The Sun. — London, England, 1870-03-25 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS. THE QUEEN, The Oetvesfry Advertiser understands that there is great probability of her Majesty spending a portion of the ensuing season in Merionethshire. Inquirics zre being made by a gentlemen connected with the Queen's household with a view to the engagement of a suitable residence for royalty in the neighbourhoc d of Dolgelly and Barmouth. No doubt the loyal Wels.i would be delighted to have their turn of soya; favour. The :region round about Cader Idris may not be so grand as that at the foot of the Grampians, but the scenery is very fine nevertheless. The visit, says the Advertiser, will be a private one. THE TEST BALLOT. The ballot at Bristol passed off with exemplary good order. The system of voting was the same as that provided in Mr. Leatham's measure, with the exception of the initials in invisible ink, which are appended by au official to prevent the Australian dodge. That precaution was, of course, not needed at Bristol. Every elector had received a circular with scrip showing his number on the register, and informing him where he had to vote. On presenting his scrip, it was compared with the register, and he received in return a perforated card, bearing the name of the three candidates printed in different colours. The elector then retired to a place where, protected from c,bservation, he erased the names of the two candi dates for whom he did not intend to vote. The card was then folded and deposited in the ballot-box in the presence of the inspectors appointed on behalf of each candidate. It now remains only for Mr. Hodgson's and Mr. Odger's supporters to abide by the result, and to support Mr. Robinson. THE MARQUIS OF LOTHIAN AND MR. LEATHAM. Mr. Leatham, M.P., has written to the Times in reply to the letter of the Marquis of Lothian on the subject of the eviction which the former alleged to have taken place on the estate of his lord ship. The Mr. Leatham says he is sur prised at the whole tenour of the letter which the Marquis of Lothian has thought it proper to write with regard to his connection with the notorious Timpoendean case. He admits that no one denies the right of the Marquis, as claimed in his letter, to refuse the renewal of a lease on sufficient grounds. To refuse the renewal, however, because his tenant has dared to vote against him is not, Mr. Leathan contends, to do so on sufficient grounds. He denies having made any " attack" or " onslaught " upon the Marquis of Lothian, and says that he merely repeated state ments in the House of Commons to which, as a member of the committee on elections, it was his duty to listen, and as a member of that committee to report to the House. THE MALT TAX. A memorial has been forwarded to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by authority of the committee of the National Temperance League, on the malt tax. Among other things, it shews that as beer has no special claim to be exempt from the taxation imposed upon alcoholic liquors, the great mass of consumers are not dissatisfied with the present arrangement of imposts, and have no wish for the repeal or transfer of the duty upon malt. It argues that the great opposition it would create, the existence of other imposts the remission of which would give greater relief, the enlightenment of the people as to the non-nutritiousness of beer and its tendency to produce intemperance, are alike against the repoal of the tax. The memorialists further contend that the excessive sum of eight millions a year spent on intoxicating liquors, the quantity of good grain used in its production, the delusion to the farmer of an increased demand, if any should be produced, and the increase of poverty and crime which would involve him as well as other classes in the payment of any new taxes that might be imposed, should operate in inducing him to ask the Government to refuse the repeal. For this and other reasons set forth, the memorialists earnestly express a hope that the malt tax will neither be repealed, reduced, nor trans ferred. IRELAND. Accounts from the provinces chew that the Irish farmers as well as the gentry, still continue to be nearly panic-stricken in many districts. They seem to look at the Peace Preservation Bill as men would look at any refuge from an unendurable state of things. A story told at the special sessions of Coleraine by a local proprietor, Mr. Anderson, lets some light into the question of the state of Ireland. Five years ago Mr. Anderson evicted a tenant for non-payment of rent. Two years after ho returned, vowing he would have the land. He did not have it, however, and Mr. Anderson placed a man in the house to take care of it. This poor man was in constant terror of his life, and had to leave the property. But vengeance followed him, and his house was attacked by fifteen armed ruffians, who beat him and his wife, forced an oath upon him, and smashed his furniture. Of course, little evidence was forthcoming, and only two of the men were punished. Those un fortunate persons who did give evidence were in such peril that they had to be placed under Goverment protection, and the " caretaker" and his wife were obliged to go to Australia. At the present time no one dares to take the still vacant property. NEW EDITION OF THE STATUTES. Some papers are issued which relate to the pro posed new edition of the statutes in force at the present day. It appears that great advantages will be derived if the plan is carried out. A chronological table and an index will render more intelligible the hitherto mysterious mass of British laws. The compilation of the new edition will cost, Lord Chelmsford thinks, 21,000, exclusive of the expense of printing, and there is every probability of the work being out in a short time. The means of readily ascertaining what is the existing statute law on any given subject must be of great value to all concerned in any way in the administration or use of the law. Without systematic arrangement, no clue can be ob tained to important details which lie hidden amongst heaps of legislation. Only an occasional 'reference to repealed or expired enactments will be found in the new work. It is well that Government has taken the matter out of hands of private enterprise, as a memorandum respecting it says that a revision will be necessary after each session of Parliament, and therefore the type will be always kept standing, a consideration that would prevent any publisher from undertaking such a work on his own account. ADJOURNMENT OF COURTS. The subject of the expense entailed on the country by the constant adjournment of courts of all kinds, has been' brought forward lately, and one London magistrate expressed his opinion strongly about the unnecessary remands constantly taking place of prisoners in criminal cases. Apropos of the subject, a return has been issued of the number of days upon which the Judge of the High Court of Admiralty sat during last year, specifying the number of causes heard during those days, and the number of times each of those causes were adjourned. We find that 142 causes were heard in the