The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-15 00:00:00

THE ALBERT CROSS.

The Noblest Monument of all has yet to be raised
under the above title to the memory of the "great
and beloved husband" of our revered and most
gracious SOVEREIGN. The foundation of an Order
of Merit so entitled would, beyond all doubt, serve

in the most effectual manner to commemorate to

after times the peculiar lustre appertaining to the

reputation of his Royal Highness. Already within

the last few years of her MAJESTY'S reign two

glorious orders have been established—The Star o;

India and The Victoria Cross. It is as a companion

to the one last-mentioned, to The fictoria Cross,

that we would now see
.The Albert Cross founded,

organised, and distributed. illc Victoria Cross

has already become the most dearly prized and the
most ardently coveted among all the rewards of
valour that could by possibility be bestowed by the

SOVEREIGN of these realms upon an English-

man. Let The Albert Cross be so founded,

so organised, and so distributed that, in its turn,
it shall come to be thus regarded among

all the loyal and patriotic subjects of the Crown, as
the symbolical recompence of peaceful merit of all
kinds--moral, social, and intellectual. An English
Legion of Honour, designed to evidence the
national recognition of distinguished ability, of
good work done, of noble achievements. A ribbon
unstained by a drop of blood. A cross nnblurred
by a whiff of gunpowder. e n Order of Merit iden-

tified always with peaceful avocations, with Art,
with Science, with Literature, with: Philanthropy.
A Cross of Honour to be awarded alike to the
Poet and the Philosopher, to the Painter and the
I\Teeelist, to the Architect and the Manufacturer.
It is but the other day that one of the most princely
benefactors of his age and country, that munificent
man of taste who was the founder of the magnifi-
cent Gallery of the English
School
which is called, after hpioeedrename, ofth ePSailialEtiEnPg-
SHANKS' Collection, as
midst of us without his nobleaway from the
collection, during his ow lifetime,
gift of that
to the
nation at large, having
won for him,l etiine, '
idler from the
people or from the Government,
4
feeblest, symbolical indication of thegilY te'
ration which was certainly his due, The
the
dun
T_
\establish-
ment of precisely the very kind of Order of ler
here hinted at—an Order of Merit that could not
by
possibility receive any more suitable name than
the very one we are now suggesting, that of Then
Albert Cross—would, while at once satisfying a Ea_
tional want long felt, serve at the same time in the
most signal and effectual manner to perpetuate the
peaceful, stainless, bloodless, beneficent reputation
won for himself in history by that BEAD IDEAL OF
WHAT A PRINCE OUGHT TO BE, that `Prince in-
deed," as our Poet Laureate has emphatically called
that Royal Patron of Letters, of the Arts, and of
the Sciences, One of whose brief but beautiful career
this Albert Cross would be the most radiantly con-
.uous and the most significantly appropriate of
all e°rntoemorations.
The foundation of the Order of Me AP)ert Cross
would, as a memorial of his Royal Highness, he
far beyond any
number of statues that could be
raised in leis ho
perennius , neur, iu bronzeor
Andmarble—m.© what Sovereign of this realm
could more appropriately found this noble Order of
Merit, for the encouragementtherevered
of the peaceful arts
and sciences, than
and beloved Consort
of his Royal Higlincee, the gracious QUEEN of these
Realms, who, so recently as only the e day before yes-
terday, spoke of that lamented Prince so exquisitely
and so tenderly ! Proclaiming before her
people,
upon that occasion of her first appearance
in
since the date of her bereavement, the devotedpulbolvice
for him that fills her heart, and that memt throw
lasting gloom over all her future lifa
with that devoted love of the widowed QUEEN;
for the memory of that "great and beloved
are her MAJESTY'S Own
husband"---what? they
words, real crtiber—' tehbourided reverence and ad..
miration ! ' Sow, mere sigoaliy, attest this devoted

