The Sun. — London, England, 1870-05-28 00:00:00

PAft CORRESPONDENCE. THURSDAY EVENING. The New Tress Law has actually passed through the Corps Legislatif, and henceforward we journalists may enjoy the dignity of being fined by a jury instead of by the Correctional Police. If the example of M. Deleschize is to be accepted, the change will not be for the better. Tried in 1849 under the Republic for endeavouring to overthrow the Government, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 f. Tried by the Seventh Chamber, the other day, for a similar offence, he escaped with a fifth of the fine and a sixth of the im prisonment. However, matters are not now exactly as they were in 1849, and the alteration in the system is un doubtedly, as M. Gamier Pag6s called it, a step in ad vance. The last of many sittings on the bill was not without interest. You will remember the awkward con tretemps of the other day, when the narrow_Ministerial majority of two on M. Picard's amendment proved to have been, after sal, a mythical triumph —M. lcou, - Bernard having put in the wrong bulletin by mistake, and M. Buffet having been set down as not voting when he voted for the amendment. Upon this it was not unnaturally suggested that the amend- Lent should be again presented to the Chambers, in a new form, but this M. Schneider would not agree to. Yesterday, however, M. de Atiratry proposed the follow ing addition to Article 23 :—" Proof is likewise admitted whenever the action for defamation relates to public or even communal interests." This, you will see, was sub stantially the same as M. Picard's amendment, and in fact, M. de Ktratry (of October 26th memory), did not attempt to deny it. The Ministers were not, we may suppose, very well pleased at the reapparition of the ghost they thought laid; but M. 011ivier did not object this time, and the amendment was carried. Then came the vote on the bill as a whole. On this point there was no uncertainty, but the sight of a valiant minority of three against the majority, numbering 194, put the Chamber in good humour by the laughter it ex cited. Bons mots circulated round the benches. " The seven sages have been reduced to three !" cried Pelletan. " No, they are the three graces !" suggested Guyot Montpayroux. " Say rather the three Horatii !" said Granier de Cassagnac, himself one of the trio. Charpin Fengerolles, Deputy for St. Etienne, who is called Cassagnac's shadow, was another, and Dollfus, Deputy of Ndrac, the third. The latter has two claims to distinction. He has the finest beard in the Chamber, and he has married one of M. Haussmann's two daughters. Before the sitting was over the shadow of a coming storm appeared on the political horizon. It may pass over innocuously, but it may likewise lead to serious re sults in the present critical position of things. M. Bethmont, evidently suffering from severe illness, ascended the tribune and asked permission to interpellate the Government on the dissolution of the Plebiscitary Committee in the Rue Rivoli. M. 011ivier would have been very glad, if I mistake not, to have disposed of the troublesome query there and then, but the feeling of the majority was against it, and the discussion was adjourned till to-morrow. I have heard it said that this interpella tion may even imperil the newly reconstructed Cabinet, but this must be accepted with reserve. The Emperor, it is said in some quarters, is so wearied by M. 011ivier's vacillation that he would not be sorry - to see a majority against him in the Chamber. In that case he has a Cabinet already, its chief members being Rouher and Ilaussmann, and the rest young deputies. I give this merely as a sample of the absurd rumours current, since the Emperor is far too wise a man to suppose such an Ad:- ministration could stand for a week. The Minister of the Interior, M. Chevandier de Valdrome, has . issued a circular to the Prefects respecting the simultaneous elections to the Conseil-General and the Conseil d'Arrondissement on the 11th and 12th of June, a coincidence whose possible inconvenience he endeavours to avert. The Emperor, it is said, will go to Vichy this autumn to drink the waters, the Empress remaining at Fontainebleau. Her health has latterly not been good, according to some accounts. Princess Clotilde has been in a state of great anxiety about her eldest son, who it is feared has caught the prevailing epidemic. She has removed him to Mendon. I do not know whether this illness has anything to do with the alteration in Prince Napoleon's plans, but he has postponed his voyage to the East, and his yacht has been sent to Cherbourg. M. de Casal Ribiero, the Portuguese ambassador, has sent in his resignation. Vicount de Lancastre, formerly First Secretary to the Paris Legation, and recently removed from thence to Florence, will, I believe, be recalled to Paris as Chargé d'Affaires. The announcement of the death c,f Madame de Mon- tebello vvas premature, though her condition is hopeless. For i „eightesn months 'she has been a great sufferer, and during the last few days her illness has become more and more painful. The Empress has visited her repeat edly, but at the last visit Madame de Montebello no longer recognised her. The General, therefore, has taken the daily report to the Tuileries. This gave rise to the absurd statement that he had himself announced his wife's death, a mistake the more to be regretted as the General has been distressed by the receipt of numerous letters of condolence. Madame de Montebello is known to English, as well as to French readers, through Winter bailer's famous picture of the " Empress and her Ladies." A SALUTARY WARNING. Will not some friend of decency in debate be good enough to revive in House or Senate the retort courteous ? We don't expect all members of Congress to think alike, nor to forego the pleasures they (and they alone) seem to find in debate. We don't hope, indeed, that personalities will wholly cease ; for, unfortunately, in a mixed conven tion of the character of Congress there are apt to be, judging by present experience, a few ruffians by nature who condescend to seize inopportune occasions to display their spleen in foulest abuse of the more decent and usually the most valued members. But it takes two to make a quarrel, and we do hope that some more sensible member will illustrate the self-evident truth that in replying to abuse it is not necessary 'to use the language of abuse. There were times, not long ago, when the grossest per sonal attacks found other and far more effective response than cane or cowhide, or cursing or calling of names. Won't somebody please revive those good old times ? New York Tribune. LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND ART. Nature believes that the Government will propose to Parliament that the New Natural History Museum shall be built on the site occupied by the exhibition of 1862, south of the Royal Horticultural Gardens. The ground was purchased some time ago for the sum of £l2o,ooo.—The Admiralty have acceded to the request of the Royal Society by again placing her Majesty's survey ing steam-vessel the Porcupine at their disposal for another deep sea exploration, to commence in the latter part of June. Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys will take charge of the first cruise, which is intended to be across the Bay of Biscay, along the coasts of Spain and Portugal to Gib raltar. The Athenceum says :—The Cobden Club have issued a reprint of the last report of Mr. Wells, the United States Trade Commissioner. It requires no great sagacity to guess that the short but valuable preface is from the pen of the ablest living exponent of Mr. Cobden's principles. Another new comic paper is to be started in Dublin, under the title of Blarney. The frontispiece represents the people, who are determined to kiss the famous stone contained in Blarney Castle. A new half-penny morning journal is to be started in London. The poll in East Sufiblk is fixed to take place next Monday, It is stated that M. de Casal-Ribiero, Portuguese Ambassador at Paris, has resigned his post. A village near Genoa has been destroyed by fire. Through this calamity fifty-five families are without a home. A. rumour is current in Glasgow that the Lord Justice-General contemplates retiring from the bench at an early date. The annual exhibition of the Royal Agricultural Society of Ireland will be held this year in August, at Ballinasloe, under the presidency of Sir A. Knox Gore, Bart. --- Three or four dismissals have taken place amongst this clerks at her Majesty's Stationery office in conse quence of some irregularity having come to the knowledge of the authorities. • The First Lord of the Admiralty has sent to the