The Sun. — London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

AMERICAN AFFAIRS. (From the Special Correspondent of the Timcs.) ALBANY, NEW YORK, July 20. There is something indefinable in the feelings of the Americans towards England. Whatever might be the disposition of the public mind before the battle of Gettysburg, there is no doubt now as to the full confidence of ninety-nine out of a hundred Northerners in the destinies of the Union. Indeed, the transition from crestfallen despondency to bois terous sanguineness must have been so complete and sudden that a newcomer among these people has some difficulty in crediting the accounts he may have heard or read of their being weary of the war, hopeless of success, and almost eager for a reverse which might put an end to the struggle, no matter on what terms. I must say, for the truth, I find no trace of such dastardly feeling anywhere I go. The retreat of Lee and the conquest of the Mississippi nave re-assured the wavering. The subjugation of the South is now, the Americans think, in any event a mere question of time, and, whatever difficulties there may arise as to the footing upon which the Union is to be recon stituted, there is no doubt as to the Union itself being saved. Full of this conviction, the Americans seem very heartily ashamed of and angry with themselves for having even for a moment given way to misgivings ; they are loth to accuse themselves of little faith, and have no patience with those who were in too great a hurry to take them at their own words, to share their apprehensions, to echo their complaints, and to look forward either with exultation or with scarcely less crushing pity on the approaching in evitable dissolution of their mighty Republic. This readiness and willingness to look upon the cause of this country as desperate constitutes the unpardonable offence of England towards the Americans. Mix freely with the gentler classes of persons unbiassed by party spirit and removed from public life, search deep into the heart of those who are less ready to endorse the views and opinions of their ranting press or of their fanatic politicians, and you will find, I believe, that these people are above all things Americans, and that they look upon their vast and mongrel community with all the tenderness of an all -embracing, all-engross• ing nationality. Strange enough the most polished, most amiable among them, are, to all outward ap pearance, so perfectly English in their tone of thought, in their language, in their manners, the descent of ono people from the other is so imme diate, and the ties of kindred are in many instances, especially in these Eastern cities, so close and so direct, that you cannot help avowing that it is " only the sky and not the soul that these men have changed by crossing the seas ;" you are satisfied that between the father who landed on these shores a score or so of years ago and the son who was born to him after landing, but who made one family with his parents ever since, there can be no great diver gence of wishes or purposes—yet between the two generations there stretches a vast impassable gulf. On any great international question the father will be prompted to die as he has lived, a B r it on ; th e son will cast his lot with the people among whom he was born—he will feel and act as an American, Not many are to be found, even among the most rabid partisans here, who will have the assurance to declare that English intrigue was at the bottom of all this Southern war and rebellion ; some are fair enough to admit that the Queen's Government have on the whole performed the duties of a strict, honourable neutrality. The last speech of Lord Pal merston, the withdrawal of Mr. Roebuck's motion, have done not a little towards smoothing the ruffled feathers of the American bird ; but England as a nation has inflicted on America wounds which time can hardly heal. She has looked unconcerned on the American struggle ; she has stood grinning round the ring, goading on the combatants, gloat ing on the gashes that tore them limb from limb. The long- smothered rancour, the ill-concealed jealousy of the old country for the thriving new community, burst forth with insolent exultation in this hour of trial. Not an unfriendly word was ever spoken by an independent member at Westminster, not a sneering remark or a sinister presage ever was printed in any of the organs of the free London press, but was laid to the charge of the whole British people. " The English envy their good ; the English desire their evil," such is the conviction that has sunk deep into American hearts; and, with all their veneration for the Bible, these are not the people to return " a kiss for a blow." No doubt the Americans had all along far greater cause to complain of the French Government, and their irritation against the Emperor Napoleon—who cajoled them even while he put forth his scheme for the recognition of the South, and who is even now invading a North American territory, and laughing Monroe's doctrine to scorn by erecting a so-called Imperial edifice on their Southern frontier in Mexico —ought to be all the more vehement, as they foolishly enough flattered themselves that enmity to England would, from sheer spirit of contradic tion, win them the good will of France. But Eng land is and ever will be all that America cares for in Europe ; England is Europe in her estimation. " I tie my right hand behind my back," said one of the first Yankee braggarts I ever came into con tact with, " and with my left I will spar with the stoutest Briton and lick him ; I will lick any two Frenchmen ; lick any feur of all other European people." Even in his fondest conceit Jonathan sees in John Bull his only worthy antagonist. Throughout the worst humours of his long-cherished spite, throughout the long list of his real or fancied grievances, there shines the American's respect for his stout Transatlantic cousin—his anxiety to secure his good opinion, even if it be necessary to come to blows for it, and wring it from him by main force. Men laugh at the Frenchman when he professes that " were he not a Frenchman ho would be an Englishman," but the American knows he is an Englishman, and only trusts " he is something more." Whatever may be thought of the causes of rank ling surviving old quarrels, there is no doubt but fresh additional resentment is now being treasured_ , up here against England ; even among those who talk of " going home" when they sail '" Liverpool the thought is gaining ground that the settlement of the Southern question may be seta, the signal for an outbreak of hostilities with England, can The papers here assert that the Ameri can will not Government has signified to Earl Russell that allow, the fitting out of rebel vessels in British ports ,° ' and they express their conviction that thi s must i with Englandne_vitably lead to an immediate war , never theless, but eve_Tl?e evil day may be put off never wideely thee, threats, re peated at every moment by dency to minister circulati ngt journals, have a ten create a longing for inveterate, animosity, and to however causeless an d objectless, rev enge. , Only, how far are the A rne • fication of such uncharitable feelings from the grati fication they have to wait f or Ithee"ngs? How long Southern question ? The Federals of the ed er other day repulsed at Charleston with were only the .---losses computed by themselves h t heavy losses 1,300 men, with some of their general lees than Gereral Lee has made good his retreat4l- Officers. into Vi s . and has now taken up again that positionlr. near Fredericksburg in which he has ao long been invincible. All we hear about rebel prisoners and eil refugees describing Lee's army as demoralized an d broken in spirit is not only contradicted by w h at we hear from other sources, but far more forcibly by the fact that the retreat has been so slow, so orderly and deliberate, and so very little molested by the Federals in pursuit. E vents, however, have lately turned greatly against Sout hern valo ur. The South has been we ar ied out and used up, if not conquered. The Fe derals may me et more than + one repulse at Charleston, but so they did at Fort Donelson, at Vicksburg , at Port Hudson , and all failing i n to their bands. these strongholds ended by A cuube that shelters behind waltz , and trenches l may be looked upon as hopeless. The M ississippi is lost and Jackson, Mobile, and most o f the Southern cities, with Charleston and Richmond itself, are likely—are sure to follow. Lee alone is the Southern tower of strength, and we incline to think him still unbroken, and so long as he holds his ground he is fully a match, more than a match, for the adversary he has now in front. But vast forces are said to be moving from the 'West and South-west. Grant, Rosecrans, and other leaders, elated with recent success, are expected to breath a new spirit into the councils