The Press.
London, England, 1858-09-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 18, 1858.

THE GRAND DUKE CONSTANTINE, High Admiral of
Russia, has directed a communication to be made to
the Lifeboat Institution, soliciting its co operation
to provide, at the expense of the Russian Government,
lifeboats on the society's plan for the coasts of the
Gulf of Finland. On Tuesday, a special meeting of
the institution was accordingly convened to consider
this important communication, when it was decided
to render every possible assistance to the Russian
Admiralty in carrying out this benevolent scheme.
THE DARK ARCHES OF THE ADELPHI are again in
the same frightful condition as they were a few
weeks ago, when the strong feeling which was excited
at the time brought about an altered state of things
which tended very much to the advantage of the in-
habitants. The police authorities, with an alacrity
and determination which were highly praiseworthy,
resolved that the horrible scenes which were con-
stantly witnessed on Sundays—the great gala-days of
this sink of profligacy and filth—should no longer
prevail, and for a time their exertions were com-
pletely successful. There was none of the rioting
and blasphemy which had for so long a time pre-
viously disgusted and appalled those who resided in
the neighbourhood; and, although there was free
ingress and egress with regard to the arches for those
whose tastes or business led them that way, every-
thing was conducted with order. Temporary success,
however, appears to have satisfied the police, and
they are suffering to grow up a state of timings in all
rspects as wretched as that which not long ago they
so satisfactorily put down. The present state of the
Adelphi and its black arches on a Sunday afternoon
is as great an abomination as eau possibly exist in
London. It may safely be affirmed that for open
violation of the decencies of life it is not equalled by
the most depraved part of the eastern end of the
metropolis. In most places where such a state of
things exist, grown up men and women are the
principal actors in the scene, while in the Adelphi
children of various ages are those who congregate,
mixed up, however, with a due proportion of thieves
ti a maturer age. A very slight bddition to the
strength of the police force, and a little patience,
would serve effectually to arrest this frightful and
nost serious evil.
THE births of 777 boys and 760 girls, in all 1,537
children, were registered in London last week. The
nimber of deaths registered was 1,060, of which 521
were males, 539 females.

Vtobincial.

THE EXTENSION OF THE PORT OF BRISTOL is pro-
posed. A crowded meeting was held at the Guild-
hell, Bristol, on Tuesday, the mayor in the chair, to
consider the possibility of providing accommodation
fr the largest class of ocean steamers. Mr. P. NV.
Mills moved a resolution, that the accommodation
o!auld he provided ; Mr. Fingel seconded the resolu-
till. Mr. Baker, chairman of the Great Eastern
C.mpany, addressed the meeting, and stated his
hdief that in a few weeks a company would be formed
to take the Leviathan and complete her. He also
expressed Lis opinion that with proper accommodation
Ihistol would be admirably adapted for her recepticn.
Tie resolution was carried, and a committee
stuointed to co operate with the Chamber of Corn
truce to carry it into effect. A subscription also was
set on foot at the meeting.
AN EXTRAORDINARY SCENE occurred at an attempted
wedding at Halifax, a few days ag.). A youth, still in
Lis teens, accompanied by a good-looking woman a
few years his senior, drove up to the Registry-office,
Halifax, for the purpose of entering the matrimonial
state. The mother of the bridegroom expectant,
having heard a whisper of what. was about to take
Place, lost no time in setting out in search of her son.
On arriving at Halifax, from a neighbouring village
where the family reside, her inquiries put her in
the right track ; she entered the registry-office just as
Ile registrar was commencing the ceremony, and
forthwith she gave her son a thorough "drubbing,"
at the same time giving expression to her feelings in
terms anything hut respectful to the bride elect. The
lot yet "happy couple" hastily left the office, and
vent off in the cab awaiting them at the door. The
other followed, accompanied by her husband, and
Loth protested against the proposed marriage, which
could not legally take place, as the young man is
order age.

A SEIZURE OF BETTING MEN AND Boos was
({1 eeted at Liverpool, on Wednesday. A posse of
'etettives entered a notorious betting-house in Elliot-
`4Bet, and captured a large number of gamblers, and
tirf swindlers, who, it is understood, will be pro.
cieded against by the authorities.
THE FOUNDATION-STONE OF A NEW FREEMASONS'
RAU" to be erected on the West Cliff, Whitby, was
lad by the Earl of Zetland, Grand Master of Masons,
are w days since. When the stone was levelled, and
a tilver trowel had been presented to his lordship, the
Pine ession returned toe magutfieent bat quet, served
illtSt. Tie Earl of Zetland presided.

