mr. Gibbons voted for himself and only one other of the three Conservative candidates, said gave his third vote to one of the Liberals. Challenged to deny this, Mr. Gibbons makes no reply. Perhaps he wishes that the Ballot had been in operation. nun/ NOTES. hGiin T ad h ans e to Du dnhe b ,iss lin hcao F reeman and o i s bfyw af h ixious to strengthen Mr. wayat Irishmen h d m oi e n i g i esxopercer from them ciuesti The onprop sc o h se e a m b e f yt o i r settling the Irish evi.e Church wwiiino t, r et y t s le te m h en l t 7 r f e o e r nian ev , ii. be a n s e ett r lem duca en t t ion for qu g es oo ti d o , n l:u sa t a says Sir John Gray's paper,will not come on for legislation until 1870, although it may be incidentally discussed in the coming session. Here, too, the Freeman will have no compromise, but demands the most complete carrying out of the system demanded by Arch bishop Leahy. As to the land question, that is to be settled entirely on the scheme recommended by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cloyne. The Freeman recommends that petitions should be got up by the National Association ; for though the friends of Ireland have great confidence in Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Bright, they will be " subjected to untoward influences," and will require all the help they can get. The ultra-Orange Bishop of Cork and the Earl of Bandon have been making speeches on the Irish Church. Bishop Gregg declared that he would neither hoist the white flag nor chew the white feather. Ile would neither capitulate nor run away, and he thought that there was no need for anyone else to do so, seeing that, so far from the battle being lost, not a single shot had yet been fired. Lord Bandon (whose brother is an Irish bishop) appeared to differ from Mr. Disraeli in his ideas of Ireland for whereas the ex-Premier ascribed Irish Liilure and cli.soontent to the fact that Irishmen lived in a moist climate and within sound of the melancholy ocean, Lord Bandon spoke of the mild and genial climate, the magnificent har bours, the undeveloped fisheries. But it was the Irish Church which chiefly excited the admiration of the speaker. It was the one bulwark against Popish ascendancy ; it had worked wonders in Connemara, and now that it was sentenced to disestablishment in the name of justice and peace, there was a bitterer feeling between the rival Churches than there had ever en. He believed that Mr. Gladstone intended to apply the Church revenues to Roman Catholic purposes. He did not. however, despair of the present position. Lord Palmerston not long ago had a majority of seventy, and yet within a year from that lime was driven from office. - If Mr. Gladstone had beef in office last year he would never have carried his Sispensory Bill through the Commons. He achieved this only because he was in opposition. His lordship did not add that on that account he would desire to see Mr. C 4 ladstone always in office, though this seems the logical ,deduction from his premise. There seems to be a pasty in Ireland strongly in favour of a compromise with respect to the Church. Various pamphlets and letterz , indicate that this party is by no means small. It Lc apparently on this account that the two extremes—Sir' John Gray, Car dinal Cullen, and the Nationalists on ,i - he (Lae side, and Bishop Gregg, Lord Bandon, mid the Orangemen on alkhex 7 --aire ratiultageously protestin:sa.gainst any THE RELIGION OF LORD CAIRNS. It has during the last day or two been denied that Lord Cairns is a Presbyterian, but a Mr. Savage Hall, writing from the Junior Carlton, writes : " I am a native of and well acquainted with the same part of the country as his lordship, and know that he was born of Presbyterian parents, and remained in that faith while in Ireland; and I am certain he has never formally joined the Church of England." A great deal too much has been said on this matter. It ought to be a purely private one. There is no reason to suppose that Lord Cairns'sprivate religious opinions influenced him m determining what are the religious opinions of the Church of England. In fact, an outsider is more likely to be impartial than a member of the Church is. The latter must have made up his mind on this point when he joined the party to which ho belongs. Not even the highest of High Churchmen will venture to affirm that Bishop Baring or Bishop Waldegrave would have made a more impartial judge in the late suit than either of the five lawyers who sat in the Privy Council. Are they not, in fact, holding up Lord Westbury and Sir William Erle to admiration, and by way of contrast to Archbishop Thomson ? TIIE LAND QUESTION. A correspondent of the Star, in discussing the laws of entail and primogeniture, finds matter for serious complaint in the unequal tenure of land among us. Nearly six years ago Mr. Cobden and Mr. Bright called attention to the fact that the soil of the United Kingdom was being steadily accumulated in the hands of a constantly diminishing section of the