The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-23 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1865.

It is not often that an anniversary festival. pre-
sents such interesting features as the dinner of the
Newspaper Press Fund on Saturday evening.
Whether we regard the object of the institution
itself, which appeals more extensively to general
sympathies than a particular hospital or asylum,
the interest attaching to the name and early associa-
tion of president, or the eloquent manner in which
the claims of the society were urged, we must at
once admit that Saturday's banquet passes out of
the general category of annual dinners, and that the
formal toasts, the tedious addresses, and the
inevitable " report," were superseded in this in-
stance by " the feast of reason and the flow
of soul." It would have been difficult, if
not impossible, to select a more able and
appropriate President than the gentleman who
kindly took the chair on the occasion. With a
literary reputation as extended as the agency of
that press whose claims he urged so strongly, it
Wight
be supposed that his sympathies, as one of
the. foremost authors of the age, would be rather
with
his Own particular brethren of the pen than
with the more busy but less distinguished members
of that ancient profession which he followed before
the names of "g 0Z" 04 and DICKENS were household
words. But not the least interesting portion of
the eloquent address of the
evening was the remi-
niscences of those early days of hard work and
obscurity, which showed how fresh and vivid
were the great author's recollections of those
humble days when, in gallo •
ping postchaises
in pelting rain, in the old back rows of the galleries'
of the old Houses of Parliament, he took rapid and
faithful notes of the utterances of speakers far less
gifted and eloquent than himself. I am not here,"
said Mr. DICKENS, "advocating the case of a mere
ordinary client of whom I have little or no know-
ledge. I hold a brief to-night for my brothers ;"
and in vivid and picturesque language he went on
to describe the circumstances under which he fol-
lowed their calling, and the difficulties against
which in those days the reporter had to contend.
Whether reporting Lord RUSSELL'S electioneering
declamations under shelter of a friendly pocket-
handkerchief as a state canopy, or writing on his

knees in the gallery of the old House of Commons,
or returning hurriedly from provincial meetings to
the waiting press in London, and being consequently
upset in every description of vehicle on the road,
Mr. DICKENS was always sensible of the importance
and the fascination of his calling. Even amid the
laurels he has long since gathered in a more honour-
able field he recals those trivial incidents as evi-
dence that his interest in it has never quite died out,
and that consequently he does not urge the claims
of this laborious profession as a mere advocate to
order, but as one who is deeply sensible of the toils
and troubles, the requirements and the necessities
of those with whom he once associated. Their
claims were urged by Mr. DICKENS in a spirit
worthy of the dignity of the profession. In the
first place, this institution is by no means of an
eleemosynary character, being based upon those
economic self-supporting principles that the most
rigid theorists approve. It is gratifying to know
that even during the past year of the society's regu-
lar existence in its present form more than one-
third of the money collected in aid of the society
came exclusively from the Press. It would be
quite inconsistent with the position so worthily
occupied by the press of this country to appeal for
alms, but it is not held derogatory to any profession
to provide some resource for its infirm, unfortunate
or superannuated members. Such a provision is held
to be an honour to those who are in full enjoyment
of their health and faculties, and for whom the fickle
goddess has reserved her continuous smiles, to give a
thought to those who have been less persevering or
less successful. Art and literature and the drama
have successively acknowledged the claims of these
weaker members, and if the general public is
anxious to seize the opportunity to express its sense
of obligation to the stewards of thought, and taste,
and intelligence, it would surely be niggardly and
churlish to deny it a share. " The whole circle of
the arts," said Mr. DICKENS, " is pervaded by insti-
tutions between which and this I can descry no
difference. The painter's art has four or five such
institutions. The musician's art has likewise several
such institutions. In my own art there is one, in the
dramatic art there are four, and I have never heard
any objection to their principle." We may indeed carry
this further, for if we pass the limits of the arts we
find the other professions—the legal, the medical,
the clerical—all adopt the same principle, which is
even extended in lower ranks to a clerks' fund and
a decayed farmers' association. Yet the principle
which is so manifestly based on wise and enlight-
ened principles, which is founded on a happy mix-
ture of prudence and charity, is objected to when
applied to the members of a most laborious pro-
fession. To no other is the public so deeply in-
debted, and certainly its members cannot com-
plain that their services are undervalued, though
their full benefit cannot perhaps be realised.
It is only by looking back to the past,
and comparing it with the present, that the
services rendered to a country by a free and inde-
pendent press can be rightly estimated. Mr. WAL-
POLE, in touching upon this point, observed that
when the history of the last 65 years was written,
it would show that more progress had been made,
more advances attained in literature, in science, in
art, and, in fact, in everthing of importance,
than in any three centuries before, and this he
believed was, in a great measure, owing to the
action of the public press. The political effects of
such an institution are not less marvellous than the
social ; and SHERIDAN'S famous peroration has long
berm accepted as conveying a simple fact. But if the
-Action of men in power has been restricted and con-
trolled by the general diffusion of knowledge, the
politicians themselves owe a deep debt to those gen-
tlemen whose active pencils convey to a whole
world the sentences uttered at some remote provin-
cial hustings, at some obscure assembly-room, or to the
empty benches of St. Stephen's. Bearing in view
the presence of those ever-vigilant recorders, the
speaker may forget the inattention or indifference of
his immediate hearers, because he feels that he is
addressing a wider audience, and that the deep
thought, the keen sarcasm, the earnest exhortation
which pass unheeded at the moment may be read to-
morrow in a thousand homes, may reappear
a day or two later in the caf6s of continental
cities, may penetrate within a few weeks
to the dolce far niente of Eastern leisure, and the
busy stirring life of the great Western Continent.
In one of his finest works, a great author of the
present day depicts one of his heroes a statesman of
considerable reputation thus lifted beyond the
mere temporary annoyance of a contested election
in a country town by catching sight of the listening
reporters. The insinuation that an institution like
the present would interfere with the accuracy of the
public reports was felt to be too unworthy, too en-
tirely opposed to
.the whole scope and character of
a free press to weigh for a moment in the
balance. Against all such abuses of the
trust reposed in our journalists, publicity
and competition are the best safeguards, and
unless some much sounder argument can be
urged against the claims of this society the ayes
will certainly, have it. But however conscientious
and indefatigable men may be in the discharge of
their duty, they can possibly insuro themselves and
their families against illness, accident, or misfortune.
No man can guarantee the success of his own work,
the stability of the establishment of which he forms
a part, still less the endurance of that health and
strength which are indispensable to the pursuit of
an exacting and exhausting profession. Our papers
appear with such unfailing regularity that the public
are apt to forget that they are not produced exclu-
sively by machinery. There are human machines at
work, and if after long and faithful public service the
busy brain grows weary, the cunning hand loses its
skill, are they to be bidden to stand aside without
further thought or care. There is no fear but that
the richer and more fortunate members of the
profession will be ready to do their part, and as the
benefits of the institution become more widely known
those humbler members who are more likely to need
its aid will probably contribute their share. It only
remains for the public to weigh well the claims. of
some of their most useful servants, advocated as
they are by men whom rank, fortune, and reputa-
tion have not succeeded in elevating beyond sym-
pathy with their kind.

