The Sun. — London, England, 1870-05-13 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP-THURSDAY. Another omnibus has been added to the train which blocks the legislative Temple Bar. The Marquis of Eartington and his colleagues can hardly expect that it will get through this year. But as more than two hun dred members of the Liberal party insisted upon its being brought out, Mr. Gladstone was obliged to consent. The funny thing about this Parliamentary Elections Bill is, that it in most respects sets aside the recommendations of the select committee ; but as the committee ignored the strong and almost unanimous testimony which was brought before them, the Government was compelled to adopt the course it has taken. It does not please Professor Fa'.vcett. Nothing that comes from Mr. Gladstone's cabinet ever does please the Professor. The fact is to be lamented, but cannot be avoided. As for the Land Bill, that is now making good progress, and there is some pro spect that it will get through committee during the fort night that remains before the Whitsun holidays. But it is scarcely possible that the bill will be introduced to the Peers before the latter half of June; and as a House of landowners will be sure to have plenty to say about such a measure as this, their lordships are not likely to be best pleased at such a late appearance. And yet it cannot be said that the Commons have been wasting their time. Throughout the whole of the present session, now more than three months old, there has been only one count out--an incident, I suppose, unparalleled. Night after night the House has sat till past two in the morning. Altogether this has been one of the most toilsome, as it has been quite the most uninteresting, session of our time. Some of to-day's London papers refer to the attempted count-out in the debate on the opium traffic, and the Times attributes the attempt to the unpractical character of the subject. The real authors of the attempt were the Roman Catholic members who wished to prevent the ap pointment of the committee on monastic institutions. At one time Government were very near being beaten on Sir Wilfrid Lawson's motion, and if a division had been taken at 9 o'clock there is little doubt but that the member for Carlisle would have been in a majority. As it was Ministers did not venture to oppose the motion, but shelved it by moving the previous question. Aster all, the real grievance is not taxing opium, but enforcing its introduction into China. The Emperor of China burnt the opium ships rather than have his people debauched, and, although opium was contraband, and we were therefore violating the law in importing it, we went to war with China, and have since then gone on demoralising that great country in order that our Indian revenue might be larger. We shall have no right to com plain, if the Chinese, who, once the most stay-at-home, are now becoming the most enterprising and adventurous people in the world, bring their custom with them, and teach our own people the ruinous practice of opium-eating. Mr. Childers has had a sharp attack which caused some uneasiness to his friends for a few hours. He is now, however, convalescent. I wish I could say the same of Mr. Bright. It will be a long time, I fear, before he will resume his post at the Board of Trade, if he ever does resume it. Mr. Lefevre looks as if he wanted a holiday. Nevertheless, I believe that Mr. Bright will not resign, at all events, for the present ; fos, though his friends desire him to vacate his post, Mr. Gladstone does not want to lose the influence which even his mere name gives. The sick man has been sorely missed during the present session, if only for the want of any one to keep in order the members below the gangway. He would not have hesi tated to snub Mr. Fawcett, Mr. Vernon Harcourt, or any number of advanced Radicals. A speech from him would have saved us many a speech from discontented Radicals and Irishmen. Mr. Bright was, I believe, in town yesterday, and this shews some improvement. The Alabama and San Juan questions remain in state quo, and except for occasional vapourings in the New York. Herald there is very little said or thought about them. There is a matter which excites far more irritation in the American mind than either of the above. It is the imprisonment of certain American Fenians, espe pecially General Halpin and Mr. Shore. The first declares most solemnly that he had no connection with the Fenian movement, and that when he was arrested on board a steamer during the time that the Habeas Corpus Act was suspended, he was leaving the General Carey, who is now in England, is interesting himself a good deal in his f 'How-countrymen's behalf, and has lately seen General H in at the Chatham Convict Prison. The prisoner said that he had no cause to complain of his treatment in the gaol, but he was surprised that his own Government had not taken up his case more warmly. I believe that Mr. Motley will now be urged to do so. At the same time it is fair to state that our own Government have not the smallest doubt as to General lialpin's guilt, and Mr. Bruce has stated that this was aiiont the last man they would have thought of in choos ing which of the prisoners they would release. Shore is one of the men who was apprehended in connection with the Manchester murders. It was shewn that he had in part in it, but for some reason with which I am unacquainted he still remains in prison. Both men were Americans by residence, though technically and by birth British subjects. The Fenians do not wish to see them released, because so long as they remain in prison there is hope of exasperating the United States against England. country. The gathering at the London University yesterday was tolerably brilliant, though small, as the spectators were vilth a few exceptions confined to the graduates. The number of public men was loss than might have been expected. Mr. Disraeli was quite the ladies' man, and stood atting to the five distinguished women who were permitted to occupy the front bench. A sudden burst of cheers sent him to his seat, for his great rival was entering, and all the company rose to greet him. What is the rule as to costume on such occasions ? Mr. _Dis raeli, Mr. Forster, and Mr. Lefevre wore the Windsor uniform, Lord John Manners wore his Oxford D.C.L. gown. Mr. Gladstone, who might have selected either, was in plain clothes : so, too, was Mr. Ayrton. The Queen looked as well in health as she ever looked. The Princess of Wales was so charming that Mr. Weigall's portrait at the Royal Academy is absolutely amazing in its un-likeness. The portrait of the Prince is much more faithfuL Will any of your readers say what relation Lord Derby will be to Lord Salisbury after the marriage of the first with the Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury? Stepfather by marriage is not a relationship that one often hears of, though this is the closest definition that occurs to me. Another query—Will the marchioness accept the lower title of countess in order to get rid of the "dowager ?" The marriage has some political significance. It denotes, or at all events should promote, restored union among the Conservative chieftains. Perhaps even the irreconcilable Mr. Beresford Hope will be won now that his brother-in law, the marquis, is about to enter into family relations with Lord Derby. The Royal Commission appointed many months ago to inquire into our coal supply is approaching the ena of its labours. A very careful section connecting the various coal fields of Staffordshire, the Mid lands, and Yorkshire has been made by the officers of the geological survey, and will form a most valuable conspectus of this department of our mineral wealth. In fact, it is taking stock of our coal ; primarily for the benefit of the coal owners, though ultimately for that of the whole population. The sections differ from most drawings of the kind. The vertical scale is the same as the horizontal. This seems almost a pity, as it is impossible to shew 50ft. in a section of one inch to a mile. On the other hand, there is an advantage in having the scales alike, as the section then offers an actual representation of the strata. Manufacturers have rather a good story to tell just now at the expense of one of her Majesty's inspectors. He went to a