The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-01 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—A report has lately been current of which
the invention and circulation are highly creditable
to the vigilance of those who keep a watch on our
public departments. The statement was that the
War.office had appointed a barrister at a salary of
£l,OOO a year to revise its regulations, and the
amount of indignation wasted on this imaginary job
ought to be a salutary warning against the perpe-
tration of real ones. Good old-fashioned place-mon.
gering must, indeed, be rare, when an unfounded
rumour that a superfluous office of this value has
been created excites so much scandal. Such a
rumour, like a false alarm of fire on board ship,
may serve to keep our officials up to the mark, but
it is satisfactory, after all, to find that it is un.
founded. ,No barrister of seven years' standing,
or of any other standing, has been added
to the overgrown establishment in Pallemall,
and no permanent charge will have to be
defrayed out of the Consolidated Fund,
What has happened comes to no more than this—
that Mr. Hughes, a conveyancer, who had already
been employed by the Office professionally, has
been requested to classify, once for all, a tangled
mass of "Regulations" which it requires a lawyer's
mind to digest. We have reason to believe that the
account of the matter furnished by Mr. Hughes
himself to a weekly contemporary is the whole
truth, and we therefore quote it verbatim :—" The
present regulations governing the pay and allow.
antes of the Queen's forces are scattered through
six volumes" (containing, he might have added,-
some 850 circulare and warrants), " out of which
officers, soldiers, and all other persons interested
have to pick the law as they best can. Mciny
of the earlier of these regulations have been
wholly or partially repealed by later ones, others
are very obscure in their wording; in short, there
is the greatest confusion on a subject which above
all others should be as simple and clear as
possible; as oar soldiers are the persons chiefly in.
terested. The present Secretary of State for War,
among other necessary reforms, has resolved on
codifying and embodying in the most intelligible
form in one Regulation all the Regulations, Memo-
randa,: and Circulars now in force as to pay and
41lovvincc-s. The codification has been begun in the
Office, butqt has 'seemed clet.irab'e to the authorities
there that some person outside the Office, ignorant
of its traditions,- but familiar with this kind of work,
should be employed to revise and (in conveyancing
language) kettle the new Regulations." We need
only add that Mr. Hughes,being the person selected
for this task, will be paid for it "by the piece," and
expected to complete it with all possible despatch.
'Phis is the very simple transaction which has been,
trumped up into the proportions of a gross job.
What the objection to it is we cannot even conjec-
ture. The inconsistencies of military law, so far as it
is contained in War Office. Regulations, will certainly
not be disputed by any one who has had occasion to
test them by some individual case. The incompetence
of War Office clerks to throw all these stray ordi%
nances and rescripts, crossing and overlapping each
other, into a methodical form, capable of being
acted upon without injustice, cannot be doubted,
without believing that their legal qualifications are
superior to those of trained lawyers. Codification
is notoriously a most difficult work—so difficult
that many despair of effecting it on a large scale
with the aid of all the rising Trebonians at the
English Bar. There would be more sense in
questioning Mr Hughes's capacity to make a
perfect code out of these six volumes than in
asserting that it can be done well enough with.
out going out of the office. It might be worth
while to consult the Civil Service Commissioners
on this subject, and to ascertain whether their
experience of examinations for clerkships in the
War-office justifies any such opinion. It so, the
sooner the abilities of gentlemen who without legal
education possess its highest results are secured for
the codification of our Common and Statute Law,
the better for the country. Copying letters, and
writing a precis of formal documents, is degrading
drudgery for a constructive genius of such an
order. We can only hope that Mr. Hughes, with
the advantages which his censors affect to despise,
may succeed in a very &rdtious and responsible