The perversity of the Prussians in refusing to
recognise plain truths is really almost incomprehen-
sible, and one's patience is pretty well exhausted by
witnessing their repeated attempts to glorify them-
selves and make a display before foreign nations.
Surely this is not the time to parade their power
when they are in such imminent danger of losing
the prize they have so long coveted. However,
when people are infatuated it is useless to expect
moderation in any respect, and, accordingly, the
fiftieth anniversary of the embodiment of the
Rhine provinces with Prussia was celebrated the
other
KING day with great pomp and ceremony. The
and
QUEEN
appeared
to do honour to the
affair, and
speeches, addresses, and banquets
were the order of the day at Aix la Chapelle
and Cologn©. It is noticeable, however, that
the festivities were not celebrated in an unanimous
spirit, and the affair was not congenial to all. At
Aix la Chapelle some of those invited returned the
cards to a considerable number, and at Cologne

only a few were invited because the Town Council
had determined to ignore the matter of the festi-
vities. The Berlin Parliament made no mention of
the grand day except what was worse than nothing,
for an unscrupulous member, in making those com-
plaints against the Administration which are now
regular occurrences, took occasion to point the
moral of the anniversary in no very flattering
manner. Side by side with the rejoicings thus per-
sisted in, whether willingly or not, we meet
with very unsatisfactory accounts from the
Duchies, which may well be regarded as the
theatre of disputes and the centre of interest in
Germany at present. It is here that the crisis will
take place towards which all eyes have so long been
anxiously turned, and to which all the various changes
that have taken place in German affairs have tended
for some time. Austria is evidently getting weary
of the long delays which intervene in this entangled
affair, while the Berlin schemers seem to have re-
vived their hopes and renewed their efforts with
fresh vigour and increased spirit. It is now posi-
tively asserted that Prussia will go on to the end,
and that no hesitation or unwillingness on the part
of the inhabitants of Schleswig-Holstein will
stay the progress of affairs. Herr ABELSEN
made a bold declaration to this effect the other
day when the Special Naval Committee was
sitting ; but here, again, was another proof
afforded of the indifference with which the Royal
and Ministerial plans are received by the House.
The rental loan was rejected unanimously, and again
the Government had to put up with an ignominious
discomfiture, and a mortifying defeat. The greatest
danger that at the present moment threatens to dis-
turb the security of Prussia, and to undermine the
tactics of her rulers, is the great want of unity that
exists between the Government and the represen-
tatives. This weakens their position a hundredf old,
and must most certainly militate considerably against
the furtherance of the dearly cherished schemes of
annexation. . A house divided against itself cannot
stand, and it is not likely that the nation so dis-
tracted by internal dissensions and discussions can
long continue to enjoy its present prosperity and
power—a prosperity that has been signally unde-
served, and a power that has been sinfully abused
and misapplied. It seems a judgment upon the un-
scrupulous mode pursued by Prussian rulers that
the thwarting of their schemes should be
thus threatened by home enemies rather
than foreign ones. But however, and whenever,
it come, the day of retribution must arrive, for it is
contrary to all experience, and against all reason to
expect that such a series of manoeuvres and course
of deception can long succeed, having for objects
both the ruin of popular liberties at home and the
aggrandisement of territory abroad, without regard
or reference to justice.

