The Sun. — London, England, 1869-01-29 00:00:00

TROPOLIT.I,V GOSSlP—Thursday. Ministers have returned to town, and held their first Cabinet Council of the season. There were two absentees — the Marquis of Hartington, who is electioneering in - Wales, and Lord Clarendon, whose absence is a sure token that, however troubled foreign affairs may be, they were not under discussion on Tuesday. Mr. Chichester Fortescue's presence indicates that the topic of the day was Ireland. And well it may be. Lord Russell's letter—unless, indeed, it was intended as a pilot balloon has not improved the position of the Ministry. Even on the supposition that it was a feeler, it is difficult to understand the object of writing it. The policy which Lord Russell proposes is that which Mr. Gladstone has emphatically repudiated over and over again. The supposition of the Times, that because Mr. Bruce said the Government were finding adifficultyin dis endowment, therefore they are desirous of changing their position, seems to me quite unfounded. No one doubts or has doubted all along that the Government had a most difficult task. But the confession of this difficulty no more implies shrinking from it than the equally emphatic confession of difficulty in reducing the public expenditure means that the Government intend to make no reduction in the estimates. It is remarkable that the Times, of all journals in the world, should have fallen into this blunder. The very paper which contains it on one page contains in another Mr. Lowe's explicit announcement at the Gloucester banquet that disestablish ment and disendowment are both resolved upon, and that, these changes accomplished, the Irish Church will be set free from the trammels of the State. This is by far the fullest explanation which has yet been given of the Ministerial programme. It will rather cut away the ground from under the feet of Mr. Disraeli, whose policy was to " dish" his opponents by going in for a free Church. Mr. Lowe's speech last night was in many ways remark. able. The announcement that the cost of the Abyssinian war would prevent him from making any material reduc tions of taxation, will not surprise the readers of this correspondence. Some weeks before Christmas I men tioned that Sir Stafford Northcote's estimate had been exceeded by more than a million. Mr. Lowe also fully bears out the statement which I made before the elections, that Mr. Disraeli did not then contemplate resignation ; 'although I believe the Chancellor of the Exchequer -is wrong in saying that the ex-Premier hoped for a majority. The excitement yesterday at Guildhall was something tremendous. Business in the City was almost entirely suspended. Not that any doubt was felt as to the course which the Lord Mayor would take. From the first opening of the proceedings in Overend and Gurney it was felt that a sufficient case had been made out to send the defendants to trial. Day by day the revelations became more astounding and damaging, until they culminated in the disgraceful episode whereof Mr. Edwards, the official assignee, was the hero. Even not very strait-laced City men were disgusted by this worthy's proceedings, and he had to stand a storm of hisses and execrations such as are usually reserved for wife-beaters and murderers from a virtuous London mob. The pity is that he cannot be touched by the law, and that the worst which can happen to him is that he will be deprived of his post by the Lord Chancellor. Mr. Stefanos Xenos promises some further revelations about " the Corner House," and as he pretty broadly intimates that Mr. Edwards extorted money from him we may look for fresh scandals. Mean while, Dr. Thom is scarcely the hero of the day that he deserves to be. He undertook the prosecution at his own cost and in spite of enormous deterrent pressure brought to bear upon him. Now, even the Times, which depre cated the proceedings, admits that they have been fully justified. I learn that the directors of several other companies are to be prosecuted. It may easily be con ceived, therefore, that the present are not happy times for City men. The representative of one leading house burst into tears when the Overend and Gurney committal was announced to him. At the same time it is generally admitted that the Lord Mayor could have taken no other course than that which he has taken. The much-talked-of submarine telegraph to India is likely to be an accomplished fact at last. Government have been repeatedly advised to give a guarantee for this project, and, considering the national importance thereof, that assistance might justly have been given. But this is not a time to ask statesmen to incur a money responsibility, and so the matter has been taken in hand and will be carried through by private energy. The projector is Major Leveson, well known as an author under the pseudonym of " The Old Shikaree." He has had some knocking about in his time. He received a ball in his foot when fighting in India twenty-six years ago. He had a sabre cut on his head in the light cavalry charge at Balaklava, and a bullet in his head at Inkermann, which rendered it neces sary for him to undergo the operation of trepan ning. He had a bayonet through his left side, touching the lobe of the left lung, and was wounded in the jaw at Lagos. He has shot tigers in India, gorillas in Africa, and was at the capture of Mag dala. In spite of all these adventures and misadventures he is in good health and so full of energy, that he, a mili tary man, has succeeded in bringing to a successful begin ning an enterprise which our City men have been talking about for years, but never had the pluck to carry out. At the first meeting of the projector and his friends, £450,000 out of the £550,000 required was raised. There can scarcely be a doubt of the success of the undertaking. The national importance of it in the event of Eastern com plications cannot be over-estimated. The principle of industrial partnerships, like all new ideas, progresses slowly, but it does not absolutely stand still. A Bradford firm, of which Mr. Ripley, M.P., is the head, have adopted the scheme. All the workpeople will receive at the end of every year a share of theprofitsinpropor tion to the amount of wages earned during the previous twelve months. No investment of any capital is needed to give a claim to a dividend. Whatever may be the final result of this new idea, few industrial questions can be more interesting. A few more trials on a large scale are necessary in order to ascertain fully how it will work, but already one objection, of which much was made at first, has proved purely imaginary. It was at first thought that the privacy of business arrangements, the just secrecy so necessary to successful trading, would be largely destroyed. Nothing can be further from the fact. A friend of mine who has tried the experiment in a moderate establishment tells me that his people know as little of his aff airs now as they did before the change was made. Towards the end of the year the workmen meet and choose a solicitor or accountant of recognised position, whom the firm admits to confidence. All necessary facts are laid before him ; the workmen know nothing, and care to know nothing, but the dividend which falls to them. They have such confidence in their employers as to be willing to accept their statement with out inquiry. There then remains only the question whether the advantage of the system repays the little trouble it involves. My friend answers in the affirmative. The scheme is good in principle, and there is no reason why it should nut in many cases work well in practice. It would not answer in some species of trading —Overend and Gurney's, for instance. Amid all the revelations of rotten companies it is satis factory to find that there is one employment which is both honest and lucrative—the crossing-sweeper's. A day or two ago it was mentioned in the papers that a sweeper made as much as 30s. before breakfast on Christmas. On ordinary occasions he will often make that amount in a week, provided he is sharp and clever. There is another employment which is more lucrative at least. I have lately heard some curious revela tions of quacks. Ido not mean the vile black guards who go by the name of silent friends, but the com paratively harmless race who deal in patent medicines. Everybody has heard of Parr's Life Pills. They were ori ginally prepared by a surgeon of Louth, in Lincolnshire, who died about two years ago. He gave the prescription to a person who, having risen from the streets, afterwards rose to be a wealthy man, the proprietor of one of the most successful journals now in existence, and a member of Parliament for a Lincolnshire borough. He was then a commercial traveller, and in moving about he mentioned these pills to his fellow-travellers, who generally spoke well of them. The future senator thought that he might as well turn these golden opinions to good account. So he named the medicine Parr's Life Pills, puffed them well, and they soon brought him in sufficient money to start the successful journal above mentioned, and