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

METROPOLITAN 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 adifficulty in 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. Stefancs 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 he 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 bas 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. Ire 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 theprofits inpropor 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 hispeople know as little of his affairs 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 knew 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 not in many cases work well in practice. It would not answer in some species of trading Oy - aen d and Gurney's, for instance. Amid all the revelations of rotten celnpanies 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 was a case of sic ros non robis mellifieatis 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 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 val ,rein 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' ase pills were the vehicle to fortune. A Yorkshire hosier, in a small way of business, thought that patent medicines for the inside were more lucrativo than stookiugs for the outside, K. 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 cautions 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 bone 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, the sight 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 Eneyelopcedia, &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. W 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. MISCELLAA'EOUS NEWS• THF. LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY. The Carlt on Cl u b w ill cer t a inly 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 their 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. Their lordships meant business, and they did it. Thy had the usual conference with the heads of the departments ; they visited four vessels in course of construction, inspected the new steam factory, the timber stores, which contain timber to the cost of more tha n a million, but to the value (so far as the doeiyard i s concerned) of a tenth of that sum. They regarded " S ee l y ' s p i gs " with special interest, and no doubt we shall shortly 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 some four or five years hence ; and they wound up their visit by a rather rapid tour o!.. the ropery. THE -.10. VOLI7NTE'- _ "Hippophylax"—well ling Greek for " Guard ' 6o Horse letter on the a , . voluntepit. " Hippophylax „ points th " T il e* l st? K es Lord Elcho's ' volun r t ec ee oe rs untt at one voluntee rs accepted service as volunteers, "..,nd 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 soldiers. Should they do this, they out to consent without hesitation to be suiajeclecl 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 volon= teers are theoretically only available in tlitl 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, n o comm i ssariat, no hospitals, More over, if the volu n t eers were paid, they 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-equipped riflemen, who are only liable to fight on their oWil 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 individuA, elements, is totally unprovided for the organisation of war, and could not be equipped under six months. The' volunteers are the result of a panic, and the panic was as senselessly allayed as it was senseleu,iy aroused. Let us spend our money in l regular ec— d soldiers , bnad they if (i like, t for e they won't be massed. vol n n e i-s take ,h e i icsnugAtio him of the Horse istheconelusiono Guards.fthewhole matter, accord.. LOCAL TAXATION. Mr. Corrance, one of the Suffolk county members, has been lecturing before the Est Suffolk Chamber of Agriculture, on local taxation. Ile maintained that it was very unfair that local taxation should be levied only upon property of the net annual value of £I),000,000, when the total property of the country was estimated at (3..";0,000,000. Ile was opposed to the system of , national rating recommended by the Somersetshire Chamber of Agriculture, since that would remove the inducement to economy. He was rather for having Government grants in aid of local rates, in the proportion of one-third to two-thirds. lle warned his hearers not to make this a class ques tion, since, if it was supposed to be a matter affecting the agricultural interest alone, it would have little favour from the present House of Commons. He racciaed lii4746l bit g _Mttes before rarli4- ment. Mr. Henniker-Major, another local member, promised to support Mr. Corrance. 