The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-06 00:00:00

with none of the evils or the perils which at first •
haunted timid, because unreflecting, persons. It
was to hoped that the liberal measure, already
adopted would be followed by others, so as to give
the public voice the same regular and powerful in-
fluence in France which it had in England. But
the present unhappy state of affairs in the New
World was calculated to withdraw our attention
from all other countries, and fix it upon the fortunes
of our kinsmen, 'and the lessons which their institu-
tions, or their errors, are fitted to teach. A dread-
ful civil war had for 12 months raged among them,
and the afflicting scene, distant though it be, had
been regarded with as lively an interest as if it lay
in our immediate neighbourhood, with every dis-
position to put the most favourable construction
upon the conduct of all parties, and with the fixed
resolution to take no part in the deplorable con-
test. 'The Government had not only maintained the
most strict neutrality, but withheld all expression
of opinion upon the matters in dispute, all intima-
tion of a wish as to the result ; and in preserving
this passive attitude, enjoined alike by wisdom and
justice, it had also been the faithful representative
of the nation. There was happily a speck in the
recent aspect of American affairs which was most
pleasing to contemplate, and whose brightness we
may anxiously hope that no outbreak of the malti-
tude will be suffered to obscure. The Northern
Government, to its infinite honour, had at length
agreed to the mutual right of search—in other
words, to abolish all that remains of the slave trade.
It had long been known that the greater part of
that infernal traffic was carried on in American ships
sailing under false colours, none of their own
cruisers interfering effectually. Both the English
and French cruisers can now visit each suspected
vessel, and the traffic is at an end. He regarded
this as the second real blow struck at the slave
trade. The first was the act which he had the hap-
piness of passing through Parliament, just half a
century ago, for punishing it as a great crime, in-
stead of treating it as merely contraband—a law
soon after adopted by America, but never till of
late really executed. Let us hope that our Govern-
ment may be encouraged by this important success
to use with Spain a language no longer capable of
being misunderstood, and peremptorily to demand
the execution of the contract for which she received
so large a sum of money, and which she has ever
since most scandalously broken, the result being
the importation into Cuba of 40,000 negroes yearly.
The American civil war had severely affected this
country (as well as France), producing great dis-
tress in all those districts where cotton manufacture
forms the staple trade. The subject was too pain-
ful to dwell upon, were they not relieved by observ-
ing the truly admirable behaviour of those who
suffer the most. The distress had brought into view
the happy advance of our artisan population in the
branches of knowledge most essential to their well-
being. The hardships which they are enduring have
not disturbed their minds or shaken their faith in
principles which they had upon examination and
reflection adopted in prosperous times, They know
that the want of the raw material which sets their
industry in motion would not justify England in
using her power to breek the laws of nations for the
purpose of obtaining it ; and they assent to the wise
and just forbearance of our Government without a
murmur. Their patience under sufferings beyond
all former experience was truly affecting. They have
made a noble sacrifice to maintain their position as
self-supporting members of the community. Not
satisfied with most patient endurance, they have
sought how their resources might be most husbanded
by co-operative associations, of which the number
had been greatly increased since he described their
proceedings at the Congress before the last. There I
were now above 500 of those admirable institutions
in the island ; and their importance might be esti-
mated by this, that 273 of them had 69,000 men-1
bers, a capital of two and a half millions, and their
sales for the last quarter were upwards of
£560,000. Co-operation was becoming a power
in the State, and strenuous endeavours were
making to mould the laws regulating those in-
stitutions into the best form for securing their 1
permanence and adaptation to their objects. 1
The subject of co-operation was the more impor-
tant,
because it is comparatively in its infancy. It
might perfectly well embrace branches of industry
beyond those to which it is now confined ; nor was
there any reason why country labour, as well as
town, should not come within its scope. It was
most gratifying to find, in addition to all that had
' been said touching the excellent conduct of the
working classes, that the distress of the times (the
male suado fames) has been attended with no in-
crease in the number of crimes. On the contrary,
there had been a marked diminution in the number
of commitments. The important subject of crimi-
nal treatment occupied much attention at the Dublin
meeting, where they had the means of examining
on the spot the working of the Irish convict system ;
and the conclusion arrived at was, he believed, una-
nimous. It placed the Irish convict system far
above all others which had been subjected to the
test of experience for its success in accomplishing
the great object of its institution—the reformation
of the criminal; and what was witnessed in Ireland
had created an ardent desire throughout England
that we may as soon as possible enjoy similar ad-
vantages at home. A most able and conclusive
paper on the general subject of reformatory discip-
line would, he trusted, be laid before the proper
department. The great evil, indeed the extreme
danger of occasional legislation, had often been
acknowledged. A late trial of lunacy gave rise to
great and general complaint of the judicature, from
the prolixity of the proceedings, and the irrelevancy
of many matters introduced—their irrelevancy to
the one question before the court. A bill had been
introduced to improve the procedure in lunacy gene-
rally, and there was great reason to apprehend that
it sought in material respects unnecessarily to alter
the law. One important and very salutary change
was, the requiting each cause to be tried by a judge
instead of an officer of the court, whose authority
with counsel cannot be such as duly to control their
proceedings. But a most unwise, and indeed absurd
restriction, was imposed upon the admission of
evidence which would have been wrong under the
old procedure, but was wholly unintelligible now
that a judge was to preside. That the late trial
showed the necessity of some change was admitted ;
but the objection was that the change goes beyond
the exigency of the case, and in a wrong direction.
It was plainly made to meet the outcry against por-
tions of the evidence adduced. Having adverted to
the court-martial in Dublin, which bad given rise
to so much discussion, and to the practice, which
seems to have lately grown up in some of our colo-
nies, of proclaiming martial law by the mere order
of the Governor, when any disturbance more than
ordinary may occur, his lordship went on to say that
the character of the officers and the discipline of the
tion of
arrayseewere not more essential to the good of the
. v 6 and the safety of the state, than the reputa-
tion of justie
the legal profession was to' the administra-
When it was considered, that from
the bar all the.
to show alle
were taken, enough was said
plireaortant is everything that relates
to the disci
the profession. It was an
obvious suggestion ffr
quirt' respecting the"ap a late case, that in any in-
sional conduct of a memebresonal, that is, the profes-
should be present throughoutr of an inn of court, all
proceedings
whose opinion was to decide sth the
trant:fthe result. The
of
theot be classed
measures for facilitating the
been the sub-
jectand securing the title of owners, eenlrd°f real estate,
having long
with the occasional legislation
_ season, the
effects of the existing law
of complaint. But some of the proposed changes
were of a nature so questionable, and had been
so
little discussed in the country, that it was to be
hoped their adoption may be deferred until the par.
liamentary recess affords an opportunity for their
fell and impartial consideration. The bill intro
dueed more than once by himself should also undergo
that discussion. After referring briefly to the sub-
feet of the revised code, recently under the conside-
ration of the legislature, his lordship dwelt upon
the efforts which had been made, since the constitu-
tion of the association, for the well-being and com-
fort of our sisters, an important branch of social
science within the scope of their plan. At the last
year's congress in Dublin many papers were read
and discussions held on the various branches of the
(subject ; and among other considerable improve-

