The Sun. — London, England, 1865-01-28 00:00:00

Inauguration Banquet of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. DUBLIN, Friday Morning. The inauguration banquet of the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor took place yesterday evening in the round room of the Mansion-house. At least 600 gentlemen were present, and the gallery was occu pied by a large number of ladies. The room was brilliantly lighted up with gas and chandeliers. Immediately over the entrance was placed the Royal Arms in coloured glace, surrounded by a garland, consisting of the shamrock, rose, and thistle in the same material. The band of the con stabulary was placed in the gallery, and played during the evening a selection of music. At seven o'clock his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant arrived from the Castle, attended by Mr. Wodehouse, pri vate secretary, and Capt. Everard, assistant private secretary. He was accompanied by a mounted guard of honour. Shortly after his excellency's arrival the company took their seats in the round room—the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor in the chair. To the left of his lordship were—His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, the Earl of Clancarty, the Right Hon. Joseph Napier, Mr. Justice O'Brien, Judge Dobbs, Mr. Justice Keogh, the Solicitor-General, Mr. Serjeant Sullivan, the Right Hon. James Whiteside, M.P., Sir James Power, Bart., Sir Percy Nugent, Bart., Mr. George, M.P., Col. Taylor, M.P., Sir George Hodson, Bart., Judge Kelly, the Ven. the Arch deacon. of Dublin, Dr. Beatty, President of the College of Physicians, the Hon. Mr. Boyle, Sir John Gray, &c. To his lordship's right were—Alderman M'Swiney, the Right Hon. the Recorder, the Earl of Charlemont, Lord James Butler, Judge Keatinge, Major-Gen. Larcom, K.C.8., Sir Edward Grogan, M.P., the Hon. George Hancock, Lord St. Law rence, the Right Hon. A. Brewster, Q.C., Hon. Charles Trench, the Very Rev. the Dean of St. Patrick's, Sergeant Armstrong, John Vance, M.P., Judge Berwick, Col. Dunne, M.P., Capt. De Courcy, R.N., Isaac Butt, Q.C., M.P., lon Trant Hamilton, M.P., Sir Colman O'Loghlen, John Little, Esq., Mayor of Belfast, &c. The dinner was of the most re'cherche description, After the cloth was removed, the Lord Mayor pro. posed the usual loyal toasts, which were most warmly honoured. He then rose to propose " The Health of the Lord Lieutenant." He said he felt very proud of having present on that occasion a nobleman so able and of such experience and celebrity as Lord Wodehouse. He had not been long amongst them, but since he came he had shown, by his great tact and ability, his capacity for performing the part of a right Viceroy for Ireland. He was thoroughly acquainted with questions of a social and economic character, and he felt assured, from what he had heard and read, he had at heart the welfare of Ire land. He considered his excellency's presence amongst them that evening was an evidence that there was no chance of the Government of this country abolishing the office of Lord Lieutenant. He believed its abolition would cause great injury to Ireland. He maintained that the existence of the Viceregal Court, around which the aristocracy and gentry of the country could assemble, was of great value, and it was also of great importance to have a man of ability and judgment directing the govern mental business of the country in Dublin. Every man of sense and judgment would agree with him that the present system of absenteeism was doing a vast amount of injury to Ireland. (Hear.) It was most injurious to have so many of the nobility and gentry of Ireland spending in other countries the revenue they derived from this. (Cheers.) He held the principle that a landlord was bound to spend at least some of his rents among those who mama them for him. He also held that the presence of the nobi lity and gentry tended much to elevate the moral and social condition of the people by precept and example. Their absence worked a contrary effect, and much of the present state of Ireland might be accounted for in that way. (Hear.) After referring to the proposed measure for the sale of land by regis try of title, and to the necessity for a complete system of drainage to be carried out by the Imperial Govern ment, the Lord Mayor adverted to the advantage conferred on this country by the extended growth of flax in Ireland, consequent on the prosecution of the American war, and concluded by proposing "The Health of the Lord Lieutenant and Prosperity to Ireland." (Applause.) The LORD LIEUTENANT, who, on rising, was re ceived with loud cheers, said :—My Lord Mayor, my lords, and gentlemen,—l most sincerely thank you for the very kind welcome which you have given to the toast that has been proposed by the Lord Mayor in terms so very kind towards myself. Since I have been in this country I have received many kind words of welcome, and I deeply feel how much I owe to those who have been pleased by their words of welcome, to encourage me in the task which I have undertaken. I feel most deeply the responsi bility of the office which I have the honour to hold, and I am most truly desirous to make use of that office, as far as lies in my power, for the good of the people of Ireland. My Lord Mayor, I have received, beside words of welcome, many deputa tions, who have addressed me upon subjects of great interest and importance to this country. I have listened with great attention to what they have said, and I trust that I have not too much disappointed some of those gentlemen who came to me by not always being able to agree in the views they may entertain. In considering the interests of a whole country there are balances of opinions to be looked to—there are balances of interests—and what may be for the advantage of one section of the commu nity may interfere with that of another section ; and it is necessary that he who has to advise the Government on these subjects should take the whole country into his consideration, and not any particular section of it. (Hear, hear.) It is a pleas ing thing to say " Yes," but it is, unfortunately, too often the duty of a man in my position to say "No." All I can ask is this, that you will give a fair con sideration to the opinions I may form, and I pro mise you, at least, I will make a frank and honest declaration of them. (Cheers.) My Lord Mayor, you were pleased to couple with my name that which is of far greater importance than the health of any man who may hold the position I occupy —I mean the toast of " The Prosperity of Ire land." (Cheers.) Now, I ventured when I had the honour of addressing a similar assembly to this, under the patronage of your late excellent Lord Mayor—l ventured then to say that, though the condition of Ireland may not be all we wish for now, yet I saw some hopeful signs. Now, since I have come here I have taken some pains to see whether the state of the country bears out the view that I then ventured to express, and I will lay before you very shortly two or three facts, which I hope will be well weighed by those who are continually dinning in our ears that Ireland is a ruined country. (Hear.) gshall trouble you with but very few facts, for this is not an occasion for enlarging on such subjects. Let me point out to you one remarkable fact. Since the year 1847, which was the year I referred to on a former occasion—since that year the tonnage in 'wards and outwards in twenty of the principal tom of this country has increased no less than 45 Pe..T cent. Now it exceeds ten millions in extent, and that at least is a proof that you have shared in the general advances of trade. lam happy to say that the port of Dublin has shared remarkably in that increase. In port of Dublinthe year 1862 the tonnage of the inwards and outwards was 2 000 000 as compared with I,lBO'OOU tons in the year 1847. (Hear, hear.) Fact s are better than arguments, and you with em for that reason I troubl e It may be a lso pleasing for you to know that this to a great extent owned by Irishmen, and ship . w pi o n r g ke is d mcr increasing by Irish capital. Shipbuilding has been in the port of Dublin , t h e port o.Drogheda,easi port of Belfast, and ot her p orts i n Ireland. the now allude to one or two other indication s of im provement. Let me point out to you that the cri me __ the serious crime of the country—is decreasi ng . - (Hear.) During the last two year—l mean the years 1862 and 1863—there was an increase of the offences for which penal servitude is awarded ; but that increase has been followed by a considerable diminution in the year that has just passed ; and, as regards the condition of the cityof Dublin, I under stand the reports of the police for the past year will show that there has been a vast decrease in the city of Dublin of offences against the law, and especially of .the graver offences. I will only refer to one other matter in connection with this sul ject—l mean the poverty of the country. Although there are some spots where great