The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-06 00:00:00

clause was to meet the circumstances of a county
like this. He saidsaid:—
"The Roman Catholic prisoners were few in number,
and the Roman Catholic priest should have the right or
privilege of visiting such, subject to the regulations laid
down, and provided that no objection was made to it by the
prisoner. That he took to be the meaning of the Act, and
with the view of carrying out its meaning he had framed
an amendment, viz. :—' It is the opinion of this Court that
the visiting justices would do well to carry out the provi-
sions of the Prison Ministers Act, contained in the second
part of the third section of that Act.' He
submitted this amendment because while, on the one
hand, the Court only had the power of appoint-
ing and paying a Roman Catholic chaplain, they had no
power to euforce visiting justices to make any such arrange•
ment. Re was therefore anxious to collect the opinion of
the Court as to whether the visiting justices had done
wisely in refusing Mr. Ringrose the permission asked for.
When ne listened to Mr. Merry's string of objections as to
the difficulties, impossibilities, confusion, trouble, and want
of discipline that would arise supposing they attempted to
carry out this act, it struck him that they were very much
the same sort of objections they would hear if we were at-
tempting to obtain justice for Protestant prisoners in Roman
Catholic prisons in Spain. Theywould not hear a word about
conscience or matters of that sort. But he believed that there
was no difficulty in the matter. He believed that the half-
dozen Roman Catholic prisoners in Reading Gaol could be
visited by Mr. Ringrose (provided that they did not object)
without any breach of prison discipline whatever; and
if there happened to be any prisoners of the Wesleyan,
Baptist, Independent, or Jewish persuasion, the same pro-
vision should be made, and there should be no difficulty in
carrying out this Act of Parliament. He would undertake,
if he were a visiting justice, to carry out the law without
giving to Mr. Ringrose, or any other minister, any undue
licence. He was as anxious as any one to maintain prison
discipline, and he did not see that it would in any way be
affected by giving effect to the new law. His object in pro-
posing this amendment was to collect the sense of the Court
as to the expediency, or otherwise, of carrying that modi-
fied or limited provision in the second part of the third
section of the Act, believing it to be their duty to promote
every means for the religious instruction of the prisoners."
In an equally liberal and unbigotted spirit Sir
GEORGE BOWYER, M.P., declared a similar opi-
" The Legislature, in passing that Act, was
not actuated by any sectarian or religious motive
whatever. The Act was passed on general public
grounds. It was an Act for the improvement of
discipline in the gaols of the country, and for secur-
ing to prisoners in those gaols who did not belong
to the Established Church that instruction and
religions assistance according to their own persua-
sion, without which it was utterly vain to expect
any amendment in those prisoners. He understood
that the chief objection of Mr. MERRY to any
proposition of this sort was that if they appointed a
Roman Catholic chaplain they must do the same with
regard to prisoners of other persuasions differing
from the Established Church. In answer to this he
would say that he did not ask the Court to give to
prisoners of his own religious peransion that which
he was not willing should be given to prisoners of
•
other persuasions."
Mr. WALTER'S very timely and temperate motion,
recommending the visiting justices to carry out the
provisions of the Act of Parliament, was, after some
discussion, agreed to. Mr. MERRY and the other
gentlemen referred to, protesting all the time that
these provisions were carried out, the letter of the law
being at their adroit instigation ingeniously di-
rected to counteract the spirit. While deprecating
the sectarian sentiments evidenced by these
gentlemen it is very satisfactory to recog-
nise in the whole tenour of the meeting a
spirit of rational not to say Christian
toleration. The reformation of the criminal
inmates of our prisons is a subject of such
vital importance, not to the criminal only, but to the
well-being of society in general, that in the consi-
deration of such a question all prejudice and fana-
ticism should be laid aside, and the subject should be
regarded only in the enlightened spirit of Christian
philanthropy and universal charity.

nion.