town, which shall be nameless, in order to in spect a mill. He was received by the millowner in his private office, a beautiful Turkey-carpeted room, and there was a goodly lunch spread out, which, the inspector. being young, and having a healthy appetite, did full justice to. The meal finished, the host said to his guest, " Well, if you won't have any more wine, let us go into the card room," meaning, of course the room where the carding is done. "You must excuse me," said the inspector, "but I never play cards before dinner." This is almost as good as the story told of a noble lord with royal blood in his veins, who going over a cotton mill, and being shewn some of the raw material—" wool," as it is called—looked at it knowingly and said, "Ah ! wool. I see. Well, now, Mr. —, is this the wool of Australian or English sheep ?" Sundry provincial newspaper proprietors met in London on Tuesday, and ha vine done business in the morning feasted freely at the Crystal Palace in the evening. The society is' called the Provincial Newspaper Association, and its programrpe of work is not unsatisfactory. Its members Would like to know, however, who is toliasrior thelab atantial dinner and very large amount of wine which was consumed. Such a dinner must have cost about £5O. Manifestly the charge ought not to be defrayed out of the funds of an association whose revenue amounts to about £2OO a year. A rather absurd mistake was made the other day. The Illustrated London Hews published a portrait which pro fessed to be that of Dr. Hughes, the new Bishop of St. Asaph. It was not a likeness of him at all, but of a neighbouring Welsh clergyman. The Bishop's friends wrote to the News, but obtained no reply. The fact was that somebody, I suppose by way of joke, had sent a photograph of some highly respectable, but not very widely known cleric, and the present was accepted and used without inquiry. The 1 to-day publishes a very interesting correspon dence between Mr. Hepworth Dixon and Admiral Ommaney respecting the bombardment of Solovetsk by the latter gentleman during the Russian War. It is satisfactory to find that a British sailor was not—as Mr. Dixon's Russian friends believe him to be—guilty of firing upon an unarmed monastery, and without provocation. The monastery was virtually a fort, and the first shot was fired by the defenders of it. The Times, which had a very severe review upon Mr. Dixon's " Free Russia," publishes to-day a letter from Professor Kapustin, in which he says that he strongly dissuaded Mr. Dixon from " writing about a country so perfectly unknown to him." The Professor has found in the work matter for laughter, which is accom panied by " the sad thought that there exists in Europe a nation about which it is permitted to speak unrestrainedly without knowing its language, and without taking the trouble to become acquainted with its life, even at second hand." The Professor attributes the haste and errors of the book to the necessity Mr. Dixon was under of anticipating Sir Charles Dilke's book, which is to come out next spring. The Professor's letter is severe, all the more because the writer is Mr. Dixon's personal friend, and was his host in St. Petersburg. Dr. Kapustin himself is not likely to fall into the mistake of writing a book on England without knowing the country. He has visited it snore than a dozen times, and his letter chews that he has a perfect mastery of our language. Mr. Dixon will have to console himself under his Russian friend's strictures by the praises of another friend, Mr. Ralston, who has at least mastered the Russian language. One of the most charming publications ever offered to the art-loving public is the Photographic Art Journal published by Messrs. Low and Marston. It is edited by Mr. Alexander Rivington. Three monthly numbers (half-a-crown each) have appeared. Each number contains sixteen pages of letter press, and three illustrations. In the first is a photograph of " The Return of the Flock" by Jacque, an engraving of Albrecht Durer's " Nativity," and a photograph of a view near La Grande Chartreuse. The second number has photographs of Verschur's " Stirrup-Cup," " A Village Street in Switz erland," a photo-engraving of Netley Abbey, and a phototype of " The Muleteer's Love." The number for the present month has the first published example of Mr. Woodbury's new patent process of photo-mechanical printing in printing ink, the subject being a portrait by the eminent French artist Girardet. The other illustra tions are a charming staircase at Chartres, and Gericault's picture, "A Heavy Load." The letter-press contains a great amount of information relating to photo graphic matters and kindred art topics. I am glad to state that several pictures by the autotype process will be published in this magazine. The Autotype Company seems to be making great way. It has removed from its temporary offices in the Haymarket to 26, Rathbone place, where a large gallery has been erected for the exhibition of carbon prints. The publishers are keeping back their new books until " Lothair " has had its run ; 7,000 copies of which have been sold already. A new novel called " Arthur," by Mrs. Davis, is in type, andwill be out before long. Miss Poole, of Bridgwater, who has contributed tales and articles to Macmillan's Magazine, will bring out a volume of Somer setshire tales, to be called, I believe, " Other Folk's Children." The two charming stories which have appeared in the Cornhill Magazine" Stone Edge " and " Lettice Lisle " are by a sister of Miss Nightingale, a lady of title. Mr. Bentley is publishing " Letters from London, from 1856 to 1860," written by Mr. Dallas, then United States Minister in this country, and edited by his daughter ; also " The First Lord Malmesbury : his Family and his Friends," containing much information about the secret political history of this country during the commence ment of the century ; and " Confidential Letters of the Right Hon. William Wickham," which will deal with the same period. The Rev. Francis Garden chaplain to the household in St. James's Palace has written a pamphlet with the title, " Can an Ordained Man Become a Layman ?" and having special reference to Mr. Hibbert's bill. The Rev. Harry Jones, one of the most popular of the Broad Church clergy in London, has brought out a volume of sermons called " The Perfect Man," and the Rev. James Moorhouse has published his sermons preached before the University of Cambridge. 4.N ATTORNEY AND HIS MYTHICAL CLIENTS. In the Court of Common Pleas yesterday morning, Mr. Giffard, Q. C., made an application respecting a practice which, there is too much reason to fear, has been growing of late among a certain class of attorneys. He moved for a rule nisi, calling upon an attorney (whose name, for obvious reasons, was not mentioned) to shew cause why he should not be struck off the rolls of the court. Mr. Justice Keating would probably remember a case tried before him in the city in which an action was brought against the proprietor of the Daily Telegraph, to recover penalties, under an old statute, for inserting advertisements offering rewards for the recovery of stolen property. The jury in that case returned a verdict for the defendant. The charge against the attorney in the case was that he used his position as an attorney of this court to bring actions in the names of other persons. Those persons were the attorney's clerk, and a Miss Susan Varley ; 'the latter of whom is not known at the address given, nor can she be found after considerable search. The effect of this was, that on a verdict being given against the attorney's clients, no costs were to be had. This, the learned counsel submitted, was such professional miscon duct on the part of the attorney as to call for the inter ference of the court. It was really pretending to bring actions in the names of other persons when they were for his own personal benefit and advantage. Three actions had been brought against Mr. Ellis, the publisher of the Daily Telegraph. One, that already disposed of, was to recover £3OO ; the others were for £l5O and £5OO respectively. The first was brought in the name of Miss Varley, and the second in that of Charles Russell, who was admitted to be this attorney's clerk. Miss Varley was said to be a dressmaker, and the address given turned out to be that