The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-28 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 281 1853.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE,
No. CCCCLIV., for August 1853. Price 2s. 6d.

CONTENTS.
The Narcotics we Indulge in.
South American Travel and Adventure.
Napoleon and Sir Hudson Lowe.
New Readings in Shakspere.
The Insurrection in China.
Lady Lee's Widowhood. Part VIII.
The Marquis de Larochejaquelein—France in 1853.
William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London.

In two Volumes Royal Octavo,
THE BOOK OF THE FARM.
By HENRY STEPHENS, F.R.S.E.
A New Edition, entirely re-written, and embracing every recent
application of Science to Agriculture. illustrated with 600 En-
gravings, representing the principal Field Operations and Animals
treated of in the Work. Handsomely half-bound, price 3L
"The best practical book I have ever met with."—Professor
Johnston. "This clear directory to rural labour."—The Times. "A
work, the excellence of which is too well known to need any remarks
of ours "—rarmer's Magazine. "One of the completest works on
agriculture of which our literature can boast."—Agricultural Gazette.
" We know of no single agrieulturalwork to be compared with this."
Bell's Life. "Exhibiting in every page the combination of large ex-
perience, extensive observation, and a cultivated mind."—Bell's
Messenger.
William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London.

LONDON and NORTH-WESTERN, and
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE RAILWAYS.
Acceleration of Trains.
On and after Ist AUGUST, the TRAIN now leaving Manchester
at 11.35 a.m., will ba ran via the NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE
RAILWAY, leaving Manchester at 12 soon, and arriving in London
aal present, - • -EBY order),
MARK
General Manager's 01nee, Euston Station,
July, 1853.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN
RAILWAY,

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, 'that the next ORDINARY
HALF-YEARLY GENERAL MEETING of the Proprietors of the
London and North-Western Railway will be held at the Euston
Station, Lon,lon, on FRIDAY, the 12th day of August, 1853, at
Twelve o'clock precisely, for the transaction of the general business
of the undertaking; and at such meeting it will be proposed (in
conformity with the Act of Parliament passed for that purpose),
to authorise the purchase, by the London and North-Western
Railway Company, of the Coventry, Nuneaton, Birmingham, and
Leicester Railway, or any interest therein.
Dated this 26th day of July, 1853.
G. ANSON, Chairman.
ROBT. BENSON. Deputy-Chairman.
CHAS. E. STEWART,/ Secretaries.
H. BOOTH,
Easton Station, London.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.-CHEAP
EXCURSION to BATH and BRISTOL.-011 SUNDAY, July
31. an Excursion Train will leave Paddington at 7.45 a.m. for Bath
and Bristol, returning the same evening from Bristol at 6.30 p.m.,
and from Bath at 7.0 p.m. Fares there and back :
. _

GREAT MILITARY CAMP at CHOBHAM.
SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
In order to give opportunities for witnessing this grand military
display, TRAINS will run, on and after MONDAY, 4th July,
from WATERLOO to CIIERTSEY, STAINES, and WOKING, the
nearest Stations to the Camp, at convenient intervals, from 7 a.m.,
returning in the Afternoon.
Horses and carriages should be at Waterloo Station by 6.30 a.m.,
and will be forwarded by Trains at 7 and 7.20 a.m.
Chertscy Station is within four miles of the Camp, and omnibuses
will be continually running at moderate fares.
Superior private conveyances can also be obtained at Chertsey,
at fixed fares, on application to Mr. Rowlard, Swan Hotel.
Arrangements have been made at Chertsey Station for the accom-
modation and refreshment of passengers by these trains.
The Camp is within five miles of Woking, and of Staines Station
four, from when'e conveyances can be obtained. Tho route from
Staines is via Virginia Water.
By Order,

ARCM). SCOTT, Traffic Manager.

Waterloo Station, July, 1853.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
PATRON-H.R.11. PRINCE ALBERT.

