The Sun. — London, England, 1865-01-03 00:00:00

Mr Disraeli, .111. P„ on the Highway A cts of 1862 and 1864; AYLESBURY, Monday Evening. This afternoon, at the Court of Magistrates of the comity of Bucks, in Quarter Sessions assembled, at Aylesbury, under the presidency of Sir T. F. Fre mantle ; the Right Hon. B. Disraeli, M.P., Col. Gilpin, M.P., Col. Howard Vyse, M.P., Mr. R. B. Harvey, M.P., Mr. T. T. Bernard, M.P., Sir Harry Verney, M.P., Sir H. Foulis, Sir P. D. P. Dun- . combe, Mr. F. C. Calvert, Q.C., and a large num ber of justices being also present ; the proposed division of the county into highway districts under the above acts came on for discussion. The subject having attracted a large amount of public attention and controversy, there were also present many of the principal tenant-farmers of the county. The report of the committee was read, from which it appeared that though the committee were not unanimous, yet they had come to the decision that it was not advisable that the whole of the county should be divided into highway districts. The adoption of the report was moved by Sir P. D UN6O3IBE, chairman of the committee, and seconded by Mr. RosE. The Right Hon. B. DISRAELI, M.P., presented to the Court 166 memorials from various parishes in Bucks, all agaißst the adoption of the Highway A c t, a ll of which were, he said, almost identical in their purport, and praying that that Court would not apply to that county the Highway Acts of 1862 and 1864, on two grounds-1. That, in the general condition of their highways, that applica tion was unnecessary ; and, 2, that it would lead the county to incur greater expenditure as com pared with the present cost of road management. He also presented a memorial from Mr W. Smith, of Woolston, who, as an extensive landowner, praying to the same effect, and offering to pay his proportionate share as a landlord if any additional cost were imperatively required, and adding, that a neighbour of his—a tenant-farmer, being a yearly tenant, would, under the new. Act, have to incur an expenditure of £3OO. The memorialists represented between 3,000 and 4,000 of the ratepayers of the county, many of whom had a very large extent of acreage. The Clerk of the Peace presented several addi tional memorials from the Unions of the county. A long discussion followed, in which the Rev. G. Phillimore, Mr. T. R. Barker, Sir P. Duncombe, Sir T. F. Fremantle, Dr. Lee, and other magis trates took part. Col. HIGGINS said he thought that the Act would prove eventually to be most efficient for the country at large, and that the country would be deeply in debted to the Legislature for passing the Act, which 'had been so generally condemned in that county. In reference to the question of expense, it did not follow that the expected enormous amount of expense would be incurred. In Bedford shire he found that the average of the three previous years cost, under the old system of parish surveyors, throughout the district to which he referred, £1,711 3s. 9d. ; and during the last year, under the new Act, the cost had only been within £3 or £4 of the three previous years. Colonel GILPIN mid he differed from his gallant friend about the same county. The surveyor in his own district, who had to look after 206 miles of road, had £2OO a year ; he had to keep two horses, and he believed he could not . properly do his duty and live for the money. In Leighton district last year the estimated cost. of the district was £2,383. The expenditure was £3,117 13s. sd. Why, in Leighton alone they had spent £246 17s. 3d. above the estimate, and the roads were worse than before. Sir HARRY VERNEY, M.P., made some remarks respecting the disagreeable duty of magistrates to order the destruction of cottages, which was the case with one . at Buckingham the other day, be cause it was within nine or ten feet of the centre of the road, simply because the surveyor had not ordered the building not to be erected. He hoped the discussion which had occurred throughout the county would have the effect of putting the sur veyors on, their mettle, so that-they would ultimately put better metal on the roads. The Right Hon. DISRAELI said that, though he had the honour of presenting to the Court memo tials from 2,000 of the ratepayers of the county, yet that was the first occasion on which he had really expressed any opinion on the subject generally, ex cept so far as that opinion had been indicated by his vote in court on the motion that a committee should be appointed. It was certainly true that he felt it his duty to attend the county meeting of the rate payers, and he by no means regretted it, for he wanted to obtain information and acquire a know ledge of the opinion of the county as represented by practical men from all parts of it ; and he felt it also to be his duty to reserve any expression Of his opinion, because • the Court of Quarter Sessions, having determined that the matter should be dele gated to the consideration of a committee of his brother magistrates, he had that respect and defer ence to their abilities and character that he thought it would be indecorouS.to state any opinion of his on the main subject then under investigation until after he had heard their report. Having heard that that report was not favourable to the imme diate adoption of the Act in that county, it ap peared that there the matter might have 'rested ; but when they heard speeches from their brother magistrates, distinguished by their tone, which was certainly surprising, indicating that they. were going contrary to the decision of the committee. Certainly the Court ought not to enter into a sta tistical discussion ; that department ought to have been left to the committee, who were best able to deal in figures and other information necessary for the formation of an opinion, and the Court oueit certainly rather to deal with the recommen dation of the committee, and to support the recom mendation. He could have left Colonel Iligg,ins to time answer of his gallant friend the member for Bed fordshire, but he could not say in justice that that answer was conclusive, and it was shown that that was by no means the tribunal at which they could very well investigate the grounds of what might be called a legislation for the county. Ile had re cently placed before him returns from 145 parishes in the contiguous counties of Berkshire, Notting hamshire, and Bedfordshire—fair samples of answers to the questions proposed by the committee which had the conduct of the opposition in the county. A few of those answers, not many were favourable to the Act—most of them were hostile to its applica tion to Buckinghamshire. All of them were cha racterised by such information, and many of them said that under the new Acts the roads had been im proved, that the roads had been improved before, and that the expense was increased. Returns from 30 or 40 of the parishesin Bedfordshire were by no means of a satisfactory character ; and they were decidedly to the effect that the expenditure had been very much increased, and that the roads had by no means improved. One case he particularly remem bered, that of a parish in Bedfordshire that was reported to him—a parish very interesting to Buck inghamshire people, being on the border of that county and having land which was very much of the same character and under the same kind of circumstances --Leighton Buzzard, already referred to, The expenditure on the roads of that parish before the introduction of the Act was annually £ 2B B, and after the first year of the introduction of the measure that annual expenditure had increased to £ 533 . He knew that it might be said, 4 ; 'Yes, you m us t expect expenses of the kind, and e content, for by having at once a con siderable expense. you will in a few years hence be repaid in the advantage f o go o d roads, and a greatly diminished cost." Yes ; but how did that apply to other parishes in Bedford shire, respecting which Col. lliggins ought to be well acquainted? Well, the original expenditure was £2BB at Leighton ; the increased cost was £533, and the estimate for the present year was .t6OO. Something had been said in the discussions on the question as to Oxfordshire. The new Act was not generally applied in that county, and was only par tiaHy adopted there. He had one very acute and able friend, who knew much about- rural life, the Right Hon. J. W. Henley, who was very greatly opposed to the introduction of the Act. Ile under stood that the average of the expenditure in Oxford shire had been 6d. in the pound, but it was at present ..... 