year, out of which forty-nine were adjourned—one five times, one four times, three three times, ten twice, and thirty-four once. An ex planation accompanies this return, showing that an 'adjournment in this court frequently arises from the absence of witnesses. Sailors, of which class most of the witnesses in Admiralty causes consist, being of a migratory character, it is rendered necessary to take their evidence when it can be got, and then to adjourn the court until the rest of the witnesses have returned to this country. This reasoning, though applying to this particular instance, can hardly be urged with regard to the business of other courts. THE GOVERNMENT TRAMWAYS BILL. . A. deputation from the various vestries and local boards of the metropolis have had an interview with Mr. Shaw Lefevre on the subject of the Government Tramways Bill. It was pointed 'out by the deputation that there was no opposition to tramways, but that there was a general desire that they should be laid down according to some fixed plan. It was also suggested that the duty of devising, constructing, and managing suoh scheme should be conferred upon some central representative authority. Mr. Shaw Lefevre promised to consider the matter, and thought the opinions of the united vestries of the Metropolis should be heard by the Select Committee, who now have the . Bill before them. • THE MAORI RACE. The Maories of New Zealand must be a more Intel ligent race than most people have taken them for, if the native - petition sent by Colonel Hadfield to the Times is genuine in all respects. From it one might suppose that the aboriginals of New Zealand have not the slightest wish to rebel against the Queen, and that they have a just grievance in the iniquitous way in which their land has been taken from them. Divested of . the quaint language noticeable in all favago writings, the petition to our Lady the queen, s7Fpei.l by l'aralrala Score ti.‘27 o , the r , gati ail awa. . sets forth flaLt.4 Mitorieg have inany tropbles, What, ivsA clone fo imerij: by the Governors waq good what is tone now is bad, The loviiig voice of the Queen no longer retches the Maori people, They ay.?: of their land by a law made by the 'ci-,,varnin!Nit of New Zealand. Their only Offence baa beef: refazing to part with their own and any . other cause assigned to their ho3tillti.es is a misrepresentation. the Sove reign 4 call Git aeon to restore the land that has been taken 0w0.,y, and to send out a commissioner to treat with •ibery.:. Amongst the highflown ideas of the ona little sentence, very much to the point, contrasts almost ludicrously with the iest—" May you Eva long, 0 our Queen,: and withhold your • - - soldiers." THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 25, 1870. n dal& away Well v ery tares ana penates unaer Ina guise of "the national sport." WOMEN AS GRAND JURORS. The first grand jury ever known to be composed of women was assembled at a town in the territory of Wyoming, to the far west of the United States. Some of the American papers, it may have been noticed, treated this event somwhat jocularly. Not so the Chief Justice, who addressed the lady jurors. The rights of women, he said, were making rapid progress. Tie has long been of opinion that women should be given powers to defend themselves ; and it had happily fallen to their lot to be the pioneers in the movement. "There is not the slightest impro priety in any lady occupying this position, and I wish to assure you that the protection of the Court shall be accorded to you. It would be a most shameful scandal that in our temples of justice and in our courts of law anything should be permitted which the most sensitive lady might not hear and witness with propriety. It seems to be eminently proper for women to sit upon grand juries, which will give them the best possible opportunities to aid in sup pressing the dens of infamy which curse the country." Not one of the ladies drawn asked to be excused, HORSE LICENSES. A. letter to the Times calls attention to what Seems to be a considerable hardship inflicted on the public by the recent change in the charges for assessed taxes. An old principle of political economy was that articles and places used solely for public purposes should be exempt from taxation, either local or general. Under this system the principle applied id horses used for the purpose of drawing materials for the repair of the highways, but under the recent Act nc such exemption can be claimed. It was formerly usual to employ the teams of neigh bouring farmers for this purpose, paying them for the use thereof ; but as that is a use for hire they are now reluired to take out a license, at a costof 10s. 6d. annually for each horse so employed. Thus, in one parish alone the cost of such licenses is said to amount to between £2O and £25, and though this parish has forty-one miles of highway to maintain with stones got from the bed of a river, yet it is evident that every parish in the kingdom will suffer more or less in a similar manner. THE LOSS OP THE NORMANDY. The depositions have been received by the Board of Trade of the officers and crew of the Mary, and of the survivors of the Normandy, which went down in the late collision in the Channel. They furnish us with a clear and full account of the occurrence, and, with one exception, the whole of the sad accident was unaccompanied by any act other than manly and judicious. The fact of the second mate of the Mary having lost an opportunity to save many of those who perished is a circumstance that must ever be regretted. The officer himself expresses his deep regret that he did not proceed to the Normandy without first wasting time in returning to his own ship for orders. It may well b• imagined that on occasions of this sort a confusion of ideas must be very natural. A large sum has already been subscribed in Southampton for the relief of the widows and orphans of the crew of the Normandy. THE MARSEILLES LAND COMPANY. Mr. Harvey Lewis, M.P., writes to the Pall Mall Gazette to point out that he had no suspicion of the £5,000 paid to the National Bank coming out of the funds of the Marseilles Land Company. "I had always been assured that all commissions were to be paid by the Credit Foncier. I saw no reason to disbelieve, and I entirely believed, that assurance. I had not the least ground for suspecting, and I did not suspect, that it was in any way incorrect. In fact, the Vice-Chancellor, in the end, gave his actual decision against the motion on the ground that it was not even proved that the money did come out of the funds of the Marseilles Company at all. The Credit Fonder was not before the court, and the Vice-Chancellor observed that they might be able to prove that they paid it out of their own money, and not out of the money of the Marseilles Company." The money was undoubtedly paid ; but it came from the Credit Foncier, with which Mr. Harvey Lewis has nothing to do. But the fact is that the Credit Foncier floated the Marseilles Company. Some of the directors of the National Bank were directors of the Credit Foncier, -and others (amongst them Afr. Lewis) of the Land