of the irresolute Meade, and to infuse fresh blood into the sluggish army of the Potomac. Be fore the contending parties are again likely to ven ture on a decisive contest, it is confidently asserted that the Northerners will be more than two to one against the Secessionists. The capture of Morgan and the dispersion of his marauding band in Ohio, though a necessary consequence of Lee's backward movement, has given unspeakable relief to the Federals. But,admitting even that these latter may easily and speedily outnumber and thereby over power the Confederates, allowing that the rebellion may be utterly quenched and the civil war at an end, do I not hear the most sanguine Unionists assert that then their great difficulties are to arise, and the uses of victory will be a far more arduous task than its attainment? The North goes down to the South without any preconceived plan or settledprin cip!e. The friends and foes of abolition are further than ever from any thinglike a mutual understanding. Meanwhile slavery has been brcken up in many of the invaded districts of the Mississippi, scarcely by virtue of any law or decree, but the mere arbi trary act of the successful military, without any well-matured design or avowed intention. The negro woke up one fine morning and found himself free. What of it ? He felt hungry before even ing, and went back to his master, begging to be allowed to resume his work as a free labourer hired for bread. The ruin of the slave owner is im measurable ; it remains to see to what extent the condition of the freed man is bettered. There are now in the North, Southern families, fugitives from their plantations, several hundreds of whose " black cattle" are suddenly taken from them, whose pro perty at one stroke has been rendered valueless. Is the system to be allowed throughout the coun try ? Are four and a half millions of serfs to be thus manumitted, and the cultivation of the South to be abandoned to the chance of a new compro mise between the landowner and the menial, accus tomed for centuries only to work on compulsion ? Is the land to fall out of cultivation, or is there to be a war of extermination between the two unas similable races ? The bitterest Republicans, the out-and-out Abo litionists have carried the day practically, but they are yet to be called to account. Parties here have been fighting side by side, and are now about to conquer, without ever agreeing on any intelligible terms. They are all Union men; the sympathies with the Southern rebel and slave owner with which the Democrats are upbraided are now dis avowed, and the successes of the Federal armies are now matter for congratulation even for men who were said to long for the presence of Lee at Wash ington or even in New York. But are they all willing to follow up those successes to the same end? Are they all equally bent on the extermination of the South ? Are they all ready to disregard all Southern claims to compensation, to grant the slave owner no quarter, to wash out the stain of negro bondage in the blood of the Southern whites'? A strife between sheer Republican fanaticism and practical sense, between ruthless partisanship and moderate patriotism, seems to be inevitable here; and the contest of principle is further aggravated by factious cries, by personal antipathies, by local incompatibilities. The feeling of many honourable men towards the party now in power at Washing ton is withering contempt and relentless hatred. Zeal for the public service, party obligations, prompted the Central Government with a desire to make up for want of capacity by a display of clumsy energy, They grounded unanimity on an all treading despotism ; they overcame opposition by crushing public opinion. They strove hard to weigh down all State authority ; they encroached everywhere on local freedom. They rode rough shod on individual rights, and were cheered and hounded on by that rabid Republican party which is only calling for "strong government" and prompting " strong measures." The late successes of the Federal armies, and the longing for "revenge on the South," have given Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet a breath of popular favour, on which it would be unwise for them to presume too far. The clamour which befriended them in the heat of the struggle will hardly bear them out in the far more complicated task of pacification. The Demoerats will appeal from the people drunk to the people sober—sobered by the bitter fruits of a too bloody victory, by their own exhaustion, by the heavy costs they will be called upon to defray. Already in the affair of the " draught" I should say that the Government have been thoroughly beaten. The conscription has turned out an egre gious farce. Wherever it was not forcibly resisted, it has been eluded by the sense, the inge nuity, the xis inertia and passive perseverance of the people themselves, and of the local authori ties. Those who cannot purchase exemption by their own means are everywhere bought off either by private liberality or at the public expense. None need serve in the army, save only those who are moved either by patriotic devotion or by heavy bribes. Of these latter, many have come forth from the British provinces, the scum of the Irish immi gration, adventurers of the worst character, most of whom take the best opportunity to run away as soon as they have secured the bounty. The United States' Government will have reason to repent having re course to such ignoble means; nor will they have to congratulate themselves on the enlistment of negro regiments. They are playing with edged tools, and will have to thank their stars if they do not end by cutting their own throats, In the midst of all this triumph of the Republi can party, it is impossible not to become aware of an undercurrent of discontent, which may perhaps break out when least expected. Everywhere do I meet people who think that extreme men, both North and South, have driven the country to this cruel, unbrotherly war, and that they will perpetuate it unless they are on both sides hurled from power. "It is time," they say, " that the voice of moderate men should be heard. The Union is to be reconsti tuted, not merely under new men, but on new prin ciples." These moderate men, however, show but little energy and less courage. The apathy of all, or at least of most well-to-do persons, in the affairs of the country is something amazing, appalling. Your rich merchant and banker is here altogether ab_ sorbed by his anxiety for making money, or all agog with the pleasure of spending it. He is either nailed to his desk at his counting-house, or heaping luau ries in his country-house, or displ ay i ng hi s wealth at the watering-places. Politics is the business of politicians—i.e., of nameless adventurers, with out a stake in the country. As yet no one in these States of New York and New England would say that a great calamity has swept over the country, or that a strife for life or death is raging in its bosom. The ladies' dresses and th e equipages of the rich have notaloatedofotnhee revenue eo e f their wonted luxury. The collectors of the readiness never give the most charming accounts th with which the taxes are paid. you would one saddle horse or a " span" of fine car say that the arming of a million of men one from Broadway or the Central Park. The more closely you look for the effects of this ruinous con test, the stronger becomes your conviction of the boundless wealth and resources of this 'Western con tinent. The Americans knew not how well off they Were ; they are not yet aware how seriously they have stepped down from their astounding pros perity. They may, perhaps, understand it better OY-wad-by. SUIP -- - TWo-MILE SWIMMING RACE FOR THE CHAMPION of Manchester,m Or ENGLAND.--On Monday next a swimming match will take mile andace 3,iiort.hße Beckwith, o b f etw Lo ee n n do lk n l , r. fo A r la s t Mather, year by the for and the two merchlampion's cup, which has been held a • intense interest by yalolustwhiommers throughout the kingdom. This contest is looked forward to with greater experience in swim!' his While Mather has aide, Beckwith can boast of some time, and havingwimming, tollraowinecgl, having been champion for affecotiwoare Ointment and Pills.— natation as a profession. [ ADVER TISEMENT.I—u o u After fomenta- Rheumatism and gouty to subdue stiff b tehde the ing influence of Holloway' s me4 i i ' i s e seen yiellldrutbo tion, the ointment only requires toanteenwt% o s n " th h e affected part, to lessen inflammation throbbing pain. It leaves behind neitahned ness, nor lameness. By carefully att,nrd structions folded round Holloway's remedi l e ng to the in in muscles, joints, or sinews, may be readily a g e e r eell m t Pains mobility be restored in chronic cases where rigitlicty°l-ea'danrod. sulted, and the patient seemed maimed for life. o b u tic, scrofulous, consumptive, dropsical habits, Rollo way's treatment is followed by the happiest effects. It rectifies any foul or perverted state of the huwours, and acts as an excellent restorative. _,-- .. _ THE, SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 11, 1863. