The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-31 00:00:00

THE SUN,

honour upon the Board of Administration. They
illustrate again the necessity of some radical system
of re-organization in the Indian Government. They
show beyond the reach of contradiction that the line
of demarcation ought to be properly marked down
between the various departments of the public service
—but, most of all, between the civil and
the military. It almost tempts us to quote
the Latin grammar in our disgust—the Ne sutor, et
cetera, familiar to every school-boy, but surely for-
gotten, if, indeed, it was ever learnt, by the politicals
acting under the authority ofj the Board of Adminis-
tration. Happily, the terms of the East India
Charter must, within a few months, be brought di-
rectly under the scrutiny of the Imperial Adminis-
tration. It will then be decided by our Legis-
lators—after a careful examination of the
evidence submitted to them through the
medium of an authoritative Commission—whether
some means cannot be devised whereby the adminis-
trative machinery of Hindostan could be re-arranged
upon some more judicious principle, so as secure
the commanding officers of the Anglo-Indian a
t io
from the unfortunate, and too often disastrous, inter-
ference of civilians in no way qualified to direct the
movements of a campaign.
If CLIVE had been perpetually interfered with by
the politicals (after be bad obtained the command of
the army), would so many
~victories, we wonder,
have followed the foughten field of Plassey ? If
HAsTINGs had authorized his political subordinates to
interpose between the military officers appointed to
hav e conductpro theved troopstriumphant of the Company, odmupr
during the course of hisny, would our arms
ever-memorable and (we can add now without fear of
exciting the
Wonderfully heartburning of party virulence) his
glorious administration ? different were
the views entertained upon this subject, as to the pro-
priety of allowing 26,1iticians to interfere with the
military arrangemez A 3 of commanders-in-chief—as
PVidOIIGed in the in4ta,„
of Sir HENRYT (bow
Viscount) H
—ARDINGE''when in supreme authority in
the Governor-General's palace at Calcutta. So
sensible was that eminent man of the folly of tolera-
ting proceedings of this character that—although
himself one of the most illustrious among the lieute-
nants of WELLINGTON, although covered with re-
nown by his many achievements as a general officer,
and invested with supreme power by his position at the
head of the Administrative Council of Calcutta—he
waived his many claims for precedence, and volun-
tarily placed himself under the command of Sir
HARRY (now the Lord Viscount) GOUGH, the Com-
mander-in-Chief of the British forces in Hindos-
tan. In this manner wore fought the great battles
of Sobraon and Goojerat, as well as the fierce
and sanguinary struggles at Ramnugger and
Chillianwallah. The soldier was then not
invariably at the beck of the civilian.
Had it been thus always with Sir CHARLES
NAPIER during the course of his renowned advance
into Scinde, had the energies of that redoubtable
conqueror been perpetually hampered by the inter-
posing quibbles and objections of the politicals, we
question if his judgment would have been left suffi-
ciently serene to guide his dauntless courage and his
incomparable tactics to the achievement of his two
most splendid victories at Meanee and Hyderabad.
Yet, throughout the history of our great and rapid
conquests in the northern and the southern, in the east-
ern and the western provinces of Hindostan—the his-
torian of British rule in the East has had to lament
the incidental interposition here and there of the
civilians arrogating to themselves an authority
superior to that of the commanders-in-chief. In-
stances of this kind, almost countless, might be culled
from the annals of our rule in India, from the pages
of -ORME and MILL, as well as from all the
miscellaneous writing referring to our Oriental
Government. Parliament will do well to
make a "note of this" as carefully as Captain
CLITTLE, during the course of the inquiry that must
take place in reference to the removal of the powers
accorded to the Board of Administration at Calcutta,
and to the Court of Directors in Leadenhall-street,
by the supreme will of her Britannic MAJESTY'S
Government.