which made his fortune. But as for the Louth surgeon, his w'.s a case of sic 'cos non vobis mellificatis apes. He reaped none of the golden harvest, and died as he had lived, a country surgeon. " Solomon's Balm of Gilead " had A still more extraordinary origin. The inventor was the son of an Israelite residing in Hull, and was sent forth by I his father with a box of jewellery, and told to make his fortune out of it. He went to Liverpool, and fell in with a man of about the same extensive resources as his own, but with plenty of inventive power. The pair concocted a soothing mixture, advertised it to their last shilling, and addressed some of it to a consignee in New York. It excited the suspicions of the Custom-House officers, was seized by them, and was paid for on the ad valorem duty, about one-tenth of the selling price. This was hard for the guileless Israelites ; but they had their revenge. The Customs officials tried to sell the stuff, but found no market, for it turned out to consist largely of treacle. The Yankees admire 'cuteness, and Solomon became highly respected. They purchased his nostrum, and so there was balm in Gilead for the at one time almost ruined Hebrew. In a second case pills were the vehicle to fortune. A Yorkshire hosier, in a small way of business, thought that patent medicines for the inside were more lucrative than stockings for the outside, so he made up his little pellets and silvered tl.em, in the hope that they would bring him in gold. His faith was rewarded. He did so well at i e that he brought up his son to regular medicine. The son went to an adjacent county, where he hoped the fame of the silver-coated pills would not follow him. Unfor tunately, the facilities for changing one's name were not so great as they now are, and one day, at a large dinner party, the doctor was asked if he bore any relation to the pills. He could not deny the soft impeachment, but he was so annoyed at it that he sold his interest for a very handsome figure, and bought with it a share in the practice of a London surgeon who a few months ago got into some unpleasant quarrels. The practice turned out less satis• factory than the pills, and the seller of the second and purchaser of the first has had to begin life again by work ing up a new clientele for himself. There have been some rather sharp debates lately in the Ritual Commission. The commissioners comprise men of all schools. The usual result of opposing antago nistic forces has followed ; the body does not move. Various propositions have been made to effect alterations in the services and the formularies of the Church, but the cautious men have negatived them on the venerable though scarcely time-honoured plea, "if you once begin, where will you stop ?" This remark was made aforetime by a parish clerk, when on the death of George IV. the substitution of William" in the State prayers was ordered. I think the clerk was as right as the commis sioners. If, as these seem to suppose, the Church is only a house of cards that will come tumbling to the ground when it is touched, cui Bono the commissioners? In spite of the cold night there was an immense gather. ing at St. Paul's on Sunday evening. The new Canon, Mr. Gregory, was the preacher of the evening. In face he is not unlike Mr. Bright ; his voice is an enlarged edition of the Bishop of Oxford's. The sermon was but half an hour in length, and was in no way remarkable. The service was marred by the indis position of the organ, which had a very severe cold, and grunted and groaned to such an alarming extent that it had to be silenced. The spectacle of this vast as semblage, with the soft light falling upon them from the row of innumerable gas-jets round the dome, was very impressive ; and one of the recent preachers said that, though a by no means timid man, thisight did make him nervous. The special preachers for February will be ap pointed by the new Bishop of London, and some curiosity is felt in the matter, as the selection will give an indica tion of the manner in which Bishop Jackson will treat the various theological parties. He can scarcely do better than follow the example of his predecessor, whose impartiality is admitted even by those who differ from his religious opinions. Of literary news I have little to tell this week ; but that little is interesting. The Bishop of Oxford is getting £l,OOO for the papers which he is bringing out in Good Words. The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol refused an offer of £5OO to write in the same periodical. Messrs. Black are bringing out a new edition of Lockhart's Life of Scott, in the same style as the Roxburgh edition of Scott's novels. Dean Milman's "Annals of St., Paul's" I have just read in preparation for a quarterly review, and I find the book interesting enough, but containing some strange blunders as to dates, and even in grammar, which no doubt so veteran a litterateur as the Dean would have corrected if he had lived to read the proof sheets. The first number of the Queen's Messenger made its appearance to-day ;it is a sixpenny weekly journal, intended to advocate admini strative Reform. The first number of the Temperance Times comes out on Saturday. It is to be the weekly organ of the London Auxiliary of the United Kingdom Alliance, and is edited by Mr. Dawson Burns. 'The shoemakers are starting a special organ, called St. Crispin, which will contain the lives of cobblers who have risen to eminence, such as Hans Sachs, Savage the poet, Sir Cloudesley Shovel, Fox the Quaker, Gifford of the Quarterly _Review, Kitto of the Bible Encyclopcedia, &c. The Dudley Gallery has its private view to-morrow. There was some talk of discontinuing this exhibition after the opening of the new Royal Academy, but although that building will have five times the space of the present, the idea of closing has been abandoned, as it may well be when I state that there were about 1,200 pictures rejected last year from the Dudley Gallery, a large number of them simply from want of room. The Exhibi tion of British and Foreign Artists this year is not up to last year's level. There are few works by the leading French artists— none at all, for instance, by Meissonier ; and there are several works which have been exhibited on previous occasions. But the exhibition is well worth a visit, for the sake of Mr. Edwin Long's very fine work, which occupies the post of honour. This gentleman, who is the son of a Bath tradesman, is rapidly rising to the foremost rank of artists. His present work is an advance upon that which he exhibited at last year's Academy. Like that, it is a Spanish scene, and it represents a fair-haired lady giving the Christmas alms in Seville Cathedral to a swarthy gipsy. The contrast between the two is admi rable, and is well carried out in all the surrounding figures, of whom there are about twenty. Bougareau has some good works ; but Perrault's, " A Morning Meal " must, after Mr. Long's picture, carry off the palm. The Skating Club are in despair. We had two days of frost, and there was a slight ,cream of ice over the ponds in the parks ; but a thaw has set in, and to-day we are sit ting with extinguished fires and opened windows, those of us who are skaters, and sighing for the frozen Arno and the bitter cold of sunny Italy, mentioned in to-day's papers. MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. THE. LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY. The Carlton Club will certainly say that "the country is going to the dogs, sir," and the United service and other professional clubs will re-echo the cry. The members of the new Board of Admiralty have just paid th e i r first visit to Chatham, and instead of having " private " (hired ?) carriages to meet them, they drove from the station in cabs, just as though they were Jack Tar himself. The customary guard of Royal Marines was dispensed with. The i r lordships meant business, and they did it. They had the usual conference with the heads of the departments ; they visited four vessels in course of constructi on , i nspec t e d th e ne w steam factory, the timber stores, which contain timber to the cost of more than a million, but to the value (so far as the dockyard is concerned) of a tenth of that sum. They regarded " Seely's pigs " with special interest, and no doubt we s h a ll s h or tly hear that these famous animals, reprieved by Mr. Corry, are at last brought to the slaughter. They walked through the new works, the dockyards, basins, &c., which will •be com pleted som e four or five years hence : and they wound up their visit by a rather rapid tour of the ropery. "Hippoph THE VOLUNTEERS. Guard "— cr iti c i ses in the Times Lord Elcho's recent Ylax"—well-sounding Greek for "Horse letter on the v o l un t eers. " Hippophylax " po i nts ou t that "the volunteers accepted service as volunteers, and have no claim to expect payment, either in the shape of capitation grant or in any other form, for their voluntary service. If they do so they cease to be volunteers, and enter the category of paid soldi ers . Should they do this, they