poverty exists, yet upon the whole the number of paupers relieved out of the poor rates during the last three months of winter that have just passed have considerably decreased as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. Now, these are facts which indicate progress and improvement ; but, undoubtedly, there is another side to the picture. The prosperity of Ireland, it must be admitted, is a thing still to be wished for and to be worked for rather than to be enjoyed and admired. (Hear, hear.) There is staring us in the face this paramount fact, the para mount feature of these times, one which every man who would understand the condition of the country must take into account. I mean the vast emigration of the people from Ireland. Now any man who has not formed an opinion on that subject cannot be held to have any sound or just views of the state of the country, and while I regret that the labouring classes of this country should find it more for their advantage to leave their native home than to re main at home ; deeply as I regret that they should carry with them, as I fear they too often do, across the Atlantic feelings of discontent against the Go vernment under whichthey had lived, feelings which may influence to some extent the great Republic at the other side of the Atlantic—deeply as I re gret this, yet I am convinced that no measures however desirable, for giving increased employ ment to them at home, and increasing the re sources of the country, could place the prosperity of.the country on a sound and just basis unless it were accompanied by the emigration. My Lord Mayor—Let me remind you of the fact that wages in this country—the remuneration of labour—have been.low, and are still low, and people will go to those countries where they will receive a higher re muneration for their labour, and no man can blame them for so going, and no wise man will wish them to remain when they can obtain in another greater comfort and greater prosperity. :(Hear, hear.) I might tell you that there is a slight diminution in the emigration of the past year as compared with that of the year before ; but let me entreat you to take this fact into consideration, that emigration, though on a larger scale in Ireland than in other countries, is not peculiar to this country. (Hear.) If you will look to the position of other agricultural countries, you will find that the same. thing more or less predominates. I would wish you to take into account this strong fact. In the distant part of England with which I am especially connected, and whose district swarms with agriculturists, the last census shows this remarkable state of things, that whereas a great increase of the population of Eng land and Wales had taken place, a great diminution had taken place in the agricultural districts. And why was this ? Because the wages are exceedingly low. They only earned about 9s. a week, which - at this moment is point out to you what an advantage the increase of that manufacture has been to the agriculture of the country, when I state to you the great augmentation of flax which has recently taken place. Last year there under cultivation in Ireland 300,000 acres of flax, as compared with less than 100,000 acres in 1858. Remembering how the im provement of one industry acts upon another, we may look upon the increase in manufacturing indus try as a great benefit and improvement to the whole country. (Hear, hear.) That is only one branch. Another is the woollen manufacture. The woollen manufacture, too, has been gradually lifting itshead. The number of mills for woollen manufactures has increased, I am told, during the last five years from 9to 48. (Hear, hear.) This is a small, but still it is a sensible increase, and I will undertake to say that, whereas there was a time when, to our shame be it spoken, we in England wished to retard wool len manufactures in Ireland, there is no Englishman now but will rejoice to hear of the prosperity of the woollen manufacture, There are other branches of industry which I might refer to, but I will only glance - ,at one, and that is a very remarkable pro duction—l mean the production of porter, which 1 has been carried on with such immense success by one of the most distinuished citizens of the metro polis. (Hear, hear.) I associate the name of Mr. B. L. Guinness with the manufacture of porter. Let almost as low as in some parts of Ireland, and the people have gone where they will obtain a bet ter remuneration for their labour, and by going they have benefited themselves and they have benefited the class remaining. This cannot be attributed to any want of improvement of the land, for no land could be better cultivated than that in the portion of the country with which lam connected. It can not be ascribed to any bad feeling between land lord and tenant, for I will venture to say there is no part of the world where a better feeling exists be tween the landlord and the tenant. It cannot arise from the condition of the labouring classes, for in no place have greater efforts been made to improve their condition, but it results from this, that they who go obey the economic law of offering their labour to the best market. Far be it from me to shut out from consideration the duty of endeavouring to stop this emigration by opening new sources of employ ment for the people, for I feel that if we don't use the advantages which Providence has, as it were, placed within our grasp, a great opportunity may escape us of enabling the people of Ireland to en joy that more contented prosperity which they de serve. Now, lam greatly struck and much rejoiced to find that so much attention has been turned, espcially here in Dublin, to the subject of manu factures. (Hear, hear.) The Lord Mayor has re ferred to the vast increase of the linen manufacture, which is so well known to all that I need not en large upon it ; but I would for a moment point out to you the great increase of imports. You have in creased your trade in Dublin, and I heard a few days ago, that the Custom-house officers were so very hard worked that they would have to apply for help, and the increase of spirits, wine, and tobacco, which are luxuries to a great extent, has been con siderable. During the last 20 years Mr. Guinness has extended extensively the porter trade, and, whilst he exports from Dublin large quantities, there is a great increase of imports. I take this opportu nity of congratulating the city of Dublin on the noble work of the restoration of St. Patrick's Cathe dral, which is now almost completed, and which is shortly to be brought to such an excellent termina tion. Mr. Guinness will permit me to say that he has instituted an example of munificence which con fers the highest honour upon the city to which he belongs, and when we see the accumulation of great wealth accompanied by so generous and disinterested a use to benefit society, we know that the accumu lation of that wealth will tend to the benefit of our city. I am looking forward to the moment in the coming year—l think it would be unwise, indeed, if I were to attempt any prediction—when the Ex hibition will be inaugurated. We know very well how the hopes of those were cast aside who pre dicted for the Exhibition of 1851 that it would in augurate a year of peace. We have reason now to congratulate ourselves upon the peaceful prospects of our country. We are, happily, exempt from any foreign quarrels, and I think we may finally hope that your Exhibition will take place during a time of peace, tranquillity, and harmony, and that the display of arts and industries will be one which will make this year memorable in the annals of the city of Dublin. (Loud applause.) Speeches were afterwards delivered by Mr. White side, Judge Keogh, Mr. I. Butt, the Earl of Clan - carty, the city members, and others. The company did not separate until past 1 a.m. RUSSIAN POLICY TOWARDS POLAND.