There is no branch of industry productive of more
,mportant results, and having a more direct operation
on the national prosperity than that engaged in the
management and working of our numerous collieries.
The " bhick diamond " is indeed the chief source of
our national wealth and the unparalleled elasticity
of our national resources. Without it we should
hold a very different position in the scale of nations
from that now occupied. The inventions of WATT
and ARIEWRIGEIT would be comparatively worthless.
We could not hope to supply the world with calico or
iron. The power-looms of Manchester would remain
idle, and the mineral riches of Cornwall would still
remain buried in the bowels of the earth. The coal-
fields of Durham and Cumberland are really more
valuable than the gems of Golconda, the silver of Po_
tosi, or the auriferous sands of California or Australia ;
for the value of the former is intrinsic, of the latter
fictitious. The first stimulates and excites every
other branch of industry, which is impaired and de-
teriorated by the latter. One man employed in
the collieries provides occupation for a dozen
others—one at " the diggins " is simply
withdrawn from agricultural or pastoral pursuits.
The gold dust in the pockets of the digger may bring
the landed proprietor, or the owner of flocks and herds
to the verge of ruin, and leave the cloth manufac-
turer of Leeds without the raw material, on which
he is dependent for his finer fabrics; and, as a natural
consequence, may consign the intelligent and hard-
working artizan and his family to the tender mercies
of the Union workhouse. The destinies of the Anglo-
Saxon race, their sturdy independence of character,
and unflinching determination, may, in no small de•
gree, have been influenced, or produced, by the geo-
logical formation of the north of England. The
man who had " coal" in unlimited quantities at his
command became literally a "Fire-king," with full
control over that tremendous element, which en-
abled him to accomplish more than could be achieved
through the agency of the Gins and Afrites of
Eastern
mythology.
Under such circumstances, and with the universal
aafford
it ispp reciation of the vital importance of the "coal mines,'
1 Only astonishing that so little has hitherto been -
done to
ameliorate
••iiorat
securitye
to
the system
st e mb 0 l
do f
and
d
o eohri
otgo
greater
miner who
daily encounters the most formidable dan-
gers, and braves 1
may
at almost
that might appal the most
hardy—who
a any moment be buried
alive by the falling iti
portion of the roof under
which he is werking_s
corbched by
the fire-damp—smothered the explosion of
the after blast or choke
danay the fatal operation of
not less surely destroyed bP n
art more slowly but
impure and pernicious atmosphere,
yc—on
srly inhaling an
the vital principle. We read with unfavourable to
almost culpable
indifference of some deplorable catastrophe by which
60 or 70 human s g beiD , eac-I, supporting or materially
contributing to the maintenance of a family' have
with the dead : we do
not
been numbered ,
mean that the dreadful intelligence does not pro-
duce a thrill of horror for the time being,
but it should produce more permanent results
—in place of idle lamentations, it should excite a
calm and deliberate resolution to' investigate the
causes of these fearful catastrophes, to ascertain
whether adequate remedies might not be provided,
and, if found practicable, to enforce their adoption.
The simple fact that the deaths from fire explosions
amount on an average to more than one thousand
in each and every year, should have long since stimu-
lated us into activity. But where the danger is fami-
liar, and the victims of lowly station, it is difficult to
produce energetic action. If an explosion were to
take place in the vicinity of either House of Parlia-
ment—if the lawn sleeves of a venerable prelate
were damaged by the fire damp, r. gouty peer
smothered by the after blast,
tative or an elderly represen
of a popular
constituency poisoned by un-
wholesome air,te something would speedily be at-
mPted and every possible means of prevention
resorted to. Asii.
of public opinion will
we can only hope that the voice
nn will ultimately be heard even in
the inmost
recesses
at Westminster,' dof the "Queen's Palace
that our Legislators will feel
bound to give practicaln effect to the valuable sugges-
tions of the Select Committee, appointed last session,
"to inquire into the causes of the frequency of ex-
plosions in the coal mines, with a view to prevent
the appalling loss of life arising from them."
Tae report of this Committee,
, to which we would