love, this unbounded reverence and admiration for
his Royal Highness the late PRINCE CONSORT
than by the foundation of this very order of merit,
this most appropriate and characteristic symbol of
honour—this companion order, even in name, to
The Victoria Cross, the cross of valour—this
order of peaceful merit to be known and
aspired after, and cherished when won,
as The Albert Cross? An order of merit
of this particular kind has often been thought of,
has occasionally been suggested—but never under
this name, never as thus distinctly associated wi'h
the memory of his Royal Highness, never coupled
with a title so signally and resplendently signifi-
cant. And this radiant symbol of "The Albert
Cross," if but once called into existence by the man-
date of our beloved QUEEN, would infallibly become
an enduring commemoration of the peculiar
glory won by her MAJESTY'S princely husband in
the annals of England as the patron and promoter
of the arts and the sciences, of that literature and
of that philanthropy, the wondrous combination
and co-operation of which are every day tending
more and more visibly and appreciably to aid the
steady and rapid advancement of modern civili-
sation. What The Victoria Cross is as the reward of
Heroism upon the Battlefield—The Albert Cross
would at once become as the recompense of the
beneficent achievements of the artist and the
philanthropist, of the man of science and
of the man of letters. As among the gallant
hearts rewarded by the bestowal of The Victoria
Cross, that symbol might be regarded as equivalent
to the crowning of the brave man's brow with a
wreath of laurel—so among the recipients of the
Albert Cross, that new symbol might, in its turn,
come to be regarded typically as an equivalent to
a garland of oak. A few simple words of Norman
French, spoken in the name of her MAJESTY, la
.Reine le Veut, can, any session, transform an inani-
mate Bill into a living Enactment. One single
word written by the hand of her MAJESTY—the
sign manual of the Sovereign—can, any day, im-
part supreme authority throughout the realm to a
mero scrap of parchment. May we not hope that
in the interests of those arts and sciences, of that
literature and of that philosophy which were
throughout his pure and noble life so dear to the
heart of his Royal Highness the late PRINCE CON-
scßT—may we not hope that, in commemoration of
their having been so dear to his heart, and in com-
memoration, also, of his own elevated and beautiful
reputation—the QUEEN'S gracious mandate may be
pronounced, the QUEEN'S Royal signature may be
penned, calling this new order of The Albert Cross
into existence ?

It has been truly said that people never know
when they are safe, and the accounts that have
been recently received regarding sea-side lodgings
go far to exemplify the fact. Nothing can be more-
reprehensible than the practice that has prevailed
in some quarters of allowing persons to enter into
houses from whence those afflicted with contagious
diseases have only just departed. A letter to the
limes of yesterday fully exposes this nefarious sys-
tem. A medical gentleman in practice at a fashion-
able watering- place has disclosed three cases, in
each of which great blame mast be attached to the
parties concerned. A family went down for change
of air, hut were lodged in a house where the scarlet
fever had been raging some time before they came.
The children fell ill, and subsequently the mother
also caught the malady, and died. Here
was a sad affliction befalling a family from
want of common care and due precaution,
The next incident mentioned might have pre-
duced effects still more disastrous, and have
given rise to a wider spread disease. A friend
was on the point of engaging apartments for a re-
lative, when, on returning to see th© bedrooms,
that were not vacant before, he came upon a hearse,
which was taking away a coffin that had been re-
moved from one of the bedrooms that were about
being let. It seems almost incredible that people
should go on in this way, and endanger health, and
risk life for the sake of a little extra gain. Their
wanton negligence is rendered the more inexcus-
able when it is remembered that it is precisely those
who come to the seaside for change of air who are
the most liable to catch the infectious diseases
hovering about, from the fact of their being
exhausted with the heat of the weather,
the fatigues of business, and the oppressiveness
of town life. Those who constantly reside
at the watering-place would not be in nearly
so much danger, even if they were exposed to the
risk, which they are not. A gentleman, who
was just recovering from the small-pox, went
down to the seaside, and in the even-
ing proceeded to an hotel, from whence
he took lodgings. He returned "all right," but,
says the narrator very truly, "will it be all right
with those who, succeeding him in his rooms, have
to use his blankets and bedding." Doubtless, from
this known case of dereliction of duty, there
have arisen numerous cases of severe illness, dis-
figurement, and even death. Now it seems time that
this anomaly should be checked, and that some sani-
tary regulations should be enforced without delay.
The feet is, that lodging-house keepers, as a rule
(there are of course exceptions), are too greedy for
money, and in pursuance of this object they forget
that the society which supports them has a claim
on their consideration, and that they make immense
profits during the season, which cannot even
afford them the excuse of need for their over-
reaching conduct. Without imposing any irksome
restraint on the liberty of the subject, or adopting
undue interference with business, it must be pos- I
sible for the local authorities to make some altera-
tions in the present system. In all cases whero a
setions neglect of due precautions has arisen, let a
heavy fine be exacted, and the lodging-house keeper
be forbidden to re-let for a stated time—say a month
during which all
purifying processes can take
place. One of the chief causes that produce these
disastrous casualties is the indifference that reigns
in 80
q:nci if arters•, p
affair of theirs,
n
changeseop
arec thinkproposed
is
sthenyo
are afraid of giving offence, and hence all is left to
jog on in the old routine.
diThese lovers of expe-
enc
y are apt to forget that they are neglecting a
solemn duty and ignoring a sacred trust. It is not
or kind
irritating wise, right,
irritating others; on the Lo avoid annoying or
contrary, it is at times
the
incumbent upon us to do so, ifneeds of society
require it, and the demands of health
or propriety l
call for interference. The fault is not all
with the lodging-house keepers, for the
convalescents themselves are often seriously to
blame. One case is cited by Mr. JEFFERY, a surgeon
at Eastbuurne, in which a lady, whose husband had
died of the fever, and ono of whose daughters had
been very ill, came direct to Eastbourne on her re-
ms without having told the
covery, and took rooms
landlady of the case. " Two children, who came
after, went into their rooms and died." The secret
was disclosed by the lady's nurse mentioning it to
the servants when too late. The proper remedy for
this cruel state of things would be for the magis-
trates to have each case of fever occurring in lodg-
i°g-houses reported to them. This would be an
effectual check upon the careless, ill-advised p:oc.,ed-
lOgs ?? taking place, and in the course of investi-
gation it Would be easy to determine which parties