—The Mos cow Gazette publishes a political review of the year, in which the following passage occurs with regard to Po land :—" Polish nationality cannot have an existence along side that of Russia, and thus the conciliation between us and the Poles is a matter of impossibility. All concessions made to the Poles would simply be a source of new and l direful misfortune to the two countries. In fairness to Po land we desire to destroy these illusions for ever, and their consti tution of dreams of national independence. Polish nationality should effectleinterior afon with the Russian nationality, without which peace of the empire, and even the solid consti . Good policy side of the Polish' Catholicism may Church. Russia, will be impossible to her. The religious interests in the P should keep political interests question is a far different affair. Roman subsist and h e ci v u en est fl io o n ur .n ish alongside of our points out to our government that it Polish entirely separated from re ligious rHE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 28, 1865. Charge against a Limited Liability Company, At the Mansion-house police-court yesterday, the Little Hampton, Havre, and Honfleur Steamship Company (Limited), of 4, Arthur-street East, City, were summoned before the Lord Mayor, upon the complaint of Mr. James Ellis, of No. 61, Basinghall-street, that they being a com pany under " The Companies Act, 1862," and having capi tal divided into shares, unlawfully did make default in com plying with the provisions of sec. 26 of the said act, with respect to forwarding the list of the members of the said company, and the summary of particulars thereby required to the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, contrary to sec. 27 of the said act. Mr. Lewis, jun., appeared to support the complaint, and Mr. Poland, barrister, for the defence. The summons was originally returnable on Thursday, and when called on Mr. Poland applied to have the hearing adjourned, upon the ground that an order had been made by the Master of the Rolls to wind up the company under the Compulsory Act, and on the previous day the parties had attended before the registrar that the order might be made out, and under the circumstances he contended that while these proceedings were pending, the Lord Mayor had no jurisdiction. The Lord Mayor, however, decided that he had juris. diction, and said he should hear the summons. . ... Mr. Poland protested against the jurisdiction, and said he should, therefore, decline to appear to the summons, and withdrew. Mr. Lewis then proceeded to open his case, and in doing so he went into the circumstances under which the com pany was formed, and it appeared that it was originally started in June, 1863, and was registered in July in the same year. The capital, according to the balance-sheet that was published to the public, was £7,492, in shares of £lO each, £1 of which was paid up. Mr. Lewis proceeded to detail the items in the balance-sheet, one of which was £7,000 for promoting and prelimi nary expenses, leaving but a few hundred pounds to trade with, In the course of the past year they got into debt to the extent of £4,000, and when the balance-sheet was published it was quite time that the gentlemen interested presented a petition to the Master of the Rolls. At a general meeting of the shareholders a resolution had been passed to windup voluntarily, which, if carried out, would, he said, have stifled every inquiry into the matter. The Master of the Rolls, after hearing the facts, gave a very decided opinion as to the course he intended to pursue, which Mr. Lewis hoped, would be to bring back some of the £7,000 from the pockets of those who had the benefit of it. The Lord Mayor asked who was the promoter of the company ? Mr. Lewis said, a gentleman named Elborough ; but he did not propose to mention the names of the directors. He proposed to show that a proper list of the members had not been deposited at the registrar's office. Mr. Spicer, the clerk in the office of the Registrar of Joint Stoek Companies, was called, and said the Little Hampton, Havre, and Honfleur Steamship Company (Limited) was registered in July, 1863, and on the 17th January, 1865, the company sent a list of shareholders. It showed the amount of shares paid up to be £7,495, and the amount of shares _ _ forfeited none. The total number of shares registeredwere 392, of which 235 stood in the name of Mr. Elborough. He could not say when the general meeting was held, but if the list had not been sent in before the expiration of the 14 days after the general meeting it would not be received. There was no one present toprove that the meeting was held, and the proceedings were adjourned until yesterday, when Mr. Poland appeared to answer the summons, although he said he did not waive the point as to the jurisdiction. Mr. Felix Henry Wood was called, who said he was the secretary to the Little Hampton, Havre, and Honfleur Steamship Company, and had been secretary two or three months. He succeeded Mr. Griffiths, who was preceded by Mr. Elborough. He produced the minute book containing the proceedings at that meeting. Mr. Lewis remarked that there were only two entries in the minute book. Witness, in answer to Mr. Lewis, said he had not a list of those present. Mr. Bariman, of 38, Gracechurch-street, was the chairman. That was the meeting at which the balance-sheet was passed. He did not know how many shareholders were present. Mr. Poland wished to ask Mr. Ellis a few questions, but he was informed that that gentleman was not present ; but Mr. Lewis said if Mr. Poland would tell him whathe wanted to know he might be able to admit it. Mr. Poland said he wished to know whether it was true that Mr. Ellis was not an original allottee, but • held scrip certificates from • another shareholder; that he had never applied in writing to be put in the register ; and that he was the person who filed the petition to wind up the coin- Tatty, all of which Mr. Lewis admitted was perfectly true. Mr. Poland then proceeded to address his lordship, and said he would not trouble him with the question as to juris diction ; and in reference to what had been said by Mr. Lewis in respect of the disposal of the £7,000, he might say that the directors would not flinch from an investigation into the way in which it had been expended, at the proper time. It was a matter quite irrelevant to the question at issue, the only question being whether or not the register had been sent in according to the requirements of the act of Parliament. The company was started for the purpose of establishing a large traffic between Littlehampton and Havre and Honfleur, and as it was a new business, of course required capital to carry it out, and must be at first trans acted with some loss ; but if sufficient capital could have heen obtained it would no doubt have succeeded. Being a new scheme it was no doubt difficult to get capital, and the shares being £lO each, it was thought better to issue scrip certificates, which could be transferred from hand to hand, and he read one of the articles of association to that purport. Mr, Lewis said that in the interpretation clause it said that the shareholders should include scripholders as well as members. Mr. Poland said nevertheless the holders of scrip were not members of the company. The answer which he had to the charge contained in the summons was, he said a bond fide one. He said that when scrip certificates were supplied the parties were not registered as members until they had sent in a written application for that to be done, and until they were registered he contended that they could not in any way be said to be members of that company. The question was who was to be put on the list ? The list was made out and deposited on the very day required ; but the directors, wishing to comply with the act, had taken opinion of Mr. Carr, the solicitor, upon the matter, and he was of opinion that all the original allottees ought to be in cluded as members of the company on the 10th January. The question was discussed, and the opinion of Mr. Horace Loyd, a gentleman of reputation, was taken, and he stated that he was of opinion that inasmuch as the scrip might have passed out of the hands of the original allottees, they ought not to be included as members of the company on January 10, as it might prejudice their rights. Then, again, the holders of the scrip could not be included, as the scrip might have passed through many hands, and the present holders not having brought in their certificates, or given notice in writing to be placed on the list, perhaps could not be found. Acting upon this opinion, the directors, as they thought, complied with the act of Parliament, in sending the list of the registered members as they appeared from their books. That a mistake might have been made he allowed was possible, but he submitted that they could not willingly infringe the act ; and to show that the directors had acted in a bona fide manner he should call Mr. Carr, the solicitor to the company. The Lord Mayor asked if he was to understand from Mr Poland that the scripholders were not liable for the just debts of the company ? Mr, Poland thought the original allottees were liable. The Lord Mayor said that was something at variance with Mr. Poland's argument. Mr. Poland said they were, he thought, liable, although they could not be said to be members of the company. Mr. A. Carr, 25, Rood-lane, solicitor, was then called by Mr. Poland. He said he was the solicitor to the Little Hampton, Havre, and Honfleur Steamship Company Com pany (Limited). He was consulted as to the making out of the list of the members of the company, and at his request a list of sthe whole of the allottees was prepared. It was his impression that the whole of the allottees, including the members of the company, should go. There were some doubts as to that, and the opinion of counsel was taken ; he prepared a case for the opinion of Mr. Horace Loyd, and after that, instead of a list of allottees a list of the re gular shareholdrs, about 19 in number, was sent in, the number of shares