The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-14 00:00:00

TI-IE SUN, LONIJON, WEDNESDAY EViriNiN.6-, JUNE 14, 1866.

With regard to the motion for a Royal commission, he
hardly knew what, if appointed,it would have to do ; for the
facts were patent and the state of the law was wellknown.
In his opinion the real remedy lay in the transfer of power
from the local vestries to the central body, the Metropoli-
tan Board of Works.

Sir W. FRASER having expressed himself content with
the admissions of the Home Secretary, the motion was
withdrawn.

THE BELFAST RIOTS.

Mr. O'REILLY moved a resolution to the effect that the
evidence taken by the commissioners appointed to inquire
into the Belfast riots contained statements so seriously im-
pugning the official conduct of certain magistrates, that
equity to the magistrates accused, and a due regard to the
vindication of the impartiality of the administration of jus-
tice, required that a full inquiry into the truth of these
charges should be instituted by the authorities entrusted
with the supervision of the magistracy in Ireland.
Sir R. PEEL granted that the magistrates of Belfast had
exhibited a great want of judgment during the late un-
happy riots. In fact, they seem to have lost their heads
on the occasion. Upon submitting to the Lord Chancellor
the question whether any action should be taken against
them, the learned lord expressed an opinion that, although
the evidence was sufficient to show that they had not acted
with prudence, it would be unwise and even dangerous to
reopen an inquiry into their conduct after the investiga-
tions of the commissioners. To that view the Government
had given their adhesion, and they did not think that
further action should be taken beyond the Irish Constabu-
lary Bill which was now before Parliament, and which he
hoped would suffice to prevent a recurrence of events that
all must deplore. True, that measure would not be in
operation when next fresh disturbances might be appre-
hended, but Government would take steps to have an ade-
quate force in the neighbourhood for the protection of life
and property on the occasion.

Sir H. CAIRNS replied at considerable length to the
animadversions of Mr. O'Reilly upon the local magistracy,
who, although the commissioners said some of them might
have committed s.':rious errors in judgment, were not
chargeable with any neglect of duty. He hoped the Con-
stabulary Bill would prove useful on future occasions, but
he confessed he did not auguk so much from it as the Chief
Secretary did, and was rather disposed to trust to the good
sense of the people themselves, who must now see that
these riotous proceedings not only brought great discredit
on their town but inflicted injury upon the trade and com-
merce of the place.
After observations irom the O'Connor Don, Mr. M‘Ma-
hon, Mr. Verner, Mr. Whalley, Mr. Torrens, and Mr.
Maguire,

Sir G. GREY expressed a hope that Mr. O'Reilly would
be satisfied with the discussion that had taken place, and
not press his motion to a division, as no practical benefit
could accrue therefrom.

Mr. O'REILLY declining to accede to the request, the
house divided, and the motion was negatived by 132 to 39.

HARBOURS OF REFUGE.

Sir F. SMITH moved the following resolution :—" That,
in the opinion of this house, her Majesty's Ministers should
now adopt measures for the construction of some of the
harbours of refuge on the coast of Great Britain and Ire-
land recommended by a committee of this house in 1857,
and by a royal commission in 1859." The hon. and gallant
member observed that the public money was being spent
on necessary and unnecessary things in all directions, and
he thought the time had arrived when an outlay might be
made with advantage in the interests of humanity. Whilst
the mercantile marine of the country had gone on increas-
ing in an ever-augmented ratio, and the losses sustained in
coasting vessels continued in proportion, the recommenda-
tions of successive commissions and committees of inquiry
remained practically a dead letter, although an expenditure
of £1,340,000, spread over a period of 13 years, would be
adequate to meet the present requirements of the case.
Mr. BLAKE seconded the motion, which was supported
by Mr. GRANT DUFF, who censured the Government for
the apathy they had displayed in reference to this important
subject.

Mr. GIBSON opposed the motion on the ground, inter
alia, that the shipping interest objected to the recommen-
dation of the commission that they should contribute a tax
towards the construction of harbours of refuge. All the
commission had been appointed to do was to indicate the
sites best adapted for such harbours, and they exceeded
their powers when they treated the question from a finan-
cial point. Since he had been at the Board of Trade he had
never received a single representation from shipowners on
the subject, and in his communications with thorn he had
always found that they were either opposed to or regarded
with utter indifference these harbours of refuge. More-
over, he denied that there was any evidence to show that
if the expenditure mentioned were incurred it would pro-
duce any perceptible effect upon the loss of life and pro-
perty which annually took place on our coasts or in the
adjacent seas. To save life from shipwreck the best means,
in his opinion, were to establish lifeboats and good rocket
apparatus in positions where casualties most frequently oc-
curred, and to assist voluntary efforts in improving the en-
trances to existing harbours ; and this was being done to a
considerable extent under the Harbours Act by advances
of public money at a low rate of interest.
The motion was supported by Mr. Kendall, Mr. Liddell,
and Sir J. Hay.
A brief reply from Sir F. SMITH closed the debate, and
upon a division the motion was rejected by 111 to 99.
Much amusement was created by the fact that two or three
members of the Government, including the Solicitor-Gene-
ral, voted with the minority.