ought to consent without hesitation to be subjected to military law, and to resign to the established military authorities the nomination of their officers. A paid volunteer force would be the most expensive force which this country could maintain, for volun teers are theoretically only available in the last extreme of defensive war, and are useless for any purpose of offensive campaigns." " Ilippophylax ' doubts if " practically" the volunteers could be made of any use at all, since to call them out per manently would be to inflict such a paralysis upon commerce as to force the country to make peace. At present they could not keep the field for twenty four hours, for there is no sort of organisation, no transport, no commissariat, no hospitals. More over, if the volunteers wer e p a id, th ey would become rivals of the regular army, would no longer draw their recruits from the richer class, which can afford to serve without pay, but would compete for recruits with the line. "Hippophylax " evidently has the utmost contempt for the volunteers, and scarcely veils it in courteous words. " They are ill-equipp e d riflemen, who are only liable to fight on their own doorstep." An invader who had run the risk of defeat by our navy and regular army and militia would not hesitate to encounter a force which, how ever efficient in its individual elements, is totally unprovided for the organisation r sixmonths. of war,and could not be equipped d The volunteers are the result of a panic, and the panic was as senselessly allayed as it aroused. l ih et e u N s vo s l p u e n n t d ee o r u a r t n a lo e neyin I their was .egi senselesslyfilar soldiers, and b u a c n h c i c s — t i d ; e i s b e o a lt ifthey ls inn of l k t e h , for e w t h hey ole w-on' t matter, b a m c c i missed. Sd ine ta,him of the Horse Guards. LOCAL TAXATION. Mr. Carrance, one of the Suffolk county members, has been lecturing before the East Suffolk Chamber of Agricultrire, on local taxation. lie maintained that it was very unfair that local taxation should be levied only upon property of the net annual value of £9,000,000, when the total property of the country was estimated at - ( '650,000,000. lie was opposed to the system of national rating recommended by the Somersetshire Chamber of Agriculture, since that would remove the inducement to economy. Ile was rather for having Government grants in aid of local rates, in the proportion of one-third to two-thirds. Be warned his hearers not to make this a class ques *m, since, if it was supposed to be a matter affecting tf.'wagricultural interest alone, it would have little fay our from the present House of Commons.' Ile ni e aNzed himself to brim the matter bef9re Parlia- THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY : EVENING, JANUARY 29, 1869. ment. Mr. Henniker-Major, another local member, promised to support Mr. Corranco. A resolution was passed denouncing the present system of taxation as unfair, and recommending that a remedy should be found in the extension of Government allowance to local institutions. one of its most brilliant ni ern hers would (Helmlinctu any before it died corporally. It has just met, and passed a resolution expressing deep sorrow at the untimely decease of Mr. Ernest Jones. It was pro posed that a deputation should attend his funeral, and Mr. Beales, Mr. Howell, and Mr. Bradlaugh were named. It seems to have struck some of the mem bers that it was scarcely decent for a man who denied a future state to take part in a service whose key note is the sure and certain hope of a resurrection. So the name of Mr. Odger was substituted for Mr. Bradlaugh's, and on a division was carried by a large majority. Other matters then engaged the atten tion of the Lague, among them its own dissolution. Eventually it was decided that the date of the happy despatch should be left undecided. GRANTS DIFFICULTIES. (From the Nation.) Grant's opinions about the course the Govern ment ought, in his opioion, t o pursue on t h e l ea di ng questions of the day, both home and foreign, begin gradually to leak out, through the medium of "conversations" with newspaper correspondents and politicians ; and although conclusions drawn from reports of this kind have to be accepted with a good deal of allowance, both for misreporting and misun derstanding, we have no hesitation in saying that the country is now in possession of the leading out lines of his policy—using the word in the constitu tional sense, as covering the set of measures the President is prepared to recommend to Congress, and the set of principles in which he is prepared to act on matters lying within his discretion, and not in the Jobnsonian sense, as covering what the Pre sident thinks ought to be done, or is determined to have done by any means, fair or foul, within his reach, and without regard to the opinions of Con gress or the public. The most interesting and trust worthy account of Grant's views and aims we hap pen to have seen has appeared in the Boston Adver tiser, whose Washington correspondence has long enjoyed the rare distinction of being sensible, accu rate, and decent. According to that writer, Grant is in favour of " honesty, economy, and manliness." These are, of course, vague terms ; but the corres pondent gives some illustrations which help us to fix their meaning. For instance, we get a good idea of what Grant means by honesty from what be said of a certain legislator's speech —that " it was a falsehood ; there was nothing on which you could put your finger and say, This is a lie,' but the whole thing was a falsehood, for all that ; I've despised him ever since I heard him make that speech." This is excellent, it fore shadows much trouble. We can assure him that if he criticises speeches in this spirit he will speedily find himself at daggers drawn with a host of " good men," " sound on main questions," and brimful of " moral issues," whose friends will not relish the application of the army standard of truthfulness and candour to their "great efforts" to help humanity along the road of progress and this great country to fulfil its destinies. He must be more careful in bis analysis. As regards economy, he is opposed to all machinery of Government and all Government undertakings which facilitate the growth or exist ence of " Rings," or which promise to make the payment of the national debt doubtful or difficult. He hopes somehow to secure peace and freedom at the South, through the co-operation of the Southern people, if possible; without their co-operation, if necessary. About the Tenure-of-Office Act be says and has said nothing ; about his opinions on the Civil Service Bill the correspondent makes no re port; but the General's view with regard to the ap pointments in the civil service appear to be precisely those on which Mr. Jenekes's bill is based ; that is to say, using the discretion which the absence of such a bill still leaves him, and obeying the party traditions to the extent which prudence and ex pediency seem to warrant, he will select his em ployes, whenever he can do so with a proper re gard to the public interests, from the ranks of the Republican party ; " but his aim first and last will be to get upright and efficient men, rather than to reward party services." " Copperheads, political time-servers, and blatant Democratic politicians" may, however. "as well send in their resignation to take effect on the 4th of March next," the fact being that no person answering to this description can pos sibly have got into the public service during the last four years by any honest arts or for honest purposes. This all reads very well, and is very assuring, but does not furnish sufficient basis for a judgment as to the character of the Administration, without some account of the strength with which the jobbers and intriguers and plunderers of the Treasury are mustering for the defence of the old regime. The correspondent of the Advertiser says that " if he could show how the jobbers are organizing their forces and how adroitly they are laying their plans," people might be afraid about the future. The ac counts which appear in nearly all the papers are of much the same tenour and effect. There is to be during the coming winter a real gathering of the clans of corruption at Washington. The various "Rings" were never so strong or so well organized and audacious. The beauty of the case is that they all, knowing the noble weakness of the American public, pretend to be operating on behalf of some great moral or humanitarian idea. For instance, there is a great Ring working, as in the case of Alaska, for the extension of " the area of freedom." They want to purchase Cuba and pieces of Mexico, and it has even been suggested to annex Canada by force. Now, no great purchase or annexation of this kind can be made, in the present state of the art of peculation, without the Ring pocketing enor mous profits. They probably secure in the first place a share of the purchase money by bringing the scheme to a head and getting it through the Senate ; they then secure another share by having the