The Express.
London, England, 1867-11-18 00:00:00

MR.ORAUFURD,M.P.,WITHHIS coriarin, ENT&

Mr. Craufurd, M.P. for the Ayr district of
burghs, addressed the electors and other inhabitants of
CeniPbeitownr in the Oenet-house, on Wednesday eeCniztig•
He commenced his address by °entreating the policy, r
Lord Derby on taking office previously with his policy ifi
1566, and commented on it. He end there can be no ob-
jection to men taking office, but they should not depart
from their principles. Who would imagine this time last
year that polities would have taken this 'turn? It is not
for me as an advanced liberal to find fault with reform ;
but I may be permitted to say, men should keep their
promises. I need not tell you that this policy was
nos panted, it was wrung from than. You saw Mr.
Disraeli's speech in Edinburgh—" this is not an extreme
measure, but there will be au increase in the constituen-
cies." I always told you to put your trust in your country;
the more you give the country the more will be the ad-
vantage to the people. Look at the probable result of
redone in Scotland. Every man is a householder who pays
the rates and is qualified; but he must pal them him•
self personally, and thus • great difficulty is put in his
way. What is • compound householder? Mr. Disraeli
defines the question in the usual way. The lamllord pays
the rates on his houses, and chanties the letting of them.
In Mr. Disraeli's speech the compound householder only
pays the rent ; but the householder is made to pay the rate
in the rent. Ratepayers in England are paled house.
holders in the bill. In Scotland the rates may be paid by
the landlord when wader 41. In the burgh of Ayr there are
704 voters at 101., 1,078 at 41., under 4!. none ; were all
qualified the total may be about 1,750. In Campbeltown
in 1865, the voters were ED, under 41.377. Of the number
152 rates entitling them to vote—total, 391. And so of the
others, the hardship was the paying of the rates per-
sone (Mr. Craufurd) was cippo to the franchise
being made a screw to collect niters. lie thought the bill would
not live long. It might be important to lmow something
of the future. There were two moat important questions
for consideration—education and the Irish church. He
considered the state bound to educate the people. The
old system had broken down—rich places had an advan-
tage, and poor places had not. The remedy was reform ;
this should go with the want, of the present timearz
was for compulsory education under certain resthih
which he defined. Mainers should be superiors, and great
care should be taken in appointing fit and proper persons
to the situation of master. The Irish church was a deli-
cate question. He was not for distributing the revenue of
the church, as proposed, between the three religious deno-
minations of Ireland ; he would have the revenue revert
to the state, and be laid out in education. As related to
the Reform Bill, many things in it were yet to be
attended to. The collection of the revenue, or excise
duties, was another matter which required inquiry into.
The system was an anomalous one, and called for reform.
He was at opinion that it should be carefully considered,
and a change made in it that would benefit the state and
the country, and relieve the complaining officials of the
service. The Scotch bill promised and the increase of
seven new members would never satisfy the country. In-
I deed, it would be impossible to work out • bill for this
country on the same principles as the English Reform
Bill. Many parties in Scotland were not rated on the
poor on rental at all.
Mr. Hunter moved a vote of confidence in Mr. Craufurd.
The motion was canted by acclamation.

