The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-05 00:00:00

cl 5

LONDON, TUESDAY, JULY 5, 1864.

The battle has now begun in earnest ; Mr.
DISRAELI's opening speech calling up on the
Ministerial side a speaker no less eminent than
Mr. GLADSTONE, gentleman en.
That right boo,
deavoured, with his customary ability, to turn the
aside the force of the direct against the
charges
Government, by dvielling upon the official hopes
of the Opposition as a party. with that jocularity,
which appears to be a favourite weapon with our
Government at this crisis, he related to the House
fee anecdote of an old lady and gentleman who
were murdered by their servant, and thei epitaph
sasgested that the murderer had done them a
kindness by saving them from the " discomfort" and
" inconvenience"of a natural death. " It is only very
recently," said Mr. GLADSTONE, " that I s-w this
epitaph, and it now strongly occurs to me that the
right hon. gentleman is anxious to perform for the
Government the kind eflice which the domestic
servant performed for that old lady and gentleman."
Without pausing to dwell upon the appropriate
nature of Mr. GLADSTONE'a comparison between
the Government of which he is a member, and " an
old lady and gentleman," the House was, of course,
convulsed with laughter at the anecdote. Mr.
GLADSTONE might have remembered, however, that
with reference to every Government, as was wittily
said of the Czars of Russia, " their natural death is
a violent one." No such anecdotes and no such
laughter, however, no adroit imputation of party
motives or of personal ambition, can avail to set
slide the plain statements and 'direct charges ad-

vanced against the Government. " I have shown
you," said Mr. DISRAELI, "that the position of
England is most embarrassing, is intolerably
difficult, is full of humiliations." And who
shall gainsay the truth of that exposition?
The lamentable fact is only too patent to all. The
leader of the Opposition, again, alluding to the
Premier's taunting inquiry as to his (Mr. DISRAELI.S)
policy, happily remarked last night—" My answer
is, ply policy is the honour of England, it is the peace
of Europe, and I say the noble lord hes betrayed
both." To which remark the house naturally
responded with " loud cheers." To indicate
what should be the foreign policy of the
nation—that, said Mr. DISRAELI, "is the
duty of no one but the responsible Minister
of the Crown. Well, then, that being so,'' con-
tinued the right hon. gentleman, " we will tell the
noble lord what is not our policy. We will not
first threaten and then refuse to act, We will not
lure on our allies by expectations we mean not to
fulfil. And if ever it should be the lot of myself
or of any public men with whom I have the honour
to act to carry on important negoeiations on behalf
of this country, euch as the noble lord and his col-
leagues have had to conduct, I trust it will never
be thought by us to be our duty to come to Par-
liament to announce to the country that we have
no allies,' and then declare that c England can never
act alone.' These, sir, are words which should never
have escaped the lips of it British Minister. Sir,
I repudiate and reject them. I remember
there was a time when, with not a tithe of her
present resources, England, inspired with a patriotic
cause, triumphantly encountered a world in arms.
And I believe that should the occasion arise—
should her independence or her honour be assailed
or her empire endangered, England would arise in
the magnificence of her might and struggle trium-
phantly for those objects which are dear to human
life, and for which men live and natioas flourish.
But, sir, I for one will never consent to go to war to
extricate Ministers from the consequences of their
own indiscretion. It is in this spirit that I have
drawn up this address to the Crcwn. I have
drawn it up in the spirit in which the Royal
Speech was delivered at the commencement of the
session. I am ready to vindicate the honour of
the country whenever it is necessary ; but I have
drawn up these resolutions in the interest of peace."
In the interests of Peace, interests dear to us all,
but also with a keen sense of the paramount
importance of Duty and Honour, the people are
now anxiously watching the proceedings of our
Parliament. With an eye to the coming elections,
the members have a difficult task. They have,
however, only to consider well the old adage that
Honesty, with Fidelity to all our pledges and pro-
mises, is the best policy, and the only one likely to
tell with the English public.
" Not once cr twice, in our rough island story,
The path of duty is the way to glory,"

