The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-28 00:00:00

TILE SO_N. LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, 00110 BER 28, 1863

be accurately reported, it is somewhat strange that
the KING omits entirely all mention of England.—
a power with which he is now so nearly allied.
Time will serve to exemplify the real intentions of
the disputants_ At present it would be a consider-
able satisfaction to the public to know that Earl
RUSSELL shared the sound and independent opi-
nions so clearly stated by Lord PALMERSTON at the
close of the Parliamentary session.

It is a fearful thing to reflect upon that many are
dying in this rich capital from starvation ; but it is
incalculably worse to consider that a large propor-
tion of this number owe their deaths to neglect.
As painful a case as bas come before the public for
some time is that of CAROLINE JAMES. The poor
woman died of want. Her agonised exclamation
to her neighbours, "Did you ever know what it
was to ?eel starvation," is a lasting reproach to all
who had to do with the case, and a stigma on the
parish authorities. The conduct of Mr. CHRISTIE,
the parish officer, was greatly in fault, and it is to be
trusted that few other such authorities could have
behaved in so unfeeling a manner, and acted with
such harshness throughout, It was in vain that
repeated application was made on behalf of the
unfortunate woman. No notice whatever was
vouchsafed to the urgent demand. The first appli-
cant was met with abuse, the second with kicks.
Surely after this conduct has been made public,
such a man will not be permitted to exercise
authority, nor to maintain responsibility. While
this worthy, who was called " relieving officer," on
the principle of locus non lucendo, was refusing this
demand, and sending away that applicant, declaring
he could nothing, and proving by his manner that
he wished to do nothing, life that will not wait for
the freaks and fancies of parish authorities was
ebbing away, and the poor woman died. It is
surely a scandalous thing that when two doctors
had sent in certificates, and several other attempts
had been made by pitying neighbours to pro-
cure some assistance from the workhouse, that such
gross neglect and such wanton cruelty should have
been exercised. It is to be regretted that the jury did
not bring in a direct verdict against the man who so
unworthily and so unfeelingly carried on his voca-
tion. It is time that some decisive change be made
in the manner in which the relief is doled out to the
poor. Next session some bill ought to be brought
is to amend and regulate the general plan and
practice adopted. It is certain that the object is or
ought to be to offer succour to those perishing from
want, that there should be " no complaining in our
streets," from those done to death from actual want
of the common necessaries of life. No one can dare
to say that the system which has just sacrificed a
human life can be satisfactory, and no time should
be lost, and no efforts spared, which can in any way
mitigate the cruel wrong which now presses heavily
upon so many of our poverty-stricken brethren, and
remove in some measure the reproach that now
attaches itself so strongly to those who are in any
way connected with the transaction of the Work-
house mechanism and management.

The abuses of our naval administration aro of
such old standing, and such extended character,
that it has become almost hopeless to attack them.
Our electoral representation, our civil and criminal
codes of law, our official departments generally,
have successively yielded to the influence of mce
dern energy and improvement, but there is one
sacred spot, it seems, where Reform
may never
enter. England may call herself the mistress of
the seas, and as thriftless men sometimes outrun
their income in keeping up an imaginary position,
she may be called upon to pay annually increased
sums for the privilege of that title. For the title
rather than the fact. To ask for an account of the
enormous outlay, is as hopeless as to discuss the
secret of perpetual motion, unless, indeed, that
secret be hidden in the continual outpouring of
public money from the Admiralty. To attempt to
unravel the dockyard accounts might alarm
HERCULES himself, and would hopelessly con.
fuse the prodigy who could multiply nine figures
by mental arithmetic. The rapid and unac-
countable increase of items and expenses would
certainly baffle even his powers of multiplication,
and the result of it all is that our fleet is declared
unfit for a maritime war, while blunders are made
in the construction of vessels which would disgrace
the merest novice. The last news is that, when the
armour plated ship Royal Oak was placed in the
dock last week, great consternation was excited
amongst the authorities of the dockyards by the
appearance of the plates. A series of corroded
holes, from half an inch to five eighths of an
inch, were visible, some of the plates containing
188 such holes, while none had less than 40. In
many places they had run one into another to
the extent of five or six feet, and the whole ap-
pearance is described as most extraordinary. And
what was the cause of such an appearance
in a ship commissioned last April, and
only eight months afloat ? The iron armour
plates were in contact with copper sheathing of the
vessel, and wherever the under coating had washed
off, galvautic action had corroded the plates. It is
a pity that the gentlemen in authority did not learn
a few of the commonly known laws of science before
they attempted remodelling the Royal Navy. The
contact of iron and copper in water invariably pro-
duces this result—a fact so well known that this is
a common mode of exciting electricity, and has been
lately suggested by an eminent electrician as the
surest means of superseding the difficulties attend-
ing the Atlantic telegraph. It shows a remarkable
degree of ignorance of very necessary knowledge
that the dockyard authorities should express such
consternation at a result they might have expected
when they sent the ship to sea. Suspicious folks
might hint that the experiment was intended to be
a failure by those who object to adapting our noble
old wooden vessels to modern improvements, and
prefer to lavish public money in costly experiments
to employing stores ready to hand. This recent
disaster will give a convenient opportunity for more
Admiralty bungling, possibly with a repetition of
the same egregious mistake. Another characteristic
blunder has recently come to light respecting the
construction of Mr. REED'S new iron ship Pallas at
Woolwich. It has been found that the slip on
which preparations were being made for her being
laid down was much less than her proposed length
—225 feet. Considerable delay will, therefore, be
experienced, as both slip and shed will have to be
lengthened. Such mistakes as these aro perfectly in-
excusable, and in any other department would not
be tolerated. How long is the moat expensive and
important of our administrative departments to be
likewise the most unprofitable and ill governed ?

THE EX-CHANCELLORS.—Byper
the noble and learned
public, that being the stipend which
Chancellors, who
lord enjoyed as ono of the five ex-LordLyndhurst a pension of £5,000 perthe
annumderaetvhe
rot
sf
tLo ot rhde
diviededrbvievtwinegenexth.ecmhatnhceorllonurnsdnsnuwm of £25,000 .£
receipt2s, 000 perof
retiringann u m.
Pe are fouPer in number, namely, Lord Brougham,
TdLosrd; eLlattsSfc,:rdL, Lon. ards, 82; Lord Cranworth, 73 ;
A N-ICE REMEDY FOR SEA-SICKNESS.—A Tra-
veller states that he hes tried it (ice) himself with success,
and that if the stewards of steamers would keep a supply
of lemon-water ices on board, they would profit themselves
and render a great service to their passeners.
THE CHRYSANTHEM g
UM SITOW IN THE TEMPLE
witueSSed i 4 London,
1 GARDENS promises to be this season the finest display ever