CHEAP MITZTOIS PROM ArSTRALIL. —The Times
correspondent at Melbourne writes :—" One of the most
important movements this month in the city of Melbourne
has corns off in connexion with the pastoral interest. So
enormous is the increase of our flocks and herds beyond
the demand of oar own population for butcher's meat that
the squatters are now establishing boiling-down companies
for the conversion of our superfluous fat stock into tallow
for exportation. The wholesale prioe for fat mutton here
is about • penny a pound. and prime joints come to our
tables at twopence a pound. With the now greatly im-
proved processes for the preservation of meat it is thought
here by many stock-proprietors that the English market
can be supplied with any quantity of good Australian
beef and mutton at twopence or fivepence a pound,
free from bone. A new patent for preserving meat was
some time back taken out in Sydney, and we learn from
the New South Wales papers that meat prepared under
this patent is equal to fresh, and is already very exten-
sively exported to the mother country. A company with
limited liability is about to be formed here for a similar
so=
the
thetrade anui tshrftifingynts cowmnxinndtille market in
of Riverina alone the nine annual increase of sheep is de-
scribed to be at least two millions in excess of the local de-
mand. Nor is this glut of natural produce confined to live
flock. The excessive au= of mid flour under
the wreaths el oar mast tad rearitete
beyond our own shores, or many of our corn fields must be
turned into pasture land. A working man can now easily
maintain himself, wife, and three or four children upon
25e. • week and save money, and yet we are paying com-
mon labourers 6s. a day, and skilled artisans at a much
higher rate ; and thus high the rates of wages for almost
every service. A bad cook in Victoria condescends to spoil
your dinner for 401. a year, and a good cook can command
601. • year and the most respectful consideration from her
employer, or she would at once transfer her patronage
elsewhere. Would that England could send her super-
fluous months to our meat, or we could send our meat to
the English mouths ! We shall, at any rate, do our beet
on our side, and our food-preserving and exporting com-
panies seem very sanguine as to the results."
Tonror.A.—The last official report on Tortola
which has been issued is that which was transmitted to the
Colonial-o9loe in May, 1866, by Sir Arthur Rumbold, who
arrived out as President of the Virgin Islands at the end of
the year 1865, succeeding Mr. Lowden. The population was
estimated at 6,441, of whom scarcely& twelfth were whites.
The cultivation of sugar, once considerable, had been almost
abandoned; the island was not adapted for it. The single
ridge which formed the island of Tortola was from 800 to
2,000 ft. high, with sides so steep that they could only be
cultivated in terraces supported by low stone walls ; and
the cost of carrying mines to the mill would alone
make the cultivation of sugar unprofitable at the
present ordinary pi ices. There were some fertile
spots between the foot of the ridge and the sea,
but of no great extent. The industry of the people
was being directed to cotton, of which 35,5331 b. were ex-
ported in 1865. The exports aeenuited in value to 8,636/.„
they consisted chiefly of cattle and small stock and cotton.
The trade was c ,nducted almost entirely with the Danish
island of St. Thomas. The rate of wages was 16a. Sd. per
month for domestic service, Is. 3d. a day for predial ser-
vice, 3a. • day for trades. The greater part of the soil
was owned by negroes, but the land was so much sub-
divided among them that the value of each particular
parcel of land was often not more than from 3/. to 5/. The
public revenue was about 1,9001. There had been an old
public debt of about 4,0001., but in 1864 the colony com-
pounded with tLe creditors at 2a. in the pound, payable by
three annual instalments. Of those who made eny religion/
profession, the great majority were Wesleyan*. Forty per
cent. of the births were illegitimate, but the indifference
of the West Indian negroes on the subject of chastity pre-
vented the misery and wretchedness generally attending
upon illegitimacy in England. There was no great sheltie
attached to the birth of an illegitimate child, and no temp-
tation to conceal it ; and there was seldom any reluctance
in the father to contribute to the support of the child.
The bluebook of the colony for 1863 gave an unfavourable
secouut of the progress of education of Tortola. No
children over 12 years of age were admitted into the daily
schools of the church or the Wesleyan", it being desired
that they should he then engaged in husbandry ; but the
Colonial Secretary reported that, in fact, the growing
generation was less disposed to labour and more lawless
than the preceding, and that every year flowed the
labouring population to be fast falling into a state of semi-
barbarieni. There were 479 children in these daily
schools, and perhaps 100 in private schools, not here
reckoning the number attending Sunday schools.: On a
report made in 1864, President f,ongden mentioned that
the Wesleyan ministers refused to baptise illegitimate
children, and therefore these were all baptised into the
Anglican church.—Titers.
A LONG WALK.—Edward Payson Weston, an
American pedestrian, on the 29th of October, began •
walk against time. He is to walk from Portlad,
to Chicago, Illinois, in 211 walking days, resting on .un-
days. The distance is 1,237 mile*, and his route passes
through Salem. Boston, Hartford, Schenectady, Buffalo,
and Cleveland. The match is for 20,000 dollars, and the
articles of agreement provide that he is to follow the usual
post roads, and is to make 100 miles inside of 24 hours, to
attempt which he may make five trial*. The average daily
walk u5O miles, and two witnesses for each side accom-
pany him in a waggon. Weston has a time-table, which
shows where lie is to take his weals and *here he is to
rest. If he makes the distance in the appoiutcd time, but.
fails to walk 100 miles in 24 hours, he gets but two-fifths
of the stake. Starting on October 29, at noon, from Port-
land, he has passed through Salem, Boston, and Provi-
dence, and to-day is still walking, having accomplished
nearly one-fifth of his journey and beim-, .i.:ead of time.
He is a Mall of 27 year* of age, weighs 12:ilbs.„ and is aft.
7jin. in height.
AN M.Y. de THE COUNTY COM:T.—OH Wednes-
day, in the county court at Christchurch, Lord George
Lennox, M.P. fur Lymington, was summoned for non-
payment of • debt amounting to 8/. 3s. Gil., contracted
with Mr. F. W. Butler, of this town, for poultry and
game supplied, and money paid out of pocket for messages.
The plaint was node fended, and his Honour gave judg-
ment for the plaintiff in 14 days. —Solistory
ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL, GRAY'S-IN3-RoAo.—The
number of patients relieved at this hospital during the
week ending Nov. 16 was 3,138, of which 1,039 were new
gam
hIETROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL, DEVONSHIRE-
'S:WARE, Ctrl.—The aggregate number of patients relieved
during the week ending Nov. 16 wee—Medial, 896 ; soh
ghat, 619 ; total, 1,317 ; of which 704 were new cam.