of Russell, who lived there with his wife and family of six children. On inquiry being made, it was said that Miss Varley was the sister or sister-in-law of Russell ; but the landlord and landlady of the premises denied all knowledge of such a person. The consequence was that although the defendant's costs had been properly taxed, it was impossible to serve a subpoena upon Miss Varley, the nominal plaintiff. Their lordships would probably think that there was tolerably strong evidence that the attorney was bringing actions in the names of parties over whom he had some control, assuming that there was such a person as Miss Susan Varley. Chief Justice Bovill : You put it that the actions are brought in this way to recover penalties if successful, and if not, to escape payment of costs ? Mr. Giffard said that was so. Mr. Justice Keating asked if the defendant was not satisfied with the victory he had obtained at the trial. Mr. Giffard reminded the court that there was another action pending for £5OO, and assuming that he won that too, it was still an expensive amusement. He submitted that the attorney was following a delusive system, and that it was not professional conduct which this court would allow to continue. The attorney could, if he chose, become a common informer, and bring these actions in his own name, as a member of the State ; but this was rather in the nature of a con spiracy between the parties. He (the learned counsel) was aware of the responsibility involved in ob taining a rule, when the attorney would have an oppor tunity of replying to the allegations ; but that had been fully considered, and as this was a matter of the very greatest importance to the parti e s interested, he must ask the court to grant the rule asked for.—The court granted the rule to skew cause. Mr. Hickson, a sub-inspector of constabulary at Castlepollard, county Westmeath, was fired at on Tues day night while returning from a dinner party in company with a clergyman. They were driving at a short distance from Castlepollard, when four or five shots were fired, but no one was injured. Mr. Jonathan Gibson, a Bradford Town Coun cillor, saw a viper fourteen inches long. Imagining it was harmless, he took it up from the ground, when it turned round and bit him. The poisonous charater of the bite quickly made itself visible, and Mr. Gibson became insen sible and lay in that state for an hour. He is now under medical treatment. The report of the President of the Queen's Col- College, Belfast, just published, is a favourable account of the state of the institution, but only brings down the statistics to the month of July, 1869. As to religious profession there were in 1868-69, of the 103 who entered the college, sixteen of the Established Church, seven Roman Catholics, sixty Presbyterians, six Methodists, two Independents, and twelve described as " various." THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, MAY 13. 187 G. THE UNSECTARIAN UNIVERSITY. The departure of the Queen after the opening ceremony at Landon University did not finish the proceedings of the day. agrees were conferred, prizes distributed, and one or two speeches made. Earl Granville, in his remarks, drew attention to the large number of distinguished men who bad been connected with the institution during its 42 years of life. Sketching the earlier history of the univer sity, he said there was a time when those who supported its objects had been timid to demand the privilege of con• ferring degrees not only in divinity, but even in medicine, on account of the opposition which they thought they would be likely to encounter. Some people believed that it was a Dissenting University ; but he wished to say that the members of it did not belong, so far as the uni versity was concerned, to any class of religion ; it was not Protestant or Roman Catholic--it was a non-exclusive body, organised to give high-class education to persons of every class and every creed. He would remind them of the obstacles which had been placed in the way of their progress, and he would add that these very obstacles had conduced to confer dignity upon the University. He could not refrain from contrasting the time when the promoters of the institution shrank from demanding the privilege of conferring degrees in medicine with the pre sent time, when these very degrees were honoured not only in England, but in every part of the world. If anything were wanting to add to the gratification of the occasion, it would be afforded by the fact that the leading membeis of other Universities were there that day to supply the living link between themselves and them. Since they had received the- additional powers granted by the last charter their progress had been continuous. If he might adduce a fact to prove their recognition, he would state that they were now empowered to return a member of Parliament. The member who at present represented the academical constituency being a colleague of his own in the government of the nation, it was not for him to say whether or not he was worthy to fulfil his position. Referring to the occupation of the new edifice, he said that, after hope had been long deferred, they had now got a material building for their own uses, whilst he might recall the fact that some time ago they had been, he might say, in lodgings. He would add that this was the first instance in which the apartments which a university was to occupy for its spe cific purposes were erected for those special objects Whilst they would use the apartments of the building for themselves, they would also lend them to others, and he was glad to say that they would be able to place them at the disposal of the sister universities in their laudable efforts to promote local examinations. Referring to the royal recognition given to the institution that day, he said that the visit of the Queen, as stated in the address which he had read to her Majesty, was of great historical interest. The visits of female sovereigns to seats of learn ing had been remarkable in the history of England. Mr. Fronde, with his great graphic power, had depicted Queen Elizabeth going to Oxford and. Cambridge questioning and anrwering, and quoting not only in Latin, but also in Greek. Lord Stanhope, in an admirable, historical pic ture, had described the intellectual achievements of a less gifted woman ; and that day their illustrious Sove reign had significantly shewn her interest in the 'progress of education. 'When the Queen came to the throne the subject of enlightening the people was one of the greatest questions of the day ; and when her Majesty selected a partner, a larger impetus was given to intellectual ad vancement. Mr. Lowe also made a short speech :—" Whilst I think that the best effects will proceed from her Majesty's gracious presence here on this occasion, I believe there is nothing in external aid, nothing in personal recognition, which will insure the advancement of this institution so much as the sound and honest foundation on which it is based. In separating teaching from examination, the system administered in it removes all bias in the examiner, and prevents the lowering of the standard of merit, for whatever object that may be sought. Other Universities have old historical associations, and vast bequests and endowments. I might say that this is the great intellectual mint to which gold may be brought from every quarter, and from which, when stamped, it may go current all over the world. The success of the University is sure and indisputable."—The following is the reply of the Queen, which was handed to the Chan cellor in writing :—" I thank you for your loyal address. It gives me great satisfaction to open the beautiful and spacious building provided by thu liberality of Parliament for the University of London. The completion of that building marks a new era in the history of the Uni versity, the achievements of which have already justified the expectations of the patriotic and enlightened men by whose efforts and on whose advice• it was founded. I have never ceased to watch with great interest the grow ing usefulness of this noble institution, and I do not doubt, and I earnestly desire, that the confidence with which the University is regarded, not in England only, but throughout my - Empire, will continue to increase, and that its influence will be used in the future, as here tofore, for the encouragement of sound and liberal educa-• tion among all classes and races of my people, without distinction of creed." GREEK GRATITUDE.