The meeting of the Executive Committee of the
Relief Fund, which assembled at Manchester a day
or two ago, presented some interesting features.
The gentlemen assembled must have felt that they
were entering upon another year in the prosecution
of their self-imposed and arduous task, and they
would scarcely fail to look back on the past and
forward to the future with very mingled feel-
ings. The long-continued trouble which has well-
nigh paralysed one of our principal branches of
trade, and occasioned such bitter distress in thou-
sands of our English working homes, has brought
with it some consoling reflections. The political
economist may rejoice that the blow which was
expected to cripple oar trade has only served to
prove the elasticity of our commercial resources,
seeing that, notwithstanding the heavy losses en-
tailed upon the public generally by the cotton
famine, and the demand on the charity of all classes
made by the Lancashire distress, the national pro-
sperity it in no way lessened. England can not
only bear the loss of one of her great sources of in-
dustrial revenue, but she can afford to assist with a
liberal hand the inhabitants of that large and popu-
lous shire whose trade is thus suddenly suspended.
But the question has other aspects besides the com-
mercial or political. It is highly instructive, as
showing how good may come out of evil, how the
greatest evil rightly met and boldly faced has its
attendant blessings. " Every cloud has its silver
lining," says the beautiful and poetical old adage,
and truly the present cloud, heavy though it be, has
given us some indications of the light within. Chief
among these was the kindliness of feeling, the
warmth of sympathy so readily evoked among those
beyond reach of the calamity, the prompt and plen-
tiful succour which all classes hastened to proffer,
from the Royal lady, who gladly availed herself of
her nominal connection with the suffering county,
to contribute that relief which as QUEEN etiquette
forbade her to give, down to the poor, who
hastened to subscribe their sixpences and shillings
to help those who were poorer than themselves.
This sentiment and sympathy not only proved a
bond of union, a common object of interest to all
ranks and conditions in these realms, but it awoke
the old sympathies of race and country in the
hearts of Englishmen throughout the globe, and
served to knit them close to the motherland.
The noble contributions of our dependencies, the
Australian colonies at the head, as befitted their
wealth and geographical importance, were accom-
panied by sums from the English resilents i❑
foreign parts, to prove they had not for-
gotten their nationality among the strange
scenes and engrossing occupations of their Lew
career. The amount collected from these various
sources was very large—so large as to be worthy of
the wealth and spirit of our people—so large that
the balance now in hand, after the immense and
long-continued demand upon the resources of the
committee, is considerably more that 1:200,000—so
large that the interest on the accumulated stores
adds no inconsiderable figure to the sum total. But
more than the money's worth was the spirit in which
it was given—freely, eagerly tendered, not as forced
contributions, not as grudging and chary doles to
absolute necessity, not as State assistance compul-
sorily given to its subjects, but as the ready help
one brother should give another in a time of un-
merited distress and sore and urgent need. And that
these feelings were in some measure reciprocal, that
what was freely given was freely taken, in the same
spirit of Englishmen bearing a common trouble, has
been unmistakeably shown in the Fearing of the

people. They have proved theaiselves worthy of all
the sympathy shown them, and have endured hard-
ships, privations, and enforced inaction with a dig-
nity, a patience, and moderation which have excited
the admiration of all. That large bodies of intelli-
gent men should be suddenly thrown out of employ.
ment without fault of their own, that they should
see their homes broken up, their families suffer-
ing, all the comfort of their lives suddenly
taken from them, without breaking into open
violence or cherishing the sentiments of Chartism
or rebellion, is certainly an astonishing fact. It is
a proof not only of the improved education of the
masses, not only of their advance in political
knowledge, bat of their perception of the efforts
made on their behalf in aid of the impartial libe-
rality which had been shown them. And, lastly,
the cotton famine has given us another reason for
satisfaction with our country and our time. We
have seen noblemen, and gentlemen of wealth, po-
sition, and influence, little accustomed to dull rou-
tine or obscure exertion, take upon themselves
unasked, tedious, and laborious duties, and sacrifice
all the temptations of comfort and leisure to the
faithfal discharge of the duties self-imposed. The
impartiality, the tact, the prudence and discretion
with which the relief has been administered, does
us less honour to the administrative abilities of the
Executive Committee, than their efforts in the
cause reflect credit on their patriotism and kindly
feeling. The noble Chairman, whose efforts on
behalf of his poorer neighbours have been so great
and so unceasing, is certainly especially qualified
for so responsible and arduous a post. Of the
judgment and discretion with which he has exer-
cised those functions there can be no discussion ;
even party prejudice has been compelled to acknow-
ledge that he was " the right man in the right
place." In recollection of all that has been done
and is now doing, the Committee may look with
equanimity on the opening of another year, even
though it find their task uncompleted, and the
distress not yet entirely allayed. The vast decrease
in the number of paupers which has taken place
during the year just closed, has so greatly re-
duced the list that even the rise consequent upon
the advance of winter leaves it far below its former
standard. A decrease of more than 275,000 in the
coarse of the year, notwithstanding the addition of
10,000 to the November list, leaves us good
grounds for hoping that the worst is past, and the
well-founded calculations of those best informed

