The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-01-26 00:00:00

TIIE WEATHER.-THE GAL.&

We fear that a day or two will bring us news of a disas-
trous description, the result of the late gale. The gale con-
tinued on Friday night and the greater part of Saturday,
and it was stated that there were many wrecks along the
vast, northward; but we have not heard the particulars.
The River Mersey, on Saturday morning, was alliullv
grand, and from opposite the Clarence Dank, downward, as
far as the eye and glass could reach, tha scene was one of
wild confusion, and a picture, in little, of oue of those fear-
fully described things called " whitl squalls" in the Atlantic.
Pilots and others who came up the channel, reported that for
many years past there never was beheld such a sea
" outside," and on their report many vessels and steamers
were detained. In the coasting steamers few ventured out,
nor arrived, on Friday and Saturday. Several persons left
the Isle of Man boat on Saturday mornini, not afraid of the
boat, as she is a gallant craft, brat afraid to encounter the
sea outside, and the sickness that would inevitably await on
such a voyage. Many ships and coasting steamers put
back. It was beautiful to see the American mail steamer
going down the river, as the waves dashed over and
around her bow—it was much handsomer to look at than
be on board. It was stated that soins wrecks were
seen beyond the north west light ship, but no details have
reached us yet, Towards Saturday night the wind %bated ,
and the effects of the storm were visible in the river yester-
day. From ten o'clock yesterday morning the weather
has been calm, and the atmosphere much more genial than
for the four previous days.

THE COURT, esc,

y I WINDSOR CASTLE-SATURDAY, JAN. 21.

GRAND INVESTITURE OF THE ORDER OF
THE BATH.

The Queen held this day an investiture of the most hon.
Order of the Bath. The principal knights of the order
assembled on the occasion. His Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge, commander of her Majesty's forces, arrived
from London at the castle. Lord Palmerston travelled

from town with Lady Palmerston, as also d;d Lord Pan.
mure and Sig• Charles Wood, in order to attend the
ceremony. Sir George Pollock, Sir Harry Smith, and
Sir John Burgoyne were also present to assist at the
chapter.
The Dean of Westminster officiated for the first time
sines his appointment as Dean of the Order. Mr.
Greville, King at Arms, and Mr. Albert W. Woods,
Gentlemen Usher of the Bath, attended.
Before the ceremony both the principal knights and
the officers of the order were conducted to one of the
state rooms, where a dejeuner was served at half-past one
o'clock.

The Queen having summoned the knights to her
presence, they were ushered with their officers to the
state saloon, where her Majesty, accompanied by his
Royal Highness Prince Albert, and surrounded by the
ladies and nobles of her cow t, received them.

The ceremony of investing the noblemen and gentlemen
nominated to the three different classes of the Bath, was
then proceeded with. But one, the Earl of St. Germain's,
received the
,first class of the order; Major-General
Vivian, Mr. Crampton, formerly Minister to the United
States; the Hon. Mr. Bligh, also, formerly in the diplo-
matic service as the Queen's representative ; Rear-
Admiral Grey, and other officers, were decorated with
the insignia of the second class of the Bath.
Lord Frederick Paulet, Colonel M'Murdo, Colonel

Straubenzee, the Hon. Colonel Hardinge, and a number
of other officers, were honoured with the insignia of the

third class of the Order of the Bath.
In honour of the occasion, a guard of the honourable
corps of Gentlemen at arms were summoned from London,
and did duty at the castle. A large party of the Yeoman
Guard, in like manner, were ordered from town, and in
their handsome and picturesque costume, added much to
the splendour of the court.
In the outer court of the castle the Foot Guards were
on guard, attended by their band, which performed during
the afternoon a number of favourite compositions until
the close of the proceedings, about four o clock.
The newly-invested knights quitted the castle after the
ceremony, as did the principal knights and officers of the
Bath. Sir Charles Wood immediately proceeded to Lon-
don, but Lord Palmerston, and also Lord Panmure, re-
mained at the castle, and, together with the other visitors,
joined the royal circle.
During the dinner the band of the Ist Lie Guards
attended.