1,. Gd. in the pound ; so that, as far as expenditure was concerned, the reports from the county would be unfavourable. Other cases had been mentioned, such as the neighbourhood of the Chiltern Hills; but he would say that the dwellers in that part of this country had the best materials at the cheapest rates at command, and they would be the greatest boobies in the world if therewith they did not produce the best roads possible. When the ratepayers saw their expenses were being so greatly increased, were they to be surprised that some and many of them, being men of large holdings and paying a great deal in the shape of rates, should view with some suspicion the violent proposition to change the whole manage ment of the roads of the country. The committee had for three months past duly considered the whole matter, and working with great zeal and intelli gence, collecting evidence and considering the whole subject in its various bearings, they had recom mended, as the Court had heard, that at present the act be not adopted in the county of Buekingham shire, and their opinion ought, to be treated with great respect ; and he hoped it would not be held forth as an instance of the backwardness of the county in the present progress which characterised the age, but rather as an instance of their prudence, of their wisdom, of their precaution, and of their wise inclination at all times to make themselves per fectly aware of the circumstances of any situation they might be called on to occupy. The general grounds on which the committee had come to their decision were two in number, and they were identi cal with those which had weighed with the opposi tion to the movement in the country. They ought to look and see if the roads already existing were, on the whole, good roads ; and, 2dly, whether any al teration in their management would lead to any great increase in the amount of expenditure. Those were considerations which ought .to influence the 1 ratepayers and the Court of Quarter Sessions, for they were quite unable to form any opinion on merely a set of minute statistics, these being the province of a committee—a smaller body—to exa mine, and he would say, without hesitation, that though there might be portions of the county of Buck inghamshire where the roads had been mismanaged or neglected, yet the roads of the county, generally speaking, were inferior to none in England, and that as it has been said that persons coming from Yorkshire or Lincolnshire had a right to expect to find as good roads here as they had in the counties named, yet they would in all probability find the Bucks roads to be far better roads than they had ever seen before. (Applause.) The present state of the roads by no means warranted the proposed change, and as to the expenditure, from all the in formation he had obtained it was very greatly in creased. The petitions which he had had the honour to present—instead of being all nonsense and mechanically got up—were the perfectly just expression of the feelings of the county, prepared with care, the result of conviction, and respectfully offered to the consideration of the Court of Quar ter Sessions. The right hon. gentleman resumed his seat amid much applause. The recommendation of the committee was car ried nem dis. Opening of the New Exchange at Birmingham • The opening of the new Exchange buildings, Birming tarn, took place yesterday. The buildings, which have a double frontage towards New-street and Stephenson -place, and embrace a large central block of four stories, with wings on either side, and a clock tower rising 145 feet, were erected by Mr Edward Holmes. The style adopted is Gothic, partaking of the continental character in its treatment. The facade is very handsome. The various floors comprise a lofty, spacious, and noble exchange-hall, chamber of commerce, committee rooms, lavatories, and a magnificent assembly-room. The opening ceremony took place in the Exchange-room at 12 o'clock, when the Mayor of Birmingham presided. Among those on the platform were the Rev. Dr. Miller, honorary canon of Worcester and rector of Birmingham, Mr. Scholefield, M.P., Mr. Bright, M.P., Mr Adderley, M.P., Mr. D. Bromley, M.P., Col. Mason, Mr. C. T. Kyn nersly, Mr. G. F. Muntz, Mr. S. S. Lloyd, Mr_ J. S. Wright, Mr. Rawlins, &c. The MAYOR commenced the proceedings by calling on the Rev. Dr. Miller to implore a blessing on the opening of the Exchange. ! The Rev. Dr. MILLER offered up the following impressive prayer :—" Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Thou God of the spirits of all flesh, by whose providence we who laid the foundation-stone of this building are now permitted to meet within its walls, establish Thou the work of our hands upon us ; yea, the work of our hands, establish Thou it. We thank Thee, we praise Thee, for the many blessings which we enjoy in this land, and for the prosperity which Thou continuest to us, notwithstanding our short comings and sins. The earth is thine, and the fulness thereof. It is of Thy will that England has been raised to her high place among the peoples of the earth, and by her commerce been knit to those who are far off. We pray Thee that our rulers and ourselves may use this greatness by the consecra tion of . our - prosperity and our commerce to the advance.. ment of truth, and justice; and liberty, and peace ; and that, by enlightened policy and righteous dealing, and faithful ness to the Gospel of Thy Son Jesus Christ, we may be as a light in the world, and hand down our blessings to our chil dren's Children. 0 Thou, who givest power to get wealth, prosper largely, we beseechrhee, the industry and skill, and enterprise of this town and district. Within the bowels of the earth Thou has bounteously stored the means of ma terial prosperity and has endowed our artisans with skill to fashi n these thy good gifts for the use of man. Do Thou so rule and purify the hearts of our merchants and manu facturers as that neither the undue desire of wealth no i r the selfish use thereof may degrade them to earthly mindedness or ensnare them to idolatry or binder their pursuit of the true riches. As they meet within this house, which they have huilded, may all their dealings be regulated by in tegrity and truth, according to Thy 'Royal law.' May our citizens recognise their dutie's to Thee and to each other ; and may an enlightened public spirit be diffused among us. Knit together the employers and the employed in a just and intelligent recognition of each others' rights, and of their mutual duties, as members of one body. May brotherly love increase and abound among us. May our differences be tempered with that most excellent gift of charity. Bless the homes of our artisans, that they may be homes of temperance, providence, peace, and godliness. Incline the heart of those who may be prospered with this world's wealth to sympathy and beneficence in communicat ing to the poor, and especially in the support of the charities of our town. We implore Thy blessing upon our Queen and her children, upon her advisers, and upon the houses of Parliament ; upon the mayor, the magistrates, and the council of this borough. Incline the nations of the earth to equity, unity, and concord. Hasten the downfall of tyranny and oppression. Make wars to cease in all the earth. Let the Gospel of Jesus Christ go forth in all its purity, through the power of Thy spirit, for the healing of the nations. Especially and fervently we pray Thee for our brethren in America, with whom many who shall meet from day to day within these walls are closely connected by the ties of com merce. May they who are now arrayed against each other in war be speedily united in the bonds of brotherhood, a free and prosperous people. And may no selfishness of faction, no prejudice, no words of passion, no acts of wrong, give occasion for strife between us and them. Finally, we pray Thee for ourselves that, amid the changes of this mortal life, our hearts may surely ther© be fixed where true joys are to be found, and that we may so pass through things temporal as that finally we lose not the things eternal. Hear us, answer us, bless us, oh God ! for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Redeemer." The MAYOR then called upon the senior member for the borough to address the meeting. Mr. SCHOLEPIELD, M.P., who was received with cheers, said that in the absence of those who would have conferred far greater dignity on the ceremony of the day, he had no hesitation in accepting. the invitation which had been forwarded by the directors to him, because he felt that whenever his services were solicited for any object con nected with the town of Birmingham he ought not to forward any scruples of his own, but at once to obey any command that might be laid on him. (Hear, hear.) His duty on the. present occasion was ex ceedingly and would occupy thei r ti me f or only twoorthr simple, three minutes, for he had received—he would not say a broad hint—but something even stronger than that, to the effect that what ho had to say in reference to the beautiful building in whiCh they were assembled had better be deferred till another—ho would not say a more interesting—ceremony. (A laugh.) His did pe n hope g thea Ind d Exchange, tri duty on the present occasion was limited to formally o at ea th ee at th h e e interco urse between th e merc h an ts and manufacturers of st the bo rough, and the building an d he might would tend simp t l o y in not only facilitate the commercial rela tions bet ween themselves and the people of this country, but extend those relations among other nations. (Cheers.) As had been over and over again stated, it was to commerce they must look for the best bond of union between nations, and the best security for pea ce . sure that that b u il ding, if pro (Cheers.) He was quite ile no doubt it wou l d be, by themerchantsr e a c n i a d t e m d' a n a u f s a he t e n r h e a r d s well as by those who carried on large concerns in the district u would be found to be of essential service to all classes of the people, and would produce the very best effects, ' f