The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-12 00:00:00

The Epidemic.

PARIS, April 11.

. _
The Moniteur of this evening says :—" We learn from
Dantzic that an epidemic, termed by the faculty cerebro-
spinal meningites, has for the last two months been raging
in several districts of Eastern Prussia. It is chiefly pre-
valent among very young children, seldom attacking adults
above the age of 20.

-771 t appears certain that this affection has no analogy
with the disease prevailing at St. Petersburg, and hitherto
has not been found contagious. Besides this, no cases
have occurred except in the spot where the malady first
broke out. According to intelligence from Stettin,
Koenigsberg, and Memel, the public health in these towns
and the environs, as well as in the adjoining Russian
provinces, is satisfactory. Some isolated cases of typhus
fever have occurred at Warsaw, but there is no reason to
believe that the disease is likely to spread, or that it was
imported from the. North of Russia."

The Late Mr. B. Cobden's First Entry Into

Public Life.

The following, upon the above subject, extracted
from a private letter from the pen of Mr. William
Cathrall (for many years co-proprietor and editor
with the late Mr. Archibald Prentice of the Man-
chester Times) will be read with special interest at
the present moment:—

Whilst my late partner and myself were earnestly en-
gaged as journalists, now about 30 years back, in the severe
struggle then entered upon by the inhabitants of Manches-
ter for obtaining the incorporation of the town, we received
a series of letters upon that and other subjects of public in-
terest from an anonymous correspondent under the signa-
ture of "Libra." These letters, which were generally fur-
nished alternate weeks, were marked by so much thought
andebility that we were desirous to have an interview
with the writer, and accordingly inserted a line in our
paper to that effect, mentioning a time for the purpose.
About noon the same day that this notice appeared, the
publisher of our paper notified to me that a gentleman in
the outer office wished to see me, when the stranger, on
being invited into my private room, introduced himself as
Richard Cobden. His person and name being alike un-
known to me, and not recollecting for the moment that
a stranger was expected in accordance with the notice
inserted in our journal, I begged he would inform me
of the object of his call, when he said he was "Libra,"
adding, " I observe from your paper that you wish to see
me." We at once became great friends. Soon after poor
Prentice, my partner, entered the room, and on being in-
formed that it was "Libra" who was with me, warmly
shook him by the hand, and at the same time complimented
him on the skill, &c., displayed in his letters.

We gathered that he was engaged in business in Mozley
street ; that he had only recently come to Manchester, and
had but few acquaintances there.

I well remember that in this interview he was very diffi-
dent, and somewhat nervous in temperament ; at the same
time it was obvious to us, even then, that he was in ability
and promise much above the average step of young men.
It happening that a public meeting, under the presidency
of Mr. Prentice, in furtherance of the corporation of Man-
chester, was to be held that same evening at the Cotton Tree
Tavern, in Ancoats (a favourite political rendezvous of the
period referred to), my partner at once solicited Mr. Cobden
to accompany him, and to take part in the proceedings.
Although so many years have since passed, I well recollect
that Mr. Cobden declined to attend the meeting; in fact, he
evidently shrank from the task of speaking on the occasion,
speech
one a
and it was not until repeatedly pressed to do so that ho
consented, although the meeting was quite of a minor cha-
racter.
‘o‘ mme
I
e
aancyl description,assure
r ia l y o
table."u,e'x e eHag
he
1 3s
t ai
ni
d,
rat h a pleng nevere yeta nth obtained
t
the pro-
mise of his attendance, it was arranged that he should take
his tea at our office on the way to the meeting, which he
accordingly did.
I After the opening speech of the chairman, he called upon
Mr. Cobden to move the first resolution, introducing him
as his "young friend" who had recently contributed to the
Manchester Times the able letters signed " Libra." His
afaai
as
ett
ofpracticallyotrh him,
issuccess
cb eus
tsb
at
tonktdhe
useful-
ness down,
speech, however, on this occasion was a signal failure. Ile
was nervous, confused,
ofiafinaedpnoienleo
tainmdetehxeperehessirmedafnulhl had
dont same
of his future career.

Such was Mr. Cobden's debit before the Manchester pub-
lic as a speaker. So far as his own feelings were concerned,
for some time he was so discouraged by his maiden effort
that I am pretty confident had this lamented and remark-
able man, whose oratory subsequently,was of so persuasive
a kind, been allowed to follow tho bent of his inclination,
he never again would have appeared as a public speaker.

Our professional acquaintance with Mr. Cobden thus
formedled to his introduction to the political circles of Man-
chester, and in a short period he took an active part in most
public matters affecting the interests of the town, and was
chosen one of the first members of the corporation whose
charter he materially assisted in obtaining.

Flags were displayed on all the public buildings
of Brussels the day before yesterday on the occasion
of the 30th anniversary of the Duke de Brabant's
birthday, and the city was illuminated in the even-
ing. A telegram from India of the 6th announces
the return of his Highness to Bombay from China.
He will return to Egypt about the end of the pre-
sent month, and may arrive in Belgium towards the
middle of May. His health is excellent.
THE FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT OFF ERlTH.—Yes-
terday morning the body of George Johnstone,
the 28th who were drowned by the up-
February last, was picked up
e t n
another of the unfortunate naval cadets belonging to the
V
-cegstoefra, trainingboaton h
in Woolwich Reach by a waterman, named Robert Carrier.
By direction of the Coroner the body was conveyed on
board the Worcester. Three of the bodies hare not ye
been recovered.