The removal of a good many of our metropolitan
toll gates last Friday was a source of general satis-
faction, and it is only to be wondered at that our
patience did not sooner give way before such an
infliction. Whether from sharing SIIAESPERE'S
opinion of keeping to :he evils that we know, or
from the proverbial horror of ratepayers to an in-
crease of the rates, it is certain that turnpike trusts
and toll gates have long outlived their day, and that
they belong to a system and an epoch all'ogether
gone by. They are not in the least in accordance
wish the spirit of our general legislation, and it
amounts almost to an absurdity that when so much
is being said about relieving traffic and facilitating
communication these establishments should be pre-
served. They are undoubtedly a very serious
hindrance to the passengers and tend greatly to
promote confusion and collisions by inducing heavy
vehicles or, indeed, vehicles of any kind that can
t nerd to lose time, to go out of their way to aveid
the obnoxious toil, and sometimes, as in the case of
the bridges, this produces over-crowding of the
rival ways. The good work has not, however,
been done all at once; and even now the inh,abie
tants of the southern metropolitan districts ara loft
lamenting not only the inevitable bridge toll but
the turnpike on the high road as well. The
report just issued by the select committee
appointed to inquire into the matter of the
abolition gives, however, screse encouragement
to these ill-used citizens and to the victims
of turnpike trusts throughout the country. Scotland
and South Wales have greatly the advantage of
England and North Wales in this respect, and for
the superiority of VA southern part of the princi-
pality, its inha'aitalits may thank the shade of
REBECCA and per followers, which is perhaps not a
very good raoral. The extreme inconsistency in
the number of the county tolls in some parts is
easily 'explained. There is no longer sufficient
traffic on the highroads to pay for the expenses of
maintaining the road since the diversion of the
'through traffic by the railways, and consequently
the trustees are forced to increase the number of
their bars in order to obtain sufficient returns to
keep the road in order. It might be fair enough in
the old days for travellers to the north to contri-
bate to the maintenance of the great highways
thither, but in oar time those who habitually travel
much about the country pay a tolerably heavy
charge towards maintaining another roadway in
order, where the tollgates are the stations, and they
are not therefore forced by any law of social equity
or common sense to contribute to a highway they
never use. The whole burden of keeping the roads
in good repair and discharging the duties of the
turnpike trusts falls therefore upon the local in-
habitants, who would find it more convenient as
well as more seneible to pay the amount required
with their half-yearly rates instead of doling it out
in twopences and threepances every time they pass
up or down the road. We are told in the
report that ratepayers often have to discharge
the double duty, and to contribute to the mainten-
ance of the roads, as well as paying the toll. " Cases
are not rare of trusts in which the whole produce
of the tolls, after payment of the establishment
charges, is abeorved in the payment of the interest
of the debt, while arrears accumulate, and the whole
burden of the maintenance of the roads is thrown
upon the parishes." The establishment charges
which are referred to hero are often very heavy.
Mr. WRIGHTSON, a gentleman who has given the
committee much information on the subject, esti-
mates the cost of each gate at £25, and he thinks
there are at least four gates in every trust, which is
a low estimate, so that, as the number of trusts is
more than 1,100, the cost of collection is very great.
Another gentleman states that in the Leominster
trusts, it takes one half the revenue to pay the ex-
penses and establishment charges, while the repairs
are put upon the perishes. In some districts in the
North of England and
elsewhere there are excep-
tional instances in which the retention of the tolls
may be considered advantageous, but as a general
rule the sooner they are abolished throughout the
country the better. The committee, having thc.
roughly investigated the matter, have arrived very
decidedly at this conclusion, and pronounce the abo.
lition to be both beneficial and expedient, especially
if the system now general in Scotland and South
Wales were adopted. Road boards are appointed,
who, by the assessment of counties, or the consoli-
dation cf various trusts, have greatly lteaened the

expenses, while they employ a competent surveyor
for each county to see that the business is thoroughly
and satisfactorily done. Some such change is very
advisable, and the public will no doubt readily subs
scribe to it, as they unquestionably coincide in the
opinion succinctly expressed by the committee that
" Tolls are unequal in pressure, costly in collection,
inconvenient to the public, and injurious as causing
a serious impediment to intercourse and traffic."