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. GREAT WESTERN. The adjourned special general meeting of this company was held yesterday at the Padding-ton station to receive the report of the scrutineers on the question of electing 17 di rectors to represent the interests of the Great Western pro prietors at the Board of the amalgamated company. The Right Hon. S. Walpole, M.P., the chairman, presided. It appeared that the poll closed at 12 o'clock, and that the scrutineers were not prepared with a report as to the result at three o'clock, being the time appointed for receiving it, The CHAIRMAN inquired of the scrutineers when it was probable they would be in a position to make their report to the adjourned meeting, as he thought it was necessary the decision should be come to within the month from the passing of the Amalgamation Act. Mr. ADAMS, one of the scrutineers, said there were so many proxies to examine that it would take a considerable time to go through the whole of them in the manner he deemed requisite. . Another scrutineer thought the scrutiny could be finished by Wednesday. - Mr. ADAMS said he would do all he could to facilitate the scrutiny, and even work all night for the purpose, but theta were between 2,500 and 3,000 proxies to be examined. After some conversation it was agreed to adjourn the meeting to Thursday, at five o'clock, to receive the final report of the scrutineers. Thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting ad journed. NORTH-EASTERN. The directors report that there is an increase for the past half-year of £63,112 over the corresponding period of 1862 A considerable portion of the increase may be attributable to the opening of new lines and to the construction of new works to develope the trade of the district. The statement of receipts and expenditure shows that the revenue of the past half year has not reached the amount received in the corresponding half of 1861 by £24,312, a l t h oug h s i nce t h a t time 27 miles of new line have been opened. On those lines and other works there has been expended between January, 1861, and January, 1863, the sum of £1,040,704. Some of these works are still unfinished, and therefore are unpro ductive, but the greater part has been spent on lines, roll ing stock, warehouses, &c., which have been in use, and have contributed to the revenue of the past half-year, so that the general result of the half-year's working shows that, with the addition of new lines and with increased facilities for traffic in all departments, the depression still existing in some branches of trade has been such as not only to stop the usual progressive increase, but to keep the receipts at a lower point than they were in 1861. The necessary issue of new capital has caused an increase in the preference divi dends and interest of about £12,000 compared with 1862, and the additional train mileage (314,440 miles) consequent on the opening of new branches and the partial revival of trade has materially added to the working expenses of the half-year. In addition to this increased expenditure, the altered mode of treating the cost of renewal of way has ope rated for the first time in the past half-year, it having been resolved to charge a part of the renewal to the first half year, instead of wholly to the second, and accordingly the sum of £11,293 has been charged in the half-year ending June 30. The gross receipts of the half-year are £1,060,623, and the gross expenditure £191,505, leaving a balance for dividends of £569,118. These on the revenue accounts of the different sections are available as follows :—On the Ber wick account, £160,722; on the Thirsk and Malton, £1,575; on the York, £52,107 ; on the Leeds, £13,703 ; and on the Carlisle, £36,785. Out of these sums the directors recom mend dividends at the following rates :—On the Berwick ordinary stock at the rate of 41 per cent. per annum, leaving £5,083 ; on the Thirsk and Malton, 4 per cent. per annum, leaving £575 ; on the York at the rate of 3 per cent, per annum, carrying forward £3,822 ;on the Leeds, per cent. per annum, carrying forward £635, and on the Car lisle 6 per cent. per annum, with 2 per cent, to make the dividend on the 4 per cent. preference equal to the ordinary dividend, carrying forward £635. The Malton and Driflield section receives no dividend, but, on the contrary, shows a loss upon the half-year of £1,503, the total debt being now £30,120. The directors congratulate the shareholders upon the amalgamation with the Stockton and Darlington Rail way Company for the management of the district of this company. The former board, with two North-Eastern di rectors, are to form a separate committee, The revenue ac count prepared by the Darlington committee shows a dis posable balance of £53,342, out of which is recommended a dividend at the rate of 73 per cent. per annum, leaving £1,902. Owing to the amalgamation with the Darlington Company the proportions of the joint net receipts will in future be as follows :—Berwick, 44'10 per cent. ; York, 25.41 per cent. ; Leeds, 7'72 per cent. ; Malton, 0'29 per cent.; Carlisle, B'sB per cent.; and Darlington, 13.90 per cent. SOUTH YORKSHIRE. The report of the directors states that £42,151 had been added to capital during the past half-year. The revenue account exhibited a gross income from all sources, under the agreement with the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Company, of £90,023, earned at a total expenditure of £34,511, leaving a balance of £55,512, which, after meeting the interest and preferential dividends, would yield a divi dend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum on the ordinary capital ; and the directors recommended that such dividend be declared accordingly. The bill for the lease of the under taking to the Sheffield Company was strongly opposed by the Great Northern and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Companies and certain of the coalowners of the district. The committee, after hearing the whole case, declared the preamble proved, but in consequence of the committee in sisting upon a modification of the rates, which would have had the effect of depriving the company of the customary terminal charges upon coal, the two companies considered it advisable to withdraw the bill. An arrangement was made between this company and the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire with the Midland Company, by which running powers for coal from the South Yorkshire district to Wake field would be secured. The capital account showed that £2,505,700 had been expended, leaving a balance in hand of £94,849. MID-KENT (BROMLEY TO ST. MARY CRAY). The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yester day at the London Tavern ; Mr. W. Dent in the chair. Mr. G. Woolcott, the secretary, having read the notice convening the meeting, the report was taken as read. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, congratulated the shareholders on the position of the com pany. The undertaking would be handed over to the Lon don, Chatham, and Dover Company on the Ist of Septem ber next, when the labours of the directors would be prac tically at an end. The line was leased for 999 years, and until the Chatham Company exercised the option of pur chasing it, the directors would continue to have a nominal duty to perform. The report was unanimously adopted, and a dividend at the rate of three per cent. per annum, free of income-tax, was declared for the past half-year, payable on the 17th inst. Mr. BROWNE called attention to the gratuitous services of the directors for several years past, and moved :---" That this meeting recommends that £5OO be set aside out of the current half-year's revenue, in recognition of the services of the directors during the past five years." The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The CHAIRMAN, in reply to a queetion, stated that they would have to keep up the Board to look after the interests of the shareholders during the continuance of the lease, but the London, Chatham, and Dover Company would pay some of the expenses. The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman and directors for their past services. ROYSTON AND HITCHIN. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yester day at the office, Gracechurch-street ; Mr. J, C. Cobbold, M.P., in the chair, Mr. Janson, the secretary, having read the notice con vening the meeting, The CHAIRMAN moved that a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum, less income-tax, and Id. per £6 ss, stock for expenses of management, be declared on the Royston, Hitchin, and Shepreth Consolidated Stock for the half-year ending the let inst., and be paid forthwith. The motion was seconded, and carried unanimously, Mr. J. G. Fordham and Mr. J. Shaples, the retiring directors, were re-elected ; and a vote of thanks to the chairman con cluded the proceedings, FOREST the halfo l.tE yearlyST O meetingF was held at the offices in Victoria-street, Mr. A.P.Barlow Mr. W. 11. Wilson' the secretary, read the report, which stated that th e director s since the last m ee tin g h a d b een anxiously engage d in the liabilities o f th e co endeavouring to effect a settlement of pletion of the line. mpany, and t o p rov id e f or the corn- The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of th e re p or t, the congratulated the proprietors on and speedy settlement of affairs . If theprospect of a pacific th e ir solicitors could be carried out in plan prop ose d by li a bilities of the company would be satisnhed, and its integrity th e com pletion and opening of the line insured. In order to insure the th e working of their collieries at the least possible expense, a nd with the most productive results, they had enlisted h serv ices of Mr.Bartholomew , who was intimatelyacquainted te with the mineral pecu liarities of the distri ct. It as esti mated that £lO,OOO would be required to complete the line and bring it into operation, but arrangements would have to be made to meet the outstanding liabilities. Mr. BAXTER, the solicitor, explained the financial plan that had been devised by his firm. It was to capitalize or convert into preference stock the £41,000 of outstanding debt. Of this sum the directors would at once borrow £26,000, of which £lO,OOO would be laid out in works to complete the railway, and the remaining £16,000 among the company's creditors, who would accept the rest of the preference stock in proportionate rates to their claims. After a long discussion it was resolved that the meeting should be adjourned until October, to enable the directors to negotiate with all the parties concerned and report thereon to the proprietors for their approval. A vote of thanks to the chairman and directors termi nated the proceedings. ANDS. The r eport of the MONKS directorstates that the receipts on revenue account for the half-year ending the 30th of June amounted to £39,995, and for the corresponding half of 1862 to £42,206, showing a decrease in the receipts of £2,211, and the expenditure, including interest on loans, to £23,029, against £19,901, showing an increase in the expenditure of £4,028, leaving the net balance £16,066, against £22,305, showing a decrease of £6,239, as compared with the corres ponding half of 1862. The directors regretted that those accounts continued to show an unfavourable result. The main cause of the deficiency was the continued decrease in the mineral traffic, arising from the depressed state of the iron and coal trades. The directors proposed a dividend of 4t per cent. per annum to the holders of the Consolidated Stock. The reserve fund amounted to £4,052. The revenue account showed that £39,905 had been received for the past half-year, and £19,844 expended in working, £4,084 for interest on loans—leaving a balance of £16,066. The capital account showed that £917,728 had been expended. SALISBURY AND YEOVIL. The report of the directors states that the earnings for the half-year ending the 30th of Juno last amounted to £24,208, and for the corresponding half of 1862 to .C 21,100, showing an increase of £3,108. The available balance amounted to £10,456, out of which £2,716 was deducted for the dividend on the preference shares at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum, and £6,856 for dividend on the ordinary shares of the company at the rate of 41 per cent, per annum, leaving a balance of £BB4. The capital account showed that £646,660 had been expended, leaving a balance of £614. GREAT WESTERN OF CANADA. It appears the directors of this company have been in formed by their financial agent in Canada that the loss on through traffic, collected and converted, ascertained up to July 25, amounted to 275,104d01 51c (£53,528 Gs 6d), and that there remained a further sum of American funds for conversion at that date of 8,229d01 9c, in addition to which there were balances in account with connecting railways still unadjusted. EASTERN BENGAL. A special general meeting of this company was held on Saturday at the office, Gresham-street, to consider whether they should accept or decline the proposal of the Secretary of State for India to construct an extension line as far as Jamoona, as part and parcel of the original line, under a guarantee of 41- per cent. per annum on the necessary capi tal ; Mr. J. F. Leith in the chair. The CHAIRMAN explained that the directors had offered to give the facilities of the Bengal Co m p an y in carr y in g out the extension by a separate company , bu t with the view of working the two lines ultimately together, but on the dis tinct understanding that the capital of the new line should be kept distinct, and the dividend distinct. This offer was subsequently declined by the Secretary of State for India, who insisted that the new line should form a part and parcel of the original undertaking. The traffic on the original line from Jan. 10 to the end of June amounted to 332,548r5. The weekly returns now averaged about 20,400 re, and when they reached 25,000 rs he believed the 5 per cent. guarantee would be covered. _ _ . After some observations by Mr. Morgan, Mr. P aul, and other shareholders, resolutions were passed to the effect that the meeting declin e d t o accept t h e o ffer of the Secretary of State for India to carr y out t h e ex tension to the Jamoona on the guarantee of 4 . 1 per cent. "as f art and parcel of the original undertaki ng , an d not se p a ratad ;" and authorising the board to neg o ti a t e w ith t h e S ecr etary of State for India for the proposed extension to the Jarloona, provided it be carried out as a distinct and separate undertaking. The proceedings concluded with a cote of thanks to the chairman and directors. THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR LYNN KINGS LYNN, Monday. ---- - At several of the places of worship n this town,yesterday, the preachers made special allusion to this shocking acci dent. Thanks were offered to Alinigity God that so many lives were spared. The inquiry before Thomas MartinWilkin, Esq., coroner for Freebridge, Lynn, was resumed o-day at one o'clock, at the Guildhall, Lynn. Mr. Pitcher wished to ask Mr. Valentine a few ques tions. _ _ Mr. Edwards also made an applization ; it would be an injustice if the company might not nake remarks as to the traffic return which had been called into question. Might he address the jury ? The Coroner said he had carefulY considered the ques tion since the last meeting. The matter was left to his discretion. He w as sat i s fi e d that he ha d exercised a wise vations. Where matt ers h a d beet go ne into rather besid e the particular ques ti on, h e f e lt thit, rath er than in justice discretion, and would a ll ow Mr. Ed war ds to make obser should be done, the application sh#uld be granted. Mr. Edwards asked the permi&ios of the Coroner that the notes of the evidence taken before this jury should be granted for the use of the othet jury. Mr. Keane had stated that such could be done. The Coroner grarTediheapplicstio n. Mr. Valentine, C.E.—I left the line in good order. I have had no control as represenOtive of the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway over the 11W. The Great Eastern Company work the line, and it is their bounden duty to keep it in repair. By the Coroner—lt was put in their hands in October. By Mr. Pilcher—The length of sleepers varies. On the old form of roads the sleepers are nine feet long ; on this form of road eight feet, which I think quite as safe. This is the case on the Lynn and Hunstanton. The sleepers are usually composed of Scotch fir, beech, and larch timber. I know no instance where the dead trees have been used. They are as good sleepers as can be had of that size. A rumour of that kind got circulated because a few years a go there was a gale of wind which blew a large number of trees off the estate now occupied by the Prince of Wales, s x . , and these were purchased by the contractor. I believe they were very good sleepers. By Mr. Ward—l com plained to the contractors respect ing the fences, of the ir inefficiency after they were put down, and after that the defects were remedied. I did not complain of the one rail fence, and had I seen the ditches dry, or had any idea that they woad be, I should not have allowed them. The gradients on this line are very good, There is no such a gradient even as 1 in 100 on this line. It is not usual to connect gradient 4 by a piece of straight, but it is so on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway, So far as I can judge of the line, I should say there has been no heard that M r . H ammond had alteration since the ra ils were put down. By Mr. Edwards —There can be no g reater proof of the strength of the perma nent way than that th e rails have not been destroyed. The L y nn and Hul,stanton Company are an independent comp an y . complained By the C otri till the e — never inquiry. Some ball ast h ad been laid on the line. John Thompson—l live at South 11 - ootton. lam shep herd to Mr. Hammon d, who ha s a considerable quantity of land near the railway . A g oo d deal is on the Marsh Com mon line. There ha ve never been fenc es i n my j u d gmen t , since they have been u p , sufficient to hand against, either sheep, bullocks, or horses. I never say horses, but I have bullocks and sheep , on the lin e. I hove seen them more than once. I first saw them l as t autemn' just after last Michaelmas. Two I s aw on at once in own. There was a little water in the ditches. I say th:bullocks walk right over the fence, and go back the sane way. This was not far from the Marsh lane crossing. By Captain Tyler —Tha t is about tw) miles from Lynn. By Cor one n r — 0 l eo sawr two, them again t few days after, but can't the t say e whetherl hay% seen Mr. Bloom field's on within the last month. I have put two off within ttwheicel.aslt have mon notth. se l en have put them cif myself more than the platelayers et this time. I never saw any horses on the line. I have seen as many as eight or ten sheep at once. They were lying ca the line. been very much used to cattl e . I n ev er knew cattle that gates were nit left open. I have w oB B u yl y d i‘ t i h ur e m. C Ep o d n o r wvo over rr e d r a — sn—y I fe l n e ce. I never smil3l oo mfield's cattle jump over. They walk over it. By the Coroner—One fence is a single rail, not an inch thick. The posts are two or three feet long. Some of them are four or five inches thick. They are not strong enough to stand against a bullock. By Mr. Edwards--I have seen them broken twice. I came here to speak the truth. By Mr. Haylock—l complained to the P the line, and I t o ld our mas t er a b ou t it. The men always go down the line every mor ning, and they have mended it. platelayers about By a Juror—l could pull the fences down from end to end. The following report, by Captain Tyler, the Govern ment Inspector from th e Board of Trade, who had been in structed officially to inspect the scene, and investigate the causes of the disaster, was read : " I have inspected, in the course of Saturday evening and also this themorning,carriages whichfences wereo n th and the 3d of August. I find that No. 51 is the third class . Car ferancunturset came into . riage, standing in the yard at Lynn, whicli in front of it, col lision with a first-class carriage immediately and that this carriage does not appear to have any decayed fractured in t n t Railway,acciden t o wood about it, though it is of weak construction. Its front and part of its left s id e were stove in, and manyof the seats were displaced and broken. No. 279, third-class carriage , which lies on its side at the site of the accident, was next behind it in the train, and contains some wood in an ad vanced state of decay at each end underthe bodY resting on the buffer planks. The statements differ as to which of these carriages contained the greatest number of passengers, but I have myself been more particularly struck with the condi tion of No. 51 carriage, an d the way in which that carriage was broke n up, with comparatively little injury to the stronger carriage in front of it with which it came in con tact. The experience of railway accidents has amply shown that the most perilous cases are constantly unattended with loss of life, when, either from the strength of the carriages or their position, the bodies of the carriages are not broken up ; and that, on th e ot h er hand, it is when the b o di es of carriges give way, that the loss of life and serious injuries are caused to the passengers riding in them. The poorer classes of passengers are more liable to suffer in such cases, for two reasons—first, because they ride in carriages of weaker construction ; and secondly, because these carriages ri g a re not well padded. It is true that carriage s are built r un upon the rails, and are not intended to colas into to will sion with one another ; but they may be called upon to re sist extraordinary strains at any moment; and When this test is brought to bear upon a train, the difference of strength in the carriages is frequently one of lite or death to the pas sengers who ride in them. It may be well to observe that the axles of No. 51 (the carriage which was first thrown off the line) are lower than those of the other carriages, and that this circumstance appears to have caused that carriage to leave the line. The engine and tender passed over the bullock with no other injury than the fracture of one of the feed-pipes and a bulge to the ash pan, and it remained be tween the wheels of the three first carriages as they passed on it. The two axles of the fourth carriage appear (from the marks on them) to have struck it one after the other, and it afterwards got outside of the rails to the west of the line, as is evident from the marks on the remaining car riages, The fencing at the sides of this line consists, in parts, of a post-and-rail fence, with four rails about three feet six inches high, and with a small ditch to prevent cattle from rubbing against it; in other parts, of a ditch from 5 feet 6 inches to 14 feet wide, from 3 feet to 5 feet 6 inches deep ; in some places dry, and in others containing water from a few inches to 3 feet deep. The ditch usually has a low rail on the inside of it, but in some places there is no rail, and in others there are two rails. The new fence which is being constructed by the company consists of seven wires, supported on iron strung posts and intermediate wood posts, and is an excellent one. The lowest part of the fence opposite Mr. Bloomfield's occupation appears to be 11 feet s:cle at the top by 3 feet deep, with a rail 91 inches high on the inside. Ihe sides of the ditch are not sufficiently clean and steep. The wire fence whiel the company are now put ting up on this part of the line will make it perfectly safe. The gate referred to by Mr. Royston as that one which he saw a cow jump is 3 feet 54 inches high in the lowest part, measured on the outside, and the cow jumped slightly up hill. As the cattle will jump such gates, it would be well either to have them higher or to place a bar over them, so as to give them a minimum height of 4 feet. I consider my self, and it appears to have been the opinion of those gentle. men who accompanied me, that a ditch 10 or 12 feet wide and 4 feet deep, with 2 feet water in it, with steep sides and in good condition, is a sufficient fence to keep out sheep and cattle. But when the ditch is dry and the sides in bad order one low rail on the inside is not sufficient protection. The ditches generally require cleaning out, and in many places where the water is low, or the banks low or sloping, some extra protection is required. The present appears to be a very dry season, and the fences may be considered to be even at their worst; and I think that, taking the above dimensions as the minimum of what a sufficient fence ought to be, it would be desirable to add a second rail on the inside of the ditches, or to afford other equally satis factory protection in all cases in which these dimensions are not reached. The quicks which were put in during the construction of the line are now nearly covered with grass and weeds, and should be properly cultivated. I observe that the gate fastenings require to be improved in some places, and it does not appear that padlocks have yet been supplied to the farmers, though chains and hooks have been placed upon most of the gates. It appears to be only since the water in the ditches had fallen or dried up that complaints have been made of cattle getting on the line ; and it is probable that if the ditches had been deepened when these complaints were made, enough water would have found its way into them to protect the line, and no accident would have occurred. It would be a wise precaution now to adopt that measure, and to place men in the meantime at various portions of the line as are not sufficiently protected during dark or after dark to prevent the possibility of cattle straying upon the line at such places." Mr. Pitcher said that Mr. Billing had been to the station and seen the carriage No. 51, which was not the ono in which the poor people were killed. Mr. Edwards by no means admitted that any person knew which was the carriage. Nobody knew till it was found out that No. 279 was slightly rotten. Mr. Pitcher —It was clearly in No. 279 that these unfor tunate people were killed. Mr. Charles Miller said—Mrs. Brown was lying under the carriage next to that in which I was, but she might have been thrown there. Capt. Tyler, by