represented being 300 or 400. The order for winding up the company had been made, but had not been served. In answer to Mr. Lewis, Mr. Carr said he had acted as solicitor to the company since its commencement, and drew up the articles of association, and the one with regard to the scripholders. There was a petition filed to wind up the company; and at a general meeting a resolution was passed to wind up voluntarily, but it was before it was known that the petition had been filed. He could not tell how many members were present at the meeting. By the articles it required five to make a quorum. There were more than five present, but he could not say how many there were. He knew the meeting was legally constituted. Mr. Lewis addressed his lordship upon the point of law raised by Mr. Poland, as to whether or not the original allottees were to be considered as members, and he con tended that they were clearly so. The Lord Mayor said he certainly thought the public ought to have some protection, and that a proper list of shareholders ought to be made out, that it might be known who was liable for any debts incurred. However, it was a matter which had been very properly brought forward, and would show the public how some of the new companies were got up. Mr. Poland, in answer to Mr. Lewis, said that the ques tion was whether or not the Act of Parliament had been infringed, and if so he contended that the evidence of Mr. Carr showed a desire on the part of the directors to comply with the act, and if there had been a mistake it had not been done with the intention of violating the act. The Lord Mayor said he had taken the opinion of Mr. Oke, and should decide upon his advice, although it would be against his own opinion. Mr. Oke said the opinion he had formed was upon three grounds—First, that the list of members mentioned in the 26th section of the" Companies' Act, 1862, under which the summons was taken out, clearly meant a list of those per sons whose names were in the register of members, as ap- peared by section 23 and the articles of association, by which a distinction was drawn between a register of mem bers and a scrip register, and consequently the list sent to the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies, which included all the names in the register of members, and excluded all those of share or scrip holders, was in compliance with the act. Secondly, that if that view were incorrect, the com pany having acted under the advice of counsel in returning a list to the registrar with the scrip holders omitted, could not in law be said to have unlawfully and wilfully made default in complying with the provisions of the act. Thirdly, if these two grounds failed, the 87th section would stay any further proceedings before the court after it was proved, as it had been, that the Court of Chancery had made an order for the winding up of the company. The summons was accordingly dismissed. • Dlr. Lewis, on the part of the complainant, asked for a case to take before the Court of Queen's Bench, which his lordship thought a very proper course to pursue, and thought it was one of those cases that the more the circum stances were laid before the public the better it would be. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. GOVERNMENT AND THE RAILWAYS. Mr. WATxn, M.P., at the meeting of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Linconshire Railway Company on Wednes day, said they had heard that the railways were to be pur chased by the Government under the Act of 1844, and an essay on the subject would be shortly published. The Economist had been writing very able articles advocating a -------- • Railway Boards were declared to be constituted of materials, and railway pro. prietors to be unstable. The purchase of the whole £400,000,000 of railway property by the nation was alleged to be the remedy for defective management, high rates, and a discordant policy. But upon the question of control and working these writers tried to escape an obvious difficulty by proposing to let the working to contractors. Both in England and in France this had been tried, and given up after trial. The first Russian railways were worked by American contractors at so much a verst, and it was found that the mile-posts had a curious attraction for each other, and for two years a third ,more distance was paid for than was ever worked over. Such a mode of working the 12,000 miles of British and Irish railways would be too large an affair for individuals, and the contractors would again become companies. Where, then, would be the gain of individual force or interest which was insisted upon ? If the State owned the corpus of the railways and the moving plant and a contractor or contracting company worked and applied them, what a temptation would exist to run down the property and plant in order to extract a higher rate of profit ! In fact, it was found in practice that where the owners and workers were one and had one interest, the in- tegrity of the property was and must be more fully consi dered than where one party hadan interest to spend as little in renewals and the other as much as possible. A high con- dition of repair meant a high condition of safety, and he preferred himself to travel upon a company's rather than on a contractor's railway. The act of 1844 merely affected railways constructed after May 1, 1845, so that part of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Company's line was under it, and part not. For himself, and speaking en tirely in the interests of the companies he belonged to, he was ready to express his entire readiness to hand over to Government and Government officials the property, the working of it, and all its thousand-fold responsibilities and anxieties. Many of those who had helped to make this grand railway system what it was would, personally speak ing, rejoice to find that Government did as much for the country in the future as the companies had done in the past. But they must consider the question not merely as railway proprietors, but as citizens of a great and free country, and in its bearings upon the industrial life and political inde- pendence of the people. The country had always grown greater when Government had let industry alone, and had always gone back when Government had put itself in the place of the self-reliant action of the people. Of late years, following the light of political economy, their general po licy had been for the people to do as much for themselves and the Government as little as possible. He feared, there fore, that whatever his own interests, he couldnot argue in favour of their increasing the national debt by £400,000,0 00 or more, and of allowing the working of the lines to be farmed as the French taxes were before the Revolution. He did not contend that the present system was perfect. It had had to be elaborated from day to day by perpetual experi ment. It was now only 30 years old, and its earlier stages were harassed and impeded by an amount of obstruction on the part of both Houses of Parliament and of landowners which was well illustrated in the "Life of George Stephen son." In fact, he contended that Government and Govern ment contractors would make it less perfect, and might stop the tide of progress and improvement. The act of 1844 could only come into force after a special act had been passed, so that it was merely declaratory after all. It proposed the power to reduce the tolls of all lines paying more than 10 per cent., but so that their dividends should not thereby be less than 10 per cent. And it proposed the power to pur chase all other lines sanctioned after 1845, at 25 years' pur chase upon the " annual divisible profits" of the preceding three years, subject,however,to arbitration should the com pany consider such a price not equal to the real value of the line. All that was fair enough, but it must, he thought, be a mere dead letter for various reasons. There were some 250,000 employes connected with railways. Only ima gine a party Government armed with the nomination and control of such a body, and able to distribute to political partisans or the incapable relatives of electioneering agents some £12,000,000 a year in salaries and wages. How long would political independence be English words ? (Ap plause.) How soon would our country resemble France in the latter days of Louis Philippe, when it was said that for every voter there was a place and placeman ? But while. agreeing with the Times newspaper that it would be unwise and impolitic, even if possible, tomake our Government the common carrier for the nation, he thought the agitation of this question paved the way for some reconsideration, after all these years of experience, of the relations of the railway companies, the State, and the general public. That recon sideration would start with the inquiry how far it was con sistent with true political economy, and, if consistent, to what extent was further or other legislation required ? And it would include those political