—Mr. 0. J. Williams, Vice- Consul for Greece at Harwich, has presented to Mr. T. Crane, master of the smack Ranger, of Harwich, a silver medal from the Greek Government for having rescued the crew of the Greek ship Tressithea, of Galuxiai, which was wrecked upon the Longsandwhile on a voyage from Tagan rog to Ipswich, with linseed, in January, 1870. The medal is of silver, and bears a likeness of the King on its face, with Greek naval emblems, with Mr. Crane's name on the obverse. The medal was acccompanied by a letter from the President of the Naval Reserve Fund of Greece from which the following is an extract :—" The reward now tendered to you by poor Greece, although of slight material value, may be deemed of no ordinary moral significance. In this land in ancient times an olive garland was an object of highest ambition. The honour accom panyingoa decoration does not consist in externals, but in the merit of the breast that wears it." THE SHOCKING OCCURRENCE AT SWINDON.--On Wednesday Mr. Coroner Whitworth was engaged for several hours at Wroughton, near Swindon, in investiga ting circumstances attending the death of Emily Kate Telling Farmer, the daughter of a respectable farmer of Wroughton, and her illegitimate child. The deceased was the daughter of Mr. Farmer, and was never suspected of being in the family way. On Sunday evening Miss Farmer retired to rest as usual, sleeping in a double bedded room, in company of a domestic servant of her father's, named Emily Andrews, who, in her evi dence, averred that she did not hear Miss Farmer rise on Monday morning. A man named Shadrach Vines, on proceeding to his work on Monday, discovered Miss Farmer lying in the road about four hundred yards from her father's house. He gave an alarm, and a surgeon was immediately called. He found that Miss Farmer had been recently confined, and shortly afterwards the body of a newly-born male child was found in an adjoining reservoir. A post-mortem examination sheaved that the child had been born alive. In the first instance the jury returned a verdict of " Died, after confinement, from haemorrhage and want of proper attention ; " and, in the second case, of "Found drowned." NARROW ESCAPE OF A CLERGYMAN. - The Western Morning News says: " A singular and serious accident occurred on Tuesday on board the steam ferry bridge running from Torpoint to Newpassage. The Rev. H. C. Glanville, vicar of Sheviock, drove in his trap, accompanied by his coachman, as far as Torpoint, and drove on to the bridge. Both the rev. gentleman and his servant then got out from the trap, and when the bridge had proceeded half way across the water the groom took the bridle off the horse. The gate on board the bridge was not closed, as it usually is, in consequence of a brewer's handcart, belonging to Mr. Knowling, Devonport, being placed in front of the horse. As soon as the bridle was taken off, the horse, which is a high-spirited animal started off; jumped over the handcart, dragging the trap after him, and went overboard. By the sudden jerk one of the traces broke, and the trap was thus pre vented from going into the sea also. The other trace waa immediately cut, and a waterman named Mackenzie, who had witnessed the occurrence, put a rope round the horse's neck and with the assistance of a cutter belonging to H. M. S. Royal Adelaide towed the horse ashore. It was fortunate that the owner of the trap did not, as is common, retain his seat in it while passing over the bridge. SCANDINAVIAN EMIGRATION.—The navigation of the ports and rivers of Sweden and Norway having become open, and these countries for the most part being now clear of snow, emigration to the United States and other ports of North America has assumed a lively aspect at the ports of embarkation, and already promises to be more extensive than in any previous year. (Treater facilities have also been afforded for their conveyance by some of the principal ship ping companies in Glasgow at very cheap rates. The emi hrants in Scandinavia, having been conveyed from th e i r omes are embarked onboard a steamer and landed at Crass - ton or Leith in from 36 to 50 hours. They are then sent on to Glasgow by a special train, and thence in one of the companies' steamers to New York. The time occupied in the entire transit is seldom more than fourteen days, during which time they are liberally fed, and afterwards sent to any inland place where they wish to go, at a cost for the whole distance of something less than one half penny per mile. The steamer which arrived at Granton on Monday night had above 700 emigrants, and still greater numbers ara already booked for future voyages. The steamer which arrived at Leith on Sunday had also a good complement.— Scotsman. THE Orr OF YEDo.—Built right down to the water's edge, the vast expanse of the city is an unfailing source of wonder to the stranger. As far as the eye can reach, except on one side, where the view is bounded by the castle, the countless dwellings of men stretch away into space in monotonous straight lines of gray roofs, only broken here and there by the heavy eaves of some temple, and by the high black wooden watch-towers which are used during the fires which from time to time consume a square mile or so of the town. These fires and the frequent earthquakes account for the fact that in the whole of Yedo, giant city as it is, there are scarcely a score of large or ancient buildings to be seen. So far as architecture is concerned, it is the most featureless place in the world ; its charm lies in its gardens and trees, for in the heart of the city are to be found here and there spots which seem to have been transported by an enchanter's wand from some fair country scene, where the dark firs and pines are relieved by the bright green of the bamboo, and oamelias and laurels are mixed with the tree fern, the sago palm, and the fruitless plantain, Some writers have asserted that the population of Yedo amounts to three millions, but I cannot believe that at the outside it can be set down at more than half that number. The houses are small and insignificant, and only the shops as a rule have an upper story ; besides this, the great spaces taken up by the Vashiki (which, for want of a better word, we must translate " palaces ") of the nobles, most of which contain large drill grounds, must be taken into consideration; and these, again, during the absence of the lord, are uninhabited, save by a few men who remain in charsce.—Fortniahtly Review. THE LAST DUBLIN ELECTION. The Commissionene report as to the alleged corrupt , practices in the city of Dublin at the last election has been printed. The Commissioners describe as folio ws one of the stratagems to obtain votes practised by Mr. Henry Hopkins Foster, who subsequently left the country :—" A few days before the day of polling (Wednesday, the 18th November), Mr. Foster gave directions to James Forrest, a printer, residing and car rying on business at No. 76, Capel-street. to print pla cards or bills, some with the words ' Marcus' Office' and the other the words `County District Committee-rooms' on them; and on the evening of Tuesday, the 17th November, he hired from Forrest two rooms on the ground floor of his house for the next day. Ott the morning of the polling Mr. Foster repaired to 76, Capel-street ; and four men named Thomas Noblett, William Watkins, William Kemp, and John Crampton, acting under his directions, took up their stations in one of the rooms, and were set down to work, as it was pretended, at the county elec tion books. Meantime a press had been placed in the front room so as to form a screen and partially conceal the door leading into the back room ; in which two persons whose names we have been unable to discover were stationed and duly supplied, no doubt by Mr. Foster, with a . sufficient number of £5 notes. An aperture was made in one of the panels of the door of this back room, so as to admit a hand being put through ; and plaoards with the words ' Marcus Office' were posted up to direct persons into the front room and behind the screen. A young man in Forrest's employ ment named George Hawkins was then placed