vote of the money hang fire in the House long enough to frighten the vendor, as in the Alaska case. We pass over without notice the smaller fees to " counsel" and patriotic editors of wholesome and independent papers, and the dinners and champagne to lobby agents. We pass over, too, the arran t di s h ones t y on the part of a nation, as of an individual, involved in borrowing money to buy real estate on speculation, when it is unable to pay debts already contracted. The Indian Ring in like manner is fighting its battle by drawing fearful pictures of the cruel and inhuman treatment which the Indians would be subjected to if they were transferred to the juris diction of the War Department. It accordingly demands for them continued subjection to the en lightened ministrations of the bureau, with its gigantic yearly almsgiving, its " snug" agencies, and its total exemption from real responsibility ; for it is easy to see that when an agent opens an account with " Black Kettle," the balance at the end of the year, owing to " Black Kettle's"Jimited knowledge of book-keeping, is hardly likely to be in " Black Kettle's" favour. It says, moreover, that all would go well if the naughty white men on the frontier would only treat the red man pro perly ; but as there is no immediate prospect of any change in the white man's character, the excuses for the present abuses promise to last as long as the Indians. The Whisky Ring are confidently reported by the Western press to be preparing to operate on the temperance line. They are, it is said, going to call for a rise in the whisky tax from fifty cents to two dollars, in the interest of " mo rality" and " public order." They are going to show the desolation to homes, the injury to health, the increase of crime wrought by the poisonous bowl, and they are buying up all the whisky they can find and advising all their friends to do so, so as to create an interest strong enough to force the rise through Congress. They then will sell out, pass the profits to their bank account, make contracts for future deliveries of whisky, and begin to work for a reduction of the tax next year, on the scientific principle of " undulations." Whether General Grant can stand firm against all this, or whether, if he gives way, we shall not see a worse crash, a greater loosening of the bonds of morality, than has yet been witnessed in Ameri can history, are points on which a great many people feel a good deal of the anxiety which it finds expression in the letter of a correspondent in an other column. The suggestioncontains as to the means he should adopt of relieving himself of a portion of the labour and care which lie before ,him is certainly worth consideration. Our confidence . in Grant continues unabated,and is strengthened by the almost unanimous support he is likely to re ceive from the Press. Papers of all shades of opi nion seem to be encouraging him to resist the plun derers, and it will - be well if the public which lies behind the press does its part in strengthening him for the shock. The ways in which the breath of popular feeling reaches a statesman are innumcr tble. The press is only one of its channels. No body can say a good hearty word against specula tors and sentimental knaves and hypocrites, in the counting-house or club or parlour, without contri buting something to the unseen but mighty and all pervading force by which nations arc saved. DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, •are the largest holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is re. commended by the medical profession in preference to French Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exporta lion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Danville and Co., Belfast; or 4, Beaufort-buildings, Strand, London W.Cl—[Ad vertisement.] LORD RUSSELL'S LETTER. The third epistle of Lord Russell has met with a very unfavourable reception from the Liberal journals. The Times is downright puzzled by it. Surely, says our contemporary, Mr. Chichester Fortescue, to whom it is addressed, must have been aware of its purport before it was published. Is the Chief Secretary for Ireland at sea with regard to the Irish policy ? Are Burke's words, quoted by Lord Russell—" the Government crept meanly out of difficulties into which it had strutted proudly " prophetic ? Lord Russell's main proposition, the division of the endowments among three commu nions. the Times declares to be so crude that it will not stand examination for a minute, and to be, moreover, at variance with the policy enunciated by Mr. Gladstone last session, approved by the majority of the late House of Com mons, carried by appeal to the constituencies of the kingdom, and by them approved again. This is a critical time for the Ministry, and it is necessary to speak plainly, and to declare that Earl Russell's plan will not do; that his reason—the necessity for resist ing the inroads of scepticism—will not justify the setting aside of funds for building Roman Catholic parsonages. " But," adds the Times, " there is some thing in Lord Russell's suggestions, despite th e i r feeble basis and imperfect development, which may recommend them to some of the Ministry. Mr. Bruce frankly told the electors of Renfrew that there was a difficulty in disendowment. Equality, he said, required either that the parsonages and glebes of the existing Establishment should lapse on the death of the existing incumbents, or that parsonages and glebes should be provided for other religious bodies, and he intimated that the Cabinet was hesitating between the two methods of procedure. If this be so, Lord Russell's letter may have a purpose." IRISH BISHOPS. A correspondent of the Daily News fears that the Irish bishops do not understand the situation. The only step they have taken has been to memorialise the Government for a revival of the Irish convoca tion, a request which is not likely to be granted. What is wanted is to awaken a warm and intelli gent interest among the laity in Church matters. The effect of efficient lay representation in the Sydney synod was that the subscriptions to the Church Society rose in the first year from 500 to £6,000. The pressing need of the moment is that bishops, clergy, and laity should meet with the least possible delay in diocesan and provincial synods. Such deliberations would not interfere with the pro ceedings in Parliament. There are many questions upon which it would be most important to compare and correct the views of clergy and laity. Some of the bishops wish to retain part of the Establish ment, while the majority of both clergy and laity would declare for a free Church. Other questions, such as those affecting the life incomes of the present clergy, might be dealt with in these synods, and it is on all accounts most desirable that in this crisis there should be a cordial understanding between bishops, inferior clergy, and laity. This cannot be if the first show distrust of the last. LEVELLING UP OF SCHOOLS IN IRELAND. A correspondent oftheiiailyArems considers the subject of education in Ireland, and draws attention to the fact, that taking ec clesiastical persons as teachers in national schools, involves the right to employ uncertificated teachers. What guarantee will the State have left for any point of training when the denominational system is followed ? The manager will only have to prove that so many children have been in the school, and nothing was thought of the efficiency of the teacher or the acquirements of the scholars. In his inaugural address at the Social Science Congress, Lord Dufferin unhesitat ingly declared that the control of the clergy would promote an impatient and intolerant spirit in educa tion, while that of the Statesman would favour mutual forbearance and respect for the feelings of others. The " mixed schools " have worked well in Ireland, in spite of the opposition from both sets of clergy, as the managers allow nothing to be done or said that can give pain to a single child of a different faith from that of the majority. The large attendance of the Roman Catholic children at the mixed schools is a proof that the bishops represent an " Ultramontane power " in their action on this point, and not the opinion of those immediatlely concerned. It is to be remem bered that the excess of the educational grant to Ire land above its proportion conies from the taxpayers of Great Britain ; they should not begrudge it, it is true; but then they have a right to expect that it should promote the union of classes, and not mutual repulsion. If the Irish system be modified, let it be in the sense of making it more national, and less denominational. The interests of religion are not peoplelikely to e f suffer under England im ay y n sa iti i i i a eti o e n u a system ;l but tt he which the interests of the nation would not be free from danger und e r a di nmninational system in Ireland. MR. DILWAY, M.P. We have already stated that the election petition against the return of Mr. Dalway, M.P. for Carrick fergus, has resulted in the confirmation of that gen tleman's