The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, ' LONDOR, THURSDAY EVENVG, MAY 8, 1862,

THE .HIGH STEIVARD OF CAMBRIDGE.

The Duke of Devonshire was yesterday installed
as High Steward of the borough of Cambridge.
The proceedings commenced with a meeting of
the corporation in the Council-chamber at half-past
one, at which the Mayor presided. The Town-clerk
(Mr. C. H. Cooper) read the patent of the office to
which the Duke was elected in June last. After the
administration of the customary oaths,
The MAYOR said that the office just conferred
would not entail any burdensome or troublesome
duties. It was not now an onerous office, yet it was
one of great antiquity, and had been held by many
distinguished men. He observed that the second
and third High Stewards, Edward Seymour, Duke-
of Somerset, and John Dudley, Duke of Northum-
berland, were also, as the Duke is, Chancellor of the
University. Their learned town clerk informed him
(the Mayor) that both of these noblemen came to
an unfortunate end—an end from which might God
preserve his Grace ! (Laughter.) Since then the
list of High Stewards comprised the names of
Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk ; Sir Thomas
Egerton (Lord Keeper), Sir Francis Bacon, Sir
Thomas Coventry (Lord Keeper), Sir John Finch
(Lord Keeper), Oliver Cromwell, and Sir Edward
Hyde, afterwards Earl of Clarendon. All filled the
same office as they had cordially conferred upon his
Grace that day. Descending to the times of the re-
formed corporation, the names comprised those of
Francis, Lord Godolphin, Charles William Earl
Fitzwilliam, Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay,
and concluded with that of the late Duke of Bed-
ford. The wisdom with which the corporation had
acted in making these appointments was vindicated
by the list of persons they had selected to fill this
honourable office. _ _

The LORD HIGH STEWARD, in reply, said that
he..crrniannv RP APTV faa Innnur conic:,r"•2
him. It afforded him the more pleasure as he had
reason to believe that the suggestion of his name
was due in some measure to his having prosecuted
his studies at the University. (Cheers.) If there
had been reason to believe that his acceptance of
the office would have entailed upon him any duties
inconsistent with the allegiance he owed to his
University they would pardon him for saying that
it would have been difficult for him to accept it.
(Applause.) He rejoiced, however, that the rela-
tions between the University and town were hap-
pily of so amicable a nature that there was reason
for believing that the discharge of the duties of the
high office to which he had been called would en-
tail the taking of any step inconsistent with those
of the other office. He had made it his business
since his acceptance of office to ascertain some-
thing of his predecessors, and was struck to find
such an array of remarkable men. Take. for
instance, the three earliest appointments, Protec-
tor Somerset and the Dukes of Norfolk and North-
umberland, names all identified with the most stir-
ring periods of the country. The Mayor referred
to the unfortunate fate of two of those noblemen,
who were instances of the union of the offices of
High Steward of the borough and Chancellor of the
University, which had not since again occurred
until the present day—facts about which, if he (the
Duke) had been troubled with superstitious feel-
ings, he might naturally have felt some alarm.
(Laughter.) However, the circumstances of the
times were so different that he thought he might
dismiss any fear that the conjunction of those ap-
pointments was likely again to be attended by in-
auspicious results. The Duke then referred to the
great men who had preceded him on the roll of
Stewards. He was proud, he said in conclusion, to
receive from them the office which had been occu-
pied by so many distinguished men ,and upon which
high honour was reflected by many interesting
associations. (Loud applause.)

Advantage was taken of the installation of the
Steward to open the new suite of rooms which has
been recently erected for public purposes at an ex-
pense of £lO,OOO, of wnich sum £4,000 were raised
by subscriptions, and £6,000 were contributed by
the corporation.
At the conclusion of the proceedings in the Coun-
cil-chamber the Corporation escorted his Grace to
the new Assembly-room, where a dejeuner had
been laid out for 350 guests, and full that num-
ber were present, at the invitation of the Mayor,
mhn preahlad, with the Duke of Devonshire and
the Vice, Chancellor on his right hand, and Lord
____• - - _ _ _

CONCRNTRA LION OF TilE COURTS OF

LA TV.

Yesterday, a deputation from the Law Amend-
ment Society waited upon the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, at his official residence, Downing-
street, to suggest to him a means whereby the
public purse might be protected from any addi-
tional burden in the event of the new law courts,
as proposed to be erected on the site between Bell-
yard, Carey-street, and the Strand, costing more
than the estimated sum. The deputation consisted

of Mr, Field, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Edgar, &c.
Mr. HASTINGS, in introducing the subject in
which the deputation was interested to the notice of
the right hon. gentleman, took credit to the society
for a portion of the success which had attended the
labours of the great leaders in the cause of law re-
form. A great deal had been done to improve both

the criminal and the mercantile law of the country,

but suitors suffered a great deal of inconvenience,
and put to a great deal of unnecessary expense,
owing to the manner in which the courts of judica-
ture were scattered over the metropolis. That was

