The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-24 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

respect to the raw material, he proposed that the Govem-

ment should recoup to the importer the tax on the export
of rags from foreign countries, the amount to be levied
upon the trade on manufactured paper; and that a duty
should be imposed upon the export of rags to America.
Mr. M. GIBSON said that while making out a case of

HOUSE OF LORDS_LAST EVENING.
The LORD CILL.NCELLOR took his seat on tho woolsack
at five o'clock.

wrong, Mr. Maguire had suggested no remedy, for he had
not proposed to re-enact the customs duty which had been
removed. If there had been a wrong committed it was the

MR. EDMUNDS.
Lord ST. LEONARDS entered into some explanations
respecting the original appointments so far as it related to
the general rule regulating the appointment of clerks to the
Patent Commission. The report stated that Mr. Edmunds
had been appointed in 1855 to the office of Clerk of the
Patents by the then Lord Chancellor (Lord St. Leonards).
This was really not the case, as the appointment was in fact
made by the whole of the commissioners.
Lord CHELMSFORD made a few remarks, but was not
distinctly heard in the reporters' gallery.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

deliberate act of Parliament after full consideration and in-

gully, for it had accepted the provisions of the French
treaty by which the import duty on paper was to be iden-
tical with the excise duty, and it was in fulfilment of the
spirit of that agreement that when the excise duty was
abolished the import duty went with it. If Mr. Maguire
had made any proposition at all it was that the duty on
foreign rags purchased by the trade should be paid by the
State, on condition that the amount should be recouped at
some convenient time by the manufacturer ; but this could
could make no difference in the ultimate result of the ope-
ration. It was admitted that the trade got 130,000 tons of

The following bills were read a second time :—Tiverton
and North Devon Railway, Bristol and Exeter Railway,
Bristol Joint Station, Metropolitan Railway, Whitehaven
Junction Railway, Ipswich and Felixston Railway,
Caledonian Railway (Bolerno Branch).
The HorsforthWater Bill, with amendments, was read a
third time and passed.
COMPANIES WORKING MEN'S EDUCATION ACT.

The Archbishop of YORK, in reply to Earl Granville,
said that the law as it at present stood, and which
this bill was intended to remedy, 'rendered it necessary
that the consent of all the shareholders should be obtained
before a company could make provision for the spiritual
education of their workmen, instead of leaving it in the
hands of those entrusted with the management of the,
affairs of the company.
The bill, with some amendments, went through com-
mittee. . _

rags duty free, and only bought 10,000 tons on which duty
was paid to the amount of £60,000, so that all the ruin
which had been described as having fallen on the paper
trade was caused by the payment of this comparatively
small sum. It was also proposed to put an export duty on
British rags ; but that would be unjust to the industry
which collected that material ; while this would be incon-
sistent with the representations which had been made to
foreign countries to induce them to remove their export
duties on rags, in which direction something had been done.
He argued that it was impossible to return to protection
in favour of the paper trade, which was what was really

demanded.
Mr. MAGUiItE having briefly replied,
The house divided—
For the motion ► 95
Against it 140-45
THE LEEDS COURT OF BANKRUPTCY AND
MR, WILDE:
Mr. FERRAND rose to move for a select committee to
inquire into all the circumstances connected with the re-
signation of Mr. Henry Sedgwick Wilde as registrar of the
Court of Bankruptcy at Leeds ; the granting him a pension ;
the appointment of Mr. Welch to the said office ; and
whcther he was to resign his appointment in favour of the
Honourable Richard Bethell, and receive another appoint-
ment in London. The hon. member said that, as the
Government had expressed its intention of granting the
committee, it was not his intention to make any lengthened
observations upon that occasion. He could not, however,
avoid referring to some remarks made the other evening by
the Attorney-General with respect to Mr. Wilde, and which
had given much pain to that gentleman and his family.
Mr. Wilde was a member of the bar, a nephew of the late
Lord Chancellor Truro, and a relation of Sir James
Wilde, judge of the Probate and Divorce Court. The
Attorney-General, on the other evening, used the words
"personal defalcation" in the same sentence in which he
had introduced Mr. Wilde's name. Now, ho had been
informed by those who had long known Mr. Wilde that
there was not a more honourable or upright gentleman

in England; and therefore it was that the statement of
the Attorney-General came to be so extraordinary. He
could not understand how the Attorney-General came to
use such an expression towards Mr. Wilde ; and, therefore,
ho desired to know upon what authority the hon. and
learned gentleman had given utterance to it.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said no one could call in
question the discretion which the hon. member had exer-
cised in not anticipating the inquiry which the Lord Chan-
cellor earnestly desired; for although Lord Westbury felt
that there had been already given to that house answers
on the subject which might be deemed perfectly satisfac-
tory, yet, as there seemed to be a feeling on the part of a
considerable number of the house that the inquiry proposed

