The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-03 00:00:00

is. 6d. in the pound ; so that, as far as expenditure
was concerned, the reports from the county would
be unfavourable. Other cases had been mentioned,
such as the neighbourhood of the Chilte:n Hills ; but
he would say that the dwellers in that Fart of this
country had the best materials at th 3 el eapest rates
at command, and they would be the greatest boobies
in the world if therewith they did not produce the
best roads possible. When the ratepayers saw their
expenses were being so greatly increased, were they
to be surprised that some and many of them, being
men of large holdings and paying a great deal in
the shape of rates, should view with some suspicion
the violent proposition to change the whole manage-
ment of the roads of the country. The committee had
for three months past duly considered the whole
matter, and working with great zeal and intelli-
gence, collecting evidence and considering the whole
subject in its various bearings, they had recom-
mended, as the Court had heard, that at present the
act be not adopted in the county of Buekingham-
shire, and their opinion ought to be treated with
great respect ; and he hoped it would not be held
forth as an instance of the backwardness of the
county in the present progress which characterised
the age, but rather as an instance of their prudence,
of their wisdom, of their precaution, and of their
wise inclination at all times to make themselves per-
fectly aware of the circumstances of any situation
they might be called on to occupy. The general
grounds on which the committee had come to their
decision were two in number, and they were identi-
cal with those which had weighed with the opposi-
tion to the movement in the country. They ought to
look and see if the roads already existing were, on
the whole, good roads ; and, 2dly, whether any al-
teration in their management would lead to any
great increase in the amount of expenditure. Those
were considerations which ought to influence the
ratepayers and the Court of Quarter Sessions, for
they were quite unable to form any opinion on
merely a set of minute statistics, these being the
province of a committee—a smaller body—to exa-
mine, and he would say, without hesitation, that
though there might be portions of the county of Buck-
inghamshire where the roads had been mismanaged or
neglected, yet the roads of the county, generally
speaking, were inferior to none in England, and
that as it has been said that persons coming from
Yorkshire or Lincolnshire had a right to expect to
find as good roads here as they had in the counties
named, yet they would in all probability find the
Bucks roads to be far better roads than they had
ever seen before. (Applause.) The present state
of the roads by no means warranted the proposed
change, and as to the expenditure, from all the in-
formation he had obtained it was very greatly in-
creased. The petitions which he had had the
honour to present—instead of being all nonsense
and mechanically got up--were the perfectly just
expression of the feelings of the county, prepared
with care, the result of conviction, and respectfully
offered to the consideration of the Court of Quar-
ter Sessions.

The right hon. gentleman resumed his seat amid
much applause.

The recommendation of the committee was car-
ried nem dis.

Opening of the New Exchange at
Birmingham

The opening of the new Exchange buildings, Birming-
ham, took place yesterday.

The building; which have a double frontage towards
New-street and Stephenson-place, and embrace a large
central block of four stories, with wings on either side, and
a clock tower rising 145 feet, were erected by Mr Edward
Holmes. The style adopted is Gothic, partaking of the
continental character in its treatment. The facade is very
handsome: The various floors comprise a lofty, spacious,
and noble exchange-hall, chamber of commerce, committee
room; lavatories, and a magnificent assembly-room.
The opening ceremony took place in the Exchange-room
at 12 o'clock, when the Mayor of Birmingham presided.
Among those on the platform were the Rev. Dr. Miller,
honorary canon 'of Worcester and rector of Birmingham,
Mr. Scholefield, M.P., Mr. Bright, M.P., Mr Adderley,
M.P., Mr. D. Bromley, M.P., Col. Mason, Mr. C. T. Kyn-
nersly, Mr. G. F. Muntz, Mr. S. S. Lloyd, Mr. J. S. Wright,
Mr. Rawlins, &c.

The MAYOR commenced the proceedings by calling on
he Rev. Dr. Miller to implore a blessing on the opening of
she Exchange.