election. The temperance journals are rejoicing in this result, for Mr. Dalway is the presi dent of the Irish Temperance League. They would seem to have small reason to be proud of their officer, for Judge O'Brien had to rebuke him because he dis tributed drink among his tenantry at a time when they were likely to be excited. It is bad enough for anybody to distribute beer at such a time; worse still for a landlord and a candidate to do it; worst of all for an advocate of temperance td do it. Mr. Dalway is a Liberal. LORD HARTINGTON AT ItADNOR. The Liverpool Courier will have it that Mr. Green Price is not so patriotic after all. True he has vacated his seat to the Marquis of Hartington ; but our contemporary believes that he has also vacated another seat, viz., a mansion in the neighbourhood of Radnor of which he was anxious to dispose. The Postmaster-General is said to have become the pur chaser of it, and perhaps something was paid in con sideration of the parliamentary privilege attaching to it; just as happened when the lateDuko of North umberland sold his Cornish seat with the representa tion of Launceston attached. One would like to know if this be true. Disinterestedness is so rare nowadays that, if only for the sake of variety, we should like to cast aside cynicism for once. ARTIFICIAL ISLANDS. ----- The Government and the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House are considering a project for establish ing a line of telegraphic vessels between the Scilly Islands and Ushant. Submarines lines would connect them with the coast on either hand; so that ships arriving "in soundings " from long voyages would be announced at their ports while yet fifty or sixty miles from the shore. Frequently a whole fleet of " homeward-bounds " is caught by easterly gales in the entrance of the Channel, and there detained. Of such vessels the " floating station " would give news, and it would report where steam was wanted. Moreover, it would have on board stores of cables and anchors, with articles of ordinary necessity • and it is thought that the stati on m i g ht b e use d for the transfer of passengers from homeward bound vessels to powerful local steamers plying between the " floating islands" and the harbours in the vicinity. .No great difficulty is apprehended in mooring these mid-sea stations with mushroom anchors, or in making arrangements to lighten the drag upon so long a scope of chain. Captain Barron, the projector, has no doubt about the success of the scheme, and if he is not too sanguine he will confer an i mmense benefit upon shipowners and Lloyd's, and upon all persons who have friends expected home. CRIMINAL LUNATICS. It is universally acknowledged that there are grave anomalies in the present state of the law with regard to criminal lunacy. The Howard Association hopes to obtain a Royal Commission on the subject, and has issued a paper containing some very striking facts and statistics. The Howard Com mittee refer to the evils of the present system, by which medical men are cross-examined by counsel whose object is not to elicit the truth, but to obtain replies favourable to their clients. Private interests, again, often lead to the employment of medical witnesses as party advocates. The proper method would be to employ disinterested experts appointed by the Government. In capital cases involvi ng l unacy th ere i s spec i a l irregu larity. Statistics prove that insanity prevails extensively among the convict and criminal classes. Out of 004 persons tried for murder in England and `Vales in t en years, 108 were legally found insane. Sixty-fou r per cent. of the inmates of our criminal lunatic asylums became insane after sentence. At Millbank there were officially reported last year 34 convicts certified as insane, 218 other mental cases, and a number of epileptic prisoners. These figures certainly demand attention. GOOD NEWS FOR INVESTORS. - - - Just as investors are reduced to the depths of despair for want of a sound undertaking in which to embark their money, an announcement is made of a new telegraph line to India, vid the Red Sea, with a capital of £550,000. It is really astonishing, cons:dering the miserable failure and mismanage ment of the land line to India, that this undertaking, so often talked of, has not been carried out before. It was supposed that a Government guarantee would be required. But there appears to be no necessity for this, judging from the announcement that nearly the whole of the capital was subscribed before the project was made known to the public. THE LATE ERNEST JONES. T =_--ibund Reform League littl_g_expected that THE NEW LAW COURTS. Another letter from Sir Charles Trevelyan appears in the Times on the subject of the new law courts. He refers to the numerous communications that have been made by various writers who test the correct ness of his proposal. In reply to the observation which has been made that the area of his proposed site is 330,000 ft., Sir Charles declares that it contains 440,500 superficial feet, or rather more than 101 acres, without including any portion of the Embankment. It will not be necessary for the Metropolitan Rail way to take so much of the Embankment as has been supposed, because while it has hitherto had free scope, it will now be compelled to take no more of the Linnankment than it really requires. The tendency of the arrangement in progress for the law is towards the decentralisation of the system of judicature, and therefore any site that is large enough for the purposes of the present day is likely to be more than large enough twenty years hence. Sir Charles declares that there is no fear of our ha v i ng an "overgrown bu ilding" with Somerset House en one side and the Temple on the other. As for the risk of "wandering through a labyrinth of offices," there could not be a more simple or easily understood plan, and the oblong form of the Embankment site will permit of greater development, and remedy a defect of Mr. Street's plan, which was unavoidable on the old square site. Sir C. Trevelyan concludes by declaring that it is a lamentable fact that the cost of the old site and approaches has been under estimated, and that five minutes' inspection of the papers and plans will convince the incredulous. FOREIGN NOTES. EURICEY AND GREECE. The Patrie, which has been generally well informed on Eastern matters, notifies " a slight amelioration" in the gloomy intelligence from Athens. As, however, the news given by this semi-official paper was of the gloomiest possible character, a " slight amelioration" leaves much to be desired. The bias of public opinion greatly inclines to the unfavourable view of the situation. One most improbable rumour has gained credence at Paris, and is deemed by the Indepen dance Beige of some import. It is to the effect that there is an understanding between Greece and the 'United States. Finding no help elsewhere, the Athens Cabinet has applied at Washington, and the American Government is not indisposed to lend Greece maritime aid if an island in the lEgean Sea be ceded in return. A war with Turkey during the present economical fever which has seized all p art i es in Amer i ca i s very un lik e l y , if not altogether imp oss ibl e. The rumour ma y, h owever , h ave something in it ; Greece may obtain a loan from America. She will e x p er i ence dif f iculty i n gett i ng one anyw h ere else. SPAIN. The elections have decided in favour of a monarchy, but the question of the most probable candidate is still as insolable as ever. The Ifiberte, which has from the first spoken sanguinely in favour of an Italian prince, is now adopting a dubious tone. The Provisional Government are beginning to perceive that a foreign prince would not be popular in Spain, and General Cialdini has quitted Aladrid impressed with the full force of this conviction. The negotiations have, however, been conducted with great prudence ; the official journals have kept rigorous silence, no communications in writing have passed, and the Government has even reserved the right of renouncing the candidature, if the Cortes do not accept it "by acclamation." As the Cortes is likely to accept nothing by acclamation, this is very safe ground. The members of the Provisional Government are clearly divided amongst themselves, and they can agree upon no policy, or they would have put an end to the dangerous position in which they linger. The choice of a monarchy by a popular assembly is likely to afford Europe a strange spectacle. PORTUGAL. The Ministerial crisis in Portugal has produced the poli tical phenomenon of the people taking side with the King and his Ministry against the Parliament. The Exe cutive is decidedly in public favour, and the Legis lature so unpopular that the dissolution which has just taken place was the only possible solu tion of the difficulty. Immense crowds of people, headed by bands of music, have promenaded the streets of Lisbon, letting off fireworks, serenading the Ministers, and loudly applauding the King. The sovereign has given up 8 per cent. of his allowance to meet the public necessi