undertaking. Every experiment in codification,
however limited its range, has a special interest at
the present time. The process must be the same,
whether the materials be more or less voluminous
and chaotic. An army of 100,000 men must be
handled in much the same way as an army of
10,000 mon, if both are self-complete and indepen-
dent forces; and a code of English law would be
nothing but a revised edition of separate digests.
It is quite as absurd to maintain the impossibility
of the greater work as to underrate the difficulty of
the lees. It requires one extraordinary qualification,
and one only—that of gauging the relative compre-
hensiveness of principles and subordinating the
secondary to the primary. Legal studies, as now
conducted, do not favour the development of this
faculty, and great care would be needed to engage,
if possible, the services of men who should combine
it with deep learning and practical experience. Such
persons, however, do exist among the many thousand
members of the English bar, and we retain an un-
shaken conviction that the same time and a hundredth
part of the money whichlvere exFetirded on the new
Houses of Parliament would suffice for the comple-
tion of a fir nobler and more durable fabric. But
it c-innot be done without a number of " jobs "
very similar to that mythical one which has
just been "exposed." " Appointments" must be
"created," with "emoluments' sufficient to remu-
nerate the ableat jurists that we can procure. These
appointmenta must be given away by some one,
;And if they are given away by merit the party out
Of office may say they are given away by favour.
History does not inform us whether the same objec-
tions were made to the compilers of the famous
Code which has become the type of imitation for
all after times; but we have little doubt that they
were, and will be, reiterated on like occasions, so
long as the world lasts. The mare's nest in which
Mr Hughey figures so prominently is but one of a
lass which' has enveloped greater names than his,
and obstructed more important reforms than this
little scheme bf_Lord De Cfreyi
,„- Powe.---OT the various and numerous- material
circumstances that affect the welfare of the labour-
' ing classes in our larger towns, probably none ex•
ercises an influence at once so strong, so direct, and
so incessant 'as the condition of the dwellings in
;which they live. No doubt the condition of the
dwelling depends very- much on the character of the
inhabitants; but nevertheless, as character itself is
developed and confirmed by external circumstances,
these circumstances can never be a matter of
indifference. The nature of the occupations of the
labouring classes, healthy or unhealthy, refined or
coarse, varies much as we move from family to
family, and pass from one district to another, but it
tells directly only on those who are actually and
immediately engaged in the work. Generally the
wife, and more universally the younger children
feel its effects only indirectly. On the other hand
all the members of the family are affected by the
condition of their home ; husband and wife and
children feel the influence of it, all of them in a
very great degree, though some of them in a diffe-
rent way from the others. And here it is worth
while to mention an important fact, to which
wealthier persons often fail to give due weight in
discussions concerning this subject. Accustomed as
they themselves are, all of them, to several weeks'
holiday :in the course of the year, and many of
them to longer annual visits to the country or the
seaside, they frequently underrate the influence of
the dwellings of the poorer classes on their inha-
bitants, who have within their power no equal
means of recruiting their energies and gathering in
a store of health and strength. Seldom does the
family of an artisan, very seldom does the family
of a labourer, spend a period of twenty-four
hours in anything like those scenes of fresh air
and natural beauty which invigorate the bodily
and mental powers, and are often not without a
beneficial influence even on the moral sentie
ments of those who are able to pass some weeks
among them. One or two summer excursions of a
few hours' duration is the utmost winch the families
of the labouring class can enjoy. 'Many, perhaps
most of them, not even this, and at night they are
back again at home. if that home be of sufficient
in size, comfortable in accommedation, and healthy
in sanitary arrangements, then so -far well—but if
it does not satisfy these conditions—and how often