Company. If they were not all answerable for this transaction, they ought to have been, A LABOUR OF LOVE. M. Edmund W. Holland, as one of the most inti mate friends of the late Mr. Denison, M.P., relates a circumstance in the life of the deceased, not, he says, vulgarly to proclaim the virtues and self-denying energy of the good man, but to induce others to follow his example. Mr. Denison, says Mr. Holland, founded a small school of children gathered in a little ground-floor room of one of tie worst streets in East London. The children were taught, Mr. Denison taking part and " reasoning with them out of the Scriptures.' As the work pro gressed, he built a schoolroom, where now upwards of 100 children, formerly street arab3, assemble. Rags and filth have given place to decent zlotlies, clean faces, and combed heads. The ser vices are attended by men and women of the poorest ,lass. A. penny bank and mother's meeting are doing their good work, and the people, adds Mr. flolland, all speak of Mr. Denison with deep grati tude, the faces of little children lighting up at the mention of his name. He expresses a wish that some tribute should be erected to the memory of his friend. WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND THE PUBLIC. It is satisfactory to know that the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey are desirous of making this n(ble and national edifice available for the improvement and edification of the whole com munity. A still greater source of satisfaction, how ever, is the fact that they have determined to give to that desire a practical effect. From the 28th inst., every Monday will be set apart for the free admission of the public—not only as on other days, to the nave and transept, but to the Royal Chapels between the hours of service, from eleven a.m. to three p.m., and again from four p.m. to the closing of the doors at six p.m.—the latter hours extending, of course, to that portion of the year when the longer days admit of it. As before, no remune ration is to be given on any account. The Dean and Chapter promise, should the good behaviour of the visitors warrant it, to make further concessions. PERTITRY AND DIVORCE. The series of prosecutions for perjury in connec tion with the Godrich divorce case has collapsed. The absurdity of the process at last came home to one of our magistrates. After the chief witnesses in this affair had been prosecuted, Mr. Godrich made a laudable attempt to convict Mrs. Godrich for the same offence. He has not, however, been successful. The case was investigated at the Guildhall PoliCe Court. It was acknowledged on all hands that Mrs. Godrich had made a statement which was incorrect; but the prosecutor failed altogether to prove that this erroneous evidence was given corruptly or wilfully. In fact, the magistrate saw no reason to conclude that Mrs. Godrich had not stated what she believed to be the truth. The prosecution, therefore, broke down. The public took the matter in hand, and unmistakably shewed that it had had enough of this disgraceful case. Mr. Godrich was hissed, and had to be taken out of court by " a back way ; " whilst Mrs. Godrich was loudly cheered. Whether this measure of popular support was justifiable need -mot be considered ; but this check upon these perjury prosputions in divorce cases seems to have been much needed. SUBURBAN RACE COURSE SCENES. A correspondent of the Times wiites to complain of the excesses attending theltingsbury Races,. which he terms " a three days' gambling revel with the sanction of the powers that be." He encloses a sealed sample of the foul language used on the occa sion within a short distance of the village school, for the editor's private consideration, and graphically describes the general scene. There was, he says, the usual attendance of the unmitigated rough, with that almost indescribable race of light-trousered, mouldy-looking men, who appear to be a special creation of all such meeti ngs as these. These gentlemen were to the fore in great force, never ceasing to rave, in coarse, stentorian voices, that " bar vun," (by the way he adds, how is it there is always that pro v erbi a l one ? ) th e y'd b e t agin anythink 'as 'ad a tail and four legs, to "run on," or, as they elegantly expressed it, "I'll bet agin them runners." The writer says even the races themselves are a mere prostitution of the term, got up solely by the promoters for the purposes of the gate money; and preserve all the vices of a recognised meeting, without the responsibility that leavens them. What, he asks, would Admiral nous say to a gang winning five hundred pounds, as they did at these so-called races? In conclusion he denounces the waste of the ratepayers' money by the attendance of the police at such places, and asks whether these parasitical meetings cannot be stopped by making it illegal to demand gate money, without whi c h th ey cou ld no t ex i s t ? If other etlbrts fail, he thinks the time has arrived for all the dwellers north, eas t, sou th, an d west o f the metropo l is to call a public meeting to consider some means of freeing their homes from the daily i4cretizinz wave of vagt_tbondism that threatens to ANNEXATION. The Senate Committee upon Foreign Relations have disposed of the treaty for annexing San Domingo, and they have decided equally to recom mend the treaty for acquiring the island of St. Thomas. But the two Wrest Indian islands are in a very different position. The purchase of San Domingo is an incomplete bargain, and the Senate is quite at liberty to annul it. But St. Thomas was finally bought from the Danish Government ; it was understood on all hands that the transfer was decided upon; the Danes abandoned the island ; and nothing remained but to pay the money. But the Senate, if it takes the advice of ics Foreign Com mittee, which is very likely, will refuse to pay the money. Even some of the American papers have admitted that this transaction is a discredit to the nation. - THE CORPS LEGISLATIF AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: The Corps Legislatif has resumed its sittings, M. Schneider being.in the chair- Several reports were pre sented, most of them having reference to much needed reforms, such as the abrogation of the Law of Public Safety, and of the Article 75 of the Constitution d the Year VIII. (by the reckoning of the Revolution.) This article guarantees the immunity of officials in cases of illegal arrest, &c. M. Tachard gave notice of a motion for the free admission of unbleached cotton intended to be printed in France for re-exportation. Mr. Gr 4vy gave notice of an interpellation from the Left respecting the intentions of the Government with re gard to the constituent power. He was followed by M. Steenackers, who put a question to M. 011ivier. A circular had lately been issued to justices of the peace relieving them from the obligation of addressing reports to the procureurs. He wished to see magistrates of a higher grade set free from similar obligations. The pre decessor of Mr. 011ivier, M. Royher, had directed them to send quarterly reports of the political trials and other matters which