Chairman of the Deptford Emigration Society £lOO from a fund placed at his disposal for emigration purposes. The Gaulois says that the Imperial ChAteau at Vichy is being got ready for the reception of the Em peror, who will stay there this autumn to drink the waters. The Empress will remain at Fontainebleau. The same paper states that lately the Empress has been far from well. Information was received on Thursday in Liverpool of the arrival of the ship Lodore (from Rangoon) at Queenstown. The captain of the vessel reports that when on her outward voyage she encountered terrific weather, and that during a squall eight men were swept off the mainyard and drowned. - - - - A singular accident took place near Whitchurch. A young girl was riding in a cart with a butcher, when in attempting to light his pipe the straw caught fire. A calf in the cart jumped on the horse's back, causing it to start off into a gallop. The man and girl were unable to get out immediately, and were set on fire. Eventually they jumped out, and the man tore the girl's clothes off, but not before she was so dreadfully burnt that she died a few days after. The man was also badly burnt. It was stated at the inquest that a publican named Porter passed at the time, and was requested to fetch a doctor, but he passed cm and took no notice. The jury expressed themselves on this conduct. THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY MORNING, MAY 28, 1870 CONVENTUAL AND MONASTIC INSTITUTIONS. The select committee appointed to inquire into the mode in which property is held by these institutions met yesterday, and proceeded with the examination of witnesses. The Hon. C. P. Villiers occupied the chair. As on the last occasion there were several Roman Catholic priests and some clergymen, together with a considerable sprinkling of the general public, present. The first witness who was examined was Mr. Arnold, who stated that he was a solicitor of some ex perience with respect to the conveyance of property to monasteries and convents. He apprehended that by the common law of England monasteries and nunneries were perfectly legal, but that there was a certain tenure known to the common law as the tenure of free alms, which was made extensive use of when persons wished to retire into monasteries and nunneries ; that tenure existed before the Conquest, but after the Conquest, when the land began to be held by military service, this tenure of free alms began to be checked, and eventually was put an end to by the statute of Mortmain. The state of things continued, however, more or less, till the dis persion of the monasteries after the Reformation, but even then the religious status of a monk or nun was not altogether. defined. The Statute of Henry VIII., which abolished the larger monasteries, was followed by another relating to the vows of widowhood and chastity. His view with reference to the legality or illegality is in accordance with that of Mr. Bagshawe —that the v 17th v section of the Statute of George 111., taken in connection with subsequent legislation, rendered the question of the legality of monasteries ex tremely doubtful. The more recent statute of mortmain, 9th Geo. 11., was not directed against them. The Act of 1860 only permitted Roman Catholic Churches to be enrolled twelve months, but it was in his ex perience that the mor.asteries and nunneries had refused to enroll them because the Act related to charities, which they were not ; and, secondly, because it would give publicity and lay open to attack such institutions on the part of their enemies, because it -is open to anyone to go to the Court of Chancery and inspect the deed. Mr. Matthews pointed out to the witness a case decided by the Master of the Rolls, in which bequests were made to Roman Catholic priests on behalf of charities, in which it was held that they were void under 10 George IV, and the statement in the judgment was that it was void as being againsr the policy of the law.—Witness : For the purpose of this inquiry that case is very much in point. However, on appeal, it was held that a bequest to regulars for charitable purposes was void. In all monas teries there is a power of selling, realising, dividing, and distributing the property, which is inconsistent with the permanence of endowments, and the control and manage ment of the property is also inconsistent with the fulfil ment of a trust because two or three persons held it abso lutely as their own where a person gives property to a friend, and says "Do with it as you like," I do not see what control there can be over it. Property of a monastery or nunnery is generally held in fee simple by three or four persons as tenants in common, and when one dies another takes his place. With respect to superstitious uses the law holds it to be a superstitious use of property when it is given with a belief that it would be beneficial to the souls of the dead, but the judges had given a further construction, and had held that property could not be held for the performance of Masses for the dead. In the case of a community of monks or nuns there is an im plied duty to pray for the soul of any donor. Ido not think that the Act of 1860 gives any relief to the Roman Catholics with respect to the law of superstitious uses be cause there is no instance in which any monasteries in which such observances are practised have availed themselves of its provisions. I see no reason why property should not be left for pious uses. Before a person takes a final vow the person executes a will or makes an arrange ment. If a person was about to become a member, and passing the probationary stage, the pro perty belonging to him or her would be considered appli cable to the community. He or she would make a will in the first instance, and after final admission would be dead to the world. The monasteries and the Charitable Com missioners have been kept asunder by the operation of the law, because in all probability the first thing the Charity Commissioners would do would be to interfere with their rules. The repeal of the penal clauses in the enactments against monasteries or convents would satisfy them. They wish to be let alone by the law. We do not ask for anything resembling a corporation ; we ask to be dealt with as a pri vate family, and relieved from any prohibitory statutes. As a prudent adviser, he would not advise his clients to apply to the Commissioners. Confidence is the growth of time ; if we had had registration it might have re sulted that two-thirds of our property would be confis cated, as it has been, and these things make us cautious. I have myself applied to the Commissioners in reference to Roman Catholic charities. With respect to charities which are unquestionably legal, such as a church, we not only enroll, but set out the trust. The practice is to enroll all legal charities, but the trusts would not appear on them. The Chairman : Would not the trusts bear investigation as regards the law ?—No, I would not say that. There are in the case of monasteries and nun neries trusts which are not declared. In the case of a church the conveyance would be enrolled and come under the notice of the Charities' Commissioners, but it is not necessary, because in the Act of Victoria there is an exemption in favour of charitable buildings. It may be said in general terms, that institutions which were not thoroughly legal would not be enrolled. In the case of a bequest of a sum of money to pray for the souls of the dead it would endanger them in a legal point of view. A convent may also be held to be only partly charitable, and it has been held that a convent, the members of which were purely contemplative, would not be a charity. There is a doubt of the illegality of convents on many grounds, but especially on account of their praying for the dead. There are a great many statutes bearing upon superstitious uses that it would be- exceedingly difficult to say what sort of an institution of the kind would be illegaL He would cer tainly advise his client not to enroll a convent or make a declaration of trust, in which one of the rules was praying for the souls of the dead. He doubted the legality of them. The 10th of George IV., sec. 28, enacted that every Jesuit or person in connection with a monastic institu tion should be banished ; but a certain time was al lowed to them to leave the kingdom, and there was a clause to the effect that if any Jesuit ad mitted an ecclesiastic to orders either in England or Ireland he should be guilty of a misdemeanour ' and ordered to be banished for the term of his natural life; but the convents were saved from the new penalties im posed by that Act. In the case of property left to a monastery, it is not like