Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-24 00:00:00

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1857

THE DAY'S NEWS.

In the House of Lords last night, Lord Brougham
laid on the table, the Bill of last Session, for the
Prevention of Vexatious Litigation. Earl Granville
stated, that the exploring expedition in Central
Australia, had been most successful. A great deal
of fertile land had been discovered on the Banks
•f the Victoria, and of the Gulf of Capratoria.
On the motion of the third reading of the Divorce
Bill. the Lord Chancellor moved an amendment,
substituting fine for imprisonment as the punish-
ment of the guilty parties, which was carried by a
majority of twenty Ultimately the bill was passed.
In the House of Commons a number of Railway
Bills were read a third time and passed. The
Government supported another very questionable
measure in the House last night, viz., the con-
tribution out of the public purse of some £50,000,
for the formation of a park at Finsbury. Several
members objected to the grant, it being for a
purely local purpose. The adjournment of the
debate to Thursday, was carried by a vote of
214 to 123, the supporters of the motion
being the opponents of the grant, so that there
appears a probability of the government being
defeated, which we hope they will. Mr. Headlam
wished that the principle of limited liability should
be extended to Joint Stock Banks, and for this
purpose he would move, on the second reading of
the Joint Stock Bank Bill, that that principle
should be extended to these institutions. In answer
to Mr. B Williams, Mr V. Smith said that in con-
sequence of disaffection in the 19th regiment of
Native Troops in India, it had been disbanded,
but no other regiment would suffer such a fate,
except under similar circumstances—a very satis-
factory statement, indeed. The Grand Jury
System in Ireland was discussed at some length,
en Sir. D. Norreys moving for leave to bring in a
bill to provide for the management of the fiscal
affairs of counties in Ireland by electoral boards.
ua of tale present
system, and urged the advantage of the
proposition which he made, and said that
in Belgium and in Canada the system of
electorial divisions had been adopted, and had
worked successfully. Colonel French defended
the grand jury system, which he observed had
been in existence for a century. It was simple,
economical, and gave general satisfaction. Under
the Irish system 43,000 miles of road were kept in
order without debt, while in England 26,000 miles
of road were bankrupt, and the highway rates
amounted to a million a-year. The total expense
under the bill just proposed would be 140,0001 a
year, independent of the travelling expenses of
280 members of the executive council. It was
a most objectionable measure, and he would give
it his .lecided opposition. A long discussion en-
sued, in which Irish members took a prominent
part, but their opinions were very conflicting
Mr. H. Herbert, the new Irish Secretary, while
admitting some of the abuses under which the
grand jnry system laboured, opposed the
admission of the bill, and the motion was
ultimately withdrawn. Mr. J. B. Smith
moved a resolution to the effect, that in the
opinion of the House it was desirable to remove
the obsticals which impede the application of
British capital snd skill to the improvement of
the productive powers of India. He said that
roads were wanted, and the necessity for the im-
provement of the tenure of land ; also, irrigation
to qualify India to compete with America in the
cultivation of cotton. Mr. J. A. Turner seconded
the motion and alluded to the difficient supply of
cotton A long discussion ensued and the motion
was negatived.
The Educational Conference proceeds with
much success. Yesterday, papers were read in
each of the five sections. As we were only enabled
to give a very meagre outline of Prince Albert's
speech at the opening of the Conference, we this
day supply our readers with a full report of it.
It is one of a very interesting character.
The inquest on the body of the woman murdered
at Chillingford Hatch, Essex, was opened on
Monday afternoon, and adjourned for some few
days. _

Another brutal murder has been perpetrated in
Essex. A husband beat his wife's skull in be-
sause she refused him money to continue dissipa-
tion.

It is known that Lord Palmerston does not look
with favour upon the project of a ship canal across
the Isthmus of Suez, notwithstanding the large pre-
ponderence of commercial approval it has obtained ;
and it is known, also that the scheme of a railway
from the Mediterranean to the Valley of the Eu-
phrates, and along it to the Persian Gulf, receives
the countenance of the British Government. " The
prospectus of the canal, we believe," says a Lon-
don evening cotemporary, "requires no guarantee
for dividends, but the paying character of the
railway seems to be thought problematical by its
promoters, for a deputation from this body saw
the Prime Minister on Monday, and asked a
guarantee, which Lord Palmerston promised, by
implication:"

A sad calamity has happenedlast in the Shetland
Isles On Wednesday argale of wind overtook
Wee
four fishing boats, which capsized, and all on
the crew of each
of
board met a watery grave. A.
boat numbered six, the loss life in this instance
was no less than twenty-four.

A military officer, an ensign in the German
Legion, has been sentenced to nine months im-
prisonment, for obtaining goods on false pretences.
A banquet was given on board the United States
war steamer Niagara, now in the Mersey, yesterday,
a report of which will be found in another column.

Our police report of yesterday contains an account
of a stabbing case, in which the prisoner was fined
in £5, or sent to gaol. "A big, ugly-looking lumper,
of over fifty years of age," was sent for trial, on a
charge of bigamy.
In London, yesterday afternoon, a meeting of

gentlemen was held for the purpose of taking into
acknowledgment the " services of the hero who laid
the foundation of the British empire in the east a
century ago, and which have hitherto been com-
memorated by no public monument. Towards
this the Court of Directors of the East India Com-
pany has expressed its cordial approval, and at the
same time has signified its intention to present a
donation of £5OO in aid of its funds. The meeting
was less numerously attended than it otherwise
would have been owing to her Majesty's Drawing
Doom.

Our intelligence from the Continent this morning
does not call for any particular comment.

The Swedish Diet have cautiously refused to
vote money for the entire railway scheme laid
before it, by the Government. The Diet will
give grants only for the best portions of the main
lines.