give us reason to anticipate a continued increase
on the imports of raw material, although consider-
able fluctuations both in trade and in prices may
be expected for some time to come. Altogether,
then, we may rank among our causes of thankful-
ness at the beginning of 1864, that the cioud
which hung so darkly over 1862 has not only
shown us its " its silver lining," but is rolling by
slow but sure degrees away from our national
horizon.

It is very satisfactory to notice that the Earl o
CARNARVON'S Report has been adopted. The noble
lord has for some time past toiled most strenuously
at the arduous task he has assigned himself, and it
is in every respect gratifying to notice that his
efforts have not been thrown away, nor his advice
rejected. There was some opposition to the Report,
which was ao more than might have been expected,
considering the circumstances. There are always
people to be found who are against the introduction
of all alterations, doubtless from conscientious
motives, but it is no less satisfactory for the dis-
ciples of progress to triumph over the prejudices of
these scrupulous individuals. The account of the
discussion is deserving of great attention, and all
who are at all interested in the subject of prison
discipline should peruse it attentively, for it brings
before them in a very succinct form the chief de-
bateable points that come under dispute in this
vexed question. Lord H. CHOLMONDELEY made an
ingenious case for the visiting justices, but his sug-
gestions were all open to objections, and Lord
CARNARVON very ably demonstrated the fallacies
of the proposals. The noble lord very truly observed
that if the plan proposed by one gentleman was
carried out, namely, that the visiting justices should
have power to carry out or not the report of the
special committee, this would be virtually destroy-
ing the whole object of the alterations, and leave
things pretty much as they were. His lordship
laid down some very stringent rules with regard to
" evening instruction," and his ideas on the subject
seem to be very correct ones. It is one of the
greatest mistakes that can be possibly made, not to
preserve intact the regulations which give a penal
nature to the system carried out. This cannot be
done if first one innovation is made and then
another. The fact that evening instruction has
been tried very successfully in Ireland, ought to
carry conviction to the minds of these dissen-
tients. It is certain that the hours of daytime
devoted to learning must prevent the whole course
of discipline, and tend to impart an essentially
scholastic style to the existence led within the
prison walls. As Lord CARNARVON decisively put
it, the prisoners are there for punishment, and not
instruction, and, therefore, due regard should be
paid to the requirements of the case. It is quite un-
accountable that the visiting justices should be so
supine as to object to the chapel being restalled, in
order to check the communication which now takes
place too easily between the prisoners. When it
has been clearly shown that any special practice
militates against the end that all ought to have in
view, it seems quite incomprehensible that men of
experience should persist in raising objections to the
improvements proposed, and steadily resist the in-
troduction of changes. Many would suppose that
such a responsible position would in itself cause
them disquietude, and that they would gladly re-
ceive any suggestions, and cordially welcome the
advent of those who had studied the subject, and
brought experience to their aid, and the result of
many tested theories for their edification.. It is a
notorious fact, however, that some people would
rather go wrong their own way than right in any
one else. Lord CARNARTON condcluded his very
telling address by strongly insisting on the necessity
of a change in the present course of discipline. It
worked very badly in so far as it appertained to
producing a wholesome dread of prison, and a dis-
inclination to encounter its regime. He cited an
instance of the effect produced on a labourer by his
incarceration at Winchester. When he was asked,
what he thought of the treatment he had re-
ceived he thus answered the query P—" You
can hardly tell how goodnatured and kind and
civil they are, they weighed my food for me
every morning; they camp every day and asked if
I had anything to complain of, and if I desired any
alterations to be made; and if it had not been fur
the desire of seeing my wife and family I should
have had no objection to remain there."
Surely it is monstrous that such impressions should
gain ground among the labouring classes. It is
high treason against virtue thus to hold out a pre-
mium for vice. It is scandalous to place crime on a,
bed of roses, while industry and integrity are sent
to starve on the highway, and it is iniquitous for
those in high places to waste the public money