MEETING OF PARLIAMENT.—The Queen has intimated
her intention not to open Parliament in person. The
Speech from the Throne upon the reassembling of
Parliament will, therefore, be delivered by Lords Com-
missioners on Tuesday, 3d February. The Address, in
answer to the Speech from the Throne, will be moved in
the House of Lords by the Earl of Cork, and we believe
will be seconded by Earl Cowper. Both these young
noblemen have but lately succeeded, at an early age, to
their family honours. The address of the Commons will
be moved by Sir John Ramsden, Bart., member for the
borough of Taunton, and seconded by Sir Andrew Agnew,
Bart., member for Wigtonshire.

THE SHERIFF'S DINNER.—Lord Granville, as Lord Pre-
sident of the Privy Council, will give a grand dinner on
Friday, the 30th of the present month, to the Cabinet
Ministers alai the groat officers of the Queen's household,
at his lordship's residence, in Bruton street. At this
meeting tho roll of gentlemen to serve the office of high
sheriff for tl-i2 3 muCes of Englan 1 and Wales during the
present year, will be arra Iged, in order to be in readiness
far the Privy Council.

Mr. Lowe has left Manchester to pay a short visit to the
Right Hon. E. Cardwell, M.P., at Elle!.beck, near Wigan.
Mr. Cardwell, we are sorry to hear, is still suffering from
injury to his arm, the result of a fall from his horse.

PROTECTION VERSUS FREE TRADE IN GERMANY.—A
letter from Berlin of the 19th says t—The propositions
the Z-Alverein, and which will probably be discussed in
the conference that is about to take place this year at
Berlin, are of more importance than was at first believed.
They refer not only to the transit of goods, but to many
other points :-1, Suppression of the transit duties on
goods from the Zlllverein or the Austrian provinces, and
13vying of one sole transit duty on goods passing through
these countries; 2, modification of the tariff of the
Zollverein so as to make it resemble that of Austria,
especially for goods of value ; 3, the same designa-
nation for the articles, in order that the same
declaration may suffice in the two countries; 4, the
establishment of custom-houses in common in the great
commercial towns, particularly along the railroads and
rivers which connect Austria with the Zollverein ; 5, a
footing of equality to be established between Austria,
Prussia, and Saxony for the navigation dues ; 6, reduction
of the tariff on various articles of consumption, &o.; 7,
the removal of differences in the collection of certain
dues ; 8, ulterior development of the customs charter on
the basis of the results hitherto obtained. These Austrian
proposals are to be considered as a great and decisive
move on the part of the protectionist party in Germany,
and a severe contest with the free traders may be antici-
pated. To equalise the two tariffs is to prepare a customs
union for 1862, and this would maintain the protective
system in Germany for a long time to come.

PARLIAMENTARY DINNER PARTIES.— The Ministerial
dinner parties on the opening of the session will be given
by Viscount Palmerston and Earl Granville to the
supporters of Government in either house. The former
uoble lord will entertain his colleagues and those- members
of the lower house who bald places in the Queen's
household, together with the. Mover and Seconder of the
Address, and a large number of members holding office in
different departments of the Government. Lori Granville
will receive his colleagues in the upper house, noblemen
holding office in her Majesty's household, the Mover and
Seconder of the Address, and also a large party of peers,
supporters of the present Administration. Both banquets
will be state dinners, and will take place on Monday, Feb.
2 : Lord Palmerston's at Cambridge house, Piccadilly, and
Lord Granville's, at his residence in Bruton street.

THE COMING SESSION OF PARLIAMEAV.—Parliament
will meet in the course of ten days, when' the hitherto
sealed book of the Cabinet will be opened, and the mea-
sures which have been so fully deliberated upon during
the past five months will be made public. It may, how-
ever, be acceptable now to refer to some few of the bills
which will be amongst the earliest introduced. The
question of the dues levied on shipping will early be
brought before the houses in the shape of a bill founded
on the voluminous evidence taken before the select com-
mittee of last session. It is to be hoped that Mr. Lowe
will be more successful in this than the last, as the gross
injustice created by the way the present shipping interest
is taxed, especially at Liverpool, can no longer be tole-
rated At the same time, it must not be lost sight of that
Liverpool and other towns similarly circumstanced proved
too powerful for the Government last session, and the
Opposition on this point will form a formidable phalanx.
It is not expected that the vexed question of national
education will be settled next session, inasmuch as there
are likely to be three different bills introduced by the
various sections of the house, who, whilst fully agreeing
on the importance of the question, differ as to the best
means. Reform of the criminal and ecclesiastical laws
will also be brought prominently forward by. the Govern •
meat ; bills having been prepared to that end. The cor-
poration of the city of London will have to fight their
defensive battle again, as the Home Secretary has a bill in
store for them somewhat similar to the last. The City are
very difficult to beat, and the corporation seem to have as
many lives as a cat. It has successfully resisted being in-
cluded in most bills affecting the metropolis generally, and
were only beaten in the case of the Metropolis Local Ma-
nagement Act, where, notwithstanding a bold fight, they
were brought under the provisions of the act. The question
so elaborately gone into last session with reference to the
adulteration of food will also be again brought before the
house in the shape of a bill now in course of preparation.
i The General Board of Health expires the session after the
next, provided Parliament does notextend its power. A bill
is prepared for that purpose, and upon its fate will depend