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. THE SUN, LONDON, IRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 29, 1869. one of its most brilliant members wouit cue inctiviauany before it died corporally. It ha; just met, and passed a resolution expressing Glee) sorrow at the untimely decease of Mr. Ernest Jores. It was pro posed that a deputation should attend his funeral, and Mr. Belles, Mr. Howell, and Mr Bradlaugh were named. It seems to have struck sone of the mem bers that it was scarcely decent for aman 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 suistituted for Mr. Bradlaugh's, and on a division was en-lied by a large majority. Other matters then engaged the atten tion of the League, among them its own dissolution. Eventually it was decided that the date of the happy despatch should be left undecided. 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 proi)osition, 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 de , :lare that Earl Russell's plan will not do; that his rNtson—the nemsaity for resist ing the inroads of scepticism—will not justify the setting aside of funds for building Roman Catholic parsonages. " But," acids the Times," there is some thing in Lord Russell's suggestions, despite their 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 £5OO to £O,OOO. 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 shew distrust of the last. LEVELLING UP OF SCHOOLS IN IRELAND. A correspondent of th e D a il y N ews cons iders the subject of education in Ireland, and draws attention to the fact, that taking ecclesiastical 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 C ongress , 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 forbearanc e an d 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 comes 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 inter es t s of r e ligi o n are no t likely to suffer under any national system which the people of England may sanctio n ; b u t th e i n t eres t s of the nation would not be free from danger under a dc niminational system in Ireland. MR. DALWAY, M.P. We have already stated that the election petit!on against the return of Mr. Dalway, M.P. fur Carrick fergus, has resulted in the confirmation of that gen tleman's election. The temperance journals aro 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 to do it. Mr. Dalway is a Liberal. • LORD HARTINGTON AT RADNOR. The Liverpool Courier will have it that Mr. Green Price is not so patriotic after all. True ho has vacated his scat 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 late Duke of North umberland sold his Cornish seat with the representa tion of Launceston attached. One WORM 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, ARTIFICIA ' The Governor'- ISLANDS, - Trinity IT- —A and the Elder Brethren of the are considering a project for establish line of telegraphic vetinels between the Scilly Islande and rshant, Subm ar i nes li nes would connect then' 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. Motoover, it would have on board stores of cables and anchors, with articles of ordinary necessity ; and it is thought that the station might be used 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 gitat difficulty is apprehended in Inooting these mid-sea stations with mushroom itiiehors, 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 tc:o sanguine ho will confer an i mmense benefit upon shipowners and Lloyd's, and upon all persons who have friends expected home. tILIMINAL LUNATICS. t it universally ac::nowledged that there are grave anomalies in the present state of the law with regard to criminal lunacy. The Howard Association hopes to obtain a loyal Commission on the subject, and has issued a paper containing Nome very striking facts and statistics. The Toward Com mittee refer to the evils of the present system, by whith Medical men are cross-examined by counfel 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 eases involving lunacy there is special irregu larity. Statistics prove that insanity prevails extensively among the convict and criminal classes. Out of 004 persons tried for murder in England and Wales in ten years, 103 were legally found insane. Sixty-four per cent. of the inmates of our criminal lunatic asylums became insane after sentence. At Milbank 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, viii the Red Sea, with a capitol of i':SSO,CCO. It is really astonishing, considering 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. ,_ ...l44l; ib un juiefQx);)2 Le wig little expected that THE NEW LAW COVETS. 