The Express.
London, England, 1864-12-03 00:00:00

MR JUSTICE BYLES ON STEIKES.

During his charge to the grand jury at the Staf-
fordshire Winter Assizes, yesterday,
Mr. Justice Bytes said—l am a stranger to both the
masters and the men of the district, and I trust I
am actuated by no other desire than the administration
of the law with justice. The hand of the law must
fall heavily on those who are discovered to be the
active instigators in the matter. Thine who are mere
dupe, will, of course, be more leniently dealt with.
I cannot help saying that rases of this kind suggest an
observation to me, which I venture to make in the pressers
of those who have the memo of making their voices heard,
or the voice of those who represent them, heard in the
great council of the nation. Is not the mode of adjusting
disputes between men and masters by miens of strikes ,
very barbarous in a free country like this! 1 say
this because in • neighbouring country there are matte
regularly formed, eoriesting of mutes and workmen in
small numbers, for the adjusting of their disputes. They
have found means of obtaining a satisfactory reference of
those ',Mote on which they disagree. Therefore, what I
address to you is not mere speculation. I cannot help
thinking that if some such courts were established in some
such trades as you have here great good might result.
Generally speaking, the respective representative, of such
bodies on both sides might agree ; but where they do not
I think it would not be impossible to find a referee of
practical knowledge who would ooromand the atten-
tion and secure the respect of both sides. The
arbitration should have (as now awards under the
acts for arbitration of workmen's disputes) the
force of law. Nor does it seem to me to be any infringe-
ment of the principle, because if a man makes • contract
for six mouths the law enforces it ; and if that be so where
the contract is made directly, why should it not be so also
where the contract is made indirectly through a referee.
believe there are very few subjects more deserving of public
attention than this, especially in this county, and at this
time. Although I rarely venture to say anything on these
subject., yet this is • topic suggested by the contents of
this calendar, and 1 suggest it to your special attention.

We have to record the death of Serjeant A. J.
Stephen, who wee for some years one of the oommissiouer.
in bankruptcy. The leaned gentleman warn well known for
his "Commentaries," and other legal works. Se was 78
Tears of ate.

THE PROPOSED NEW COURT or APPEAL—We
regret to be compelled to believe that the project for
transferring the jurisdiction of the Privy Council over the
church to • tribunal composed chiefly of bishops ends
favour with some leading statesmen. Mr. Gladstone, it
is said, and Sir lioundell Palmer have both been betrayed
into promises of support to • project which will, if per-
sisted in, erase all party lines, and once more mate whig
and tory in reeistanoe to clerical usurpation. The project
is distinctly intended to vest in the bishops the power
of deciding on the law of the church, that is, to give them
the authority which the General Assembly exercises in
Scotland, and so at ones abolish the royal supremacy and
evade the authority of parliament. The clergy are to be
laid, gagged and bound, at the feet of the bishops, the laity
at those of the priests. Fortunately the temper in which
Englishmen will receive such a proposal is not doubtful,
but we warn freemen of both parties, tortes as well as libe.
rale, that if they do sot want to be handed over helpless
to the very men they now nominate to their livings they
have one more question to ask at every electoral meetiog.—
Sptctator.

