The Press.
London, England, 1856-11-29 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

mining affairs, were freely thrown at him, and he was
asked if a man who had compounded with his
creditors from not being able to manage his own
affairs was the best man iu his opinion to manage
the affairs of a company ? Mr. Acland censoriously
analysed the antecedents of Mr. Malins as those
which entirely precluded him from enjoying the con-
fidence of the Eastern Counties proprietary :
Mr. Melina received 1,0001. for his 1,000 one•ponnd
shares at a time when those shares Deere at a discount fear-
ful to contemplate. This sort of thing ought not in these
days of fraud to pass muster in the city of London. He
put the shareholders' money in his pocket and used the
position he held as Director of the Metropolitan L'oard
for that purpose. Mr. Molina was not the man for a
moment compared to Mr. Love—the candidature of the
former gentleman being a mistake, and the proxies be had
obtained were procured, he would not say by false
pretences. but by " sharp practice," and they all knew what
that meant.

At this point tho meeting became so turbulent and
uproarious that, after vain endeavours by the
speaker to proceed, the motion was then put, when
the numbers were—Mr. Matins, 30; Mr. Love, 125.
A poll was then demanded upon the part of Mr.
Matins.

THE GOLDEN LECTDRESIIIHE ELECTION will take
place this day. There are four candidates for the
office' which merely requires one sermon a week at
St. Margaret's Church, Lothbury and is worth about
131)1. a ) ear, namely, the Rev. Daniel Moore, M.A.;
the Rev. Thomas Jackson, M.A.; the Rev.
Robert Bickersteth, M.A.; and the Rev. Capel
3lolyneux, M.A. _

MR. SPURGEON preached at the Surrey Gardens,
for the first time since the accident, on Sunday last.
Seine 5,000 persons were present. The sermon was
free from any of those laughable sallies which usually
characterise the discourses of this earnest, unedu-
cated, eccentric young man.
THE QUESTION OF LEGAL EDUCATION WaS discussed
at the usual bi-monthly meeting of the Juridical
Society, held this week. Mr. Baron Bramwell pre-
sided. The question arose on a paper rather
archeological than legal, descriptive of the ancient
Usages of the Inns of Court and Houses of Chancery.
It, however, gave occasion to the chairman to com-
pare the ancient probationary system to the system
of apprenticeship in trades, and to question if both
might not be allowed to wear out of custom together,
leaving the public to the risk of their own choice as
to whom they might employ. The learned baron
showed that although free trade in law might be
alowable so far as mere advocates were concerted,
yet for the character of the bench, both at home and
in the colonies, it became important that the barristers,
who were to become judges, should be sound jurists,
a position they could never attain without a course
of legal training.

THE CONSECRATION of the Bishop of London and
the Bishop of Graham's Town took place last Sun-
day morning at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall. His
Grace the Primate, assisted by the Bishops of Lin-
coln, Chichester, and Carlisle, Dr. Lushington, Dr.
Twiss, and others, officiated. The Rev. G. Cotton,
of Marlborough College, preached a sermon upon
the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, taking
his text from St. John xvii. 20, 21. In the course of
his remarks upon the duties of the Church, the rev.
gentleman male some wholesome observations upon
the state of society in the metropolitan see :

Let us consider for one moment the condition of differ.
eat classes among its inhabitants. First, we will take the
lowest class of all—those of whom it has been said that
" they perish in the .pen streets beneath the pitiless pelt.
ins of the storm, of cold, of hunger, and of broken hearts."
It is well for us to be mindful of the utter infidelity which
is gradually spreading among the working classes in our
ctties, of the speculations of secularists, as they are called,
who deny to man any hope beyond the grave,—any duty
except that of providing for the wants of this life, and
against whom Christ's servants are bound to contend. not
only in argument, but with the yet more efficacious wea-
pons of Christian faith and love. Or, if we ascend higher
in the scale of society, to that commercial class which
forms the pride and support of London. there also we
must often lament the absence of any practical faith that
Christ has redeemed the world from sin. As a commer-
cial nation we have been startled and have felt degraded
by the revelation of dishonesty among them, of reckless
speculation—sometimes with the property of others—of
ruin and misery widely spread through careless or dis-
honourable selfishness; while the frauds of the princely
merchstits are only too faithfully imitated by the petty
cheating and adulterated goods of the tradesman. Advan-
cing yet lumber, we come to that class which seems to
pride i!self t n contradicting the very words of Our Lord by
boastfully claiming the title of the world, and thus openly
disregarding his warning not to love the world, nor the
things of the world, and his reputed declaration that this
love is incompatible with the love of the Father. Surely it
cannot be maintained that the Gospel in its simple fulness
is not the true remedy for the evils of this class also. . . .
In the higher, re, less than the lower, walks of London
society there is much to deplore, to rebuke, and to reform.
The newspaper writer, the satirist, and the popular
novelist, are labouring to correct some of those evils which
the church was designed to care ; and some colour is
given for the startling assertion of a modern historian, that
the press is the chief spiritual power in England.