measures of concert between the railway interests and the State which were likely to ex tend by mutual action the efficiency of the great railway machine. He understood that onehon. member was think ing of a Parliamentary committee on the Act of 1844, and that others were meditating a commission. He confessed that a committee of a moribund Parliament seemed hardly able to deal with this question, but a commission fairly selected was quite another thing. A commission which contained the elements of high thought and undoubted practical ex perience would not ignore political consequences in dealing with commercial interests, nor would it be led away by the prejudice which local claims or sectional trade interests might express through members of Parliament on the eve of a general election. Of course he spoke in his individual capacity only, but; it seemed to him that a commission which included such names as Neill and Newmarch, and representing the practical railway men, Galton, Swift, Clarke, and Allport, ought to be satisfactory to all, and that such a body of men of thought and of action might well re port to the next Parliament upon the future relations of railways with the State, upon any general legislation re quired by public interests, upon the question of credit, and upon the economy and efficiency of the future. It must be always borne in mind that railways could not be station ary. The system was yet far from complete. Every line must keep expending capital to keep pace with its traffic, and as severity of the service increased the working cost augmented. It was not like a lighthouse, the cost of which was the same whether one ship or a thousand paid toll for passing. Every new ton or person carried involved a new outlay of capital after a very short limit of time, and a new and additional cost. A commission might very well consider whether four or five large systems bound to interchange with each other by a thorough system of working might not be better than 50 or 60 smaller ones; whether a better co-operation in the interests of the public might not be established between company and company ; and whether rates might not be equalised, perhaps in some cases lowered with advantage, both to the railways and the public. The State, too, might consider how much of the £500,000 or £600,000 a year paid for postal and military service to rail ways might be paid by the mere loan of the Government credit and guarantee on loans and capital, in place of, as now, money payment taken out of the taxation of the coun try ; and it might listen to the arguments in favour of allow ing a confederation of large railway companies to become mutual guarantors for a limited amount of capital avail able for trustees. Evidence might also be taken as to the better adaptation of the plant of railway companies for the conveyance of military stores and cavalry horses ; and some scheme might be devised whereby the inventions of mecha nical men should not, as was too often the case now, be absorbed by rapacious patentees, or be thrown aside by their very abundance, but be carefully considered and re ported upon by some competent tribunal. LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST. The report of the directors states that the amount of capital raised to Dec. 311ast was £12,314,528, consisting of £4,967,260 ordinary stock and shares, £4,311,202 preferen tial stock, £1,750,510 mortgage debt, and £1,285,556 de benture stock. The amount of capital expended during the half-year had been £793,472. The gross revenue for the half-year ending Dec. 31 last had been £582,629, showing an increase of £45,469 over the corresponding half of 1863, and making the gross revenue for 1864, £1,048,930, or £48,955 in excess of that of the year 1863, and £23,507 over that of the Exhibition year of 1862. The traffic of the first three weeks of 1865, notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather, showed an increase of £7,445 over that for the same period of 1864. The total working expenses and renewals amounted to £292,498, or 51 per cent., against £273,209, or 52 per cent., for the corresponding half of 1863, showing an increase of £19,289. The cost per train mile was 2s. 11d., against 2s. 11id. in 1863. The increase in the working expenses arose from the increased mileage, and from the necessity of providing the proper staff for new stations,and maintaining the line and plant in a state of com plete efficiency. The revenue of the half-year was debited with the usual £7,000 in respect of the permanent way im pohroarvgeme f e o n r t f ae nte co r u es n t t, o a n n o d a i p t f h ta ad l e l ax a pe d n a d ls o o d t o o n be th ar e a ß n o a n ddi o t r io a n o a d l the Seaford lines. The works on the South London line, the London-bridge enlargement, and the widening of the Greenwich viaduct were progressing satisfactorily, and the whole would be completed before the end of the present year. The directors remained of opinion that a considerable addi tion to the revenue would be derived on the completion of this important metropolitan communication. The contracts had been let for the line from Peckham through Streatham and Mitcham and Sutton, and for the improved approach to the Victoria station. The works on the Leatherhead and Dorking line, as well as on that from Dorking to Horsham, forming the second through line to Brighton, were also pro ceeding:rapidly. The South Croydon line and the Newtown Station at Croydon would be ready for traffic during the present half-year. The arrangements for the land for the Kemp-town line and station were very forward ; the work ing plans were completed, and the contract would be shortly let. At the special meeting of the 19th December last the amalgamation of the following undertakings with this com pany was concluded—namely, the Brighton, Uckfield, and Tunbridge-wells, the East Grinstead, Groombridge, and Tunbridge-wells, the Banstead and Epsom Downs, and the Horsham and Guildford. The works on all these lines were progressing rapidly ; the two first will be ready for traffic before the end of the year, the other two within a few months. The only line promoted by the company in the present Session was that from Hailsham to St. Leonard's, in substitutiOn for the branch rejected last year. Powers are also sought for some deviations and improvements of lines which had been previously authorised. The ne t amount at the credit of the revenue account was £154,993, out of which the directors recommended the payment of a dividend of 3 per cent. for the half -year, payable on the 13th of February, amounting to £849,017, leaving a balance to the credit of the current half-year of £5,976, and making the dividend for the year 1864 amount to 51 per cent. RAILWAY BILLS. Yesterday the standing order proofs of both Houses of Parliament were declared complied with before the Exa miners, Messrs. Smith and Frere. DEAL AND DOVER.—For a railway from Deal to Walmer and Dove; and abandonment of the Deal Extension of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway. Capital, £150,000 ; loan, £50,000. MANSFIELD AND RETFORD.—For,a railway fromthe Not tingham and Mansfield branch of the Midland to the Great Northern at Retford. Capital, £250,000 ; loan, £83,000. WHITEHAvEN AND FURITESS.—To extend the railway from Millom to the Furness Railway at Dalton. Capital, £120,000 ; loan, £40,000. GLASGOW AND SOUTH-WESTERN, MAYBOLE AND GIRVAN, AYR AND MAYBOLE, CASTLE DOUGLAS, DUMFRIES, AND KIRECUDBRIGHT.—AmaIgamation . CALEDONIAN.—To make a railway from Barrhead to Paisley, with branches. Capital, £150,000; loan, £50,000. KILRUSH AND KILKEE.—TO extend the railway and to grant further time for the conception of the works. SCOTTISH NORTH-EASTERN. —TO vest the Carmyllie pri vate railway in this company. Capital, £25,000 ; loan, £B,OOO. CLITHEROE AND WEST RIDING JUNCTION. DUBLIN PORT TRAILWAYS:POWer to use existing funds and borrow £25,000. The Bills for the following lines were withdrawn : Moretonhampstead and South Devon, Hemel Hempstead and London and North-Western, and the Knutsford and Warrington. The non-compliances in certain respects included the Huddersfield and Halifax for a railway between these points. Capital, £300,000 ; loan, £lOO,OOO. NORTHAMPTON AND BANBURY JUNCTION. — For devia- tions. The opposed cases partly heard and adjourned were the Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Nuneaton, and the Vale of Crick howell (western extension). YORK CITY AND COUNTY BANKING COMPANY. The annual meeting of the shareholders of this company was held on Thursday, Mr. Alderman Meek, of Middle thorpe-lodge, presiding. The report was of a highly satis factory nature. A dividend and bonus equal to 14 per cent. on the increased capital of the bank was declared, and a sum of £4,528 odd was carried to the reserved surplus, which now stands at £36,207 12s. 9d. The undertaking appears to be in a very prosperous condition. ROYAL BANK OF LIVERPOOL. The annual meeting of the proprietors was held on Thursday, Mr. Brancker presiding. The only features of interest were declaration of a divi dend of 7 per cent. and the carrying of a sum of £41,000 to the reserve fund, making it now upwards of £82,000. BRITISH SHIPOWNERS' COMPANY. The first ordinary meeting of this company was held in Liverpool on Thursday, Mr. C. Turner, M.P., presiding. No dividend was declared, but, after meeting all charges and writing out the preliminary expenses, there remained a sum of between £3OO and £4OO to carry to the credit of the profit and loss account. Railway Traffic Returns for the Week Miles Opened. Receipts Railways. 