an evil which had been for a long time felt by the

profession, but the public at large were to a sti,
greater extent affected by it. For instance, the
suitor who had engaged the services of an advocate
to plead his cause at Westminster might, when the
cause came on, find that his counsel was engaged in
Lincoln's-inn, or in Guildhall, and thus such a suitor
lost the benefit of the learning or talent of the man
on whom he most relied. That would not probably
be the case if all the courts were under one roof as
in Dublin and Edinburgh, and thus not only would
the judicial business of the country be discharged
with greater despatch than at present, but in the
trial the suitor would get a better article for his
money. Having drawn the right hon. gentleman's
attention to the several schemes which had been
proposed for the concentration of the courts, he
begged the government would not, for the sake of
preventing the opposition given to the scheme re-
commended by the royal commissioners, sanction
the proposal that the courts of equity should remain
in Lincoln's-inn, but that the common law courts
should be erected in Carey-street, as that wouldput
the country to a vast expense, without the realisa-
tion of any appreciable advantage. On the contrary,
he hoped they would adhere to the scheme pro-
pounded in Mr. Cowper's bill lately rejected by the
House of Commons. The main opposition to that
measure originated with the Hon, Society of
Lincoln's-inn, which would lose the large rents
which it at present received for the premises occ',
pied by the courts of equity; but still a great many
members of the House of Commons had opposed it
through the apprehension that the outlay would
exceed at least by £500,000 the estimated cost of
the proposed structure. As this financial objection
was the only feasible one which could be urged
against the measure, the Law Amendment Society
thought it advisable to confer with him as the finan-
cial minister of •the country in order to suggest a
means whereby that objection might be got rid of.
They calculated that the imposition of a tax to the
extent of 3s. 4d. on each writ issued by the common
law courts, and the Courts of Admiralty, Probate,
and Divorce, would be sufficient to raise an annual
revenue equivalent to the interest on half a million
of money, and thus the public purse would be pro-
tected and the wholeburden thrown upon the suitors.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in reply,
ONO that Ile had never contemplated altogether

exempting the public purse from a portion of the
cost of the proposed concentration of the courts, but
he thought it better still to keep that an open ques-
tion. With regard to the concentration scheme
itself it was a question on which he was incompetent
to offer an opinion, but so far as he could do so he
gave it no reluctant, but on the contrary a checroil
concurrence. Still, were he to propose it to the
House of Commons his advocacy of it would do it
more harm than good, for the house would very
naturally ask why he, whose business it was to
scrape up money, should interfere in a matter so
foreign to his department. It should properly pro.
ceed from the legal organs of the Government, and
then in the event of the financial objection referred
to being again urged against it, he might, if fur-
nished with the data on which the society had
made its calculation, reply to it. He supposed
that the proposal to confine the tax to suitors in
the common law courts proceeded on the ground
that the Court of Chancery, through the Suitors'
Fee Fund, would contribute its share to the cost
of the undertaking. (Mr. Hastings assented.)
He thought the Proposed tax a very small one,
and did not doubt that the suitor would save it in
cab hire. The House of Commons had said by its
recent vote that it would not sanction a scheme
which entailed heavy expenses on the public. As
far as he was concerned he should not take any
niggardly view of the case on public grounds.
A long conversation took place, but nothing
definite was settled with regard to the object the
deputation had in view, and when it, terminated the
gentlemen composing the deputation thanked the
right hon. gentleman for the patience with which
he had listened to the explanation of their views.

2ITq NA TPY. - •
A number of mechanics from the establishment
of Messrs. Maudalay and Co. have commenced ope-
rations on board the armour-plated frigate Royal
Oak, 51, building at anthem Dockyard, to pre-
pare that vessel for the reception of a pair of large
400-horse power trunk engines, which are being
made ready for her. The difficult task of boring
through the large stern post and keel of the ship
for the screw shaft was successfully completed yes-
terday. The screw propeller, weighing about 12
tons, has arrived at Chatham Dockyard from
Messrs. Maudslay's establishment. It has been
constructed on Griffiths's principle, with some
improvements by the maker, from which a
slightly increased speed is anticipated. It is
intended to fix as much of the machinery as
possible on board the Royal Oak before she is
launched ; but, of course, it will be impossible to get
on board her large boilers and cylinders, and other
large portions of her engines, until the vessel is in
dock. The engines for the Royal Oak are those con-
structed for the Bulwark, 91, before it was intended
to transform the latter vessel into an iron-plated
frigate. As she will not be ready to receive her en-
gines for at least six months, it has been determined
to place them in the Royal Oak. The operation of
fixing the armour-plates to the sides of the ship is
to be at once commenced. It is not, however, to be
expected that the whole will be fixed before the
launch'takes place. Each armour plate will be bed-
ded on felt and tar, to break the concussion of the
shock when striking the vessel's side, and also to
preserve the iron-plates from any effects arising from
their near contact with their timber backing.
The last mail brought letters to Plymouth from
the screw steam frigate Termagant, 25, Capt. Robt.
Hall, at Panama, which state that she would not
wait, as previously expected, for the arrival from
Valparaiso of the paddlewheel steam sloop Devas-
tation, 6, Commander John D. M'Crea, but would,
shortly after the departure of the mail, convey 100
supernumeraries to the screw steam frigate Bac-
chante, 51, Capt. D. Mackenzie, flag of Rear-Admi-
ral Sir T. Maitland, K.C.8., at Acapulco. Unless
any event of importance intervene, it was still sup-
posed that the Termagant would go southward from
Acapulco, possibly to Valparaiso, and leave the Pa-
cific station altogether in October. It is possible she
may be relieved by the screw steam frigate Tribune,
23, Capt. Lord Gilford, which left Plymouth on Sa-
turday for service under Admiral Maitland.
For some time past the screw steamship Donegal,
99, Capt. S. Osborne, has been expected to
arrive at Plymouth from; Bermuda. It is, however,
ititte.st..Ao w_ that. tout.Wilan mglaifiiiilT-post=
per