community. Since then nothing has been done to remove the evil, although, in Mr. Cobden's words, there is no other peasantry but that of England which is entirely divorced from the land. Mr. Laing, in writing on the same subject, said that in every country of Europe, under whatever form of government, the tendency of tlis century has been to the division and distribution of the land into small estates of a work ing peasant proprietary. This has been the real revolution in Europe ; the only exception is Great Britain. With us the tendency has been to aggregate small into large estates, and small tenant occupancies into large farms. At the taking of the last census, in 1861, the population of England was about twenty millions, and of these the whole number of landed proprietors was atout thirty thousand. At the time of the Conquest the population was about one-and-a half millions, and the Domesday Book gives 45,706 I:ndholders. At the Revolution Gregory King estimated the population at 5,500,000, and he puts clown the freeholders at 160,000-40,000 of the better, and 120,000 of the poorer sort. Accepting these figures as even approximately correct, they shew us that the land of this country is at the present time divided among fewer persons by some ten thousand than it was 800 years ago, when the population was about a thirteenth of what it is now, and divided among fewer by 135,000 than it was two hundred years ago, when the population was about a fourth of what it now is. It is not easy to overrate the importance of the fact that the thirty eight millions of acres which compose the soil of England are now owned by less than one five hundredth part of its inhabitants. In the old time the great landholder filled a more patriarchal place, and numerous lesser holders of land depended on his estate, paying him fixed services or rents for the privi leges they held for life. The present state of the tenure and occupation of land in these realms is due to the system of real property law, especially to those parts of it which regulate the descent of landed estates in cases of intestacy. A very different opinion prevails with respect to the disposal of personal property, although Adam Smith and other enlightened autho rities do not recognise any reason for the distinction THE CONVICT BISGIIOVE. Some dirsAisfaction has been e xp resse d a t th e escape of the convict 13isgrove from capital punish ment, and a correspondent of the Times the Rev. J. E. Hole, of Washford Pyne, D evons hi re , d ec l ares that the act is weak, unjust,njnst, and impolitic. The many chances which the criminal has of eva di ng d e t ec ti on and conviction tend to ha rden him, and the ends of justice are defeated. In addition to the other avenues of possible escape, he sees that punishment, e ven on proof, is not certain, or it may be only inflicted in a mitigated degree. TICE SENIOR ADMIRAL OF TER BRITISH FLEET. Sir Lucius Curtis, Bart., senior admiral of the British fleet, was found dead in his b e d a t Ports mouthayrad Master of the county Free mnrning As magistrate of the county on o Thursday Hants, G Free masons, his death will be felt rather in the im mediate locality than generally ; but he was a good sailor. He entered the navy in the famous year '95, became post captain in 1806, rear-admirallB3B, vice admiral 1840, and admiral 1855. By his death Admiral Sir Thomas John Cochrane, G.C.8., will become the senior admiral of the fleet ; kdmiral Sir William Bowles, K.C.B. (vice-admiral of the United Kingdom), an admiral of the fleet ; Vice-Admiral Sir R. Smart, K.C.8., N.H., admiral; Rear-Admiral W. H. A. Morshead, C. 8., vice -admiral ; and Captain C. F. A. Shadwell, C. 8., rear-admiral. By the latter promotion the appointment of captain superinten dent of the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard and the Royal Naval Hospital, Ilaslar, will become vacant ; and it is reported to be the determination of the Admiralty not to appoint a successor to Rear- Admiral Shadwell. SIC 'COS NON VOWS. Father Ignatius is really to be pitied. He built a beautiful monastery chapel for his N orw i c h mon ks, and ran seriously into debt in doing so. Somebody has seized the chapel and handed it over t o a f ema le minister of a certa n Dissenting community at Norwich, which means to adopt the building for Dissenting worship by demolishing the altar. This is rather hard. It would have been bad enough if the chapel had been seized by a b o d y w hi c h had regularly ordained ministers, but that it should be devoted to a sect which set at defiance St. Paul's injunction by permitting its women to teach, may well arouse the ire of the Superior of the English 0. S. B." We have rarely met with such an instance of 81 . 