should be satisfactory, it was impossible for his lordship to
come to any other conclusion than that the investigation
should take place. Speaking for himself, he must say he
should have been glad if the words at the end of the mo-
tion had been omitted; however, that was a matter for the
hon. member to determine. With respect to the inquiry just
made by the hon. gentleman, nothing couldLbe more sur-
prising to him than to be informed, as he had been by Mr.
Wilde privately, that the words which he (the Attorney-
General) used upon a. former occasion were thought by
anybody to convey, directly or indirectly, the idea of an
association of Mr. Wilde's name with pecuniary defalca-
tion. His statement was- that in the report of Mr. Com-
missioner Ayrton complaint was made of certain irregula-
rities in the office held by Mr. Wilde ; but his words did
not extend to implying personal defalcation, and his reason
for adopting that form of expression which he used was
that the word irregularity was vague and uncertain, and
because he had no reason to suppose that anything of a
serious nature could be imputed to Mr. Wilde. lie regret-
ted he had not used a more favourable expression, but the
reason why he did not was he had not at that time had an
opportunity of reading the whole of the papers relating to
the case. His desire was to exonerate Mr. Wilde, and
therefore it was a matter of very great regret to him that
the language which he had used had caused pain to Mr.
Wilde and his friends. The alleged irregularities were
simply these, that Mr. Wilde had certified certain ac-
counts as having been submitted to the commissioner of
the district and sanctioned by him, when in fact they
had not been seen by him ; that he had been in the habit
of taxing the bills of messengers without ;calling for
vouchers ; and, lastly, he was said. to have borrowed money
both of the official assignee and of the messenger. The
Lord Chancellor was not dissatisfied with the explanations
of Mr. Wilde so far as the borrowing of money was con-
cerned, as it appeared that he only borrowed £25 from
the messenger, and £lOO from the official assignee. An-
other point raised was that proper care had not been used
in checking the accounts, and that formed the charge of
irregularity which was imputed to this gentleman, namely,
that of certifying accounts which, to the full extent, had not
been sanctioned by the commissioners. He should be sorry
if anything which fell from him should be supposed to
exaggerate these charges. Most assuredly he did not under-
stand that any pecuniary charge of any kind or sort what-
ever had been brought against this gentleman.
Mr. FERRAND said he thought it was hardly fair of the
hon. and learned gentleman to have stated what the Lord
Chancellor's opinions were in relation to this matter. He
(Mr. Ferrand) had refrained from mixing up anything ex
parte in this affair. Mr. Wilde distinctly denied that he
had ever done anything improper. He (Mr. Ferrand) had
gone fully into the matter with Mr. Wilde, and believed he
was perfectly innocent of the charge brought against him.
Mr. Wilde was quite ready to go before a committee, and
his only anxiety was to clear himself from the charges
which had been brought against him.
Mr. DISRAELI—I think my hon. friend the member for
Devonport has acted quite right in not making any state-
ment. Whatever that statement might have been, it must
have been an ex parte one; and I think it would have been
an act of great impropriety to make an ox parte statement.
I see nothing in the case of Mr. Wilde. I know nothing of
the question relating to him ; but it is due to an absent man
to say that, Horn the admission of the Attorney-General and
from what has transpired, I believe the charges made against
him are of a frivolous character. What the house and the
country aro interest-et-la is, that the inquiry should be a
real and bona A ,inquiry—(cheers)—and that it should
be, as far as Or forms and powers admit of, an inquiry
of a judicial nature. What I would suggest to the Govern-
ment for their consideration is—and I hope they will adopt
it—that it should be referred to a mere select committee
in which both sides of the house aro represented. In a
question of this kind the existence of party ought not to be
admitted ; and I think we ought to leave it to the com-
mittee of selection. Lot the appointment of a committee
be left to the committee of selection, and let it be composed
of not less than seven and not more than nine members.
Let these affairs be referred to the committee of inquiry
appointed by the committee of selection. The house, lam
sure, will accept the judgment of such a committee with
confidence, and trust, and satisfaction, and, what is of more
importance, it will act upon the public mind in the same
spirit. I trust, therefore, we shall understand that these
matters will not be left to the mere routine method, and be
referred to a committee in tho usual manner, but that they
will be referred to a committee appointed by the committee
of selection—the only course, I am confident, that will give
satisfaction to the house and the country. (Cheers.)
Mr. ROEBUCK was quiet sure that this ought to be a
judicial inquiry. The feelings of the country would not be
satisfied if it were made a party question ; therefore, in
order to withdraw it entirely from party considerations,
he believed the safest way would be to ask the leader of
the house, who was now present, to make some remarks
by which ho would mark his acceptance of the proposition
of the right hon. gentleman the member for Buckingham-
shire.

