The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 24, 1863

will be a great relief to animal labour which
suffers so deplorably by the present steep and
slippery gradients. There are other points of a
favourable character, such as a branch railway to
the New Market in Smithfield, and the eastern
street will serve to reduce the gradient in The street
now forming from Victoria-street by the Corpora-
tion, from 1 in 30 to 1 in 46, which would be a
desirable improvement. If the new streets are
formed before the viaduct is commenced the traffic
east and west will not be interrupted. The pro-
jector of the scheme claims for it another advantage
by its favouring the construction of a branch rail-
way from the Metropolitan Railway to Farringdon
market, and facilitating the works of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway. Now these are all
promising advantages in their way. But this last
suggestion seems to provoke a suspicion or doubt
whether some interested promoter is not at the
bottom of the scheme. But how comes it that
there is no improved communication proposed on
the southern side of the viaduct as well as on the
northern, for an immense amount of traffic passes
over Blackfriars-bridge for the north-western parts
of London, which can have no better access to the
level of Holborn than by turning round and up the
western new street at some considerable incon-
venience. Possibly St. Andrew's Church may be
an obstacle, and a street on its southern side or
back would be too expensive. The total ultimate
cost of Lhe present scheme is estimated at £226,988,
which includes the purchase of property and trade,
and all other compensations, the viaduct pavements
and sewerage complete. Its collateral advantages
are considerable, and commend it to the consideration
of the architect, the man of business, and the sani-
tary reformer. The architectural effect of the design
will be the attraction to the form, since Holborn
and Skinner-street will be left as one wide and
uniform thoroughfare, while due regard is had to
the subsequent effect of the view, a consideration so
seldom occupying any place in our modern plans, as
is convincingly testified by the awkward slant of
our Government buildings at Whitehall. In the
present design the whole line of viaduct is to be
seen from either end, so that beauty has not been
lost sight of in utility. In a business point of view
the scheme has much to recommend it,
the chief
argument in its favour being the alteration of the
gradients, since the gradients of the main roadway
and the new streets will be quite unobjectionable,
and those of the adjoining streets are to be consi-
derably improved. Direct access will also be af-
forded to the New Market, but the sanitary advan-
tages of the design aro perhaps as great or greater
than the commercial arguments in its favour. It
will raise a large portion of the valley of the Fleet,
thereby enabling the basements of all houses built
there to be effectually and completely drained, which
it seems is not now possible, and it will also give
facilities for the formation of a good system of
sewerage, and the new houses to be erected in these
parts will thus derive considerable benefits from it.
A mass of wretched houses in the vicinity
will be
pulled down, probably very much to the gain of the
health and morality of the neighbourhood. Such
are the principal features of the scheme for and
against which much remains to be said. That some
such plan will be adopted out of the many to be
submitted to the Corporation is very desirable—in
fact indispensably necessary, and we can only hope
that the design best adapted to the requirements of
the public will be selected and approved. The
Corporation will do well to deliberate carefully and
impartially on the matter, bearing in mind tha
their decision will Lffect not only the present gEne
ration but the welfare and comfort of their posterity

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

[REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

POLAND.

BRESLAU, OCT. 24.

The Breslau Zeitung publishes advises from
`Warsaw, stating that the fire at the Hotel de Ville
destroyed all the archives of the secret police since
1831,

At Palawz (on the Vistula) the insurgents have
captured a Russian convoy.

A new insurgent corps has made its appearance,
commanded by Baron Pletz.

CALCUTTA AND CHINA MAILS.

The following telegram has been received at Mr.
Reuter's office from the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company, Oct. 24 :
The Vectis with the above mails left Alexandria
for Marseilles at 6 a.m. on the 21st inst.

The Pera with the heavy portion of the mails
sailed for Southampton at 7 a.m. the same day.
The Mooltan brought the mails to Suez, arriving
there on the 18th inst.

JEBB v. CROF TON.

