Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-16 00:00:00

THE REFOM BILL,

The Daily IWzos s'ays:—Aceordin,; to the" terms in.
which Mr. Disraeli on Monday night gave notice of his
Reform Bill, hilmeasure will-facilitate the representation
and voting of electors ; andfthe Daily New.st-cohjectures
that this may-refer to sonic. plan of voting papers as a
means of avoiding the ballot:

The Star thitiirs the phrase may refer to. a permissivE
ballot.

COLLECTIaN OF WA.R.LIICE WEAPONS IN - OTIDE.-1n
seven out of,,the eleven districts of Oude there were col-
lected in the week ending the 11th of December, 6,799
fire arms, 15-cannon, 21;627 swords, 1,062 spears, 4,110
bows, 641 daggers, I,99B:shields, 394 miscellaneous wea-
pons, making up the. total since the Ist of November,
23,250 muskets, 73.41.7 swords, 4,532' spears, 104528
bows, 3,22B:daggers, 6;900 shields, C.;4;449'weapons of
other sorts ; total, 316;370!
A parliamentary return of the debt-of India shows
the total to be £316,680, exclusive•of the liability of
£12,000,000 for the capital of the oldlcompany, and also
of the guarantecs.for railway and other works. Of this
sum, £62,010,831) is due in India, and'is classified3thus :
£43;341,533 " regiAered debt," £2,965,102 " loans,"
£11'27,484 "treasury notes," £4,44,489 :"service funds,"
£2;706,623 "bills payable," and £7,432,603. " deposits
and' misdella neous." The remaining £204305846 is due
in England, arid' consists of £999,917-. India Bonds,
£1;997,004. Debentures, £386,420 warrants for various
payments, (te.., £350,000 pay-office demands and Ad-
miralty claims, £3,498,333 capital of railway companies.
remaining in the Home Treasury, and .E 37,028 miscel-,
laneous.

FRENCH FLOATING BATTERIES. The intended'
transformation of the steam line-of-.battle ship Semmap?es
into a floating battery is," says aletter from Toulon, " the
commencement of a new and important application of
system of floating batteries. The French government has
it in contemplation to fit out several of these steam, for-
tresses, destined for the defence of the different nava/ ports,
which they will shelter from. all agression. These enormous
naval constructions will be, like the floating batteries which
were used with such formidable effect against the fort of'
Kinburn, covered with a sheathing of wrought iron. IR..
stead, however, of being like those batteries, wall-sided,'
a form which allows the new cylindro-conicatballs thrown
by the. formidable. Paixhans and Armstrong guns to
penetrate the iron and to explode in the side of the vessel,
causing thereby enormous damage, the. new floating
forts will have their sides built in a curve, and fluted at
intervals, so that the shot will not one time in twenty
strike on a flat surface, and will, consequently,
fly off without doing :any injury. These floating
citadels, mounted with guns of the largest calibre,
and manceuvering under steam at the entrance of a port
or roadstead, will, when two or three are together, keep
off the whole of an enemy's squadron, and protect the
arsenals and towns from the reach of any projectile,
They will, moreover, render powerless the fortifications
which command certain important maritime straits.
Two of those vessels, placed on the coast of Ceuta, would
completely paralyze the guns of Gibraltar, and would be
masters of the pillars of Hereules."- Galignani.
A CONSERVATIVE CLERGYMAN ON CHURCH RATES.—
The Rev. John Cox, who for some years has taken a pro-
minent part in the proceedings of the Hinekford (Essex)
Agricultural and Conservative Club, has published a bill
which he has prepared, with a view to the settlement of
the Church Rate question. The bill has twelve clauses,
and the reverend gentleman, who is the rector of
Fairstead, Essex, seems to have devoted a good dual of
pains to its complication. The bill makes a distinction
between towns and country parishes, as Mr. Cox proposes
that the former shall not come under the operation of his
measure unless two-thirds of the landlords having property
in them shall resolve to participate in the act. The rev.
gentleman further proposes to separate the maintenance
of Church fabrics from the other purposes for which
a Church-rate can be legally mane at present, and pro-
'ides for the former only by a county rate of ld in the
pound to be levied on the tenant, who may deduct it on
payment of his rent. For ordinary repairs the church-
wardens are to obtain an estimate and submit it to some
person appointed by the bishop of the diocese, who is to
approve the estimate and proposed repairs ; the amount
to be expended in the ordinary repairs of a church in_
one, year being limited to the sum which would be.tai!,cd
the parish by aid rate. The surplus is to he nreplied
to the restoration and enlargement of churches, With
nard to chancel, a charge is proposed to be, levied upon
14y rectors,