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

[BTAMPZIO, U. AvDrnolub]

THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA. I MR. R. A. BRUCE, M.P., AT ABERDARE.
The Royal Mail steamship Macgregor Laird, Cap- On Thursday evening the Right Ham. H. A.
Brace addressed his Aberdare constituents at the Tem-
tain Whartin, with dates from Benin to Oct. 18 ; persinee Hall in that town. His verdict upon the reform
Fernando Po, 11 ; Cameroon, 12 ; Bonny, 17 ; question was, be said, that though household runny) had
Lagos, 22 ; Accra, 24 ; Cape Palmas, 27 ' • Sierra been the foundation of the last Reform Bill, that prin.
Leone, 30 ; Teneriffe, Nov. 7 ;and Madeira, 9, ciple wee only
!elm:Tern titaftt lett eaerrls°° of
ttrorolibehlui
arrived in the Mersey on Saturday last. She brings jir:iyied in the course they had taken . Theeareplan of the
a full cargo and a large quantity of specie. , dual vote which bad been brought forward would, if it
The island of Fernando Po was healthy, but had been adopted, have simply counterbalanced the eaten-
trade was sluggish. At Benin trade was very dull. I lion of the franchise below the 10f. reutal voters. Mr.
Cameroon was healthy, but trade dull. Trade Bright end Mr. Gladstoneiestantly saw the effect which must
wee dull at... Bonny, but the sanitary condition of bet...reduced, and therefore protested against it. as had not
the port was good. At Accra trade was dull, but room
be onged to or sympathised with what was known*. the Tea-
party or the Adullamite party, but he minsidered
health good • and the same may also be stated as they had taken a clearer view of the principle involved
The followinf
oas
to Cape Plaines and Sierra Leone. in it than had been in the first place the case with the
summary of the state of affairs bulk of the liberalrratys.ndtHe quoted the speeches of Lord
Mr. Disraeli, all of whom cle-
at Benin and :—Banat : War continued be- , eSkredianleYnts'
tween Kings Jerry and Alluma, in consequence thellagovre'rnment would never introduce the
principle of household suffrage. Mr. Gladstone, therefore,
of the former attempting to stop trade. Several I accepted that declaration as an honest one, sad believed
unimportant engagements had taken place.that a bill on such • principle would never be brought for-
Little produce could be obtained, as Jerry ward b the vernment. Since the piss f the
bill the conservgoatives had much vaunted themselves
stopped goods going up the river, and
upon it as their bill, but the feet was the liberal party
Alluma stopped produce coming down. The had forced into it all that made it • liberal measure. Mt.
schooner Curlew, on her way down the river, was' Disraeli had claimed the credit for the conservative party
boarded by Jerry's men, but was allowed to pro-lof having been sincere reformers from the -days of the
esed on her way unmolested. A man_of.war was celebrated Mr. Pitt. The effect of the late bill would
have been to give strength to the middle and upper
expected to arrive soon to settle matters.. Lag.os, without doing anything for the working claes, if the
Abeoktita—ln consequence of Bashorun ham); . party heti been enewed to its wfty.
some to the knowledge that his secretary, G. Vs. I would, however, undertake to say there was not a mem-
Johrudone, and director, J. M. Turner (two Sierra ! her of the liberal party who wished to overthrow the pre-
Leone men) were carrying on a correspondence sent government after they had taken office, but they were
with the British government at Lagos, contrary to desirous that they should carry out • reform bill. The
I present government had, however, shown that they were
his or his peoples views, mustered his warriors to , alarmed at their own work ; but let them proceed to carry
turn these two men out of the place, indoing which out all the sequences which mint follow the principles of
they get some casks of rum, which they broachedltheir own bill. Let them devote themselves to removing
and gat thoroughly intoxicated. While in this the abuses in Ireland ; let them throw open the national
state they attacked the property of all the white , tent
witit
thee tpliri:f other
I univeridtie
mes to dissenten our? oat
people in the place, broke open the factories and of liberaTiin;,s-and°°he would not place any limit to
churches, and turned the traders and missionaries I the continuance of the present government in office, and
out of their houses. Bashorun is doing his best to to their preventing their political enemies from returning
restore peace, and the property that has been stolen to office- Mr. Bruce proceeded to dilate at considerable
and damaged.
81UPPING.—The Curlew and Violet,length upon the particular grievances of the mass of the
Irishpeople, though he confessed there were many ex-
d
at Benin Oct°at• 18. trem ts of the claims put forward by the Irish people
mileeepadeal epi6et„,,henies' Biter Bd
ride of ilia teas, with°which he could neither sym nor admit to be
D'" Cameroon reasonable, and in fact he could not understand how the
12 ; Greed Bonny, Charles Hordall, Sunshine, Manners .Irish
Sutton, and Lama* at Bonny Oct. 17 • Queen of the Seas, I people were so much led by the Roman catholic
thepests question of
at Lagoa Oct. 21 • and company's steamer M
,„--,„an—„,l4°mileaed flu they' Ireland,rlnhe said. theng u
plan eon
which had been
Ifs leeward 0ce.,421 adopted in that country had led him to make • calculation
H.ALS. Rattlesnake sailed to warn Oct. 30 ;
I Coerce Linn' and H.M.S. Leone Oct ; the result of which warms to prove that to make it reach the
Marmion Hill, Richard Bandon. Cetamian, Syminetar,Gage • '
La Payne' 8 000 parishes would occupy about 150 years, and that.
Phillips, Red Jacket, Amy, Caroline, Goodyear, Jean Bart to with
ne thought, was rather too long • period to look forward
satisfaction for such an object. to England,
(French man-o(-war), at Teneriffe Oct. 20, and sailed
sal wasthe be 'dl immediate neigPhnu ood of the
Nov. 4 ; Ajax, at Tenerife Oct. 23 and sailed 28th ; Po- towns where there was the most defective educe-
Mak al Teseritre Oct. 25, and sailed time date_; Favon- largest