had occurred in their district to the military com mandants, thus making them political instruments, if not police agents, and compromising the dignity and inde pendence of justice. M. 011ivier replied that the reproach was unfounded. There was nothing derogatory in the magistrates making these reports. It was a judicial and political act, and in no sense an act of police. The only point in which he objected to the circular of his predecessor, was that the judicial authority should have to communicate directly with the military authority, instead of through the Minister. He had given orders that in future the reports should be sent direct through the Minister of Justice. M. STEENACKERS thanked the Minister for the altera tion, but could never give his approval to the magi strates making political police reports. (Murmurs, and cries of " Assez.") M. OLLIVIER said that a strict separation of law and politics was no doubt necessary, but at the same time it would be a mistake to consider the office of the police as a dishonourable one. Military matters subsequently came forward, a contin gent of 90,000 men, instead of 100,000, being asked for 1870, and a modification of the law of military substitutes being proposed. M. Mony's interpellation, on the pro priety of modifying the Senatus-Consultum of 1852 respecting public works, was withdrawn, the Minister (M. de Talhouet) promising to introduce a bill on the subject immediately. The debate on capital punishment was then opened. M. Jules Simon, who had a motion for its abolition, who, in a long and eloquent speech, brought forward all the arguments in favour of his views. Many of his friends, he said, had long contented for the abolition of capital punishment, on the ground that society had no right to take away human life. That was not his opinion. He recognised the right, and he once thought that the moment for abandoning its existence had not come. It was only by study and reflection that he had arrived at his present convictions. The strongest argument in favour of the punishment of death was its efficacy, but in all countries there was an immense reduction in the number of crimes punishable by death. In England, before 1789, these amounted to 240 ; to-day they were reduced to two, murder and high treason. In France, owing to the confusion of laws before 1789, it was difficult to dis tinguish exactly the number of crimes that entailed capital punishment, but in 1810 it was reduced to 39, and in 1848, was reduced to 15. Now it had reascended to 23, because punishment by death for political offences, whose abolition was a noble conquest of the revo lution of 1848, was restored. (Murmurs of denial.) M. Pelletan interposed. It was proposed to restore it, but it was not restored.}—M. Simon continued, and cited a number of statistics proving that as the law became milder offences became less frequent, and that in many parts of Europe, Tuscany, San Marino, Anhalt, Nassau, and Portugal, the penalty of death did not exist, and the criminality so far from increasing had di minished. He might, he said, have also cited Russia, but he did not like hypocrisy, and if Russia had not capital punishment she had the knout which was much the same thing. Besides could Russia pretend she had no scaffold when she had killed Poland ? A movement in favour of abolition had also taken place in America, where in several States the penalty of death no longer existed. In Sweden, in the Low countries, and in the Duchy of Baden the subject was under discussion. In the North German Parliament when the subject was debated Count Bismarck spoke in support of the penalty ; but despite the weight of his influence, it was defeated by 118 against 81. A considerable ameliora tion of public manners was certain, M. Simon contended, to follow an amelioration of the law, and he gave several instances of the ferocity produced by a system of public executions, mentioning the butcher of Paris who proposed to skin Ravaillac (the murderer of Henri IV.) with his own hands. The warning offered by the speCtacle was, he maintained, useless ; and he referred to several notable murders committed in England, France, and Sweden, immediately after the murderers had witnessed executions. When Muller was hung in 1864, a man was killed und er the scaffold. Momble was executed in August, 1869, for the murder of a woman and child ; and six days later Troppmann committed the Pantin massacre. An English prison chaplain had said that of 167 persons con demned to death 161 had been present at an execution. After a speech from M. Bourbeau, in support of the penalty, the debate was adjourned. The adjourned debate on the abolition or capital punishment was resumed in the Corps Legislatif by M. Jules Simon, who replied to the speech of M. Bourbeau. He left to his antagonist, he said, the task of substitut ing perpetual solitary confinement for the punishment of death, but for his part he was opposed to it. He acknow. ledged that the proposed abolition would entail the re form of the criminal law, but in any case such a reform was indispensable. The present penal code could not last, and its demoralising effects were clearly proved by statistics. It was deplorable that they should seclude men from the world to make them worse instead of better. Publicly and privately all were concerned in improving the existing state of things, and he himself would undertake to present to the Chamber the draft of a complete reform. Several neighbouring countries had instituted a complele reform of the criminal law. Prison reform in Ireland had been accomplished by one of the brothers Hill, whom he had the honour of knowing. M. Simon said he only differed from Mr. Hill on one point the solitary confinement of the prisoner. Criminal reform was based on a just principle—that man must be left some - stimulus. It left him hope, the only stimulus which survived honour. The working day in the Irish prisons was divided into five parts, the four first parts were compulsory, and enforced by punishment. The fifth was permissive, and the prisoners who worked in it five times gained one day in five of their punishment. The result was most satisfactory, and the discovery was as important as those of scientific research. In proposing the abolition of the penalty of death they proposed to transform the penal code from a school of vice into a school of morality. Mr. Jules Favre said the debate should be re stricted to the question of an inquiry since they could not decide such a matter summarily. It was useless to reject inquiry on the ground that everyone had made up his mind on the subject. Opinions were formed on all subjects but they did not refuse to discuss them. In the name of humanity he called upon them not to thrust aside the question without inquiry. The arguments brought forward in favour of the punishment of death were the same by which men had always attempted to defend the errors of the past. Let them remember what M. Troplong had said on this subject. He hoped for the day when society should dispense with the punishment of death in criminal offences, and with im prisonment in civil offences. He