0 VO3 non vobis in dificath ayes. :MIGRATION TO CANADA. The Rev. A. S. Herring, president of the St. Paul's Emigration Society, Clerkenwell, announces that the Government of Ontario has determined to make a free grant of 200 acres to all bond fide settlers. Such liberality the emigration of the poor. To transform Lord will beyond doubt greatly promote Palmerston's epigram, pauperism is only labourin the wrong place, and this good thing in search of proper vocation is rapidly on the increase in England. But much remains to be done before the thousands who starve upon the poor rates here can be employed in tilling their two hundred acres in Ontario. There is the Atlantic to cross, and the interior of the colony to reach. The St ar rem inds its readers that the agricultural district of Ontario are four or five hun dred miles from the coast, and that to land in Canada without funds would be worse than remain ing in Bethnal-green. Vigorous assistance at home is needed to give an impetus to this necessary emi gration movement. The St. Paul's Emigration Society numbers 1,000 persons, who are prepared to try their fortune in the West, but are waiting for the means. THE ' , LI:Ann/ES 04' CHANCERY. Another solicitor writes to the Times respecting the delays in the offices of the chief clerks. He has two 0, - ,ses—one in which the chief clerk has been unable from pressure of business to determine the correctness of a few figures, and another in which the draft of a certificate has waited a month without a prospect of settlement. Two of the judges have already three chief clerics, and if each of the other judges had an additional clerk these delays might be avoided. TIIE ALDERNEY BREAKWATER. Captain Saumarez calls public attention to the costly and unsatisfactory harbour at Alderney. Five years ago some thousands were spent in repairing it, when he made the same protest, prophesying that it would never stand when repaired. Intelligence just received from the island informs us that during the late gales the works were completely broken through by the action of the sea. Captain Saumarez reminds us that some years since H.M.S. Emerald, proceeding to :\ lderney with troops, was nearly lost by striking on a sunken rock inside the harbour, and thinks that some M.P. should ask for returns of the expenses incurred for its maintenanex, _ STREET rnEACIIING. The inhabitants of the Edgware-road have lately been much annoyed by the crowds and disturbance caused by street preachers and singers on Sunday evenings. Two of the preachers have been brought up at the Marylebone Police-court on this charge, and were fined each the sum of 40s. and costs. One of them refused to pay, preferring to be a martyr, and exclaiming as he went to the cells that Bunyan was once locked up. half an hour's experience changed his opinions, and he allowed his " brethren " to pay the fine. FOREIGN NOTES. 'THE AEXIEZ OF THE CONTINENT. A military correspondent of the Times opportunely estimates the number and efficiency of the various con tinental armies. The events of 1866 set aside the old theory of war. Reconstruction ab origine became a necessity for every army in Europe except that of Prussia. No State has neglected this work, and all the stronger nations have pressed it forward as rapidly as possible. It would be idle to deny that at the present moment the general result is of special importance. The correspondent of the Times estimates that two of the European States are thoroughly prepared for war, with splendid armies and abundant inaM•iel ; the rest are more or less in arrcar. France could put into the field fully half a million of men, armed with breech-loaders, which, without being perfect, are deciiedly superior to the Prussian needle-gun. Behind this great army is a vast array of reserves, more or less carefully equipped, making altogether a million combatants. The latest improvements in organisation have been carefully attended to. The French artillery is good. The Prussians have greatly improved, too. But the infantry fighting is still open to some faults, which have been avoided by the French. The Prussian cavalryand artillery is not all that they might be, the latter being in particular indifferently handled. In 1866 the Austrian artillery proved decidedly superior. Prnssia's great streagth lies in her infantry,'which has on its side all the prestige of recent successes, as well as confidence and experience in its weapon. The South German armies, too, would be at the command of Prussia in case of war, though their movements are slow and their efficiency somewhat below the average. They number 200,000 on paper. The North German Confederacy is inferior in numerical force to France, but the difference in the field would be practically Two great Powers, then, are ready for the combat, having command of men, money, and the spirit of antagonistic races. The rest of the European nations are unprepared for a great struggle. Austria is behind, but is yet more formidable than in 1866. The new organisation gives a peace strength of 250,000, a regular army for war of 800,000, including the reserves border troops, 53,000, and Landwehr, 200,000, besides the Landsturm, not yet completely organised. The field artillery did right well in the war, and has needed no changes. The cavalry rode and fought splendidly, but