property left to a spiritual corpo ration which never dies. Being left to individuals it may be sold. I believe that if the present penalties in the law were re moved they would register their monasteries and nunneries, and avail themselves of its benefits. I would suggest that the exemplary clauses which in the present day are so con trary to the spirit of the age should be repealed. The question as to the conveyance of the legal estate to a monastery has not been suggested to me, but if it were conveyed to individuals it might be legal. I assume, of course, that the monasteries and convents are illegal, but I have not been advised that a convent is illegal, but the whole tenor of the law would seem to imply they are, the Roman Catholic religion itself being treated as void. lam not aware of any case in which their illegality has been acctually pronounced by a court of law. A lady or gentleman entering a convent or monastery would make a complete arrangement so that they would in reality enter divested of all property, and any property which they acquired afterwards would belong to the community. The dowry brought in varies from thousands to hundreds. As a matter of fact, no nun can enter a nunnery without divesting herself of all her property. By Mr. Newde,gate : I object to the present law as penal, because it imposes a disability on one of of Her Majesty's subjects. A Jesuit is still a subject of her Majesty, and pays all rates, taxes, and other impositions. I object that a subject of the Queen should be subject to disability because of his conscientious convictions. It used to be the law of this country, by common law, to consider one who entered a monastery or a nunnery, to be civilly dead, except in so far as she was a member of the community, but there had been modern decisions contrary to that. I should not think that the Roman Catholic Church has more liberty than in any other country of Europe. If you ask me a question as to whether in France convents are inspected or not I will answer, but I cannot answer such general questions. In France con vents are a Corporation, and have a perpetual exist ence, which is denied us here. No doubt there is an inspection, but they are protected. The illegalities to which I have referred are intended to be a restraint, and of that I complain. By Mr. Pease : Monastic institutions are illegal, and lands held by them are held as private property, and with out trusts, and in like manner, money given to them is held by private persons. In the wills to which he had referred the property left to the convents was left without trust, so that real and personal property were precisely on the same footing. Occasionally Roman Catholic monastic institutions have been damaged by the refusal of purchasers to pay for property which they may have bought. He had seen Jesuits and other members of Romon Catholic orders in the streets in their robes con trary to the statutes. By Mr. G. Gregory : Every member of such an institu tion as a monastery or convent is poor in his or her indi vidual capacity. The functions of the Charity Commis sioners extend to the control of the property so far as seeing that the trusts are properly carried out, but religious institutions are exempted from that control by the Act of Victoria. By Mr. Talbot : By the law, as it stands now, a monk or nun taking vows of perpetuity are subject to the dis abilities and penalties under the Act of George IV. Mr. O'Reilly: What is a vow in the eye of the law? Witness : It is only in toro conscienties. The law would not enforce a vow not to marry. People take marriage vows. Have you known a man taking monastic vows who was heir to considerable property ?—No. I have heard of the case of a baronet who took vows conveying his property to his brother, reserving £l,OOO for the monastery, After some further evidence by the same witness the committee adjourned. THE ST. PANCRAS GUARDIANS.—At a meeting of the newly-elected Board of Guardians of St. Pancras, at the Vestry Hall, Camden Town, the levy of the Sheriff on the parochial goods and chattels was considered. A message was received from the Poor-law Board which acknowledged the receipt of the information of the seizure of the effects of the guardians. The Board abstained from expressing an opinion which might pre judge the case, but directed the attention of the guardians to a case in which a similar execution was stayed by an injunction from the Coart of Chancery. Mr. Joseph Salter said that no one could tell the end of the affair if they went into Chancery, and the wisest thing for the guardians to do would be to draw a cheque for the amount owing. It was finally resolved that the sale of the effects should be carried out. THE PRIMITIV.E METHODISTS AT NEWINGTON; The Telegraph " Commissioner " gives us an insight into the proceedings of the Primitive Methodists, whom some persons disrespectfully style the Tabernacle Ranters. They hold an annual missionary meeting in Mr. Spur geon's great chapel at Newington, and thither the " Com missioner " went to study their ways and manners. The Primitive Methodists, or " Ranters," as they are oppro briously termed, represent more truly, in his opinion, the original genius of Wesleyan Methodism than any of the various bodies—and their name is legion— into which the original secession from the Church of England has split up. When the other sections began to combine the wisdom of the serpent with the harmless ness of the dove, these Conservative Methodists still stuck to their old camp meetings, and, " the authorities " disapproving of such proceedings, a collision, and conse quent exclusion, took place in 1808. The meeting at the Tabernacle was very fully attended, the congregation mustering both from town and country. Large vans brought many from a distance, and did not for get to bring a substantial supply of refreshments. The first thing to be done was to sing a hymn, which all present united in doing with true Methodist vigour. Then came an extemporaneous prayer, then another hymn, and then came the missionary business. From the report it appeared that the first Primitive Methodist mission meet ing was held near Belper, forty-nine years ago, when the poor people contributed their pence. Since that time the progress of Contributions had been very marked. In 1843 the income of the society was £845 ; in 1849, £3,000 ; in 1856, £lO,OOO ; in 1863, £16,255 and in 1869, £20,398. The distinguishing feature of the present year had been the establishment of the first African mission, on a little island in the Gulf of Guinea, where there wasnoChristian " unless a Jesuit could be called one." A notice able feature at these Methodist meetings is that the audience interpose with occasional cries of "Hallelujah!" " Glory be to God," and similar exclamations. One old lady just behind the chronicler " fired off her hallelujahs like pistol shots," but they came from all parts of the congregation, especially when anything was said reflecting on " Church parsons "or Church ordinations. A. story is told of one Methodist whose constant exclaina;ions quite annoyed a lady who sat near him, and who, perceiving that he was very ill shod promised him a new pair of boots if he would be less demonstrative. Allured by the promise, he kept quiet for several days, but at last the old habits proved too strong, • and at some particularly exciting moment he electrified the chapel by starting up and shouting " Boots, or no boots, glory be to God !" The only drawback to the really energetic addresses of the speakers was the intrusion of the letter H. Some of the facts which they brought forward were of a most extraordinary character and such as few readers can be aware of, among them was an assertion that 960 clergymen of the English Church receive their orders from the Romish Church. After the President of the Conference had spoken a Mr. Pugh discussed the different religions of the world. In doing so he quoted severalhymns, and as familiar lines were heard the hearers shouted I know it ! Hallelujah ! " with such pertinacity that the speaker had to request them to wait till the end of the verse before beginning. The collection hymn sung by the whole body of voices is described as having been very fine. Later' on the Rev. Mr. Kennedy, M.A., a Congregationalist, made a very animated speech, full of incident and illustration. The Methodist connexion, he said, was largely extending, and once in every six hours the pearly gates of Heaven are thrown back for a Primitive Methodist to pass them. From this he went on to discuss the question of Church and State. " I have great confi dence in Gladstone," he said, " and so I have in him from Birminghem—him with the broad shoulders. I want