bulVortecl by the people themselves. (Cheers.) Mr. Scholefield concluded by formally declaring the Exchange opened. The announcement was received with loud cheers. The MAvox next briefly addressed the meeting. He ex pressed the deep regret which he felt personally, and which he was sure would be shared by all present, at the absence of Mr. Van Wart, who :was detained by illness. (Hear, hear.) He had very great pleasure in having an opportu nity of congratulating his fellow-townsmen on the dedica tion to them of so handsome a building as that in which they were assembled. It was not only an ornament to the town, but would be of immense advantage to merchants and manufacturers in facilitating their business transac tions. Hitherto Birmingham had been without a suitable Exchange, and it was owing to the public spirit of a few of the leading merchants and manufacturers that that beautiful building had been erected. It had been said that Birmingham, from the nature of its business, did not require an exchange. Such an objection might have been urged twenty or five-and-twenty years ago, but since then the importance of the town had vastly increased, and the necessity for an Exchange had increased accord ingly. (Hear, hear.) He concluded by expressing his hope that the merchants and manufacturers of Birmingham would meet there daily at a certain hour, which he be lieved would tend materially to facilitate the transaction of business, and promote the best interests of commerce and the town. (Cheers.) - Mr. BRIGHT, who was received with loud cheers, said— I believe, Mr. Mayor, it is quite understood that this occa sion is not one for making speeches, but I feel it would be particularly out of place just now to say much with regard to the objects and value of this Exchange further than to say that I agree with what has beeu said by my hon. friend and colleague, Mr. Scholefield. (Cheers.) It would be impossible I think, to add anything to the beautiful and touching lan guage and sentiments whickwe have heard in an address to the Supreme from the lips of Dr. Miller. (Cheers.) I hope there is no one in this assembly who is not willing to say with me that he can agree with every word of that prayer, and that his heart went fully with every sentiment that was uttered by Dr. Miller. (Cheers.) I only wish that sent ments so full of charity, kindness, and love, of freedom and of good, could be heard from the lips of all the Christian men in this country—(cheers) --and that the people might be, as I think we are capable of being, in some respects changed to something better than we have occasionally ex hibited, particularly in our feelings in regard to events that takes place in foreign countries. (Hear, hear.) I sup pose the committee are of opinion that we can all speak better after luncheon than before it, and therefore, we are not expected to take up your time in making speeches here. indeed it is a very 'difficult thing to make a speech on a question :and an occasion like this when we are all per fectly agreed. (A laugh.) It appears to be so, also, when we are speaking in the Town-hall, for the audience there is pretty unanimous ; but we know that outside there are a good many who do not agree with us, and therefore we are stimulated to efforts of oratory which in an assembly like this are altogether out of place. We must confine ourselves to the business of the hour.. My business—and I perform it with the greatest pleasure—is to ask you to pass a vote of thanks to the Mayor for his kindness in presiding over the meeting this morning, and taking the part which so properly belongs to him as chief magistrate of the town on the opening of an institution like this, which, I think, should enlist the good will and sympathy of every person connected with the manufactures and commerce of the district. For myself, I can only wonder that Birmingham should not have had a good Exchange many years before. (Hear, hear.) And what the Mayor has suggested of having a particular time fixed every day, when at high .Change, as it is called, men engaged in the pursuits of commerce would have the best chance of meeting each other within these walls, emi nently deserves your attention. (Cheers.) Such meetings would not only be a great convenience, and are generally adopted in Manchester, Liverpool, London, and no doubt in all the great Exchanges of the world, but I am quite sure that the more the merchants and manufacturers are accustomed to meet here, making it a place of frequent dis cussion on other matters besides buying and selling, the more they will increase their influence. (Cheers.) I be lieve it will be of great advantage to the town and district beyond the mere transaction of commercial operations. (Cheers.) I will say no more than to ask you to agree to a vote of thanks to our most excellent Mayor for presiding over this meeting, showing, as I may say, in the very be ginning of his mayoralty, a disposition to make himself as useful as he can to the town and district. (Cheers.) Mr. ADHERLEY, M.P., said he had been suddenly, though most agreeably, called upon to second the vote of thanks to the mayor, which had just been moved by Mr. Bright. He did so with every sympathy for the occasion, and for those who were present. He was proud to take part in the opening of that great Exchange, and he was glad to see on this occasion the representatives of every interest in the country—of commerce, of manufactures, and of land. (Hear, hear.) He could only say that he hoped the country would more arid more show both in its local institutions and in its central Legislature an absence of narrow, isolated views and of class interests (cheers), and a sense that the prosperity of a great and free nation depends upon every interest being supported by a union of the representatives of every class in the country. (Cheers.) He begged to second the motion of thanks to the mayor. The MAYOR having briefly expressed his acknowledg [lents the proceedings terminated. THE LUNCHEON. 4 sumptuous luncheon - Was given by the directors at two o'clock in the Assembly-rooms, to celebrate the event of the day. About 250 gentlemen were present. The Mayor presided, having on his right Mr. Bright, ALP., Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mr. Bromley, M.P., Col. Mason, Major Elmsall, Mr. Whateley, and- Mr. Samuel Thornton ; and, on the left, Mr. Scholefield, M.P., the Rev. Dr. Miller, Mr. Kynnersley, Rev. Mr. Evans, Rev. R. W. Dale, Rev. Geo. Dawson, M. Latour, the French Consul, &c. The Rev. Dr. MILLER said grace. After the usual introductory toasts proposed by the CHAIRMAN, Mr. THOMAS LLOYD gave " the Health of the Bishop, and Clergy of the Diocess, and the Ministers of Religion of all Denominations," which was responded to by the Rev. Dr. MlLLrat, Rev. R. W. DALE, Independent, the Rev. W. BACHE, Unitarian, and Canon JEFFRIES, Roman Catholic. Mr. J. W. WHATELEY proposed " the Army, Navy, and Volunteers," which was drunk with loud cheers, and re sponded to by Colonel MASON. Mr. GEORGE DIXON proposed "the House of Commons." It was the most enlightened and the most powerful assem bly in the world, and one of which Englishmen might be justly proud. There were men in this country—he dared say there were some in that room —who would not object to some reform in the House of Commons, but he was quite sure that whenever the day came for a reform of that House, as come it certainly would, and it might be shortly, they would all unite in the feeling that the reformed House should emulate the present one in many very important particulars. (Cheers.) He trusted that the House of Commons would ever remain distinguished for the spirit of independence which at present characterised it (cheers) and that a seat within: its walls would ever be, as now, the object of ambition to the *best educated, the most highminded, and the proudest in the land. He trusted that among those that England would return to occupy the benches of the House of Commons there would ever be found a large proportion of such men as they had now among their guests, of whom he begged more espe cially to mention the name of the Right Hon. C. B. Adder ley. (Loud cheers.) Mr. ADDERLEY, M.P., who was received with loud cheer ing, said--In responding to the toast of " the House of Commons" at the opening of so great an Exchange as this, in so important a town as Birmingham, one is naturally led to consider how far the House of Commons may claim fairly and fully to represent the commercial interests of this kingdom. (Cheers.) It was the spirit of commerce that first enfranchised the Commons of England. The growth of towns through commerce had first created the House of Commons out of the old feudal councils of vassals ; and as the House of Commons is the creature of commerce it is but natural that it should speak its language.:But it is a natural and most marked feature of this talking age, in what is certainly the freest and most vigorous nation in the world —(hear)--that men should not be content to have their public affairs discussed by only 600 representatives within the four walls of Parliament. They seem to break outin a, thousand local extramural Parliaments to discuss their own affairs. (Cheers.) We have a Parliament of Social Science, a Parliament of Natural Science. We have a Church Con gress—in Ireland at this