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 10 i f acres, without including any portion of the Embankment. It will not be necessary for the .letropolitan Rail way to take so much of the Embniliment as has been supposed, because while it has hitherto had free scopa, it will now be compelled to take no more of the rAnnanzment 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 having an " overgrown building " with Somerset House on 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. FORhIGN NOTES. i ttInKEY AND GREEM 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 yE gean S ea be ceded in return. A war with Turkey du r i ng the present economical fever which has seized all p ar ti es i n A mer i c a is very unlikely, if not altogether impossible. The rumour may, however, have something in it; Greece may obtain a loan from America. She will experience difficulty in getting one anywhere else. SPAIN. The elections have decided in favour of a monarchy, but the question o f th e most pro b a ble candidate is still as insoluble a s , ever. The L ib ert y , w hi c h has from the fi rs t spoken sangui ne l y in favour of an Italian prince, is now adopting a d u bi ous tone. Th e P rov i s ional Gove rnmen t are beginning to perceive that a foreign prince would not be popular in Spain, and General Cialdini has quitted Madrid impressed with the full force of this conviction. The negoti a ti ons have, h owever , b een con d uc t e d with great pru d ence ; t h e official journals have kept rigoro us s il ence, n o communications in writing have pass e d, and the G overnmen t 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 Austria seems to stand dabgreat majority gained by the Dc considerably party er lyin at ti f i e e a recentrof the eleetions in Hungary. The pre ponderance of the 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 fr om b e i ng a h orn °• geneous or well - organised party. H ence it is feared that Hungarian influence may ultimately become decisive on most great questions, and this is especially likely in the case of the Delegations—the Parliament composed deputations from the Austrian and Hungarian Legislatures. The ex-King and t he Prince Royal of Hanover were invited on the 2 2 nd to the dinner given by the Emperor in honour of the Prince of Woe, Will this lead to another figurative impaling of Austria by the Berlin papers? GERITANY. The King of Prussia has increased the list of royal writers. Ile has made his MAU as a journalist by publishing, in a small print much read in the army, an article entitled "In January 1865," vaunting the new organ i sa tion of the milit ar y serv i c e of the country, and c riticising the conduct of the deputies whose objections, had they be en li s t ene d to, wou ld no t have permitted Prussia to inscrib e S a d owa i n h er m ilit ar y annals. The King is evidently new to the work, and wants practice. Skilled royal journali s t s d o no t t a k e t o o p en William should read the " Vie de Ca sar ." boasting ; they do it indirectly. King 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 Ma.hometan - sovereign to consent to a meeting in his capital of the bishops who rule the consciences of his greatest enemies. Theyhave accordingly suggested Moscow as a better locus. NEW ZEALAND. The Maories have received a severe check at last. The Government of rcew Zealand was too late to save the colonists who were massacred at Poverty Bay, but 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 repulsed with great loss, but the troops are to le 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 th e island. Th e t roops w ill have regained c o nfid ence 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 hive just proved so beneficial. THE CONVICT BISGROVE.—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 lacer ccratiott, L A nvEntimatst.l—iiollowny's Pills.—Ptlplintion of the heart freilueutly not only felt but hoard, prevents sleep and begets the utmost, dread of impending suffoca tion. The 2o Pills are particularly reUnnmended for re moving this affection, because they strengthen the nervous and debilitated, who are much more liable to this malady than other persons. Holloway's pills so improve the di gestion, increase the action of the liver, and give activity to the bowels, that giddiness, headache, and nausea depart as the palpitation diminishes, arid the sufferer at once ex periences the most indescribable relief from aa.iety. Hol loway's pills form the best alterative and aperient in all cases of convalescence from fevers, inflammations, neu ralgia, and all chronic caua,soo, whigLl have impoi - olialled On Wood and Drain. GRANTS DIFFICULTIES. (From the Nation.) Grant's opinions about the course the Govern ment ought, in his opioion, to pursue on the leading 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 Johnsonian sense, as covering what the Pre sident thinks ought: to be done, or is determined to have done by any Elea , s, fair or foul, within his reach, and without regard to the opinions of Con gresior 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 i his analysis. As regards economy, he is opposed to I 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 he 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. Jenckes'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 ployds, 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." " Copperhead; 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 be could show how the jobbers are organizing their forces and bow 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 I of the money hang