tai He that in South Wales there was
rite, at %swift Oct. 25th, and sailed 29th ; Faloon, at
who
sw.,!=r7Atnegal-„e, eeet. 0, the population
Teneriffe Oct. 28, and sailed Nov. 5 ; Gy, at Tenni& .:,m,•;were •te theft es. He-had pee t pride
Oct. 29, and sailed on 30th ; America, at Teneriffe Oct. 30, m• finding
and sailed same day ; Isla de Cuba, at Teneriffe Nov. 2, that a number of the members of
.parliameut
giving iu their adhesion to the principle of the
sad sailed same day ; African mail steamer Weber, at
Teneriffe Nov. 1, and sailed same deitrga;4lltana, bound Zee lion Bill which he had placed before their notice,
for Funchal on Nov. 12 spoke Bells and he had therefore no fear but that he would
and on 14th be able asap
passed four-masted steamer at 1 p.m.his bill in the next session. They
all knew that it was most desirable that they should have
the best and wisest heads is operation for the public
weal, wherever they might be found, or to whatever clam
they might belong, and therefore, he said, it was of the
utmost importance that they should place the advantages
of education within the reach of the poorest classes. He
contended that it was perfectly absurd in the present day
to make the national universities more exclusive &dimwits
of the national church. It was never intended from
their first establishment that they should be so. Re-
ferring to the Factory Acts, he maintained the great use-
fulness which they had exercised on the employment of
women, especially iu night work. Mr. Bruce made re-
marks upon the redistribution of seats, and particularly
approved of the amendment which had provided that no
town with a population of less than 10,000 should retain
two members, and he went into the statistics to show the
disproportion which had existed in the large and populous
counties in the north of England, as compared with
the agricultural counties in the south, and be con-
tended that these statistics must show in the ciearest
manner the unfairness of the moment distribution of seats
lnzliamont. He wished to say • few words portion-
_ le .Lying to the locality which be represented.
He diasehtmed the slightest desire to appear to dictate
to them who should be his future colleague. It was per-
fectly natural in • locality so essentially nonconformist to
desire to return a nonconformist so their repreeentative.
He defied any one to show that during the 15 years be had
bean their representative he had ever done anything
in opposition to the interests of nonconformity. He
denied that there was any truth in the insinuations
which had been freely made in the local papers that
I churchmen were necessarily the enemies of religious free-
dom. He cited the names of distinguished men who
.had
been the most earnest supporters of the extensionof religious
freedom, and yet all of them were zealous churchmen. With
respect to the gentlemen who had presented themselves as
candidates for the representation of the borough, he would
frankly say that Mr. Fothergill, as a large landed pro.
neater, and • large employer of labourers, had a perfect
right to offer himself as a candidate. Then, again, Mr.
Richard, as a liberal and a nonconformist, had • perfect
right to offer himself as a representative for • community
among whom so much nonconformity prevailed. Mr.
Bt zee repeated the explanation which he gave at Mer-
thyr on Monday evening, in answer to the false charge'
which had been industriously circulated, that he had
years agosaid that 12s. • week was sufficient wages for I
labourers. He said so far from that being the case, the
only limit he would put to the magnitudeof wages wee when
they reached such am amount as to take away the possi-
bility of the surplus of profits being devoted to the in-
cream of capital. He further repeated his explanation of
the absurdity of the accusation inside against him of not
being • Welshman, or of showing want of interest in
Welsh matters when in his place in parliament. In reply
to questions, he said with loud applause, he would repeat
the answers which he gave at Merthyr to the same
questions, namely, that he was quite prepared to adopt any
effective course which might be struck out to correct the
evils of the ratepaying clauses, but he was not prepared to
bring forward any measure of his own at present. On
the question of the ballot, he frankly declared that he
would not give that his support, ail he instanced the work-
ing of the ballot in the Atheneum Club, to which he be-
laaged,where there badbeen numerous instances in which
pa tlemen of the highest and universally acknowledged
distirction in literature or science had been rejected under
the cover of the ballot, which would not have been the
case had there been open voting. He was not prepared
to support the entire abolition of capital punishments, as
he thought they should be retained in certain extreme
cases only. As to the truck system, he had always been
desirous of removing it, and be would still support every
measure having the same object in view. On the question
of the disendowment of churches, he could only say that
no men had ever yet been bold enough to propose such a
measure in parliament as the entire disendowment of
churches, and he certainly could not profess himself
in favour of so sweeping • measure. He said in
the present day they had a clergy in the church who were
zealous and faithful in the discharge of their duty, and
there was this distinction between the ministry in the
church and dissent—that the latter, though faithful and
zealous in an equal degree with the former, were
only careful of their own docks, while the clergy of the
church looked after the stray sheep in their respective
psi she., who belonged to no denomination or sect. In
answer to a further question as to the disendowment of
the Irish church, Mr. Bruce said he could not say that be
was at present prepared to support such a measure.
A resolution, pledging the meeting to support Mr. Bruce
at the next election, was carried by acclamation, and • vote
of thanks to the chairman having been also adopted, the
meeting separated.