THE ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL ABBEY OF WELBECR,
as is well known, is surrounded by thousands of
ancient, oaks and hundreds of acres of thriving plan-
tations, Interspersed with considerable tracts of un-
derwood where game is as abundant as blackberries.
Partridges are the most abundant, for they are but
seldom disturbed, and continue to procreate amid the
wild recess of the forest. During the present
season, however, a most extensive mortality has pre-
vailed among this tribe, and hundreds have been
found dead in all directions without any reasonable
or apparent cause. When dissected there is some-
thing in appearance in the intestines similar to the
tapeworm; but the breed itself has latterly not been
so numerous, supposed to arise from their breeding
"in and in." The birds themselves appear to belong
to one family, and to have continued without fresh
mates for so many years that the race naturally wears
out for want of resuscitation and the infusion of new
blood. Be this, however, as it may, the fact remains
the same, and in consequence, on many of the de-
tached estates, as at Elksley and other places, the
keepers are netting all they possibly can in order that
they may be set at liberty in the preserves around
Welbeck, which we hope may stay the further progress
of the mortality.
A SERIOUS CON-PIRACY among the convicts of
Portland Convict Prison developed itself on Monday
last, but fortunately an intimation had reached the
governor's ears which led to the adoption of the most
vigilant precautionary measures. For some time
there have been evidences of dissatisfaction on the
part of the older convicts at the terms upon which
those convicted since the new regulations came into
force can obtain a mitigation of their sentence by
good conduct ; and so strong and general had this
feeling become, that a large number would appear to
have entered into a combination to overpower the
warders and break loose. Some of them seem to
have been unable to prevent a boast of what was in-
tended, and this led to the procuring of additional
warders from Milbank and the doubling of the
military force at the barracks. On Monday morning
the convicts were marched down as usual to the
quarries from which the stone is obtained for the
Portland breakwater, and everything went on quietly
up to eleven o'clock, shortly after which time about a
hundred from different gangs, as if by preconcerted
signal, made a rush upon the warders. Thy were,
however, surprised by a strong force of soldiers, who
had been concealed in readiness for the emergency,
surrounded by bristling bayonets, and firmly secured
and ironed. Next morning about sixty of the more
prominent actors in the above scene were sent to
Milbank for a long period of solitary confinement, And
the others received thirty-six lashes each. Notwith-
standing the result of Monday's proceedings, there
were still signs of insurbordination on Tuesday,
several other convicts refusing to go to work, and
further punishment had to be inflicted; but since
then order has been effectually restored.

3rtlant.

A DISL'YAL MAYOR AND A BOLD ECCLESIASTIC.

Cardinal Wiseman was banqueted in his half-
native city of Waterfird on fuesday last, the
mayor presiding on the auspicious occasion. His
worship, although by virtue of his office necessarily a
layman, was not ashamed to give precedence to the
Pope, the Queen's health fo:lowing the toast of the
foreign sovereign.
- - • •

Cardinal IVisextim in the course of his speech
thus referred to that bold enrolee of Papal aggression
which led to the placing upon the statute-book the
Ecclesiastical Titles Act, where it has lain a dead
letter for a period of six r.r seven year, :
Your excellent mayor has been kind enough to allide to
the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England.
Now, I must disclaim any merit in that great undertaking,
which was the pare and spontaneoaa work of the present
Pontiff. It occupied his attention for years; he meditated
on it again and again, and made it the subject of a fervent
and fit quent prayer. He then confided to me the details
of the theasure, and spoke of my returning to England
with the title of Archbishop of Westminster. You must
give to that illistrious Pontiff the glory of this great work,
which is the highest act in one of the brightest Pontifi-
cates. When charged with that solemn duty, with that
work whiert could not be attended with the slightest per-
sonal fee:ing, and which was only a simple duty to be dis-
charged, it would have been folly for mt. for one moment
to waver or express any anxiety about it. I most
acknowledge that I felt no fear in undertaking the
task confided to me, and, therefire, I have no claim
whatever to the possession of courage. When i pleased the
Holy Father to raise me to the office I now bold, and to
commit to me, as I have said, the detols of that great
work, I fixed the day on which I should arrive in I.ondoa
and take charge of my cathedral church, which was then
St. George's. I announced the 6th of December as the
day. When I left Rome for England I was requested by
several to alter my plan of proceeding, as I intended to
officiate publicly in the church in my new capacity. Even
up to the day fixed for that occasion I received letters
warning me against the steps I was Wont'', and assuring
me that as soon as I should ascend the pulpit to preach a

R 97

pistol bullet should be lodged in my cone. I was told by
Catholics thst I was to he attacked in the church, and that
those who would take part in the scuffle were intended to
make away with me. Now, what was the consequence ?
The church was never more crowded than on that occa•
Sion, and never were the sacred functions performed with
greater peace and tranquillity. In all that I claim no
praise beyond that of tue most unshaken confidence in
everything undertaken by the Church in the pursuit of the
great interests of her children, in the discharge of her
great mission, for Catholics may alwa3s repose with con-
fidence on the promises and blessing of her Founder.