Although not coinciding in the argument put
forth in the following article from the Cork Daily
Reporter, we frankly transfer it to our columns
from those of out Irish contemporary, out of a wish
for fair play in the discussion of the rival systems
of the dead Sir Joshua Jebb, and the living Sir
Walter Crofton :
" Sir Joshua Jebb had all but finished his Pri-
son Report for 1862-3, when his sudden death on
his way to town, from his residence at Fulham, de-
prived England of its ablest prison administrator.
Sir George Grey, being unable, under these circum-
stances, to receive the report as an official
document, was kind enough to place the manuscript
in the hands of the Earl of Chichester, " the
brother-in-law and intimate friend" of Sir Joshua
Jebb, by whom it has been edited, with no small
ability. The report itself has a somewhat contro-
versial aspect, in treating of the respective merits
of the English and Irish convict system. This re-
sulted from Sir Joshua Jebb's having been instructed
by the Secretary of State to give his opinion on the
operation of intermediate prisons and police
espionage, which had lately been introduced into
Irish management. It is addressed to Sir George
Grey, and commences thus :
" Sir,—ln compliance with your wish that I should,
without further delay, submit to you, more in detail, the
reasons which have led me to conclude that it would be in-
expedient to introduce into the convict management of this
country, either an intermediate stage of discipline, or the
supervision of the police, which have been the subject of
experiment in Ireland, I will endeavour to lay before you
such particulars as will enable you to form an opinion on
the question."
Sir Joshua Jebb, when drawing up his report,
was in a position to produce evidence of the failure
of Irish intermediate discipline, to which its most
strenuous advocates could not object—namely, that
of the Chairman of Directors of Irish Convict
Prisons. The proper test of the good or bad
working of any convict system is the number of re-
convictions or relapses into crime. To this test Sir
Joshua Jebb brought the Irish intermediate system,
which prevails in the prisons of Smithfield and
Lusk, comparing it with the ordinary English dis-
cipline adopted at Spike Island and Philipstown.
We cite the returns here:—
FIRST, INTERMEDIATE PRISONS —lt appears from
return No. 1, embracing the period from 1856 to 1861, that
there were released on licence froth the intermediate prisons
of Smithfield and Lusk, 788 prisoners, of whom there went
abroad 302—Remained in Ireland, 486 prisoners. Re-
convictions, revocations during the short time the licence
had to run, 80 prisoners—Add from Supplementary Re.
turn to 1862, 9 prisoners—Total, 89. Giving a percentage
of reconvictions, &c., up to 1861 of 16.46, and up to 1862
of 18'3.
As, however, the Irish system was not in full operation
until 18.57, and convict discipline is now carried out under
the Act of that year, I would propose to consider the five
years from 1857 to 1861 as follows :—Deducting 1856: re-
leased on licence, 674 prisoners—gone abroad, 293—re-
mained, 3Sl—reconvictions, &c., as before, 63--add from
supplementary returns to 1862, 9—Total, 72. Per centage
up to 1861 of 16.5, and up to 1862 of 18.8.
SECOND.—Ordinary prison of Spike Island and Phillips-
town in which about 25 per cent., deemed ineligible for the
special training given in the intermediate prisons, aro left.
From 1856 to 1861, there were released on licence, 431—0 f
whom went abroad, 40—remaining in Ireland, 391—re-
lapses, including 1862, '23—per centage, 5 88. Deducting
1856, as before,—released on licence in five years, 249
gone abroad, 40—remaining in Ireland, 209—relapses, in-
cluding 1862, 17—per centage 8.
It will thus be seen by the Irish Director's own tables,
after a trial of six years, that while the ordinary English
discipline gives but S per cent, of relapses, or intermediate
discipline, they give over 18 per cent. of relapses.
Let us now take the returns of Irish Intermediate and
Ordinary Prisons for the last year, and campare them with
those of England.
IRELND.—Released on licence from Smithfield and
Lusk, 142—gone abroad, 95—remained in Ireland, 47
reconvictions, s—revocations, s—per centage, 21.28. Re-
leased from ordinary prison at Spike, 18—gone abroad, 2
remained in Ireland, 16—reconvictions, &e,, 2—per
centage, 12.5,
These returns, taken in connection with those extending
back to 1856, contrast strongly with the following for Eng-
land :