The sittings of the Royal Commission on Ritual
are to be resumed on Thursday next. With respect to the
Lambeth Conference, it is stated that the committees have
time from time to tiie to consider the various matters sub-
mitted to them. Their deliberations are not yet concluded.
It has been decided to hold the adjourned meeting of the
Conference on December 10.

We have seen a statement which has appeared in
some of our ooetemporsries to the effect that Vice-Chan-
cellor Wood contemplates resigning his office at the close
of the year. We :as aware that a rumour to that effect
gained some currency in the profession just before the
last long vacation, and we believe the statement in ques-
tion to hays been founded in a rumour and nothing better.
—Solicitors' Journal.

Ds J>ur►asaux.—A meeting of the subscribers
to the proposed memorial to the late Dr. Jeaffreson, of
Finsbury-square, took place in the board-room of St. Bar-
iliolomew's Hospital on Friday afternoon, at which Dr.
Edwards, Mr. Paget, Mr. Callender, and several other
=ereedited staff of that institution attended,
el: occupied by Mr. W. Forster White, the
respected treasurer. It having been announced by Dr.
Edwards, who has acted as secretary to the fund, that the
amount already subscribed and promised would provide a
permanent Isom of 20/. per annum, it was resolved that an
exhibition to be entitled "The Jeaffreson," be immediately
established, and that the amount to be so provided be paid
during two years to any student of St. Bartholomew's
Hospital who shall, within three months of entering upon!
his studies, be elected, after a competitive examination,
by the medical board, and continue to prosecute those
studies in that school.