IS this the the cne ? ---tht2rz: sp:ings a nt3sv crop
evil:, and we cannot hesitate to attribute the aggr.:
vated deg roe in which a number of specific Witt
miseries prevail to this prolific source of harm' 3,1
filthy and ill-ventilated dwelling lowers the 11
powers of its inmates ; it breeds disease, and
the
celerates the approach of death, It shortens ,
parents' lives, and diminishes their efficiency 8:
workpeople whilst they are alive. It increase;
the number of unprotected or ;it raises
the rate of infaryine mortality ; it reader
those who survive a weaker and more unhealth/
generation

" mox daturos

" Progeniem vitiosioreni."
s ate
Moreover, filthy and badly-ventilated dwelling, do
are.apt to bring on an overpowering feeling c'
pression, which engenders in its turn a morbid era.io
ing for excitement, and this, combined with doulef'Rir
discomfort, drives the inhabitants to misspend threo•
money, waste their strength, and ruin thei,r, I,3'hy
spects for the sake of securing temporary role'
an excessive indulgence in intoxicating 14111° vet
Then, even though the home be clean and airitJt
if it be insufficient in size for the requiremeat.do
the family who inhabit it—if it does not nrevilo
ler
suitable accommodation for all its members-4t T
evils arise on which we can only touch.
quote the words of a writer who has paid consiued
able attention to this subject :—" In overeroWeeof
dwellings the sense of delicacy, the instinct „
modesty which is at once the safeguard and the °cid
nament of the female character, is sadly Weaken,
by familiarity with things that offend delica,t;
Young presons become prematurely familiar W.llOO
improper ideas, and perhaps addicted to vi nary
indulgences ; and sensual vice, sometimes of a veb;
gross kind, is originated." For many Years, %be
subject has engaged the attention and tasked '0
efforts of the benevolent; and as it is in that Prt;
vince of houses called the metropolis that el e.,0
crowding and neglect of sanitary measures bees
prevailed on the grandest scale, it has also 111
the field of the chief operation of the railer
plans plans which have been adopted. The See'"„
for Improving the Condition of the Laboortwo,g
Classes, founded in 1844, the Metropolitan Aeee
ciation for Improving the Dwellings cf
Industrious Classes, founded in 1848, the, Le'
Industrious
bower's Friend Society, and some other eitn"-0,
associations, have done good service in two vie.lo;
by renovating old tenements and by erecting .I.ti
proved dwellings. A few months ago the Socl°4
of Arts published a short but interesting report Ye
the statistics of these improvements in the 019
polis. We learn from it that more than forty 0,
ferent sets or blocks of tenements have been relo
vated or built in different parts of the metreltd°o
and its suburbs to provide fit dwellings and I°. of
ings ings for the working class. A certain degre°,,,it
cheering success has attended these operations',
very much still remains to be done, especially siner
metropolitan improvements of other kinds are sice.og
ing away many of the habitations of the labeitrit;
classes, and are therefore increasing the tendenclty,
overcrowding in those that remain. Atnongibio
individuals who have interested themselves ill
movement the names of the Prince Consort P-0,
Miss Burdett Coutts may be mentioned, and estPDO
cially that of Mr George Peabody, who placed ill
munificent sum of £150,000 in the hands of eeritTei
trustees for the purpose of constructing imPr°biirs
dwellings for the London poorer classes, "call% of
ing in the utmost possible degree the essentTE-00,
healthfulness, comfor:, social enjoyment, and
nonay." l'he Peabody trusters have already ere-oet
a large block of tenements in Spitalfields ; an°,oo
in Islington is nearly compleved ; and WY bra'
secured eligible sites in other quarters of the Iliad
polis for future building. The experience ther' cot
of the last 20 pars affords reasonable groan" teit
entertaining the hope that some of the gnb,
evils of our social state may be greatly mitigate. of
the continuance and growth of the same coure`nre
wise liberality, on the part of various benefacit;
which has already effected such excellent ree°,P-1

COUNTRY MARKETS.

HULL-TUESDAY.

Since our last a •somewhat limited business has w 0
done in the corn trade, and the transactions repor`:46
wheat show a further reduction, Red, 36s to 395 Per
white, 40s to 425; old mixed, 40s; fine high:lnil,e.LA
At our market to-day there was a fair supply of Ply
wheat, which met a rather slow sale at the prices 0
week. Foreign wheat more active, at former priceo•klei
Barley a tolerable sale, with little change in prices•
oats is lower. Beans and peas as of late.

