The Sun. — London, England, 1870-06-14 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PRESS—Tnis MORNING. THE LORDS AND THE LAND BILL. There is much, says the Times, that the Lords may do to improve the Land Bill, or, rather, to remove the diffi culties in the way of its execution ; but not if they seem to start with a foregone conclusion against its first prin ciple, which is a final settlement of the land question, and peace, not at any price, but at a price not beyond its value. Will the Lords bethink themselves how many questions there have been which did not admit of a peaceable, even though costly, solution, but which were allowed to run to the arbitrament of the sword, or even to some worse solution ? In times past the Sovereignty of these realms allowed Irish discontent to proceed to rebellion, and more recently it allowed Irish misrule to culminate in a dreadful and irremidable famine. Of rebellion, famine, and surviving hatred, it is hard to say which is worst. But every nation has been warned, even within a year or two, to set its house in order, to remove all causes of discontent, and to present a united front to the world without. We have heard the call, and we have listened to it. We have given up some posi tions and supremacies which divided our strength while they only flattered our pride. Year by year we have recognised the necessity of resting the bond of impe rial union on community of interest and unanimity of sentiment. That work is complete,• except at home. Within these isles the work remains to be done. When the whole race of Ireland feel that through their repre sentatives in the British Parliament they are as thoroughly considered and as well governed as they would be by a Parliament of their own, then we shall feel as easy in that quarter as we are about the loyalty of our Cana dian or Australian fellow-subjects. The Standard says that Lord Derby should decline to explain in the Merchant Taylors' Hall the line which the House of Lords—or the leaders of the majority in that House—intend to take upon the Irish Land Bill was a matter of course. Such an anticipation of parliamentary discussion would have been altogether discourteous and irregular ; and though eminent Liberal examples might be cited in excuse of such irregularity, they are hardly suitable for Conservative imitation. In affirming it to be their duty to propound nothing they cannot hope to carry, and to stand by whatever they may finally deter mine, Lord Derby has traced the course to be taken with regard to this particular measure. What the Lords can reasonably hope to carry into effect is on each particular issue matter of opinion and of detail. That they could not wisely attempt to defeat the bill, that they may and will endeavour to amend it, is evident. And in Lord Derby's words we may see the character of the amendments to which he looks. As Mr. Gladstone refuses to listen to opponents in the House of Commons, and as the majority there follows his lead with abject docility, the influence of that which is for the time being a minority can only be exerted through the House of Lords ; and in proportion as the views of that assembly are allowed to modify a scheme at present conceived too exclusively from one standpoint, and adapted to one inte rest, will be its chance of smooth working, of peaceful efficacy, and of permanent success. MA. HARCOIIiIT'S AMENDMENT. The Telegraph considers there is nothing to be said against Mr. Harcourt's amendment to the University Tests Bill. All colleges which may be founded after the passing of the Act will be free from the scope of its pro visions. Thus, the Roman Catholics, the Wesleyans, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the Society of Friends may each found a college at Oxford and at Cambridge, to which none will be admitted save the members of their own communion, and the emoluments of which will be given: to none who do not fulfil the conditions of the founders. There is no reason why we should forbid the sects to build special colleges at Oxford or Cambridge if they choose. Why should we prohibit the Roman Catholics or the Wesleyans from forming, at either of these universities, a college in which the youth of their own communion should be educated in their own way? That would be, not Liberalism, but a curtailment of individual liberty. Again, the Roman Catholic College of Oscott is affiliated to the University of London. Why, then should not a Presbyterian College be affiliated to the University of Oxford? On the other hand, as the Solicitor-General says, the bill does not declare that the sectarian colleges a4t Oxford or Cam bridge shall never be touched by Parliament. No such declaration is made, because it would be futile. We can not bind the Legislature of the future. A hundred or six hundred years hence the Parliament of England will not pay much attention to our legislative decrees. But we can, and we do, say that the present bill should not apply to colleges founded after it shall have become law. That stipulation we make on the ground that the several reli gious bodies should be bound by no unnecessary fetters : and Mr. Harcourt acknowledged the force of the plea by withdrawing his amendment. The time for discussing the subject of University Tests has passed, and the Peers will doubtless see that the question must at last be settled out of hand. CHARLES DICKENS AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY. The Daily News declares the public will learn with satisfaction that the question whether the remains of Charles Dickens shall rest in Westminster Abbey is re ceiving anxious consideration from those nearest and dearest to him. In illustration of our great author's profound and deeply-rooted horror of the things he has bidden his repre sentatives avoid, we are informed now by the sole survivor of a certain funera 1 party at which Dickens was chief mourner, that it was followed within a few weeks by the publica tion of the passages in "Great Expectations," where a stress, which is almost fierce, is laid upon the wretched mockery which the undertakers' mummery implies. He chose to impress his countrymen with the grotesque side of this outrage then and he has now left them as a legacy his earnest and solemn protest against it. His funeral is not only to be private, but is to be devoid of the mockeries he hated and despised ; and the public may be satisfied that his express injunctions to the effect will be religiously carried out. It would seem on the face of it that this injunction need not interfere with his lying among the other mighty dead at West minster; but his representatives are the only people who can decide. Of this, the Ani)lions who have loved and admired Dickens, and who are now mourning him, may be assured : If his remains are not interred at West minster, it will be because those best ' qualified to judge have considered it to be incompatible with his wish. THE MONARCH AND THE CAPTAIN. The Tim es, in discussing the recent naval experiments, re marks that each architect has done something in the way of appropriating his rival's points without sacrificing his own, and the question is which combination is, or which promises to be, the better. The Monarch, as we know from actual experience, can cross the Atlantic as com fortably as an old two-decker; and we know, ,also, that the Americans, both competent and critical judges, put her at the head of ajl men-of-war ; but, then, the Amert, cans had not seen the Captain, nor have even our own officers yet seen the best of her. Beyond all doubt, Mr. Reed has produced a splendid ship — a ship, perhaps, more successful in itself than the Captain •but that is not the point of chief importance. The real question is whether the Captain might not be improved into something better than the Monarch. So far as this ex, periment goes and these two ships are concerned, the point to be ascertained was the extent to which the tur ret principle could be advantageously introduced into our men-of-war. People said that a turret ship—whatever might be her advantages in other respects—could never make so good a cruiser or so habitable ship as a vessel of the old pattern ; and the Captain has not yet disproved that statement. The truth, we take it, will be found to be this—that the turret system, like the system of armour-plating itself, can only be adopted as compromise and at a certain sacrifice. To say that a turret ship is not the best ship for cruising is only to say what may be said of all ironclads. For the mere purposes of sailing unarmoured vessel would be best ; and we ourselves, as well as the American, are again building ve ssels of that class. But no ship without armour is a match in action for an. armoured ship, and for the sake of this infallible supe, riority we forego advantages of some other kind. Similarly, we presume, it may be said