The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-10 00:00:00

of the armistice at present, but there will be no objection
to communicate them at an early period.
DEFEAT OF THE AUSTRIAN SQUADRON.
Mr. B. OSBORNE—I wish to ask the Secretary of State
for the Home Department whether the Government have
received information of a collision in the North Sea, off
Heligoland, between the Austrian and Danish ships of
war, and also if they have received any information that
the Austrians have got the worst of it. (Cheers and
laughter.)
Sir G. GREY—My right hon, friend the Secretary for
the Colonies received a telegram about 4 o'clock this after-
noon from Heligoland, stating that a naval engagement was
going on between the Austrian squadron, consisting of two
frigates and three gunboats, and the Danish squadron, con-
sisting of two frigates and one corvette, six miles east of
Heligoland; and that the result would be communicated.
Since then we have received an additional telegram from
the governor, stating that the Danes won the action and
defeated the Austrian squadron. (Immense cheering, which
was renewed again and again from all parts of the house.)
The telegram continued that one Austrian frigate was in
flames, and that she and the other Austrian frigate and the
gunboats were making the best of their way to Heligoland.
(Renewed cheers.)
CONDITIONS OF THE ARMISTICE.
Mr. DISRAELI—I understand that the conditions of
the armistice have been communicated to another assembly.
It appears to me that matters are not well managed, or with
due consideration to the House of Commons, if any other
place is better informed upon a subject of so much interest
and importance as an armistice, and that we should be in-
formed by the Government that they had no communica-
tion to make to us. I trust that in future we shall be as
soon informed as another place upon a matter of this im-
portance, and perhaps by this time the Government may
have it in their power to communicate to us what are the
conditions of the armistice.
Sir G. GREY—I stated all the information I had my-
self, which was what is strictly called a suspension of hosti-
lities, which is practically the same thing as an armistice,
had been agreed upon for a month. That was all the in-
formation I had gathered at the time. My noble friend the
Secretary for Foreign Affairs was at the Conference, and
he sent that information to me. It was impossible for him
at the moment to communicate me to me the terms of the
armistice, and I only regret that I did not know them at
the time—but, as I stated, there could be no difficulty in
communicating them at a future time. I can assure the
right hon. gentleman that I withheld no information.
Mr. OSBORNE—Is the right hon. gentleman aware of
them now ?
Sir Q. GREY—No, I am not.
CHELSEA HOSPITAL,
On the order for going into committee of supply,
Colonel NORTH moved an address to the Queen praying
her to relieve the officers of Chelsea hospital from the pay-
ment of rates and taxes charged upon them by a recent
regulation for houses in that establishment occupied by them
in the performance of their duties.
The motion was opposed by Mr. F. PEEL, and upon a
division was negatived by 184 to 102.
The house then went into committee of supply on the
army estimates, and the votes of £750,870 for works, build-
ings, and repairs, £173,883 for military education, £88,315
for surveys of the United Kingdom, £128,103 for miscel-
laneous services, and £223,331 for the administration of the
army were agreed to, as were also votes amounting to
£2,108,157 for non-effective services.
The Under Secretaries Indemnity Bill was read a third
third time and passed.
The Pier and Harbour Orders Confirmation Bill was read
a second time.
The Naval Prize Acta Repeal Bill and the Naval Prize
Bill were read a third time and passed.
The Admiralty Lands and Works Bill and the Joint-
stock Companies (Foreign Countries) Bill 'ere passed
through committee.
The Partnership Law Amendment Bill was considered,
in committee,

Leave was given to introduce several bills ; t,na
The house adjourned at one o'clock.

TILE CIVIL WAR, -IN AMERICA,

jOIJRNAL S,

._ __ ~-.,..ah------ ---

unjust to compare his present condition—
with ten or twelve shillings a week for him-
eelf and his family—with the agricultural labourer
in the settth. At the same time, it is undeniable
that there was much " riotous living" among theme
when work was plentiful and wages were high, and
the medical officers in the factory districts assign
the discontinuance of those unfortunate habits in
consequene,e of the distress as one of the causes
rT
the decrease in sickness which they have observed:
among them. The greatly diminished price of bree&
and flour, and some other chief articles of food, du'*
ing the past year, has been of inestimable benefit to
them, whether employed or unemployed, and the
frequent change from the vitiated atmosphere of the
milts to out-door life has not been without a very
beneficial effect on their health. On the whole, the
general health of the operatives enhibits a marked,
improvement. Infant mortality, especially, has
diminished. The mothers are more at hence, and
less at the mill. There is less neglect of their off-
spring ; they nurse them better, and have lees in-
ducement to administer narcotics to keep them qniet.
The state of the schools attended by factory worker*
in his district is a subject to which Mr. Redgrave
devotes several pages of his report. Ho obtained.
specific information from fifty of the largest of them
each attended on an average by three hundred chil-
dren. He states that the general results of his
inquiry as to the number of attendants and she,
financial condition of the establiskments are greatly
in advance of what could have been expected. The
number of children regularly attending these
schools received a great increase in 1882, but n
diminution of almost equal amount took place in the.
followine. year. The reduction in 1863 was caused.
chiefly by the withdrawal of relief in the shape o 1
payment of school fees for the children of parents
who obtained employment. "This," the inspector
remarks, "however correct in principle, has had.
the effect of throwing upon the streets many chil-
dren whose parents have been really unable to pay
the school fee, small as it is, and it is really a sub-
ject of so much importance that it is to be hoped.
the Manchester Committee will reconsider their
decision, and not allow the children to be thrown
about, as they will be, upon idleness, and the bad
habits engendered by want of occupation and proper
control." The school attendance of the half-timers
has improved, and this is to be attributed in a great.
measure to the effect of the educational provisions.
of the Factory Acts in past years. Many of the
parents owe all the book-learning they have to the
half-time system. They know this; they under-
stand the value of what they learnt, and they take
care that their children should enjoy the same ad-
vantage. The sewing and industrial schools for
adults that have been established during the cotton
famine are evidently conferring great benefits upon.
the workpeople who attend them. The orderly'
discipline maintained in them, and the encourage.
went there given to the cultivation of neatnesa
and good behaviour have a very civilising
effect. The young women learn in them some les-
sons that they stand greatly in need of. In many
of the schools, for instance, not one-third of them.
knew anything of sewing when they entered, they
had no notion bow to mend or patch their clothes,
and when they first took a needle in their hand they
pushed it through their work by pressing it upon
the table, and this not because they were stupid but
solely because they had never been taught, and had,
never seen anything of the kind before. In the
adult schools for males it has been found impos-
sible to have any employment so congenial to them
as sewing and knitting to the females, but Mr. Red-
grave notices with approbation the attention of the
men and the anxiety of so many to improve them-
selves, especially in arithmetic. "It sometimes
caused a shade of melancholy," he tells us, " to sec
an old grey-haired man leaning over his desk, and.
poring over a sum in reduction or practice, but even
this was relieved by being told by a frank-spoken
spinner in his own hearty manner, while showing
his sketches of geography and what he was reading.
, ' They could not give us work, and so God put it
nto their hearts to give us the next best to it.' "

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