The Royal Banquet at the Trinity,House was
invested with feelings of interest more remarkable
than those which ordinarily appertain to similar
festivities when graced by the presence of royal and
distinguished persons. It wes the first visit of the
PRINCE to Trinity House, and he must have felt
some emotion in the thought that his late lamented
father presided over that institution for some years.
This is not by any means the first time that the
Prince of WALES has taken his father's place in
doing honour to societies, associations, and other
objects of attraction in arts, literature, and science.
On this occasion his Royal Highness went as a
guest, but of course every one present accepted his
visit as another of those gracious demonstrations
which he has so frequently given, and which have
associated his name in the memory of the public
with all that is genial and cordial in feeling and
sympathy. The days are past when princes are
abut up in castles and palaces, unable to mix with
the world. They are now permitted, by the more
enlightened opinions of the day, to mingle
occasionally with the amusements, and to study
the undertakings which contribute so largely to
influence the minds of their generation. It was a
peculiar feature in the banquet at the Trinity
House that nearly all the speakers were connected
with the Government. There were guests who
entertained various shades of political opinion, but
the duties of oratory devolved on those whom we
msy suppose have enough talking in the ordinary
pursuance of their avocations, if not sometimes a
great deal too much. All was very admirably
arranged, and the greatest satisfaction appears to
have been felt by the esiembly. His Royal High-
ness's observations were brief, but distinguished for
appropriateness and the expression of a kindly
interest, He observed that it was always a pleasure
to the Royal family to contribute to the encourage-
ment of societies which did service to the country,
and of these none were more conspicuous than the
Trinity, for the Corporation deserved their gratitude
on account of their exertions on behalf of our sol-
diers and sailors. Lord PALMERSTON always appears
to advantage oa occasions like this; he possesses a
happy gift of speaking to the purpose and making
;he most of whatever subject comes in his way.
His remarks on the institution that brought them

together were animated and interesting. He
pointed out the advantages that had been con-
ferred on the country by the corporation of which
he was Master. He had heard it said " that the
dangers of a voyage from the Etat Indies were
nothing in comparison with those which environed
the chops of the Channel. The lights established
by the corporation of the Trinity•house enabled
voyagers to avoid those perils, and the institution
was therefore entitled to the gratitade of the pub-
lic." Certainly it is always desirable to adduce
some useful services as the effect of the labours of
any society or institution, acd it must be admitted
that, in this respect, Lord PALMERSTON was Bile-
ceesful in his attempt to do honour to his friends.
che noble viscount had another we-pot:unity of
descanting upon the merits of an aesocia-
Lion of which he was the chief, for it
devolved upon him to propose the health
of her MAJESTY'S Ministers. Of course this cir-
camstance occasioned general merriment, and was
the paramount joke of the evening, affJrciing one
of those lively incidents that do more to create har-
mony and promote the success cf an undertaking
than the most elaborate pre'orations and strenuous
'ndeavours for that otiect. The noble lord was at
great pains to sho—er that this toast might be divested
of all political feelings, for he said they were to
drink to to physical health only of the Ministers,
whie4 concerned the welfare of th 3 community; for
4.; they remained in din and did not remain in
health the " public service would be imperfectly
managed." These remarks occasioned the greatest
delight to all the company, and without eiaggera-
don it may be said that this entertainment waa one
of the moat brilliant and successful that have taken
place this season, and the Prince of WALES could
have no better opportunity of witnessing the ab-
sence from political feeling which so eminently dis-
tinguishes the social gatherings of the present day.