The LANCASHIRE SEWING MACHINE exhibited in Use
and explained Daily, at a Quarter to Three, in addition to the varied
SCIENTIFIC LECTURES and EXHIBITIONS. On TUESDAYS
and FRIDAYS, at Four o'clock, and Every Evening (except Satur-
day) at Nine, the FIRST PART of an HISTORICAL LECTURE
on " THE THAMES," from its Source to its Estuary, by GEORGE
BUCKLAND, Esq., assisted by Miss Blanche Younge, with appro-
priate Songs and Dissolving Scenery.
Open Mornings and Evenings. Admission, Is.; Schools, and
Children under Ten years of age Half-price.

FRAMPTON'S PILL of HEALTH.
The ollowtng testimonia, is another proof of the great efficacy
Of this medicine

" WinchmOre 11111, Middlesex, April 16, 18M.

" Sir,—ln consideration of the great benefit I have derived from
taking Frampton's Pill of Health, I feel it a dr 'y that I owe to you
and the public to send you the following staterre-it. For upwards of
nine years I have experienced the efficacy of this excellent medicine.
I had long previously been afflicted with headache and indigestion,
but a friend having induced nie to make a trial of Frampton's Pills,
I now inform you that a few doses gave me great relief; and during
this long period of time I have taken them in preference to any other
medicine ; and I have the happiness of saying that I never had a
better state of health, which I attribute to Frampton's Pills. I beg
further to add, that this medicine is in general use by my family, and
we know of nothing to equal it.
" I am, Sir, yours respectfully,
THOMAS PROVINCE.

" To Mr. T. Prout, 229, Strand, London.
This excellent Family Pill is a medicine of long-tried efficacy for
correcting all disorders of the stomach and bowels, and is a
pleasant, safe, easy aperient ; they unite the recommendation of a
mild operation with the most successful effect, and require no re-
straint of diet or confinement during their use.

Ask for FRAMPTON'S PILL OF HEALTH, and observe the
name and address of " Thomas Prout, 229, Strand, London,"on the
Government Stamp.

Price la. 1M d. and 2a. 9d. per box.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, JULY 27.

The French Ambassador, Count Walewski, with the
countess, and Lady Jocelyn, the Hon. H. T. L. Corry,
late Secretary to the Admiralty, and suite, arrived at
the Royal Clarence-yard at ten minutes after two this
afternoon, and were received at the gates by Captain
Courtenay, the superintendent of Haslar ; Mr. Davies,
master attendant of the yard ; Mr. Pinhorn, storekeeper ;
and Flag Lieutenant Yonge. The distinguished visitors
walked into Mr. Davies's house, where his excellency
partook of a trifling lunch, quickly walked through the
establishment, and was taken on board the Fire Queen,
tender to Victory, Master Commander F. W. Paul, where
his excellency was received by Rear-Admiral Superin-
tendent Fanshawe, C. 8., and the admiral of the fleet,
Sir Thomas Byam Martin. The rear-admiral superin-
tendent having paid his respects to the ambassador took
his leave. The Fire Queen then hoisted the French na-
tional flag at the fore, and proceeded out of harbour,
receiving a salute of 21 guns from the Platform Battery,
at 2.50. On reaching Spithead the ambassador went on
board the Prince Regent, 90, Captain Hutton, the flag-
ship of Rear-Admiral Corry, when the ship instantly
manned yards, and fired a salute of 19 guns. Having
partaken of refreshment, his excellency, at 5.20, went
on board the Duke of Wellington, screw, 131, Captain
Henry Byam Martin, and was received in the same
complimentary manner as on board the Prince Regent,
with manned yards and a salute of 19 guns. His ex-
cellency returned to the Royal Clarence Yard at 5.50,
to take coffee, at the house of Mr. Davies, the master
attendant, and will leave for London by the six o'clock
train of the South-Western Railway.
The Prince of Leiningen, nephew to her Majesty,
has been appointed to her Majesty's ship Britannia,
flag-ship in the Mediterranean. His Highness took up
his appointment, yesterday morning, on board her Ma-
jesty's ship Victory, and returned, per South 'Western
Railway, to Clarence House, the residence of her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent. Mr. Galt, of Ports-
mouth, his Highness's outfitter, has the honour of sup-
plying the necessary equipment.
The Vulcan steam troop-ship arrived at Spithead to-
day- from Halifax, and proceeded to Cowes to disembark
the 23d Regiment, from North America.
The Desperate, 8, steam-sloop, Captain Chambers,
came out of the factory basin to-day after refit, and
hauled alongside of the coal depot to complete for sea.
The Sphynx steam-sloop has been placed in the fac-
tory basin to-day.
The Owen Glendower, East Indiaman, sailed from
Spithead this morning for Madras and Calcutta.