LONDON,

earnestly invite the attention of our readers, more
especially of those in any degree interested in col-
lieries, is an instructive and well-considered docu-
ment. The members manifestly entered on their
subject calmly and dispassionately, without favour or
prejudice. Their desire was to remove this crying
evil, and, in order to do so with the least possible
delay, they largely availed themselves of the labours
of their predecessors in similar inquiries—more
especially of the South Shields Committee, of whom
they speak in terms of well-merited approbation.
They speak of the safety lamp of Sir HUMPHREY
DAvY, which was introduced in the year 1815, and
dedicated to the public by the great chemist,
who, with a disinterestedness beyond all
praise, gratuitously surrendered what might
be the source of immense and almost boundless
riches. The effect of that discovery was, as de-
scribed by a competent witness, "to operate as a
complete renovator to many collieries which were
then in a state of exhaustion." But too much confi-
dence was placed in this valuable invention. An act
of common carelessness by a single individual of the
hundreds engaged, might cause the destruction of all
the others ; and even without the fault of any person,
circumstances might arise to deprive it of its effici-
ency, as, for instance, if placed in a current of air.
It does not strike at the root of the evil, and perhaps
may have led to greater mischief, by diverting the
attention of coal proprietors and their overlookers
from that " better ventilation" which, according to
the Committee, is " the improvement most generally
needed and most to be aimed at"—the only true and
secure means for prevention of explosions. How then
to produce and certainly keep up this improved ven-
tilation, is the great desideratum, and that is the
problem to the solution whereof attention is chiefly to
be directed.

The Committee, under these conditions of the
question, speedily arrive at the conclusion that " any,
system of ventilation depending on complicated ma-
chinery, is unadvisable, since, under any disarrange-
ment, or fracture of its parts, the ventilation is
stopped, or becomes less efficient ;" and as a corollary
thereto, " that the two systems, which alone can be
considered as rival powers, are the furnace and the
steam jet." The first proposition appears almost self-
evident, and if so, it follows as a natural consequence
that the agency of man, the most complicated machine
of any, and on which the least dependence could be
placed—as a drowsy fit, or a glass too much, might
defeat the most prudent regulations and best devised
precautions—should, as far as practicable, be dispensed
with. Of course it must, to a certain extent, be re-
sorted to, but the object is to do so to the
least possible degree. After a careful considera-
tion, then, of the rival systems, they avow
a decided preference for the steam jet, to the powers
of which " there appears to be no practical limit.
This would command a current of air which would
not only prevent the possibility of explosions, but
would preserve the health of the miners from a con-
dition of atmosphere which has hitherto rendered them
a short-lived race—dying long before the ordinary
limits of human existence. With such advantages,
it is almost unnecessary to allude to others of less
importance ; the Committee, however, express their
decided and unanimous opinion that " the steam jet
is (not only) the most powerful, but also the least
expensive method for the ventilation of mines."
Why, then, should its introduction not be immedi-
ately enforced in every colliery ? It is of course desira-
ble to avoid auy undue interference with private pro-
perty, but the necessity of such interference has re-
peatedly been recognised and is constantly acted on.
Omnibus and cab drivers are placed under control for
the public benefit ; we cannot build on our own land in a
metropolitan street without the sanction of the sur-
veyor of highways. Above all, we are not allowed
to carry on a noxious trade that may prove prejudi-
cial to the health or to the comforts of our neighbours.
Why, then, should not the principle be extended,
where not only the health of tens of thousands of our
fellow-subjects, but their very lives are concerned—
where they not only may be subjected to a fearful
and sudden death,but where no less than one thousand
miners actually perish annually ? Away, then, with
the ridiculous squeamishness that has hitherto pre-
vented the necessary legislation. Let the various
recommendations of the Committee be carried into
practical operation, and the working of every mine
be stopped which is not provided with " the steam
jet," the Invaluable contribution of Mr. (OLDS-
WORTHY GURNEY, to the security of the miners, and,
as a natural consequence, to the prosperity of the
colliery proprietors.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
The Moniteur, in reply to the assertions of the
Times (whose attaclo, it says, do not move the Go-
vernment) that 1,200 persons had after Dec. 2 been
assassinated by drunken soldiers in the streets of
Paris, declares that the exact number of persons killed
i❑ the insurrection was 380 ; of persons accidentally
wounded only 8 or 10.