on these classes, while the State is de-
clared too :poor to render auy special assistance
to an honest min with starving children, who is
struggling vainly to support his family, and per -

haps is too much weakened by illness to put forth
the necessary strength, or else finds the casualties
of life too heavy to overcome. Lord CARNARTON
has made such sensible remarks on this subject of
prison discipline, and so ably exposed the fallacies
of the system, that it is very satisfactory to note the
success of his attempts to introduce some radical
reforms. Na one has a right to say that the scheme
is a failure till it has been put to the proof, and there
is no fear that any such disastrous results should
attend the experiments now being introduced.
There is sense and reason in their introduction, and
there is no doubt that they will be attended with
a happy issue. At all events, those to whom
was assigned the task of amending the faulty
character of the law in these respects of laxity
and non-introduction of the penal system towards
criminals, have well and worthily fulfilled their
mission, and it is impossible to overrate the bene-
fits that may thereby accrue to the country. The
more terrible the nature of penal infliction is ren-
dered, the mere safe and speedy will be its work-
ing, the more effectual its cure, and the more
secure shall we be from the recurrence of the
crime committed, both as regards the primary
offender himself and his associates in evil. So
far, then, it may
be said that a triumph has been
secured to the cause of progress, and the majority
which carried Lord CARNARTON'S Report have
done great and good service to the country in
inaugurating the reform of prisons, and the better
management of prisoners during the term of their
detention. This subject has long awakened the
fears of the far-seeing and the prudent; they have
appreciated its darger, and trembled for the con-
sequences of so much laxity. It is therefore most
encouraging to mark this step taken in the right
courser and the more speedily such an example is
widely followed, the better will it be for the
security and morality of the country.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

[REUTER'S TELEGRAM.]

AMERICA.

QUEENSTOWN, JAN. 6.

The National Steam Navigation Company's steam-
ship 'Virginia, from New York, arrived here at
11 a.m. to-day, landed 14 passengers, and proceeded
for Liverpool at 11.40.
Her news has been anticipased.

FRANCE.
PARIS, JAN. 6.

The Constitutionnel of this morning, in an article
signed by M. Limayrac, upol the Dano-Germanic
question, refers to the proposition of a restricted
Congress made by England, and says :—" France
will offer no impediments or obstacles to the plan,
but every day shows its inefficaciousness, and proves
the practical utility of the European Congress pro-
posed by the Emperor."

Madame Goldschmidt Lind at Exeter Hall.

Last evening Handel's " Messiah" was performed
at the above hall in aid of the funds of the `Friends
of the Clergy Corporation." The principal vocalists
were Madame Lind-Goldschmidt, Madame Sainton-
Dolby, Mr. Wilbye Cooper, and Mr. W. H. Weiss,
Herr Otto Goldsehmidt officiating as conductor. It
would be difficult to point out any novel features of
excellence in the familiar strains of the " Messiah,"
or the almost equally well-known utterances of
them by the artists to whom they were entrusted
on the present occasion. To satisfy curiosity,
however, it may be recorded that the perform-
ances of Madame Lind, who sang the whole of
the soprano music, including the noble air, " If God
be for us" exhibited all the intellectual and
musicianly qualities which many years ago excited
the respect and admiration of ne British public.
Twice, when the air "Rejoice greatly," and the fol-
lowing one, " Come unto Him," were poured ou;,
the first with jubilant buoyancy, the second with
melting pathos, attempts were made by the enrap-
tured auditory to obtain a repeat, but these were
both resisted, and the oratorio proceeded. Another
gem was the flowing delivery of " How beautiful,"
and the triumphant faith of " I know that my Re-
deemer liveth."