Mr. Edwards—There is no doubt that the seven-wire fence is a perfect fence. There are differences of opinion as to whether it is the best. It is dearest at first but the cheapest in the long run. No. 51 is a weak car riage. Such carriages as those of which the rest of the train is composed are such as are used generally. The wood in carriage No. 279 referred to is very rotten. Alan Henry Swatman—l am agent for Mr. Hamond. I have had communication with the solicitors for the line, Messrs. Partridge and Edwards ; the . engineer, Mr. Valentine, and the contractor, Mr. Simpson—the latter said this plan was off the line, and he had nothing to do with it. I visited the line in April or May, with a view to examine the state of the fences along the line. The longitudinal wood of the crossing was wholly deficient. The crossing at Marsh line was too near the gate and wing rails. I communicated the result to the engineer and con tractor, and nothing was done. I told the solicitors Mr. Hamond should not execute the conveyance until the terms of the agreement were complied with, and it never has been executed. Mr. Edwards then, with the permission of the coroner, made a lengthened address to the jury on behalf of the Great Eastern Railway, coneluding in the most earnest manner by expressing the sympathy which the Great Eastern Company, as well as himself, felt with the poor creatures; and he expressed the willingness of the company to afford all the relief which they possibly could. They came with tears in their eyes and gifts in their hands, and hoped he would not tarn them away. The Coroner then summed up the evidence, his remarks extending over more than half an hour, after which the jury retired to reconsider the verdict. The jury unhesitatingly found a verdict to the effect that the deceased were accidentally killed ; that the cause of the accident was a bullock straying on the Lynn and Hunstan ston Railway between Wootton and Gaywood ; that the bullock was able to get upon the line in consequence of the gross negligence of the Great Eastern Railway Company and their officers—first, by not putting the fence in that state which the public safety required ; secondly, by not putting the bullock off the line where the accident occurred ; thirdly, by the disgraceful state of the carriages which were used for the conveyance of those unfortunate persons who were killed. The jury also found that the Government in spector was deserving of censure in having passed a line which was so inadequately fenced, The inquiry on the body of John Dennis, shipowner, was resumed at the Town Hall at 10 o'clock, and adjourned till Wednesday at 10 o'clock. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—The Federal debt is a genuine American article. Its growth is like that of our most recent importations from that land of high magnitudes, the IVellingtonia gigas. The stem of this tree is vouched to become in course of time 450 feet high, and so far there is every indication that the pro mise is no idle boast. It is as straight as a church spire, and the foliage, consisting of straight lines with the slightest possible curve, makes a perfect cone. The wood is so spongy as to be useless; not a hand-box could be made out of a whole tree ; and the bark is worth about as much as the skin of a crocodile. When the tree has attained its full height, and is only stopped growing by the winds or the clouds, it falls at last, and, if the inside is allowed to rot, in a few centuries you will have a capital bowling-alley. We will not be so hard on the Federals as to put one final liquidation of their huge debt at that value. Nobody knows what may turn up, but it is impossible to prevent the intru sion of a few odd thoughts as one runs over Mr. Chase's financial speculations and achievements. To think of such a man having his full swing in America, after not yet two years and a half, and such a debt really inspiring no sense of distrust or discomfort in a nation which, till the other day, owed nothing but to hate one another and the rest of the world ! They aro now as proud of their na tional debt as the man who boasted that having commenced business without a farthing he had suc ceeded, after only two years, in owing half a mil lion dollars. But with a debt which would crush any State in the Old World except England, and perhaps France, Mr. Chase still exhibits all the dis tinctive features of a splendid, increasing, and per manent prosperity. He has a large stock of bullion, e tors in so large as to keep in hand all thes faster gold. Should they venture to buy gold than he wishes, he can immediately buy u p millions of paper, and make trancipplaewteertheir purchase in a dear market. and inconvertible "greenbacks," tos to issue p a p er , it is almost needless to stat e in an ext en t w hi c h really means an infinite figures, because it power. a surplus —yes, a go ld en He has also sur of more than 20,000,000 dollars betwee n th e ac t ua l t; provi ng th a t the debt and the estim a t e d d eb de mands of the War have b and have be en even been more than provided for, e h xuggerated by the cautious financier. Gladstone, hide your diminished head ; even you would hardlyd have don e as muc h. We, indeed, can d o a good spent a hund re d millionseal in this country. We yet could sh ow a surplus. We can reconstruct our navy and ordnance, and y e t s h ow a sur plus. We can spend s evera l a millions a year on fortifications, and yet s h ow a large surplus. We can increase almost every item of our e x p e nditure, and yet re duce taxation, The Conservative spies, indeed, sometimes raise an alarm, andproclaim th surplus a mere cooking. of the arm, accounts to make things plea saw( for the House of Commons. So we must not repudiate our American cousins and their clever Ways without a thought of ourselves. No doubt, there is a strong family likeness. But children have been occasionally bad likenesses of their fathers, and worse imitators. We see in Mr. Chase's injurious bits of prosperity and confidence only tne customary devices of habitual insolvents. A nobleman who owed a million and a half always managed, even at the most usurious interest, to have twenty £l,OOO notes in his secretaire. Others, in the like case, have taken care to keep a balance at their banker's what ever that balance might represent. This is but the cork jacket which a man keeps within reach when a shipwreck is imminent. Mr. Chase's real power is not in his bullion, nor yet in his surplus of esti mate over expenditure, but in his credit,—that vast, illimitable credit reposed in him by the Congress, by the army, by the contractors, and the whole Ameri can people. There never was such a credit. It is a power to issue any amount of paper, some bearing interest, some not. It is also a power to pay no debts, to keep the soldier without his pay, till he disappears, and to give the contractors Certfi cates of Indebtedness. As to the soldier, the policy is sound, for as soon as he gets his pay he deserts. Ho is fa;,tbful, because unpaid. Much the same may be said of the contractors. ,: They get promises, which they 0 n se money upon. Meanwhile it is not the 11. or raise cf the . contractors to weaken Government or dest,,,7 ts credit. Much leas is it their policy to quarrel vs,::'h Government. They have opened large factories; they have built and bought largely; they have entered into engagements; they are in the same case as ths, Government and their cause. To stop is to be ruined. They must go on or fall. There is no such thing as standing still in their case. You might as well attempt to stand still in the n.id traffic of Ludgate-hill. You must go either for wards or backwards. Indeed, it is questionable whether there is any retreat possible in the case under question. The Federal Government appears to feel that it must go on, and that an attempt to stop would be trying to stop a ship in a storm. True it is that you can often keep your footing more easily while in rapid movement than standing still or walking cautiously. If you try to steed on a sloping glacier, or walk across it, picking your steps, you may soon find yourself performing a terrible glissade. Your only way is to run e cross with your utmost speed, and that is the feat which the Federal Treasury is now attempting. It used to be thought that the want of money must stop the war at last. Some trifles were overlooked in this anticipation. The necessity of having to pay im mensely more than you can possiblypay at the end of an operation which you have the power of con • tinuing will always be a great inducement to con tinue it, however ruinous in its final results. An embarrassed merchant " keeps up the war," as the phrase is, as long as he can, and allows no mark of poverty to crop out. He keeps up his establishment, gives entertainments, and lives just as usual, be cause he knows that as soon as he makes an altera tion his