that no broad side vessel would be a match in action for a genuine turret ship, and for this advantage, therefore, we may judiciously forego some others. Perhaps in the end we play deter mine to separate and apportion the two qualities, and build some ships more for cruising than fighting, and others more for fighting than cruising, unless, indeed, in the interval some improvement in the Captain should teach us that the turret principle really admits of all the capabilities a seaman could desire. LORD DERBY. The Merchant Taylors' Hall, says the Daily N. ems, is the favoured retreat of Conservatism. Thither the gods of the Tory Olympus repair to banquet with the blame less Ethiopians, so to designate the members of one of the most respectable of City Companies. It was to the Merchant Taylors that Sir Robert Peel, more than thirty years ago, confided his view of his political mission. L ord Derby, the other day, confided to the wee company his estimate of the House of Lords. Though he has been bi 4 for a short time a member of that august astembly, he bas come to a very decided conclusion as to its character And functions. He does not think it does much good ; indeed, for the most part, it does nothing ; but this is bet te r than doing harm. With resnect to the Irish Land Bill, Lord Derby spoke with a cautious reserve which shews that he 1120 profited by his experience in the Foreign Office. "It will be put. duty, on principle and on policy, to accept all that yve can, and resist only what we must. It will be our duty, in prudence and in policy, to aim at nothing more than we can Bafely carry into effect ; it will be our duty, in self-respect, to adhere firmly to all that we have on deli berate reflection adopted." No oracle was ever more prudently ambiguous. If the Lords only propose what they are sure of being able to effect, Lord Derby ;-$ in clined to think that they any safely adhere to what they propose. We heartily agree with him. There are other grounds than his guarded sayings for believing in the saga city and statesmanship of the Peers who will decide the fate of the Land Bill. The Customs and Inland Revenue Bill has been printed. he Postmaster-General has renewed the contract with the Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Steam Naviga tion Company for the conveyance of mails once a month ea ch waybetween Liverpool Brazil, and the River Plate. Under the OW contract the packets will continue to sail from Liverpool en the 20th of each month, unless the 20th falls on a Sunday, when they will sail on the previous day, instead of on the Jo/lowing day, as heretofore. In the Channel yacht match an accident befell the Pleiad, she losing a man overboard at the back of the Goodwins, when her fore staysail was bping reefed. A boat was immediately lowered, but the poor fellow seems to have sunk directly he was overboard. At the time the Pl e iad was pitching very badly, and another man ?,s also washed overboard, but he was washed on to the ship again over the lee bow. LIFE IN JAPAN. The Courier, a Japanese paper, gives the following attractive account of life in Japan. It is dated Nagasaki, April 9, and says :—" We have had two instances here, lately, of the hostile feeling of the native officials towards foreigners, and the hourly danger the latter are in from armed Yaconins. An English naval officer was walking in the native town, a few evenings ago, and got jostled by a Yaconin that was passing him by, who imme diately drew his sword, but before he had time to use it he was knocked down by the gentleman and dis armed ; and yesterday as a Mr. Botifens, a Dutch mer chant, was walking near his own office in Desima, he got jostled by a Yaconin, who drew his sword on him, and pursued him for some distance ; this occurred in the middle of day, in the foreign settlement. Another fatal affray occurred between two officers of the Prince of Satzuma, on the following day. After some altercation of words the one (a high officer) struck off the other's head with his sword and then went home and committed Hari-Kiri, by disembowelling himself ! This seems quite a Japanese amusement." THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE. The parliamentary committee on this service resumed its sittings on Monday—Mr. Bouverie in the cha - ;r. The Hon. Mr. Thurlow, the British representative at the Hague, who is now on leave, was examined at consi derable length, and he stated the views of a very large class of the juniors in the service in a very forcible way. He said it was his intention shortly to leave the service on account of the very small chance he had of pro motion, for at the present rate of advancement it would take 10 years before he would become Secretary of Lega tion. The feeling was universal in the service among the juniors that they had made a mistake in entering it. He attributed the present block in the pro motion to the reduction of some of the small missions without a corresponding reduction in the number of sub ordinates. If there were an equal number of first, second, and third secretaries, the promotion would be more satis factory. With reference to those who had attained the highest grade, he would adopt the French system of superannuation, though not at so early an age. He thought that first-class secretaries should receive £7OO a year ; second-class, £4OO ; and third-class, £250 per annum. To an ambassador he would give £lO,OOO a year with a house, the possession of a house being of great im portance, and giving much greater weight to his position. A first-class secretary to an embassy should have £l,OOO, the sscond £5OO, and the third £250 a year. He was in favour of promotion by routine. He did not consider that it would be advantageous to the service to amalgamate the Foreign Office with the Diplomatic Service. The members of the service were growing more and more discontented every day, and discontented service could not be conducive to the public interest. It was impossible for an ambassador to get on without ft, private secretary. It was highly neces sary for a diplomatist to speak French. The use of cypher in telegrams, as a general rule, diminished the responsi bility of the Minister. The committee then adjourned. BANQUET AT MERCHANT TAYLORS' HALL. On Saturday evening the Masters and Wardens of the ancient civic guild of Merchant Taylors entertained a dis- tinguished company of noblemen and gentlemen at a banquet which was served with great splendour in their stately hall in Threadneedle-street. In accordance with the political traditions of the company the invited guests, as a rule, were Conservatives, and included, among others Lord Cairns, Lord Derby, and most of the rank and file of the party in both Houses of Parliament. Mr. Disraeli had received an invitation, but is understood to have excused himself on the ground of the state of his health, to the great regret of the masters and wardens. During the day there was the usual examination_of the company's school in Cannon-street for prizes, and for scholarships at St. John's College, Oxford ; and in the evening, previous to the banquet, the company elected Lord Cairns. Field Marshal Sir G. Pollock, and Sir Roderick Murchison honorary memhers. The dinner party comprised about 180 noblemen and gentlemen. The Master of the Company, Mr. Edward Masterman, presided at the entertainment. After the cloth was removed, the choir chanted grace, and the usual constitutional toasts were given. The healths of the three new honorary members were given. Lord Cairns, who was suffering from hoarseness, said : If any additional gratification could have been conferred upon him at a time when he was promoted to such an honour it would be in the fact that his name had that day been added to the roll of the honorary members of this company, in the room of another name with which his should never have been put in comparison—a name which could never be mentioned in that hall, or in any assembly in this country, without feelings of love and veneration—he meant that of his late lamented friend Lord Derby. And yet one more addition to the compliment was derived from the circumstance that he found he was associated in that honour with his friend Sir Roderick Murchison—a name that had tra velled into every part of the habitable world where science was respected and cultivated—a name which had accomplished by purposes of practical utility the feat of marching into the bowels of the earth without impedi ment. He did not quite know what they had pledged themselves to, but he believed they must not employ French tailors, and must attend the feast§ of the company whenever invited, which, for his part, he should be very willing to do. Sir Roderick Murchison, in returning . thanks for the compliment paid to him as a man of science, expressed a hope that his illustrious friend, Dr. Livingstone, would live to