said that the punish ment of death aroused a sentiment of pity for the criminal. They had, since M. Troplong had thus spoken, abolished imprisonment for debt, and credit had not suffered. It would be the same with the penalty of death. The scaffold would be overthrown, but society would not be shaken. "In any case," concluded M. Favre "it appears to me impossible that this great question in whose train all thinkers, all magistrates, and all philosophers are found should be stifled in a corner of your palace by a summary and disdainful execution." M. Favre sat down amidst loud applause, and after a few words from M. Cremidux and M. Gambetta, who both maintained that the refusal of the inquiry would virtually prejudice the question, the vote was taken. The report of the committee (refusing the inquiry) was rejected by 112 against 97, and the subject was referred to the bureaux. THE FUNDING BILL. (From the Anglo-American Times.) The Washington correspondent of the New York Tribune gives the arguments urged in Con gress as also by the American press against certain clauses in SHERMAN'S Funding Bill. The appro priation of $12,000,000 for the expenses of con verting the old bonds into new bonds is declared to be utterly out of proportion to the value of the proposed service. It c ost Mr. CHAsE,then Secretary of the Treasury, only three-tenths of one per cent., to set in motion the JAY COOKE agency with its im mense ramifications for turning public attention to and enlightening the people about these Govern. ment loans, while now one per cent. is proposed for merely exchanging onebond for another, a difference the correspondent describes as similar to running a train over an existing railway and building the road. He adds that every one now knows what a Government Bond is, and if a paragraph be put on the wires any night having reference to these bonds three-fourths of the holders will read it, and begin discussing it next morning. But the proposal mainly objected to is the payment of the interest in florins, francs, and pounds sterling, as well as in dollars Bankers and brokers will be needed atseveral points in Europe, and a heavy expense maintained, while, too, it is unbecoming in the nation to issue such bas tard securities. The place for the Union to make its exchanges is not in London, in Frankfort, Amster dam, or Paris, but in Washington and New York, and the various branches and agencies of the U. S. Treasury; while the means of effecting the exchange is a simple public advertisement that a 5 per cent. bond awaits the holder in exchange for a six per cent., and that when the fives are gone, then a four and a half per cent. ; and, lastly, a longer dated four per cent. Finally comes the inducement. The exchange will place the bondholder in an impregnable position, removing for ever the uncertainty now hanging over the ultimate payment of the national debt. The Republican party will then have performed all its duty, and the bondholder thenceforth will hare only to blame himself should he reject the new and ad here to the old securities, if there be hereafter a change in public opinion about the redemption of the Five-Twenties in gold. This communica tion is forcibly answered in the leading columns of the Tribune. It is surprising that the folly is not apparent to the writer, or that these views should find so general a currency, and such a measure of support as shown in the passage of the bill through the Senate. The Tribune hopes that the appro priation of $12,000,000 may be sufficient to cover the cost of funding the debt. Secretary BOUTWELL will spend no more than is necessary, but the ex pense of printing and registering the newbonds and many incidentals will be very heavy. The objec tion to loans payable in florins, francs, and pounds sterling, and to agencies in Europe, would be good if it was a matter of increasing instead of decreas ing the charge to the country : " The debt is there—we honestly owe it ; we are not ready to pay it ; and we want to fund it at a lower rate of interest than we are now paying. It is but reasonable to presume that many who are slow to buy a bond that they cannot read, would readily purchase one that was print , cl in their mother tongue, and of which the interest was payable right at their own doors, instead of four thousand miles away. We believe a 4f per cent. thus printed and thus payable would ,be acceptable to many in preference to a 5 per cent. which they could not read, and of which the coupons must be sent across the ocean for collection. If so, is it not childish to refuse to print and reduce the an nual burden of our debt to a minimum ?" The question is a mere business matter. The United States form a community; that community owes a heavy debt, which Mr. BOUTWELL has been selected to manage. He proposes to borrow at a cheaper rate than the community now pays,for the debt was incur red in time of great trouble, when the nation's pros spects were gloomy, and its credit correspondingly bad. In borrowing with a good security he na' urally seeks the market where money - ii cheapest ; but to make the bond th ere attractive he must make the in! e rest payable in the coin circulating among another people and in their neight:ourhood, the cheapest mo ney market being in Europe, not in America. Two objections arise—the one.on the score of the expense which must be incurred in establishing agencies for this payment in foreign cities; the other, on the score of dignity, as well as the impolicy of recog nizing for American exchanges any city out of the Union. Mr. BOUTWELL'S business is to accomplish the work set him by the nation at the lowest cost to the community, therefore if the argument of expense held, it would be fatal to Senator SHER MAN'S proposition ; but, instead of being a matter of expense, the clause is urged simply and solely on the ground of economy ; and there never was a more absurd instance than this, of the " penny wise and pound foolish" practice. Uncle SAM'S dignity may be touched in having, as some Americans say, his bonds peddled about Europe; but the salve Mr. BOUT WELL offered is the material lightening of Uncle SAM'S burden. The objection of expense is singu larly inappropriate, yet it is mainly that which is dwelt upon, an d probably weighed so heavily with the Senate as to induce the Chamber to strike out the florins, francs, and pounds sterling clause. In so doing our firm belief, as all along stated, is that they have taken out the oyster and left the shell ; they have taken out the painting and left the frame ; that they have taken out the wine and left the decanter. It may be looked at as a curiosity of legislation, but it will attract no customers. As the Tribune remarks, the very essence of the subject is the rate of interest; and although Congress may not see this, yet, reducing it, ought to be the great work of the session. The Tribune deeply regrets that there has ever been any talk of paying more than four per cent. on American untaxable Con sols ; believing that one rate, with a solemn pledge to pay at least $50,000,000 per annum till the debt be reduced to $500,000,000, is the