ENGLAND, 18(32.—Released on license, 1,325—g0ne
abroad, say 7 per cent., US—remained in England, 1,700
reconvictions, 73—revocations, 32—per centago of recon-
victions, 4.s—per centago of revocations, I.9—total per
tentage on revocations and reconvictions, 6 5.
The reader may ask how is it that the public
could have been deceived on this subject so long ?
The pubiic is deceived more easilp than people gene-
rally imagine. But the way in which the matter
was managed in the present instance was, by taking
the relapses on the whole number discharged,

although, in some years, more than two-thirds of
them went abroad, at once, and therefore could
give no relapses. For example, in the year 1859,
there were enlarged two classes of intermediate pri-
soners, who were under the care of Mr. Organ.
One class consisted of 114 men. Of these 101 went
abroad. The other class consisted of 83 men. Of
these 71 went abroad. Out of the two classes, con.
taining 197 men, 172 went abroad, leaving only 25
at home, on which relapses could be honestly taken.
To count the relapses on the whole number is
something like taking the rations of dead men.
The public owes a debt of gratitude to the Earl
of Chichester for bringing the report to light, and
for the ability which he has shown in the editing
department. His esteemed brother-in-law, Sir
Joshua Jebb, fell in the thick of the battle, and
near its close, and he has taken up his sword and
used it with good effect.

It would appear from the efforts now being
made, by the advocates of the Irish system, at
the Social Science meetings in Edinburgh, that the
time has not ytt come for laying down the sword.
The Irish party will die hard. As old leaders are
knocked on the head and silenced, by an array of
facts which they can no longer withstand, new ones
spring up in their place. Lord Neaves, a Scotch
judge, in a paper read before the congress, on last
Saturday, convoys the impression that the English
and Irish convict systems are quite distinct, though
every one acquainted with the matter knows, that
with the exception of a police espionage, and a farm
at Lusk (where Irish prisoners are in clover, and
where they are fed and clothed and lodged better
than any Irish or English labourer), that
the Irish and English convict systems are
identical. But we need not wonder at theigno
rance of this judge, when we see the accomplished
Mr. O'llagan, our own Attorney-General, falling
into the error that he did at the Social Science Con-
gress held in Dublin. What is still more surprising
is that no one had the honesty to correct him, or
his figures. Here again, at this meeting in Edin-
burgh, Lord Neaves says the Royal Commissioners
have recommended the adoption of the Irish inter-
mediate system for England, and no one has the
manliness to get up and say, " My Lord, you make
a great mistake : the Royal Commissioners have
altogether ignored the Irish system. The two Irish
members who were on that commission did all they
could to press it on the consideration of the rest of
commissioners, but they were out-voted." This
would be stating the simple truth. Lord Brougham
was in in error when he stated " Upon one subject
the commissioners were equally divided, the pur-
gatory division of the system, or the intermediate
prisons," for the Irish party were out-voted as he
will see by the report. Bat even Lord Brougham's
statement, who stood up to compliment Lord Neaves,
is opposed to that of the Scotch judge. Still both
speeches were equally applauded by the Irish party,
that always muster strong at these meetings of the
Social Science Congress.

W. e were informed by Lord Brougham at the
Social Science meeting in Dublin, that " Sir Walter
Crofton had annihilated crime in Ireland." How
&tee it happen if this be really the case, that we are
reopening our convict prisons notwithstanding our
rapidly decreasing population ? For Carlisle, in
Cork Harbour, will, we fear, be very soon reopened
as a convict prison, for Spike Island is full, and the
new male and female prisons of Mountjoy are full.
It requires no small amount of ignorance or teme-
rity iu the face of such facts, to laud the Irish inter-
mediate system, and to attempt to press its adoption
on England. The public, however, by such a repe-
tition of laudations, are as often imposed on as they
are by quack doctors. Plenty of puffery will get
mankind to swallow all things, with implicit faith,
from intermediate convict discipline to the lastunt-
versal medicine, or the last substitute for medicine
of all sorts.

COURT-MARTIAL ON COLONEL CRAWLEY.—
Some of the troopers of the Inniskilling Drageens—re-
cently returned from India to give evidence on the trial of
Colonel Crawley—were in attendance at the Horse Guards
during a considerable part of yesterday, under the com-
mand of a uon•oomm'seioned officer.

The Late Balloon Journey.

M. Eugene Arnoult, one of the passengers i❑ M
Nadar's balloon, writes as follows to the Paris Ara
Lion

" Hanover, Tuesday, Oct. 20.

" My dear Editor,—You saw us leave the Champ
de Mars on Sunday. You were a witness of the
majestic ascent of the Geant rising into the air
amid the applause of the crowd. They cried to us
from below, 'Boa voyage !' Alas
" At nine o'clock at night we were at Erquelines ;
we passed over Matinee, and towards midnight we
were in Holland. We rose up very high, but it was
necessary to come down to see where we were.

