Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-08 00:00:00

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THE DAY'S NEWS

The state of affairs in several portions of the
River Plate is far from being satisfactory. The
confederation of Urquizas is in a state of civil war,
the executive and provincial authorities having
broken out into open conflict. It would appear
that Urquiza, wishing to follow in the footsteps of
General Rosas, endeavoured to place one Benavides
in the ,governorship of the four western provinces.
This the inhabitants opposed, and Benavides at-

tempting by main force to carry out the views of
Urquiza, was arrested and handed over to the con-
stitutional authorities of San Juan. Urquiza sends
a force against that city, and attempts to rescue the
prisoner. In this, however, he was defeated, and
Benavides was killed. He then declares open war
against San Juan, and at the last accounts the

combatants on each side were ready for the fray.
These particulars we gather from the Buenos Ayres
papers, received here yesterday afternoon. It
would also seem that the remnants of the fedral,

or Rosa's party, also attempted to disturb the
public tranquility in the province of Buenos
Ayres, availing of a religious excitement produced
by the instalation of some masonic lodges, and
setting themselves out as the sustainers of
religion threatened by the masons, with the
existence of whom these rascals blamed the
government. The Legislative Chambers
had closed the session with another
blow to the fedral party, namely, in the reforma-
tion of the law of military pensions, by which, solely
are considered meritorious the services in the cause
of liberty, excluding as unworthy of any premium
the services rendered in the time of tyranny. The
government had again convoked the chambers
to an extraordinary session, to resolve the project
of law which has for object to guarantee an
annual interest on the capital employed in the
construction of a railroad to San Fernando. The
State of Buenos Ayres remained in perfect tran-
quility and prosperity, proving its onward march
I and "indifference to Urquizas differential duties, in
corroboration of which it will be sufficient to
quote the Custom House revenue for the month of
October, comparing it with that for the same
month in the two preceeding years, viz., 1856,
$5,041,087 ; 1857, $5,581,945; 1858, $6,270,120.
There is to be no war between France and

Austria,-

—at least so says the Paris liloniteur, the

mouthpiece of the French government. It declares
that there is nothing in the state of diplomatic
relations to warrant the fears of war and " con-
fusion dire," which the rumours, founded on the
words alleged to have been spoken by the Emperor,
are calculated to provoke. So far this is well.
Austria and France are not very likely to go to
war. Neither the inherent strength of these

Governments, nor the state of their finances, could
give the least colour of probability to such an
event. But they are quite as likely to engage in
hostilities now as they were before the Moniteur
printed its declaration. The truth seems to be
that public opinion took panic, not so much, per-
haps, at the words of Louis Napoleon, as at the
alarming sensitiveness of the Bourse speculators.
The agitation in Italy, there can be little doubt,
is also exaggerated by interested parties.
A report prevails in quarters not given to the
dissemination of canards, that the Russian govern-
ment has already concluded the negotiations for a
loan of several millions sterling with a leading
financial house in London havinc, powerful
foreign connections. The important'' operations
lately witnessed in bills on St. Petersburgh, are
attributed in part to this event.