meats, women had been since employed on the tele-
graphs in very large numbers. But it was highly
gratifying to find that most important measures had
been taken at Edinburgh for meeting the evils com-
plained of in all their forms, and with a degree of
judgment and circumspection equal to the benevo-
lence of the parties, so as to weigh all objections
against each proposal, to remove the difficulties that
exist, and to avoid the rocks on which benevolence
too often makes shipwreck, and thus falls short of
heueficence—the point at which it becomes not only
a virtue but a good. The establishment at Edin-
burgh of the Society for the Employment of Women
deserved the greatest attention, because of the singu-
larly practical views with which it had been con-
ducted, and the service it had rendered during the
year of its existence, and the still greater things
which it was engaged in adding to its present la-
bours. Miss Rye had added the encouragement of
emigration to her other good works in behalf of fe-
male employment; but she, as well as Miss Parkes,
Miss Faithful!, and others with whom she eo-ope-
rates, were most grievously represented, probably
because misunderstood, when supposed to have for
their object the setting up women in antagonism to
men, whereas the whole design was to make them
fellow-labourers with the other sex. This congress
was happily attended by a far greater body of
friends from the Continent than any former meet-
ing, in consequence of the affiliated associations at-
tending by their representatives. But indepen-
dently of this circumstance they had the presence
of eminent persons from Germany, France, and
Northern Italy, who would see with admiration,
perhaps with envy, a people in possession of rights,
secure against risks both from above and below—
rights which no regal ambition can encroach upon,
no popular delusion betray ; an aristocracy, the bar-
rier against domination of one master, and the more
insupportable tyranny of the mob; a people in-
formed by a press, subject to no control but the law,
and answerable for offences which the law has de-
clared and defined--a people sharing moderately
and safely in ithe management of their own con-
cerns, but protected from that universal suffrage
which, under the disguise of liberty, conceals the
instrument of absolute dominion—a people blessed
with the pure administration of justice, because dis-
tributed by judges who can neither be removed nor
promoted according as their judgments satisfy or
displease the possessors of power. Let us hope
that our foreign friends will carry back with them
such an impression, not only of the unspeakable
benefits derived from our constitution, and the
practice under it, but a conviction which all the dis-
cussions in the different departments will give them
of its perfectly safe working in all respects, and the
ease with which the more valuable portions of it
may be adopted by other nations. Even without
the variety of institutions, all have a common inte-
rest in the inquiries of that institution, and in the
deliberations to s$ hich they lead. Its members
were engaged in the high and holy work of seeking
out social errors, to expose and correct them ; social
abuses, to put them down ; social wants, to supply
them ; social evil, to extirpate it—in looking for
the sufferings of humanity with the purpose of ob-
viating or mitigating them. As there was nothing
more delightful than affording relief to the distress
of individuals, so it was in the power of all, and it
was their duty to further the great measures which
might ward off distress or disarm it of its pain; and
whosoever helped this good work might taste the
gratification of doing good upon a far higher scale,
and be thankful to Divine Providence for having
vouchsafed a triumph over evil, which it is more
blessed to prevent than to cure.
His lordship, during the delivery of his address,
was frequently cheered, and resumed his seat amidst
a hearty round of applause.
Sir J. PAXINGTON moved, "That the warm and
grateful thanks of this meeting be given to the
President, Lord Brougham, for the address now
delivered, and for the unceasing support which he
has extended to this association from its commence-
ment to the present time."