return to this country, and share the hospi talities of the Merchant Taylors. The Master then proposed " The Houses of Lords and Commons," coupling with them the names of the Earl of Derby and Sir J. lakington. The Earl of Derby was enthusiastically cheered. He said,—Master, my . lords, and gentlemen, I have great pleasure in returning thanks on behalf of the House of Lords, although, when I look around this table, and when I consider how very lately I have become a member of that body, and how very small a part I have been able to take in its deliberations, I am almost disposed to apologise to my brother Peers for accepting that position. lam very glad to hear that you connect the two Douses in one toast, and I shall be still better pleased if their actual union on other occasions is as complete as it has been in the Master's speech this eve ning. In the course of the present year we, in the House of Lords, have not been exceedingly active. That is rather our misfortune than our fault, if it is a misfortune ; but, after all, doing nothing is better than doing mis chief. A very large part of our duty, taking things as we find them in the present day, consists not so much in positive action on our own part as in preventing injurious action on the part of othere. But that happy season of tranquillity for us is rapidly passing, away, and the time is coming when we shall be upon our trial before the country. Within a few days the most important measure of the Session will be in our hands, and upon the decision at which we shall then arrive many important consequences will depend both in the present and in the future. Isrow, yon will naturally expect from what I have said that I Should tell you what the Lords are about to do on the Irish Land Bill. If you entertain that expectation lam afraid I shall be disappointing you. I cannot tell you because I don't know. But I can say that never was there a case in which it was more our duty to act at the same time temperately, cautiously, and firmly. It will be our duty on principle and on policy to accept all that we can, and resist only what we must. It will be our duty in prudence and on policy to aim at nothing more than we can safely carry into effect; it will be our ditty, .in self-respect, to adhere firmly to all that we have on deliberate reflection adopted. Well, gentlemen, that is the theory of whatWe have got to do; what the practice will be I shall be better able to tell you six months hence than now. (Laughter.) The only thing which I feel quite sure is this—that what ever course we may take we shall not be able to please everybody—(a laugh)—nn the contrary, we may please many men on both sides of theffenee, whose honest and conscientious views we have to oppose; but, after all, if that is all that can be said against us, we still have the eatisfaction of feeling that we have endeavoured, to the best of nig power, to solve this great problem of Irish discontent. Sir John Pakington he always felt that on such occa sions the toast of the House of Commons should not be taken in a party sense. It was the noblest representative assembly in the world, and he must say that, whatever might be its party complexion, it was always composed of men who were sincerely anxious to promote the welfare of this great empire. PP, DTcvnt House of Commons had been called en to deal with snbjects of no ordinary magnitude and importance ; and looking to the last and. the present session he could not shrink from saying it had had to entertain measures which he for one viewed with anxiety and alarm. But in a few days it would be invited to consider a question which he, among others, viewed in a very not light, and he hoped the present se s sion would riot ,conclude without passing what he had long wished to see—nil...reeky, n .re it measure for the education of the people, The Master proposed Frospelity io the Merchant Taylors' School," paying as he did s,o triputo to the Head Master, Dr. Hessey, with whose name he asso ciated the toast. The school, he said, had existed for more than three hundred years, and still maintained its ancient prestige taking a high _place in the educational institutions ki t e country. Its early founders were men of large an philangoßic views, and it had devolved on the governing body in mocrern days to carry out, as far as they could, the wishs of them l'el:kcessors, and to adapt the institution to the exigeoeies of - "the present time. Dr. Hessey, in replying, referred to the results of the sistem of education that was carried out at the Merchant Taylors' School, over which he had presided for 25 years. The young men who had been sent up to Oxford from that school had taken high poiftions, and many distinguished men had received their early ediication wtihin its walls. Aracng these he mentioned the names of Sir Christopher Wren, the ppesent Dean of St. Paul's, and the President of St. John's College, Oxford—the two latter gentlemen being present. After the healths of the legal dignitaries present had been given, awl other toasts drunk, the party separated about eleven e'elock. it is understood that th,e House of Representatives at Washington, United States, liave appropriated $lOO,OOO in alcl of the Arctic pAcpeclition. • THE "TOMAHAWK'' 4Np W/iB LATE MR. pICKENS. —The Tomahawk has an. obituary potie,e memory of the late esteemed author. It says He PeYer wrote a line to cause a blush. He never published a thought that Wqs not good. He was a protector of the poor without slander ing the rich. He founded the ' real ' school of fiction, and was the foe of sickly sentimentalism and false morality. ITe was a great writer. A good citizen. A Ohrtstian man." THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, J UNE 14, 1870. CHARGE OF LIBELLING A CLERICAL MAGISTRATE. On Monday, in the Court of Queen's Bench, the Solicitor- General applied for a rule for a criminal informa tion against the publisher of the Newcastle Chronicle, for having made alleged libellous charges against the Rev. Canon Greenwell, a Durham county justice. The Solicitor-General read the comments on Mr. Canon Greenwell, which appeared in the New castle Clime icle of May 23 and May 30. It appeared that a man named Wran had been imprisoned in Durham Gaol for fourteen days for running over a man in the Market Place, Bishop Auckland, but on his becoming very unruly and assaulting the officers of the prison, Mr. Canon Greenwell, as a justice of the peace, was called in by the governor of the gaol to determine upon the punish ment to be inflicted upon the prisoner. He was sentenced by the rev. canon to twenty-four lashes. The Chronicle stigmatised, in its issue of May 23, the treatment of the prisoner as " brutal," and though they " granted that the prisoner's conduct was violent and unruly, it was not to be tolerated that he should be half -killedii nder the authority of a secret tribunal composed of a single parson." It concluded thus :—"Clerical magistrates were amongst the most severe and merciless administrators of law, and as a class they had shown themselves the least fit of any class for the discharge of judicial functions." In the Chronicle of May 30 it was stated that Wran was suffering from delirium tremens when the punishment was inflicted upon him, -that the sentence of Canon Greenwell was illegal, inasmuch as the rev. gentlemen was not a visiting justice, and further, that that must have been known to the officials. The Solicitor-General read the affidavits of Mr. Canon Greenwell, the governor of the gaol, and other officials, and a newspaper reporter. From these it appeared that the prisoner had acted most vio lently, and contrary to the rules of the prison • and that after being repeatedly warned by the governor, 'he still conti nued his unruly course. The Rev. CanonGreenwell was called upon by the governor of the gaol because of the absence of visiting justices ; and he reluctantly officiated upon the occasion. The learned counsel read the Prison Discipline Act to shew that the rev. gentleman was acting within his jurisdiction. He submitted that the -*writer of these articles had exceeded fair comment ; and he ought to be brought up to shew cause why a criminal information should not be filed against him. The Lord Chief Justice, in delivering the judgment of the court, who had deliberated for some time, said :--We think we ought to grant this rule, but it ought to be dis tinctly understood that it is - not on the assumption that the severity of punishment inflicted through the order either by a judge or a magistrate in similar circumstances is not a matter that is not open to the fullest publicity and discussion. But there are expressions used here which certainly go beyond the limit of reasonable or fair discus sion. There is a reference to the man having been suffer ing from delirium tremens at the time sentence was passed upon him; and