firo 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 agen t s . We pass over, too, the arrant dishonesty 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 subjee'ed 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 44 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" limited 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 Setts 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 They then will sell out, rise through C o ngress. pass the profits to their batik 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 finds expression in the letter of a correspondent in an other column. The suggestion it contains as W 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 it 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 inntrincr slle, 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 are saved. DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, .are the largest holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is re. commended by tfhe medical profession in preference to French Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or exports tion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Danville and Co., Belfast; or 4, Beatdprt-bui/dings , 6traiacil Louclou W.Q.7-[Ad vertificruout.] ► THE CHARGE AGAINST THE DIRECTOBP. OF TIIE 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 he would say about it was that they had put forth a false circular, and one calculated to deceive the creditors of that company ; and lie would remark that all share holders ought to be kept in full knowledge of the affairs of the company, in order that they might not be deceived. Ily the circular which bad beefl issued, Mr. Lane and Mr. Childs had told the shareholders that at that date (25th May, IE,C6) 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 lie 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' Company ex ce pt 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 11 , Ir. 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 teat 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, Hankey, and Com 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 t o be wound up when Lane, Hankey, and Co. went. Mr. Spier, examined, said that lie 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 ' • EI. E. Chapman, ' 200 ; H e lb er t , 200 • Alderson, 200; Heritage, 10. Mr. Child s 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 belieN 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 Cr. 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 in his possession. Serjeart Parry : You have examined the books of this company. Can you tell me whether there were any trade losses in May 1866 ? 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 £3l 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, Hankey, 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 re-issuing 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 be £5 profit to the company. Mr. Lewis : Is it the custom of any public company to ,sue 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 several stocks of wood, and they realised the difference between debits, £19,570 Os. 10d., and the credits, £19,960 13s. 11d. The account of Lane, Hankey, and Co. was reduced by this £19,960. By a second transaction the debt of Lane, Hankey, and Co. was reduced by £9,531. Mr. Straight here objected that it would be more con yenient for all parties if 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 w as mos t 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 s'ated that he produced the original deed of 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 THE LATE 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. Reverdy Johnson, having recommended to his Government the adoption of this project, Mr. Bazley, 21. P., and ho had an interview with the American Minister on the subject, and had presented • memorial, signed by 44 or 45 ineuibers 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 hii Government, and commending it to its favourable conside ration. - - Clit/taIVoNS DOOMED !—The Sport, a Paris journal, a n izlunces that the great ladies of the French capital have determine, to abolish chignons. " The character of the head-dress," it ,;:vs, " is to undergo an important reform ; the command 11.'s -one forth that false hair and wigs . - , el not only so, but laieds are must be tepudiated. '• us is their own hair, for . is manifest on their , 11.0 , 11 ,, air is to be always to appeal. as if they "when the work of a I v fin r et i dh e ndo aya:tiiine-ite; an ,:ner words, a ten heads, prestige ceases. simply plaited, and con instead of assuming a pyramidal form, it is to harms thney to fall, like that of Niohe. In the evening it only be iistessary to put on the bead a crown, or a wreath of roses, of ivy, or of some creeping plant." The Sport adds :—"All is OVer with false hair, decked with gilded or metal articles. henceferth 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 