to see the Church freed from the State. It puts me in mind of the story of a wife who was going to die, and said to her hus band, John, what'll ye do. without me when I'm gone ? " Oh, Janie, I shall manage,' he replied. So may the Church say, ' I shall manage,' hen the Bishops have gone out of the House of Lords—as they will go." " Look at the Bishops on the Irish Church question," he said, " They gave up the principle without a struggle ; but they fought like Methodists for the cash." "It put me in mind of the story of Robert Hall and the Church parson. The parson couldn't see the fact of Hall being in orders. Hall wrote the word God' very small, and asked him, Can you see that?' Yes,' he said, perfectly.' He then laid a sovereign over it, and said, Can you see it now? No, of course can't because you've put the money on it.' `And that's the reason why you can't recognise my orders,' said Hall ; the cash pre vents you. " From this acctunt it may be seen that a Primitive Methodist's meeting is a very animated affair, though somewhat eccentric in its character. LADY AMBERLEY ON WOMEN'S CLAIMS. Lady Amberley has come forward and added her name to the list of those who demand that women shall henceforth be placed upon an equality on all points with men. Her ladyship lectured at Stroud, on Wednesday night to " a large and fashionable audience." She commenced with an apology for herself and those who, with her, appear in public urging the rights of their sex. She was reluctant to come forward so—that she admitted ; but there was nothing, she contended, unwomanly in thus appearing. "If (she exclaimed) there be anything unwomanly in the fact of urging on other s that which we earnestly believe to be true, we had better never have had feelings, for feelings without action will be but a millstone hung about our necks. And feelings in this matter seem everything. Good logical arguments fail entirely when met by the powerful battery of feeling. To feeling, therefore, she would appeal. The ideal of woman—lovely woman—was put before one ; and her own sex, as well as the other, shrunk from reform. But they must remember that the useful is ever noble—the hurtful ever base. To her own sex she would appeal ; for men now answered all arguments by saying, " I do not think the ladies wish it," —and so they settle the matter. Women only could obtain these reforms ; to their demand alone would they be granted. If it were true, as some feared, that equality between the sexes would make the whole world male, she would not make the demand. But it was not so. Have none of us known women who have from youth up been educated with their brothers, nur tured in the feeling of complete equality? others who have taken part publicly in the affairs of the day, and even preached in churches—none the less true women for this training ? Women themselves too often said, " I should be no better off if I had my own property, or a vote—or what do women want with colleges ?—why cannot they be quiet at home ?" or, again, "I should hate to be a doctor or a lawyer; women are not fit for it=they had better look after their husbands and their children. But the people who argue in this way fail to perceive that, in doing so, they are only asserting their own happiness, or ' their own comfort, and are entirely forgetting the thou sands—l might say millions—of women who are alone in the world, and who have neither parents, nor home, nor friends, nor fortune of their own, and who are driven to seek these for themselves ' or to die. Have these happy mistresses of comfortable homes ever spared a few moments from their bliss to cast their eye on a re port of the " Governesses Benevolent Institution?" The fact that 15,000 women are driven to seek work for themselves is argument enough that, by opening more professions, more educational advantages to them, we shall nbt be guilty—if guilt it • is—of alluring them away from theirlomes to •the deadly temptations of the outer world. Take again the question of property. Now, women have not their own property. "A few readings of the police reports would soon give you an insight into the sorrow this injustice constantly causes. No one can see much of the poor without meeting repeated cases of a drunken or dissolute husband, who has brought poverty and want to his wife and children. His wife may work as hard as she can to clothe and feed her children : but at any moment a worthless man, by the law of England, may take it all away from her and leave her destitute. That is the state of the law with regard to property, but it also gives a husband power over the person of his wife, extending—as the law-book expresses it—to the power of locking her up or administering moderate chastisement. One of the advantages I hope for in the admission of women into political power is that, their sympathies being strong, they will bring their interest and energy to bear on many injustices •of social life, and not so readily acquiesce in the idea that these evils must be borne, and that legislation •is powerless to make any impression on them. In America the best results (as M. de Tocqueville has borne witness) have followed the greater equality of the sexes. In the United States the whole Treasury Department is worked by female clerks. We find many female doctors, ministers of the Gospel, and even female judges. The women in America are still fighting for the political fran chise, the denial of which is a badge of inferiority, and a real grievance which they still share with their English sisters." Summing up her demands Lady Amberley claimed " the education of girls, and a restoration to them of those endowments originally intended for both sexes, but which in some instances have been appropriated exclusively to boys ; secondly, as a natural sequence to the first require ment, that equal facilities should be granted to women for the attainment of the highest education and of univer sity degrees, in order that their special faculties may not be consigned to compulsory idleness, but may be turned to the benefit of society; thirdly, all professions should be open to them, and especially that, no new Act, medical or otherwise, should exclude them, as they are excluded now ; fourthly, that married women should no longer be debarred from the separate owner ship of property, in order that the poor may enjoy that protection which the rich purchase for themselves by the cumbrous arrangements of marriage settlements : fifthly, that a widow should be recognised by the law as the only natural guardian of her children ; sixthly, that the franchise should be extended to women as a means of power and protection in all matters affected by legisla tive action; seventhly, that political and social interests and work .should be open equally to them, so that, if there be-aptitude or talent in any, the State may not be the loser, both by the exclusion of those qualities they share with men, and of those characteristic of themselves; eighthly, that public opinion should sanction every men tion for women which in itself is good and suited to their strength ; ninthly, that there should be no legal subordi nation in marriage ; tenthly, that the same wages should be given for the same work. The Builder understands that there is a vacancy in her Majesty's Office of Works for an assistant surveyor The salary is 2500* per annum, increasing to £7OO. The First Commissioner," we learn, has determined to receive applications 'from duly qualified persons, and to deal with them on • theii merits, without reference to patronage. The death is announced of Lady Adelaide Murray, at Taymouth, Perthshire. This lady was a god-daughter of her Majesty. Queen Adelaide, and was the fourth daughter of William Basil Percy, seventh Earl of Den big'.), by the Lady Mary Elizabeth Moreton, eldest dau,, , liter of. Thomas first Earl of Dude. She was born on the 24th November, 1836, and married, on the 27th of April, 1865, Mr, Charles A, Murray. LAW ANT) POLICE. IMPRISONMENT OE A GUARDIAIst.—The importance of the responsibility of guardians-at-law was forcibly illustrated in a matter which was 'investigated privately by Vice Chancellor Stuart. It transpired that a Ward in Chancery, who was about eighteen- years of age, and her guardian, arrived in London a few days since for the purpose of settling some proceedings in Chancery in which they were interested. During their stay they slept together, and formal notification of this having been con-, veyed to Sir G. Stuart, under whose jurisdiction the cause was being entered into, the. Vice-Chancellor gave a peremptory order for the imprisonment of the guardian, the act of which he had been guilty being a serious viola tion of his duty. LIABILITY OF BANKING COMPANIES.