Sir G. GREY—The Government entirely agree with the 1
right honourable gentleman that this inquiry should be a
thorough, a searching, and an impartial one ; and if the
house think it can be best conducted by a limited number
of members chosen by the committee of selection, the
Government would not feel disposed to offer any objec-
tion. I think, however, it would be more satisfactory if
this matter was referred to a committee of fifteen mem-
bers, but I apprehend that this cannot be done without
notice. I would suggest therefore, that the proper notice
should be given, and if the house concur the Govern-
ment will offer no objection. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HEYGATE was understood to say that another
similar case was reported to have occurred in his part of
the country, and he thought it desirable that that case
should also be investigated. He was decidedly of opinion
that the inquiry ought to be of a most searching kind.
Mr. MALINS said that as a member of the profession he
might, perhaps, bo permitted to express his hearty concur-
rence in the suggestion of the right hon. gentleman (Mr.
Disraeli), and his great satisfaction that the Government
had acceded to his proposal. It was not a light matter that
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THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 24, 1865.

THE DANTE FESTIVAL,

(From the Times Correspondent.)
FLORENCE, May 18.
The Dante Festival has been brought to a 'close

with an unabated spirit, that never for an instant

flagged, and with a uniform success in all its phases
and scenes. Not a single accident or mistake, not

the slightest disorder or brawl, so far as I have ob-
served or heard, has saddened or troubled any por-
tion of the festivities, which, although limited to
three days, have been prolonged to four. The
weather has been favourable throughout. On

Tuesday evening there was a storm and heavy
rain within 20 miles of Florence, which explained a
fall in the barometer that had caused some anxiety

in the morning ; but scarcely a drop fell here, and
the evening was fine and zalm for the great ball in
the Ufizi. That vast quadrangle had been gorgeously

decked out for the occasion. In the centre was an
illuminated fountain, with flames issuing from the
centre of large coloured flowers ; above the open

part of the square, which is narrow in proportion
to its length, hundreds of Chinese lanterns were
suspended ; the spacious covered walks that run the
whole length of the two longer sides were rendered
as light as day by lustres and chandeliers reflected
in numerous mirrors ; and garlands, tapestry, and

draperies of the Italian colours concealed the dark
stonework of the walls. The entrance was exclu-

sively from the side of the Piazza della Signoria,
and such was the crowd of people that the gendarmes
who acted as doorkeepers were repeatedly almost
carried off their legs by the eager, good-humoured

throng. It was rather a great popular meeting and
promenade than a ball ; there was an excellent band
which played dance music all the evening, but the
only dancers I saw were lads, who were not particu-
lar about being crowded upon, and who managed to
find space for gyration in the centre of the prodi-
gious throng. It appears not to be the custom here
for women, even of the lowest class, to dance at pub-
lic balls of this character. Nothing, however, could
be gayer than the whole affair ; there was a most
complete mixture of classes ; the announcement of
the entertainment had said that only decently dressed
persons would be admitted, but that is rather a vague
' definition, and leaves a good dealof latitude to the
ball-goers who present themselves, while it also im-
poses an odious responsibility on doorkeepers. It is
quite possible that some merchant sailors who had
come up from Leghorn for a lark, and whose costume
was decidedly better adapted to the forecastle than
to a ball-room even in the open air, would have been

as much surprised as offended had any one questioned
the propriety of their attire; eccentricity in respect
of head gear, displayed by one or two individuals
whose hats had the appearance of having lately been
involved in the humours of Donnybrook, might be