PLYMOUTH, JULY 27.
Upwards of 100 casks are ordered to be sent from the
Royal William Victualling-yard to Pembroke, to assist
in floating the Caesar.
The crew of the St. Jean d'Acre screw steam block-
ship, 101, Captain the Hon. Henry Keppell, who are
now victualled on board the Bellona hulk, will remove
on Monday next with their stores to their own ship.
The Sybille frigate, 40, Captain the Hon. C. G.
Elliott, has been ordered to the East Indies, to relieve
the Fox, 42, Commodore G. R. Lambert. .The Sybille
goes out of harbour on the 11th of August.
The Argyle, 580 tons, Captain Tullock, chartered
by her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, sailed for
Melbourne, Victoria, on Monday morning, while 246
souls, passengers, equal to 219 statute adults, among
whom were 115 single women.

FORTIFICATION OF HA.VRE.—The Constitutionnel says :
—" We think it right to state the motives which led to
the late visit of the Minister of War to Havre. By a
law passed on July 14, 1852, the communes of Ingou-
vine and Grasville were annexed in great part to that of
Havre. That enlargement rendered the old fortifica-
tions on the land side insufficient, and it was decided to
build new forts. But there still remained the question
of forts on the sea-side. It was this important question
of the defence of Havre which Marshal de St. Arnaud
went to examine on the spot. This he did with the ut-
most care, first making himself master of the plans to
be acted on, and afterwards comparing them with the
ground
las he went over it. He promised, on terininat-
'lig his inspection, that in less than two years and a half
the two forte should be entirely terminated."

THE CAB STRIKE.

(Prom the Times.)

There are certain questions which the gravest
people will sometimes put in their most childish
moods, for the mere pleasure of imagining London
for a moment something that it is not. What if the
Thames were to leave its bed dry ? What if the
waterworks or the gasworks were to strike? What
if the morning papers should not make their appear-
ance, or the letter-carriers not go their rounds ?
There have been changes quite as great, but they
have been gradual. It does not take a very old man
to remember when there was neither a gas-lamp,
nor a cab, nor an omnibus, nor a steam-vessel, nor
a plate-glass window, in a city of which these things
are now essential ingredients. One of the above
questions need no more be asked. Yesterday there
was not a cab in London. The long stands in the
great thoroughfares and near the railway stations
had disappeared. The sharp, fussy, impertinent
rattle of cab wheels were nowhere heard. You were
not coaxed with "Keb ! Keb !" as you passed St.
Clement Danes, nor bored with a cab walking by
your side down Fleet-street. The vast space of
Trafalgar-square was cabless. The thousands who
were engaged to be off ly the early trains waited
and waited for the return of the messengers they
had dispatched for cabs, and only learnt the fact
too late, or just in time to save their trains by run-
ning a mile or two, with a carpet-bag perhaps, at
the rate of six miles an hour. We leave others to
describe the destitute condition of men of business
arriving by the trainsof lawyers and doctors keep-
ing an appointment or responding to a summons.
Every form of substitute was resorted. to, not with-
out success. Porters, omnibuses, and hack carriages
got a harvest. Meanwhile the cabmen rejoiced ;
the gin-shops were crowded and jubilant ; every-
body who seemed to be walking as if he did not
often walk was chaffed on his sufferings. Many,
without perceiving the cause, thought the streets
quiet, or dull, or more respectable than usual ;
some noticed the crowded busses ; others the full
pavements ; a few were forcibly reminded of their
early days ; when the cause was known, the cabmen
were ' discussed ; some liked their spirit, and
thought them ill-used ; all saw that it would never
do for London to be at the mercy of so capricious
a class.

