The Press.
London, England, 1855-10-27 00:00:00

YOTE OF THANKS TO MAJOR-GENERAL

WINDHAM.
AT the Norfolk Quarter Session, last Friday, the
magistrates of the county took the opportunity of
passing a resolution expressive of their admiration of
the "gallantry, courage, constancy, self-devotion,
and self-possession" which Major-General Windham
displayed upon the memorable assault on the Bth
Sept. The Earl of ALBERMARLE, in seconding the
resolution, traced the services of the gallant general
through the campaign :
One feature, observed the noble lord, in General Wind-
ham's conduct on the memorable Bth of September ought
not to be passed over. If one defect more than another
had been apparent in the conduct of the war, it was not
a want of physical, but of moral courage—that courage
which induced a man not merely to risk his life when the
exigencies of the service required that he should do so ;
but that which was dearer to him than life—his reputa-
tion. Windham performed the duties of a general officer
at the commencement of the assault on the Redau; he
ended by being his own aide-de-camp, and when he wanted
supports went for them himself. It was true that he took
the only means open to him for saving his fair fame by ob-
serving to a brother officer, " You will say, if I am killed,
why I left the Redan ; " but the chances were ten to one
against either of them surviving, and, if they had fallen,
and the body of Windham had been found in the neigh-
bourhood of the fifth parallel, might it not have been said
that his courage had failed him at the moment he wanted
it most? It was impossible to catch General Windham
in the wrong. He always had his wits about him, carry-
ing them with him wherever he went.
The resolution was agreed to unanimously, and
steps ordered to be taken to transmit a minute em-
bodying the resolution to the gallant general.

THE NEW LAW ON BILLS OF EXCHANGE took effect
on Thursday last. The act has a retrospective opera-
tion on such securities as have become due within
six months. It is enacted that from and after the
24th October, all actions commenced, within six
months after the same shall have become due and
payable, may be by writ of summons, in the form
annexed to the act. On filing an affidavit of personal
service, or by proceeding in the mode pointed out
by the Common Law Procedure Act, a plaintiff may
proceed to final judgment for debt and costs with
interest. Within a period of twelve days defendant
can apply to a judge at chambers for leave to appear,
and leave can be granted on showing merits, on
such terms as may be imposed. A judge may order
a hill to be placed in the hands of an officer of the
court. The expense of noting a dishonoured bill,
and other expenses, can be recovered. One sum-
mons may be issued against all parties to a bill. The
act is to apply to the Courts of Common Pleas of Lan-
caster and Durham ; and her Majesty may, by an
order in council, direct the act to apply to all courts
of record in England. The act is not to apply to
Ireland or Scotland, and is to be cited as " The Sum-
mary Procedure on Bills of Exchange Act." The
object of the new law is to prevent vexatious or
frivolous defences to actions.

MR. FEARGUS O'CONNOR'S LAND SCHEME was wound
op last week at Sheffield before the Commissioner
appointed by the Master in Chancery. The object
the Master in Chancery has in view is to ascertain
how to apportion the surplus assets of the company
equitably amongst all the accredited claimants.
From the company's accounts it appears that about
90,0001. is the whole amount which was subscribed,
by about 70,000 persons. On the average, above
one-third of the claimants have reappeared, and
about two-thirds of the amount subscribed has been
claimed.—Leeds Mercury.
THE BELFAST PEOPLE are about to give a dinner
to Lord Carlisle upon his visit to the north of Ireland
next week, but the arrangements of the committee
appointed to superintend affairs appear to have pro-
duced a considerable sensation. The question as to
whether the health of the French Emperor be pro-
posed or not was at one time negatived in debate, on
the plea of his antecedents, and the toast struck off
the list. The dispute raged high, but after two days'
fighting a concession was made by the majority, and
the toast permitted.
A CANAL ACROSS THE ISTHMUS OF DARIEN has been
again projected, and the plan brought under the
notice of the United States Government by a com-
pany at New York. The late discovery of Colonel
Totten that the waters of the Pacific and the
Atlantic are exactly level at half-tide, and that the
hitherto supposed difference of 3.52 feet in their
mean heights does not in reality exist, has instigated
a company at New York to press the matter seriously
upon the attention of the United States Government.
The cost is estimated at 147,000,000 dollars.

