The Press.
London, England, 1857-04-11 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

APRIL 11, 1857.

have landed at Macao ; but he declined to do so. He got back
to Hong Kong as quickly as possible, and made a voluntary statement
to the authorities. When a chest in his house was broken open 1,200
dollars were found in it by Mr. MAY, the superintendent of police ;
and the extent of his dealings and payments immediately previous to
his leaving fur Macao clearly indicated that he meant to carry on his
business as usual at Hong Kong. The proof of his innocence seems
conclusive, and so far the case may be dismissed. But there are two
circumstances in connection with it which call for remark. The first
is the barbarous and inhuman treatment of the prisoners. On their
apprehension, they were, forty-two in number, thrust into a cell about
fifteen feet square. The air-hole was a mere slit in the wall, and the
galls and floor of the dungeon were (lamp. In this horrible place
they were confined for twenty days, being compelled to perform in it the
requirements of nature, with scarcely sufficient space to lie down, with
no bedding, or change of clothing. Those who have visited this black-
hole descril.e the stench exhaling from it as terrible. The wonder is,
that the prisoners survived their cruel sufferings. The second point
is, the animus displayed by the Attorney-General, Mr. CHISHOLM
ANSTEY, on the trial. He endeavoured, if the account in the China Mail
reports him correctly, to terrify the jury into returning a verdict of
" Guilty," by declaring that, if the prisoners escaped, the lives of all
the British residents in Hong Kong would be imperilled. He
demanded that an example should bo made to strike terror into the
hearts of the Chinese, and insisted on the expediency of hanging the
prisoners, that no similar attempt might be made in future. Such
considerations were foreign to the ends of justice. The only point to
be determined was the guilt or innocence of, the prisoner; and Mr.
CHISHOLM ANSTEY by his intemperate harangue, and by his call for an
" example,' seems to have excited scarcely less disgust among the
British community than was felt at the barbarous treatment to which
the prisoners were subjected. After their acquittal, they were detained,
and recommitted to prison. We hope that our Premier, when next he
denounces the proceedings of that " insolent barbarian," Commissioner
YEFh will not omit to express his disapproval of the confinement of
forty-two Chinese prisoners in " the Black Hole of Hong Kong." YEH
himself could scarcely have done worse.

The Hon. and Rev. Mr. PELHAM, the rector of Marylebone, and
brother of Lord CHICHESTER, is it is announced, to be the new Bishop
of Norwich. Many persons did not believe the report when it was first
promulgated. They thought it unlikely that Lord PALMERSTON would
fill up an ecclesiastical dignity several weeks before it could be legally
vacated. A bill must be introduced into the Legislature, and be
carried through all its forms, before Dr. HINDS can vacate his see, or
his successor be appointed. A still stronger ground for incredulity
was the character of the appointment. It was thought impossible that
Lord PALMERSTON should have so completely surrendered himself into
the hands of a panicular party in the Church. It is now,
however, clear that he has done so: that the compact has been signed,
sealed, and delivered ; that the Premier is to continue the part of
" the man of God," and play out to the end his new role of political
Tartuffe. The unseemly haste with which the choice has been made,
and the triumph with which it is announced, looks very like a delibe-
rate attempt to produce a schism in the Church. The great body of
Churchmen will never consent to have the Prayer-book nullified,
which seems to be the aim of the extreme Evangelical party. As a
compensation for this danger, the divines selected by Lord PALMERS-
TON are chiefly remarkable for their poverty of learn;ng, their political
partisanship, and their patrician connections. It has been well
remarked that the Premier seems determined that the names of his
prelates, if not found in the book of life, shall, at least, be found in
the book of the peerage. An old divine, seeing inscribed on the
sepulchre of a peer, the words, " Ultima domus," wrote with his
pencil :

Did he who thus inscribed this wall
Not read or not believe St. Paul,
Who says there is, where'er it stands,
Anothei house not built with hands ?
Or shall we gather from his words,
That house is not a House of Lords?
Had the writer lived. in these days he would not have ventured the
doubt on the connexion between the two houses which his
lines express. Even supposing Lord PALMERSTON'S prelates to
be the reverse of what they are usually thought, supposing
their lights are hid under a bushel, and that they are really men of
genius, learning and profound thought; and, supposing, moreover,
that extreme opinions are a legitimate recommendation as evidence
of great earnestness, we then repeat that this description
of earnestness must be sought on every side alike, and
the Episcop.tl Bench be made fairly to represent the opinions
which prevail in the Church itself. If this be not done, then it is evident
that the plea is merely a pretext, and that the real object is to insure
the ascendancy of a particular party in the Church, and to secure
votes in the House of Lords by promoting to the Episcopacy the most
dangerous of all characters—men who to violent opinions unite
only moderato abilities, little sagacity, and a slender stock of infor-
mation.