were not employed to the extent or in the manner they ought to have been, and probably would be now. Breech-loaders have been furnished to the troops, and the arm now in use will be replaced shortly by a better one. A few years of peace would bring Austria once more to the front. Russia is still further behind. She professes to have a force of a million and a half of all arms, but this is a pen-and-ink estimate. It is certain that only a part of the army has rifled field guns and breech-loading small arms, and without these modern necessities for war it would be madness to take the field against trained European troops. Italy has 350,000 regulars and a National Guard ; but from the weakness of the Government and the flightiness of the people, the Italian army is of less value in calculations than any other in Europe, except Spain. As to Turkey, she has got an Englishman to take charge of her fleet— when she does the same with her army there will be some interest in counting its numbers. The writer sums up that if France and Prussia would shake hands, or Prussia and Austria form a strict offensive and defensive alliance there would be little fear of war for some years. Unfor tunately, neither of these contingencies is probable at present. • HUNGARY. The electoral campaign in Hungary is going decisively in favour of the Government. The Opposition is divided, and the result will be that its ranks, which were not very strong in the last Diet, will be weaker still in tha next. GERMANY. The North German Gazelle, the leader of the van in the attacks upon Austria and Count Beust, has formally, announced that it will discontinue the contest. The Gazette is doubtless under the influence of the shame which is the usual result of assailing a passive adversary. For some little time the Vienna journals have been absolutely silent, having no doubt received inspiration to say nothing. The contest has therefore died of inanition. There is, how ever, no reason to believe that the unfriendly feeling between the two countries is in any way diminished. The health of Count von Goltz has become much worse. His life of torment, says the Cross Gazette. is rapidly drawing to a close. ITALY. The Persereraza gives some details respecting the choice of a capital for the United Kingdom of Italy. The ques tion was brought up at a Council of Ministers held under the presidency of the King on August 14, 1864. Florence and Naples were the two cities between whom the choice lay. When the vote was taken, six ministers were for Naples, and three, including General Menabrea, for Florence. But the minority was wholly composed of generals, who were not backward in employing their strategy. Cialdini, the friend and confidant of the King, was consulted, and he settled the matter by a hint that Florence was preferred in the high quarter. This revelation has caused a curious excitement amongst the Italian journals, which have raised a great outcry against the pre ponderance of the military element in the State councils. This complaint does not appear to be ill founded. The Duchess of Acsta has given birth to a Duke of Apulia. This is an event of some importance, for, though the Duke of Aosta is the second son of King Victor, it is not expected that his brother will have any children. NEW ZEALAND. The recent calamities in New Zealand have made the consideration of means for the protection of the colony a matter of paramount importance. Various suggestions, some of them obviously useless, have been put forward as to the species of armed force which should be employed. Colonial volunteers, friendly Maories, British troops, and Sikhs have all their respective advocates, although the first necessity of the case is that the protecting force, should be immediately available. Hence the colo nists themselves, who have previously proved themselves equal to this kind of warfare, should, if possible, be at once reorganised. Colonel Gawler considers the question from another and important point of view. He urges that, whatever force be employed, rigid justice between the natives and settlers is, above all, essential to peace. Every New Zealand war has been a land title war, and this ground of dispute has been made infinitely more vexatious by the recent acts of confiscation. Colonel Gawler therefore recommends that a commission be appointed to settle all native claims to lands, and esta blish permanent records of their boundaries. The natives, whether friendly or re b e lli ous, shoul d b e i nv ited to give evidence and be come asses3ors. "Wi t h ou t partiality, favour, or affection," we may take our stand with any efficient military force we choose. AMEnIU.A. The official returns of the late Presidential contest have been made up for all the States, excepting the remote and unimportant Nevada. In the Middle States—New York, Pennsylvania, and others—the voting was very very even, the Democrats having the advantage of a few thousands. In the Pacific States, too, the difference was very slight ; and in the Southern