1884. 1863. 1864. 1863. £ A 1,772 1.707 677 644 2,114 1,701 5,311 5,093 19 260 18,310 1,512 1,4 . 9 272 'lB3 102 114 409 421 1,330 1.237 263 221 1,2 , 4 1.4 1 7 1,283 1 330 265 .93 1,974 1,983 2,575 3,108 8,2'9 8,6 3 31,406 28,403 33.487 31.932 2,518 2.398 357 411 6,915 7,6 7 60,83 i 57,663 89 _l-7 Belfast-and N. Counties 136 136 Belfast and County Down 49 49 Blyth and Tyne . 28 28 Bristol and Exeter l2li 1211 C a l e d on i an Cambrian Ol 81 ... Cork and Bandon 2O 20 Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 6l 61 Cork and Youghal •• • 321 321 Cornwall 5l 654 6 Deeside l7 17 Dublin & Belfast Junction 63 63 Dublin and Drogheda 75 75 Dublin and Meath Dub. & Wicklow and WeAld 9ll 911 Furness, &c Glasgow & South-Western Gt. Eastern,Nrik.,&E.Union Great Northern 387 853 Great North of Scotland 99 99 tit. Northn. & Westn. (Irel.) 7ll 711 r4t.Southn..3z Westn.(lrlnd.) 3871 3731 Great Western 1225 118,1 Hull and Hurnaea l3 - Inverness & Aberdeen Juno ll7l 1064 Inverness & Perth Junction 1191 1191 Irish North-Western 145 145 Kent Loast 27 27 Lancashire & Yorkshire 403 402 Limerick and Ennis... 241 241 Limerick and Foynes 261 261 Llanelly 464 461 Llynvi Valley London & North-Western London and Blackwall 5l bt London & South-Western Lond. Brighton, &S. Coast 267 2611 London, Chatham, & Dover 72 724 Do. Metropolitan loctension 11 104 Lon., Tilbury, & Southend lan.,Sheflield,& Lincolnsh Manch. S.J um& Altrincham 9l 91 ilaryport and Carlisle Metropo lit an Midland (incl. N.-Western) 6631 611 Midland Gt.Westn. of Irind 262 2591 Konkland 7ll 711 Hon mouthsh. Rail. & Canal 44 44 North British, Edin., Perth and Dundee . N-Eastern and Stock. & DarL 1095 North London 9 North Staffordshire 251 Rhymney l9l Scottish Central Scottish North-Eastern Somerset and Dorset 66 South Devon South-Eastern 3OB Taff Vale 57 Ulster 1054 Vale of Clwyd Vale of Neath 431 Waterford and Kilkenny 3l Waterford and Limerick 77 West Cornwall 274 W.HartlepoolHarbr.&RaiL 524 W'haven,Cleator,& Egrmnt lO Whitchaven Junction l3 Whitehaven & Furness Jun 35 FOREIGN AND COLONIAL. Austrian Bahia and San Francisco Belgian Eastern Junction 261 261 - Bombay, Baroda, & Cen. India 1851 1851 1,955 Central Italy lB3 167 3,599 Detroit and Milwaukie lB9 185 5,110 Dutch Rhenish lOBl 1081 5,249 Eastern of France 1176 1428 55,749 Eastern Bengal .• llO 110 - - East Indian Grand Trunk of Canada 1377 133.5 Great Central of Belgium 295 272 5,655 4,886 Great Indian Peninsula 553 5381 14,062 9,160 Great Luxembourg 134 134 4,901 3.455 Great Southern of India Great Western of Canada 345 315 12,409 B,f 41 Madras Madrid, Saragossa &Alicant 6B) 650 17,92.1 18,135 Northern of Canada ... ..... Northern of France 697 697 51,882 47,413 Norwegian Trunk - - Ottoman .. 4Bl 4 84 614 2,6 Paris, Lyons, & Mediterrn 1967 1781 116,663 91,141 Paris and Orleans 1616 1611 56,212 56.757 Pernambuco 7 74 771 1,084 772 &bide lO5 Mr 2,030 2,171 Do. Punjab, & o 32 32 242 235 South Austrian Southern of France .. .. F 23 770 26,727 23,932 Victoria Welland 25 25 - - West &N- Westn of France lOll 931 40,892 37,661 Ala- I • ...........m.... 1,04 066 1,330 1,033 1,416 1.495 620 250 KM 34.3/5 118 143 92 108 f. 56 466 309 4&2 95,5;9 90,7-3 1,725 1,650 19,414 17.414 15,5:6 13,230 4,705 4,102 1,575 800 1, , '3O 1,254 1t,8' , 0 17,537 1,%83 1,260 1.395 2,536 2,977 46,365 4 ‘,565 4.162 4.333 1,50 i I,AI 2,715 2,603 5831 1093 20,365 51,4',71 9 2,951 251 8.169 194 1,001 113 5,011 138 4,785 66 723 754 3.988 306 19,827 57 5,639 1054 2,299 10 143 431 2,542 31 305 77 1,085 274 700 52i 4,383 10 26,162 3,012 3,112 2,537 3,831 48,335 The 90th Regiment of the line arrived in Lyons from Mexico the day before yesterday, and was received by Marshal Canrobert at the head of his staff. The Marshal pronounced a short addresss, in which he referred to the services performed by the regiment, which was one of the first to arrive at Vera Cruz, after which the troops filed off, and took up their quarters at the camp of Savonay. The 20th battalion of Chasseurs, from Mexico, has also joined the army of Lyons. BREAKFAST BEVERAGE.—Homcoopathic practitioners, and the medical profession generally, recommend cocoa as being the most healthful of all beverages. When the doc trine of homoeopathy was first introduced into this country, there were to be obt fined no preparations of cocoa either at tractive to the taste or acceptable to the stomach ; the nut was either supplied is the crude state, or so unskilfully manufactured as to obtain little notice. J. Erys, of London, Homoeopathic Chemist, was induced in the year 1814 to turn his attention to this subject, and at lenoh succeeded, with the assistance of elaborate machinery, in being the first to produce an article pure in its composition, and so refined by the perfect trituration it receives in the process it passes thro .gh, as to be mos' acceptable to the delicate stomach. For general use Epps's Cocoa is distinguished as an invigo rating, grateful breakfast beverage, possessing a most deli cious aroma. Dr. Hassall, in his wo, k, "Food and its Adulteratio..s," sa ys —"Cocoa contains a great variety of im portant nutritive principles—every ingredient necessary to the growth and sustenance of the body." &gain: "As a nutritive, cocoa stands very much higher than ether coffee or tea." Directions —Two teaspoonfuls of the powder in a breakfast cup, filled up with boiling water or milk. Secured in tin-lined ilb., Ob., and 11b. labelled packets, and sold by all grocas, confectioners, and chemists.—[Anvr.) 13 965 35 783 SPIRIT OF T: is most natural that the Queen should feel more than most of her subjects the sudden and rather alarming increase in the number of railway accidents, and that she should also feel it her duty to call attention to them. Nobody in the realm has so much opportunity of knowing the powers of the rail as to speed, precision, and safety. Her Majesty has often to perform feats of railway travelling—to traverse the better part of the island in a day ; to make the beginning and the end of the journey fit in with other arrangements ; to change engines and lines ; to be expected everywhere in a minute, and to a minute to make her appearance. Wherever she is, her family, her household, her Ministers, her visitors are always coming and going, sometimes by special, sometimes by ordinary trains. Time is generally an object with them, nor can they always suit their own time to the convenience of the com panies. The public, indeed, is very ready to believe that a Royal train has something to do with a rail way block or delay ; but we have never had occa sion to inquire into such a belief without finding the public mistaken. Her Majesty, then, sees what can be done, and finds herself and her friends, as it were, in a charmed circle of railway speed, safety, and convenience. It is a most queenly instinct to wish to include the whole people in this circle, to make her own case, as far as possible, the rule and not the exception, and to compensate for the trifling inconvenience she may occasionally cause by raising the standard of railway safety. She may be per mitted, too, a special consideration for those whom she is daily placing in what now certainly seems to be a position of risk. The members of the Royal family, the Ministers, and the members of the Court must travel very frequently, and must often use the ordi nary trains. If they have been fortunate hitherto ; indeed if first-class passengers, with the power of choosingtheir trains, have as a rule escaped accidents, that is all the more reason for believing that every body may travel with equal safety. A succession of serious accidents on a railway of which many a long mile may be seen from Windsor Terrace has possibly brought her Majesty's anxiety to a point which compelled this relief to her feelings. It used to be said that you might feel perfectly safe on a line where there had been a serious accident the day or the week before. In this instance the rule has been reversed. The line seemed to have got into a muddle, and it would be wise to wait till the com pany had got out of it. There really is little room for the intrusion of chance, or even folly, into the management of a railway. The conditions are sim ple, not many, and every day easier and cheaper, for science and experience bring in daily aids. Make the road sound and the rails strong and well laid, make the engines of sufficient power and the trains not too long, make the intervals