orn amen t of the head." The authorities of the Ross Workhouse, Ilereford fordshireovero in jeopardy ou Wednesday. The wife and chil dren of a tramp had taken refuge in the workhouse, and the viife died there cf consumption. The tramp, a Seotchman, hearing of her death, walked from Liverpcol and too) , away his children, ono of whom was in a very dt•bilitated state. This child ultimately died in CA 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. Tho body of the 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. The master and matron said that all due attention had been paid to the case, and that when the father took the child away the worst of the soros 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 1;1 . natural causes," accelerated by detective 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 9th Dec. by the Esmer alda, which was favourable on the whole to the Paraguayans. The Standard of that city announced the Allied position to be critical, as Caxias, unable to attack Lopez at Villeta in front, had thrown his army into the Chaco to operate against the rear. The heavy rains and the rise in the river had com pelled him to recross, his situation then becoining critical, the passage being only accomplished after considerable loss. It was not till the French steamer had left Buenos Ayres, and was about to depart from Monte Video that the news of the great victory arrived. All as yet known is a tele" gram from General Osorio to the commander of the Argentine troops at Lls Palmas, a few miles below Valleta, closing with the statement that the war was over. Allowing that Osorio, as we had anticipated , had from the rear successfully attacked a p s ition impregnable to the Brazilians in f r o n t, and that Lopez had been compelled to retire w ith heavy loss , it does not follow that the war is over. Two con siderable natural fortifications lie on the road from Villeta to Ascension, to whi c h h e could re treat, and the Allies only account f or half his army, even if their numbers be not exag g erated, for Lopez was said to Lave from 12,000 to 15,000 . men• A correspondent on whom we can rely, and who knows all these countries well, writes to inform us that he had seen a letter, dated Bahia, 28th Dee.' from a gentleman who always gives some little de tails to his friends on the Paraguayan war, and whO is in a good position to do so, wherein no mention is made of any battle having been fought up to th e latest dates. Although our correspondent does not credit the report, which he alleges to come fool the Brazilian Legation, yet we in a measure do, believing that Lopez has retired from Villeta, 'find' ing his position untenable, after Osorio's flank march ; indeed the previous mail had announced a considerable movement of carts and baggage ant' mals in the Paraguayan camp, which it was thought indicated an early intention on his part to retire. We imagine the truth will be found in this, that Lopez intended to fall back and had carried out his design, but not without severe loss, for it is not an easy task to abandon a position long held in the 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 fur' tifications at Viletta, and taken up another Pos t which the Brazilians will be compelled to invest' His Excellency Gen. M'Mahon had an intervie w with Lopez, who agreed to give every satisfaeti ° the United States could justly claim, so these dila' cul ties are likely to be amicably arranged. It is pie tas well that the American Minister, with a strong squadron behind him, is on the spot ; and we hope that Admiral Davis will remain in the river, whe re his presence can scarcely fail to be a check on B ra' zilians dealing with the people o f P arag uay. 1 1/ London the news of the Slave Empire's success wag regarded from a business point of view. Paraguay is a nonentity in the markets, but Brazil aqd her allies take eight per cent. of British exports. Grea t ' therefore, is the rejoicing, on intelligence which th e mercantile community believe will strengthen the empire and enable her to consume more of the goods they are always ready to sell. If this be net s e elevated standpoint from which to view the 9. 1,1 eg: Lion, it is at least a practical one, and the instinct of the trader is too strong to be overcome, excep t where his own country is concer n ed, when th e stronger feeling of patriotism overcomes the - ru° r° sordid feeling of gain. 711 E LONDON PRESS. The Philadelphia Ledger informs us that an oil; cial return has be en f urn i s h e d t o P ar li am ent of s; the newspapers of the United Kingdom, with °l names of their proprietors. We confess that We have not seen it, but as the Ledger adds, " Disra el i is accused of having some malicious motive in , fishing facts hitherto known only to the Gal e , went," the British press may purposely have 'L ee dined to aid him in publishing information, it c! ° not desire should be generally known. The Tend es is returned as published by "Anna Brodie a% John Walter." N ow , thi s lit t l e sentence car ries 1 . 