The Rev. Dr. MILLER offered up the following impressive I
prayer :—" Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Thou
trod of the spirits of all flesh, by whose providence we who
laid the foundation-stone of this building are now permitted
to meet within its walls, establish Thou the work of our
hands upon us ; yea, the ,work of our hands, establish
Thou it. We thank Thee, we praise Thee, for the many
blessings which we enjoy in thisland, and for the prosperity
which Thou continuest to us, notwithstanding our short-
comings and sins. The earth is thine, and the fulness thereof.
It is of Thy will that England has been raised to her high
place among the peoples of the earth, and by her commerce
been knit to those who are far off. We pray Thee that our
rulers and ourselves may use this greatness by the consecra-
tion of our prosperity and our commerce to the advance-
ment of truth, and justice, and liberty, and peace ; and that,
by enlightened policy and righteous dealing, and faithful-
ness to the Gospel of Thy Son Jesus Christ, we may be as a
light in the world, and hand down our blessings to our chil-
dren's children. 0 Thou, who givest power to get wealth,
prosper largely, we beseech Thee, the industry and skill, and
enterprise of this town and district. Within the bowels of
the earth Thou has bounteously stored the means of ma-
terial prosperity and has endowed our artisans with skill to
fashi n these thy good gifts for the use of man. Do Thou
so rule and purify the hearts of our merchants and manu-
facturers as that neither the undue desire of wealth nor the
selfish use thereof may degrade them to earthly mindedness
or ensnare them to idolatry or hinder their pursuit of the
true riches. As they meet within this house, which they
have builded, may all their dealings be regulated by in-
tegrity and truth, according to Thy 'Royal law. May our
citizens recognise their duties to Thee and to each other ;
and may an enlightened public spirit be diffused among us.
Knit together the employers and the employed iu a just
and intelligent recognition of each others' rights, and of
their mutual duties, as members of ono body. May
brotherly love increase and abound among us. May our
differences be tempered with that most excellent gift of
charity. Bless the homes of our artisans, that they may
be homes of temperance, providence, peace, and godliness.
Incline the heart of those who may be prospered with this
world's wealth to sympathy and beneficenceincommunicat-
ing to the poor, and especially in the support of the charities
of our town. We implore Thy blessing upon our Queen and
her children, upon her advisers, and -upon the houses of
Parliament ; upon the mayor, the magistrates, and the
council of this borough. Incline the nations of the earth to
equity, unity, and concord. Hastenthe downfall of tyranny
and oppression. Make wars to cease in all the earth. Let
the Gospel of Jesus Christ go forth in all its purity, through
the power of Thy spirit, for the healing of the nations.
Especially and fervently we pray Thee for our brethren in
America, with whom many who shall meet from day to day
within these walls are closely connected by the ties of com-
merce. May they whoare now arrayed against each other in
war be speedily united in the bonds of brotherhood, a free
and prosperous people. And may no selfishness of faction,
no prejudice, no words of passion, no acts of wrong, give
occasion for strife between us and them. Finally, we pray
Thee for ourselves that, amid the changes of this mortal
life, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys
are to be found, and that we may so pass through things
temporal as that finally we lose not the things eternal.
Hetkr us, answer us, bless us, oh God ! for Jesus Christ's
sake, our only Mediator and Redeemer."
The MAYOR then called upon the senior member for the
borough to address the meeting.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, M.P., who was received with cheers,
said that in the absence of those who would have conferred
far on the ceremony of the day, he had no
he grsitateiaotner dignity
nactceypting the invitation which had been
forwarded by the directors to him, because he felt that
whenever his services were solicited for any object con-
nected with the town of Biirmingham he ought not to
forward any scruples of hls own, but at once
to obey any command that might be laid on him.
(Hear, hear.) His duty on the present occasion was ex-
ceedingly simple, and would occupy th9ir time for only
two or three minutes, for he had received—he would not
say a broad hint—but something even strorrger than that,'
to the effect that what he had to say i.n reference
to the beautiful building in which they wen) assembled
had better be deferred till another—he -would not
say a more interesti g (A laugh.) His
duty on the present onc-ceremony.
to formally
opening the Exchange
, and he would simply add that he
increase the
intercourse between the erchants and naanufacturers of
the borough, and not our
the tend e
commercial
mincea.
tions between themselves
As had been over and over aominugsteatther
but extend those relations ruin' o the
people of this country, rela
they must look for the best bond ef nations. (Cheers.)
uned,iiot was to commerce
(Cheeins between nations,
and the best security for peace.
sure that that building, if properly appreciated, lia
was
quite
no doubt it would be, by the merchants and entnasufachut hader
of this great town, as 'well as by -those who manufacturers
on large concerns in the district aroui id, would be found
to be of essential service to all classef . of the people, and
would produce the yery beat effects, fif supported by the