overlooked at a ball, where it is usual to appear
hat in hand, and where the agility of heels is so
much more important than the covering of heads.
In short, the gathering was a striking example of a
principle of equality practically carried out, and
well befitting a province so noted as Tuscany for its
democratic tendencies. All classes were there not
only brought together, but pressed, wedged, and at
times and in places almost crushed together. I
observed more than a few elegant ladies who did
not fear the contact of the grisette and the artisan,
who on their part were as well behaved as their
betters. The temperature was high, and Piver and
Houbigaut had evidently not very largely contri-
buted to the fragrance of the assembly; but squeam-
ishness would have been out of place, and as a gene-
ral rule persons troubled with tender feet and
fastidious olfactories had better not risk themselves
in mobs of 20,000 people, especially when these are
gathered together on a sultry evening in May under
the porticoes of the Ufizi. The multitude continued
to amuse themselves for some hours after midnight.
On Tuesday evening entertainment was also pro-
vided for the more intellectual classes in the shape of
tableaux vivants of groups from Dante. At the same
time and place (Pagliano Theatre) passages from
his poems were declaimed by Ristori, Salvini, and
other distinguished artists. The King was present,
and at a passage from the Inferno having a strong
reference toßome,in a sense decidedlyunfavourable
to the maintenance of the present regimen, an at-
tempt was made, by vehement applause, to win a
sign from him, but his Majesty would not be moved
to a demonstration which, at the present moment,
might have been ill-advised. On Tuesday morning
there was a solemn and extraordinary sitting of the
Della Cruscan Academy. After a few words from
the Arch-Consul Marquis Gino Capponi, Senator
Centofanti, Rector of the University of Pisa, read a
speech, which was enthusiastically received, and in
which, with great eloquence and elevation of ideas,
he dwelt upon Dante as the founder of a new litera-
ture, and declared that his virtues, his generous
heart, his great intellect, and his patriotism rendered
him worthy to be considered the father of that
united Italy by him invoked, and which at last has
arisen as the result of fortunate events and of a con-
cord at one time seemingly hopeless of attainment.
The discourse of the learned Centofanti, which said
a great deal in very moderate compass, is praised as
a masterpiece by those best qualified to judge.
High praise is also awarded to a eulogium of Nicco-
lini, spoken afterwards by Professor Vannucci.
Although not a few persons departed on Tuesday
night, and the hotel-keepers were yesterday fain
unwillingly to replace by the usual tariff the ex-
orbitant prices they have been asking and obtain-
ing for their apartments since the early part of
last week, Florence continues very full of strangers
lingering on the scene of past pleasures, and, as the
flags and decorations of the streets and houses
have not been removed, the city still wears a festive
air. The second day's racing, which came off in
the afternoon, showed a far smaller attendance
than on Monday. People went late, and were still
arriving after the third race was over. The running
began an hour earlier than usual, at 3 o'clock. Now,
at this particular season many of the Florentines
take to dining at 3, in order to go to the
Cascine in the evening, and they naturally preferred
losing the sight of a race to going without their
macaroni. Towards 4 o'clock, however, there was
a fair show of carriages and not a few pretty women
—ltalian, English, and American. The running
was fair, the dust tremendous. The late inunda-
tions swept a great deal of sand over the race-course,
and horses and jockeys were enveloped in clouds of
dust. The King came, with two carriages and four,
and was well received and looked pleased. Judging
from the manner in which I have seen him greeted
on several occasions during these fetes, he is de-
cidedly popular here; and in estimating the value
of the demonstrations his presence elicits it must be
remembered that Florence is the headquarters of a
great many of the disaffected, friends of the old
dynasty, clericals and democrats.
A great dinner was given yesterday evening in the
magnificent banqueting-hall of the Serristori Palace,
the owner of which, Count Serristori, kindly lent it
for the occasion. One hundred Italian noblemen
and gentlemen gave it, and invited 30 of the
foreigners whom the Dante Festival had brought to
Florence. Some few persons were hindered at the
last moment, but nearly the whole number of in-
viters and invited sat down at 7 o'clock. The spa-
cious square hall would with ease have held thrice
the number. The tables extended along one side
and part of two others. Count Mamiani, the emi-
nent echolar and orator, the Senator and ex-Minister,
presided. The Prefect and Gonfaloniere of Florence,
Counts Cantelli and Digny, General Cucchiari,
commanding the military division of Italy, and a
number of senators, deputies, professors, and men of
letters, including Aleardi, Dall'Ongaro, Gen. Bixio,
Pazzi the sculptor, and other well-known persons,
were present. A military band attended ; the dinner
did the highest honour to the accomplished cordon
bleu who presided at its confection. The King's
health was proposed in a few words by Mamiani,
and was drunk with hearty good will. The toast to
the foreigners present brought on a good deal of
speechifying, but most of the orators had the good
taste to be brief. For the English Dr. Barlow re-
turned thanks in Italian. Three Frenchmen found
more or less to say upon the occasion, and two Ger-
mans made vehement harangues, declaring that
nowhere had Italian unity and independencewarmer
sympathisers and well-wishers than in Germany.
In the course of the evening Mamiani made an ex-
cellent speech. Pulszky spoke for the Hungarians,
shortly and to the purpose, and, at a later hour,