moment, I believe, there is an anti-Church Union ; we have trade unions and Free -trade Leagues, and we have —perhaps the most lively, active, and efficient bodies of all —we have throughout the length and breadth of the land Chambers of Commerce. One might almost say that the Anglo-Saxon race throughout the world is at this moment sitting in a Parliament of some kind or another. But it is these local discussions which are the feeders of public opinion, and public opinion, when collected into the central body, forms national legislation. We may not, perhaps, satisfy all the political theories of perfection that may be brought forward, and I should be the last to say that we have, as to the basis of representation ; but we seem to have arrived at the means of ascertaining the col lective voice and sense of the nation. It would be difficult to name any interest so individual and so remotely local as not to find access to the House of Commons. The Cham ber of Commerce of Birmingham and the midland district has shown its vigorous action in the discussions which have taken place, and it has recently issued a most able and full report on the various political questions relating to commerce—the proposed amendment of the bankruptcy law, the railway tariff, the law of partnership, the patent laws, and the relations which should subsist between the Foreign-office and the Board of Trade in the interest of commerce. All these questions have been very ably dealt with, and the conclusions to which the Chamber of Commerce have come will find able and efficient organs for their discussion in Parliament in the members for this town. (Cheers.) I am sure those gentlemen will be the first to admit that the House of Commons has within the last 20 years responded to the voice of commerce in removing the shackles fro practical from measuresalmost every may stillbranc ha ho v f e to be trade. discussed important in the remaining days of a dying Parliament, and if it be true that our life has not been fruitful of good works, there is all the more reason for a death-bed repentance. (Laughter and "Hear, hear.") No doubt reforms of vari ous kinds, Constitutional and representative, may be pro posed; but, although we may differ as to the conclusions to which we should arrive on this all important subject, we shall all agree in this, that the House of Commons is likely to respond on that as on all other important ques tions to the will of the nation. (Cheers.) I will say of this noble building that it is a credit to the town, and standing as it does in juxtaposition to King Edward's school, that they. both represent the true basis of political rights—on the one hand sound education and intelligence, on the other hand the circulation of wealth and the spirit of commerce. (Loud applause.) The MAYOR next proposed " The Health of the Members for the Borough," eulogising them especially for their steady and zealous promotion of the interests of Birmingham. At all times they were happy to see those gentlemen present among them, and more especially when they came, as on that occasion, to take part in so interesting a cere mony, which had in view the advancement of the interests and prosperity of the community. He begged to thank them for the manner in which they performed those onerous duties which were imposed upon them, and he was sure they would all drink their health with the utmost cordiality. The toast was drunk with all the honours. Mr. SCIIOLEFIELD briefly acknowledged the compliment. He was very sensible of the kindness with which he was received by his constituents on occasions like the present, and also in the Town-hall, where, as his hon. colleague stated in the morning, they were generally all of one mind. (Cheers.) But when he met, as in that assembly, so many of his fellow-townsmen from whom he differed in political opinion, he was most happy t 3 think that, in spite of these differences, they gave him credit for what he boldly claimed—the doing what he felt to be his duty for the interests and prosperity of the town he had the honour to represent. (Cheers.) That was the highest praise he could receive at their hands. The hon. gentleman then read a letter from Mr. Newdegate, expressing his regret that he could not attend upon that interesting occasion, and pay ing a tribute to the memory of the late Mr. Spooner, from whom he had always derived the greatest assistance in any question affecting the interests of Birmingham. After some further remarks of purely local interest, the hon. gentle man concluded, amid loud cheering, by again thanking the company for the kindness with which he had been re ceived. Mr. BRIGHT, who was received with much applause, said , Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen,—When I received the invita . tion to attend this meeting on this very interesting cere mony, I without hesitation accepted it, for, to tell the truth, I have always found Birmingham a very pleasant place to come to, and Birmingham people a very good people. (Cheers and a laugh.) And I say that with all the more confidence after the long experience I have had of them. But I felt myself under a difficulty because, after I de spatched my letter it occurred to me that I might be called upon to speak--(a laugh} —and yet lam bound to say— and I say it with confusion of face—that after 25 years of experience as a public speaker I do not appear to, have made one step in advance in the art of making those delicate an d pleasing speeches which men expect generally to hear after they have comfortably dined. (A laugh.) But my hon. friend Mr. Scholefield has thrown all the burden of this occasion upon me, and truly I may say that I think the occasion is one of very considerable interest to the town. For I agree with what was said this morning, and also by my hon. friend now on my right—that a building of this nature is not merely a place in which men will meet to buy and to sell ; but a commercial exchange, in whatsoever part of the world it may exist, is a centre of local and even of national influence, and its influence extends even beyond the nation, for the opinion which is created, and which acts here or in any exchange, naturally and necessarily pro duces some effect on other seats of commerce and industry, even in the remotest parts of the world. (Cheers.) Now I am myself a manufacturer, and therefore, if I say anything to manufacturers which they think rather bordering on criticism they will understand that I take a portion of it to myself. (A laugh.) I think that manufacturers and mer chants, as a rule, have generally been either too modest or they have not been sufficiently acquainted with their true position. My opinion is, looking to the course of history, that manufacturers and merchants in the aggregate are gradually becoming much more important in the world than warriors and statesmen, and even than monarchs themselves; for it is obvious to me that the power of these heretofore great authorities is waning, and that in every part of the world the power , of the great industrial in terest is sensibly waxing greater. If we were to take down the volume of history which may be called the chart of past ages, we should see, I think, clearly that the stream of com merce runs close alongside the streams of freedom and civilisation. It is a long time to go back to the old mer chants and mariners who were said to have come from the coast of Asia to this country in pursuit of one of the pro ducts of our mines; but the Phoenicians were a great people because they were merchants and given to maritime pur suits, and it needs but the most superficial knowledge of history to enable us to remember that from them came the arts and civilisation, and the, greatness and the commercial splendour of the city of Carthage on the African conti nent, and from Greece came' the populous and commercial colonies of Italy and Sicily ; and Carthage, though com paratively early destroyed, yet left its traces in France and Spain. Then, coming down to a period when history is more complete and accurate, we find in the cities of Northern Italy commerce was attended by arts, letters, and freedom, and civilisation to an extent which, considering the condition of other parts of the world, is at least beau tiful to contemplate, and most remarkable, and the great commercial Republics:of Genoa and Venice have left their mark on history whiqi time itself can never efface. And coming down to a period somewhat later, we find the com mercial cities of the Netherlands taking apart in the history of Europe, equally important, and being themselves equally devoted to arts, to civilisation, and freedom. And then crossing the narrow strait, the narrow channel, and coming to our own loved island and country, we find here that precisely as commerce has extended and industry has been respected, towns and cities have grown and populations have congregated together. As has been said by my right hon. friend, from that, source and not from monarchs or from great lords of the soil—from that source mainly has come whatever there is of social, or civil, or religious free dom to the inhabitants of this country. But it is not con finedjto those I am describing; it is not confined to England or. Europe. Within that period which is called modern his tory our race has seen vast continents discovered, subdued, and