—A cause affecting the interests of banking companies has been decided by Vice- Chancellor, Sir W. M. James. A fund amounting to £6OO was invested in the Midland Bank in the names of two trustees. Shortly afterwards, one of the trustees pro duced a document which led the bank authorities to assume that it was the desire of the second trustee to place the entire amount to his private ac count. The former drew the money at various intervals, and eventually became a bankrupt, and the second trustee now sought to make the bank liable for the fraud, alleging that he had merely authorised his co trustee to invest money in a certain way, and not to cause the fund to be placed to his private account. The Vice- Chancellor was of opinion that the first trustee had been guilty of nothing less than robbery. But at the same time the bankers were not justified in ignoring the posi tion of the co-trustee, and were liable to satisfy him in the way he demanded. THE INTERNATIONAL LAND COMPANY.—In the Court of Vice-Chancellor James an order was made for the com pulsory winding-up of the International Land Credit Company (Limited). The petition was opposed on behalf of some Belgian shareholders by an advocate from Bel gium ; but the Vice-Chancellor ruled that he had no locus standi to object, and made the order. His Honour also made an order for the compulsory winding-up of the Freehold General Investment Company (Limited). THE RIVER ExE.—A case has been tried in the Rolls Court between the Corporation of Exeter and the Earl of Devon. The Corporation as conservators of the River. Exe sought to' compel the Exe Bight Oyster FiSheyy and Pier Company (Limited) to remove a pier recently erected by them at Starcross. The plaintiffs alleged that this pier, which was sanctioned by Act of Parliament, interfered with the navigation of the Exe. The Earl of Devon was a party to the suit as owner of the foreshore, a portion of which he has leased to the company for a term of 99 years. The corporation have a very ancient • right to take tolls on goods landed in any part of the estuary of the Exe. The Master of the Rolls said that the plaintiff's case had failed, as there was nothing in the Act of Henry the Eighth, on which they mainly relied, to empower them to sue when encroachments had been made,. and they had no property in the soil, so as to enable them to sue in respect.of private injury. As for the construction of the pier, the city of Exeter, and the public would profit by it, and no public improvements could be carried out without causing some injury to those interested in the old system. • The bill must be dismissed with costs. . THE LIABILITIES OF CONTRIBUTORIES.—The Master of the Rolls delivered judgment in the suit of the Agricul tural Cattle Insuiance Company (Bush's case). The question was whether a gentleman named Bush should be retained on the list of contributories, he having alleged that he had transferred 400 shares to Mr. Peter Morri son prior to the company being ordered to be wound up under the supervision of the court. In 1859 Mr. Bush held the shares in question, but being desirous of ceasing his connection with the company of which he was a director, he transferred his shares to Mr. Morrison. by whom they were duly accepted. On the part of the other contributories it was contended that the transefer was invalid, because Mr. Morrison has not signed the deed of settlement, in conformity with the provisions of the Act, and that the transfer was not duly registered in the books of the company. Mr. Morrison, who was deeply involved, had not paid anything on the shares, and had gone abroad. The transfer was effected in 1851, and the company was ordered to be wound up in 1863, since which time it has been undergoing the tortuous process of proct ediugs in Chancery, to the almost absolute ruin of shareholders. His lordship felt bound to decide that Mr. Bush was liable for the 400 shares. BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE. — In the Court of Queen's Bench a rule has been granted for a new trial in he base of Reeves v. Adams, which was an action for breach of promise of marriage, tried before Mr. austice Lush at the last sittings in the Rail Court, when the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £5O. The plaintiff was a domestic servant, and the defendant, a widower with two children, was a civil engineer, formerly residing at Penge. The plaintiff's case was that one evening, as she was waiting, at the Canon-street station, to return to Forest-hill, where she was in service, the defendant, who was a stranger to her, accosted her, and afterwards they had some refreshments together. She travelled first-class and her statement was that in the carriage the defendant pro mised to marry her in a fortnight, but that she objected its taking place so soon. They met frequently afterwards, and, at his request, she went to live at his house, where she assumed the name of Mrs. Adams. The plaintiff's two sisters were called, and gave corroborative evidence of the promise. The defence was that from the first meeting up to the time of the separation of the two parties the intimacy between them was of an immoral character ' • that it never assumed any other form ; and that she used his name without his consent. On all occasions he made her presents of money. A German savant, who has been exploring the plains of Troy, says he has discovered the ruins of Priam's palace. A CAUTION TO VELOCIPEDESTRIANS.—A case of some interest to riders of bicycles was heard on Wednes day at the Erdingt ,, n Petty Sessions. Two young men were summoned, at the instance of Mr. Stubbins, bar rister, for furiously driving bicycles at Aston, so as to " endanger the lives and limbs of the passengers."—The defendants were fined, including costs, 15s. 6d. each. MR. FORSTER, M.P., AND THE BALLOT.—A. short time ago a deputation from the Camberwell Vestry had occasion to wait upon Mr. W. E. Forsser, Vice-Presi dent of the Council, when the right hon. gentleman ex pressed surprise at hearing that the elections of vestrymen under the Metropolis Local Management Act was conducted by ballot. On Tuesday, Mr. Forster was present for up wards of an hour at an- election in one of the Camberwell wards, and took great interest in the proceedings. The right hon. gentleman was surprised at the apathy ex hibited in parochial matters, as testified by the com paratively small number of ratepayers who took part in the election. A WISE PRECAUTION. —The Union of Paris re lates an instance of what it denominates " parsimony" on the part of the Crown Prince of Prussia, but which others may regard as an instance of prudence. It appears that when the King of Prussia visited Carlsbad in 1865 the keeper of the hotel where his Majesty had lodged included in his bill a sum of 4,000f1. for flowers used for the decoration of the apartments. Remembering this fact, the Prince Royal sent about three months ago one of his secretaries to Carlsbad to arrange with the hotel pro fO r e t w o rh the termst h e withoutapfoarrtarececrtsmwoedraetiorne4uired. Tmheentihoontienig keeper, believing that he was dealing with a private per son, agreed to let six rooms for 90fl. a week. The meals, attendance, and other expenses were also fixed at a like moderate tariff, and it was only when his expected visitors arrived that the hotel-keeper found that the heir to the Prussian throne was to be his guest. LOTHAIR.—Mr. Edmund Yates, writing in the Western Mail, says :—" I think you will find that there is a general reaction in the public opinion of " Lothair," and notwithstanding the puffs of the press, and the sedulously advertised fact of the large number of copies sold, the book will not live, or will only rankas a curiosity, being the work of a veteran ex-Premier. Half the people one meets who speak of it frankly have been unable to get on with it. A third of the -remaining half have plodded through the three volumes as a matter of duty, but found it dull and uninteresting. The personalities—specially the description of the Duke of Abercorn's family—are very strong, and would have called down a torrent of journalistic wrath on the head of any less eminent man. And though it is the fashion to declarethe book to abound with epigrams, there are really not many of them, and what there are are not very good. The delicious allusion which a session or two ago Mr. Disraeli made to Mr. Beresford Hope's " Batavian grace" is more truly witten than anything in his three volumes. THE SEA IN HYDE PARK.