ties ; and if the Ministry make good use of their remark able triumph we may yet witness the refreshing novelty of a little nation paying its debts. AUSTRIA. The German population of A us t r i a seems to s t an d n fearofth el e ections in H ungar y. The pre ponderancesdab o'fthe great majority gained by the Deskcoipearrtyl 3 in lattie recent Government supporters is not only over whelming in numbers, but the Opposition is split into factions, discouraged, and without settled policy. Unfortu nately, the example of Hungary has not been followed in other parts of the empire. The Austrian Reichsrath presents an arrangement of parties far less satisfactory than that in the Hungarian Diet. The majority in the Austrian Legislature is far from being a homo geneous or well -organised p ar t y . H ence it i s feared that Hunga r ian influence may ultimately become decisive on most great questio n s, and this is especially likely in the case of the Delegations—the Parliament composed oi deputations from the Austrian and Hungarian Legislatures. The ex-King and the Prince Royal of Hanover were invited on the 2 2 nd to the dinner gi ven b y t h e E mperor i n honour of the Prince o f Wales. Will this lead to another figurative impaling of Austria by th e B erl i n papers? GERMAIIT. The King o f P ru ssia has i ncreased the list of roya l writers. He has ma de his de'bilt as a journalist by publishing, in a small print much read i n th e army, an article entitled "In January 1865," vaunting the new organisation of Vie military service of the country, and criticising the conduct of the deputies whose objections, had they been listened to, would not have permitted Prussia to inscribe Sadowa in her military annals. The King is evidently new to the work, and wants practice. Skilled royal journalists do not take to open y. King William should r b e o a as d t t in h g e t v h i e e y d d e o c i e t sa i2di „ rectl RUSSIA. The Greek Church has refused to take part in the General Council at Rome; but in Russia, at least, it is by no means agreed - that such a gathering of ecclesiastics would not be useful, and it is accordingly proposed to hold a council of the Greek Church at Constantinople. The first preliminary, it strikes us, must be to inquire as to the friendly disposition of the Sultan on this point. Some of the Russians appear to perceive the humour of asking a Mahometau sovereign to consent to a meeting in his capital of the bishops who rule the consciences of his greatest enemies. Theyhave accordinglysug,gested Moscow as a better locus. NEW ZEALAND. The Maeries have received a severe check at last. The Government of New Zealand was too late to save the colonists who were massacred at Poverty Bay, hut not too late to inflict a severe defeat upon the wretches who perpetrated the outrage. The official intelligence received by Earl Granville states that not only have the rebels who were guilty of the recent atrocities been repuls e d with great loss, but the troops are to be concentrated on the other side of the island. This is obviously the better policy. Poverty Bay is remote from the scene of the revolt; the massacre, in fact, was due to a wholly unexpected surprise. The revolt is mostly confined t o the other side of the island. The troop s will have regained confidence from this success, and as the outbreak has not spread, a speedy end to the war may not unreasonably be hoped for. The result never was doubtful; but the loss which must now attend the discomfiture of the natives might have been avoided had the Government at first taken the measures which have just proved so beneficial. THE CoNvier BISGEOVE.—WiIIiam Bisgrove, th e murderer of George Cornish at Wells, in August last, was yesterday transferred from the Taunton County Prison to the Government Lunatic Asylum, Broalmoor. Bisgrove appeared perfectly quiet and tractable, and his bodily health does not seem to have suffered much during incar ceration. L ADVER TISEMENT..I-11olloway's Pills.—Pdpitation of the heart is frequently not only felt but heard, prevents sleep, and begets the utmost dread of impending suffoca tion. These pills a re par ti cu l ar ly recommended for re moving this affection ' because they strengthen the nervous and debilitat e d, who are much more liable to this malady than ether persons. Holloway's pills so improve the di gestion, increase the action of the liver, and give activity to the bowels, that giddiness, headacha, and nausea depart as the palpit a ti on di m i nishes, and the sufferer at once ex periences the most indescribable relief from aaNiety. Hol loway's pills form the best alterative and aperient in all cases of convalescence from fevers, inflammations, neu ralgia, and all chronic diseaseg, which have impoverished the blood and brain. THE CHARGE AGAINST THE DIRECTOR)! Or THE MERCHANTS COMPANY. On Thursday, at the justice-room of the Mansion House, Mr. Richard Stuart Lane and Mr. James Childs were charged before the Lord Mayor, " that they, being directors of a certain public company called the Merchants'Company (Limited), unlawfully did make, circulate, and publish, and concur in making, circulating, and publishing, a certain written statement, to wit, a circular accom• panying a call upon the shareholders in the said company, both well knowing the same to be false in a certain material particular, with intent thereby to deceive and defraud John Land and other shareholders of the said company." Mr. Douglas Straight appeared for the prosecutor ; Mr. Lewis defended Mr. Lane, and Serjeant Parry and Mr. Ledgard the other defendant, Mr. James Childs. Mr. D. Straight, in opening the case for the prosecution, stated that it was his duty to appear against the defendants on a charge of having issued or caused to be issued a circular which was calculated to deceive and defraud the shareholders of the Merchants'Company. He would make a few remarks about the matter before he went into the material facts of the allegation. What lie would say about it was that they had put forth a false circular, and one calculated to deceive the creditors of that company ' • mid he would remark that all share holders o ug ht t o b e kept in full knowledge of the affairs of the company, in order that they might not be deceived. By the circular which had been issued, Mr. Lane and Mr. Childs bad told th e s h are h o ld ers that at that date (25th May, 1866) the company was not suffering from any losses. He was also sure that when the Lord Mayor had heard all that would be adduced before him he would refer the matter to one of her Majesty's courts. He would further observe that he should not go into the affairs of the Merchants' Corn pany except as they related to this false circular which had been issued with the cognisance of Mr. Lane and Mr. Childs. It appeared that the Merchants' Company was constituted in October 1865, and had a very short career, terminating in November 1866. Mr. Lane was at this time on the board of the Credit Fonder Company of England, and there was no doubt that he was the head and chief of the Merchants' Company. He conducted an unfortunate transac tion at Marseilles. The learned counsel then stated that the firm of Lane, Hankey, and Co. was entirely sup ported by the Merchants' Company, and that the present defendants were the instruments by which shares had been transferred to various individuals for the advantage of themselves. The prosecutor in this case was a Kr. Land, who lived at Derby, and he applied for 100 shares, and much to his astonishment he was allotted the whole of them. He paid £lOO on them and £4OO afterwards, but he had not paid any calls. This was remarked upon by Mr. Childs at the first general meeting of the company, which took place only one month before its winding up, and Mr. Land endeavoured to speak upon the subject, but, according to the rules of the association, he was prevented from doing so by Mr. Lane. The learned gentleman then went into a long review of the transfer of shares which was fully discussed in another summons against Mr. Lane, which was heard on Tuesday last. He alleged that the company, when represented as being in a flourishing con dition, was making a mere trifle, and was not a speculation which it would be desirable for anyone to invest in. He argued that S. White and Co., to whom £5,000 had been paid, could not be discovered, and urged that in point of fact Lane, Hankey, and Co. were S. White and Co. also. He alleged that Mr. Childs was the means by which money had been paid over to the firm of Lane, Hankey, and Co. Mr. Lewis was understood to say t lat this was only a statement. The Lord Mayor said that he only looked upon this as a statement. There was no evidence before him. Mr. Straight said that he was aware of that, but that he had had an opportunity of looking at the books of the company. He was sorry that he was obliged to appear assuming. Mr. Straight then went into a long detail of the shares held by the various members of the company. He concluded by stating that all the assertions which his speech contained he could prove by the most conclusive