peopled; and across the Atlantic we behold a country which within the lifetime of men now living contained only a few scattered colonies, but has now grown to be a great nation, that' an inevitable but temporary conflict within its borders has well:nigh convulsed the commerce of all the world, while mankind look on with wonder, and may I not almost say with suspended breath at the varying fortunes of that great struggle. ' But turn to the Southern hemis phere, to countries which aro still as the United States of America were, colonies of England, bein g i n some degree dependant yet on English authority ; and there you find that within a lifetime almost of the accurate discovery of the great Southern Continent, there are flourishing cities, there is a vast trade, there is almost all that is among ourselves —States and Empires -that are to be, all growing up with a rapidity unknown to ages that are past. Well, if this be so, I should say that the English people ought to take special pride in the greatness of these colonies, whether on the American or on the Australian continent. They came from us. Th e y h a ve t a ken all that is best of our institu tions and of our laws'and principles. Ou r ances t ors were theirs, and through their instrumentality the English lan guage ; and it may b e —l hope it may not be—that when the greatness of this country may have fallen, still there may remain in those countries and those populations— what shall I call it ?—the people on the face of the earth. But in addition t o thi s , posterity of what may now be deemed the greatest facturers here that not in England only, but in all Europe, may I not say to merchants and manu we perceive the commercial spirit extending, and producing great and beneficent results ? War is much less possible, notwithstanding the writing of sometimes foolish news papers, than it used to be. (A laugh.) There never was a time probably when during peace the armaments of Europe have been so great as during late years, and yet with all these armaments, so provocative of war, there is the strongest possible disposition among European people to preserve the peace. And although these armaments are great, and although' they are nourished by exac tions on the commerce of all these countries, yet I con sole myself with the belief that as wars of conquest are gone into the past and peace is now seen to be the true interest of nations, so the jealousy between nations which keeps alive these gre a t armaments will also subside, and by and by the Gover nments and States of Europe will maintain only such armam en t s as a moderate and peaceful and just spirit would en courage and defend. (Cheers.) Well, I take the liberty of sayin g t o my brother manufacturers and merchants that as a class, as a section, as a body in the population, they are becoming every day more powerful than they have ever been before. My right hon. friend has said very wisely that there is a Parliament being held everywhere. There is no doubt that every Exchange is a portion of the Parliament of the world. Industry is be coming more omnipotent, or more near what we are per mitted to describe by omnipotence ; and it is desirable that the wisdom of merchants and manufacturers, if possible, should in some degree equal their power. Merchants and manufacturers meet on an Exchange, I shall be told by somebody, for the purpose of making money, and not for the sake of philosophical and political discussion and ac tion. Nov, Ido not believe that because a man is a manu facturer or a merchant he is less than a man, and that he loses in any degree the responsibilities that belong to him as a man ; or that there is less laid on him th'e duty of urging, using, and obeying, if I may so say., those responsi bilities with the added power which he derives from being a merchant or a manufacturer. We stand on a loftier emi nence than our forefathers did. We stand, as it were, on the shoulders of preceding generations. We see more, we are bound to take a wider survey and a more exalted view of our duties as between nation and nation ; we are bound, I think, to establish the international law of the mercantile world, which is to insist on the widest and freest intercourse between nation and nation. (Cheers.) And it is our duty to promote every quality, every principle, and every cour tesy that shall tend to the promotion of peace betwoon nu- tion and nation. Look here, in this very building, what will be the condition of merchants and manufacturers only to-morrow ? They will have before them, at the cost of a single sheet of paper, a chart of the doings of the world; drawn with, I should say, marvellous accuracy in the main. They will have on their table to-day every single thing of any importance that happened yesterday in any consi l derable town in any part of Europe, and in all probability before this year isout they will find the continents of Asia and America. brought so near to them that to-day they will be able to discuss' among themselves the events which happened yesterday in Calcutta and Washington. (Cheers.) Why, such are the triumphs of science in our day, such is the enterprise which commerce creates, that the most o boundless tracts of the earth's suface, the most measure less wastes of ocean, are no longer barriers to prevent the free and instantaneous transmission of thought among man kind. (Cheers.) At home, keeping ourselves for a moment to this district, which has many features in it so extremely in leresting. Looking to the erection of this building and the probability of the daily meeting here of many merchants and manufacturers, and many others—for many others will come to an Exchange like this, professional men, and I hope also those gentlemen who, under the character of ministers of religion, have addressed this meeting to-night in a man ner which has given extreme pleasure to all of us—they will meet here, and will have an opportunity of doing that • which I say merchants and manufacturers should do in promoting peace between nations. They should exert themselves to preserve and promote peace among the various classes of which the community is composed. I would ad vise them to look carefully at one great question, and that is the question of the instructing your people. They should endeavour by all means to promote justice in the law, and that which never fails, I believe, when the law is just —re verence for the law among the population. Now, you have in Birmingham a remarkably varied and yet, I should say, a very solid industry. There is no great town in the kingdom where manufactures are carried on where I be lieve there has been so long-continued a course of at least what I should call fair and moderate success and pros perity. (Cheers.) You have at the same time an inter laced and compact community, but still there is in this district that old • question, which will meet us for many a day yet—the question between the employer • and the employed, or, in more familiar language, between the master and the man. Now, I am one of those who do not expect to see the strikes of workmen readily or entirely abandoned. I have said before in public what lam ready , to repeat here, that lam not sure that it is desirable-that • the idea of strikes should be absolutely abandoned. I call' • the power of strike among workmen the reserved power which under some circumstances it may be their duty to exercise. At the same time I am willing to confess that, in my experience, in 19 cases out of 20 at least the exercise of that power may be fairly questioned ; 'and in many of those cases it has been a merciless curse to those by whom it was exercised. (Cheers.) I will not say that education would wholly remove the causes or action of strikes, but I believe it would make them much less frequent —very much less evils—and if there be one thing in our social history that convinces me, and must convince all, of the great im provement which has taken place in the intelligence and temper of the working men in your counties as well as in Lancashire, it is to be found in the fact that if a strike does occur it is not accompanied with one-twentieth of the bit terness and the violence with which it was accompanied in past years. (Cheers.) Well, I believe that education among workmen and a little more.education and thought among employers would be a very excellent . thing in connection with this question. (Cheers.) My own impression is that if it were possible—and looking at this table one might fancy it was possible—if it were possible to have estab lished in our great manufacturing districts a grand system of common schools, through which every boy and every girl that desired it should pass, I cannot but believe that we should find our population, :even those thousands that spend their time mostly in the working of your mines, might advance so much in instruction, in culture, in gentleness, and in the love of justice, that society in these districts might be even better interlaced and compacted together. Those contentions which occasionally arise would be for the most part abandoned, and if they did unhappily arise on any occasion they would be pursued in:a generous, temperate, and, I would say, courteous spirit. (Cheers.) Now, in the United States they have, as you know—l speak of the free States—a great system of common