Madame Sainton-Dolby sustained her long esta-
blished reputation. Mr. Weiss and Mr. Wilbye
Cooper were, in their several styles, unexception-
able. Mr. Hopkins presided at the organ, and the
whole performance went off admirably.

MARKETS—This Day.

MARK-LANE.

The supply of English wheat received fresh up to our
market today, was very moderate. The condition of the
produce was however good: For both red and white quali-
ties the trade ruled firm, and prices had an upward tendency.
_ .

In the foreign wheat, the market was but moderately
supplied: Most descriptions were in fair average request,
at fully Monday's currency, Floating cargoes of grain
ruled firm, and the tendency of prices was in favour of
sellers,

Good and fine malting barley sold somewhat freely, at
full prices ; otherwise the barley trade was quiet on former
terms. the show of samples:was tolerably large.
There was a fair demand for malt, and previous quota-
tions were well supported.

The supply of oats on sale was only moderate, and the
trade ruled firm, at quite previous rates.
Beans in fair average request, at full currencies.

Peas moved off steadily, at late rates.
For flour the inquiry was moderately active, and for
country marks rather more money was demanded.

AURIVALB THIS WREK.
Wheat. Barley. Malt Oats. Flom.
English-- 90 50 I no 150
Lrlilh • • ..... •• • 400
N'orsign--12,860 3,010 18,350 1,850 ob.

BOROUGH Hop.
We have to report a quiet but firm trade both for Eng-
Lish and foreign hops, at full quotations.

WHITECHAPEL.

The supply of meat on sale is onfimoderate, and the
trade rules firm, as follows :
. Beef, from 2s 6d to 48 2d; mutton, 3s 6d to 4s 6d; veal,
3s 8d to 4s 8d; and pork, 3s 6LI to 48 6d per 81bs by the
carcase.

STRATFORD-ON-AYON TERCENTARY COMMITTEE
—We have been requested to state that the
Stratford-on-Avon Shakespeare Tercentenary Committee
has been joined by the Mayor of Liverpool, by Mr. J. C.
Ewart, M.P. for Liverpool, and by Dr. Hume, who, after
the preliminary meeting on the 21st ult., convened at Liver-
pool by the Mayor, at which Mr. Flower, the Mayor of
Stratford-on-Avon, attended by express invitation,
consented to have their names added to the list of
vice-presidents. Mr. Flower had previously, on the
14th ultimo, attended a meeting in Manchester, at
the invitation of the mayor of that city, when the following
resolution was unanimously adopted :—" That this com
mittee fully recognise the strong claims which the local com-
mittee of Stratford-on-Avon have upon the public generally
throughout the kingdom for co-operation and assistance,
in their determination to secure at Stratford-on-
Avon a national monument ; and that this committee un-
dertake, in such manner as may be hereafter determined,
to give their cordial assistance to such local committee."
On the 18th ult. he had also attended a meeting at Bir-
mingham, at the invitation of the mayor of that town,
when the following resolution was carried unanimously :
—" That this meeting fully recognises the strong
claims which the local committee of Stratford-on-Avon
have upon the public generally throughout the kingdom,
and especially upon Birmingham, for co-operation and
assistance in their determination to celebrate the tercen-
tenary of Shakespeare's birth.”----71te Reader.