—The clean gravelly bed of the Serpentine, which is now in course of being rebottomed at small depth, suggests t ) the Lancet the idea of covering it with salt water. It says the level of Hyde Park is not more than 60 feet above the sea. A. reservoir on Brighton Downs might be con structed about 80 feet above the shore, into which the water might be pumped by steam and conveyed by fifty miles of glazed earthenware tubing in a constantly flowing stream to Hyde Park. The overflow from the Serpentine might be conducted in tubes laid along our principal thoroughfares under the kerb, with stopcocks at frequent intervals as in Paris. Charged as it is with de liquescent salts, especially the chloride of mag nesium, sea water would be particularly adapted for " laying the dust," as well as being available for a pur pose now never fulfilled—namely, cleansing the thorough fares. No doubt this conveyance of Brighton into Kensing ton-gardens would cost some money. By setting apart a portion of the lake as a swimming bath for subscribers, and fitting it commodiously, an annual revenue would be raised which would go - very far to meet the oost. COUNT BISMARCK'S POLICY.—In his speech on the Penal Code in the North German Parliament, Count Bismarck explained his views with respect to the indivi dual claims of the Confederate States. Against private laws," he said, " against the privileges of this or that 'Go vernment, of this or that race, even against the particular rights of a Government or a race, we have acted with sternness, because we were conscious of the greatness of our end. We have ever before us one great national object, and we have neither looked to the right nor to the left to see if we were offending against the dearest convictions of others. It is this feeling which has actuated us in the course we have pursued, and if it deserts us we shall be renouncing, before the German people and their neighbours, the policy which for three years has animated our proceedings, and defied the particularity of States and parties. Gentlemen, this is the sOurce whence we derive the right to be rigorous, and to crush down with an iron heel all that opposes itself to the re-establishment of the Ger man nation in its splendour and power." The Count was hete interrupted by loud applause, with which was mingled some ironical manifestations from the group of Democratic Socialists, . THE ISTHMUS OF DARIEN EXPLORING EXPEDITION: The correspondence from the Darien exploring expedi tion is interesting. Careful and accurate surveys having demonstrated the impracticability of the Caledonia Bay and Sassardi routes for the construction of a ship canal across the Isthmus of Darien, the expedition had gone to San Blas from which harbour our correspondent wrote. Contrary to what has been said and written, this route, from San Bias on the Carribbean Sea to the river Bayamo on the Gulf of Panama, Pacific side, has never been accu rately explored, previous exploring parties having gone out unprovided with the means of overcoming the natural obstacles which present themselves and of over aweing hostile Indians. the present expedition. under Commander Selfridge, being amply provided with every thing necessary to insure success, we expect a thorough exploration of the route, which we are glad to learn gives promise of gr eater practicability than the two alrady examined. Already the explorers have effected much good. They have performed an immense amount of work in surveying the Cordilleras from Caledonia Bay to Sas sardi. On their return to the I.Tnited,States the Govern ment will doubtless publish the results tif their kbours, and place before the public the first accurate maps of the isthmus. We shall await intelligence of the expedition from San Bias to the Bayamo river with anxious interest. —New York Herald. FAT DUTCHMEN IN COUNCIL. A heavy meeting of rich Germans desirous of leaving on record some evidence of their weight in the community spurred on by the consideration of their importance in the scale of humanity, coupled with a desire to excel their American brethren in luxuriance, assembled at 165, Allen street, where lager and other important subjects in refer ence to their future action as a body of heavy Weights were discussed in a solemn and ponderous manner. The name of the new body is to be the German Fat Men's Association, and this was a preliminary gathering to pre pare for perfect organisation. Mr. Adam Brandt, a 265- pounder, sustained the dignity of the chair, as the chair seemed to feel by its numerous squeaks and groans. He was guarded on his right and left by Mr. George Neyer, the treasurer, weighing 245 pounds, and Mr. George A. Scheyerling, secretary, only 225 pounds avoirdupois. On account of the narrowness of the entrance to the meeting room many of the 300-pounders whose names grace the Ale of membership were obliged to content themselves by sending their respects and promising their attendance when a large hall with folding doors shall have been ob tained for future meetings. Suggestions were received, duly weighed—they weighed everything—and considered• touching the propriety of using clams for food in June. The suggestions were received with some favour and re ferred to the Committee on Clams. The lowest standard weight of members shall be 200 pOunds. Propositions for membership coming from any individual below that rank will be indignantly rejected. The present membership is about 70, and it is confidently asserted that a very large club can be formed in a short time. —Hew York Herald. THE POSTAL TELEGRAPH. WASHINGTON, May 12. The Select Committee on the Postal Telegraph held two sessions yesterday. Mr. Orton's argument occupied two hours. He replied to many of the points made by Mr. Washburne, of Wisconsin, in his speech of Decem ber last, and exposed the errors into which Mr. Scuda more had fallen into by repudiating his testimony given before a parliamentary committee concerning the cost of the lines in Great Britain, and which is contained in the Parliamentary Blue Book, a copy of which Mr. Orton produced. He also exposed the errors of the Acting Swiss Consul, in estimatinc , the number of messages transmitted in Switzerland, ° and demonstrated that the average cost of transmit ting messages in Europe was as high as in the United States, notwithstanding the fact that the distance over which messages are transmitted is "several times greater on an average than in Europe. He submitted testimony to prove that the percentage of increase in the miles of wire in Europe required to transmit the increased business resulting from a reduction of rates, was greater during the last five years than the percentage of increase on the num ber of messages. He called attention to the fact that the Government telegraphs in Europe are exempt from taxa tion, either on the materials used in the construction of the lines, or upon the receipts from business, whereas in this country the duties upon wire and telegraph apparatus are equal to 50 per cent. in currency, and the taxation of Federal, State, and municipal governments consume the profits upon "one-seventh of the gross receipts. He produced tax bills shewing that in one of the States the taxation upon the gross receipts amounted to more than 11 per cent. His argument was listened to with close at tention, and is admitted to have made a profound impres sion upon the Committee. THE PRIZE-FIGHT. The fraternity of " roughs " throughout the whole country has been in a state of congenial excitement, over the result of the prize-fight which took place between Mace and Allen near New-Orleans. To peoplo of average intelligence the whole affair will be simply disgusting. There is nothing but brutality involved in these exhibi tions of the " noble art " of self-defence, and it is some consolation to know that they are being universally dis countenanced. For two rational beings to deliberately go into a severe training for months, and then as deliberately proceed to pummel each other out of all human semblance, not in passion, or revenge, or self defence, but simply for a purse of so much money, is surely the grossest perversion of the physical powers which can well be conceived ; and for a crowd of people who claim to be respectable members of society, and hold positions of prominence, to rush excitedly to witness such a scene, is nothing less than an imputation upon the civilization of the time. There is, doubtless, a brutal element in human nature which finds gratification in exhibitions of torture ; but it is chiefly manifested in savage, perverted, or uncultivated minds, which are incapable of distinguishing between mere brute endurance and true heroism. The Indian, who lacerates himself, the matador, who contends with a maddened bull, the gladiator, the prize-fighter, and the murderer, who goes jeering to the gallows, all exhibit the lowest form of physical courage —or, as the quality might