SATURDAY,

THE RECORDERSHIP OF LONDON will, it is assumed,
be conferred upon Mr. Russell Gurney. For the
otlice of Common Sergeant, which will become
vacant by this promotion, Mr. Bodkin, Mr. Prender.
gait, Mr. Thos. Chambers, M.P., Mr. Keating, M.P.,
Mr. Atherton, M.P., Mr. Sergeant Thomas, Mr.
Sergeant Channel, and several other learned gentle.
men are candidates.

THE REPORTED RETIREMENT OF THE BISHOP OF
ROCHESTER is denied.

Mn. Comm, Police Magistrate of Clerkenwell
Court, has resigned his seat at the Metropolitan
Board of Works, from inability to give sufficient time
to the duties of the place.

DR. TAIT will preach his first sermon as Bishop of
Londonlto-morrow afternoon at St. James's, Piccadilly.
AT A MEETING OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
this week Lieut. Pim, R.N., read a paper proposing
a renewed search for the survivors of the Franklin
expedition. The scheme Lieut. Pim proposed is as
follows :—A small screw vessel, with a complement
of twenty men, to penetrate as far down Peel Sound
as possible, take up winter quarters, and, assisted by
teams of dogs purchased at Disco or Uppernaick,
extend the search down both shores of the Sound.
Another vessel, similarly equipped, to push through
Behring'sStraits.aud winter at King William's Land,
whilst an overland party descend the Great Fish
River, with orders to make for a certain ren-
dezvous, previously arranged. Lieutenant Pim
insisted that the most important locality
for search was undoubtedly King William's Land, for,
situated at the mouth of the great Fish River, and
inhabited by a vast number of Esqnimaux, "in all pro-
bability it was the repository of the Franklin secret."
The paper was received with applause, and an inter-
esting discussion ensued, in the course of which Dr.
Rao announced his intention to renew his attempt to
complete the survey he left unfinished.

AT THE MEETING OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS this
week, Dr. Royle, F.R.S., real a paper on " Indian
fibres," being a sequel to "Observations on cordage,
textile, and papermaking materials." The author
stated that he was induced, from the great import-
ance of the subject in a mercantile point of view, to
bring it again before the notice of the public. He
pointed out the enormous variety of fibre producing
plants, the fibres of which were applicable under
their various heads :-1. Bast and bark. 2. Platting
and matmaking materials. 3. Cordage fibres. 4.
Textile fibres. 5. Paper materials. The paper was
illustrated with numerous specimens of fibres, fabrics,
cordage, and paper made from the materials men-
tioned, and a machine was exhibited by Mr. Rout-
ledge and worked in the room for preparing these
fibres for the market.
THE STATUE OF GENERAL SIR CHARLES NAPIER
has this week been erected in Trata'gar-square.
Tile statue, the work of Mr. Adams, stands upon a
simple granite pedestal, inscribed " CHARLES
JAMES RAPIER, General, born MDCCL.XXXII ; died
MDCCCLIII. Erected by public subscription from
all classes, civil and military, the most numerous
subscribers being private soldiers." .

THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL'SRETTIRES exhibit a
decided increase in deaths, which have risen from
1,000 a week at the beginning of the month to 1,201
for the last week. This is 82 above the highest
average, allowing for the increase of population. To
lung diseases and typhus are attributed this sudden
increase of mortality. The births last week amounted
to 1,578.