in the hall ; and in the course of the day, a number of freemen found their way to the house, and having presented tickets behind the screen, received in enchange envelopes con taining each £5. The character and extent of these transactions were made manifest by a large body of evidence. Mr. Foster, who had been a member of what was called the Working Committee of the Inn-quay Ward, an organisation specially devised and set apart for canvassing the freemen, and dealing with them, had arranged with a M. Henry George Hall, then a medical student, and whom he had before constituted superintendent of this working committee, to engage the services of some trusty agents for peculiar duty on the day of polling. Mr. (now Dr.) Hall, selected for the purpose five medical or college students who met at his house on the evening of the nomination day, and there received from him and Mr. Foster some instructions as to their duties. Mr. Foster also engaged two other young gentlemen, and having obtained the assistance of a solicitor, Mr. Edward Love Alma, the whole party met for an early breakfast at the Bilton Hotel, on the morning of the polling day. Mr. Foster soon afterwards intrusted two large packets of railway tickets to Mr. Hall, with instructions to distribute them among his associates in Green-street and Halston-street ; and Mr. Alma also repaired to the polling-place, though it does not appear that any of the tickets actually came into his hands. The number of tickets given to Mr. Hall seems to have been about 800 ; and were as we believe upon the evidence, tickets of the Midland Great Western Railway Company, though we have not been able to ascertain by what means they reached Mr. Foster. The party having arrived at the place of poll ing took up their respective positions ; Mr. Hall occupying the upper end of Halston-street opposite the place known as the Temperance Hall, in which were some of the freemen booths as well ae the Conservative tally rooms ; whilst Mr. Alma's " beat " was lower down between that and the Court-house, where the majority of the freemen polled, and the seven young gentlemen under their com mar.d, each supplied with tickets by Mr. Hall, were dis tributed up and down the street. The polling having now begun, it would appear that these young gen tlemen, in some instances upon an intima tion from Mr. Hall, and in others at their own discretion, gave tickets to a number of freemen whom they knew to have voted for the Conservative candidates, with directions to go to No. 76, Capel-str eet, to which the voters accordingly went and got their money. It may seem strange that an arrangement of this character should have escaped observation at the time, but that is to be explained by the circumstance, that Mr, White and Mr. Williamson, Sir Arthur E. Guinness's subordinate agents, had secured the services of some 40 or 50 young gentlemen of precisely the same class as Mr. Foster's ticket issuers, all being alike college or medical students, to act as ' special tally agents' and conduct freemen generally to their proper booths. It would appear too that Mr. White and Mr. Williamson were walking up and down the street the greater part of the day, though with less regularity and precision of `• beat" than Mr. Alma and Mr. Hall, and thus we pre sume it was that no varticular notice was attracted to either Mr. Hall or Mr. Alma, or to the seven young gentlemen under their command, the latter being undis tinguishable from th• 40 or 50 others under Mr. White and Mr. Williamson.' AN AMERICAN'S OPINION OF A FRENCH REPUBLICAN. Mr. G. W. Smalley, of the New York Tribune, recently made the acquaintance of M. Flourens, was visited by him, and received letters in care for him. This last pro ceeding brought Mr. Smalley into some suspicion ; but it appears he knew nothing of what the letters contained, nor is it proved that those let ers were of an " improper " kind. Mr. Smalley, however, is clearly a warm friend of M. Flourens. He gives the following account of him in the Tribune :—" M. Gustave Flourens, who built the last barricade in Paris—or not the last, I hope, but the latest —and for whom that remarkable Paris police hunted in vain, arrived recently in London. The police which could not find him in Paris has done him the honour to dog him about the streets of this city (London), and spends its leisure time in trying to bribe the waiters of M. Flourens's hotel to steal his letters. Or is it that Mr. Gladstone, in his complaisance to the French Emperor, has put in force in London his Irish Coe rc i o n Bill, with its machinery of poli c e suppres sion, and its rigours against journalists? It is the fashion in English papers to paint M. Flourens as a kind of madman, because he believes in a new revo lution and proved his faith by work s . I suppose there never was a revolution which these nineteenth cen tury English would have thought feasible or desirable. Nothing could be further from the truth than their notions about French Republicans in general, and M. Flourens especially. I have had the pleasure of meeting M. Flourens. He is a person of great force of character. as everybody knows, but otherwise very unlike his English portraits. Matthew Arnold would find in him his favourite traits of sweetness and light perfectly combined. His manners hav e a great charm. His intelligence and acquirements are such as qualified him to succeed to his father's scientific professorship, and his father was in an Academi cian and one of the first men of science France. I wish some American Liberals, who have imbibed Eng lish opinions about French politics and French Repub licans, could hear M. Flourens's clear, moderate, and profoundly sensible exposition of the policy which guides the men who do not believe Liberty and the Empire can coexist. They might not agree with his methods, but they would heartily respect the devotion and the political sagacity of the party of action which counts M. Flourens among its leaders." TAXES ON AN AMERICAN WHEN IN HIS CLOTHES. —Hat—silk plush, 60 per cent.; riband, 60 per cent.; alpaca lining for brim, 50 cents. a pound and 35 per cent.; leather, inside, 35 per cent.; muslin lining, 7i cents. a square yard ; glue, 20 per cent. Coat— cloth, 55 cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad valorem ; silk lining, 60 per cent.; alpaca used therein, 50 cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad valorem ; buttons, if worsted, 20 cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad valorem ; worsted braids, 50 cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad valoxem ; velvet for collar, 60 per cent.; red worsted pad ding, 50 cents a pound and 35 per cent. ad valorem ; hemp padding, 40 per cent. Pantaloons—cassimere, 50 cents a pound and 35 per cent ad valorem ; cotton used therein, 5 cents a square yard ; hemp cloth for facing, 40 per cent ; metal buttons, 30 per cent. Vest—silk or satin, 60 per cent ; linen lining, 35 per cent ; silk buttons, 60 per cent. Braces-35 per cent. Undershirt—if silk, 60 per cent ; if worsted, 50 cents a pound and 35 per cent ad valorem ;if cotton, 35 per cent. Drawers, the same. Shirts—cotton, 5 cents a square yard ; linen for the front, 35 per cent. Buttons-35 per cent. Boots—raw hides, 10 per cent,; tanned leather, calfskin, 30 per cent.; if patent leather, 35 per cent.; soles, 35 per cent. Necker chief— if silk, 60 per cent. Pocket-handkerchief—if silk, 30 per cent.; if linen, 35 per cent.;. if cotton, 35 per c en t. Gloves—kid gloves, 50 per cent. Pocket-knife--35 per cent. Watch-25 per cent. Silk watch chain-60 per cent.—Amgrican Paper. AN OCEAN RACE.