States the Democrats polled 404,000 against 347,000. The Republican majority was almost wholly gained in the New England States, where the party voted in the proportion of nearly two to one of their opponents, and in the Western States, where the Republican votes numbered 1,329,000 to 1,108,000. The total results give General Grant a majority of 360,000 in the North, and a minority of 57,000 in the South. The total number of votes was nearly five and three quarter millions. It is believed that Mr. Seward desired the United States to claim the right of sending a representative to the unfortunate Paris Conference. Some of the journals openly advocated this course. It is not likely, however, that such a policy would find much favour in America. The nation has generally deprecated interference of the kind. A proposition has been submitted to Congress that the Government should follow the example of Great Britain and take possession of the telegraph lines. This move. went has been promoted by the favourite Anglo-Saxon expedient —a banquet—at which Chief Justice Chase pre sided. Mr. Thornton, the British Ambassador, was present, and amongst the earlier toasts was one in honour of " the great and good Queen of Great Britain, and the great and magnanimous English people." This sentiment, which has not often been proposed in the United States, was received, says the Times correspondent, with tumultuous applause. Mr. Thornton responded in a speech of con siderable length, expressing his unwillingness to fall into the error, as it seemed to him, of talking too much about peace, but at the same time feeling confident that no one in England was more anxious than the Queen for the im provement of the good understanding which ought to exist between the two peoples. (From the Anglo-American Times.) The Times yesterday informed the public that last Thursday a convention was signed by Lord Clarendon and Mr. Reverdy Johnson upon almost precisely the terms agreed upon between Lord Stanley and the American Minister, proceeding from the same principles and embodying the same stipula tions as the draft first signed. Lord Clarendon took the work up as left by Lord Stanley, and Mr. Seward accepted and approved the negotiation completed by the United States Minister. Some practical arrangements only have been altered, in volving nothing that can cause a difference of opinion. The original causes of complaint are to be referred to the arbitration of a competent and iadependent power, and the character of the mixed commission—to be charged with the special in quiries when the principles of obligation have been defined—remains the same. The convention will be submitted to Parliament as money is involved, and it must receive the sanction of the Senate before it can become operative. That it will meet the approval of the English people is considered certain, as a Liberal Foreign Secretary took up and confirmed the work of a Conservative Foreign Secretary. The action of the Senate cannot be predicted as equally sure, although the Times concludes that, even if delayed till after General Grant's inauguration, it will in the end be ratified by that Chamber. It ap pears that Mr. Seward's delay in adopting the con vention was neither due to any repudiation of its terms nor .to any disavowal of Mr. Reverdy John son's act. He merely suggested some modifications in procedure, and the English Minister took advan tage of the opportunity to get some details made more clear. The composition of a mixed commission and its forms of procedure have been defined. At the same time it is acknowledged that the Con vention will not be presented to the Senate under favourable auspices, coming as it will from Presi dent Johnson. But, on the other side, it is thus argued : " The Government of the United States has made cer tain claims upon us as damages for the breach of an inter national obligation. We deny the breach and the obliga tion, but are ready to refer both in appropriate order to the judgment of dispassionate tribunals. If they were to refuse a reference to arbitration, their refusal would go to show that they acknowledged no law but their own opi nion, or were so careless of peace as to throw it into jeo pardy without compunction." The only telegrams not elsewhere noticed are as follows :—The House of Representatives last Wed nesday rejected, by 126 votes against 35, a bill in troduced by Mr. Banks with the object of offering the protectorate of the United States to Hayti and San Domingo. A nolle prosequi has been entered in the cases of Messrs. Davis and Breckenridge. I❑ pursuance of President Johnson's amnesty Attor ney-General Evarts has instructed the district at torneys to discontinue all prosecutions for treason and rebellion. The following telegram was dated New York, last Sunday :—lntelligence from Mexico announces that an earthquake took place on the 20th December in the cities of Colima and Man zanillo. Several persons were killed, many houses were destroyed, and nearly all tha buildings in both places