Barn) FIRI:NO.—At Shoeburynete, on Tnesiity,
the Armstrong and Whitworth Committee fired 103
rounds rapid fire from the Armstrong 12-pounder
breech-loader field gun. There was an interval ten
minutes after the first 50 rounds. The time, as taken by the
committee, was, for the first 50, 6 min. .53 sec., and for the
second 50, 6 mis. 35 sees.: 13 min. 35 sew. in aIL Thus
the guo was fired throughout the IC3 mods at the rate of
74 rounds a minute ; and for the second 50 rounds, at the rate
of 8 rounds a minute. It was supposed on the ground that four
shot were often in the sir at therms time. This is by far the
most rapid artillery fire on record, and it is more than twice
as rapid as ever has been accomplished by any muzzle-
loading goo. No water was used, nor any sponging ; nor
did any hitch of any sort occur. At the 32nd round the
lanyard that palls the friction tubes broke ; this caused •
delay of twenty seconds. The sailors at Portsmouth bare
been deservedly lielanded, but we think the ooktien should
now hare their taro. —Arnie and Nary Gazette.
Pu"g LIRRIPERN BROTHER.—MeOtiODitig my
poor Lirriper brings into my head his own you brother
the Doctor though Doctor of what I am sure it would be
bard to say unless Liquor, for neither Physic 00C Magic
nor yet Law does Joshua Limper knows morsel of exeept
continually being summoned to the County Court and
baring orders made upon him which he runs away from,
and once was taken in the passege cf this very house with
an umbrella up and the Major's hat 00, givieg his name
with the doormat round him as Sir Johnson Jones
K.C.B. in spectacles residing at the Horse Guards. On
which aces/ion he had got into the house not a minute be-
fore, through the girl letting him on to the mat when he
sent io • piece of paper twisted more like one of those
spills for lighting wadies than a note, offering me the
choice between 30s. io bawd and his brains on the premises
marked immediate and waiting for an answer. My dear it
gave me such a dreadful torn to think of the brains of my
poor dear Lirriper's own flesh and blood flying about the
new oilcloth however unworthy to be so assisted, that I
went out of my room here to ask him what be would take
coos for all not to do it for life when I found him in the
custody of two gentlemen Met I should have judged to be
in the feather-bed trade if they had not announced the law,
so fluffy were their personal appearance. " Bring your
chains sir," says Joshua to the littlest of the two in the
biggest bat, " rivet on my fetters !" Imagine my feelings
when I *tared him clanking up Norfolk-street in noes
and Miss Woreehnni looking out of window ! " Gentle-
men," I says all of a tremble and reedy to drop, " please to
bring him into Major Jackman's apartments." Sr they
brought him into the Parlours, sad when the Major spies
his own curly•brimmed het on him which Joihni Lirriper
had whipped off its peg in the passage for a military dis-
guise he goes into such a tearing passion that he tips it
off his head with his hand, and kicks up to the
ceiling with his foot where it grazed long afterwards.
" Major " I rye "be cool and advise me what to dn with
Joshua my dead and gone Limper's own youngest brother."'
" Madam " says the major "my advice is that you board
and lodge him in a powder mill, with a handsome gratuity
to the proprietor when exploded." " Major " I says as •
Christiaa you cannot mean your words." " Madam " rye
the Major "by the Lord I do!" sod indeed the major
besides being with all his merits a very passionate man for
his ads had a bad opinion of Joshua on account of too met
troubles even unattended by liberties taken with his appe.
rel. When Joshua Lirriper hears this oonvereatioo betwixt
us he turns upon the littlest one with the biggest hat and
says, " Come sir! liewovease to my vile dungeon. Where
is my mouldy straw !" My dear at the pincer of him rising
in my mind dressed almost entirely in padlocks like Baron
Trenek in Jemmy's book I was so overcome that I burst into
tears and says to the major, " Mager take my keys and
settle with these gentlemen or I shall sever know a happy
minute more," which was dons several times both before
and since, but still I most remember that Joshua Lirriper
has his good feelings and shows them in being always so
troubled in his mind when be cannot wear mourning for his
brother. Many • long year have I off my widow's
mourning not Wag wishful to intrude, but the tender point
in Joshua that I cannot help a little yielding to is when he
writes "One single sovereign would enable me to wear •
decent suit of mourning for my moch-lovedheotber. I vowed
at the time of his lamented death that I would ever wear
gables in memory him bet Alas how short.idglited is men.
How keep that vow when penniless !" It says a good deal
for the strength of his feeling that he couldn't have been
semi year 0101 when my poor Lirriper died sad to lave kept
Co it ever sines ia highly creditable.—Mrs. Lirriper's
laps*