We shall be told that it is only a bit of free
trade, and that we are bound to approve it. But
the cabman, once a cabman, is no more a free-
trader, but a public servant. His stand in the
street is given him by the public, and is a privilege
not accorded to the cabman of Paris, who pays
largely for his private standing-ground, including a
sufficiency of street frontage. All the regulations
of the act form the terms of a contract which the
cabman is bound to obey when he takes out his
license—his power of temporary withdrawal being
only a permission which he is not expected to
abuse. Persons are only permitted to ply for
fares in the metropolis on certain conditions, which
may be partly restrictive, but are also partly pro-
tective. For example, nobody is permitted to
take a common hackney carriage and invite the
foot passengers to enter, up to the capacity of the
vehicle, at Gd. a-head, from the Strand to a review
in Hyde-park, or whichever way the current of
population may be going. Thus both the omni-
bus and the cab are protected from unfair
competition. The present is the case of a
gentleman's household, who, in the height of
the season, when halfla-dozen entertainments are
in prospect, suddenly leave ; and, if no notice is.
required from cabmen, it is because no such freak
was anticipated. No class whose occupation is a
necessity to the metropolis has a right to desist
without due notice. Railway employes have struck
before this, and inflicted immense inconvenience
and loss, but the law requires them to give at least
a fortnight's notice, and, if they struck vei y often,
they would soon find that Parliament would reach
them at one point or another. If cabmen laboured
under a sense of injustice, why did they not adopt
some rational way of pleading their cause ?
They can talk when they please ; they are
never at a loss for words with a fare ; they can
always keep up conversation at the stand, and ex-
change a few remarks with a brother whip ; they
can meet and discuss their grievances : then, why
have they not remonstrated in some regular con-
stitutional fashion ? No.. Cabby is true to his
old character. He treats the public as he does the
" unprotected female." This is simply an attempt
to bully the Legislature. It will not affect the
final settlement of the cab question, because it
must ever be the interest of the public that the
cabman should be considered as well as his fare,
and nobody would desire future cabmen to be
punished for the vagaries of the existing generation.
But it will certainly be found that the present step
was superfluous as well as vexatious. As it is, the
cab interest has already thrown away more than
2,0001. by its one day's strike.
The grievance, as appears from Mr. Fitzroy's re-
ply to a question in the House, is not the reduction
to Gd. a mile, but the absence of any remedy, under
the new act, against a long fare to some country
spot, whence no back fare can be expected. A cab-
man whose stables are at Knightsbridge may be
required to take a fare to the Bank, and be imme-
diately summoned to take a second fare seven miles
into Essex or Kent. Towards the close of the day
the cabman, it is said, may find himself ten miles
from his own stables, and obliged to retrace the
distance without fare. Instead of his getting 10s.
for his twenty miles he may get only five, and his
horse be incapable of hard work the next day.
Except for this contingency, the cab proprietors,
the real malcontents, say they are quite content
with sixpence a mile for short distances, backwards
and forwards, in the busy part of the metropolis,
wheil a single yard over a mile raises the charge by
another sixpence. It is the long journey, right on
end, with half-a-dozen whole miles and only one
fraction, with no chance of a back fare, that does
up horse and man, say the proprietors. Then,
why has not this been stated and urged reasonably
and in good humour ? The only answer that can
be given is, that the proprietors think themselves
masters of the field. Whatever the merits of their
quarrel, their tactics are bad. They invite inquiry
into their trade, and, when the Public learn the
fabulous sums which the cabmen are obliged to
give for the daily use of their cab and horse, the
proprietors will soon find the competition of their
trade grow considerably sharper. Already we hear
of various associations starting up for providing a
better description of cab and accepting of less rent
from the drivers. So far as the public is concerned,
that is the most effectual way to fight the battle. In
the case, however, of a new act—and the cab pro-
prietors ask for it--we shall certainly expect to find
some security provided against a sudden interrup-
tion of the traffic—either by a fine on every day a
licensed cab does not ply for hire, or by the require-
ment of a fortnight s notice before the withdrawal
of a cab. Laws are made by offences, and yester-
day's offence—which is to be repeated, so it is said,
to-day and to-morrow—will result in a law which
will certainly tie up the liberty either of the cab-
man or of his troublesome employer.