Ignorant of that, our position was a critical one,
-

Below, as far as we could see, were marshes, and in
the distance we could hear the roar of the sea. We

threw out ballast, and, mounting again, soon lost
sight of the earth. What a night ! Nobody slept,
as you may suppose, for the idea of falling into the
sea had nothing pleasant about it, and it was neces-
sary to keep a look out in order to effect, if necessary,
a descent. My compass showed that we were going
towards the east—that is to say, towards Germany.
In the morning, after a frugal breakfast made in
the clouds, we re-descended. An immense plain was
beneath us ; the villages appeared to us like chil-
dren's toys—rivers seemed like little rivulets—it
was magical. The sun shone splendidly over all.
Towards 8 o'clock we arrived near a great lake;
there I found out our bearings, and announced that
we were at the end of Holland, near the sea. We were
compelled to think of landing in order to take in a
little ballast. Unhappily the heavens had made us
forget the earth, over which blew a wind so violent
that in a few minutes our anchors, enormous ful-
crums of iron, were broken. The valve was shut,
and the balloon, which could carry us no longer,
began a giddy career. We rose from 20 to 30
metres, and fell with incredible force. Little by
little the balloon ceased to rise, and the car fell upon
its side. Then began a furious, disordered race; all
disappeared before us:--tress, thickets, walls, all
broken orburst through by the shock ; it was fright-
ful. Sometimes it was a lake, in which we plunged ;
a bog, the thick mud of which entered our mouths
and our eyes. It was maddening. Stop, stop !
we shouted, enraged with the monster who was
dragging us along. A railway was before us—a
train passing ; it stopped at our cries, but we carried
a way the telegraphic posts and wires. An instant
afterwards we perceived in the distance a red house
—I see it now—the wind bore us straight for this
house. It was death for all, for weshould be dashed to
pieces. No one spoke. Strange to say, of those nine
persons, one of whom was a lady, who were clinging
to a slender screen of osier, for whom every second
seemed counted, not one had any fear. All tongues
were mute, all faces were calm. Nader held his
wife, covering her with his body. Poor woman !
Every shock seemed to break her:to pieces.
"Jules Godard then tried and accomplished an
act of sublime heroism. He clambered up into the
netting, the shocks of which were so terrible that
three times he fell on my head. At length he
reached the cord of the valve, opened it, and the
gas having a way of escape the monster ceased
to rise, but it still shot along in a horizontal
line with prodigious rapidity. There were we
squatting down upon the frail osier car.
'rake care !' we cried, when a tree was in
the way. We turned from it, and the tree was
broken, but the balloon was discharging its gas, and
if the immense plain we were crossing had yet a
few leagues, we were saved. But suddenly a
forest appeared in the horizon ; wo must leap out at
whatever risk, for the car would be dashed to pieces
at the first collision with those trees. I know not
how, for I suffered from a wound in my knees, my
trousers were torn. I jumped, and made I know
not how many revolutions, and fell upon my head.
After a minute's dizziness I rose. The car was
then far off. By the aid of a stick I dragged my-
self to the forest, and having gone a few steps I
heard some groans. Saint Felix was stretched
on the soil frightfully disfigured ; his body was
one wound ; he had an arm broken, the chest
torn, and an ancle dislocated. The car had disap-
peared. After crossing a river I heard a cry. Nader
was stretched on the ground with a dislocated
thigh; his wife had fallen into the river. Another
companion was shattered. We occupied ourselves
with St. Felix and Nader and his wife. In trying
to assist the latter I was nearly drowned, for I fell
into the water and sank. They picked me up again,
and I found the bath had done me good. By the
assistance of the inhabitants the salvage was got
together. Vehicles were brought; they placed us
upo❑ straw. My knees bled; my loins and head
seemed to be like mincemeat ; but I did not lose my
presence of mind an instant, and for a second I felt
humiliated at looking from the truss of straw at
those clouds which in the night I had had under my
feet. It was in this way we reached Ruthem, in
Hanover.