BUSINLBS IS THE House OF COMMON/L—The
badness before the House of Commons this week will be
little more than formal. On Tuesday there will be the
debate on the Address, on Wednesday the report on the
Queen's Speech will be brought up, on Thursday the
Queen's Speech will be taken into consideration, and Mr.
Hunt will move that " a supply be granted to her
Majesty," and, probably, on Tuesday, the 26th, the Com-
mittee of Supply will be opened. In other words, the real
business of the autumn session—the grant of funds for the
Abyssinian expedition—will be commenced on that day.—
Snaday Ca:, ttr.
THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE SHOW.-1120
forthcoming annual cattle show of the Smithfield Club is
appointed to take place, for the sixth time, at the Agri-
cultural-hall, Islington, commencing on Monday, the 9th
I December next, and will continue for the four following
days ; and now that the ravages of the cattle plague may
be said to be completely stamped out, there is every reason
to believe that it will be held under far more favourable
auspices than the two preceding ones. OW) new feature
of the present year's show has been the enlargement of
the galleries for implements, in consequence of the
Insufficiency of the space, great as it was, previously
afforded for the accommodation of applicants in that de-
partment. This has been effected by bringing the frontages
of the north and south galleries flush with the first row of
iron pillars supporting the groins of the circular roof. By
this means there is placed at the disposal of the club for
letting purposes a number of bays, the spaces afforded by
which have been secured by many of the mosteminent ma-
nufacturers of machinery for the display of their most novel
productions. At the same time, however, the area is re-
duced to a corresponding extent with the enlargement of
the galleries. Although this large increase of space has
been obtained, not only every appropriation for stands in
the galleries, but in the arcade and annexes, have been
filled, and large numbers have had their applications re-
jected for want of still more room. The show of roots
and agricultural produce will also be on a much larger
scale than usual. With regard to the arrangements of the
club in reference to the cattle and other stock, under the
advice of Professor Siminonds—although all apprehensions
of the cattle plague are now at end—the committee have
determined to carry out the same precautionary measures
as were adopted at the shows of 1865 and
1866 in enforcing, both in the transit and in the
keep of all cattle entertained and admitted to the show
yard, the 54th section of the consolidated orders of council
relative to the cattle plague, and in the use of Sir William
Burnett's diainfeoting fluid over the entire area. The let
inst. was the last day for completing the entries, which are
exceedingly numerous, far beyond those of the two or
three past years, and include several from her Majesty's
and the Prince of Wales's herds, from the Flemish and
Home Farms of Windsor mid also from his royal high-
ness's farm at fiandrimlani. Her Majesty's and the
prince's land steward, Major-General the Hon. A. N.
Hood, is this year's president of the club. The Earl of
Hardwicke, Lord Berners, Lord Walaingliam, Earl
Spencer, the Duke of Richmond, Lord Tredegar, and a
large number of distinguished graziers and agriculturists,
are amongst the contributors of stock. The show will be
divided into 56 classes, viz., cattle 34, sheep 18, and pigs
4. The prizes in money amount to I,lest., viz., for cattle
1,205/.. sheep 57W., and for pigs 1201. In addition to
these money prizes there are six silver cups—two of the
value of 401. for the best steer or ox, and for the best
heifer or cow in the cattle classes ; three of the valet of
201. each for best pen of Leicesters, Cotswolds, or other
long-woolled breeds, lest pen of South Downs, Hamp-
shire or Wiltshire Downs; for best pen of Shropshire,
Oxfordshire, or cross-breeds ; and a silver cup, value 213/.,
for the beat pen of pigs. There are also three gold medals
for breeders of best stock in cattle, and ten silver medals
for best pens of sheep and pigs in extra stock, thus making
the gross value of the prizes awarded by the club this
year reach considerably over 2,0001., being, with possibly
the exception of the Royal Agricultural Society of Eng-
land, the largest award of prizes made by any similar in.
stitutiou in the kiugdom. —Observer.
FLEE AT CAMBERWELL.—On Saturday night a
destructive fire took place at Messrs. Trotman's patent
hair pin factory, in the Camberwell-rosd. The premises
were of considerable extent, and adjoined Mr. Pries
coach factory and other buildings. The fire, the cause of
which is unknown, was not extinguished until the pre-
mises in which it originated were nearly destroyed, and
those adjoining much damaged. The approach of one of
the steam fire engines was the cause of a fatal accident.
The fire coming out of the funnels frightened the horses
drawing a brewer's dray, and before the driver could pull
them up short, knocked down a man named Lovegrove,
and the wheels passed over his bead, death being the
result.

HOUSES OK PARLIAMENT.—The entrance to the
new Palace of Westminster, at the foot of the clock tower,
on Tuesday next, will be available only for peers, members
of the House of Commons, and officer' connected with the
houses of parliament. The gates at the north-western
corner of New Palace-yard will be left open for the ad-
mission of the general public.
THE RITUAL MEETING AT ST. JAMES'S HALL.—
The newspaper organs of the ritual party appear to attach
considerable importance to the " meeting of churchmen,"
which is to be held at St. damea's Hell to-morrow, "for the
adoption of a memorial to the ritual commiseionera." The
' admission is by ticket only, and although all applications
have been rigidly scrutinised, with a view to the exclusion
of the hostile element, it is understood that the available
space was exhausted nearly a week back. It appear* that
there is no intention to make the meeting • demonstra-
tion in favour of ritualism, the aim being rather to bring
about iv union between the ritualists and the high church
party (which is opposed to anything like extreme ritual-
' ism) on the basis of opposition to any alteration in the
Prayer-bcok in a party sense. The chair is to be taken by
Earl Nelson.
THE YORKSHIRE STATUTE FAlRS.—During the
put week the whole of the hiring fairs for servants have
been held in the Yorkshire towns, and the second series
commenced at Halton on Seurday. Everywhere wages
have advanced ; farmers complain of the rates much. The
girls have not " stood the market " ro much as formerly,
the clergy having undertaken to provide them with rooms,
the Corn Exchange being given up to them at Melton. The
police reports show that the statutes so far have been of •
very orderly character.