evidence, and also stated that the Merchants' Company's liability depended upon that of Lane, ilankey, and Cola pany. He also said that a Mr. Barlow had remonstrated over and over again to Mr. Childs upon the advances made to Lane, Hankey, and Company, and that he had said that that firm must be kept upon its legs for their own safety, and in the result it proved that it was so, as the Merchants' Company was obliged to be wound up when Lane, Hankey, and Co. went. Mr. Spier, examined, said that he was a clerk in the office for the Registration of Joint-stock Companies. He produced the memorandum of the association of the Mer chants' Company. The registration was on the 6th October, 1865. The names appended were D. W. Chapman, 200 shares ; R. S. Lane, 200 ' • EL E. Chapman, 200 ; H e lb er t , 200 ; Alderson 200 ; Heritage, 10. Mr. Childs was not on the list. The directors were entitled by the deed to £5,000 for the preliminary expenses of the company. The order to liquidate the company was dated the 12th November, 1866. He belie\ ed that the official liquidator was named Cape. The order to liquidate was received at their office on the 27th October, 1866. Cross-examined : He said that under the 10th Article the directors might call upon the interest to the amount of £5 a share, and that if such were not responded to they might forfeit the shares. Mr. Lewis : Any person, shareholder or not, can see that document (which contains the articles of association) at your office on the payment of one shilling. Witness: Yes ; they are entitled to see them all. Mr. Smith, who was clerk to the Registrar in Bank ruptcy, produced a deed of inspection purporting to be signed by R. S. Lane, H. E. Chapman, Frederick Helbert Helbert, all residing in Old Broad-street, and also by G. Dubois. It certified that the joint debts of the firm were £282,000 odd, secured and unsecured. Mr. Cape said that he was official liquidator to the Mer chants' Company, and that he had all the books of the company ia his possession. Serjeart Parry : You have examined tLe books of this company. Can you tell me whether there were any trade losses in Slay 1366 ? Mr. Cape : I can only tell you by the books ; there was no profit and loss account made up at that period. The only item of profit was in April 1866, and that was £34 13s. 4d. Serjeant Parry : Was there, to your knowledge, any loss at that period ? Mr. Cape : No, there was not ; but it has not been my duty to look into that, and I have not taken a full con sideration of the point. There was no ascertained bad debt. There was a very large Swedish business, and that was transferred from Lane, Haukey, and Co. By Mr. Lewis : Non-payment of calls are generally con sidered as deductions from the capital. They would not be put to the profit and loss account. They would be a deduction from the call capital. The forfeiture of shares would be a profit to the company. Whatever had been paid would be the profit to capital, which profit would be assigned to the profit and loss account. The company had the power of reissuing these shares. Mr. Straight objected to this cross-examination. Mr. Lewis : Surely, Mr. Straight, you will remember that you come here accusing two gentlemen of fraud, and this is the first opportunity that I have had of asking any questions for many weeks. Witness said that on the 1,600 shares forfeited there would he £5 profit to the company. Mr. Lewis : Is it the custom of any public company to issue any statement as to the amount paid on the calls of shares except in the balance. sheet ? Witness : No, it is not. Commissions cannot be charged until account sales are made up. It is made up on each transaction. There were two sev era l s t oc k s of wood, and they realised the difference between debits, £10,570 6s. 10d., and the credits, £19,960 13s. 11(1. The account of Lane, Hankey, and Co. was reduced by this £19,960. By D. second transaction the d e bt o f L ane Hankey, and Co. was reduced by £9,531. , Mr. Straight here objected that it would b e more con yenient for all partiesif Mr. Lewis would desist from this cross-examination. Mr. Lewis said that it was a very great hardship that his client should be brought there on that charge unsupported by any substantial evidence. The summons had been issued three weeks ago, and now, although Mr. Lane was most anxious that the fullest investigation should be made, the prosecution asked for a remand. He was sure that his lordship, as the chief magistrate of that great city, would not allow two eminent commercial men to be brought constantly before the public in this manner. Mr. Herbert sated that lie produced the original deed o f inspection of the firm of Lane, Hankey, and Co. A consultation then took place, and it was agreed that the further hearing should be adjourned till Monday week, TILE LITE MR. ERNEST JONES. -- At a special meeting of the Office Committee of the United Liberal party, held at Manchester on Wednesday evening, it was resolved, on the motion of Sir E. Armitage, seconded by Mr. William Warburton : " That this com mitte has heard of the death of Mr. Ernest Jones with deep regret, and desires to express its sympathy with his surviving relatives in their . bereavement. That the Executive Committee of the United Liberal Party be invited to join the Office Committee in paying a last tribute to Mr. Jones's memory by attending his funeral." The scheme of a penny ocean postage between Great Britain and the United States looks hopeful. Mr. Hadfield, M.P., in a letter to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce yesterday, intimated that the Hon. Roverdy Johnson, having recommended to his Government the adoption of this project, Mr. Bazley, M.P., and he had an interview with the American Minister on the subject, and had presented a memorial, signed by 44 or 45 members of Parliament of all political sentiments, stating their willingness to bring such a measure before the notice of the Government, and to support it. He enclosed a letter from Mr. Johnson in reply, which stated that Mr. Johnson had lost no time in forwarding the memorial to his Government, and commending it to its favourable conside ration. CHIGNONS DOOMED !—The Sport, a Paris journal, announces that the great ladies of the French capital have determined to abolish chignons. " The character of the head-dress," it says, " is to undergo an important reform ; the command has gone forth that false hair and wigs must be repudiated." And not only so ? but ladies are always to appear as if they dressed their own hair, for, " when the wo r k o f a professional is manifest on their heads, prestige ceases. In the day time the hair is to be simply plaited, and confined in a net ; in other words, instead of assuming a pyramidal form, it is to have a ten dency to fall, like that of Niobe. In the evening it will only be necessary to put on the head a crown, or a wreath of roses, of ivy, or of some creeping plant." The , S*pi,rt adds ;—"All is over with false hair, decked with gilded or metal articles. Henceforth false hair at best can only be tolerated as a detail, as a modest auxiliary—it can no longer be the principal or the only ornament of the head." The authorities of the Ross Workhouse, Hereford fordshire,Tare in jeopardy on Wednesday. The wife and chil dren of a tramp had taken refuge in the workhouse and the wife died there of consumptkn. The tramp, a Scot.liman, hearing of her death, walked from Liverpcol and tool: away his children, ono of whom was in a very debilitated state. This child ultimately died in CLil dren's Hospital, Gloucester, as the surgeons said, from con sumption of the bowels and the want of proper attention to the frightful sores on the body. The body of thy; child weighed only 131 b., and the sores upon it were deep and ulcerated, and arose from neglect, and from the child hav ing been allowed to lie in filth. Tho master and matron said that all duo attention had been paid to the case, and that when the father t oo k th e ch i ld away the worst of the sores did not exist. But the Gloucester surgeons positively declared that the sores could not have arisen in the interval between the child leaving the workhouse and its being re moved into the hospital. The jury wished to return a strong verdict, but by the advice of the Coroner, they found " Death bir_pgtutal causes," accelerated by defective 414rarbg, • PARAGUAY: No additional light has as yet been thrown on the alleged defeat of Lopez. The latest news brought to Buenos Ayres was to the oth Dec. by the DO I ' alda, which was favourable on the whole to th e Paraguayans. The Standard of that city announced the Allied position to be critical, as Caxias, unable to attack Lopez at Vill e t a i n f ront, h a d t h ro wn h is army into the Chaco to operate against the rear. The heavy rains and the rise in the river had cons' pelled him to recross, his situation then becoinwo critical, the passage being only accomplished aft er considerable loss It was not till the French steame r had left Buenos Ay res , an d was a b out to depar t from Monte Vid eo th a t th e news of