sufficient and the signals unmistakable, have servants enough to secure them from overwork, and give sufficient law for delays if inevitable, and the matter seems redliced to as much certainty as is to be found in human affairs. There are no winds and waves, tides and currents, rocks and sands to be encountered—no errors of the compass, no imperfection of the chart , no waiting in vain for meridian or lunar observa tions. The engine is not a horse to stagger or stum ble, to shy or run away from inscrutable causes. It has no vice, and not a fancy or a whim of its own. The natural causes that prey on the rolling stock and undermine the permanent way are very slow in operation, and can be overtaken by care as easily as the tortoise can be caught by the hare. In pointing out the necessity of the hest material we are reduced to talk in truisms. It is the human agency that is fallible and not quite accountable. If men are overworked, if they drink for a brief stimulus, or because the season invites ' • if the man responsible for the time deputes his task to a less qualified assistant, or at a critical place and a critical time a pointsman delegates his most critical duties to a novice, then the best material and the best arrange ments may be thrown away—nay, they may even aggravate the disaster. But how is this to be met ? It would be idle to say that the directors can see to every turn of a man's hand, or secure that he shall alwayshave his wits about him. But they can arrange that he shall not be overworked and that he shall have the opportunity of needful rest. There are people who are very soon unfitted for the slightest exercise of the reasoning faculties ; who, perhaps, could never answer a plain question with promptitude even so much as to say " right " or " left," and who cannot be worked an additional hour without losing their self-possession altogether. The overworking of the service we believe to be the chief cause of the late accidents. The intervals ought to be ample, and, where the numbers of trains renders it necessary to reduce the intervals, the stationmaster ought at least to have telegraphic information of the trains that have passed the stations on each side of him. If a train breaks down, and is consequently overdue at its next station, the master of the station last passed through ought to be enabled to give warning of the danger ahead. Practically we suspect themost fertile cause of disasters is the running of fast and slow trains, passenger and goods trains, on the same lines —lines more complicated from day to day by new junctions, and by the combination of broad and nar row guage. With the heavier material and the slower engines go the blunter intelligence and the lower standard of duty. The slow trains appear to think nothing of being half an hour behindhand, or shunt ing clumsily into a siding when by the time-table a fast train ought to be dashing by. This, of course, is an affair of management, for though a dung-cart is a heavy and tedious thing its speed and time are quite as accountable as those of a racehorse. Nobody need complain of the pace of our fast trains, which is ex ceeded, we believe, by several Continental expresses. It is the heavy traffic, as in our own London streets, that is always stopping the way or throwing things out of order. The public, of course, look into the evi dence given upon the actual disasters for the causes of the mischief. But the Directors have a much fuller and more satisfactory mass of facts at their command. Upon every line in the kingdom there are every day many irregularities, inconvenient to the public, though short of disaster. Every day there are escapes which the public never hear of. Nothing could be easier than for some one of the directors to make it his special care to inquire into these irregularities, to visit the avoidable cases with punishment, and to meet those unavoidable with the requisite improvement or alteration. If trains cannot keep their time, give them more time. If a locomotive is not powerful enough to draw an extra carriage or two, supply its place with another. If a little extra trafficat a station compels a detention, put another man there. If a driver is often in fault, supersede him, or find him work more suited to his capacity. A great breeder of racehorses who took part in a recent correspondence in these columns observed, quite by the way, that many studs and stables had been ruined by good nature. Lubberly boys like eating and drinking, and also prefer riding to other forms of exercise. So they like to be grooms, and if their fathers are in the stable they get what they want. But the horses suffer , and the owner is victimised. On a railway it may be good nature, but it is also robbery and murder to give a serious responsibility to a fellow who may mean well, but whose ruling taste is for repose and self indulgence. Fat brains and heavy bodies are among the curses of civilisation. All the paths of life are choked with them, and there is nothing they do not ask for, from a primacy to the command of a colony or a fleet. But a railway staff, like every other service, may soon suffer what medical people call a certain fatty degeneration. It is the business of the . directors to keep it up to the m ark ; to enforce strict compliance with rules ; to see that no error goes unnoticed, whether it leads to mischief or not ; to eliminate every known cause or liability of mis take, and to bear in mind the closing words of her Majesty's Letter, that they have now the monopoly of the means of travelling. POST.—The terrible retribution by which the murder of Mr. Richardson was followed does not seem to have convinced the Japanese. that they are not at liberty to slaughter British subjects resident in their country with impunity. The overland mail has brought us the intelligence of the commission of an outrage as atrocious as any of which we have hitherto had reason to complain, and which has entailed the loss of the lives of two of our country men. Two officers of the 20th Regiment have been barbarously murdered ; and, although the precise circumstances under which the crime was committed are unknown, no room exists for doubting that they were slain in cold blood. The crime of murder is, unfortunately, but too rife in almost every quarter of the habitable globe to render it a matter for ..special comment if a British subject meets his death in a foreign country by foul means ; but the out rages which have during the past few years been committed in Japan stand on a footing so entirely peculiar that they become invested with a degree of national importance. We have obtained admission to Japan on the faith of a treaty, and we are there fore entitled to claim the observance of its stipula tions, and to demand that the authority of a Japa nese Government shall be employed in protecting the lives of such of our countrymen as are com pelled by duty or business to reside within their territory. This is in truth the issue which was raised upwards of two years ago by the murder of Mr. Richardson, and which is now raised again by the murder of Major Baldwin and Lieutenant Bird. That an English subject should be hacked to pieces by the armed retainers of a Japanese noble, merely because he happened to meet him when travelling on a public road, was not to be tole rated, and as the Japanese Government were unable to punish the offender the bombardment of Kagosima by an English squadron was necessitated in order to prove to the Japanese nobility that similar outrages could not be committed with impunity. The recent murder of two British 9.189 3,069 8.233 952 4 x,50 4,542 - 652 3,015 17,296 5,09 t 387 2.326 695 3.974 JOURNALS, +43 that officers appears to stand on a similar footing -- vritir of Mr. Richardson, and, like it, to h ave bee fact" out the slightest provocation. • Both crimes, lu n d may be distinctly referred to national jealousy, a a , it is this circumstance which gives them their Pa r es mount importance. With the actual circulnataullircl under which Major Baldwin and Lieutenant i.vtile met their deaths we are still unacq ua inted ; 1311 " on . events immediately preceding the cr i me throw c oo siderable light on what subsequently follow officers the morning of the 21st of November the two in to left Yokohama on horseback on an excursion lac'ic the interior, and at about half-past ten &clew arrived at a village called Enosima. This Pl ace ce left at mid-day, and on the same night intellgen,„ was received at Yokohama that the two gentlen!74 had been found murdered near some cross roads which they would have had occasion to pass on they t he intended route. Shortly after daylight two of the foreign Consuls at Yokohama, the Interpreter t0,,0i British Legation, several of the residents, aautil. English officer in command of some mounted ' g i r o lery, arrived at the place indicated, and folio,as bodies of the murdered gentlemen, mutilatelo Orientals only mutilate their victims, lying ,chose couple of miserable sheds. A