schools such as the world elsewhere has never seen ; but there, even where the artisan class is more highly instructed than our own, they have occasionally and not unfrequently strikes and contentions about wages. But, judging from what I read in their papers they appear to be very soon settled. I think, under the circumstances I have described, employers would be more courteous to their workmen, and workmen possibly more open to facts and arguments. Thus causes of dissension might be removed without inflicting that terrible loss on the people and the district which has so often been occasioned in this country. Now, perhaps, I have touched on sub jects which some may consider foreign to an occasion like this ; but I hope not. I have lamented often in the county from which I come what seemed to my mind the narrow ness of what I may call the leaders and captains of industry. Upon these men, as appears to me mainly depends our pro gress for the future in freedom and civilisation in this coun try. It is impossible that the great bulk of our population can greatly improve if those by whom they are employed, and by whom they must be much influenced, are not them selves also in a course of progress and advancement. On them depend our hopes for the future of our country ; for it is by their intelligence and energy, and by their capital, that the IVOrlti grows in wealth ; comfort is more widely ' diffused ; populations are raised to ahigher level ; darkness and barbarism are driven. away ; light and civilization en ter ; war recedes, as we see it is receding—notwithstanding exceptional cases in the world—into the past, and peace comes before us promising to bless the future ; and thus, when I am in what. I should call my happier mood of thinking, I think I discover that the world, slowly it may be, but still sensibly, moves on towards a happier time. (Cheers.) Here, then, not to prolong a discourse on what we aro probably all agreed, I would ask, may we not hope that your Exchange will be a centre of great good ? May we not ask and belieVe that they who frequent it, although they came here "to buy, to sell; and get gain," will yet faithfully maintain the principles tby which alone you can give security and its best reward to labour, and that, by your courageous and prudent enterprise, you shall give con tinually to the population by whom you are surrounded a larger portion of those blessings which in all countries and in all ages have waited on the steps of ;commerce and of freedom ? (Loud cheers.) Mr. SAMPSON S. LLOYD, in- proposing " the members for the northern division of the county," remarked that they represented a peculiar constituency, a constituency of mixed interests, agricultural and manufacturing. They repre sented a constituency whose political views differed in a re markable degree, but it was a more interesting constituency on that account. They had been told by their much re spected representative (Mr. Bright) that industry waxed when monarchy waned. Now, he hoped the:hon. member would permit him to say that he differed from that view, because he thought that the remarkable progress which had been made by the industrial interests of that town formed a very good illustration of the fact that commercial inte rests waxed, while he was sure the monarch's power was not on the wane. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman had re ferred to the Republics of Venice, Carthage, and North Italy, and with his usual eloquence had stated that their greatness was owing to their commerce. Now, he (Mr. Lloyd) thought he had read that the prosperity of those countries, instead of waxing, very soon waned, and with re gard to the Republic of North Italy it soon merged into the worst of despotisms. (Cheers.) The hon. gentleman had told them that Carthage and Venice had gone and had left their mark in history. Undoubtedly they had, but the mere wealth obtained by commerce would inever give that security nor that true liberty which were best to be found under own constitution and limited monarchy. Another remark of the hon. gentleman's was that their liberties did not come from the lords of the soil. Now, with reference to that he thought they must all 'have read when boys at school that the Barons of England, in obtaining from King John the Magna Charta, when they might have sought liberty only for themselves, were generous enough to seek it also for their less powerful neighbours. (Cheers.) In conclusion, Mr. Lloyd spoke in very high terms of :,Mr. Newdegate, who had represented the northern division of Wa7rWickshire for 20 years, and whose absence- on that occasion he deeply regretted, and proposed " the Health of Mr. W. Davenport Bromley," for whom, although but recently elected, he entertained a high esteem. (Hear.) Mr. W. DAVENPORT BROMLEY, M.P., on rising to re spond was received with loud applause. He said,—Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen—lt would ill become me after the very eloquent speeches to which you have just listened to detain you at any length at this period of the evening. I can only say that it is a matter of great regret to me that my colleague, Mr. Newdegate, is not present to-day—(hear) —and I. feel that it throws a weight and responsibility upon my shoulders which I am very unequal to bear. But I beg to say that it has afforded me great satisfaction to be present to-day at this ceremony of opening this build ing, and to identify myself with the interests of Birming ham. (Applause.) I think it is a most interesting thing to see the formal opening of a work of this kind, which will be handed down to posterity as a monument of the labours of their forefathers. Gentlemen, the hon. member for Bir mingham has stated that in these days the march of civi lisation has increased so much that we shall soft be able to send intelligence in a few minutes to the uttermost parts of the earth. I can say that it affords matter for much reflection to me to think that these walls now around us will one day echo to the footsteps of unborn generations, who will listen to speeches in these rooms when they may, perhaps, be in possession of secrets as incomprehensible to us now as the secrets of steam and electricity were incomprehensible to our fore fathers. (Applause.) It is not the empty shell of this building which will go down to posterity ; with it will go improved commercial laws—laws improved and added to in every respect, as has been evidenced by the work that has been done by the Chamber of Commerce in this town. (Loud cheers.) We must remember, gentle men, that whether our interest be centred in commerce, or manufactures, or agriculture, we are mere tenants for life, in the Divine entail to man ; and as we have received our inheritance in an improved condition as compared with that in which our forefathers received it, so it is our boun den duty to transfer that entail and inheritance in a still further improved condition. (Loud cheers.) Gentlemen, I feel that, after the manner in which Mr. Scholefield has been kind enough to introduce my name to you as well as that in which Mr. Lloyd has spoken of me, it is very diffi cult for me to make any remarks to lead you to suppose that I am at all worthy of the compliments which you have paid me ; and I can only say, in reference to the practical part of Mr. Scholefield's remarks, that I shall always be happy to meet him or any gentleman in connection with this town, and exert myself in their favour to the best of my ability in the position I have been called to occupy. (Hear, hear.) I here pledge myself, as I have done before, that however great my deficiencies my abilities shall be exerted for your interests and for the general prosperity of this country. (Loud cheers.) The concluding toasts were " The Mayor and Corpora tion," proposed by Mr. George Dawson, and responded to by Mr. Henry Wiggin, the Mayor ; " The Exchange," proposed by Mr. Scholefield, M.P., who spoke of Mr. E. Lander as the promoter of the movement which led to the erection of the building, and whose name must ever be honourably associated with it ; " The magistrates," pro posed by Mr. Edwin Gwyther, and responded to by Mr. T. C. S. Kynnersley, the stipendiary ; " The Chamber of Commerce, and the Consuls, &c., of Foreign States resi dent in Birmingham," acknowledged by M. Verdier ds Latour, the Consul of France; and "The Chairman," 1, 3 , Mr. Scholefield, M.P. The proceedings concluded soon after six o'cloct. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOIANALS. ,-- TIMES.—The protests which invariably follow any public notice of the Post-o . . 