three others. if Parliament consents to continue the board
for five years, as asked, then the Vaccination Bill, the
Medical Practitioners' Bill, and the Burials Bill will have
clauses inserted in them assigning the operation of the
acts should they pass, to the General Board of Health.
The Vaccination Bill will be referred at once to a select
committee, and evidence, collected from all parts of the
country and the Continent, showing the good effects of
vaccination, will be laid before it ; but on this point much
evidence was not required, because, with the exception of
a few such extraordinary characters as Dr. Mitchell, there
is but one opinion, that the discovery of vaccination was
one of the greatest blessings to mankind ever made known.
The real difficulty lies in the compulsory powers which the
bill will endeavour to render more stringent, and the penal-
ties to be introduced to inforce its provisions. Englishmen
like to be coaxed, but they do not like to be driven. The
Medical Practitioners' Bill will be again introduced, but
probably with the same fate as the last, as the profession is
now more divided than ever, especially since the discontinu-
ance of the medical council to assist the President of the
Board of Health. They feel that they have been deceived,
and that when they supported the last continuation bill
of the General Board of Health, it was understood that
the profession should be represented by a medical council,
similar to the one which held its sittings under Sir B.
Hall, and which had the confidence of the profession.
The Home Office has already too much business on its
hands, and therefore the Burials Act will in Pll probability
be handed over to the General Board of Health, sup-
posing that board to be continued, which may be doubt-
ful, considering its present position in the opinion of the
House of Commons. An agricultural;statistical bill will
be again introduced, to be submitted to a select committee,
so as, if possible, to form a measure which shall satisfy
most parties. The chief opposition to the measure will
arise on its compulsory powers. Our farmers are a very
difficult body to deal with; they always fancy that any
measure, even professedly for their good, has some ulterior
object in view, and they resolutely set their faces against
it. They call it an inquisitorial measure, and they do not
like the machinery by which the information was proposed
to be collected. In lieu of the Poor Law Board the
General Register Office will probably be the medium.
Some measure will be introduced with reference to the
treatment of criminals under sentence of transportation,
but now again set loose on society. The present system
may have answered in some cases ; but so strong is public
opinion on the subject that an amended measure is abso-
lutely necessary. The great fight of the session will
probably be on the Income tax, and should no alteration
be proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer till next
year, the struggle will be a severe one. In all probability,
however, the additional ninepence will be taken off.—
Obser•ver of yesterday.

CAN WE HOLD AFFGHANISTAN ?—The Friend of India
says :—"Herat has fallen. Sir John Lawrence is to meet
Dost Mohomed in the Khyber. Ten thousand men have
been demanded from Bengal to join the Persian exped
tion.