pistol, o ne of ide barrels had been discharged, was found lying be?otit. one of the bodies ; but beyond the fac t thathced Bird had, notwithstanding his serious injuri ca V i leci for a few hours, the most searching inquiries ..,%j to elicit any information from the natives fow pda . the vicinity of the Spot where the crim e was -nest mitted. From the evidence adduced at an in c l oe r, held under the presidency of the English Cfla at it appears that when the two officers Or" t heir Enosima some difficulty arise in respect t°,,, at obtaining places for breakfast in a tea-ho' ne so that place. At this time a party of five JaP a rn - ple officers passed by, and proceeded to visit a oiled near at hand, which seems to have been all %ere of interest to the excursionists, of whom severatrog at the time breakfasting at Enosima. A cc° raed to the evidence of one of the witness es it see,ot. that the Japanese officers were desirous of pr,tioe ing the English gentlemen obtaining accomn; the at the tea-house ; but, however this may `l,o'lte3 t Japanese, on their return from the temp le, so angrily at the excursionists that one of heim Italian officer, was on the point of drawing his,,fter volver. Major Baldwin and Lieutenant Bircl,:ye visiting the temple, returned to the tea-house,' to the Italian officer endeavoured to persuade t" e l i n eJ return with his party. This, however, they oe c ,, - 1 3 ce to do, and proceeded in the direction of 'n l c ,o called Daiboots, which they declared they w ere iac , anxious to visit. They left 'Enosima at 12 . ° l 'l, and were murdered at a place about five nn"" n bo' taut, on the road to Daiboots. M. Beatto , 3 „ 3 0 , tographer, who breakfasted with them at En t $ stated that after they had departed he wen the village called Fusisawa, and in the course 0 0' evening his servant apprised him that the two t lisp officers had been killed. This statentellog however discredited, but on the following ri le „ 1 0 0 1 someYakonins orJapanese officers came to Fug'i t ille' in search of some men whom they stated laau„,oieg the English officers, at the same time el ) „" their regret that the crime should have he e l r es 1 mitted. Meantime, however, as we have ,' te ct t, observed, the intelligence had been transli'''-nf th Yokohama, and the several re p r esentative s a che foreign Powers had proceeded to the placenclif the bodies were found. From the evidence Prs'acill' before them, the coroner's jury came to the ap art that the murders were committed by af t , swordsmen, and that in all probability the tl e ;i:‘ officers were attacked by a party of five Or , ( 1 the very least. It had, however, been Rat w ele possible to discover who the actual murdere'Lerd 1/ and those who saw the party of Japanese ~ejtnt, i Enosima in the morning had been unable to 1"o them. From the country people Ev i l crib neighbourhood of the spot where tl' e m was committed no information could be. t s tlle" and the Japanese Government had decin 0.; inability to discover the assassins. I t „a r e ', 4 t possible, however, that the matter sla° l 7,, Oi" here. One thing is quite apparent—na nlev e'o oo ; the murdered gentlemen were not the agg iv gs l ; It is not pretended that when at Enosima hs any cause of offence other than what Seel n , S ,; i r tb v arisen from the mere circumstance of t.""for sence at that place. In fact, t h e m otive do crime was precisely the same which pron 3l !", e murder of Mr. Richardson. The Japa n tliew; like Europeans, and accordingly they O a- pa t ' selves of what they consider a seasonable oP n ter nity for murdering them. If, however, the ntll: cial relations, not only of Great Britain , bil" of tP' r other European States which have entered i° on tft ties with Japan, are to subsist with that co t i l eP, the Imperial Government must enforce ifinlllo,s subjects respect as well for municipal of the laws of nations. It is the busil ie r rA Japanese Government to punish the offend if they fail to do so, they must make sucy-,4,-fyiPv ment as will probably have the effect of 0, 5 :3 0 . 6 the Japanese nation that the subjects of a P_,T,atly Power cannot be murdered without some vi"" retribution being exacted for the crime. COUNTRY MARKETS L IVERPO °L.—FRIDAY. o'o4 We had only a poor attendance at our lua l l' ' 1 00; and the business passing in wheat and flour lla s . a . 0 of a limited character, but without change in P ri- 0 05 corn is held with much firmness at late rates• do ter' oatmeal steady. Beans and peas each the turn LINCOLN.—FRIDAY. • I A s tu d` About the usual supply of wheat, which 5 0 .'1 go, il iPi about former terms. Barley in good req llos 7,,oiv i ice maintained its value. A tolerable show of oats, 9 r - be quoted as before. Beans sold at last we e A F Peas unaltered. +0 39 5 r ililt New white wheat, 39s to 448 ; new red, 8 60 ',- rOo' stone. Barley for malting, 30s to 83s per ct,;os, 27s to 28s per 30 stone. Oats, 19s to 280. '-'' 43s per qr. . 1 ~ DERBY—FRIDAY. VP' a' Our market was tolerably supplied with 0 , , 0 •6 ' it i4' white made 42s to 45s ; new red, 38s to 41 0 P e " stg'o , Barley a middling supply, and the trade healthl ; 130 , 0 ,0„ 30$ to 33s per qr. ; grinding, 27s to 28s per 20 stA ) , r and beans a heavy trade . 0 ,at recent currenc ies ; 0 23s to 255; old, 25s to 27s ; old beans, 42s to 450 7 to 40s per 38 stone. • WAKEFIELD.—FRIDAY. tor s There was a limited demand for wheat, but t o ' job firmly for last Friday's prices . Barle y steady. e y le, The following are the av era g es for the Ave V ,/ Jan. 23 :—Wheat, 2,005 qrs., at 40s 51{1 ; barl" at 29s 11 id ; oats, 78 qrs. , at 218 4 i d ; beans, ---- q Od ; peas, qrs., at —s Od. STAMFORD.—FRIDAY. 00 1 ;1 111° , 1 At our market to-day wheat was in tolerable 0 00 pi: met a fair sale on last week's rates was made' .0 0 of other articles was middling, and recent rates pefi ported. 4 05 t? N n e e. w white Barley, finestwhe wheat samples,tot4os 42 ; 34 new red, 3sBosrtis°,:le.is e t / sto per qr. Oats, new, 21s to 245; oln, 25s to 28s P e r o. Beans 38s to 42s 'per 38 stone. Peas as heretofo . 04 BRISTOL SUGAR.—FEsDA sr • a 1e ,4 „0 / ' The market is extremely quiet, and the 0111 '- at to 4 a this week have been about 300 hhds. West 11"w,,t6.014 31s per cwt. Refined sugar is dull of salta,:aol9' prices than last week. Rum—there is a ftw , former prices. d tO ill ' prooc 0 -' 6 '0 4 1 [ADTERTISEMENT.]-11olloway's Pills. --- c i;te,„"fy Ilealth.—ln the hand-to-hand struggle for e 1 79 the present day good health is everything 0 0, 0,4 . purifying, digestive, and gently laxative pioP A4 O , t in . '„ itv ably adapted for invalids, restoring soup that 1P"ol whose functions are so feebly performed tb a oo ,o9 i seems most precarious. The stomach has its.„, tl O e , l l dies removed by a judicious use of these plinvedo i liver is roused by them to active secretion, an u - 1 . st o organ subserving digestion is placed at its P,,,,i, ti and better fitted for its duties. It is impossw: I , „ t li _......,/ doctor at our elbow at all seasons and 0904 of pills will supplant that loss, for they univera* y icially in every ailment. 0 0 , P'" fol London : Prilted and Pulisd by WILLI..,A c eo ll o of No. 112, Strand, Plibntehr,e a t Tog St r . ,„' Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy', L" Middlesex.—Saturday, January 28, 1805. ------=-------- 4 ,', OP Births. ~.. St' ,d BLACKWELL.—On the 27th lust , at The LYE( iite Mrs. C. E. Blackwell, of a son. ' 0 3° et CLARKS.—On the 24th inst., at Southaraptoo, 0 Captain Clarke, R.E., of a son. A. the Y GRACE.—On the 26th inst., at South NorWo" At' Charles W. Grace, Esq., of a daughter. - , o r HminritY.—On.the 26th inst., at 7 0 , Pr inces wife of J. T. Ilumphry, Esq., of a son. P , wt m Marriages. I+S i e I V "e 1 BLOIS--CHAPMAN.—On the 25th inst., at P`' ..- of u n f Chester-square, Sir John Ralph Blois, Boxt"btef - .„4 , Hall, Suffolk, to Eliza Ellen, youngest daub oly Alfred Chapman, of 90, Eaton-square. t At ii w ELKINGTON--JAMIESON.—On the 26th 112,s" A f' is i, i 11 Lieut.-Colonel John H. F. Elkington, -"4.,, i - 'es' -ij) went, to Margaret, daughter of the late d' .- Esq. fri Deaths. , rP' BURROUGHES.—On the 26th inst., at St. Le ° -3 Of 1)1 Burroughes, Esq., aged 33. o l' oo ? BURPIELD.—On the 26th lust , Howl - lir Strand and Highgate-rise, aged 64. ace. )1 COOPER.—On ..the 26th inst., at Gordon 1 1 ° 115e ' 6 1 ur ieL: k Esq., aged 65. HEATON-ELLIS.—On the 24th i t at 4 , 9, 1 *. 1 1° " - I Charles Heaton-Ellis, Esq., of inst., .." -3.- o t% 75. 11 n ie ceo ' HORSBRUGH.—On the 26th inst., at Edinborg,i4 oc i. o fe Colonel Alexander Horsbrugh, of llors bl ,, li fscill,l'ef HODOSON.—On the 27th inst. at at TredeP•oicP d i end, and of 32, Great St.. Helen's, ell ' _ t strong Hodgson, Esq., aged 70. n aloSel 7 ' SIMPSON.—On the 26th inst., at PixharillZa" arA4 beth, relict of the late Pinder Sun - Ps °l3 ' --- --" 4 ' . _ - ::10.°111( B, 11 Obs ( ,lilna 1, 811 13 F 444 14, 11 V 11,011 tg "tel 4gl 40 z .. :i IX 1) 11 1-91 Co v II on tn - killD TA °al/