0 it a great disenchantment. The Thunderbol t t ., 0 considered to be the attribute o f J up it er , and t" e thunder manufactured in P r i n ti ng -h ous e-sqt r , was supposed to be in some mysterious way % o , nested with the gods. A nna B ro die and d° Walter arc doubtl e s s very respec t a bl e perso ° 7 3 but the idea of their taking John Bull by t b d, nose and wa lki ng hi m a l ong i s too goo d. fade :its it is not unlike some such transformation seen' d i. that of the gaudy illusion, which delights the a° d , ence at Covent-garden or Drury-lane, beings I,!3odenly wheeled rou n d an d th e b ac k l a id b ar e. e : 18 - 0 Daily News is p u bli s h e d b y S . M or l ey , Cba" of Reed, and Henry Labouchere, Libe r al members Parliament. The Daily Telegraph, by Moss, l' ev ;i: and Lawson ; the Star, by Henry Rawson, a T u t ': p Tory daily paper, by J o h nstone, an officer of v e Court of . Bankruptcy; the Morning Post, the ag a r ., of fashion, by Mr. Rideout ; the Morning' by tiser, by James Grant ; the Pall Mall Gazette, " ii ; George . Smith, the publisher of the Cornhill Ot t me." We lately noticed the last-mentioned Pir tle as having sandwich e d th e C orn hi ll b etwee n Quarterly Review and Blackwood, the two door , and most renowned peri o di ca l s . Th e Shilling gazine, which had just completed its ninth le,! / :, was described with th em as l y i ng on a c lub ta u ro before the present mem b ers o f th a t c lub W e eo born--a neat little thin g i n puffs had it net, bed a shade too glaring. A case no t un like this , furnished by the Times in last Thursday's 183 3 0 Turning from an Irish picture, it alludes to: r- American counterpart sent by our Philadelphia C O ' o l respondent a few days ago. It represented Gen sr Grant's reception of a Senator who wanted 018 t he sistance of the Government in improving w ho levees of the Lower Mississippi.' " New , er e wouldsuppose from this the "Americas countqS, st, had been cut bodily from the columns of tiw t he Louis Democrat, and had gone the rounds of Cot , American press? It was " our Philadelphiao dig' respondent" (by the way, the manufacturer of so d mal prospects") who produced this picture, so, dismal prospects they certainly are for the lobby t he " The Express is owned by the p r oprietors of Daily News, and the Globe by Sir Stafford 1 4 . 0 1 ,- cote, Secretary for India, in Disraeli's Adroi llis n et, tion. The Glowworm is a sma ll ev ening Paul out late at ni g ht, an d d ea li ng i n sensall'o news." There appears to be a very incomplete 1, turn of the weekly p ress , w hi c h i s suppos ed to C O sist of 16 journal s on l y !—th e S a t ur d a y Re v " all , the Spectator, the Economist, the Examiner, , a fbes l few more; indeed those o n ly we enumerate d ", alluding to the newspaper clique. Such a paP. e ' is Lloyd's Weekly News, whose circulation isua, excess of all of them put together, is utterly t he known. The impression is actually given that erg, weekly press of London is confined to sixteen PaP oi d while far more than twice that numb er are born ve t die every year in the metropolis alone. we leave the Ledger to speak for itself. " Ac' 1.4 ing to the above statement, the London P r . e d of composed of eleven dailies an d s i x t een weekh e 'io , all kinds. The list, however, we believe to b e complete. The whol e number of newspapers V ri- prea in England, but out s id e o f London, and regltieo at the Government office, is about 650. fo i l 130 , thereare 34 ; in Sc o tl an d 135 ; i n Ireland' 006 his brings th e en ti re num b er o f dailies up weeklies published in Great Britain and Irela nd to about one thousand.—Anglo-Americaa 7 iptes. Births. wi le LOWTHER —On the 27th inst., at Ampthill-park , a le of Wm. Lowth er , E sq ., M.P., of a son. ~ „ Iso + MORETON—On the 26th inst., at Worthing, the 00-* , R. Moreton, of a s on . .Elfe 47' SuEnLocx—On the 25th inst., at Limerick, the - rapt. Shorlock, 72d Highlanders, of adaughter• Marriages. g ßil b l4' st • HOWMAN—GREENWAY — On the 27 th inst., at -- t • Warwick, Henry Aithur Howman, to Lett ittivoi, youngest daughter of the late George : ° C. O re Esq., of Warwick. aeow PALMER—WELLS On the 26th inst., at Battersea, ':;at,clo, Arthur, eldest son of J. Palmer, Esq., of 01,30YA.Weil', to Frances Carr, eldest daughter of the lateVir-1.1 Esq., of Battersea-rise. Deaths. Dire, BACCILUS—On the 23d inst., at Apsley Guise, Bodf°l.°P Mr. Wm. Bacchus, aged 60. Geo. BALDWIN—On the 26th inst. , at Fakenhatn, Norton', Thomas Baldwin, aged 51. DEWY—On the 23th imt., at Twickenham, Robert Esq., aged 87. Com p -ro ad ' ' MAUDE— On the 27th inst., John Maude, 801 l C°1:11. Leeds, aged 73. AN London : Printed and Pabliehed by WILLIAI-.. A of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TRH SUN Otac3boet9 Strand, in the Precinct of the Se voy, in the Aliddleien t —Friday, JoAutary 20, 1869.