It always gives an unsatisfactory aspect to an
affair when an inquiry is refused or an investigation
put off, no matter how expedient may he the terms
employed, or how much the rejection of the
demand may be in accordance with pru-
dence. In is indeed a species of management
totally opposed to the spirit of fair play, which is
the chief characteristic of the English character,
and justly regarded as a sentiment to be proud of.
Last night, in the House of Commons, attention
was called by Mr. D. GRIEFITH to the case of Lieut.-
Colonel DAWKINS. This affair has engaged consi-
derable notice in military circles, and it cannot
appear, upon consideration, that the hon. member
overstepped the limits of propriety and violated
any Parliamentary rules in thus bringing
the subject before Parliament. Mr. BRIGHT
very properly summed up the matter when he said
that the House of Commons was a court of appeal
in all cases of grievance in the public service. This
is the only right way of looking at the matter, and
it is quite inconsistent for such answers to be given
as were so plentifully furnished by the Government
members last night. Whether or not the produc-
tion of the papers relative to the affair be incon-
venient or not does not affect the rights of the
matter ; and as some very inconvenient mode has
been adopted of settling this affair, it is not too
much to ask or to expect that inquiries shall be
made into it, now that the chief sufferer has made
a complaint. Mr. IVALroLE very properly sug-
gested that the Government should agree to the case
being fully inquired into ; but no heed was paid
to the advice. Lord PALMERSTON did not show his
usual discernment in the view he took of the mat-
ter, and his arguments were most inconclusive. He
said that it was an ex parte statement which had
been made ; but whose fault is it that it was so ?
Certainly that of the authorities, who refuse to
allow the inquiry which has been demanded. It
gives a bad impression when secrecy is employed
and affairs hushed up, and if those who do so
are actuated by good motives they are most mis-
taken and ill-advised in the course they pursue.
What is to be done if wrong is done to an officer by
the military authorities ? Lord PALMERSTON says
the House is not a proper tribunal.. This is strictly
in contradiction to the terms of our Constitution.
The representatives of the House of Commons are
precisely the ones who should decide upon a matter
of this sort, or at least exhort the Government to do
so. It is to be hoped that even yet those concerned
in the matter will reconsider their decision, and
allow the public mind to be satisfied, which
it certainly is not, and will not be, by this
unseemly shrinking from scrutiny. Military
discipline is a necessary part of the ser-
vice, but justice is the essential element in all
Government, and it must appear that they have
failed in this the one thing needful who persist in
refusing the request of an inquiry ; and the verdict
of the world at large is always against those whose
arbitrary proceedings are supposed to shun the light
of day.

THE COLLISION ON THE BLYTH AND TYNE RAlL-
WAY.—Further inquiries which have been made into
the cause of the collision on the North Seaton branch of
the Blyth and Tyne Railway on Saturday show that it
originated in gross carelessness. The passenger train had
been coming from the North Seaton, not the Bedlington
end of the line. It left there at half-past Bin the morning
the line, as already stated, being a single one. An engine-
man with empty coal waggons for North Seaton Colliery,
though he knew a train was due from North Seaton, in the
most reckless manner, about the same time proceeded with
his train down the same rails from Bedlington. After he
had got on the line he appears to have seen the passenger
train coming, but instead of endeavouring to get back he
had put steam on to run to the siding of the Barrington
Colliery. When he reached that, however, he found there
was no one at the siding to shunt his train, and a collision
being inevitable, he then turned the steam off his engino.
The engine-driver in charge of the passenger train, who
had hoped that the coal train would have got on the Bar-
rington branch, also turned off his steam, but it was too
late. When the two trains came together the shock was
tremendous. The engine-drivers and stokers saved their
lives by leaping off before the trains came together, but
the unfortunate passengers had no such good fortune. The
most severe sufferer was a lady named Thompson, who
had both her legs broken. Miss Plews, a sister of Mrs.
Thompson, was also badly hurt. Mrs. English, a farmer's
wife, living at the Morr-house, was also much injured, and
a schoolmaster belonging to the fishing village of New
Biggen was also much bruised. Mrs. Thoinpson is reported
to be in a very precarious state.

The Bulletin des Lois gives a list of new patents
taken out, some of which are curious. Two inhabitants
of Lyons have found a method of lining the envelopes of
letters with silk, forming veritable billets deux. There is
a patent for a cane which may be carried in the pocket and
transformed into a seat ; for an instrument for discoVering
beds of metal and subterraneous waters ; for a vessel rising
in the air and being there steered ; for the application of
steam to small boats used in toys for children ; and for
making cigarettes without paper.