"In 17 hours we had made nearly 250 leagues.
Our course injernale had covered a space of three
leagues. Now that it is over I have some shudder-
ings. It does not signify; we have made a good
journey, and I marvel to see with what indifference
we way regard the most frightful death, for besides
the prospect of being dashed about on our way, we
had that of gaining the sea; and how long should
we have lived then ? lam glad to have seen this
—happier yet at having to narrate it to you. These
Germans who surround us are brave people, and we
have been as well cared for as the resources of the
little spot will allow,

" P.S. I have just reached Hanover with my com-
panions, and re-open my letter to tell you se. The
King has sent an aide•de.camp to us. Are we at the
end of our reverses P At any rate, lam consoled
to think they can no longer laugh at us in Paris.
We have kept our promises, and more."

Vacancies, Promotions, and Appointments

in the Civil Service.

(From the Civil Service Gazette.)

FOREIGN-OFFICE.—The consulship at Hankow, China,
has become vacant by the death of Mr William Raymond
Gingell ; salary, £1,300.

COLONIAL-OFFICE.-Mr Humphrey Evatt has been ap
pointed colonial surveyor for the colony of Sierra Leone.

CUSTOMS.—Mr S. Andrews, Mr. A. J. Jordan, and Mr
T. Wright, have been appointed out-door officers, London.
Mr Joseph C. Blake and Mr Curtis Hills, out-door officers,
have been promoted to be examining officers, London.
INLAND REVENUE—Excise Branch; Mr James C. An-
derson, officer, Uxbridge ride, Middlesex collection, has
been appointed to Kirkwall, 2d (preventive) ride, Orkney
district. Mr Alexander Innes, officer, Kirkwall, 2d (pre.
ventive) ride, Orkney district, has been appointed to Ux-
bridge ride, Middlesex collection.
THE EAST INDIES.—Lieut.-Colonel W. Maxwell, R.A.,
has been appointed, to officiate as secretary, Public Works
Department, and chief engineer to the Government of
Bengal. Mr F. R. Hogg has been confirmed in the ap-
pointment of Postmaster-General of the Pusjaub and
Sitidh. Major Stewart, R.E., has been appointed to act
as deputy secretary to the Government of Madras in the
Department of Public Works. Captain Ryves, R.E., has
been appointed to act as deputy-secretary to Government
in the Public Works Department, during the absence of
Major S. Stewart. Mr G. A. Harris has been appointed to
be civil and sessions judge of the zillah of Ootacamund.
Mr T. Onslow has been appointed to be civil and sessions
judge of the zillah of Chittoor, in succession to Mr Harris.
Mr 11. G. Smith has been appointed to be civil and sessions
judge of the zillah of Nundial, in succession to Mr Onslow.
Mr H. S. Thomas has been appointed to be sub-collector
and joint magistrate of Salem, in succession to Mr Smith.
Mr G. V. Agnew has been appointed to be sub-collector
and joint magistrate of Madura, in succession to Mr
Thomas. Mr J. H. Blair has been appointed to be sub-,
collector and joint magistrate of Tinnevelly, in succession
to Mr Vans Agnew. Mr it. H. Clifford, third-class de-
puty commissioner, Oude, has been promoted to be second-
class deputy commissioner. Mr It. M. King, first class
assistant commissioner, Oudo, has been promoted to be
deputy commissioner of thd third•class, Mr G, g, M.
Ricketts, C. 8., collector aad magistrate at Jaunpore, has
been appointed to officiate as collector and magistrate of
Allahabad. Mr C. Grant, sen., joint magistrate and de-
puty collector of Futtehpore, has been appointed to officiate
as collector and magistrate of Jounpore. Mr A. J. Law-
rence, assistant magistrate and collector at Saharunpore
has been appointed to offidate as joint magistrate and
deputy collector of the seeand grade.

PRICE OF NEGROES.—A Richmond paper states
that slaves are bringing extremely high prices in that city,
At an auction one negro man sold for 3,350 dols., and a
girl for 3,250 dols. At a private sale a girl brought 4,600
dols., and a cook woman 3,800 dols. These are said to be
the highest prices ever obtained in this market,

(rffurt.'*-icsp--,,„ ortnliat

THE QUEEN IN SCOTLAND.

BALMORAL, Oct. 22.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
went out yesterday morning.
In the afternoon the Queen, accompanied by the
Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia and Princess
Louis of Hesse, went up to the Prince's Cairn on
Craig Lowrican.
'file Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia lunched
with her Majesty.