NN—. t ill'
A good attendanceLY of the trade atTUESDAY our corn niarlaid
lay, and the supply of wheat was moderate, which 6°0914
fully last week's rates. Good malting runs of barley 0,4
steadily at about former values. Grinding sorts
aBl°Wred 0
at scarcely so much money. Beans and oats urilte•
price.
au 346,
White wheat 41s to 42s 1 Barley. ..... ,;;i- to 339
I=d.. 3Bs to 40s I Grinding,,,,,. ••`- P"'
Beans .34s to 368 I Oats ' ........... .215 t°
01d... 36s to 38s I Peas ............ --5 t°

MARKET HARBOROUGH—TuEsDAY. 400 e,
White wheat, 41s to 45s ; red, 38s to 42s per ;
Malting barley at 31s to 33s per qr.; grinding, 21!net5"
per 30 st. Oats, old, 26s to 28s; new, 23s to 25' r
et. ; beans, 36s to 42s per qr.

NEWCASTLE- ON-TYNE—TuEsDA.V.
nlf Of
At our market to-day there was only a small still'tee'
English wheat, which sold slowly at about previous, peie
Barley moved cff with difficulty. Malt, beans, aln,toraier
inclined to be lower. Oats dull. Flour maintained
quotations. horn
Averages Wheats, 39s sd—barley, 29s
40s Gd—oats, 21s sd—peas, —s Od.

MONMOUTH—TUESDAY. boa;
The locdl Markets have been very well attended,'Jre „P
buyers and selleri during the last few days, and tl4;,glird
been a considerable. amount of business doing.
sr
Wheat commands former rates, with a free sale. " jou'
was in improved request. Oats and beans in good der°
The average quolations' are as follows : 10i
Wheat, white 5s 6d to 5s lld Barley.. 3s 4d to 34, 1/..
Ditto red..... Os Od to Os Od I Oats .. 2s 4cl W

COAL MARKET.
Fricee of Coal per Ton at the close of the mallet' jo
s. d. Walls End' r.'o
Hastings Hartley ....19 0
.0 0
Byass's Bel9sido West Tunstall
Hartley ..19 0 East Hartlepool .... 0 6
West Hartley 19 0 Braddyll's Iletton .... l a
Davison's West Hart- IBell .............'''l3.
s
icy .. 19 0 lletton ............. . 0 6
Eden Main 22 01
HKeiperGrange ..... ".21
Wylam 18 9 f Russel's etton ... g
0 ,2/ 1
Eieugh Ha11.......''
.21 0
South Kelloe ....... '
.23
Hartlepool ........ .•
t, 41; ,4old, 40.

Walls End.

Tiaswell 23 0
tihips at marks'

Foreign Mail Packet List.
MAILS D UE. Ig'
vusttaiia and Mauritius, via Southampton . 13'
v;ft Marseilles .........
Brazil and Cape Verds, by• British packet. ....... 57,
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena...v:6
klinna, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton.D
via Marseilles ..• De

Falkland Islands
. „
Glibraltar, via Southampton ."
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Rpeco:
via Marseilles.. • 1)-ve'c, 16P,
India (Bombay), via Southampton Dec, b,
via Marseilles ........
Dec'
Portugal....
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton ......Dee, 6
via Marseilles ........
Dee
Newfoundland ..
Oporto and Vigo
U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.. • • Deo.„
by U.S. packet.. • •,,c,
by Canadian packet•ieo, 11'4,
W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe ......... •fee, e
.
West Indies and Pacific.
........ pee.
Bahamas (via New York)
Bermuda (ditto) ....
.neo,
Cuba and Mexico

.-c

Id A NY 0,"
London : PrintJd and Frblished by IVILLLA.,- P
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at Tan Sing o'."-ecotill
Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in. tt'‘i
anddletea6—Thunclay, December 1,1664.