fined.- She supplied some 50 marines, ♦olunteers,
to join the expeditionary force in Mexico. They
went a short distance inland from Vera Cruz,
to a place called Marana, where 40 of them be-
came sick, and the whole returned to their ship. The
French soldiers are stationed considerably further
inland, and do not suffer so much from the climate.
Both the English and French forces were treated
most amicably by the inhabitants, but no Spanish
soldier was safe.

The paddlewheel steamsloop Geyser, 6, Comman-
der Colin Campbell, embarked supernumerary sea-
men for ships at Portland, and left Plymouth on
Monday evening.
The screw steam gunvessel Mullet, 5, left Ply-

mouth on Tuesday for the coast of Africa.
The floating battery Trusty, fitted some time ago
with Captain Cole's cupola shield for experimental
purposes, has been refitted at Woolwich with the
plates, seven in number, which were uninjured in
the subsequent trial at Shoeburyness. The shield is
again ready for the second trial, and will be fired at
from Sir Wm. Armstrong's heavy ordnance. The
damaged plates, five in number, have not been re-
placed, but their vacancies have been filled with oak
planks, and the interior of the cupola has been
shored up with solid balks of timber, to render the
shield as irresistible a target as 41-inch slabs of
wrought iron over a breastwork of oak can possibly
supply. In the forthcoming experiments the shield
is not intended to revolve, but will be fired at on
one side only.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander Iltid T. M. Nicholl,
to ,be Inspecting Commander in the Coastguard;
H. Harrison, in the Edinburgh, promoted to first-
class assist..engineer ; E. W. Thomas, in the Shel-
drake, promoted to first-class assist.-engineer ; C.
Platt, in the Marlborough, promoted to first-class
assist.-engineer ; C. M'Keever, in the Majestic, pro-
moted to first 'class assist.-engineer; W. H. Nichol-
son, in the Narcissus for the Penguin, promoted to
first-class assist.-engineer ; John Bradbury, in the
Dauntless for the Leveret, promoted to first-class
assist.-engineer ; J. Swanson, Wm. Murray, and T.
Carlini), in the Agamemnon, promoted to acting
first-class assist.-engineers; D. M. Shaw, promoted
to be surgeon ; Angus Robertson, assist.-surgeon
additional, to the Victory; Alexander Cochran and
Walter P. Ogle, naval cadets, to the Emerald ;
Marcus L. Bridger, Butler J. S. 0. Carter, and
Marcus M'Causland, naval cadets, to the Trafalgar;
Arthur H. IL S. Mercer, J. E. Blakland, and H. C.
Litchfield, naval cadets, to the Warrior; W. Scriven,
master's assistant, to the Royal Adelaide.

THE

SSION.

Yesterday the Japanese Ambassadors, accom-
panied by Mr. Macdonald, Attache of the English
Legation in Japan, and five of the principal officers
of their suite, including one next in rank to them-
selves, whom they designate the Vice-Governor,
paid a visit to the arsenal and gas rison at Woolwich.
They left the London-bridge Terminus of the North
Kent. Railway at a quarter-past 10 o'clock by a fast
train, arriving at Woolwich shortly before 11. At
the station there they were received by Brigade-
Major Millward and Capt. Forbes, Staff Captain, by
whom they were conducted direct to the Arsenal on
foot. Their visit and the time of it had been previ-
ously known, and a considerable number of the in-
habitants were waiting their arrival. The demean-
our of the crowd was marked by a feeling of respect-
ful curiosity which never for an instant bordered on
rudeness. Indeed, the general bearing of these
remarkable men, calm, self-possessed, quiet, and
unobtrusive as it is, at once inspires respect wherever
they go. They are courteous to a degree, and
acknowledge the tokens of kindly interest shown
them here on all hands with an easy politeness and
grace all their own. At the Arsenal they were
received with every mark of respect by GeneraliSir
Richard Dacres, the commandant of the garrison ;
Colonel Bingham, deputy-adjutant of Royal Artil-
lery ; Capt. Gordon, principal storekeeper ; Colonel
Boxer, superintendent of the laboratories ; Colonel
Clerk, superintendent of the carriage department;
Major Field, deputy-assist.-quartermaster-general;
Mr. Howell, director-general of contracts ; Captain
Inglis, Royal Engineers, inspector of works; and
Mr. Anderson, assistant-superintendent of the gun
factories. After an interchange of civilities they
were conducted, first of all to the laboratories, the