were more or less damaged; and on the same day advices were reported from Havannah that Cespedes, the leader of tha insurgents, has proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves. The insurgents still menace Puerto Principe. This was followed by the news that the General has pro claimed the freedom of the press, and that he has offered a free pardon to all insurgents surrendering within 40 days. Brazil has been so generally i❑ the habit of re ceiving telegrams of " great victories," as the mail for Europe was steaming out of the port of Rio, that we are justified in accepting them on a liberal discount only. The news published in London yesterday was dated Rio Janeiro, Dec. 24 : " Intelligence received from the seat of war announces that the Paraguayan army was completely routed on the 11th December at Villetta. Three thousand were taken prisoners by the Brazilians, and Lopez escaped only with 200 men. The Brazilian squadron was ascending the river Paraguay to take possession of Assumpcion. The war is considered to be at an end." There is nothing improbable in this ; indeed, the war had reached that stage when it was neces sary for Brazil to gird up her loins for a last great blow to decide the issue ; for her Allies were deserting her, the empire was becoming exhausted, and the burden so intolerable that a disastrous de feat could scarcely be more damaging than a con tinuation of the war. It was incumbent then on Brazil to strike her last blow, and it was clear that, like the one delivered by Grant at Richmond, it was on an exhausted, worn-out foe. For these reasons, we think the news will turn out to be true thus far —that a great battle had been fought, that Caxias had carried the Paraguayan position at Villetta, probably through General Osorio's column ; and that Lopez retreated on the positions he had been forti fying in the mountains, where he may still be found a formidable enemy. It is to be hoped that the United States Minister, who must have been on the spot, will prove a restraint, and that poor Paraguay —the gallant little Republic which has fought one of the best-sustained wars for independence—will not be permitted to be kicked by the great bully, at whose feet if this news turns out to be true, it has at last fallen. Mr. Bonner, of the New York Ledger, telegraphed his hearty sympathy and indignation to Mr. Bowles, adding that he would lead a movement among the New York press to take the costs of the libel suit, and save all expenses to the Springfield Republican. That paper, while thanking Mr. Bonner very warmly, declines the generous offer, preferring to fight out this battle of an independent press itself, in which we hope and believe it will be strongly aided by the whole press of America. Boston in vited Mr. Bowles to a public dinner, which he has likewise declined. One part of his letter to Go vernor Bullock we reproduce, as its truth is gene rally admitted own observation," says Mr. Bowles, "is that the press rarely does injustice to a thoroughly honest man or cause. It may be deceived with regard to a private indi vidual, and misrepresent him for a time ; but with refer ence to public men and measures, its knowledge is more intimate and complete than that of any other agency can possibly be, and I know that it withholds unjustly to the public one hundred times where it speaks wrongly once of the individual. Certainly, nine out of ten of all libel suits against the press are brought by adventurers, and speculators, and scoundrels whose contrivances to rob the public have been exposed." General Rosecrans was received on the l lth Dec. by President Juarez as Minister to Mexico. The speeches were long, and spoke on both sides senti ments of good-will. The Ambassador declared that nothing was wanting for this purpose if the Mexicans reciprocated the sentiments of his fellow citizens ; " when," continued Rosecrans, " an inter national friendship and understanding will arrive to place the common affairs of our two countries be yond danger of disturbance by combination of acci dent, avarice, or ambition, and furthermore, that the relations of interior communication and exte rior defence will be conserved and secured, nourish ing the hope that by the influence and example of the two Republics we shall realize in the New World what the great intelligence of Europe has thought an impossibility in the Old—the establish ment without the decline of the national autonomy of a great community of people governed by them selves." The great Philadelphia murder case has ended in the conviction of Twichell for murder in the first degree. This finding was arrived at on New Year's Day, when, notwithstanding the boisterous weather, the court room was densely crowded to hear the argument of the prisoner's counsel, William B. Mann, in his defence. Judge Brewster carefully reviewed the testimony in charging the jury, who were absent nearly two hours, during which the interest was kept up, the court remaining thronged. The prisoner continued calm and composed