1: and its proceed ings bear testimony to the peculial'interest taken by all classes of society in the adminiztration of that Department. No sooner is the subject started than our correspondence teems with complaints ex postulations, and remonstrances, all of which ap pear in direct contravention of the credit claimed by the office for its own good work. To listen to the Postmaster-General, you would think that no Department of State ever performed such success ful, meritorious, and disinterested service as that over which he presides ; to listen to the public, you would imagine that never was overpaid work more grudgingly executed. Nor is the conflict of opinion in any degree extraordinary. It is but the natural result of arrangements which are not really injudi cious or impolitic, but which have no-parallel in our institutions. The misfortune of the Department is, that it serves two masters—the State and the pub lic. The State looks to the profit realised for its use, the public to the accommodation furnished in return for the charge. On the former of these points the official report .of the Postmaster-General must needs be thought satisfactory. Mr. Glad stone will get a clear million of money from the Office, in fact something more, and he may well be content, but our columns have shown for this week past that the sentiment of gratitude is not exactly shared by the public. If we had to decide between these opinions, we should say that the Post-office really does as much for the public as is compatible with its obligations to the Treasury, but that it takes rather too much credit, and assumes rather too patronising a tone in describing its perform ancces. It could do a great deal more for us if it was less anxious to' make profit out of the work, but the profit must be made, unless the whole theory of the service is to be revolutionised. The first great change in the system was all in favour of the public, to the detriment of the state. The introduction of the penny postage was one of the greatest and most palpable reforms of our times. Everybody felt it directly and immediately. No relief that a Chancellor of the Exchequer could devise would come home so quickly and sensibly as this did to every man's door. But the boon was given once for all. Since that time the modifica tions or developments of the system have been con ceived as much in the interest of the State as in that of the public. The loss to the State had to be made up as far and as speedily as possible, and this could only be done by extending the business, or, in other words, multiplying the number of letters transmitted through the Post. The inventor of the new system had set his heart upon bringing things to a balance and realising ultimately for the benefit of the Ex chequer all that the Exchequer had surrendered in the first instance for the benefit of the public. A letter was to be carried and delivered for a penny instead of eightpence, but so many letters were to be carried and delivered that the product from the pence received for the service was to be as great as before. This was the policy which has governed the proceedings of the Post-office for the last five and-twenty years. The object was the multiplica tion of letters, and to this all the ene rg i es an d de vices of the Department were directed. It was re quisite, in the first place, to facilitate the work of the Post-office servants in order that they might perform a greater amount in a given time. To this end the " co-operation " of the public was " in vited," as they say in Paris—that is to say, we had to do as the Post-office told us. Rules of greater and greater stringency were introduced as to the prepayment of letters, and as to the affixing of the right stamp in the right corner. Penalties for the infraction of rules were multiplie or increased. Ac curacy and distinctness of. addre ' were rigidly ex- - acted, and the Office took less tro able to rectify the defaults of its customers. In Lon on a little diction ary had to be purchased and studied in order that a nomenclature more convenient to the Office might be understood. Even. every householder was ,ex pected to fit a private letter-box to his front door, in order that the letter-carrier might not have a minute to wait. All this shifting of small troubles from the Office to the public rendered the work of its servants very much easier, and enabled them to carry and deliver many more letters than before. So, then, new receptacles were devised for the deposit of letters, new branches opened, and new shops organised in all quarters for the solicita tion of our custom. The accumulation of letters thus created entailed the multiplication of deliveries, till most towns had two posts a day and the chief cities of the kingdom many more. The office, in short, did really expedite the collection, transmis sion, and delivery of letters. to such good purpose that they increased in number by millions ; but, as each letter was carried at a profit, the gains of the office increased also, and the end was attained. It is not to be disguised that the public had its share of the advantage. The post-office did not reduce the price of its stamps by a single farthing, nor did it, we believe, in a single instance increase the weight which a given stamp might carry. These conditions of service were kept unchanged, so that as the business which etas thus increased had been a remunerative business to begin with, its profits swelled in proportion. What the public gained was a quicker and more frequent delivery. It paid the same for the carriage of a letter as before, but the letter was carried in a shortq time. Two or three letters, in some places a dozen, might be inter changed where only one despatch daily had been possible before, and the latest concession of the department has been an extension of the hours within which letters may be posted in London. All this is true, but still the paternal solicitude of the Office for our accommodation and convenience is accompanied, if it is not created, by a distinct con cern for its own interests. A baker who sold penny rolls or muffins at a profit would think himself rather than his customers fortunate if he could in duce them to take rolls and muffins ten times a day instead of at breakfast only, and this is what the Post -office has succeeded in doing with its letters. Nevertheless, the communications which appear in our columns prove this much on behalf of the Department, that this facilitation and expedition of deliveries is what the public chiefly looks for. There is not much grumbling about postal charges. Nine complaints out of ten refer rather to sharp practice or stingy service. The deliveries, it is said, are few, or slow, or circuitous ; or a slight inaccuracy has been allowed to vitiate an address, or a penalty has been too severely exacted. The general tone of these protests shows that the public wishes the Office not to charge less but to perform more, or, in'other words, to proceed in that very course which its own interest has already dictated. But the Office is de barred from being too liberal to the public by its duty to the State. The Exchequer cannot dispense with the million thus pleasantly brought in, and, besides this, the whole Department is animated by an undying desire to bring up the profits to the standard of old times, and to keep them there. Unless this is done, the pledge given at the origin of the reform is unfulfilled. So, though the means of the Department increases its economy is not miti gated, and it still, though it is a Government esta hlishment,;lies under the anomalous and unparalleled charge of pinching and screwing and turning every penny to account. Perhaps, upon the whole, the reader may think that this is not so bad a character for a Department to possess ; but, unluckily, its parings and scrapings, when they are felt, affect us all, and we are apt to think that a few thousand pounds had better be saved elsewhere,. or not saved at all, than at such cost to our daily convenience. HERALD. —New Year's-day has come and gone ; and the Emperor of the French has made his annual reply to the Compliments of the diplomatic body ; speculators, political and monetary, breathe freely again. Ever since half a dozen words addressed to an ambassador proved the prelude of a great war this New Year's reception at the Tuileries has been looked forward to for several weeks with intense anxiety and interest from all parts of Europe. What had been once done might be done again. The absolute ruler of the most ambi tious nation of Europe might again, men feared, give the signal for. a conflict, or he might, some hoped, spread confidence by emphatic assurances of peace. And the interest has kept up, although since that memorable Ist January, 1859, the ~.,.............—.....