—An accidental ocean race has just been run across the Atlantic, with a result even more closely equal than the celebrated performances of the Russia and the City of Paris, in February 1869. The contending vessels in this instance also belong to the splendid fleets of the Cunard and Inman Companies, the vessel of the former line being the Nemesis, and of the latter the City of Brooklyn—the last new ship but one of the line. The City of Brooklyn left on her regular day, Saturday, the 30th of April ; and the Nemesis, being in New York, left as an extra vessel on the same day, and n early at the same hour. Both vesse l s arr i ve d to gether off the Rock Lighthouse, at the mouth of the Mersey on Tuesday afternoon, at 4.55. The City of Brooklyn, according to the record in her log, left her pier in New York at 1.22 p.m. on the 30th of April, and pro ceeded slow, waiting for the tide. At 4 p.m. she was off Sandy Hook, and at 4,15 discharged her pilot. The log of the Nemesis records that she passed Castle-garden, New York, at 3.20 p.m., Sandy Hook at 4.48 p.m., at 5.7 discharged her pilot,. and at 5.10 proceeded full speed. The vessels were in company the next day (Sunday, May 1), but their logs do not record their being in company again until Sunday, the Bth., since which day they have proceeded to Queenstown and Liverpool. The City of Brooklyn stopped off Roche's Point, Queenstown, at 9.30 p.m., Monday, the 9th of May ; at 10 p.m. proceeded, at 4.45 a.m. of the 10th, passed Tuskar, 11.55 Holyhead, 4.10 p.m. the Bell Buoy and at 3.55 the Rock Light. The Nemesis arrived at Queenstown at 9.26 p.m. on the 9th, left again at 10 p.m., passed the Bell Buoy at 4.14 p.m. on the 10th, and the Rock Light at 4.55 p.m. A Liverpool paper says this remarkable contest excited much interest among engi neers and' steamship owners, from the fact that the Nemesis is fitted with compound engines, high and . low .pressure, and steams at a comparatively very light expen diture of fuel. The death is announced of Frances Lady Smart, who died on Tuesday last, in her sixty-seventh year. She was the youngest daughter of the R ev . C. S. Pope, vicar of St. Allunund's, Derby, and married, in 1832, Sir George Thomas Smart, the eminent organist and composer. SPIRIT OF THE PRESS. THE DISABILITIES OF WO3IEN. The Times remarks that the recent success of the Women's Disabilities Bill took most people by surprise, and it has been promptly reversed. The order for going into Committee was set aside on Mr. Bouverie's motion by a majority of 220 to 94. The substantial arguments against the measure, which were strangely omitted the other evening, were on this occasion vicrorously enforced by Mr. Bouverie, and though 'Mr. Gladstone guarded his argument by a most unnecessary limitation, he justly appreciated the real significance of the bill, an d expressed, too tardily, his disapproval of it. The question, he says, raised by the bill is whether there is any desire or neces, sity for unsettling the old landmarks of society ; and, denying that there is any such necessity, though de clining to enter on the general argument, he advises the House of Commons not to entertain an imp rac ti ca bl e proposal. He need hardly have been so cautious. That a Bill tends to unsettle the landmarks of society is a very broad argument indeed against it, and it constitutes, in fact, the substantial objection to this measure. As we observed the other day, the question must be considered in its bearing on the general position of women in society. As Mr. Bouverie justly said, the real object pro moted by the Bill is to introduce women into all the rougher work of life, now discharged by men. We be lieve such an object to be radically false ; and the at tempt, though certain to be ultimately unsuccessful, would be extremely mischievous. We believe, more over, with Mr. Bouverie, that the great mass of women are strongly averse from it. There are ex ceptions to the general character of both sexes, but the great majority in each feel that the existing law recognises their natural functions, and they would be sorry to see its influence weakened. Law acts most beneficially when it lends its sanction to the general dictates of nilture ; and in this case, by excludinc , women from certain privileges, it encourages the public opinion by which they are generally exempted from the responsibilities of men. We do not believe, indeed, that it is possible, in th e l ong run, ma t er i a ll y to modify this opinion, and in their experiments at the present day women rightly feel they need be under no apprehension of disagreeable consequences. But while society rights itself on the whole, considerable injury may be done in individual instances. It is much wiser to look at what is generally desirable, and to maintain the law on that f.oting. SALE GF LIVINGS. The Standard believes there is a fair prospect that the measure of Mr. Cross for checking simony, so far as the sale of the next presentations to vacant livings is con cerned, will pass into law. The Benefices Bill, which was read a second time on Wednesday, possesses the merit of accomplishing its special purpose of putting an end to an abuse without compromising legitimate interests closely interwoven with it. It is the abuse of lay patro nage, not lay patronage itself, which stands in need of restraint, and the bill has been carefully framed with a view to this important distinction. Mr. Beresford Hope offers a suggestion which is worthy of careful con sideration, although it does not come immediately within the scope of the bill. As he very justly ob serves, one of the most crying evils Connected with lay patronage is, as in the case we have already instanced, the gift of a living to a clergyman with the understanding that he is to resign as soon as a son, o r ne ph ew , or f r i en d of the presenter comes of age to be presented. This, Mr. Hope reminds us, is in violation of a Divine law, because it calls upon a man to give up a cure of souls upon a certain contingency, and it is in violation of a human law, because it pretends to invest him with a freehold when it gives him a mere leasehold. Moreover, it operates most perniciously for the well-being of the parishioners, seeing that it transfers their spiritual oversight to a clergymen who has merely a temporary interest in the parish, and who cannot, therefore, be expected to give himself up wholly to their service. Mr. Hope proposes to meet this case by making any bond of resignation extorted from the locum tenens absolutely illegal, and by allowing the diocesan, at the request of the patron, to appoint a curate to hold the living until the nominee is eligible for presentation. This would, no doubt, put an end to the scandal created by the presentation "of a decrepit, toothless old man, whose infi rm iti es an d c h ance s of speedy death are his only recommendations in the eyes of the patron," though it would be open to both the objec tions alleged by Mr. Hope himself as a violation of the laws Divine and human. It is a case; however, which should not be lost sight of in the settlement of the general question, and we trust that Mr. Cross will take it into his earnest consideration. THE PLEBISCITE. The Daily News declares that France " assembled in her comitia," according to the pompous phraseology of a democratic Empire, has pronounced her will, and who believes the report ? That is the plain question which, now that the public places are deserted, and the mounte bank has doffed his parti-coloured costume, and put up the urns, and the thimbles, and the cards, and all the juggler's paraphernalia, in his wagon, M. 011ivier and his master will have to answer to their own consciences in the midst of all the difficulties and responsibilities of a formidable victory. The value of the majority to its possessors will depend on the use they make of it. If M. 011ivier persevere in his present policy of violent weakness, if he continues to be nothing better than a supple and sentimental Rouher, or a feeble and futile Morny ; if the Irreconcilable press, which has served the Government so well by its excesses, is to be martyrised by incessant prosecutionss ; if M. Pietri is to be encouraged in paralysing the prosperity of the country by police riots and mock conspiracies; if the annual budget of expenditure is to maintain its exalted level of ninety-three millions sterling ; if the fields are to be drained of labour by annual conscriptions of ninety thousand men : if the present Legislative Body, two thirds of which represent nothing but the de vouring activity of the Administration, is to serve out its six years' term of office ; if local self-government is still to be controlled by an agent of the Executive ; if electoral reform is to be indefinitely postponed—it needs no gift of prophecy to predict a rapid and a final dissolu tion of this vaunted Plebiscitary majority, and a preci pitate fall from the proud height of national hope upon, which the Second Empire now stands as if such hope were not another name for national