more properly be. called, bravado. It is possible to understand the satisfaction of possessing sufficient skill in " self-defence " to protect one's self from assault, and one can appreciate the physical advantages to be found in its friendly contests ; but beyond that the trick of pugilism is degrading in itself, and an outrage upon the existing laws of every civilised community. The New Orleans exhibition was chiefly notable for the official countenance and protection which were thrown around it. A large body of police was called into requisition, and many officials;and prominent citizens were present. The poor wretches who were the central figures in the " battle," were cheered and encouraged to maul and batter each other by a crowd of persons who were. supposed to be gentlemen, and who would doubtless resent the insinua tion that they were as bad as Mace and Allen. What ever may be the laws of Louisana in reference to such contests, it is quite clear that they ought to be prohibited in the future. We believe all the Northern States have stringent statutes against prize-fighting. Pugilists are rather dexterous in evading the law, but it is to be hoped some way will be found of turning the physical strength of Mace and Allen to some better account than either of those redoubtable persons has yet discovered for himself.—New York Times. LEVEEING THE MISSISSIPPI. The commercial convention which met at Louisville last October recommended to the States of the Lower Mississippi Vally that they should adopt a uniform sys tem for the protection of their lowlands, and suggested that the whole matter be remitted to private enterprise, like any other work of internal improvement. The State of Louisiana—more vitally interested in the question than any other—promptly responded to this suggestion, and by legislation last winter, chartered a com pany under the ' name of " The Mississippi Valley Levee Company." We have never doubted that this subject should engage the attention of Congress. It is intimately connected with onr national finances. To increase the production of sugar retains specie in the country ; while to increase the growth of cotton puts exchange to our credit abroad. How much the cotton crop of 1869 has had to do with our approximation to specie values we are not prepared to say ; but certain it is that our export to Europe of 1,500,000 bales during the last six months has not been without a marked effect on our currency. We believe Louisiana has put this matter into a shape in which it can be successfully handled. First, it is obvious that a uniform system was absolutely neces sary ; and, secondly, it is plain that private enterprise is the agency 'through which alone the work can be successfully and frugally accomplished. It is a noble mission, that of rescuing from the domain of the alligator millions of acres of land, portions of it capable o f making from one to two hogsheads of sugar to the acre, and other portions capable of making from one to two bales of cotton. If . Congress can see its way clear to assist this enterprise, and even strain a point to do it, we trust it will. The best way to make the South peaceful is to make it prosperous. Let her people feel the power of the Government otherwise than as evinced by its bayonets. A people busy at work and making money are not prone to rebellion. Congress should not adjourn before doing something in the premises. For five years these magnificent lands have been at the mercy of midsummer floods.. We apprehend that the people of that region are not able to protect themselves without some help from the Government. Besides, the most important of the Southern levees were cut during the war by our troops, for national purposes ; thus giving an additional claim on Congress. The first Pacific Railroad has been built, and it is worth all it cost. Let the word go out that our next work must be to re claim the prolific lowlands of the Mississippi. It will do much to give us more abundant cotton and a better currency. This work should be done by a company. It cannot be so cheaply nor so quickly done by any Government, National or State. It should be done quickly and thoroughly. So much being assured, the Federal Government should extend to that Company such aid as it may need, because the work is indispensable, and of public and general importance. Let private enterprise do its utmost, and let the Government, taking ample security, aid that Company so far as is in dispensable, by guaranteeing its bonds rather than by subscription or subsidy. The Government need not help it nearly so much as it will help the Government by en larging the area of profitable industry.- 2 1few York Tribune. THREE THOUSAND HOGS ROASTED ALIVE, The stock-pens of Gaff's distillery, In Cincinnati, con taining 4,200 hogs, were burned on May ii Three thou sand hogs were roasted to death. The scene is said to have been as grand as it was horrible. Great columns A flame, fed by the living fuel, shot upward thousands of feet, and rolled off in dense masses at black smoke. The outcry of the frightened animals, as they crowded one above the other into the corners of the pens remotest from the fire, until its rapid approach first scorched and then consumed them, awed the spectators, who stood looking helplessly on. Every effort was, made to save at least a portion of the hogs, the greater proportion being hopelessly cut off. Rat a little over a thousand of the animals were gotten out In all, and the rest of the 4,200 were literally broiled alive. The odour of burned or roast pork pervaded the city for many Meeks in all directions after the fire died out for want of fuel, The loss on live stock alone Is estimated at 60,000 dols. The loss on the buildings is estimated at from 25,000 to 35,000 dols. HOW TO TREAT THE INDIANS. The spirit of William Penn still lives among those of his persuasion who come in contact wit h th Indians. The Omaha Agency, Nebraska, is in charge of members of the SOCiety of Friends, and we are not surprised to hear good accounts of the poor red men from their white brothers who carry into practice the golden rule. A clergy man, the Rev. Edward Painter, writes that the Indians in that neighbourhood are fast becoming civilised. They have a few hottses, and some tools, but lack funds to build, fence, and clear as they would wish ; and an appropriation has been asked from Con gress, approved by the Friends, to allow of this work being done. Mr. Painter says the Omaha Indians are a peaceful, quiet, and amiable people, very exemplary in their conduct, and free from many of the excesses and vices of their white neighbours. He adds that they totally abstain as a class from the use of intoxicating drinks, and that he has never seen one of their number drunk or in a passion. It is gratifying to find that in some spots, however few, there seems a chance for the aborigines to lead comfortable and happy lives ; and that the scourges of war, drink, and pestilence, that are so swiftly cutting them down elsewhere, are unknown in the peaceful region controlled by the Friends in Omaha. — New York Times. CURIOUS ORIGIN OF A. RELIGIOUS SEC' A correspondent of the New York World of May 1 gives a curious account of a new religious sect which, under the name of " Jehovah's Band " has lately arisen at Mocopin, a village in New .3 ersey. The founder was one Nathaniel Merrill, who, according to the-World's correspondent, one day in harvest-time, " finding the sun overpoweringly hot, retired to a neighbouring wood, and sat down beside a tree to refresh himself with some apple-jack, and taking a snooze." Instead of a snooze, however, he was seized with an irresistible desire to fly, and, climbing the tree, he spread out his arms, and threw himself forward, but instantly fell to the ground. At this moment his bottle of " applejack" was brought to his lips by some invisible agency, and Mr. Merrill, taking " a horn," started towards the meadow where he had been engaged hay-m aking, and in the short space of twelve minutes accomplished the building of nearly fifty haycocks, aided by some unseen power. Then the desire to fly came upon him again, but, as be fore, the attempt ended in a failure. After which he began a series of summersaultp, which he kept up for an hour, feeling more refreshed when leaving off than when commencing. Going home, Merrill announced that he had been vouchsafed a new revelation, and, " the spirit" entering him 'again, he danced, he puffed, he snorted, he laughed, finishing by jumping on a table, and breaking it down by the vigour with which he performed upon it. Next day he called together a number of his friends, to consult with them as to the course which ought to be pur sued to found