there is a further statement , that he was half killed. These are statements of fact which ought not to be introduced unless the writer is clear that what lie says is substantially correct. We think that this article goes too far, and certainly affected not only the magisterial, but personal character of the appli cant, charging him with having punished a prisoner under sentence, and under such circumstances as those now under discuision. We learn from the affidavits that the man was not suffering from delirium tremens, and that the effect of the sentence was not to leave the man half killed, as alleged. There may be circumstances which materially affect the character of the proceedings, but we think under the circumstances we ought to grant a rule. The rule was granted accordingly. The effect of it will be to call the publisher of the Chronicle before the Court of Queen's Bench to chew cause why a criminal information should not be filed against him. NED WRIGHT TO TIIE "RESPECTABLE CLASSES." Mr. Wright, the "Ned Wright" of the thieves' suppers in the New-cut, appeared on Sunday as special preacher at one of a series of Sunday services for working men which are being held week by week in the Agricultural Hall Con cert Room, Islington. The Daily News has an article on his preaching. An immense congregation of between two and three thousand persons assembled. They were to all appearance not of the very poor or presumably irreligious classes, which it is the aim of such services and such preachers to attract. They were women, men, and chil dren, the former being two to three of the entire nunther, who might from their more • than comfortable appearance describe themselves as people repre senting the elite of the artisan. population, or the humbler of middle-class shopkeepers. Mr. Wright's influence amongst such hearers is probably not so great as in the mission which lie has to a great extent made his own amongst the thieves and rouglis of Lambeth. Mr. Wright, we should fancy, felt that lie was not thoroughly at home. True, this may have resulted from the illness which he pleaded at the commencement of his discourse, but there were few signs of the rapt attention of .spell bound listeners. Mr. Wright's preaching tells with great power upon minds that do not possess the critical faculty. Ordinary. church and. chapel-goers, are, though perhaps involuntarily, more or less critical, and we can easily believe that a considerable proportion of the adult persons in the Concert-hall on Sunday would- , listen more with the thought that they were doing a good work by encouraging a deserving man, than receiving in struction or exhortation from him. Mr. Wright's honesty and enthusiasm, however, are stronger than anything else, and his single purpose may well outweigh the repe ated references to himself as " poor Ned Wright," and the prominent manner in which he produces passages from the blackest side of his own personal career. It is doubtful whether his pointed allusion to his own little girl upon the platform, whom he used to " drag about by the hair of her head, and then sling her into the garden," would be thought by the particular class of congregation around him to be neces sary to prove that after his " conversion at Astl ey's, seven years ago last Easter Sunday," he was a changed. character. However, Mr. Wright is the least ob jectionable of the Revivalists who have from' time to time been before the public. If he wore no collar lie did not, as we have seen others do, osten tatiously remove his neckcloth, take off his coat, and tuck up his shirt-sleeves previous to announcing his text. Indeed, he had no text. He spoke for about half an hour in simple, unpretending, vigorous, and un questionably earnest language, to each sex and age, but from exactly the same point of view as when addressing gatherings of disreputables at the New-cut. As on pre vious occasions, he referred to his experience when a man of-war's man and as a prizefighter, recalling the time when he was under a challenge to fight Jack So-and-so, of So-and-so, for so much a side. A characteristic of the man and his singularly impressionable nature appeared in a little incident he narrated. He was afloat in the Channel when the fleet, of which his ship was the despatch-boat, was scattered in a storm. The little vessel was in such danger that the crew, de spairing of weathering it, began lashing themselves to the rigging and spars. He observed the seamen taking their desperate precautions, reflected, and said to himself, " No, no ; you have made hell your home, Ned, and yo* may as well go there now as later on." - Under this singular conviction he remained unlashed until the gale abated. The address closed with an earnest appeal to all present. The service did not last an hour. COMPENSATION FOR RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. The Parliamentary Committee which has been ap. pointed to inquire into this important subject, held their first meeting on Monday, Mr. Headlam in the chair. There was a large attendance of gentlemen connected with the railway interest. The first witness was Mr. J. Blenkinsopp, of the London and North Western Company, who stated that he was honorary solicitor to the railway association, and was well acquainted with the state of the law before the passing of Lord Campbell's, Act. His ex perience was that juries had given very excessive damages, being led away by their feelings which had often been wrought upon by the injured passengers being brought into court, and a sensational scene created. There was also a class of attornies who devoted themselves to getting up such cases, and charged their clients according to the result of the case, so that in a ,great many cases all the compensation awarded did not go into the pockets of the person injured or his repre sentatives. The greatest difficulty which the railways had to meet was the allegation of nervous shock,"which it was impossible to refute, and he mentioned two cases, one in which one person got £3,900 on that allegation, and another to whom the jury first awarded £2,000, but which was afterwards reduced to £1,500 by the judges; but about twelve months afterwards he came again on a re currence of the symptoms, and got £1,500. A elms of cases which were frequent was that of letter sorting clerks, who had to stand up in the railway train, andwereliable to be thrown down. In one case in which there was a clerk who had a salary of £256, the jury awarded him £5,000, thus giving him sufficient to buy a fee simple at the same value as his salary. In another case there was a sum of £1,600 awarded to a man who was actually quite recovered in the space of three months. In another case actual fraud was discovered just as he was on the point of giving him £l,OOO. In that case he prosecuted the claimant, and got a conviction ; but in many cases, although the companies knew they were being defrauded, they could not bring it home to the person, and were obliged to pay. As a general rule they admitted their liability, except in some cases where the cause of the accident was wholly beyond their control. They had been held liable for a person stumbling over a barrow on a platform. When an accident occurred they were held liable for personal injury, and there was no general rule laid down as to the amount of the damages. The judges always charged the jury simply to weigh all the probabi lities of the injured person recovering his health, and award reasonable damages. It often happened that a certain class of attorneys communicated with the injured persons or their friends, and offered to undertake the case on condition of getting a portion of the damages. Lord Campbell's Act affected all damages to the person, and was not confined to railways. If a gentleman's carriage ran over a person in the street, the owner would be liable to damages, but practically speaking the jury in such case gave very moderate damages. In the case of omnibus accidents larger damages are given, because the company principle comes in. Scarcely any actions are brought against shipowners for accidents occurring on board shipi, or for loss of life at sea ; but there had been such where it had been found that something has been neglected which ought to have been done. In the case of a railway company they were bound to carry all the passengers who came, and there was scarcely a single case in which the risk of carrying them was not different. If a man was in a certain position of life it might be so valuable that they would have to pay £lO,OOO. For carrying that person they would receive perhaps 30s. ; the life of another pas senger might not be worth more than £l,OOO yet they would receive the same amount of fare. What they com plained of was that the risk was not equal, and he thought that some system of assurance should be established, limited to £, first class, £2,000 second, and £ l,OOO but there was some difficulty about railway company be coming assurers. To shew the injustice of the present system, he would mention that in one case a railway com pany had to pay £3,000 compensation where the fare was in reality less than a penny. Mr. Headlam : Yet; but if a person was entering a station to go by train, and in consequence of the fault of the company he met with an accident, the company would have to pay him compensation, although he had taken ont his ticket. The witness said it would entirely depend on the cause of the accident. The Carriers Act admitted the principle that valuable articles should be insured, and there was a limitation in case of horses, cattle, and sheep. In regard to workmens trains, recent enactments in the Metropolitan Private Acts had limited the lia bility to £lOO. The London, Chatham, and Dover Com pany volunteered to run cheap trains on that condition, and in the case of the other metropolitan lines an arrange, ment was made by which, in consideration of running cheap workmen's trains, the liability should be thus limited. The Royal Commission of 1866-67 recommended that while railway companies should be held liable for all accidents except those occasioned by their own negligence, there should be a limitation In respect to the maximum fares, and a compulsory assurance giving power to them to increase their assurance up to the maximum in what ever class they might be. With regard to the liability of the company they would like to have a fixed minimum amount of compensation, say first class £5OO, secor £3OO, and third £2OO, with a compul4ory assurance, so that first class passenger could assure for £l,OOO for 2d., £2,000 for 6d, and £3,000 for 9d. They did not wish to become liable for a larger sum than £3,000, though the subject of allowing a passenger to ensure up to £5,000, at 3d. per £l,OOO, had been discussed. After hearing some further evidence from this witness, the committee adjourned. "Parties about to furnish" will be glad to learn on the authority of the Birmingham commercirl reports, that a general reduction has taken place in the price of carpets. Brussels carpets are 4d. per yard lower, and in less costly fabrics the reduction is still greater. The consignment of Australian produce to the Indian market has been a successful venture. Messrs. GillariddrS, Arbuthnot, and Co. have reported to the Australian CoMmittee' the Sale of the Whole invoice of wheat to the commissariat at favourable prices.' PRINCE ALFRED'S LETTER.—Prince Alfred's letter to the Viceroy forms a fitting termination to his India tour. So far as the people arid the chiefs of India, are concerned it is a political manifesto—as much a mes sage of grace and good will from the Queen herself as of gratitude from her son. No one is forgotten. All is in excellent taste. Every paragraph is most natural and not the least that which refers to field-sports. The costly hOspitality . of Lord IVrayb is delicately hinted at. The splendour of "the great Indian princes and chiefs"" is not allowed to overshadow the " entertainments" of " British and Native gentlemen" and the labours of the railway officials. Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras all receive their due, as well as the cities of Hindostan ; the compliment to Madras is especially graceful. The civil and military officials, "of whose friendship I am 'proud," are not for ' gotten. • Above' all the people, those who are only too truly described ai "'the poorer classes" are not over looked, )* are the efforts of those Who care for them un pc4noWTedged.—Th Friend of I . 2 . 3:cdia 114,3112.. . . THE LAW RELATING TO PAWNBROKERS The select committee upon the subject of the law re lating to pawnbrokers met on Monday afternoon for the first time—the Right Hon. Mr. Ayr ton in the chair. A considerable number of pawnbrokers were in attendance. Mr. Haraker, a gentleman connected with the business for upwards of 24 years, and who is the Chairman of this association, said that he was acquainted with the Acts relating to the regulation of this business. The 39th and 40th Geo. contained the reffula tion as to charges. By that Act the rate of profit which the pawnbrokers were allowed to charge was a halfpenny for every half-cro wn per month, and for all pledges over £2 and under £lO, they were allowed to charge at the rate of 3d. in the pound. At the time of the passing of that Act the usury laws were in force, and it was a privilege to them to be allowed to charge so high. Ile did not believe those charges were ever exceeded, but he complained that under the other clauses of the Act regulating the charge for sums lent between £2 and £lO pro rata did not work out to any definite coinage, but always to some fractional parts. Thus for 40s. they would be charged 61 and 16-20ths per month ; for £2 4s. it would be 6 1 and 8-20ths ; for £2 55., 8, for £2 95., 7,1- and a fraction, for £2105., 7 per cent. He should propose that there should be a simple charge of a halfpenny per month. He would, for instance, recommend a halfpenny per month for every 2s. lent up to £2. He also suggested that the days of grace should be extended, and that where the article remained in pawn, say for a month and ten or twelve days, two months' interest should be charged. He was ready to give seven days extra at the beginning of every month, making it fourteen days; and then, if not redeemed in that time, the two months' interest should be charged. The present rate was not understood by the customer. It was not compulsory on them to take things of an incon venient size. In the country the act was constantly evaded. In Liverpool it was frequently evaded. He was not aware that the police took any steps. He had him self evaded it in self-defence. In the country the prac tice was to charge two months' interest after a month or seven days. The 3rd clause of the Act gave them power to subdivide the interest according to the sum lent. The evasion he spoke of was with respect to the charge of a farthing interest. In Ireland three days' grace was allowed, and no more. A publication known as " The Scale of Pawnbrokers' Charges " was recognised by the trade, and in that scale the interest on 10s. was 2d. per month. According to Clause 3, any intermediate sum between 2s. 6d. and 40s. was to be charged at the rate of 4d. per 20s. There was no objection to an amendment of the law by which the pawnbroker should enter the name and address of the pledger in a book, but at the same time it was a very common practice for persons who came to pawn things to give a wrong name and address, not because the articles proposed to be pawned were improperly come by, but because many were very reluctant that the pawnbrowker himself should know their right name. After some other evidence the com mittee adjourned. THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS. AT HOME. Another week of unexampled dryness has been added to the period of the long-continued drought, and has rendered the aspect of affairs somewhat critical, espe cially as regards all descriptions of Spring corn. The condition of the wheat plant, however, with the excep tion of its being very backward for the time of year, is not such as to cause alarm as to its ultimate safety ; in fact, appearances are not adverse to the realisation of. a good crop. On light lands there is a general complaint of a want of moisture ; but on heavy soils and in low lying districts the plant is not unfavourably spoken of. Such, however, is not the case with either barley or oats, both of which will turn out badly, unless some heavy soaking rains fall in all parts of the country- Beans and peas, also, will doubtless yield a very miser able return to the farmer. As regards hay, the crop may be regarded as one of the lightest on record. The supply of grass is limited in the extreme, and, in many places, it will barely pay for the labour of cutting. But clover will probably yield a fair return. Potatos look well in all districts, and are almost entirely free from all wap toms of disease. In respect to the root crops, the issue , is rather uncertain, inasmuch as, although got in in fine order, they are still liable to attacks from the pestilential ' fly in the absence of rain.—The Magnet. The prolonged drought is causing much anxiety in the neighbourhood of Stamford. There has been scarcely any rain for nearly three months. Wheat at present looks pretty well, but both barley' and oats must prove light crops. There also great complaints in the district round Kettering, in North Northamptonshire. At Thrapston, in the same county, the grass has a stunted and dried-up appearance, although the wheats are still looking tole rably well The crops in Meath and Westmeath are progressing favourably, the only want being a down pour of rain, which is much needed. The wheat, barley, oats, &c., have exhibited a forward appearance. Potatoes' planted in February have long since received their second cover ing, and have exhibited up to this a fine prospect. We expect to see early potatoes in market at the end of this month. The pastures and meadows are luxuriant. The turnips have been sown, and the farmers cannot complain that they had not fine weather for that purpose.