A MODEST REQUEST FOR DOUBLE WAGES BUT
NO ADVANCE!—A contractor in the Scottish High-
lands, says a contemporary, was waited upon by a deputa-
tion from his wor.kers, to request him to make " no a pit o
difference in the wages, but shust a wee change in the time
for paying." On cross-questioning the deputies he found
they wanted to be paid weekly instead of fortnightly, but
they also wanted the fortnight's wages weekly. "Why,
my lads," said the contractor, '" you are just demanding
exactly double wages." 6‘ Hoots, no, sir !" said ono of the
detiutation, " it's shust as more as less of the same wedges,
put you must shust pay us twice as faster as evermore."
After a little parleying the contractor got his Celtic logicians
to resume work at a trifling advance.—B?iikkr.

The Great Ship Company,

An adjourned meeting of the shareholders in this
Company was held at the Albion Hotel yesterday,

to receive a report of the Committee appointed at
the meeting held on the 15th ult., to provide a
guarantee fund, with a view to postpone the sale of
the ship, and to consider a proposal to secure the
interests of the ordinary shareholders. About 18
persons were present, and the chair was occupied
by Mr. H. D. Pochin.
Mr. W. BOOTH presented the report of the Com-
mittee, which stated that the committee placed
itself in correspondence with gentlemen in Liver-
pool who were believed to be actively promoting

scheme to dispose of the ship by lottery. The com-
mittee, however, found that the scheme had. so far
advanced that a deputation had gone to Frankfort

on• Maine to establish it, and before hearing further
from the gentlemen in Liverpool, circulars respect-
ing the lottery were issued, and the scheme pub-
lished. Entertaining an opinion that an active com-
petition would be made by private firms at the sale
on the 11th inst., the committee determined to
recommend the shareholders to consider the desir-
ableness of forming a guarantee fund of about £2OO,
to make application to the Court of Chancery to
postpone the sale until funds could be raised to
enable the shareholders to compete for the ship.
Mr. Booth concluded by moving the adoption of
the report, which was seconded by Mr. Sharp and

passed.
The CHAIRMAN read a letter from Mr. H. Web-
ber, London, who said he hoped that the meeting
would yield some legitimate action to liberate the
proprietary from the degradation to wt,ich it was
being subjected. The lotery scheme was a law-
less proceeding, and great disappointment was felt
because of the absence of good results from the posi •
tionol Mr. Hawes as official liquidator. The chair-
man explained that Mr. Webber had taken an active
part in the concerns of the company, especially at
one of the recent meetings in London.
Mr. R. Highat, of Liverpool, and Mr. H. Davey,
representing Messrs. T. Powell and Sons, the coal
creditors, attended to obtain the support of the
meeting to the lottery scheme.
Mr. DAVEY said that in proposing the scheme
the creditors had not been unmindful of the inte-
rests of the shareholders. It was at first suggested
that the public should be asked for £160,000, which
would have paid the mortgage debts and the cre-
ditors, but subsequently it was determined to in-
crease the amount to £240,000, which would leave
a balance of £60,000 for the preference shareholder s.
He feared that if they increased the value of the
lottery to £400,000, they would swamp the pro-
posal. Both ho and Mr. Highat believed that
with the co-operation of the shareholders the lot-
tery scheme would be a success.
The CHAIRMAN asked whether the promoters of
the lottery would not have to pay the Govern-
ment of Frankfort ten per cent., which would very
materially depreciate the real, value of the scheme ?
Mr. HIGHAT said that though Government lot-
teries paid 12 per cent., there was for private lot-
teries a fine of a few francs, which in this instance
would not amount to more than £5 or £6. The
cost of the lottery, including the 5 per cent to its
promoter, would not be more than £15,000. He
estimated that the £240,000 lottery would produce
sufficient to pay the mortgage debts and the
creditors, and leave about 12s. 6d. or 15s. in the
pound and preference shareholders.
The CHAIRMAN observed that the lottery scheme
amounted to a bid of £225,000.
As several of the shareholders desired to have fur-
-1 ther information respecting the nature of the pro-
ceedings at the lottery, one of the lottery trustees,
Herr Francis Fabricius, the secretary, Herr Charles
Schaeffer, and Herr Stoess, the Liverpool consul for
Frankfort-on-Maine, were admitted to the meeting.