Mr. Justice KEATING seconded the resolution,
which was carried unanimously, amidst loud ap-
plause.

The proceedings of the evening shortly after-
wards terminated.

THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

The attendance of yesterday exhibited a consi-
derable falling off as compared with that of the
preceding day, a circumstance for which the un-
ceasing rain will be quite sufficient to account.
However it was rendered interesting in consequence
of its including an early visit from the junior mem-
bers of the Royal family. At a very early hour the
Princesses Alice and Helena, with their suite,
arrived, and were received by Earl Granville, Sir
Wentworth Dilke, and Mr. fs'andford, who con-
ducted their Royal Highnesses over the building.
The visit was quite private, and their Royal High-
nesses promenaded the various galleries in the
same unobtrusive manner as any other of the spec-
tators. For some time their presence was unob-
served, but at last the royal visitors were recognised,
and a considerable but respectful crowd followed
them in their promenade. In the general atten-
dance the presence of a great many schools was a
noticeable feature, as marking the value
set upon the Exhibition by the instructors of
our rising generation. Some of the schools
were private, others rublic, and amongst them
we noticed the New-road, 56 pupils; the St.
Andrew's-lane National 21 (these had been
franked in by Mr. Bevan, the banker) ; the Myrtle
House, Peckham, 14 ; Forest-hill, 34; Notting-hill,
18; Woolwich, 11 ; Croydon (Friends), franked in
by Mr. Robinson, 87 ; Brixton, 13; Clapham (St.
George's College), 17 ; these, with schools which
attended on the previous day, making upwards of
1,000 ysung people, pupils either at private schools
or public establishments, brought by their teachers
to receive instruction from the Exhibition. Up to
5 o'clock the attendance was—Ticket holders 3,446,
paid at doors 36,230, being a considerable falling off
from the previous day, which being the anniversary
of the Derby had been selected by 50,000 prudent
people to have a" quiet look" at the Exhibition.
The general impression now is that the public mind
has really taken fire, and that next Monday will
witness an attendance which will be the forerunner
of the complete success of the undertaking.
We are sorry to be obliged to state that the means
of getting away in the evening still remain very
insufficient. The omnibuses in attendance are ridi-
culously few, and the cabmen rule the situation
with a most sublime contempt of the public conve-
nience. Thousands of people waited in groups all
the way down to Hyde-park-corner, and no cab•
driver that passed paid the slightest attention to
their summons. Each driver was accompanied by
a commissionaire, who had secured him for some
party waiting at the doors ; and even when this was
not the case, " Jel.u" paid not the slightest attention
to any call, but hurried on to the doors where he
expected to receive any fare which it might be his
pleasure to extort. The omnibuses were all filled
for the return journey long before they arrived at the
regulated starting point ; so that those who were
not initiated in the mysteries were obliged to
trudge along on foot until they got beyond the
sphere of the Exhibition influences. In Piccadilly
and at Charing-cross there were numbers of cabs
standing idle, from which it would appear that a
little judicious regulation was all that was neces-
allonwNlviohorme-
ethfoorse
sqauriyretdo
iste.curiet
ism etaonsbeofhocponedve
the prosperity of the Exhibition depends will look
ythanact
to those matters, and see that visitors are not re-
duced to the necessity of trudging along on foot in
the rain, or of waiting for hours, and calling un-
availingly on cabmen who seem to set all the
provisions of the act of parliament at defiance.
The number of visitors yesterday was as follows :
—Season tickets, 4,094 ; on payment, 36,996 ; total,
41,090. Among them were the following :—The
Duke of Cambridge, Princess Alice, Princess Helena,
Prince
Barrin
Augustus of Saxe Coburg, Lady Caroline
gtun, Miss Hildyard, Col. the Hon. Dudley
de Roos, Sze.

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