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE.
At the Killarney banquet, Mr. Brett, one of the
directors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, made
the following inter !sting statement:—
The very first idea of the Atlantic cable—l may, perhaps,
be accused of egotism, I wish to borrow no man's laurels—
was registered by myself and my brother in the tiovern-
meat office fourteen years ago. In the year 1845, at the
Joint-stick Registry-office, we registered a submarine
telegraph to go from Valentis, Ireland, to St. John's, New-
foundland. 1 will go hack for one moment to tell you
the origin of that. The telegraph had been working
between London and Slough. It struck roc in conversa-
tion in the evening with my brother, who had a consi-
derable mechanical tarn, that there was a latent power in
the telegraph for the benefit of all mankind. In that
evening the ides, I may say, took possession of my own
mind, and it never left me until I saw it carried out. I
at once urged it upon my brother, will was then living
with me; and wishing to see him occupied, I said if he
would take out patents—though averse to patents—l
would find measures to carry them out. I then and there
addressed a letter to Sir R. Peel, who was then at the heat
of the Government, proposing to un!te England and France
if Government would afford us assistance. I received a
reply directing us to call at the Admiralty-office. I called
on Sir G. Cockburn, but all the offers 1 made were rejected.
I then pplied to the King of the French for assistance,
which, under certain restrictions, was at last grauted. I
came forward purposely with my own funds, for none were
ready to support so foolish an idea, end as the Times very
justly observed on the occasion, the jest of yesterday is
become the fact of to-day. I shall never forget the day
when the little steamer went on her journey with the cable
from Dover to Calais. I watched the little boat with
t"embling until its funnel disappeared below the horizon,
and until its smoke died away in the air, until at length
having arrived at Calais a signal was transmitted to the
opposite end of the line. It is quite true, as Professor
Thompson said, that there was but one message trans-
mitted ; and so surprised were the bystanders when the
first message came out of the telegraph that they asked if
the paper and all had travelled across. Oar telegraphic
message was received between one and two o'clock in the
morning in a little horse-box ;in fact, myself and an at-
tendant were the only persons left in charge of it. At two
o'clock in the morning be said. All is well, good night
after the istignes of the day," and we retired to rest. Next
morning the continuity was broken, and we ascertained by
means similar to those by which Professor Thompson with
his great ability was able to ascertain almost the very
point where the damage to the Atlantic cable took place—
we ascertained that the breakage had taken place nest the
shore. The submarine cable, as yon all know, was carried
nut next year between England and France ; but then came
the question, could electricity be safely used at great
depths ? The Channel, as you are aware, is but a mere
fishing-pond. Could a cable be laid down safely at the
bottom of the ocean ? I then proposed to go into the
Mediterranean, though the two lines which had fixed my
mina were decidedly India and America. I appealed to
the Emperor of the French, and asked him to give me his
assistance in the undertaVng, stating that I proposed to
establish communication between the Continent and
Africa, and from that to India. His reply was, " Why
don't iour own Government and the Indian Government
supp;rt you? " I said, "As yet they bad no faith in such
an undertaking ; when they saw the signals transmitted to
Africa they would believe it." Thus..l regret to say, it was
from a foreign country I was obliged to get encouragement.
Mr. Brett proceeded with a statement of his laying
a line w Corsica. The Sardinian Government met
him most nobly, and placed assistance at his disposal.
When they were about to commence laying the cable
in the deep water the Emperor of the French ex..
ptessed a desire to get the best opinions in this
country as to the possibility of laying the cable in
those gnat depths. On being referred to, V.e gentle-
' men who were nt that time believed to be best ac-
quainted with those matters said it would be impos-
sible to lay a cable in water exceeding 000 fathoms
in depth. Ile ( Mr. Brett) said he had laid it in 700
fathoms; but they said that must be an accident,
and that it could not be done again. At that time,
however, lie (Mr. Brett) had the cable all ready, and
rather than stop the undertaking he determined to
conceal the adverse opinions those gentlemen had
given, and to lay the cable at. once. That was done,
and the only fault was want of length, being twelve
miles short.. The Mediterranean cable being laid,
his again turned his thoughts to America, and com-
municated with Professor Morse and Mr. Field, and
the undertaking was attempt.d, the successful is-ate
of a Well they were met that day to celebrate.

A SINGMAR ADVENTURE which befel an illustrious
member or the Papal Court, during the recoil h4,h
ecclesiastical demonstra;on at 13ti11inaaloe, is thus
recorded in the Dublin Evening Lail:—The dis-
tinguished individual being introducedaw a convent