1015

THE GOVERNMENT RECRUITING AGENTS.
THE recruiting agents of the Government seem to
be at a discount in all parts of the world. Cologne
and Philadelphia have especially marked these un-
fortunate men for judicial vengeance. At Cologne,
this week, we read that the consul, Mr. Curtis, and
two of his agents, had been each tined fifty dollars
and sentenced to three months' imprisonment ;
while in Philadelphia a protracted trial of two agents
had at length terminated in the acquittal of one and
the conviction of the other. In his charge to the
jury the judge animadverted in severe terms upon
the gross violation of neutrality which had been
connived at by " high functionaries of the British
Government "

The case (said the learned judge) has involved, in its
progress, a train of facts of very considerable political in-
terest—perhaps of more general interest in that aspect of
it than in its hearing on the questions which are to be de-
cided by your verdict, There are very few among us—
probably none—who have not felt aggrieved at the tone
with which the press of foreign countries, and occasionally
of foreign statesmen of the day, have commented upon
what they have been pleased to call the over-alacrity of the
American people to engagejin military controversies in
which they properly had nu rightful part. Our people and
our Government have been accused of forgetting the
obligations of neutrality, and of pushing ourselves forward
into the conflicts of foreign nations, and not leaving belli-
gerents to tight out their own quarrels. For one, I con-
fess that I felt surprised, as this case advanced, to learn
that, during the very time that these accusations were ful-
minated against the American people by the press of
England, there was, on the part of eminent British func-
tionaries here, a series of arrangements in progress, care-
fully digested and combining all sorts of people, under
almost all sorts of influences, to evade the laws of the
United States, by which our country sought to enforce its
neutrality—arrangements matured, upon a careful inspec-
tion of the different sections of our statutes, ingeniously to
violate their spirit and principle without incurring their
penalty, and thus enlist and send away soldiers from our
neutral shores to tight the battles of those who were incon-
tinently and not over-courteously admonishing us to fulfil
the duties of neutrality.
The prisoner, Charles Hertz, bad not been sen-
tenced, but the penalty by law was a fine of 1,04)0
dollars and imprisonment not exceeding three years.

SIR WATKYN WYNN AND SIR FITZROY KELLY are
engaged at Berlin examining into the exact state of
relations between Denmark and I'russia and America
with regard to the dispute on the Sound dues, which
it is said have been sold by the Danish Government
to an English banking-house.
SIR JOHN BICKERTON WILLIAMS, F.S.A., died on
Sunday last at the Hall, Wem, Shropshire. Sir John
VMS only son of the late Mr. William Williams, by
the second daughter and co-heir of Mr. John Bicker-
ton, of Sandford•hall, Salop (the representative of
the Bickertons of Cheshire), and was born 1702.
He was formerly in the legal profession at Shrews-
bury, from which, however, he had long since retired,
and served the office of mayor of Shrewsbury, and
also was aldet man of that corporation until he re-
moved to Wem. Sir John was one of the most
learned and earnest of our antiquaries. He received
the degree of LL.D. from Middlebury University,
Vermont (America), and was elected a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries in 1824. He was the author
of the life of his celebrated collateral ancestor, the
Rev. Matthew Henry (the commentator), and of his
sister, Mrs. Savage ; also of the life of Sir Matthew
Hale, and of W. H. Lacon. The deceased gentle-
man was knighted in 1837, at the request of his late
Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, immediately
after her Majesty's accession to the throne.
THE report of the committee appointed to investi-
gate the causes of the outbreak of cholera last year in
Berwick-street and Golden square, among numerous
secondary causes, affirm that the use of the impure
water of the well in Broad-street may be considered
as a primary cause.
THE subscription at Turin for the Piedmontese
army in the Crimea, in spite of the most strenuous
exertions of the Roman Catholic clergy, continues to
augment. Upwards of 60,(X$) francs has already
been subscribed.

STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AMERICA iS on the
increase. Four steamers for New York have lately
left Southampton in one fortnight. The passenger
traffic between England and the United States by
steamers is now immense. In January next there
will he a steam•packet communication three times a
fortnight between Liverpool and America ; and this,
added to the communication to and from Southamp-
ton, will make a communication between England
and the United States by means of monster
steamers nearly three times every week. A new
mail•steamer, called the Fulton, will soon commence
running between New York and Southampton.
A MONSTER LAsp, weighing 214 lbs., and measuring
two feet seven inches in length, was taken out of the
large pond at Longleate, the seat of the Marquis of
Bath, whilst letting off the water last week.

I

THE WAR.

Admiral Lyons' despatches relative to the opera-
tions of the fleet under his command have not yet
arrived.

The capture of Kinbnm on the 17th was suc-
ceeded by the blowing up of the fortress of Otchakoff
by the Russians themselves on the 18th, and from
that date up to the 22nd nothing further had oc-
enrred. The entrance to the Beg had been examined
by the gun-boats, and preparations were no doubt
being made for further operations either against
Nicolaieff or Kherson. From the Crimea there has
been but little news during the week. The allied
forces at Eupatoria on the 22nd had advanced in
force as far as Toulat, and had taken up a position on
the road to Perekop. The light brigade of English
cavalry had been sent to Eupatoria. Before Sebas-
topol nothing of consequence had occurred. The
French were steadily pushing on towards Baktchi-
Serai, and reports from Marseilles stated that the
Russians were retiring from the north forts, but
the Marseilles telegraphs are not always trust-
worthy. The Emperor of Russia, according to tele-
graphic despatches from Berlin of the 25th, had left
Nicolaieff on his return to St. Petersburg. It was
believed that he would not visit Odessa.