creditors will flock in. But the stimulus to perseverance is more cogent and direct in America. With peace comes the settlement. Credit then must cease. The Secretary of the Treasury will no longer be empowered to raise " greenbacks," and put off contractors with bills. Then there will come the great question of questions, how is the interest of the debt ever to be raised ? By the time the war is ended, that interest, on the most favourable supposition, will be twenty millions sterling of our money, to be found, by hook or by crook, every year. It is in vain that we run over the items of our own revenue to find the answer to this question. Will American Excise, will Assessed Taxes and Stamps, will Income-Tax, will Succession Duties, will the Post-office, will even the Miscellaneous receipts, do much to meet this immense annual demand ? The only item that rromises at all is that on which the Americans have long leaned as their only resource, even in their palmiest days. That one resource is the customs. Even we in this sea-girt empire, without a mile of land frontier to be guarded, without a river to be watched, and with a population much larger than that of the Federal States, do not venture to raise more than about £20,000,000 a year on our customs. Neither the temper of the nation nor circumstances will permit larger receipts from this one source. But how are the Federals ever to raise the sum, when their northern and southern frontiers will each be thousands of miles ? Nor are the people in a state to consume foreign produce and manufac tures sufficient to produce such a revenue. But the truth appears to be admitted. The tariff does not work. In truth, Mr. Chase's Budget, besides being a war Budget, besides having only to do *ith various forms of extravagant borrowing and extra vagant expenditure, puts revenue out of the ques tion altogether. It is the grand balance-sheet of a speculator who knows his profits are not even worth recognition, and that the affair before him is a pitched battle between liabilities and assets. When a speculator is in this case he commonly fights as long as he has a leg to stand upon. He only staves off as long as he can the evil day, when he intends to draw his last £5OO from the bank, and put himself on board a Folkestone steamer. So when people ask how long the war will last, we can only answer, "As long as credit lasts ;" and that credit it is undoubtedly the interest of the wealthiest people and the most powerful classes to sustain as long as substitutes for the draughting cost, say, less than a thousand dollars. POST.—The inquiry into the circumstances which occasioned the recent accident on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway has resulted in showing what the large majority of similar investigations prove, namely, that by the exhibition of a very little care a sacrifice of human life might have been avoided. So long as railways exist, and carriages are whirled across the country at speeds varying between thirty and sixty miles an hour, so long we must expect to hear of accidents which entail destruction upon large numbers of those who adopt that mode of travelling. In the course of events occasional incidents are inevitable, and to their oc currence we must reconcile ourselves as best we can. When, however, a mishap occurs which might with ease have been guarded against and foreseen, we have a right to complain that those precautions were not taken which would have prevented its oc currence. Now, to this class of accidents w e think the recent catastrophe on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway is fairly referable. The mode by which some two or three - carriages of a train proceeding at an average speed were upset and five persons killed, though unusual, was not unparalleled ; and any person who was acquainted with the nature of the fences on the line near the spot where the accident happened might with tolerable certainty have pre dicted that it would have taken place. Many years since, when a Parliamentary committee was ap pointed to inquire and report upon the proposed scheme of employing steam as a locomotive agent, Robert Stephenson was asked what would be the result if a train, whilst in motion, came in collision with a cow which chanced to stray upon the line of rails. The great engineer is reported to have answered, " It would be a bad thing for the cow." The question and the reply are, however, importan t days s ea y i a n se d se i ii c nd a ce t eh i n tw g eai m t s h fi a ol a t r re b st e ee f e o n i e. that a A single h r eaai happenedl rsw back, a s c l k ai , d as d o o mf w eew n . where in the N or th o f E ng l and, a y train was overact in precisely the same manner as that on the Lynn Railway, and several lives lost. Unusual, there fore, though the r e c en t acc id en t i s , it i s not unex ampled, and the evidence which was given on the inquest places it beyond a doubt that, had anything approaching to a careful supervision of this state of the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway been main tained, the casualty which rendered that inq uest necessary would never have h a pp ene d. In this, however, as in so many previous instances, the rail way company and the public are wise after the event Into much of the e vid ence w hi c h was adduced' upon the ap inquest pearsto i t be i s not attributable to necessary to t he en ter. ra i w N a y o blame company so far as regards the management of the train to which this accident happened. The dis tanca betweenHunstanton and Lynn i s a b ou t fifteen miles, and on Monday evening, August 3, two trains were despatched from the former to the latter place ata d n ea in ti t h e a r t v i a e l h o w f t it w b e e n u t t y misap, minutes. h Thefirst reached its but thelatter hav ing come in • contact with a bullock which had strayed upon the line, s evera l o f th e carr iages were thrown off the rail and broken by the force of the collision, and five persons killed and many others severely injured. The verdict returned by the jury is extremely comprehensive,and well , deserves the attention both of the public and of the Legisla lature. It embraces four distinct conclusions. The railway company are convicted of gross negligence, first for not making their fences sufficiently high and strong to prevent cattle straying on the rail way from the adjoining pastures; and secondly, for not having in the late instance driven off the line the bullock which occasioned the accident. They are also blamed for the disgraceful condition of the carriages which received the greatest amount of injury when the collision took place; and finally, the Government inspectors are pronounced deserving of censure for having sanctioned with their approval a line of railway so inadequately fenced as that of the Great Eastern Company be tween Lynn and Hunstanton. In every particular of this verdict we entirely concur. HERALD.—The choice of Sir James Wilde as the successor of Sir Cresswell Cresswell will not at first be understood or appreciated by the public at large. There were no special reasons, perhaps, why the preference should have been accorded to him; and yet it is believed on all hands that his performance of the duties attaching to the Probate and Divorce Court will be satisfactory at once to the bar and to suitors. Extravagant reports have been current with regard to this particular judge ship. There was a talk—very irrational and y e t popular—about Chief Justice Erle receiving a peerage upon condition that he should descend the Judicial ladder and become the lictor of matrimoni a l life in Westminster Hall. This idea, we should say, had its origin in America, where a favourite novelist touchingly depicta an English peer of the realm, in a barrister's robes, retained for the defence of a prisoner upon an indictment for felony. well-informed r. Rang ingPhi- to an opposite extreme, our ormed con temporaries were " enabled to state" lirnwn was to mount the vacant bench; but it turns out that this early information w as only too good, and that a Baron of the Exchequer has bee° , , rn t e e r a Chief Judge in Ordinary of the Court of Prot e; and Divorce. We desire to believe thaa` th e se Ic tion has been made deliberately, after the f °3 consideration of the exceptional circulate:ll'e" ' a- Elected with this particular appointment, „md v feel no difficulty whatever iu regarding Sir J. 1"; 7! s Wilde as a man who would not have accepteel t is post had he not been thoroughly confident 0 f h ability to hold it with honour and conduct its dt ttii 3 with success. But the institution of a country 1 ° 1 : . the administration of justice being among the n delicate and important of all its establishments , Inn coming more frequently and closely into cons act with individual right, comfort, and Prosperity t ban the political constitution itself, and this new co urt being still an experiment, with