I.q. DE PERBIGNY arrived at Dieppe on the 28th
from London. He is expected back to Paris in a few
days.
The Courtier du Gers and the Messager du Midi
publish a complete list of the persons in their depart-
ments who have obtained a commutation of punish-
ment by the late amnesty. The number is 57 for the
Gers, and 90 for the Herault. This commutation
applies in every instance to persons sentenced to be
transported to Algeria. In the He:ault there are four
absolute pardons, but in the Gera not one. The
journals of the Lot publish a list of seven persons
benefited by the amnesty, of whom three are to leave
the country. The department of the Dordogne has
had six commutations, one of which is for M. CUALES
DESOLMES.

The Salut Public of Lyons publishes a list o;
more than twenty lull pardons and several commuta-
tions of punishment of political otrendtrs of the de-
partment of the Arcl6che.

- The Assembles Nationale says :—" A Belgian
journal, the Emancipation, announces that the right
of giving warnings to the journals is about to be
withdrawn from the prefects, which will be hence-
forth exercised -only by the Minister of General
Police. What gives reason to believe that the Bel-
gian journal is well informed is that the suspension
for two months inflicted on the Gazette du Languedoc
was declared by M. DE NAIIPAS."

The Moniteur announces that ilie Council-General
of the department of the Ille-et-Vilaine, has adopted
resolutions expressing gratitude to Prince Louis NA-
POLEON for having by his energy saved France, and
the hope that for the sake of the repose and pros-
perity of the country his government may be made
stable. The Moniteur also publishes the following
address to the PRINCE PRESIDENT from the Council
General of the Puy-de-Dome :
" Monseigneur,—By the great act of the 2d Decem-
ber you rendered to France, which was disquieted and
I menaced, security and confidence. The Council-Gene-
ral of the Pay-de-DOme expresses to you its profound
gratitude, in the name of a department which has al-
ways proclaimed you with the most patriotic enthusiasm,
and which has not ceased to place in you alone all hope
of salvation. But, Prince, the work is still incomplete.
When the term of a temporary government approaches,
confidence is paralysed, national labour is compromised,
the existence of the country is placed in question. The
stability of a government is an indispensable condition
of prosperity and grandeur for a nation; it alone can
confides to
give activity and prosperity to commerce and industry.
Convinced of these principles, and full of confidence in
° f it °Pe
you, the Council-General expresses the wish that the
Power with which you have been invested shall be esta-
blishedon the longest. and most lasting bases, and it
have also
patriotism the approaching realisation
Arrondissements of .1-
cEorinunctrey, Resolutions''isexressing in warm terms gratitude to
alsoaroLEols for his services to the
Lou
Arcis-sur-Aube been adopted by the Councils of
Savenay (Loire-lnferi e)11 r
(Aube)
(Ain), Moulins (Allier),
La Tour du Pin (Isere),
Langres (Haute-Marne) (Loire
-r Cherbourg (Manche),
nay (Meurthe), Mor-
tagne (Orne), (Nord),llszebrouek
and Louhans (Saone-et-Loire).
The Revue de l' Ouest publishes the
of M. DE LA ROCIIEJAQUELIN, to the
of the Deux-Sevres, which he was
A # 0 11
...Alia!), vatlarOAAQS,
openingo address
Republic. The
nominated
i ted to pre-
side over by the PRESIDENT of the
address recommends devotedness to the present Go-
vernment, on the ground that the most insensate
ideas have taken root in the country, and that well-
meaning men ought to establish a truce amongst
themselves in presence of the dauger which has
threatened France, and which still to a great extent
exists.
The Bourse was dull, with little business doing. The
Four-and-a-Half per Cents. opened at 105 f., and closed
at 105 f. se. for the end of the month; the Three per
Cents. closed at 76f. 403 • Orleans Railway Shares,
1,432 f. 500.; Rouen, 867 f. 50v.; Havre, 370 f.; Great
Northern, 660 f.; Avignon, 480 f.; Bale, 308 f. 75c.;
Paris and Strasburg, 663 T. 75c.; Paris and Lyons,
775 f.; Lyons and Avignon,
_ 590 f.; Western of Fiance,
6001.; the New Austrian Loan, 94.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
_ LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, AuG. 30.
Last Indian. 273/
4—,+—aniur_ and Liege, 6i—Northern of