(From the Mop yang Chronicle.)
And so our ancient. friend, the cabman, has with-
drawn from public Ho retires from the ranks
—he resigns his commission. Yesterday morning
London found, on awaking,-that the faithful jarvie
had thrown up the reins and descended from the
box, leaving an ungrateful town to deplore a loss
which it can ill afford to bear. It will be seen
elsewhere that the much-persecuted " interest"
have found a sort of sacred mount in High Hol-
born, whence they launch forth invectives on the
heads of the devoted Lords and Commons ; and it
will also be seen, from our Parliamentary report,
that the Menenius Agrippa of the Home-office,
justly appreciating the gravity of the crisis, has
frankly renewed the offer ho had already made to
redress the one real grievance which is to be found
amongst their idle and angry complaints. Mr. Fitz-
roy has undertaken, in conformity with the pro-
mise which, it seems, he gave to the cabowners on
Monday last, to amend his act forthwith, as regards
the vexed question of back fares, by allowing an
increase of fare on all hirings beyond a certain
radius, and also by limiting to five miles, instead
of six, the distance which drivers shall be compellable
to go. For ourselves—our obnoxious selves—we
suppose we ought to tender the tribute of a contrite
peccavi to the powers we have offended ; and at
all events we are glad that Parliament shows itself
so prompt in repairing an injury which it has un-
wittingly inflicted.
How far this modicum of redress will satisfy the
malecontent proprietors is a question on which we
dare not pronounce. They are certainly an awfully
ill-used class. It is true, sixpence is not bad pay
for a six minutes' drive, and the loss of the addi-
tional twopence is more than compensated by cheap
oats and the abolition of half-mile fares. It is true
also that the sixpence per 15 minutes for stoppages,
and the further sixpence for condescending to carry
more ' than two persons, are not very grievous
wrongs on the cab community ; nor can they com-
plain very bitterly of the regulation which entitles
them, in cases of exoessive luggage, to twopence

per parcel. It is true, further, that the Parlia-
mentary speed of four or six miles an hour, accord-
ing to circumstances, is not very violent for these
high-pressure days, or very likely to damage what-
ever little wind the cab horse may happen to pos-
sess. Nevertheless, the cabman—or, rather, the
cabmaster, who is die real complainant in this mat-
ter—has been cruelly treated. Parliament has
dried up the chief source of his gains. His occu-
pation is gone, or, at least, is not worth following ;
and he may therefore justly ask himself what he
should do in London.