The Board of Admiralty possess a certain and unenviable reputation,
which the chapter of accidents never helps but on the wrong side. Troops
are just now wanted for China and the colonies. The Admiralty, with
commendable haste, fit out troop-ships. The first leaks like a sieve ;
officers write to the Times, predicting a melancholy fate to the passen-
gers, and the foundering of the ship in the first gale of wind. A second
is fitted out, and sent down channel, with a similar result. In both
cases the ships return, are docked, undergo extensive repairs, and at
length, once more declared seaworthy, are finally sent on their
way. Ac last a third troop-ship is ordered to be prepared for

361

China. There is luck in odd numbers, if there is any truth in popular
superstitions ; but even popular superstitions, when applied to the
Board of Admiralty, prove false and inefficacious. This troop-ship had
once leaked, but she will leak no more ; she had once broken down--
Lord GRANVILLE remembers the occasion—but she is guaranteed never
to do so again. She puts to sea, gets into a fog off the Needles, and
drops her anchor for the night in five fathoms. The officers of the
watch forget that their ship lies at single anchor in a tideway ; they
neglect to keep her clear of her anchor, and, of course, at turn of tide
she swings foul, knocks a hole in her forefoot, and is taken into Ports-
mouth harbour next morning with nine feet water in the hold. Official
writers—and the Admiralty in this case, we must admit, are doar from
blame—console us with the absurd reflection, that if the accident had
happened at sea, how much more horrible would have been the result
with eight hundred men on board, and not boats for a fourth part of
them. Such an accident never could have occurred at sea ; and it is a
piece of unpardonable neglect in some quarter that it should have
happened at all.

The crowded state of the great metropolitan thoroughfares has long
demanded a remedy. They are rapidly becoming choked up with
traffic, and threaten soon to become impassable for vehicles except at
a foot-pace. The consequent inconvenience need not be dwelt
on. Every one must have experienced it who reckons that, by
getting into cab or omnibus, he will be "just in time " to
reach a particular railway-station. Our eyes, ears, and limbs
are alike annoyed and endangered by the present condition of the
streets. Who shall first devise a practicable remedy for this
great and growing inconvenience will deserve the title of a public
benefactor. Mr. RIMMELL, a civil engineer, has forwarded us a plan
for the introduction of street railways, to be propelled on the atmo-
spheric principle. His design is to erect the rails upon cast-iron
columns and girders, at an elevation of fourteen feet above the level of
the footway. The line of road would be so contrived as to form a
circuit, connecting the principal railway-stations, and passing through
the main thoroughfares, by which means only one line of rails would
be required. By this plan all chances of collision would be avoided,
and trains might be kept continually moving. Mr. RtMMELL does not
overlook one objection which may be urged to his plan. It is, that
his line would be brought nearly on a level with the first-floor
windows of houses. His idea is, that this would simply lead to
the employment of first floors i as show-rooms, and that
thus tradesmen would be rather gainers than otherwise.
Mr. RIMMELL suggests the New-road as a favourable locality for
a model line in the first instance, to connect the stations of the Great
Western, London and Birmingham, and Great Northern Railways. It
is for the benefit of the public, we think, that the scheme should be
tried somewhere. We cannot go on much longer with the streets in
their present state, and we are bound, therefore, to pay attention to
any inventor who comes forward with any feasible scheme of improve-
ment. It is but justice to Mr. RIMMELL to say that all the details of
his scheme appear to have been carefully considered, and that he
supplies a strong presumption that the lines he proposes would be
eminently remunerative, could they he brought into operation.

The Report of Dr. LETHEBY, read before the City Commissioners
of Sewers on Tuesday last, is one of those revelations of the horrors
by which we are surrounded, which from time to time startle us out of
our apathy, and arouse even the sluggish emotions of acclimatised
citizens. The subject of the present report is unhappily no novelty,
though, for all that seems to have been done in the way of remedy, it
might well appear one. The shameful and shameless condition of the
lodging-l►ouses of the London poor is still a standing reproach to an
enlightened and philanthropic generation.

The Order in Council prohibiting the importation of cattle and
hides from the Baltic ports, is a necessary and, as far as it goes, an
excellent measure to prevent the importation into these islands of the
murrain now raging among the cattle on the Continent. But, unfor-
tunately for us, the Order in Council only meets the evil at one extre-
mity. The murrain, by the latest accounts, is raging in the low
marshes cf the Elbe ; upwards of 80 per cent. there of the cattle are
reported to be affected ; while it is notorious that throughout the
whole Duchy of Holstein the murrain has spread and is extending.
It is front these very ports of the Elbe, the Eider and Weser, that the
exportation of cattle is greatest; and yet the st-m considered in the
wisdom of Government most efficacious as a preventive measure is to
prohibit the importation from ports in the Baltic whence cattle sel-
dom come, and to permit importation from ports in the German Ocean
whence cattle always come. We trust the authorities will amend their
decision, and at once include the German Ocean ports in the prohi-
bitive order.

Mr. THACKERAY, who was entertained last week at a public dinner
at Edinburgh, took advantage of the opportunity to reply to the charge
that he enjoyed, with malicious pleasure, exposing the vices of deceased
monarchs. Mr. THACKERAY grounded his defence principally upon the
fact that he had invariably lauded her Majesty the Queen. Reigning
Sovereigns have seldom wanted similar tributes of admiration. Mr.
THACKERAY must be well aware that Queen ANNE was endowed

with all
The royal virtues as with crown and ball ;

and that GEORGE the FIRST was the " Caesar" of cotemporary writers.
We doubt whether it would be quite safe for any lecturer of the
present day to speak otherwise than respectfully of her Majesty the
Queen. and Mr THACKERAY can hardly therefore expect that his
laudation will be received as conclusive evidence of either generous
feeling or devoted loyalty.

A