were in fault, the hirers or the letters of the apart-
ments. In all cases where fever had unavoidably
broken out, some weeks should be ordered to elapse
before any more lodgers are admitted. By this means
the guilty would be suspended from their ill-gotten
gains, and the ignorant and careless would be duly
warned of the sad and serious consequences that re-
sult from inattention to sanitary precautions. The
unfortunate class, also, who are afflicted with disease
would be prevented from making more mischief,
and spreading the contagion around them. Unless
some due precaution is adopted speedily the evil
will augment to such an extent that the healthy
will dread the risk of visiting a watering- place. A
reaction will be the consequence, and it will be
difficult, if not impossible, for convalescents to
get any change of air at all, for all lodging-house
keepers will shun tbeir approach. There is no
reason why, with proper management, all sorts of
cases may not be accommodated at watering places,
and return, after their stay in the loeality, re-
freshed by the change, or restored by the invigo-
rating breezes. If those who take in the sufferers,
and their friends and relatives, make np their minds
to use the right means for preserving their rooms
against infection, the evil, except in serious cases,
is not very likely to spread. On the other hand,
if they do not, the public is of too much im-
portance to be trifled with, to suit their fancies, and
the lives of many are not to be sacrificed to suit the
prejudices of the ignorant, and the obstinacy of the
wilful. It is often, unhappily, to be found that,
when people are deaf and blind to the claims of
honour, the calls of humanity, and the evidence of
reason, they will be on the alert if they think that
their interests are in any way affected by the ques-
tion in eispute. For some time past it has been a
fruitful source of complaint in many quarters,
that
our tourists and travellers seek foreign shores for
diversion, when health and happiness might
abound at home, if they would only turn their steps
in the right direction. Now, what can well tell more
against the success and prosperity of our coast
towns, than the rumour now so prevalent with
regard to infection being rife in those localities ?
It is idle to gainsay the truth of the assertion. 'rho
story has gone forth far and wide, and those whom
principle and feeling will not influence may yet
have cause to regret, if they do not repent, the
short-sighted policy they have adopted,
and the
mistaken notions that have actuated them. Mak-
ing too much haste to be rich has worked many
evils in this world, and given rise to gray° and
deplorable results.