Herr STOESS said he had been the means of in-
troducing Herr F. Fabricius to Mr. Highat and the
Liverpool creditors, and considering the position
that he (Herr Sioess) held, he would not have re-
commended Herr Fabricius unless he had considered
him a person in whom he had perfect confilence.
After a lengthy conversation with Here Stoess,
who interpreted the proceedings to Herr Fabricius,

The CHAIRMAN said that the information those
gentlemen afforded amounted to this, that the cost
f the lottery would be about £15,000, that the pay•
went to the Frankfort Government would not be
more than £lO, but unless the promoters of the
lottery scheme paid the Government 10 or 12 per
cent the Government would not supervise the
drawing. The drawing would, nevertheless, be
conducted by notaries who were officers holding a
public appointment, but still the notaries would not
in that instance be engaged on the part of the Go-
vernment. If the lottery promoters paid 10 or 12
per cent. the affair would be conducted by the
Government in the ordinary way.
Mr. BERNSTEIN said the ordinary shareholders
would have no benefit in the lottery if its value was
only £240,000. He thought that it should be in-
creased to £400,00, and people on the continent,
where lotteries were encouraged, would have an
opportunity of taking shares.
Mr. W. HANNA3I said he endorsed the view

taken by Mr. Bernstein, and considered that the
British public would have had more confidence in
the scheme it the 'lottery trustees had printed in
their circulars the names of London bankers as
references.

Mr. HIGHAT said the mention of any English
name in the prospectus would render the scheme

invalid. The funds would not pass into the hands
of Herr Fabricius, but be placed in a Liverpool
bank, and if any opposition was raised to that pro-
ceeding the money would pass into foreign security.
He did not think that the lottery could be thrown
open' to the continent, because its value had been
already fixed, and people had taken up shares in
the belief that the scheme would be limited to this
country.
Mr. J. MOORE suggested that the Committee
appointed on the 15th of December should consider
how the value of the lottery could be increased

to £400,000 or X 500,000, so as to benefit the
ordinary shareholders.
In reply to the Chairman,
Mr. HIGHAT said he could give no idea of the
number of lottery tickets that had been taken up.
He knew that as many as 700 letters had been re-

ceived by one post.
The CHAIRMAN asked whether the lottery trustees
could complete their arrangements before the day
fixed for the sale of the great ship P
Herr STOESS said that they could not.
Mr. HIGHAT, in reply to the Chairman, said that
in ease the lottery scheme was realisid there would
be no objection to a small committee of shareholders
watching the drawing on behalf
.of the general
body, and their expenses might be paid out of the

expenses of the lottery.
Mr. DAVEY said he had been "behind the scenes,"
and he feared it would be impossible to increase the
value of the lottery to £400,000.
The CHAIRMAN said that, in the absence of a
higher bid than that which had just been offered
(£225,000), he thought it would be the duty of the
shareholders to do all they could to secure that
amount. And they would not even obtain that
£225,000, and much less would be the likelihood of
receiving a higher offer if they did not attempt to
postpone the day of sale.
Mr. SHARP suggested that a bill should be filed in
Chancery for that purpose, and that the coat of that
proceeding should be borne by the shareholders,
who should at once subscribe £1 each, and when
£5O had been obtained that they should subscribe
an additional £1 each.
The CHAIRMAN said he thought that the post-
ponement of the sale would be strongly supported
by the official liquidator.
On the motion of Mr. MooRE, seconded by Mr
SHARP, the meeting adopted a resolution asking the
committee formed in December, with Mr. Pochin,
to continue their services, to take such proceedings
es might be necessary in the Court of Chancery for
the postponement of the sale of the great ship, and
to employ such agency as might be necessary for
raising a guarantee fund to defray the expenses.
A suggestion was received from Messrs. Highat
and Davey and Herren Fabricius and Schaeffer,
that the meeting should pass a resolution expressing
an opinion that the lottery transaction was a bona
fide undertaking, and that Mr. Hawes should apply
for the postponement of the sale.
The majority of the meeting, however, thought
that, while both they and the lottery promoters
desired a postponement, it was not desirable that
they shou'..l apply for it conjointly.
The proceedings then terminated.