—Corres pondent Freeman's Journal. The Sligo Independent of Saturday says :—We have had during the week a turn of real summer, and, we might say, real wintry weather. Up to Tuesday the heat was oppressive, but Thursday and yesterday were as cold as two March days. The crops look remarkably well. New potatoes are begun to be sold in our market. The hay crop promises to be a most luxuriant one. The oat and wheat crop look well, and fruit of all kinds promises to be plentiful. • ABROAD. The Pays has the following observations :—“ls the situation of the harvest as much compromised as public rumour would lead one to suppose ? We answer, No ! Certain crops have suffered, and do so still, such as grass, colza, rye, and oats, but as a whole the year is not likely to be what is called a bad one. The hay has failed for want of water, and the meadows will only furnish one half the usual quantity. On that point there will be a deficiency, and graziers will experience great difficulty in feeding their cattle during the ensuing winter. Lut, for the grains above-mentioned, as well as barley, all is not over, and a little wet would quickly repair the damage. As to wheat the yield is in no wise compromised. The in ferior lands may suffer, but the good, and even the middling, are in a satisfactory state. Some rain would un doubtedly be most desirable. but the north wind which is blowing at this moment ought to give to the formation of the ear taking place a sufficient fecundation. How ever, we shall be told, corn is going up in all the markets; flour is on the rise ; the demands are large, and the stocks not large. The reason of this advance in prices is not ab, solutely due to this season, but rather to other cau s es , Agriculturists have taken full advantage of the Treaties of Commerce. Since 1860, the profit on its ex portations may be set down at some hundreds of million annually, And as during several years the harvests have been abundant, it has sent out of the country more than perhaps it ought to have done. At the same time, importation, less active, has not re established the equilibrium. Commerce has slackened the latter, while agriculture has exaggerated the former,and it is from that cause that the present deficiency in stocks has arisen. That insufficiency—which caused no uneasiness so long as all anxiety was absent as to the year's yield—excites attention at this moment when a doubt exists on that pOint. True or false, those disquie tudes cause the rise in the price of a commodity, the stock of which is not equal to the demand." A correspondent in Paris writes :—The price of the 41b. loaf in Paris was augmented on Friday from 80c. to 85c. This is not yet very distressin g , because not many years since we saw bread at 1 franc? beyond which the Emperor would not then allow it to go. The symptom is, however, ominous, more especially as the drought COntlnues, and every hour is now of importance. In the morning a very few drops of rain fell, but no benignant showers came down. An extraordinary rise has taken place in the price of oats, which jumped up suddenly at the Halles from 14 francs to 20 francs the hectolitre. I hear that the French Government, by way of precaution, has made contracts for large purchases of foreign corn. • The Messager de Provence says :—" The country around Cogolin is again infected by swarms of black grasshoppers, which are devouring the crops, and whose invasion is attributed to the continued drought which prevails this year, ~ -- - PORTRAITS OF CHARLES Dip4pNp.—On Friday Mr. Woolner and Mr. Millais went down . to Gp,' dshill, at the request of Mr. Dickens's family, in order to make the necessary arrangements for reproducing a worthy likeness of the great novelist. In the meantime the London Stereoscopic Company, Cheapside, are issuing the last and finest photograph they have published of the de cedsa— It is in the form of a carte de visite, and is an excellent likehag. MURPHY AT GnEENTwren. 7 -lifurphy, the Pro testant lecturer, has again engaged the Lecture Hall, at Greenwich, for the purpose of delivering his harangues ' against Roman Catholicism. The trustees have conceded him the occupation for seven nights, commencing this week, in consideration of his foregoing . any_ claim for colnpensation, he and his friends promising ale. to make g00d447 aagtpge th'at may be done. Murphy does not on this occasion ledthse fnj .plie' EVangelical 'Union. A considerable degree of excitement is 'being ' evincain the locality. The police force has been strengthened in order to prevent disturbance or riot. A. PARLIAMENT IN IRELAND.—The Dublin cones dent of the Times says the movement in favour of a federal Pp,Tliament for Ireland is proceeding quietly, but earnestly. On 'PhurOay evening a meeting was held, at which the Rev. Professor Galbraith, F.T.C.D., presided,. and speeches were delivered by persons repre senting different . political sections. The Con servative and " National" elements were in greatest forge, but there was a sprinkling of the old Repealers, who attended to watch the course of this movement, but they have not as yet identi fied themselves withit. Some of the speakers attempted to advo4e.te an extreme policy, but they were silenced by the meeting, and. ii} dne dr two instances left . in disap pointment. Another meeLing will be held on Thursday evening next, 'anil no efforts will be spared to make the aggat!en real and urgent. The Word " repeal" is for the present At Least rephdiated", lest it should' frighten the timid, and the I,roar o 4,l*e is strictly linaited to "an Irish Parliament for local purposes, is well' as Iraperial representation. • LAW AND POLICE. AN IMPROPER QUESTION IN A LIBEL SUIT.—The Court of Common Pleas granted a rule nisi to set aside a judge's order directing the defendant in a libel case to say whether or not he wrote the letter complained of. The letter appeared in the Times, and commented severely upon the loss of the steamship City of Boston, whereupon the Inman Company commenced an action for libel against a Mr. Jenkins, to whom they put the interrogatory, through Mr. Justice Blackburn. The interrogatory was resisted on the ground that the answer might tend to criminate the defendant ; and the court expressed an opinion that, in the absence of special circumstances, such questions ought not to be allowed to be put. INSURANCE AGAINST ACCIDENTS. —A case arising out of an Accident Insurance Policy has been heard in the Court of Exchequer. A client of the Accident Insurance Company who had effected a policy for £l,OOO died in consequence of erysipelas supervening from a wound. The policy contained a clause stating that it did not in sure against death or disability arising from gout, rheumatism, erysipelas, or any secondary disease arising within the system of the insured. The Lord Chief Baron held that as the erysipelas was the natural result of the wound, the company was liable ; but Barons Martin, Channell, and Cleasby held that although the disease was due to the wound, the language of the contract clearly , and precisely exempted the defendants from liability. Judgment was therefore entered for the company. THE PROPOSED LAW REFORMS. —During the progress of a suit Vice-Chancellor Stuart gave partial ex pression to his views on the question whfch has recently excited so much public interest—the fusion of law and equity. The distinctive characteristic of the Court of Chancery was its administrative powers. What changes were in contemplation he did not know, but he was ex tremely proud of the efficiency which the Court of Chancery exhibited in its administrative capa city. Great improvements had been effected, and they had been the means of unlocking hundreds of thousand pounds which would not otherwise have been properly administered. Whatever turn law reform might assume, he did not believe that the court which was deal ing at one moment with perhaps a bill of exchange could adjudicate in an intricate administration suit with equal efficiency to one the speciality of which was administra tive power. THEATRICAL MANAGEMENT. —ln the Court of Vice- Chancellor Stuart an application was made by Mr Karslake, Q.C., to restrain an action of ejectment against the proprietors of the Vaudeville Theatre, Strand It seemed that Mr. Montague and two other gentlemen, who are well known as actors, entered into possession of the theatre, paying a premium of £5OO and a rental of £2,100 per annum. One of the conditions of the tenancy was that