a new religion. Whil e the friends were in counsel, a young man rushed in, and began the same per formances which Merrill himself had indulged in the pre vious day, claiming that he also was moved by" the spirit." The infection seized all present, and soon they began shouting and puffing and dancing and whirling round. On the following Sunday, at the Methodist church, just as the clergyman was about to begin to preach, Merrill jumped up, and, as on the former occasions, commenced puffing and dancing. He invited the congregation to join him, saying that he was full of " the spirit," and that if they would follow his example " the spirit " would enter them also. About twenty persons, most of them women, accordingly sprang up, and, joining Merrill, broke up the congregation. Merrill, it appears, has since succeeded in making many proselytes, among the rest two men of property and influence. The regular meetings of the sect are held on Sunday, on which day not even cooking is allowed, and children are warned that if they laugh or play they will be punished by "the spirit." A mid-week meeting is held on Thursday evenings. Children are not allowed to attend this meet ing, nor are young people permitted to join the athletic performances; and if any one profanely laughs, the culprit is at once arraigned and severely reprimanded. Converts are baptised in a large pond near the village. The members of "Jehovah's Band," it appears, believe in the Bible, but they also believe that what they do while under the control of "the spirit" is according to law. They have already, we are told, expelled a number of false brethren. One young man declared that he could dance on cups and saucers without breaking them. Cups and saucers were accordingly brought, and, upon their being broken, the young man laughed what was thought a worldly laugh. He was immediately expelled. A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. The recent report in the Congressional proceedings, that the House had taken up and passed a bill to establish a department of justice, gave little idea of what that mea sure was, and how important a change it proposed to effect. Under the present organization of the Government the law office is almost an anomaly. The Attorney- General is the authorised representative of the administra tion and its exponent on general questions of law. Below the Attorney-General, but in a great measure independent of him and of one another, are the district attorneys and the solicitors for the several departments. The bill in question, which Mr. Jenckes of Rhode Island with his keen eye for practical abuses and their remedies has perfected, proposes to consolidate these various irregular and irresponsible officials into a harmonious system in connection with the law office which is to be elevated to the dignity of a department. The Attorney General is to be at the head, with the solicitors of the departments as advisers on their respective sub jects. But all decisions must emanate finally from him in order to have the force of executive law. There is to be one general solicitor, whose duty it shall be to represent the government in all suits in which an officer from the department shall be thought necessary. A competent body of assistants will exist in the district attorneys, who are to be made directly responsible to the department of justice. In short, Mr. Jenckes's plan is to substitute for the existing system, with its irresponsible officers and and anomalous features, a department similar to the other departments, in which there may be a proper gradation of powers with a general subordination to ,one chief officer. The reform is urged in the interest of economy as well as uniformity in practice. It appears that the amount paid since 1864 for special counsel fees was over seven hundred thousand dollars. The ap pointment of a solicitor-general would, of course, put an . end to the necessity for any such out lay. Besides, the waste and extravagance are always much greater in a loose, ill-defined system than in a compact and well-organised one. But one new officer is authorised—the Solicitor-General--and against his salary is to be offset the retrenchment which will be effected. In short, the bill seems to be a wise one in every respect, and it is to be hoped that the facility with which it passed the House is indicative of its speedy adop tion by the Senate. Some of the defects of the present system are due to the war, which suddenly demanded many . new officers in every department to meet emergen cies. Their powers were never well defined, and each officer has been left to shift for himself. In the general work of clearing up irregularities, the department of justice seems to be one of 'the reforms most urgently demanded. —Boston Advertiser. LADTERTISEMENT. - Consumption, and all nervous, bilious, stomach, awl liver complaints in every sto:,_:e are only aggravated and atc3larated by drugs of eve y description, but perfe tly curable by DU BARRY'S health-restoring Revalenta Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which had been aansidered' hopeless; such as indigestion (dyspepsia), cough asthma, consumption, habitual constipation, diarrhoea, all gastric derangements, luemorrhoids, liver complaints, flatulency, ner vousness, biliousness, fevers, sore throat, diphtheria, catarrhs, colds, influenza, noises in the head and ears, rheumatism, gout, impurities, eruptions, hysteria, neuralgia, irritability, sleepless ness, acidity, palpitation, heartburn, headache, debility, cramps, spasms, nausea and sickness even in pregnancy or at sea, sink ing fits, bronchitis, scrofula, ti _htness of the chest, pains at the pit of the stomach, and between the shoulders, &c. We quote a few: -The Pope's health restored by Du itarTy's Food. Cure No 68,413 - "Rome, July 21, 1866. The health of the Holy Father is excellent, especially since, abandoning all other remedies, ho has confined himself entirely to Du Barry's Revalenta Arabica Food, of which he consumes aplateful at every meaL It has produced a surprisingly beneficial effect on his health, and his Holiness cannot praise this excellent food too highly."—Frdm the "Gazette du Midi," July 2). Cure No. 46, e7o.—Mr. James Roberts, timber merchant, of Frimley, Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver derangement, and partial deafcess. Cure N 0.1,771. Lord Stuart de Decies, Lord-Lieutenant of Waterford of many years dyspepsia.—No. 49,831. "Fifty years' iudescrib able agony from dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, cough, coo stipation, flatulency, spasms, sickness, and vomiting.— slaria Jolly " Important Caution.—Beware of the many unsavoury and more than sloppy imitations to which. without authority Baron Liebig's name is most audaciously attached. In tins, at is lid; Ilb 2s 9d; 2 lb is 6tl; 51b lls.; 121 b 225; 24 lbs 4 s.—also Du BARRY's REVALEN TA RABIC& CHOCOLATS POWDER is packed in tin canisters: for le cups at 2s, for 24 cups at 3s 6d, for 48 cups at6s, for 218 cups at 305 , for 576 cups at Os —being about one penny per cup. The 30s and 55s tins are sent free of carriage in England on receipt of Post Office Order.- BARRY Du BARRY and CO., No. 77, Regent-street, London arta all Grocers and Chemists. BIRTHS. On the 26th inst., at 50, Gloucester-crescent, Hyde-park, the wife of B. A. Heywood, Esq., of a daughter. On the 25th inst., at Penge, the wife of G. B.Wheeler, Esq., solicitor, of a son. MARRIAGES. • On the 25th inst., at New Brentford, Alexander Thomas, of Laleston, Glamorganshire , to Maria, youngest daught('r of Salem Cross, Esq., of Now Brentford. On the 24th inst., at St. Luke's, Chelsea, Frederick Lasebrey, of the Heath House, Uttoxeter, Staff° dshire, to Louisa Jan , ', socond daughter of Thos. Oakley, Esq.t of 107, Fulham-road, Brompton. DEATHS. On the 25th inst., at St. David's, Lower Tulso-hill, Thomas Cree, Esq., formerly of Gray's-inn, aged 87. On the 24th inst., at Highgate, John Phelps, Esq., aged 88. London: Printed and Published by ANDREW S ' of No. 112, Straud,Priuter, at THE SUN Office, No. 11 ' Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County of Middlesex.—Saturday, May 28, 1870., NO . ...........____ KINAI o serve t 1 — au LI,. \\ This cele Prize tip(itAl Pure , in the Ag ent. 8, ( 4uTu ' 4 , RU TANCF! 'dor Lea ~ble week ro.'rrlti freely eitYsr Palace Cricket Fairy E Displa3 Grand I Festiva 7 --- ee d i a —G—GRAND n Y , 11:,, C )00asitt n dial I gia. S ese r . , nosevRAND I i ~ Garde Ida de Mu Ch oir. 'Co! These del Weather. r. 'lleh surrou alld banks th f eYe are ert of this. e 9ncert-roo slderably r( No extra kent at do( k.,._aY be had tialf-pri ce. ,NOTE,—T o clock. 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