It is not surprising that the subjects engaging the
attention of the Social Economy Department of the
great autumnal assembly, the position of the Cotton
Districts should occupy a prominent place. The
condition and prospects of Lancashire have been
during the year very frequently uppermost in
minds, and the approaching advent of winter has
lately brought the subject up again. So large a
body of our industrial classes could not suffer for so
;ong a period without their misfortune being justly
ranked as a fitting subject for national deliberation.
There have been, too, and indeed still are, so many
conflicting views upon the matter, that a general
discussion and argument were not unlikely to have
satisfactory effects. Some are inclined to take a
sanguine view of the case, and are ready to persuade
themselves and others that the danger is already
past, and that Lancashire will be henceforth happily
independent of extraneous assistance. Others, on
the contrary, are inclined to form a
most despond-
ing estimate of affairs : they look upon the cotton
trade as hopelessly destroyed, and recommend
wholesale emigration of the " hands." Others,
again, occupy the middle position, and while admit-
ting the improved aspect of effsirs, and the sound-
ness of hopes for future improvement, look forward
to a lengthened period of uncertainty and depres-
sion. To the latter class belongs 'Mr. EDMUND
POTTER, who read a paper on the present state of
the cotton districts at the Edinburgh meeting last
week. He is by no means disposed to exaggerate
the prospects of the reviving trade, in fact, he rather
underrates them. In common with many others he
cites the present slow extension of the area of
cotton cultivation in India as a proof that the
undertaking never will be popular there, since
even the present high prices have not succeeded in
rendering it more general. Such reasoners forget
that they must allow for the obstacles existing in
India as to the purchase or cultivation of land, and
that the first year or two's crop, grown under all
preliminary difficulties,is not to be taken as a sample
of what India can accomplish. There is no doubt
that the quality and quantity of Indian cotton will
both improve rapidly with a little time and care,
and we have to thank the same prejudice as that
which actuated Mr. POTTER, for the persistent
neglect of all other sources of supply heretofore.
With regard to the large emigration proposed by
some persons as a panacea for all evils, we are glad
to find Mr. POTTER expressing himself against any
such scheme. He says, very justly, "Envgration
is the natural safety valve of an overplus population,
one sinking and starving on a non-productive soil,
or hanging on a trade decaying for want of demand
for some superseded commodity ; but a harsh,
mischievous and costly remedy wLerewith to meet
what may be classed as a temporary disruption of
a trade." It is so easy to get rid of a difficulty
by laying it on other people's shoulders that emi-
gration has been all along a favourite remedy. We
aro to send these poor people across the seas, and
so save the trouble, anxiety, and expense of provid-
ing for them here. Responsibilities cannot, how-
ever, be so pleasantly disposed of, and it is very
necessary to consider two points before attempting
any wholesale scheme. The first is, whether there
is any chance or prospect of the revival of the old
trade; secondly, whether the emigrants conld find
work suited to their capabilities and experience at
their journey's end. The first of these queries
is now being answered satisfactorily by those most
qualified to form a just opinion. The second is more
than doubtful, and the gentleman who so strenu-
ously advocated it at the Edinburgh meeting would
probably have been considerably puzzled if called
upon to give practical evidence of their words. It
seems strange that persons should still be found to
take so disparaging a view of affairs when the last
returns are so encouraging. It would of course be
idle to expect a sudden full tide of prosperity after
so long and trying a season of sorrow and scarcity,
but we have every ground for hoping that the im-
provement already perceptible will be continuous, if
gradual. It cannot certainly be laid down as a law
that cotton will only grow on one portion of the
globe, although it is not surprising that it should
have hitherto been almost restricted to that spot,
since the great cotton market drew alt its supplies
from thence. The description of many of the older
manufacturing towns given by Mr. POTTER fully
confirms what has been said of the advantages
offered by the Public Works Bill. As a proof of
the great influence of crowded, ill-ventilated work-
shops on health, it was remarked by Mr, CHAD-
WICK that, notwithstanding the distress, the death
rate, instead of increasing, had diminished. It is to
be hoped that the attention that has now been
turned to Lancashire, its people,
and itss
effect a beneficial change In many of these
mills, will
particu-
lars, and will thus enablethe toilers to reap some
advantages from their long-continued distress,