the prices for the admissiofi of the public to the house should not be reduced without the lessor's con sent • but that having been violated in the case of the balcony, stalls, and upper circles, the lessor immedi ately issued a writ of ejectment. The present application was made for the purpose of restraining the action, on the ground that the verbal consent of the lessor had been ob tained prior to the alteration. It was stated, however, that since the commencgment of the action the prices had been raised to their former rates. Principle was the only thing involved, and the Vice-Chancellor suggested that the matter should be deferred in order that a compromise might be effected. A DOCTOR CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT AND FORGERY. —Before the Richmond Bench, Francis Horne Scaife, a surgeon, has been charged on a warrant with embezzling 13s. 6d. and a cheque for £7 10s. 6d., the moneys of the firm of William Anderson, M.D., and Richard Hassell, M.D., of Richmond. The prisoner was recently in the employment of Drs. Anderson and Hassell as assistant, and he was authorized to receive moneys due to his employers. According to the evidence of Dr. Anderson hehad received several sums of, including the two in question, and had not accounted for them. The prisoner was apprehended at Liverpool, and on him was found (in addition to a cheque for £7 10s. 6d., which Dr. Anderson identified as having been paid to him by Mr. Knight of Richmond) two forged cheques on the Burton-on-Trent Bank—one for £323 75., and the other for £2Bo—both pur porting to be signed by Dr. Anderson, and payable to the prisoner. The prisoner was remanded, and at his uext examination he will be also charged with having theforged cheques in his possession. AN AGRICULTURAL CASE.—A case has been tried in Vice-Chancellor Stuart's court, before a special jury which has occupied several days. The suit was instituted by,Mr. English, the owner of an estate in Warwickshire, who had in April 1865 granted the defendant a lease for twenty-one years of a farm of 260 acres. By the agree ment, Mr. English undertook to give Mr. Notting ham, the defendant, a lease of a certain tract of land containing about 140 acres, agreeing also to " assort and clear them from timber and underwood, at the rate of 15 acres a-year till the whole were cleared, and then grant him a lease at the rate of 255. an acre. The suit originated in a dispute beeween the parties respecting the manner of the assorting, the defendant declaring that a number of stumps and roots had been overlooked and left in the land with barely . five inches of soil over them. The cause came on. in March, and a jury was im pannelled, five of whom under an order from the Court went down to view the land. The plough provided by the plaintiff was a plough of extra strength, manu factured for the special purpose of ploughing such woodlands, which remained uninjured ; but the defendant's plough, being an iron plough of ordinary strength, with cast iron shares, two of the shares were broken, and the plough itself suffered damage through the stumps and roots. After several days of hearing this term, the matter has been brought to an end for the time, by the verdict on the preliminary issues, though the cause itself will be heard next term. The jury decided that the land had not been sufficiently assorted, and awarded £465 to the defendant to pay him to complete the process. end WOODEN PAVEMENT.—Some enthusiastic Demo crats at New York, bent on celebrating an election victory, one evening 14st month, by the usual burnt offering of tar barrels, managed to set fire to the wooden pavement in 'Past Twenty-four-street, and nearly a whole block was consumed. A similar incident occurred in the great fire in San Francisco, in 1850, when, the streets being of plank, the inhabitants found not only the houses burning over their heads, but the very ground beneath their feet. AN AURORA BOREALIS IN VICTORIA.-A mag nificent aurora australis was visible in Victoria on the night of the sth of April. It was also visible in portions of South Australia. There has not been one of so grand a description since September, 1856. It was visible in Mel bourne from a little after sunset until about half-past 11 p,m., being brightest between half-past ten and a quarter past 11 p.m. The aurora was preceded and accom panied by considerable electrical disturbances. The elec tric telegraph wires were greatly affected during the several hours that it lasted, and there was a sufficient current to keep the bell at the Melbourne Observatory ringing and to work the instruments, without the aid of the battery. ACCIDENT TO THE - VICEROY OF INDlA.—Every body will be sorry to hear that Lord Mayo, notwithstand ing his gallant horsemanship, had a nasty spill of it be tween Kalka and Kussowlie the morning after leaving Umballa. His' lotdship's 'steed fell and on him, some distance from Kussowlie, and so abmpletely that Captain Beadon. Assistant Cotamissioner, who was riding with Lord Mayo at the time, had to spring off his horse, and give extricative aid. A fall on that road must be a sore thing, and we sincerely hope Lord Mayo was really as little injured as he endeavoured to make appear. His lordship though bruised and looking much shaken, in spected the barracks at Pugshai, and after breakfasting with the Buffs, left for Simla—in the saddle.—Mofunilite May 12. THE RECENT CONFESSION OF MURDER. The Melbourne Argus says it is believed that something decisive will result from the investigations which the police are making with the view of ascertaining the truth of the confession made in London by the man Dyer of the murder by him of his mate George Wilson, at the Mia-naia Creek, Newstead, in 1857. Wilson's remains which had been interred in the Campbell's Creek Cemetery, near Castlemain, were exhumed on the 4th inst., and Dr. Norman Gow, who held the postmortent ex amination on the murdered man, had no difficulty in identifying the skull, which he said he could have picked out among a thousand. The records of the cemetery told that on the 9th day of January, 1858, a body had been found in the Mia-mia Creek, parish of Tarrengower, and that on the 11th of the same month it was buried in compartment B, No. 242. The age was set down at twenty-six, the 'name unknown. After clearing away the earth adhering to the skull, two holes were perfectly distinct, as if made by the point of a pick. There were two depressions fradturing Ihe skull, as if made by the same instrument. A warrant was granted by the Castlemain Bench for the apprehension of George Dyer, in England, as the murderer of Wilson. AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS! The number of newspapers published in English speaking America is about 5,319. It is difficult to state with exactness, for they spring up and die by hundreds during every year. Delaware has only 13, and New York 806. New England has most newspapers in proportion to its population, and the country journals have the largest average circulation, being about 1,000 copies weekly. In New York and Pennsylvania they will average about 700 ; in the valley of the Mississippi proper about 350 ; and in the South about 250. There are about 550 dailies, varying in circulation from the neighbourhood of 200 daily to 100,000. New York is the great centre of newspaper commerce. There are 32 dailies in that city ; six in German, two in .French, one in Scandina vian, and the rest in English. Seven of these dailies are know as " the New York Associated Press," and supply all the rest of the country with news, which they sell. They print 112,000,000 sheets annually, and receive $2,500,000 from advertisements • Their total receipts are about $5,600,000. The other 25 dailies print 110,000,00 0 sheets annually, and their receipts are about $3,100,00 0 in all. So it will be seen that the New York daily xess alone has an income of $8,700,000 contributed by the public for the purpose of knowing the news of the day. The other periodicals of the city, semiweekly, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, issue 156,000,000 copies during the year, and their total receipts are about $17,000,00 0 . Philadelphia is next after New York in number of dailies, of weeklies, and of other periodicals, and also prints the greatest quantity of sheets in a year. Sixteen dailies supply the Quakers with mental nutriment,although the quality is not high nor the enterprise of the manag ers great. Their dailies are inferior to those of Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati. and St. Louis, and are no better than those of Pittsburg - , Louisville. or San Francisco. Boston is the third in importance and the newspaper business is prosperous there. Large dividends are declared, news is paid prompt attention to, and thewriting on mnay Boston dailies would do honour to any journal