resignation. THE INTERNATIONAL YACHT RACE. The Telegraph says the Sappho is a splendid specimen of the broad but shallow model which was so triumph antly introduced to our waters by the America. It may well be believed that the early risers on board the Vectis steamship saw a gallant sight when the two stately rivals, thus prepared, spread their snowy wings to the breeze, and stood away, beam and beam, f or th e o p en sea . Unlucicily, the Vectis—which was t o b e th e goa l or t urn i ng - po i n t o f the race, and the winning post of the preliminary beat out to seaward—lost sight -of the yachts; and thus the first heat of the match ended in a manner satisfactory to no body. The Sappho, we believe s beat out her sixty miles, and then, finding nothing to round, ran back again, arriving at the winning-buoy an hour and a half behind the Cambria, and, nevertheless, indubitably the winner. Mr. Ashbury refused to entertain for a moment any idea of disputing her triumph in this, the the first of the three heats. He struck his flag on Tues day evening, because it was abundantly clear that the Sappho had outsailed the Cambria for that day upon her best point ; and that, " goal or no goal," she was clearly the winner. Something, the salt-water authorities say, mast have been the matter with the beautiful English schooner. She was out of trim, in spite of every every experiment, or else unlucky with slants of wind and the hundred shifting currents of a Channel tide ; for she went sluggishly all day, and after the first three hours was passed by the Egeria—a yacht, which, although a fine craft would never match herself ordinarily with that of Mr. Ashbury in beating to windward. There is a vast deal, too, in the handling of a schoonor's sails. A yacht captain in a match might quote Mr. Browning's lines, " A little .more, and how much it is ; a little less, and how much is away !" and the Sappho was splendidly sailed by her master and a crew of forty or fifty picked men from the Solent. If Tuesday's match were final, we might find some comfort in being thus beaten with British aid—killed " with a feather from our own wing ; " but we must be as generous as Mr. Ashbury, and hope to win a similar race in the second heat, and after that, in the triangular and crowning contest which is to follow ; while we freely grant that the Sappho won all the honours on Tuesday, and spewed her self a noble sea-boat. TIIE NEW LAW REFORMS. Considering the immense changes, observes the Post, pro posed to be effected in the existing systems of legal and equitable procedure by the Judicature Bills which the Lord Chancellor has introduced in the House of Peers, and the other and more pressing business with which Parliament is called upon to deal during the present session, no one will be inclined to regret that a delay has been granted which will have the effect of post poning the further consideration of those measures until next -year. Taken together, they embody what Lord Westbury justly described as one of the most magnificent schemes of law reform that has been proposed during the present generation ; but the very fact that they do so sup plies an additional reason why they should not be treated with undue haste, or receive the sanction of the Legisla ture without careful deliberation. " You will never," said Lord Romilly, " get a pe r f ec t un i on of law and equity unless you make a perfect code of laws altering the character of the laws that at present exist." It is, however, one of the necessary drawbacks of the present measures that no such alteration in the character of the present laws is attempted ; and even sup posing Parliament was content t o l eave to a comm i ttee of the Privy Council to determin e w h a t t h e new code of pro cedure should be, the fundamental distinctions between the principles of law and equity would remain unchanged. The Lord Chief Justice admits that the assimilation of the general principles of equity and common law can alone be effected by a complete revision of the laws of England, both written and unwritten. This, if ever ac complished, must be a work of time. Meanwhile, how ever, much may be done in the amendment of our system of procedure. The bills introduced by Lord Hatherley, more especially since their recent modifications, certainly cannot command approval ; but the criticisms they have provoked will, it is to be hoped, have the effect of securing their presentation to Parliament next year in a more com plete and acceptable form. The Times remarks that Mr. Bruce last night ex hausted the resources of language in denying the rumour that the French Government had demanded the extradi tion of M. Flourens. The demonstration which was in contemplation next Sunday may therefore be deferred till another time and place. The Times would like, how ever, to see a more decided opinion expressed by the Secretary of State on these meetings, which bid fair to become a public nuisance. Lecturers and preachers of all kinds have been turned out, and if politicians are allowed to take their place, we shall simply have the same thing in a worse form. There are; too, special reasons why the meeting in question should not be held while the plot against the Emperor is being investiaated ; as far as M. Flourens is concerned it is needless, while with respect to extradition a clause was introduced into the criminal law when it was consolidated, which expressly provides for conspiracy to murder, so that the offence if offence there be, is punishable by English law. The Daily Nevis thinks it is difficult to realise to the full extent the assistance which is afforded by the Roy Literary Fund.. The literary profession is subject t o many drawbacks ; it is the one most subject to physical inflow.: ties, while its cause is the most impeded by them. Lordr Dufferin truly said that literature is seldom taken uP the mere object of making money. The career is open to all, but few succeed, while many make the effort to do s_o. The necessity for the existence of a society like that of the Royal Literary Fluid must be apparent to all. ' The Standard says the late riots in Paris have not been of an important nature, and in all probability the eading; members of the disaffected party' were not in favonr the movement ; at any rate the occurrence has conduced to the success of the Government, which has taken a position at once unexpected by its enemies and surprising' to its friends. These unequal attempts at disturba lle6 have shown nothing so forcibly as the impotence of t ll6 opponents of order, whatever quarter they mg' h a & pear, or whatever efforts they make to further t objects in view. The Telegraph thinks a great point will have been gained when we have stamped the sale of advo wson s illegal, for in a free country an act is something wore_ than a statute added to the book ; it is a declaration matured public opinion. The bill suggests the questio whether it would be right to prohibit the sale of advow sons, but it is not yet time for any such sweeping measure. The Bishop, however, should have the right to reject a clearly unfit man, which would hinder patrons from making a bad selection. It is also worth considering, whether fictitious sales could not be frustrated by declarini that the sale of an advowson should not include the rig . '" of next presentation. In the meantime it is satisfact or y to know that one step is being taken in the right course. THE PRISON MINISTERS' BILL. The committee on the Prison Ministers' Bill sat yester day, under the chairmanship of J. F. Maguire, E s q . ' M. P. for Cork. The principal witness called was t The Earl of Carnarvon, who expressed himself again_,s any increase in the number of Roman Catholic chapl ani " in gaols, but preferred the working of the present systelf; He did not object to the increase on religious grow l° but because of the increased expense and the nece ssary i employment of addititonal warders. He is chairm an i ,( 1 ) the visiting justices of the gaol at Winchester, and ~ did not think there was any inducement held out to R omaa Catholic prisoners to attend the Protestant chapel by ther being no other service in the gaol. Did not consider the hour release from solitary confinement would be such an ducement—it would be of the smallest p o ssible charac ter. If Mr. Rathbone, the chairman of the