The cabman, in truth, made more by the suavity
of his manner and the persuasiveness of his elo-
quence than lie could ever hope to ears by the
mere plying of his legitimate trade. He relied as
much on his tongue as on his horse for his daily
bread ; and if a deaf ear was turned to his argu-
ment, an appeal to the God of battles quickly
brought conviction to the mind of the reluctant
" fare." This line of business, of course, succeeded
better with some people than with others—with
foreigners, for instance, and the fair sex, rather
than with your City merchants and sharp lawyers.
Hence the hospitality and gallantry which distin-
guished cabmen over all othr men. They looked
to long beards and long petticoats to compensate
them for the losses which they suffered from
the denizens of the Exchange and the Tem-
ple. In a word, the cab-drivers and cab-owners
[ had two distinct trades—the humble industry of
place top and the
carrying persons from
somewhat more irregular, but much more profitable
one of obtaining double and treble the amount le-
gally due for their services, by all the various arti-
fices which extortion could call to her aid. To
terrify women, to insult strangers, and to cringe to
those who could not be terrified and would not be
insulted, was, until the 11th inst., the well-known
business of the London cabman ; and it is hard
that the recent Act, in affording facility and in-
susing rapidity for the punishment of incivility and
overcharge, should have dealt a sudden deathblow
to such a regular, extensive, and successful pursuit.
What, indeed—the poor fellow may now well ask
—can he do in London, since he can no longer out-
rage his customers with impunity ? How is he to
live, if a magistrate punishes a jesting reflection on
the traveller's generosity, or an attitude of playful
pugnacity, with a couple of months' imprisonment
and hard labour ? How shall the poor man earn
an honest penny, if a "beak," or a " Peeler," is
to interfere at every moment between him and his
prey ?
Such is the real grievance which has led to the
present strike. Drivers can no longer cheat and
insult their customers with impunity, and, conse-
quently, they can no longer pay the owners rents
calculated with reference to irregular and illegiti-
mate sources of profit. The aggrieved proprietors
resent their diminished returns by stopping work
altogether ; and if the worthies think that they
can " better themselves" by this course, they are
welcome to adopt it. To us it seems that they are
engaged in the agreeable and lucrative process of
cutting off their noses to spite their faces. The
London public have made up their minds that they
will no longer submit to the alternative of plunder
or insult, which used to be presented to every per-
son who stepped out of a cab. As well might the
" fast" young men of the present day hope to
agitate with success for the restoration of the ancient
watchmen, in order that the knockers, bells, and
door-knobs of our citizens might again be at their
mercy, as the hackney fraternity expect that the
law against insolence and rapacity will be reduced
to a dead letter by the re-adoption of the old dila-
tory and troublesome mode of seeking redress.
Let them strike then, if they will, but let them
also hear a quiet hint or two which we would
give them. First, we beg to assure them that
there is a good deal of capital in England, and that
a lucrative trade is not likely to be long left de-
serted. " There are as good fish in the sea as ever
were caught," and there will soon be better cabs in
London, and more respectable drivers, than ever
rolled over its pavement. If the existing brother-
hood cannot reconcile themselves to the trade of
cab-driving now that the law has perforce made it
an honest one, the public gains by their abandoning
it. They will make way for better men ; and the
public carriages of the metropolis will no longer be
a disgrace and a reproach to the country.

In the next place, we are obliged to the cab-
owners for this timely strike, since it calls attention
to a defect in the existing Hackneyc-afriage Law
which it would be wise to supply. The right of
these people to suspend their business is undoubted
—for it is the inalienable and prescriptive right of
every true Briton to quarrel with his bread and
butter ; but care should be taken that timely
notice is given, on future occasions, of their inten-
tion to withdraw from the public service. The
passenger traffic of two millions of men must not
be again exposed to the risk of a total stoppage,
upon every capricious impulse of a few ill-condi-
tioned ruffians or ill-advised fools. For once in a
way, we may submit to the joke of trudging to a
dinner party through the mud, or of wheeling our
trunks and children to railway stations in donkey-
carts and wheelbarrows. But novelty is the only
point in this piece of practical wit ; and to prevent
its recurrence, it might be well to grant no cab
licences without a stipulation, under a heavy
penalty, against a strike, unless after at least two
or three months' notice. Perhaps the Commis-
missioners of Police, also, will consider whether
the men who have annoyed their fellow-citizens by
this mischievous prank are fit persons to be again
entrusted with the privilege of carrying on this im-
portant public trade. Mr. Fitzroy's express pro-
mise on Monday last to redress the only real griev-
ance inflicted on them by the new Act, renders
their present silly and discreditable proceeding ut-
terly inexcusable ; and nothing can entitle them to
hope for condonation except a prompt and com-
plete repentance. Let us add that, if they do make
their appearance again in the streets, we hope it
will be found that they have "improved the occa-
sion " of their temporary retirement from business
by fattening up their lean and skeleton steeds and
cleansing and repairing their foul and shaky
vehicles.