in a wonderful degree, conversing with his father and his friend, Mr. John 11. M'Cully. Even when the foreman replied, in a distinct voice, " Guilty of mur derintbe first degree," each answering "so stand we all," the composure of the prisoner did not forsake him although M'Cully threw himself on Twichell with a cry of agony, and the affecting scene was height ened by the way in which Twichell endeavoured to console both him and his own father. The publication of Mr. Gladstone's letter, dated August 6, 1867, by C. Edwards Lester, Esq., of New York, was a happy thought, dictated by good motives. It is natural for the London Standard to repudiate the correction of a grave error by the Premier of England, for " granny" never corrects any errors. Indeed, if " granny" did, the poor thing would have to unwrite in the evening edition much of her morning edition,so very wisely she sticks to it. Gladstone, however, cannot afford to do this, nor would hisnature permit him,and he consequently recalls his remark made in August, 1862, admit ting his error, while . explaining that the circum stances as they then existed in some degree justified him. His retraction comes gracefully, not from the Premier, but from Mr. Gladstone out of office, and his remarks are conceived in a just and excel lent spirit, and will therefore strengthen him in America. Apropos of suggesting reasons for actions, we ex tract the following sentence from a letter addressed to us :—" Andrew Johnson is actually laying his plans to be a candidate for the Presidency in 1872, and no doubt be thinks he would be nominated and elected 1" Strange as it may appear, we not only believe the writer to be correct, but that this is the key to his extraordinary Message last month. Some Americans see a coming struggle between Govern ment by the masses in the widest sense, and Go vernment by the few, narrowed almost to Im perialism. A writer in the Cincinnati Inquire" discusses Grant as Emperor, and a despotism be evidently considers must result from the overthrow of State Rights. His argument is that the officers of the late Confederate army and Southerners generally, would prefer an empire to the rule of negroes. Nine-tenths of the bondholders desire to withdraw power from popular influence, and can be relied on to support any infractions of popular liberty. Hence, the policy of the "Radical mana gers" (!) will be to increase the debt to forward their Imperial objects. The people are now fami liarized to encroachment on popular liberty and to the disregard of Constitutional obligations ; and the feeling against the rebels can always be worked up to enable them to step on this path with safety. Grant, according to this writer, is to head the movement which is to make him Emperor, and it is evident that Andrew Johrson, who at least pro fesses to believe in this, wants to lead the people on the other side. Hence his hostility to the debt, and the impression he desires to create that there is danger to popular liberty in it as well as in Grant. No doubt when Andrew vacates the White House this song will be sung to a pretty loud tune, and perhaps for the second time iu his life he will stand on the steps of the Capitol, and propose himself as a "Moses." The word will come pleasantly to the ears of any coloured brethren who may be present, for it cannot fail to recal that day when he solemnly pledged himself to lead as a deliverer the dusky race, whose Representatives he was addressing ill thousands ; and even his white hearers can scarcely fail (when he again takes up the role of the great Israelite) to contrast his promises with his acts. It is, however, amusing to watch these chips as they float away in the current, for they may be the sighs of coming rafts containing acres of solid logs, o r they may proceed from an idle hand which flings them into the river to see them glide away. The fact recorded in our letter from Washington is too good to be passed without special attention. The picture of Andrew Johnson and Ben Butler locked in each other's arms ;—the " beast" embrac ing " the greatest criminal of the age" was a fin e tableau with which to open the New Year. Gen. Butler would be an indescribable loss to the United States, and we devoutly hope he may be spared for many years to act his part on the comic stage--he is the greatest master of burlesque we know, for be throws into it such an air of reality that it is almost impossible to believe it all to be a sham. How many months have elapsed since he was thundering in the Senate his denunciations of Andrew Johnson, th e unworthy culprit who was to be driven with igno miny from the White House, and ransacking his tory to find a parallel to a villany unequalled in al present day ? How many months have elapsed since he was seizing telegrams and confiscating pri vate correspondence to get at the plot by which th e greatest criminal escape d pun i s h ment, b ut the first sun of 1869 b a d scarce l y a t ta i ne d i ts mer idi an a t Washington wh en thi s same B ut l er