The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

of us all is the endeavour to impart more safe and sound
principles upon the subject of the people's investments and
upon the subject of benefit clubs. It is a subject in which,
of course, the labourer is particularly concerned. Upon
the good or bad selection of benefit clubs depends his weal
or woe ; and it is not merely the labourer's, but the
farmer's and the 'ratepayer's question. Mr. Tidd Pratt
stated at the anniversary of a benefit club at which he was
present that from documents which, as Uovernment Re-
gistrar, he had in his possession, he believed benefit clubs
saved the poor-rates '2,000,0001. a year, but even that enor-
mous deduction from the rates is perfectly insignificant if
compared with what would be produced by a perfectly
scientific principle introduced and circulated among the
labouring classes of this country. Mr. Neison, the most
distinguished actuary, upon this subject has stated—and
his statement is backed by such authorities that a careful
perusal of his works would leave no doubt upon your
minds—that nearly the whole of the poverty which fills
our workhouse with our labouring population, would be
prevented if a proper system of benefit clubs were
introduced.
The noble lord defended the position he had assumed
with respect to the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows
Society. He considered that society to embrace the
most objectionable principles of all the worst benefit
clubs in the country. He held in his hand letters
from eminent authorities on the subject, whose
opinion was entirely in his favour so far as regarded
the inadequacy of the Manchester society's rates;
that very morning he had received three letters from
distinguished actuaries. These letters he should
place in the hands of the provincial press. They all
approved one point which he had stated, viz., that
the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows cannot fulfil
its obligations at its present rate of contributions :
One of these letters is in my hand, but I am not going
to inflict you with more than five words upon the subject,
merely to show the result of calculations which will be very
evident to you all, as to the insufficiency of the rates of
contributions of this society. There are certain benefits
proposed by the society. Those benefits, as you are
all probably imam, are 108. per week during sickness, 101.
for the funeral expenses of a man, and 51. for the funeral
expenses of his wife. The Manchester Unity undertakes
to provide those allowances for an annual contribution of
11. 7s. Id., but according to scientific tables, deduced
from data furnished by the Manchester Unity itself, the
charges are 11. 18s.; and therefore every member of the
Manchester Unity subscribes 10s. Ild. short of the obliga-
tions. There is not a man here who is not sufficiently ac-
quainted with business to know that such a society cannct
go on without a certain reform. I hope that the society is
not in an irretrievable position ; but I feel confident that
the discussion which I have produced by the appearance
of my remarks in the metropolitan and provincial press,
will produce beneficial results to the poor man.

M. Kosstru, on 'the occasion of the last of his
series of three lectures at the Free-trade Hall, Man•
chester, on Saturday evening, observed that he de-
sired to correct a misconception of his views as
regarded British foreign policy :
He was an advocate of the principle of non-intervention.
It had never occurred to his heart to expect or to desire
that Great Britain should fight the battles of freedom on
the Continent—that it should take upon itself to act the
part of the knight•errant for European liberty. What he
wished was to see the great principle of non-intervention
protected by such great powers as the British empire. He
had drawn his opinion with regard to the foreign policy of
Great Britain f-om the experience recorded in the brightest
page of the history of that policy.
He referred to the time of Canning, who professed
these principles :

That every nation had the exclusive right to select its
own form or government, and to regulate its own domestic
affairs ; that no foreign power on earth was entitled to
interfere with that right, or to control it; and that Great
Britain, desiring to see this right respected in regard to
the weak as in regard to the strong, was equally prepared
to recognise republics as to recognise monarchs. To fight
the battles of their freedom was the business of the
nations themselves. and the issue likewise was theirs ; but
he desired to see England acting on the principle of non-
intervention, as in the time of Canning; and the more so,
because this view was in British history tested by prac-
tical experience. In the case of the emancipation of the
Spanish American colonies, and in that of Portugal,
Canning declared to France, then the executioner of the
Holy Alliance, that if she interfered against liberty, then
England would interfere for nonintervention. And did
this declaration in either case involve England in a war?
On the contrary, war was prevented ; the uplifted arm of
the united despotisms of Europe went down before Can-
ning's words, and the sacred principle of non-intervention.
The subject of his lecture on this occasion was
the Austrian Concordat, which, so for as he knew,
was the first instance in history when a temporal
sovereign was seen submitting to, even courting,
such an infliction, without the shadow of any com-
pulsion or any plausible pretext. Having described
the provisions of the Concordat, M. Kossuth said ho
now came to the inquiry how it was that the present
Emperor of Austria had now voluntarily abdicated
his power in favour of the Pope, and in favour of
such a I'ope as Pio IX., whom history had proved to
be r wiling better than an untuned harp in the hands
of malignity :
The strange fact was very easily explained, for we had
but to remember the secret treaty of Verona, dated 22nd
of Noveitioer, 1822, concluded between the Russian Czar,

1111

the Catholic Emperor of Austria. the Catholic King of
France, and the Protestant King of Prussia, from which
treaty he begged to quote the third article• It was as
follows:

Convinced that the principles of religion contribute most
powerfuly to maintain nations in that state of passive obedience
which they owe to their princes, the high contracting parties
declare that it is their intention to sustain in their respective
dominions such measures as the clergy may Adopt for the
strengthening of their interests, intimately associated, as these
are, with the authority of princes. The high contracting parties
offer, in addition, their common thanks to the Pope for all that
he has already done for them, and for his continued cooperation
with their views to effect the submission of nations.