true policy, of which there can be but little doubt, provided what the Tribune adds be true. It says :—" There are four houses in Europe that could place 500,000,000 of Forty-year Bonds for us at 4 per cent. if they were really to try ; and they might be induced to try." The bankers work for pay, and Mr. GREELEY would rather pay them two per cent. thus to place the amount than to have it placed for nothing at five per cent., all printed in Yankee and payable at the U. S. Treasury ; because the difference would be twenty millions dollars per annum on the whole debt, and that, with compound interest ; would pay it all off within fifty years. American legislators so dread jobbery that they have a morbid objection to the formation of new agencies and to opening any additional means for enabling men to put their hands into the Treasury ; and as a consequence it is probable that the opportunity now offered for fund ing the debt upon lower terms will be lost. After striking out the payment of the interest clause in Europe, and substituting Sumner's Amendment, the bill passed the Senate authorizing " the Secre tary of the Treasury to issue $1,200,000,000 in bonds, the principal and interest to be payable in coin and exempt from taxation, and the issue to be inthree classes, as follows :—First, $400,000,000 bearing 5 per cent. interest, redeemable in from 10 to 40 years, and exchangeable at par for out standing Five-Twenties; secondly, $400,000,000 bearing 4i per cent. interest, redeemable in from 15 to 40 years, and exch angea bl e f or an y outstand ing obligations bearing higher interest in coin ; and, lastly, $400,000,000 bearing 4 per cent. inte rest-, redeemable in from 20 to 40 years, and ex changeable at no less than par for any outstanding obligations of the United States. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to sell any bonds issued under the provisions of this bill at par for gold, and to apply the pr.ceeds to the redemption at par of any outstanding bonds not offered by holders for exchange. The bill also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to pay agents here and abroad / per cent. to negotiate the bonds, and gives to the Secretary a discretionary power to in crease the 4 per cent. issue, provided no increase of the aggregate national debt should be caused there by." Afterwards it went before the House Com mittee on Ways and Means, and we expect to hear more of it before going to press ; but the general belief is, that it will be modified or defeated by the Representatives. Touching the matter of dignity, we ask, which is the more dignified course—to hold out to the bondholders, a threat of repudiation as the inducement to change into bonds bearing a lower interest, or to offer instead of his diminished interest a boon he values. To us the former course bears the stamp of "peddling ;" indeed, we might qualify it by a harsher name; and it is not the new bonds that are bastard,but the Five-Twenties,about whose birth such a question could be raised. The wisest policy is that of honesty, and much more is it wise in a nation than in an individual, for the brief span of the latter may not enable him to enjoy the fruits of the character he has earned, while with the other the return is certain. We maintain the❑ that both on the score of dignity and of policy that the Tribune's Washington correspondent is in error, while on economy his argument is little less than absurd. It is natural that Americans should not fully appreciate the value to Europeans of receiving the interest on the bonds in their own currency, and at home. If they did, it is scarcely possible that they would have expunged this clause from SHERMAN'S Bill. Even in London (where, if there be a city in Eurore which ought to understand all about Five twenty Bonds), the ignorance islittle less than incre dible to Americans. They would,however, better ap preciate the position if they could keep promi nently in their minds the facts that their Bonds are comparatively new; payable in a country on the other side of the Atlantic ; in a foreign coin estimated at a fictitious valuation, imparting to the fluctuat ing exchange a difficulty in calculation which is be yond the arithmetic of the average European. When a person is transacting a business wherein he feels wholly at the mercy of another, he either has con fidence in the man with whom he deals, or he goes away with the disagreeable impression that he is pay ing heavily for his ignorance. Added to the difficul ties of comprehending American finance is the dif ferentia between the currency of the coun'ry and golf, which is the currency of the world. When an English investor is recommended to turn his attention to Five-Twenty Bonds he is launched into a sea of uncertainties, and if he had a U.S. Senator to whom he could put questions on th. 3 subject, he would enlighten the mind of that digni tary by giving him an idea not only what the depth of the ignorance is, but of the difficulty of expla nation. One simple method was open : to make the Bonds payable either in London, Paris, Frank fort, or Berlin in the currency of those cities. They would then there assume a new and far higher value ; and as these are the marts from which the means must come to enable the United Stats to make the exchange desired, the obvious policy is to enhance the Bonds in the places whence the greatest benefit to the U.S. Treasury can be ex - tracted. The truth of what we advance will probably s)on be f&t by Mr. BOUTWELL, should the bill as amencitd in the Senate be passed by the House and become law. Mr. Dawes was welcomed on the Ist March at his home in Massachusetts, on his way back from New Hampshire, with great warmth by his fellow-citizens. In response, Mr. Dawes said that it was of value to a public man, earnestly striving to serve his country, to receive such assurances of public confidence. Hs repeated what he had said in New Hampshire, that there was no division among those charged with the management of national affairs. Never, during his participation in the public councils, had all the departments been in such per fect accord ; all are united in the determination that not a dollar of the money contributed by the taxes of the people to the Treasury shall be misappropriated. Many others would have taken like steps as he had they possessed the same information, and when the facts were brought to light the majority united to correct the errors exposed. The folowing nominations were sent to the Senate on the 4th inst.:—James W. Mason of Arkansas to be Minister Resident and Consul General to Liberia; George H. Butler of California to bo Consul at Alexandria, Egypt; Almon A. Thompson of Michigan to be Consul at God( rich ; P. P. Meigs of Tennessee to be Consul at Mon terfden ; James Riley Weaver of West Virginia to be Con sul at Antwerp; David J. Williamson of California to be Consul at Callao. 'file first, Mr. Mason, is a mulatto, a native of Arkansas, but a gentleman of high attainments, who has run a singular career. He graduated in an Ohio College, whence be proceeded to a Paris school, and, after there studying, enlisted in the French army. He served throughout the Crimean war, and so distinguished himself as to reach the grade of Lieut.