was seen flying to the White House, a n d th e t wo great actors in the drama then appear cordially s h a ki ng h an ds and wishing each other long life and happiness. Grant, if not so loud in his denunciations of vil lany, is at least more consistent, for he manage' to be at Philadelphia on the Ist inst., where be visited the Girard College, and met a warm receP c ; tion. He went the re , we b e li eve, expressly to avo id the visit of ceremony to the White House, usually paid by officers on New Y ear ' s D ay . Thi s was 111„,s speech :—" Mr. President am very mile pleased to have the oppo r t un it y o f v i s i t i ng t h e vol . : over which you preside. I feel that it is doing good that I can scarcely appreciate. When I wa s of boy I read with pleasu r e o f St ep h en Gi rar d a nd the munificent bequest made in his will, and a u : delighted to see that his wishes have been fulfille d. Boys, I hope you may a l ways h ave as a bl e a sident as you now have." One reason given by a leading American pap er for what it calls th e h um ili at i ng spectacle ma de by Mr. Reverdy Johnson is, that the Tories used 11° as an electione er i ng too l ! It asserts that he vl3- 4 taken to Sheffield to help them with the artisans' and that Laird paraded him through Birkenhead to show the voters th a t h e o f Alabama renown h a d r l°t ~ done so much m i sc hi e f after all, for was he not t here with the Ame r i can Mi n i ster h and i n g l ove. Ther e appears to be a ne w b urs t o f i n di gna ti on in rica over something or other Mr. Johnson has done• What, we d o no t k now , f or we are grow i ng too tire; of it to follow the subject with interest. The Ne t York Sun is not only loud in its denunciations, 13 1 1 unjust ; indeed, so unjust, that it is calculated, l t/ the reaction provoked, to repair instead of to da mage the position of this old statesman and serva nt , of the Republic. We believe there can be no dou bt that another Minister will be nomi na t e d s hortly af ter Grant's inauguration, unless, indeed, the negotia tions prove acceptable to the p e opl e , an d a chang e of feeling results. A lady, once a pupil in the London OrPn Asylum, has devoted the sum of £5,000 to the building the chapel of the new asylum now in course of erection Watford. ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.—D r , I saac I. Flay el red cently delivered before the American Geo Statistical Society an address, in which he discussed merits of four routes. The first, that advocated bY11,154 via Smith Sound, was travelled by Dr. Hayes in nic..o - he reached the highest northern laud known ( "', 1 , 1 r nail Land), where he saw the open Polar sea, the by mometer being 40 degrees below zero. The r °il r s . Behring Straits was that taken by General Tb° n % Kane and Captain Silas Bent, U.S.A. An exPe clit rf oa t this route could now fit out at San Francisco, sta r " r yo w Web al of b ia Alaska, and follow in the wake of whales, seek open water. On the side of the Pole opposite B eli n f o ff Straits, and ten degrees nearer to it, Dr. Peterrna n t o' fitting up two steamers to return to the ground n°,, t r4 -u o va graphical Oho suer. The fourth route is between Spitzbergen and - 0. 4 Zembla, which Dr. H a y nes w h o ll y condemns. Attenibe hitherto have ended in failure, and there is strong l? D db bility that after the ic e h as been penetrated e .xtensiT e-- oce g will be found lyin g nor th an d east, cutting off an antr a into the Polar Sea. Births. t he GEDGE—On the 15th inst., at Mitcham Hall, Sta re s' wife of Sydney Gedge, Esq to* COl l f HAMILTON— On the 4th ,at Simla, the wife 0. , o Sir William Hamilton, of Preston, Bart., 11 " 4-..' 808. l'se" PAGET—On tho 13th inst., at Cranmore I3all, Soldlibeeir. the wife of R. IL Paget, Esq., M.P., o f a sen 311 Marriages. Le i' BUXTON—COLEMAN— On the 14th inst at Eving'°, l3 j-b i v l il cestershire, Travers Buxton, Esq.. of Chant i ;tiri` ' Surrey, to Eliza Sherard, second daughter of Coleman, Esq., of Evington Hall. 0/ CAMPBELL—VANSITTART— Ori the 14th inst. at 13 coil; Church, Thomas C am pb e ll, E sq ., son of the igts " - Campbell, of Colgrain, to Kathe r ine Caroline', 1 14 1 ,0 r daughter of Lt.-Col.Vansittart, late Coldstreani of Chuffs, near Maidenhead. Deaths. 0, 4. 1 V V., BENNETT -On the 13th inst, at 33G, Oxfor d-Etre lsl P° ' James Bennett, aged 44. . CHILD—On the 14th inst., M a j o r Arthur Child, - etf Staff orps. CARLY— Cinst.,On the 13th at 17, Old Burlingt o, " .4ire ~ pi W., Joseph Burt Ca r ly, aged 36. , 11A 13 .0., 13 PILICINGTON—On the 13th bast at Bq swa,,er, ~f Y.,,,,,i,„,,t0 ,, relict of the late Major-General " Rout rum o aged 0 89. 80 ° WILSON—On the 13th inst ,at Busboy, G ilbert of New Bond-street, London, aged 53. --_ 7 _--- - ____--- --- 01' 4, -,,r AND 1Y London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM - t o of of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THIII SON 0 1c3 boat 9 Strand, in the Precinct of the Se vov, in the Middleogx.--Saturday, January 16, 1869.