The trial of the Brussels rioters has concluded.
The accused were thirteen in number ; ten have
been sentenced to terms of imprisonm2nt varying
from three weeks to three months. The remaining
three were fir. ed.

The Paris elections closed on Monday evening,
and the result is, that two of the Opposition candi-
dates only have been absolutely returned. Ca-
vaignac had a majority, but not sufficient to make
his election absolute, and another ballot is to take
place. By Thursday we shall probably have the
result of the whole of the French elections.

Some arrests have been made in Paris amongst
Italian refugees, at some of whose homes concealed
weapons were discovered, and also some documents
of value to the police. These arrests have no
signification, as the parties implicated had no
determined plan of action, and seem to have been
chiefly employed by the French democratic com-
mittee in London for circulating the rabid writings
and manifestos indulged in by that body.
In Persia, the Minister of the Shah has caused
the Affghan Prince of Herat, who had been taken
prisoner, to be decapitated ; he also wished to exe-
cute the brother-in-law of the Shah, who was
accused of holding a correspondence with the
English Minister during the war, but the French
Ambassador succeeded in obtaining a commuta-
tion of the sentence, by pointing out that these con-
demnations were a violation of the stipulations of
the treaty.
The City of Washington has arrived from New
York with oae day's later news, but it is of no im-
pnrtance. An ample epitome will be fonnd else-
where. Walker (the fillibuster) seems to be making
a sort of triumphal procession up the Ohio River.
The telegraph announces that he, on the 10th, gave
a levee at the house of a brother-in-law of his, who
resides at Louisville, and at which the elite of the
city attended. In the evening he was to visit the
theatre with his staff. The play we suppose would
be A New Way to Pay Old Debts, or perhaps
Schiller's play of The Robbers. Instead of the
Marseilles Hymn, or anything of that sort, there
might be sung by the whole company, Walker and
staff included :

"The man that fights and runs away,
May live to fight another day.
It would save Walker the necessity of making a
good many speeches, as that single distich includes
all which he has to say for himself, or which any
of his newspaper backers seem to have to say for
him. A new York papers says—" We fear that we
in New York may not be honoured with a visit from
this remarkable man, who achieves greatness
and fame by failing in all that he under-
takes. He would be likely to be presented here
with sundry little bills and claims for damages
which it might not be altogether convenient
to meet. What happened to the members of
the San Francisco Vigilance Committee may
well operate as a warning to him how he puts
himself within reach of Marshal Rynders. That
distinguished officer of the civil service—hardly
less famous in his way than Walker himself—
might possibly clap him on the shoulder in a
double capacity ; not merely with a hail, fellow-
filibuster, well met, which would be very de-
lightful, but with a writ in his hand, which might
not be so agreeable either for him or Walker.
The Marshal, however, is not a man to flinch
from [his duty, and we doubt not, writs having
been placed in his hands, he would clap
Walker into Eldridge-street gaol, with as
little ado as Walker used to make in shooting
those who attempted to desert from his service.
Some of the persons so served very likely have
frleuds in this city, and possibly Walker might
find himself not merely sued for debt, but
indicted for murder." Fifteen of the rioters con-
cerned in breaking into the Louisville jail and
hanging four negroes who had just been acquitted
by a jury, have been indietea ror murder. As they
are all, it is understood, poor men, of no family—
not a gentleman among them—it is quite
likely that some of them may be hung.
Gentlemen in Kentucky, according to the
well-established course of jury trials in that
State are at liberty to commit as many murders as
they choose, but poor white men are hung in Ken-
tucky just as readily as anywhere else. It is
believed that Colonel Cumming has agreed to un-
dertake the Governorship of Utah. The difficulties
in the way of procuring forage and stores in the
Territory are so great that it is doubtful if the
troops will winter there. If no serious disturb-
ances occur, the mass of them will move onward
to the Pacific before cold weather. At present no
war is anticipated.

The Alhambra arrived at Southampton yester-
day, with the Peninsular mails.

MONDAY witnessed the inauguration of a most
important gathering—the Educational Conference
in London. It is certainly a gratifying sign of
the times, to see the second personage of the
realm, his Royal Highness Prince ALBERT,
forsaking for a time the gaieties of the Court,
and acting as president of a meeting, the sole
object of which is calmly to consider how, and
by what means, the education of the lower classes
can be most effectually improved and carried
out. The efforts made by some parties in Man-
chester, and the motions of Lord JOHN RUSSELL
and Sir JOHN PAKINGTON have had our approval ;
not that we entirely concur in all their views
thereon, but simply because it was,a step in the
right direction, and served to call public attention
to this great question.

The fact of such a COnference as that now
sitting in London being called into existence,
implies that the education of the industrious
classes of this country is defective in quality,
deficient in quantity, and uncertain in adminis-
tration. These will be the first principles which
the Conferenee have to demonstrate ; then will
come the consideration of the proper remedies
to be applied. In the discussion of these
important points, we hope that the Conference
will not confound mere instruction with educa-
tion. This has been the general error of the
great bulk of the educational philanthropists of
the past and present age, and hence it is that
vast sums of money have been mis-spent in what
has been termed the education of the people.
The great end of those who have had the control
of the educational machine has been the erection
of school-house s and the multiplication of scholars
more than the quality of the education.
It has also been made a vehicle whereby my
Lord This or Squire That could concoct and
carry out certain social and political schemes,
regardless of the people's welfare and happiness ;

and it is well known that many a Lady
BOUNTIFUL has, in her neat and well wh to
washed school-house, been the most successful
of " proselytisers," inculcating fanciful theories of
theology, and habituating the young and tender
minds who frequented her school, to the exercise
of religious,'prejudice, when they could scarcely
understand the difference between right and

This should not be tolerated. Its
existence has been one of the compelling
causes calling into operation the Educational

wrong.