in the world. The Hub, however, is no longer such a centre for news as Chicago, whichdistributes intelligence to six or seven States, aggregating three times the population of New England. The Chicago dailies are conducted ably, have vast resources, large circulation, and full advertising columns. They perform for the West the part that New Yorks does for the East. Every editor in the habit of look ing over exchanges knows that the New York State dailies are substantially compiled from those in the city, those of New England from Boston and New York, and other parts of the Union from other centres. Nearly all the country daily newspapers in the United States are con densed from those of one of the above places or from Cincinnati, where some dailies of great importance are published, Baltimore, St. Louis, New Orleans, or San Francisco. The Albany papers are ex tracted from New York contemporaries, Harris. - burg from Philadelpia, Toledo from Cincinnati , and so on. Besides the places we have mentioned , Pittsburg, Louisville, Detrot, and Charleston main tain a half-way independence. New York State has the greatest number of newspapers, daily, weekly, and every other way ; Pennsylvania follows, and then Illinois. Although the latter State has less population, it surpasses Ohio, which follows it in order of importance. The South ern States have few papers, and their importance is very little. Many of them are edited by carpet-baggers, who batten on the spoils of the public, and the real Southern aristocracy evidently does not look with a favourably eye upon journalism. On the Pacific coast the population is too sparse for profit to be expected, and San Francisco nearly monopolizes it.—New York Times. FREE CHURCH MOVEMENT.—Lord Ebury and several members of Parliament have sent letters of syna pathy to the promoters of the Free Church School Room and institute now in course of erection in the neglecte d district of Barns-green, near Horsham, where e very lag° proportion of the adult population can neither read nor write. THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PUNJAUB.—The Times of India says the opinion is now entertained in quarters likely to be well informed that the Punjaub is not to be dismembered, as was at one time rumoured. The front to ier will still be directed from Lahore, and not delegated any separate authority. Measures will, a t the same time, be adopted to keep the Supreme Government more fully and more promptly informed regarding Frontier affairs. THE COUPON STAMP.—The Chancellor of the EX' chequer is to be congratulated on an act of discretion which, at the same time, does honour to his courage. In compliance with the very cogent remonstrances of City ra 6o interested in foreign securities, Mr. Lowe has consented to abandon his projected ld. stamp upon coupons. One coul d feel almost grateful to a Chancellor of the Exchequer fel: the proposal of an obnoxious tax, and then the subsequol' handsome withdrawal of it. A tentative policy i n fi na nce ) ; if it bereally only tentative, is not a bad thi n g , althog v it is scarcely possible that any class would graciously allo themselves to be taxed simply brcause a Minister ni3a° a trial. In the case before us, Mr. Lowe had precedents, notably in the penny stamps on documents witness the passing of money. Nothing need be 63' against these, for the very simple reason that they are established, and have entered into our habits, a l ; stituting part of every day life. Besides, they Wer e „ great relief from the oppressive stamp duties of the 1 3 ' - D . economic period. But the proposition to enact a stol a i on coupons is a very different affair; not only becauseelit is now, but because it would bring with it results o n , much more injurious character than the trifling inc ° t venience of the ordinary penny stamp. We sheaved 13sci, week what these would be—an appreciabl e elle n . to the lucrative business in foreign loans a nd se to rities which tends yearly to flow more and more this market, because this market is known to be honeeisy and safe. Well, it might be said, a penny would weigh nothing in the scale against honesty and atil'a But there is the mistake ; it would weigh not (0 paltry copper, but the annoyance, the irritatitgt the bother, the delay in critical times , which 0-.4 always be reckoned on when the scales of credit be finance are nicely balanced. Our own, what nosiness called our internal transactions in this busw,,,, of paying and receiving money, let them be subject te,etti", impost ; but in dealings with foreign securities lea', free. It is not the sole, but it is one influence which br 7d , those dealings into this great financial centre of the n i ig Mr. Lowe deserves thanks for his readiness to perceiT,eitb own error, and his really good sense and courag e 102' bis drawing from a false position. These words fr° l- , 0 01 private secretary say all :—" The provision fora Pboir stamp on coupons will be expunged from the Stang? The solidation Bill when the Bill goes into comm ittee. , Chancellor of the Exchequer is thanked. —The BelM" o roto, LADVERNISEMENT. I Consumption, and all nee orb, bilious, stomach, ani liver complaints in every stain Px - lou' aggravated and accelerated by drugs of every descriptioo,oo perfe_tly curable by Du BARRY'S health -restoring Re:Dee° Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which 11 ''' co se.'; considered hopeless; such as indigestion (dyspepsia\ ,str,': asthma, consumption, h 03itual constipation, diarrhoea, al' ' aer derangements, htemorrholds, liver complaints, flatulenat'orrl3o, vousness, biliousness, fevers, sore throat, diphtheria , c$ z oos , colds, influenza, noises in the head and ears, rheunuttistneOssr impurities, eruptions, hysteria, neuralgia, irritability , 51 , 0 30 5 ',., ness, acidity, palpitation, heartburn, headache, debility', v s, al; spasms, nausea and sickness even in pregnancy or at ,s c s s t tb, ing fits, bronchitis, scrofula, tiehtness of the chest, P 3 ''' 00 0 We CI SO pit of the stomach, and between the shoulders, &c. ca re ig few: -The Pope's health restored by Du liarry's Food -68,413—"80me,. July 21 1866. The health of the Holy ; , , e excellent, especially since, abandoning all other remedlTe, confined himself entirely to Du Barry's Revalenta Ar s b. n l ro da7 .o of which he consumes a plateful at every meal. It IT rfloll°:t t a surprisingly beneficial effect on his health, and ‘ 4:4o° - cannot praise this excellent food too highly.':—From du Midi," July 25. Cure No. 46,270.—Mr. James Robe'l 10 merchant, of Frimley, Surrey, of thirty years' disea se s s. C O r cl spitting of blood, liver derangement, and partial deafcttorfo.,, N 0.1,771. Lord Stuart de Decies, Lord-Lieutenant of I "; i 7 de scr sa P of many years dyspepsia.—No. 49,832. "Fifty years' able agony from dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma , . 9-7„0/ 0 stipation, flatulency, spasms, sickness, and vornin7nsooltii Jolly " Important' Caution.—Beware of the manY so tiO r and more than sloppy imitations to which, without 5 ' Baron Liebig's name is most audaciously attached. 1 210 col In tins, at Is lid; Ilb 2s 9d; 2 lb 4s 6d; slb 1113-ilocold;vs 24 lbs Du BITtRY'S RRVALENTA A RAW"' f o r l'i e t 5) 0 . POWDER is packed in tin canisters: for 12 cops at V I ~uns at 38 6d, for 48 cups at6a, for 288 cups at 30s, for 51? ; ,,v a 'Sr . ,e —being about one penny per cup. The 30s and 5 58 ,Z e Oru e s sa free of carriage in England on receipt of Post vsnoott BARRY Du BARRY and Co., No. 77, Regent-street , all Grocers and Chemists. BIRTHS. , w r io' On the 10th inst., at I, Upper Brook-street, Mrs. t "' thesly Dgby, of a daughter. ()- Oi l/ f Col' On the 9th i inst., at Redwall, Dartmouth, th e wife John Corbett, R.N., C. 8., of a son. MARRIAGES. Pl e .°, On the 9th inst., at the parish church, S. Lawronc°4sse-; Thanet, Henry Gray Brydono , Esq., of Pet wor-:,tbovJ to Sophia Marianne, eldest daughter of the late A' &O. Crofton, Esq., J.P., barrister-at-law. ill e, • o e On the 9th inst., at Holy Trinity Church, Marvlebo,,,,dt Vanneck Blois, Esq., of Southwold, Suffolk, to ug- t. yer Frances, daughter of George Marshall, Esq. , °f nard's. DoCS°" DEATHS On the 11th inst., at 70, Upper Gloucester -place' 0 pa' square, Richard teele, Esq., aged 86. On the 10th. inst., S at 16 Esser street, St ra nd, Ja n ' e Bendy, aged 64. 1.70 1 London: Printed and Published by WILLIAM A- No . 0 1 4 of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE SUN Ofli , noti Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the ce„ v" 3iliddlosex.—Tuoday, Juno 14, 1870. 4 !'al: Orel D ial Pest No, Seas(); Drill Rose Arch e Grand Gl Er A l l Ditt, IF3. , ' c ' fr o , stop 1 ........,. -____ ........... I( ' fib; , Thi! go 4 Agent AD' reeh rep ay Celia C' Sr, Bole Full At to.da3. P,' 8' S c S c Sc Sc S c _liana I) this th e E „, 48 t 1 ctdep