The Czar has seized Astrabad as a materia
guarantee for the security of Persia. The Persians have
collected 26,000 men to resist the landing of the expedition.
The treasuries of the ;north west have been drained to
satisfy the cravings of our new ally. The Arneer's
sons have seceded to the Shah. Such are some of the
facts and rumours in rapid circulation throughout
India. The first three are probably correct, and even those
most palpably absurd are not without an importance of
their own. They indicate the instinctive sense which
the public entertains of the gravity of the situation. We
are drifting fast into the shoreless sea of Central Asian
politics. The cycle has come round once more. We are
embarked for the second time in an undertaking from which
we must not again retreat without the certainty of per-
manent success. Of that undertaking the invasion of
Persia is but one important section. Are the gates of
India to be English or Russian? Is the Tartar
cradle to be rocked from London or St.. Petersburg ?
That is the question which, under pretty disguises,
seems to be presented to the Government of India.
"rolitioinna acknowledge that with the annexation of the
Punj th the main difficulty has disappeared. Soldiers
allow that the valley .of the Indus is now a safe base of
operations, that Cabul is but five days' march from our
strongest camp. The public has lost its dread of the
mountain clans. It appreciates the lesson taught by Sir
John Lawrence, and knows that, like other wild beasts
they can be tamed by hunger and the occasional applica:
tion of the whip. Yet, in spite of all this, there is an
undefined feeling that Affghanistan would be a danger-
ous and expensive possession. Why ? The population
is not braver than that of the Huzara. It is scarcely
so numerous as that of Oude. It is not so fanatic
as that of Malabar. There is no natural difficulty in Aff-
ghanistan which does not equally exist in Kohat. There is
no want of experience on our side. There are 20 officers now
on the frontier who, if ordered to hold Affghanistan, would
know thoroughly what to say and how to act, hew to con-
ciliate the chiefs, and how to employ a half starving popu-
lation. The mere danger, indeed, scarcely deserves dis-
cussion. But at what expense would the occupation be
maintained? The injury to the revenue is at least clear.
We venture with profound submission to question even
that assertion. Is it cheaper to guard the plain against
the mountain, or the mountain against the plain ?
We must do one or the other. If not, if Russia is not ad
vancing, if there is no danger approaching, we have no
business beyond the range, or in Persia. We are sending
a costly expedition to hunt a will-o'-the wisp. But if, as
we believe, and as our actions prove, there is real danger,
the cheapest method of defence is to garrison the natural
fortress. It would be cheap even if we turned the Affghans
into our most faithful subjects by formally exempting
them from all taxation. Half tho army now coiled up in
the Punjab would turn Affghanistan into an impregnable
fortress. Every rock and mountain, now a terror, would
then be a defence. Every Khan of the steppe, now half
inclined to join the invader and share the spoils, would
take heart to continue a contest of which we reap the
fruit'without the cost. With the fortress in our hands,
and its approaches always exposed to a flank attack from
Bushire, the peninsula would be absolutely safe. That
quietude is not, even in the point of view assumed by
financial officers, a mean advantage. Let us not be mis-
understood. We advocate no insane plunge into the
passes, without a reason or a danger ; we simply point
to facts which, if the danger arrives, are necessary to a
calm judgment on the appropriate remedy."
1011.4.-

" PRIVATE VISITS" TO FRENCII JUDGES.-Out of the
many evils which have grown up in France under the
system of administration of justice, we shall, by way of
example, only refer to one so monstrous in its character
that we believe our statement of it risks being received in
England with an incredulity almost equalling the insensi-
bility which accompanies its daily practice across the
Channel. We allude to the system of the parties to suits,
civil as well as criminal, paying private visits to the
judges to " insen se" their private ear with their respective
statements. We know a case in which an English visitor
of consideration in Paris was told by one whose position
demanded attention, that a visit was due to the judge in
a case just pending, in which that person felt
an interest, though not a principal. The natural feeling
of repugnauce to such a suggestion which an English
education would create was manifested, and was met by
the remark that, if the suit was worth being won, the
indispensable first step towards success must be taken.
The visit was accordingly paid, and the judge, in his
luxuriant apartment, blandly stated that he had already
seen the principal on the other side, whom he proposed
again to send for, with the vi?w of trying to arrange
an unarrangeable matter before it came into court.
In fact, not to call on the judges, or at least not see
the "presedent" and leave cards for the " conseillers,"
would be an act of Quixotism in France equivalent
to pleading one's own cause in England. We have been
personally assured, by one of the ornaments of the French
bar—a jurisconsult now high in office, whose pecular fair-
ne=ss of mind led him to perceive and regret the aberra-
tions of his countrymen—that this system of visiting and
priming judges is so completely inrooted in the French
system, that a judge who declined to open his house to
suitors was suspected of acting, not from higher, but
lower motives than his compeers. In fact—for we do not
see why we should mince statements when those state-
ments are not based on our own supposition, but upon the
assurances of a native advocate of emineut character►