t h e great victory arrived. All as yet known is a tele' gram from General Osorio to the commander of th e Argentine troops at Les Palmas, a few miles below' . Valleta, closing with the statement that the war w s i s over. Allowing th a t Osorio, as we had anticipate d, had from the rear successfully attacked a p-sition impregnable to th e B raz ili ans i n f ront, an d that Lopez had bee n compe ll e d to ret i re w i th heavy loss' it does not foll ow th a t th e war i s over. Two con' siderable natural f or tifi ca ti ons li e on t h e road from Villeta to A scens i on, to w hi ch he cou ld re treat, and the Alli es on l y account for ha lf his army, even if th e i r num b ers b e not exaggerated, for Lopez was said t o h ave f rom 12,000 to 15,000 we n ' A correspondent on w h om we can rely, and wh ° knows all these c oun t r i es we ll , wr i tes to infor m us that he had seen a l et t er, d ated Bahia, 28th pee" from a gentleman who always gives some little de tails to his friends on the Paraguayan war, and vib. ° is in a good p os iti on to d o so, wherein no mention 13 made of any battle having been fought up to th e latest dates. Although our correspondent does no t credit the report, which he alleges to come front the Brazilian Legation, yet we in a measure do , believing that Lopez has retired from Villeta, find ing his positio n un t ena bl e, after Osorio'sflank march ; indeed the previous mail had announced A considerable movement of carts and baggage ant' trials in the Paraguayan camp, which it was though' indicated an early intention on his part to retire. We imagine the truth will be found in this, that Lopez intend e d t o f a ll b ac k and had carrie d o ut his design, but not without severe loss, for it is 11 ° t an easy task to abandon a position long held in t he face of an enemy vastly superior in number. Lopez has then in all probability lost men, guns, and material, but made good his intention of evacuating his fo r ; tifications at Viletta, and taken up another P s which the Brazili ans w ill b e compelled to i n ves t : his Excellency G em M'M a h on had an i nter vle" with Lopez, who agreed to give every satisfacti on the United States could justly claim, so these dif n ' culties are likely t o b e am i ca b ly arranged. It is jus t° well that the American Minister, with a s trong squadron behind him, is on the spot ; and we h °1) : that Admiral D av i s w ill remain in the river, whe re his presence can scarcely fail to be a check on f Bra zilians dealing wi t h th e people of Paraguay. ilde London the news o f th e Sl ave E mpire ' s success w' regarded from a business point of view. Paraguay is a nonentity in the markets, but Brazil and h er allies take eight p er cent. o f B r i t i sh exports. G r ea t ' therefore, is the rejoi c i ng , on i n t e lli gence w hi c h th e mercantile community believe will strengthen t he empire and enabl e h er t o consume more of the go°cle they are always ready to sell. If this be not an elevated standpoint from which to view the ques tion, it is at least a p rac ti ca l one, and the instinct t of the trader is too strong to be overcome, ex esli a where his own coun t ry i s concerned, when the stronger feeling of p a t r i ot i sm overcomes the I n°l' n sordid feeling of gain. `S LONDON PRESS. 1 The Philadelphia Ledger informs us that an cial return has been furnished to Parliament of 31l the newspapers of th e United Kingdom, with t ijo names of their p ro p r i e t ors. We confess that Wi, ,: have not seen it, b u t as th e L e d ger adds, 44 Di s raeli is accused of havi ng some ma li c i ous mot i ve i n Pub '' n, lishing facts hitherto known only to the Gover; e , ment," the British p ress may purposely have 'es dined to aid hi m i n pu bli s hi ng i nformation, it do e s not desire sh ou ld b e generally known. The Tini d is returned as published by "Anna Brodie 313 John Walter." Now, this little sent ence car ries 1, . s it a great disenchantment. The Thunderbol t ( 1 0 considered to be the a tt r ib u t e o f J up i ter, an d O re thunder manufact ure d i n P r i nting-house-sq °3 o, was supposed to be i n some myster i ous way °ha neeted. with the gods. A nna B ro di e an d J r ° d. Walter a re d ou b t l ess very respectable pers ol; but the idea of their taking John Bull by tdi nose and walking him along is too good. jade it is not unlike some such transformation scene that of the gau d y illusion, which delights the a°cii, ct . ence at Cov en t- garden or Drury-lane, being " 5 , 6 , 0 denly wheel e d round and the back laid bare. ``-les Daily New s i s published by S. Morley, Char'of Reed, and H enry Labouchere, Liberal m embers Parliament. The Daily Telegraph, by Moss, lie r ,T. and Lawson ; the Star b Henry Rawson, a m u a , 3l 3 facturer of Manches t er . ; the Standard, a eu--- Tory daily paper, by Johnstone, an officer of theo Court of Bank ru pt cy; the Morning Post, the org a of fashion, by Mr. Rideout ; the Morning At ire h r ; tiser, by Jam es G rant ; the Pall Mall Gazette, George Smith, the publisher of the Cornhill 111 11 0; zinc." We lately noticed the last-mentioned Ps,t o as having sa n d w i c h e d the Cornhill between Quarterly Review and Blackwood, the two old er and most r enowne d periodicals. The Shilling 1Vd1; gazine, whi c h h a d j ust completed its ninth Year'; was described w i t h t h em as lying on a clu b tab' before the present members of that club 'Or e born—a ne a t li tt l e t hi ng in puffs had it not be en a shade too g l ar i ng. A case not unlike th i s w as ou e , furnished by the Ti mes i n l ast T hursday ' s iss Turning f rom an I r i s h p i cture, it alludes to " or , American counterpart sent by our Philadelphia °rat respondent a f ew d ays ago. It represented G e oe , Grant's recepti on o f a S enator who wanted the th ar e sistance of th e Government in improving bo levees of the Lower Mississippi.' " Now, vv r e' would suppose from this the "A mer i cas counterpart, had been cut bodily from the columns of th 0 ,30 1 Louis Democrat, and had gone the rounds of or , American press? It was " our Philadelphia respondent" (by the wa y, th e manufacturer of ,i'o3 mal prospects") who produced this picture, a to, dismal prospects they cer t a i n l y are for the lobilisbe t " The Express is owne d b y the proprietors of tti. Daily News, and th e Gl o b e b y Sir Stafford l‘Thr cote, Secretary for India in Disraeli's Admioistr tion. The Glowworm is a small evening P a Pf a i coming out late at night, and dealing in se nsatio r P e , news." There appears to be a very incomplete turn of the weekly press, which is supposed to o°ll . , sist of 16 jo urna l s on l y ! — the Saturday Ro l the Spectator, the E conom i s t , t h e Examiner, a°,ett few more ; indeed th ose on l y we enumerated no alluding to th e newspaper c li que. Such a pa per Lloyd's Weekly News, whose circulation excess of all of them put together, is utterly " the known. The impr e ssio n i s ac t ua ll y g i ven that rs, weekly press of Lond on i s con fi ne d to sixteen pa Pe o while far more than t w i ce th a t num b er are born et die every year in the metropolis alone. Howe d, we leave the Ledger to spea k f or itself. 4 , ACC ° ' , ing to the above statement, the London Pr. e !' s o l composed of eleven d a ili es and sixteen weekbe'io. all kinds. The list, however, we believe to be te cl complete. The whole number of newspapers Pr in fe cl in England, but outside of London, and regis„t e o at the Government office, is about 650. In i Y 4O, there are 34 ; in Scotland 135 ; in Ireland, 1 4 This brings the entire number of dailies ti,, s" weeklies publi s h e d i n Great Britain and Irelan d to about one thousand.—Anglo-Americana J lines. Births. ilt/ LOWTHER —On the 27th i ns t., a t A mp thill- par k, the • of Wm. Lowther, Esq., M.P., of a son. Airs , MOR ETON—On the 26th inst., at Worthing-, the lion. R. Mo re t on, o f a sou. th , of K— N y SHERLOCOn the 25th inst., a t Li mer i c k , the '". Capt. Sherlock, 72d Highlanders, of a daughter. Marriages. f tst ~01VNIAN—GLEENIVAY—On the 27th inst., at St. gAr . tbe Warwick, Henry Arthur Howman, Esq. , to Letit!:,:vai, youngest daughter o f th o late George _C. Gre en ` p of W a r w i c k. , ore PALMER—WELLS On the 26th i ns t. , a t B a tt er sea, C oc i;S, Arthur, eldest s on o f J . Palmer, Ecq of Olney , N , 0 116 to Frances Carr, e ld est d aughter of the IatoNST. Esq., of Battersea-rise. BACCHUS —On the 23d inst Death s. at Apsley Guise, Beaor Oirel Mr. Win. Bacchus, aged 60. Geo. BALDWIN— On the 26th inst., at Fakenham, Norfolk,, Thomas Baldwin, aged 51. ' -notif DEWY-00 the 25th inst. at Twickenham, Robert Esq., aged 87. 04 .0 1 ' MAUDE—On the 27th i ns t ., J ohn Maude, Esq., C°ll4 Leeds, aged 73.' _....! London :Printed and . Pablished by WILLIAM' lu- -- 1 , 4 1 1•• of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Via SUN Otn c Strand, in the P rec i nct of ' the Savoy, in OUP '" 3 Januai y 29, 180. ( feR E 'Wei bin est nisi anc La( Cal , lan, tit, Year Tie gF dig s erp CI ottu ford fo o d Pat 0 , 'ro t , Rah, of I, wsry Pops Year