The Times takes up the cudgel in favour of the
Prince of Wales going to Rome to finish his
education, and ridicules the idea of Romish Cardi-
nals, or any others in the least affecting the reli-
gious principles of the heir of the English throne.
It says, " Probably the last place in the whole
world where Protestant principles are in danger
is Rome itself. The result of the Pope's rule is,
that Popery has nowhere so little spirit as in the
Eternal City. Its success in England among the
enthusiastic and the refined has been due to the
conception formed of it as an ideal of holiness and
grace by those who fancied themselves revolted
by the vulgarity of common English life, and the
slovenly coldness of a Protestant service. But
go to Rome and see this ideal system in action,
and you will soon long for your own prosaic land,
even though buying and selling absorb its energies
six days in the week, and it is content to listen to
noisy charity children on the seventh. The edu-
cation of a young man cannot be better completed
than by imbuing his mind with all that ancient
and modern Rome can teach to the well-regulated
intellect ; nor do we think that the Englishman
is bound to avoid what is instructive and beautiful
because a few weak-minded men hare been
ensnared into abandoning the faith and the'
•
principles of their own free country."
Some time ago, Lieut. Hymson, who is a share-
holder i
holder in the Atlantic Telegraph r2ompanv4
appeared before Mr. Alderman Salomons, amdi.
made a complaint against that Company, that he'i
had been swindled out of 1,000. Alderman Salo-1
mons, after some evidence having been heard,!
dismissed the case. The affair was brought before
the London magistrates three or four other times,°
but with the same result. Some time after Mr.
Higginson met Alderman Salomons, and after'
some few words, drew his hand acrosshis face, and attempted to strike him. He was,.
given into custody. On Thursday he was tried at(
the Central Criminal Court, and found guilty of..
the offence. Nobody, and least of all Alderman,
Salomons, wished to be severe with him, and so he
was liberated on entering into his own recog-
nizances, and promising to appear for judgment'
whenever called upon. He promised never again
to interfere with Alderman Salomons.

Kochanowsky, the Russian nObleTand his two
confederates, have been tried at the Central
Criminal Court, on the charge of manufacturing
forged plates of Russian promissory notes. Theyi
were convicted, and Kochanowsky was sentenced
to ten years' penal - servitude, and the others tot'
,
five.

The further arrests that have taken place in,
Belfast and Kilkenny county exhibit the continued!
apprehensions and fears of the Irish Executive. 4
On Monday, five members of a secret society were
arrested at Callan, one at Ballydonnel, and another!
at Kilkenny. The prisoners are severally described!
as leather merchant, publican, national school
teacher, and two sailors. After investigation, the '
presidißg magistrates remanded them aIL They

are charged as being members of the Callan branch
of the Phcenix Society.
There is an important decision of the Scotch
Lord Ordinary affecting the Western Bank of
Scotland. The action that came before his lord-
ship was for suspension of the calls made by the
liquidators upon one of the shareholders whose
shares had been purchased only a few weeks
before' the bank disaster was made known. It
was pleaded on behalf of this shareholder that
the bank had' actually ceased to exist before his
shares were purchased. The Lord Ordinary,
however, decided against him, on the special
ground that he had purchased the shares from
parties who were as ignorant as himself of the real
facts of the case.

The inquest on the bodies of the seven men
and boys who were killed by the lamenable acci-
dent at the Agecroft Colliery was held on
Thursday. The jury returned a verdict of
" Accidental death ; " and the Coroner censured
a joiner, named Rowe, who had been employed to
alter the strap which worked the bell weight, for
want of due care in securely wedging the strap
into a slit in the axle of the drum. The strap
was drawn out of the slit, so that the bell
did not ring ; and the engineer, not hearing the
bell, did not cease winding up the " cage
as he should

so soon

At the Police Court yesterday, a poor old woman
summoned the officers of the Victoria Benefit
Burial Society, for the sum of £l2. A son of the
woman died on the 12th December last, and she
paid her regular weekly subscription on the 13th.
On applying for the £l2, the Society contended
that they were not responsible, on the ground that
one of their rules distinctly stated, that when any
arrears had taken place and were paid up, yet for
four weeks after such paying up they were out of
benefit—that is, there would be no claim against
the Society on any one death during four weeks.
The magistrates were obliged to give a verdict for
the defendants, but the rules were characterised
as being of a most scandalous character, and Mr.
Tidd Pratt came in for no very gentle castigation
forlegalising these rules.