Liverpool visiting. justices, thought differently, although he had a great „,, re „ spect for that gentleman's opinion, yet he would n ot Dept that opinion without some cross-examination. I."' Winchester county gaol a Bible and Prayer-book were placed in the cells of all prisoners, without discriminat ion d and all but first-class Protestant prisoners were pernail, to have a tract in addition. A Roman Gotha..., prisoner had the Douay version of the Bible in his books and was further entitled to any Roman Catholic bo recommended by his minister. That rule ap plied . , 1: prisoners of every class. The reason for giving a I 3 T„„ and Prayer book to all prisoners indiscriminately , that not more than . s or 6 per cent of the Roman Ca tholic prisoners could read ; a n d it was not, therefore, thought desirable to alter the r u l e of th e ga ol, to treat a Bible a.ni! Prayer book as part of th e ce ll furniture. Catholic b oa ! were not left in the cells of Protestant prisoners ex ce l o by accident. It was agai ns t th e ru l es o f the gaol to do Personally, he should have no objection to Protestant boo k° being kept out of the ce ll s o f C a th o li c p r i s oners ; but It would involve considerable changes, and a correspo nd l expense. He .did not think that leaving the Bible an Prayer-book in the cells was forcing them upon the tholic prisoners. They had formed a library of Catho he books which was under the charge of the Roman Catlin: lie minister. The schoolmasters are Protestant ; but It was perfectly optional whether the Roman Catholic Pri: soners went or not. Where there was a sensible Protes tans chaplain, he generally satisfied the Protestant Dissenter! as well as the Church prisoners ; but his lordship could . ..1 1 0 say whether he satisfied the Roman Catholics also. Collinridge was the Roman Catholic chaplain, so far: giving instruction to the Catholic prisoners in their cel was concerned. Winchester was one of the ea rlies t counties to appoint a Catholic minister under the ac t. had no objection to the Roman Catholic minister s a y s 1 what books were . proper for the prisoners A. his faith, instead of the Protestant Bible an; Prayer-book being part of the cell furniture—beyoul involving extra expense and new arrangements. He b a had some correspondence with Mr. Collinridge as b ° increased facilities for the religi ous i ns t ruc ti on of the Catholic prisoners, and to arrangements for their assn dated worship. The court h a d ex t en d e d th e time 'e• instruction, so that the minister was now allowed three hours per day for the purpose. With respect to assa" siated worship, the justices thought it would involve 33 increase in the staff of prison officers and the furnishin g of another chapel. The proposal of Mr. Collinridg e would seriously interfere with the discipline of the gaol; but if at any time the Roman Catholic prisoners should so increase as to bear a large proportion to the other pri soners, the court might then consider such an arrange' ment as was proposed. There had been cases of Protes tant dissenters objecting to attend the ministrations of the Protestant chaplain. They were principally Baptists and Presbyterians. The Catholic prisoners were a t liberty to take their own Bibles with them school but the schoolmaster read from th e Protestant Bible. If a Roman Catholic prisoner, rather than listen to it, stayed away from school, it would be to his own loss. That was his misfortune, being in tin minority. In reply to other questions, his Lordship sa° l that at Winchester the Roman Catholic prisoners were certainly confined to their cells durin the worship of the Protestants ; but he. such di no not believe as confinementmore had the class of people who are prisoners, if there were such , beenthan thesta stated that they oo d kit re t a g de a d t themselves Protestants than really did. Ile ead of a feeling in their minds, a great many more wouldhdaedclanroe objection to the Act being made ins optional, if the matter were fairly considered and (1° cussed. SIR JOHN BOWRING ON OPIUM. Sir John Bowring writes to the Pall Mall Gazette on the opium trade : It has been long known that tie poppy has been and is cultivated largely in at least fa!! Chinese provinces, and in the earlier edicts it was lel to the use of opium than to the ' oozing out ' I ) ; the sycee silver in payment for the ' foreign dri l gi s that the objections were urged. It was ration notorious that many of the decrees ag ai n st the importa t ' ° 4 of opium emanated from those who themselves consulz.,„ it. Employed in excess, there can be rip doubt of 11; being deleterious and dangerous, but its mischiefs 11 ° . e , been much exaggerated. I caused statistics to be 1 0. „ pared when I was Governor of Hong Kong, and it 'or; shewn that there were fewer deaths among tm, 60,000 natives who Smoked opium than among 6 00 B ur- peans . addicted to drinking. Among forty of ~ y own dependents and servants there was only be who used the drug to excess nor let it forgotten that opium has to a very large extent ban is ,he intoxicating liquors, formerly much used in China. - l he drunkard is led to commit every sort of violence ; effects of opium are much less unjurious—they who state, it are delivered over to delicious though delirious drea rp but the community suffers little from these exc esses.. believe no legislation will prevent an indulgence Nit c ,4 may be called national, and were Indian opi um prohibl i rd and its supply checked, the vacuum wo u ld b e soon fill up from other quarters. Any i ncrease upon the ho, v a v ,' duties now levied in China will b u t g i ve greater en courae - s - i ment to smuggling, especially along the extended 0 4 0 and amid the many i s l an d s o f th e Chi na sea , and almost universal corruption of the Custom-house officers* THE PLEBISCITE FEVER. Paris has gone mad ov er " O u i" an d " Non" duri n g the last few days, as it does over every new thing- °l ': journal notes that towards the end of April the proprie t e ° r of a large magasin de nouveautes advertised a material he ladies' dresses styled " Foulard-Plebiscite," of whi c i t is kept two shades called respectively Oui and Non. said that the wife of a certain political personage, w T a st people accuse of having changed his opinions during the o f 30 years, has been anonymously presented with a dress ole this material,the colour of which changes accordingly as, a light falls upon it. A few days previous to the v° l " e d baker in the neighbourhood of the Palais Royal `s er eelle heap of petits pains in his shop window, upon which r stamped :—" Pains PlObiscite, Oui;" and now a jewe tart'e on the boulevard, who has invented the plebiseitio jewellery, exhibits sleeve links and scarf pins with word " Oui " written across them in large letters. _ A yes: The Dublin Court of Queen's Bench decide d terday that the Magee Presbyterian College, L°" °l - derry, was not a charitable institution within the gleaint ing of the Act exempting such institutions from Pr .° of rates. A letter from a gentleman, says a Bristol P 9 ' 4. 1°,1 makes the following statement :—" Mr. Bright, whO Ke Llandudno, is much better, and is out every day' d to knits garters to amuse himself, as he is only allow e read but little." BIRTHS. On the Ist ult.; at Allababad, the wife of Lient.-Col. W. 1) Bishop, Bengal Infantry, of a sou. Brook's' On the 10th, at 64, Regent's Park-road, Mrs. HeDrY of a daughter. . . .3.14 R.ql AGES. On the 7th filet., at St. Andrew's, Holborn, r Frederick Se c mouy, youngest son of Mr. H. Banks, 4, John-street, ° Elizabeth Belshani, adopted daughter of Mr. and Ms• Lucalh. _ On the y 1 1 1th arn inst., at Forton, Gosport, John Thomas Irog1: Esq:, RN., to Lucy Mary, eldest daughter of the Bev. B. Denuys, chaplain to the Military Prison, Gosport. DEATHS. On the 10th inst., at Hastings, Mr. John Gilliam, silver smith, of 6, Serle-street, On the 11th inst., of bronchitis, at Wandle-road, Croydon, in her 82d year, Mrs. Mary Newman, late of Huston. London: Printed and Published by WI LLIAM ANDREW'f , of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Office, No. 1 12 f, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Couuty Middlesex.—Friday, May 13, 1870. III( d . "ea] ' 2 lOll ekte, At 'llt A Nti l; di e., eqhele'' ° ei, IV "rtli t ahe Ii A tid 0., A4 °4 t Az&