It was nothing less than a conspiracy between priest•
craft and kingcraft for the subjugation of the nations. In
the other article of the same treaty the contracting parties
pledged themselves to each other to exert all their efforts
to annihilate representative Government wherever it may
exist, and to adopt all measures proper for the suppres-
sion of the liberty of the press throughout Europe, as well
as in their own dominions.

After dwelling upon the effects of the Concordat
in Hungary, and the great power it gave the Catholic
clergy over the schools, as already seen, the lecturer
said, if ho were asked what was all this to England he
would reply, as Oliver Cromwell did two hundred
years ago—

Look how the house of Austria is prepared to destroy the
whole Protestant establishment in Hungary ! You may say this
is a long way off; you may say, what is it to us? but I tell
you it concerns all your religions and all the best interests in
England.

And, verily, the time may come when many will say that
ho who said this was not only a great captain and an
eminent statesman, but something of a prophet likewise.
And it was a sad fact that in Europe now the number of
Protestants was actually smaller in proportion to the whole
population than it was some centuries ago. This fact
told volumes that everything was not with Protestantism
RS it ought to be; the world wanted a new Luther and a
new Reformation.

At the conclusion of his lecture M. Kossuth said
before they parted he had one duty yet, as a patriot,
to perform. After the sympathy which had been
expressed throughout England for Hungary be had
the deep mortification to learn that the British Go-
vernment was about to complete a new alliance with
" the murderer of Hungarian and Italian liberty ".
It was scarcely possible to enter on such a subject with-
out using expressions which it would be unbecoming to
him as a stringer to employ. He would only ask in what
light would Great Britain appear if, after all the expres-
sions of sympathy he had referred to, she were to enter
into such an alliance?

The CHAIRMAN (Dr. Vaughan) said, after the ap-
peal which had just been made to them it was pro-
posed to offer a resolution before the meeting
separated.
Mr. FILDr.s, town councillor, sere came forward
and moved the following resolution :
That this meeting cordially sympathise with Louis
Kossuth in his continued protest against the usurpation
by the Austrian Government of the constitutional rights
of Hungary. and views with detestation the conduct of
Austria towards Hungary, Italy, and I'oland, and repudiates
any further alliance on the part of this country in relation
to the affairs of foreign States with a power which stands
pre eminent in Europe for acts of betrayal to those who
trust her, and for hostility to freedom wherever her in•
fluence is felt.

The motion was seconded by Mr. RAWSON and
received with cheers.

The CHAIRMkN said the motion did not deprecate
the peaceful relations between this country and
Austria, but all " further " relations that would en-
tangle us in her possible bad deeds.
The motion was carried unanimously, and the
meeting separated.

THE HIGH-PRESSURE BOILER OF A STEAM-TUG 012
the Mersey exploded last Saturday morning, upon
the moment of easing the engines from full speed.
The vessel was not injured, but the two engineers
were severely scalded and the fireman was killed.
At the inquest Mr. Ross, the Board of Trade engi-
neer appointed to examine the machinery of the
steamships at that port, explained that the boiler
was cylindrical, and was supported in the middle by
Galloway's tubes. The water-gauge had become
scaled with sediment from the salt water, the water
was prevented by this sediment from reaching the
metal, which became red hot, collapsed, and the
explosion occurred:—

I attribute the cause of the explosion (said Mr. Ross in
evidence) to the collapsing of the sides of the flue of the
port boiler: and I believe the Galloway tubes gave way
from the pressure of the flue. I found two of the tubes
broken off about half way down. I attribute the collapsing
of the flue to the scales or sediment having collected on
the side of the flue, thereby preventing the water getting to
the plate, which became red hot. The sediment in the
narrow place I have spoken of would have the effect of
keeping the water off the plate. When the water is kept
from the plate the plate soon becomes very hot, and the
pressure of the steam may then force the plate in.
In further reply to the coroner, Mr. Ross said :--
These boilers of Galloway have not been long introduced
into use on board steamers, though they have been used on
land with fresh water for a considerable time. The nat.-
rowneu of the space I alluded to is a great objection to