extraordinary func tions and powers, the successor of Sir Cressy Tell ,•resswell will be watched by the public with a tical eye, and the responsibility of the position B e occupiea will not be diminished by the fact theta in the general estimation, the deceased judge left en arena i n w ei e j, many were qualified to debate, but scarcely one, excepting himself, to decide. And even' he, at the outset, ea , - I a mountain of prejudices and popular fears to climb, Tile Court of Probate and Di ba' vorce began its sittings; before the community wa altogether reconciled to the strange authority it pro fessed to wield. There were flo precedents ; there was no body of practice ; the casee heard were often re,. wilting, and always p a i n ful. ,Sir C. Cresswell, indeed, descended into the horrid depths of family discord, marital cruelty, feminine infidelity, the wranglings of relatives—all the vices', weaknesses , vulgarities, and domestic abominations, which, until then, had been hidden or only occasional .5' revealed by a costly process in the High Court of ;he Peers of Great Britain. He had to construe a law which. as Chief Justice Hale expressed it, " Hed not abidden the test of time ;" he had, in the language of the same jurist, " to employ a vast circumspec tion" in dealing with the petitions laid before him ; and how he triumphed over the perplexities, embar rassments, and intricate novelties of his situation the world already knows. In succeeding him, Sir James Wilde—who was often his colleague on the bench of the Divorce and Probate Court—inherits his experience, though not possibly the special and laborious acquisitions upon which it was founded. Every point in the career of Sir James Wilde as a lawyer and a judge is favourable to the chance of his successful presidency over . the new court at Westminster. But, certainly, few human responsibi lities could be greater. He is the ,iudge of families, of firesides, and of deathbeds. He breaks the bonds of the Church, when villany or immorality have polluted them ; he destroys by a decree all that con stitute a home ; he takes the son from his father, and the daughter from her mother; he annuls the con tract of marriage ; hepeers into the remotest secrets of domestic life—all its happiness, all its sorrow, all its eccentricities, and all the anguish suffered 'When it withers away. He—with the juries aiding hine- - interprets the last wills and testaments, and even the latest coherent utterances and thoughts of the dying. Such a judge, presiding over such a tribunal, should be a man utterly dispassionate, placid, of unwearied memory, of lucid and logical mind, of infinite tact and acumen, of quick and yet orderly intellect, and, above everything else, strictly faithful to the law he administers. All this was Sir Cress' well Cresswell. He made no effort to conceal the loathing with which he was inspired by Pr' Smethurst, the reputed poisoner of Richmond , and yet he rendered to that man ungrudging justice. We trust that, in course of time, th e same merit may be ascribed to his successor opt!, the Probate and Divorce Bench. But he himself must feel that the task is not an easy one--not whit the easier because juries in that court have tc : be so constantly c h ec k e d i n th e i r di s pl a y s either °' sympathy or of indi gna ti on . Th e y look upon childthe in a state of mora l orp h an h oo d, an d they for get what the decrees of the old consistory were, all,d are eager to give th e ver di c t o f 12 p a l a dins. in addition to this, legislation has not yet simplified e r reconciled all the jurisdictions which bear upon, marriage and will causes. O ur mo d ern ma trimonia l law has still in a great degree to be created, an d partly by the new Judge i n O r di nar y himself. Therefore, while welcoming Sir J as . Wilde heartily to his inheritance of great toils which may ere" him with brilliant honours, we have a right to ex press an anxious hope that the judicial machine* which has worked so well during the last five years may work with .equal success under the guida nce of a judge whose leading qualification, of course, must be that he comprehends, and is prepared to carry out, the system of his predecessor. COUNTRY MARKETS. GLOUCESTER—AUG. 8. The show of English wheat to-day was very good, but the sales were slow; and foreign wheat was in limited de mand, with prices the turn cheaper. In barley there waft no alteration. Oats dull. COLCHESTER—Aua. 8. There was a small supply of wheat to-day, and a fair proportion was this year's growth, prices of which vary from 46s to 525, condition and quality very fine. Spring corn very dull. Wheat, white ..46s 56s Beans, Mazagan ..30s 311 red 42s 52s middle & small.3ss 42s Barley —s —s Peas, white .. 40s 42s Oats - CHELMSFORD—Aua. 7 At this corn exc h ange t o-day there was a fair attend ance, and numerou s samp l es of new wheat were b ro ught to _ market, alth oug h th o p r i ces obtained were lower than thos e secured last week, 52s p er qr being about the highestfigur Old wheat as last q uo t e d. Spring corn at the prices o f last week. New dun p eas i s cheaper. Wheat, old white...3o s 62 s Yeas, Partridge-... 3713 409 new ..48s 52 6 W hite 39s 408 old red....36s 47 s B oiling 4os 43 0 new —s —s Dun 33s 369 Barley ..28s 36 s Di tto new —s —0 Chevalier .......28s 40s Beans, Tick, old 34s 39s Grinding .... 22s 31s new —s -s Malt.... 6ls 67s Harrow Ticks ..35s 40s Chevalier . 64s 69s new..—s —5 Oats 20s 28a Mazagan .. • ....30s 38a KIRKCALDY GRAIN—Ara 8. To-day we had very small supplies of barley and oats, but a good supply of wheat. Sales slow, at fully previous rates. Wheat. Barley. Oats. First....36s Od 25s 6d 24s Od Second ..40s Od 30s 6d 25s Od Third....—s Od —s Od —s Od COAL A Prices of Coal per Ton al :ARKET. the clone of the market. s. d. Buddle'sWest Hartley 17 0 Carway and Duffryn Malting . 12 0 Walker Primrose 12 9 Tanfield Moor 13 0 Tanfield Moor Butes 13 0 Davison's West Hart- 6 . d. ley 17 0 Lambert's West Hart- _ — le y--- ._ ...._ _ _ 16 9 Holywell 17 0 Wylam 17 0 Eden Main 16 0 West Hartley 17 0 Walls End. Hetton ......1 8 0 Braddyll's Hetton 17 6 0 Hartlepool.. l7 South H ar tlepool 16 6 East Hartlepool 17 9 Trimdon Hartlepool 17 6 S o uth Kelloe . 17 0 Belmont 16 3 Russer s Hetton 17 0 Haswell lB 0 Kelloe South Hetton ...18 Framwellgate.. l6 6 Tunstall .. l5 9 Heugh Hall 17 0 Caradoc l7 0 Walla End. Cassop ........ 17 4 Ships at market, 121; sold, 102. Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur chasing Horniman's pure Tea; very choice at 3s. 4d. and 4s. "High Standard" at 48. 4d. (formerly 4s. Bd.), is the strongest and most delicious imported. Agents in every town supply it in packets. The electric light is now produced by the latent but im mense force of the magnet, precisely simil ar to that employed in Herring's magnetic bushes. Dr. Hassell says, "I re gard them as the most perfect brushes hitherto made, as respects their mechanical construction and their magnetical action." They are the rem ed y for grey hair, neuralgia, rheumatism, &c. N.B.—Counterfeits are being made. Offices, 32, Basinghall-street, London. Births. BOMPAS.—On the 9thas inEsqst., at of a 15, Stanley-garden s , th e wife E ~ son. of G. Ca.trihe 9th Bo inst.. at the Parade, Ed mon t on, t h e wife of Fred. Booke r, Es q ., of a son. , S AUNDE RS.—On the B th inst., Mrs Saunders, 25, Hanway street,eli of a son. WARD. —O' the Bth inst., at Blackheath-park, Mrs.Wardf of a son. Marriages. GORDON—PEEL.—On the Bth inst., at St. Paul's, Knights bridge, Lieut.-Col. George Grant Gordon, Scots Fusilier Guards, eldest son of the late Lord Francis Gordon, to Constance Augusta Lennox, daughter of Laurance Peel, Esq., and of the late Lady Jane Peel. POTTER—LEECH. —On the Bth inst. at Gee Cross Chapel , Rupert Potter, Es q ., o f Li nc oln'sinn, second son of E. Potter, Esq., M.P.,to Helen, youngest daughter of th e late John Leech, sq., of Palace-gardens, Kensington. Deaths. BRADFORD.—On the 6th inst ., at the Vicarage, Gi n L e ß a A r itT._o Exeter,n th the eBth in Rev. Joh s n t.,j Bradford, ameslsr aged 65. P.R.S., of Brampton-crescent, aged 69. HURDLE. --On the 9th inst., at Porchester, Sarah, wife of Major Hurdle, and mother of Major-Several Hurdle, C. 8., aged 90. PHILLIPS.--On the Bth inst., at Chelsea, Charles Henry Ph illips, Esq., Surgeon to H.AL's Household, aged 76. TALBOT.—On the 6th inst., the Hon. Sat_neallbitottlie a bala: Talbot, sec on d son of James, third Lord .i: hide, aged 53. WALKER.—On Scarborough, Hy. Turner, TURNER.—On the 9th inst., a t . aged 79. Upper eorge-street, Commander Charles Henry Walker, B ryanston- square, 1.N., aged 38. R o f . _ H o n ran thecas t 9th ins t ., ir 3 cl 9 , , 4 the 112, o P in r i c n t t e o r i , s al t eTiiE Savoy, SUN O t h ifi e e e No. County. l 1 0 2 t, London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDREWS No In l o S i f t i r d . e August 11, 1863.