—..,—......... Emperor has said nothing of the slightest import- , ance. It is always possible that he may fling a . bomb-shell amongst the crowd, and ths fact that for several years in succession he denies himself the pleasure only leads people to calculate with con fidence that he will startle them etch next time. Happily this yeay he has added anotirlr to the corn- .. mon place conversations which the Court chroni- clers have recorded since 1859. He has neither warned nor threatened any oxe ; he has professed no fears that peace will be btoken—a very impor-, taut matter when the speaker has absolutely the' power of realising those fears, and almost as abso lutely the power of preventing their realisation. On the contrary, he trusts that concord may continue i' reign, treats the presence of the Foreign Ministe around him as a guarantee that it will, and fur the , promises that he will make every effort that his re., lations with foreign powers may be ever animated , by respect for right and love of peace and justice, Excellently spoken, and but that phrases like th• allow such a latitude of interpretation that the Em peror would find no difficulty in reconciling his pro fessions of attachment to peace with a war again-,. any one of his neighbours, we might make cert. i ,-of peace for at least another 12 months, and hol , ' that that 12 months' grace would secure anolheT grace of as many years. FOr if the Emperor of tly French is anxious to maintain the peace of Euros, , it is almost impossible that it can be disturbed. The: only question which threatens war is the Italian . one. The Italians are eager for war with Austria; they have a very unpleasant consciousness that they do not make it now they will not be able to make it for some years, and then at a great disad vantage. They find it impossible to continue th= expenditure in which they have indulged in order ?, prepare themselves for war, and they are most ma.' willing to see all that expenditure, representing sue i vast sacrifices in the past and for the future, mad . _ completely useless by a disarmament. They want; to fight now, while the army is still left to them.' But they will not venture to fight against the w i s hes of the Emperor of the French. Even if they clearly understand that they will have no chance of French assistance they will not venture to dash themselves against the Quadrilateral. If they were to know that the Emperor was determined to keep the peace of Europe and would not allow them to check the progress of industry, the development of wealth and comfort, and the general extension of commercial relations, merely to gratify their am bition to acquire fresh territory whilst that which they have needs all their efforts to make something of it, they would at once abandon all thoughts of war, cut down their expenditure, and redeem their credit. There is no other difficulty whiCh, so far as present appearances enable us to speak, can lead to war. Austria will not venture to break w ith Prussia, how much soever she may dislike the Prussian disposition, of the Duchies. The secondary states will be quite as careful not to go beyond big words, and not to afford Prussia a pretext for mak ing them Prussian too. The Emperor, therefore, can keep the peace of Europe if he will. Will he ? We venture to think so, although last year he made the same professions of a desire for the maintenance of peace, expressed the same hopes that it would be maintained, had the same power to have prevented its disturbance, and yet allowed a war to break out which crushed a nation whose fidelity to France in the days of her humiliation deserved a better re turn. On the Ist of January, 1864, the Emperor expressed to the diplomatic body his conviction that notwithstanding the difficulties which had been brought about by certain events in different parts . , of Europe they would be removed by the co nc ilia-f tory spirit by which the Sovereigns were animated; and " that we shall be able to m a i n t a i n peace.'' Peace was not maintained ; but nobody can doubt that it would have been maintained if France had seconded the efforts of England with any sincerity- If the Emperor had accepted the proposal of the , English Government, and agreed with England and Sweden to protect Denmark against any violation of the Treaty of London, the Germans would never have crossed the Eider. Upon that point there can not be the slightest doubt. Not even Herr Von Bis 4 marck or Prince Frederick Charles would have bee mad enough to have challenged such an opposition ; and as for Austria, the first hint of it would have turned her into a violent advocate of the London Treaty. But the Emperor had other purposes. He thought war would answer his . object better than peace ; and so, perhaps, it - has. Germany is thoroughly disunited, and England, which left hint in the lurch the previous year, has sustained a most signal defeat. Her prestige, her influence in Europe is gone. Those two victories the Prussian heroeq of Duppel and Sonderborg have won for France. France did not sacrifice a man or a son. But this year, if there is any fighting, it cannot profit Franca in the least unless she takes her part in it, and there is no probable fighting in which any part taken by France would yield sufficient profit to make the venture worth the, Emperor's while. He want: peace for France because he wants the continuance; of commercial prosperity, a more active progress in, those great public wo r k s w hi c h w ill b e t h e g l ory of of his reign, even if they be the bane of future Finance Ministers ; he wants peace because Ini' wants, if not to reduce taxation, at least_ not to in", crease it. For these reasons he is anxious not only that France herself should enjoy peace, but Europl too; because war in Europe would shake confidence, in France and impede very much the executio'n 0 ' the Imperial programme. Without, therefore , attaching any great importance to commonplaces about peace and justice, which really mean little more than " your humble servant " at the end of 3 letter, we have a strong conviction that the Empire is for this year peace ; that the Emperor is really anxious in his own interest and that of France to preserve peace to Europe for the present ; and be lieving that he has the power to give effect t o his wishes we promise ourselves that 1865, in thiS quarter of the globe at least, will be a year of peace and prosperity.. Foreign Mail Packet List. Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton Jan. lg. Ditto, via Marseilles Jan. 12. Brazil and Cape Verds, by British pac.et Jan. 4. Ditto, by British packet Jan. 2t• Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena... Pen. 10. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Sou hampton Jan 2. Ditto, via Afarstilles ......Jan. 12. Falkland Islands Jan. —. Gibraltar, via Southampton India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton.... Jan. 2. Ditto, via Marseilles • . • Jan. 12. India (Bombay), via Southampton. Jan. 11. Ditto, via Marseilles . ..Jan. 5. Mauritius, via Southampton Jan. 12.. Ditto, via Marseil e 4 Jan. 5. Newfoundland Jan. 4. Portug 1 Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon... United States and British North America, by Bri tish packet Amer.ca. by British packet..... . 4. Ditto, by United States packet, viaSouthamp tan Ditto, via Cork Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry.. Jan. BREAKFAST BEViutAcin.--Homo3opathio practitionerOv and the medical profession generally, recommend cocoa. as being the Most healthful of all beverages. When the don trine of homceopathy was first introduced into this country , there were to 'be obt.fined no preparations of cocoa either ate tractive to the taste or acceptable to the stomach ; the nut was either supplied in the crude state, or so unakilfuliy manufactured as to obtain little notice. J. Epps, of London , Homoeopathic Chemist, was induced in the year 1839 to turn his, attention to this subject, and at length succeeded, with the assistance of elaborate, machinery, in being the first to produce an-article mite in its composition, and so refined by the perfect ti ituration. it receives in the process it passes through, as to be most acceptable to the delicate stomach. For general use Epps's Cocoa is distinguished as an invigo , rating, grateful breakfast beverage, possessing a most dell' cions arotna. Dr. Hassall, in •his work, "Vood and its Adulterations," says —‘' Cocoa contains a great variety of inv portant nutritive principles—every ingredient necessary to < ' the growth and sustenance of the body." Again : "As * nutritive, cocoa stands very much higher than either coffee or tea." Directions—Two teaspoonfuls of the powder in breakfast cup, fillectup with boiling water or milk. Secure in tin-lined ilb., ilb., and 11b. labelled packets, and sold 14 all grocers, tonfeetioners, and chemists. - [Aavr.] Births. DUDGEON.—On the 31st December, at 17, Oxford-terraces Hyde:park, the wife. of Capt. J. J. Dudgeon, 23d Regi' ment, of a son. IVIENziEs.—On the 31st December, at 23, Westbourne-park'' road, the wife of Dr. Duncan Itenzie's, of a daughter. NETHERSOLE.—At Mooltan, Punjab, the wife of George 13- Nethersole, Esq., Punjab Railway, of a son. SHARP. — On the 31st December, at 35, Inverness-terrace, Kensington-gardens, the wife of Thomas Sharp, Esq., of a son. Marriages. BARBER. - -NICOLL.--On• the 17th December, at Argyle square Church, Henry Barber, jun., of Lower Thames' street, London, to Anne, eldest daughter of the late John Nicoll, Esq., merchant and shipowner, Aberdeen. COURCELLE.—WALus.—On the 29th Dec., at the parish' church of St. Marylebone, J. Hector T. Courcelli, Esq., of No. 111, Marylobone-road, N.W., and Thames Villa, Haswell, to. Jane Martha, youngest daughter of the late William Wallis, Esq., of Connaught-square, W. Deaths. BANNERMAN.—On the 30th Dec., at 1, Cumberland-strect, Eccleston-square, Sir Alexander Bannerman, late Gover nor of Newfoundland ao-ed 76. BUitDER.—On the 29th Dec., at Hatchem-park, Surrey, the Rev. Henry F. Burder, D.D., late of Hackney, aged 82. MACGREGOIL—On the 31st Dec., Alexander Macgregor, Esq., late of Royal Tent, Silver-street, Golden-square, aged 60. RIIDSTON-READ.—On the 31st Dec., at Sutton-on-Derwent, York, the Rev. George Rudston-Eead, aged 54. London : Pd. ted and P üblished by WIL LIAM AN DR ITIVS , of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office, No 112. Strand, in the Precinct of the 'Savoy, iu the County of Atiddlesex.—Tuesday, January 3,1835. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENTING, JANUARY 3, 1865.