A very singular and clever case of swindling
came before the Police Court, yesterday. A person
in Liverpool, had an advertisement inserted in a
Staffordshire paper, stating that he was in want
of a respectable party to take charge of an
extensive ale and porter establishment, and that
he was willing to pay a good salary and furnish
the engaged with a comfortable home. The ad-
vertisement was answered by a gentleman, and
he was desired to call at No. 2, Vine-street,
Liverpool. He did so, and an agreement was
signed. The person from Staffordshire returned
to that town and sent the advertiser £lO, on
account of £4O security. Several other sums were
thus obtained, and on the gentleman from Stafford-
shire arriving in town with his wife, he was met
by the advertiser, and taken to a respectable hotel,
where they had various refreshments. The advertiser
left them, and said he would return to them
on the following morning, and pay the bill,
and at once place them in charge of the ale and
porter establishment. This was on the 25th of
November. He was never seen after until Wed-
nesday evening, when he was given in charge by
the gentleman he had victimised, and yesterday
he was committed to the sessious on a charge of
embezzlement.

A special meeting of the Toxteth Park Local
Board of Health was held yesterday, for the pur-
pose of considering whether they should proceed
to the sewage of Smithdown-lane, or comply with
a memorial of the inhabitants of that locality, who
do not think that sewage is necessary for some
length of time. Ultimately, a motion was agreed
to that the drainage, as shown on the plan, should
be carried out, and that the cost be charged to the
district.

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM continues to be the
unavoidable topic with every member of Parlia-

ment who now has an opportunity of addressing
his constituents. It is almost the only political

question, apparently, about which there is any

interest or anxiety in the country at the present
The last instance of its discussion before

moment

a Parliamentary constituency, was that in the
city of Oxford the other day. The two hon.
members for that city, Mr. LANGSTON and

Mr. CARDWELL, both spoke upon it, and both

were evidently satisfied with the prospect
there now is of obtaining a new Reform Act. The
former of the two honourable gentlemen desired
to see it a final measure ; defining his meaning of
the word final to be " that the subject of reform
was not to be brought unnecessarily before the
attention of Parliament ; and under these circum-
stances," he added, " it became necessary, when-

ever it was taken into consideration, that a mea-
sure should be produced which should be of a

satisfactory character, and one that was calculated
to meet the wants and wishes of the country for at
least a quarter of a Century to come." Mr. CARD-
WELL coincided in this view ; and he also agreed

with another expression of his colleague's, that

the time is come when, if possible, we should

talk about reform no more without doing some-

thing which may be satisfactory,"

'—declaring,

moreover, that there never was a time so proper

for doing something : the country being free from
excitement on the subject—though he did not

mean, by this, that the country was not alive to

its importance, or indifferent, and not in earnest,

But the most pleasing and the most important
feature of Mr. CARDWELL'S address, on this occa-
sion, was the terms in which he expressed himself
as to the promised measure of Reform from the
present Administration. It would be a measure,
he said he believed, based not so much on what are
called abstract, as on comprehensive principles.

And the great questioi

aid, with any such

measure should be

Was it designed to promote
the welfare of the whole community ? And the
test of this, he declared, will be,—" Are the edu-
cation and intelligence of the persons selected for
enfranchisement the ground and cause of their
being selected? Will it include those who
are qualified to add by their voice to the
wisdom, security, and strength of the coun-
cils of the Crown and people." The right hon.
gentleman, it will be remembered, was a member
of the Government when, four years since, Lord
JOHN RUSSELL brought in a Reform Bill ; and, he
observed respecting it, " whether its details were
right or wrong, its object was to add those
individuals to the constituency who correspond to
the test of intelligence and education,"—One
means of doing which, he showed, was to be by a
re-distribution of seats. "It may be," he added,
" that some other member is now more suited to
the exigencies of the time ; but, if in the re-
distribution .f the seats, the desire be to remove
manifest defects, and to give power to the great
combination of industry and intelligence, and to
add strength to the institutions of the country,
the bill, whether-it correspond to the details of the
bill of 1854 or differ from them, will deserve to be
considered as an ample bill and an honest bill,
and, come from what quarter it may, I trust it
will receive the cordial and generous consideration
of all independent persons both within and
without file walls of Parliament." This, coming