-Colonel. He declined for good reasons the appointment of Judge of the Court at Cape Town, and now, backed by Senator M'Donald, he has been nomi nated Minister Resident to Liberia. Charles H. Lewis of Virginia has been nominated Minister Resident to Por tugal, and if he does not reject it, that post will at last be filled. Thomas K. Ring of Rhode Island has been confirmed as Consul at Cork; and Thos. F. W ilson Consul at Metarnores. Wo are glad to see that Commo dore John A. Winslow has been promoted Rear-Admiral, and, as we all along anticipated, General Sickles has been confirmed as Minister to Madrid, the vote in the Senate being 45 against 13, a very large majority. American despatches state that the body of the late Hon. Anson Burlingame will be taken charge of by Mr. Curtin, the American Minister, and the members of the Chinese mission, who will see to the embalming of the remains. The body will lie in state at the American Le gation, in St. Petersburg, for the proper time, and will then be sent to the United States, in charge of the repre sentatives of the United States and China. The cause of Mr. Burlingame's death was a severe cold, upon which a congestive chill supervened, terminating his life in a few days. The negotiations with the Czar will be continued by the Chinese Embassy, and when completed the diplo matists will return to China. The American frigate Sabine has left Naples for Gibraltar, whence she will proceed home, being expected in America by July. Capt. Walker and the officers gave an entertainment before her departure. The flagship Franklin, A dmiral Radford, now at Spezzia, is expected at Naples towards the end of the month. The Supreme Court of the District of Columbia gave on March 1 a decision in the Farragut cases. The first, for bounty money for destroy ing rebel vessels at New Orleans in April, 1862, was dis missed for want of jurisdiction. The second was for prize money for capturing vessels at the same time, and in this Case it was held that the suit was not correctly brought, and leave was given to amend so as to bring it iu the name of the Government, as required by law. In the Southern parts of Arizona the Indians are in large numbers on the war path. They had attacked a mail train en route from Apache Pass to Tucson, but the driver and the escort escaped. It was reported that Salt Lake Settlement had been attacked and all the cattle cap tured. It is Southern Arizona to which Brigham Young looks for the site of the New Zion, and it is stated that he, with several of the leading Mormons, bas left the new Jerusalem for a newer, if he can hit on a suitable tract. How he will get on with the Apaches , t he sava g es so well be described by Dr. Bell in his New T racks, remains to naammonergitithaet m se o e s n t ; b b l u o t od if tb th ir e st M y Mormons u Indians o c f a the li C ve on i t n ine p n e t a , c o e least, can never afterwards be denied them. General Cullom's anti polygamy bill is said to have caused the design of moving, though there is little chance that it will be adopted by the Legislature. BUDGET OF MISCELLANEOUS.—IIaryard has a coloured female law student.—The opponents of capital puuishment in New York are said to be trying to recon cile the hanging of Reynolds with their ideas on the subject.— The line of vessels between Stettin and Now York, which has so long been contemplated, will com mence running early nes t month. This will be a great boon to emigrants from Posen, East Prussia, &e., as the land journey will, be greatly shortened, and the fares less than from Bremen and Hamburgh.— The Hamburgh Borsenhalle confirms the news that the directors of the Hamburgh American Steam Packet Com pany have resolved on the establishment of a line of steam ships between that city and the West Indies, and will make proposals to this effect at the next general meeting of the shareholders. Nothing has as yet b een set tl ed re garding the proportions of the undertaking and the insane of raising the nee ssary capital. —Mr Inman has denied tha report—malicious it might really be termed—that the City of Boston was overladen ; the vessel had on board but 200 tons of wheat packed in bags. The ship Golden Gate, Captain Swinton, arrived at San Fr anc i sco F e b . 27, f rom Liverpool, which port she left on the 18th of November, making the trip in 100 days, the quickest time on record. MONETARY REPORTS.-YESTERDAY. The Stock Exchange markets have been quiet to-day. Railways have been flat, and lower in value in some in stances. Foreign bonds, however, have been firm, and have mostly maintained recent improvements. Consols also have been steady, and a further advance of * per cent. has taken places in prices. For money the quotation has been 93k, 93R, and for the 7th of April 93a, 931. Reduced and New Three per Cents 913, 92; Exchequer Bills par to 4s. prem. India Five per Cents have been done at 112 L 1.13 k, and India Bonds at 20s. to 255. prem. The market for English railway stocks has been de• pressed. On heavy sales Metropolitan has receded 1, and a fall of has also taken place in Midland, and London and North-Western. Great Western has been dull, and lower. On the other hand North-Eastern stocks have maintained the recent improvement. Business in Indian railway stocks has been on a very limited scale. Canadian shares have been flat, and with out important movement. Foreign shares have been steady. Great Luxembourg have risen and Lombards hive been steady in value. The market for foreign bonds has been steady. Eg3 7 1 3- tian have continued in request, and the Seven per Cents. of 1868 have risen *. Peruvian (1865) have advanced New Granada , Russian (1870) do. Scrip and Turkish (1862) American securities have been firm on the whole. The Five-Twenty (1882 and 1885) Bonds have risen ; Ten - Forties, I ; Erie Shares, ; and Illinois Central, ; Vir ginia Bonds, however, have fallen 5. British mining shares have been flat. Asshetons have fallen 1, and Tan-yr-Alt I.t. Colonial and foreign have been quiet. Bank shares have sold slowly. Agra A have fallen 2 on account of the dividend being smaller than was ex pected. Telegraph shares have been dull. Anglo-American have receded British Indian Submarine I, Falmouth, Gibraltar, and Malta i t , and French Cable shares Hooper's Telegraph Works have been quiet, at to Silver's Indiarubber have been unaltered, at 50, 52; but Construction have been easier. _ . Miscellaneous securities have met a slow sale, at about late quotations. The return of the Bank of England chews the following results, when compared with the previous week :—An in crease of circulation of £111,724 ; an increase of public deposits of £676,857 ; a decrease of other deposits Of £811,444 ; an increase of Government securities of £1,146 ; a decrease of other securities of £169,493 ; an increase of bullion of £139,896 ; an increase of rest of £30,512 ; a decrease of reserve of £9,529. The circulation, including bank post bills, is . now £22,475,854 ; public deposits amount to £12,249,608 ; and private deposits to £15,781,829. The securities held represent £33,860,32 0 , and the stock of bullion is £20,314,811. The rest stands at £3,667,840. The traffic returns of the following railways for the week ending March 29th shew the amount of increase and decrease when compared with the corresponding weeks of 1869 : —Great Western, £72,237, being an increase of £3,09G. Great Eastern, £36,764 ; increase, £4,443. Great Northern, £39,624 ; increase of £849. North Eastern, £79,706; increase of £7,001. Caledonian, £38,832; in crease of £1,144. Bristol and Exeter, £7,104; increase of £271. Lancashire and Yorkshire, £45,655 ; increase of £1,172. Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, £22,112; decrease of £174. The money market has continued very firm. There has been a good demand for accommodation, and the rate for negotiating three months' paper has been steady, at 3 per cent. The sum of £lOO,OOO has been sent into the Bank to The Clearing House returnfor theweek endingMarch 23 shews a total of £67,377,000, against £60,760,000 for the corresponding period last year. The report of the Crystal Palace District Gas Com.. pany, to be presented on the 31st inst., shews that the profit for the half-year is £7,701105. 10d., which, together with 2207 2s. 6d., the unappropriated profit of the preceding half-year, makes the available balance £7,908135. 4d. Out of this sum the directors recommend the declaration of a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum on the preference capital ; a dividend at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum on the ordinary 7 per cent. capital ; and a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent. per imum on the original capital ; all free from income-tax. They also recommend that, out of the balance, the sum of £1,613 7s. 4d. be written off mains renewal suspense account, thus writing off the whole amount of that account and closing it for the present; and £l5O off preliminary expenses ; and that the balance of £l3O 150. lid. be carried forward to the profit of the succeeding half-year. The directors of the Agra Bank (Limited) have recom- mended a dividend at the rate of 4 per cent., making, with the ad interim dividend at the rate of 7 per cent. previously paid, a distribution of 5i per cent. for the year. The sum of £6,000 is carried to reserve account, and £690 is carried forward. In consequence of the retirement of one of the directors from the Empire Gold Mine Company, the remaining members of the board have deemed it advisable to withdraw the prospectus of the undertaking. The prospectus is issued of the Cafartha Lead Mining Company (Limited). It has a capital of £45,000, in 9,000 shares of £5 each, of which 6,000 only are offered for sub scription. The property is situated in Montgomeryshire in a rich and productive district. At a meeting of the creditors of Messrs. G. and R. Mortimer, of Leeds, bobbin manufacturers, a composition of 13s. 4d. in the pound was accepted. MARKETS-YESTERDAY. LONDON PRODUCE MARKET, THIIRSDAY.—The sugar market has been quiet, but prices have been firm. Cuba Muscovado, brown, and middling yellow refining bought in at 31s. to 365. Tea has been inactive, but prices have been unchanged. Coffee has been steady in value with a moderate inquiry. Saltpetre has been flat. Hemp has been dull. LONDON TRADE REPORT, THURSDAY.—The market bra been fiat. Y.C., spot, 465. ; June, 455. ; last three months, 4 6 5. per cwt. LONDON METAL MARKET, THURSDAY.—Iron has been in fair request at late rates. Copper has been firm, but not active. Other metals have sold slowly. LONDON OIL MARKET, THURSDAY.—Linseed oil has been quiet, at £32 spot. Rape has been steady. English brown, sPo t, £42. Other oils have been inactive. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, THIIRSDAY.-The OP" ply of beasts has been rather more liberal for a Thursday Mar" ket. The trade has been quiet for all qualities, at Monday's re duced quotations. The best Scots and crosses have sold at ss. per 81bs. There has been a moderate supply of sheep in t he pens, for which the inquiry has ruled heavy, at about late rates. Lambs have been disposed of at previous quotations. For calves, the demand has been dull. Beasts have sold at from 3s. 2d. to 6s. ; sheep, 3s. to ss. 10d. ; lambs, 7s. 6d. to Bs. ; and calves.at from 3s. 10d. to ss. Bd. per 81bs. to sink the offal. Total supplies. -Beasts, 1,036 ; sheep and lambs, 5,935 ; and calves, 223. Foreig n. Beasts,39l ; sheep, 1,900 ; and calves, 180. bas; been n rior ditto, -The METROPOLITAN suppIies havebeen HAY short. AND STRAWThet r a MARKET, RKE T , T H quiet,tr RS as Y. follows :-Prime meadow hay, 755. to 825. 6d. 60s. to 70s. ; rowen, 50s. to 655. ; prime clover,nut clover, 100 s. inferior ditto, 80s. to 955.; prime 1 - 3 decsctiraw, 265. to 30S. per to 110 s.; inferior ditto, 80s. to 900. ; an load. POTATOS s u pp l i e d MARKET,wi tl 110 s. to 1265. ; m ra t e 1 THIIRSDAY.-These Markets einlavqUiet, at previous quotations :- potatoes. The trade has o li.F., os. , regents, 755. to 110 s. : Scotch BOROUGH AND SPITALFeabLeeDiiS English straws, 120 s. r t__,,t: 7os. to --_. ; ros and French, 60s. to 703. regents, 755. to 110 s. ; eu." per ton. LIVERPO OL COTTON MARKET THU S a les, 10,000 bales, of which 1,000 were for expor t , RSDAY.-The market tuts been quiet. er speculation. BRADFORD WOOL MARKET, THIIRSDAY.-A moderate ous i n ess has been doing in choice wools, at about late rates. yarns and pieces sell slowly, at drooping prices. Oatss n j u d ifloura dull,TE.a have l6D.7As3,ci. been .t3o i A 2,l7.somoderate, ie.23.Barley and i3a n efirm, a the t in,l7t9rl. a mi d . PARIS CORN MARKET, MA RCH 23.-The supplies - of whea t c e has be n quiet. . _ THE iLLEGED CONSPIRACY IN PARIS.— le Public says It appears certain that the preliminary investigation of the February plot is approaching a termination. The number of citizens who will be sent before the Cour d'Assises will not be less than forty or fifty. The neces sary f orms and the preparation of t h e technical documents will occupy so much time that the trial cannot be expected to come on before the latter end of April." BIRTHS. FORGES- On the 21st inst., at Fintray House, Aberdeenshire , Lady Forbes, of Oraigievar, of a son. PRICE —On the 22d inst., the wife of Harry Price, of the Royal Oak, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. B JDLE —DARROCH - 011 the 22d inst.. at St. Luke's, West bourne-park, George E. Bodle, Esq., L.R.0.5., to El iza Jeanette, olJest daughter of Major Darroch, of 37, Bur lington-road, W. PURCHASE—BARLING - On the 21th inst., at Southampton' William Ovorbury Purchase, J.P., Ramsey, to Mary Ald ridge, eldest daugl.ter of Alfred Darling, Southampton. DEATHS. GRAHAM—On the 20th inst., at Dunstan Steads, Erubleton, Northumberland, J seph Graham, aged 92. WHEATLEY— On the 23d inst., at Broadlands, South Nor- Rood, Thomas Wheatley, aged 59. London: Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDREWW, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at THE Sun Office, NO. 112, Strand, in the Proirtnot of tho Savoy, in the Conner of 3liddiesen: — * Friday, March 15, 1870.