THE SPIRAL PROPELLER.—A. few days ago, the new
screw, called the spiral propeller, invented by Mr. Max-
well Scott, of Tranmere Foundry, was tried in the screw
steamer Weaver, which had been lent by the trustees of
the Duke of Bridgewater for the purpose. She was
tried against the Countess of Ellesmere, on Saturday
week, during the two trips between Liverpool and Run-
corn, and the difference was only twelve minutes in fa-
vour of the Countess. The saving of fuel by the spiral
was shown to be upwards of sixteen per cent. The
spiral propeller is formed on the principle of obtaining as
much propelling surface on the outer edge of the blade
as possible, at the same time allowing the greatest liberty
near the centre, so as to offer the least resistance in the
passage of the screw through the water. The propeller
has two blades, something resembling the blades of the
old-fashioned screw, with a piece cut out of each, thus
giving them the shape of an elbow, being diametrically
opposed to Griffith's, where the outer edge has the least
surface.—Manchester Examiner.

HOLYROOD PALACE.—We understand that Sir W.
Molesworth, her Majesty's Chief Commissioner of
Woods and Forests, has at length agreed to an arrange-
ment of a character very favourable for the public, with
reference to the opening up of Holyrood Palace. The
Government will now take the management of it more
immediately into its own hands, and instead of the pre-
sent most unsatisfactory mode of handing parties about
from one exhibitor to another, and of leaving the amount
of the gratuities to be given to the discretion of the
visitors, a small fixed fee—sixpence, we believe—
will be substituted ; this will be paid to one receiver,
and no other gratuity or payment will be re-
quisite. One most important part of the arrange-
ment, moreover, is that the Palace will be open every
Saturday without any charge whatever. Improvements
will also be made on the grounds ; and, altogether, the
alterations on the present system, which, we ought to
add, have been mainly obtained by the exertions of our
Lord Provost when in London, will be hailed as a great
boon by the inhabitants of Edinburgh, as well as by
strangers visiting the city.—Scotsman.
LANCASHIRE REGISTRATION. The Freetraders of
Lancashire have this year been exceedingly active in
their revision of the registers of electors, under the man-
at7ement of Messrs. James Moorhouse and Son, and
have succeeded in making not less than 2,000 new claims
for the southern division of the county, and 1,000 for
the northern division. In addition to this, a careful
examination has been made of the descriptions of the
q
ualifications of the freeholders already on the register,
with a view to the correction of errors, so as to defeat
any objections which 'nay p
be made by the other party on
the ground of misdescription. The number of re-claims
sent in by the Liberals on this account will be some-
where about 5,000.

A PARADISE OF A PRINTING OFFICE.—The Boston
Olive Brunch, on which females are employed as com-
positors,
says—" Our rooms are well carpeted, and the
girls do not come till nine or ten o'clock in the morn-
ing, retiring in good season, seldom making even seven
or eight hours a day. Smart compositors can in that
time earn from six dollars to eight dollars a week. We
have also one female clerk out of the three we employ.
Added to this, one desk has been occupied by a female
editor as our assistant at a salary of 900 dollars. She
has spent seven hours a day in the office for five days
in the week. We generally have in our office an organ
and a pianoforte, and we have music at the meal hours,
when the ladies feel to like playing."