Amid cries of "Withdraw," "Go on," and "Move,"
shouts of laughter, and a variety of noises, Mr. 11. BER-
KELEY, who had given notice of a motion in favour of
the vote by ballot, then rose and said that, at that hour of
the night—twenty minutes past twelve—ho felt he should
not be doing justice to the "great question " by submitting
his resolution to the house. He therefore postponed it to
a future day. This announcement was followed by a deep,
sepulchral groan from a member on the Radical benches,
which was echoed from the opposite side by a diminutive
squeak—at which the house roared, so accurately did it
seem to represent the importance of the "great question"
that had literally been " talked out."
The house was speedily cleared of about 150 of the 200
gentlemen who had previously thronged its benches, and
Mr. Locke was left quietly to proceed with his Theatres
Bill.

The remaining business on the paper having been gone
through, the house adjourned at twenty minutes past one
o'clock.

HEALTH OF LONDON,

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Report.)

In the week that ended on Saturday, June 10, the birtks
registered in London and ten other large towns of the
United Kingdom were 3,876 ; the deaths registered,
2,637. The annual rate of mortality was 21 per 1,000 per-
sons living.

In London the births of 1,008 boys and 948 girls, in all
1,956 children, were registered in the week. In the corre-
sponding weeks of ten years, 1855-64, the average number,
corrected for increase of population, was 1,920.
The deaths registered in London during the week were
1,289. The average number for the twenty-third week,
viz., the corresponding week in ten years 1855-64 is, with
a correction for increase of population, 1,174. The present
return exhibits an excess of 115 deaths over the estimated
number.

Tho deaths show an increase on thoso of the two pre-
vious weeks, in which the numbers were successively 1,249
and 1,187. Diarrhoea increases, but by slow degrees; the
cases returned as fatal in the last three weeks having been
27, 38, and 44.

A man, aged 34 years, was fatally wounded on the head
by the spur of a gamecock. A young man died of hydro-
phobia in Westminster Hospital from haying been bitten
by a dog about nino weeks previously.
The following fatal carriage accidents were registered in
the week ; they were seven :—On the 6th June, in the
Royal Free Hospital, a railway porter, aged 22 years, died
from injury by a van ; on the 6th Juno, in the same hospi-
tal, the wife of a house painter, aged 35 years, by a cart ;
on the 31st ult., tho daughter of a costermonger, aged 3
years, by a dray in York-street, Walworth ; on the 7th
June, the son of a butcher, aged 5 years, by a van in White-
chapel-road ; on the 31st ult., in King's College Hospital,
the daughter of a labourer aged 2 years, by a cart in Little
Wyld-street ; on the 3d June, in St. Bartholomew's Hospi-
tal, alabouror, aged 63 years, by a cart at Lambeth; on the
sth Juno, in the same hospital, a brewer's servant, aged 45
years, by a dray at the Poultry.

The rate of mortality last week was 22 per 1,000 in Lon-
don, 28 in Edinburgh, and 25 in Dublin; 34 in Liverpool,
25 in Manchester, 26 in Salford, 15 in Birmingham, 24 in
Leeds, 21 in Bristol, 23 in Hull, and 31 in Glasgow. The
rate in Vienna was 40 per 1,000 during the week ending
the 27th ult., when the temperature was 4.1 deg. higher
than in the same week in London, where the rate was 22
per 1,000.

In Liverpool the births were 383, the deaths 314 ; in
Manchester the births 180, the deaths 173; in Salford the
births 55, the deaths 55; in Birmingham the births 242, the
deaths 94; in Leeds the births 190, the deaths 103; in Bristol
the births 104, the deaths 64; in Hull the births 84, the
deaths 45; in Edinburgh the births 143, the deaths 95 ; in
Glasgow the births 387, the deaths 250; and in Dublin the
births 152, the deal hs 155. There were 425 deaths in Vienna
during the week ending the 27th ult.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 30.167 in. The mean daily
reading was above 30irt. on the first six days. The reading
of the barometer was 22.90 in. on Sunday morning, and rose
to 30.36 in. on Thursday. The mean temperature of the air
in the week was 63.6 dog., which is 6.3 deg. above the ave-
rage of the same week in 50 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was above the ave-
rage throughout the week; excess was greatest on Tuesday
and Friday. The wind was variable, but south-west and
north-west were the prevailing directions. There was no
rain. Tho lowest night temperature occurred on Monday,
and was 50.9 deg. The highest day tempora!are was 82 deg.,
and occurred on Friday. The range in the week was there-
fore 314 deg. Tho mean daily range was 23.5 deg. The
highest reading of a thermometer in the sun was 136.2 deg.
on Thursday. The mean degree of humidity of the air was
71, complete saturation being represented by 100.

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE.

WESTMINSTER.

A meeting of the electors of Westminster favour-
able to the claims of Mr. William Henry Smith was
held last evening at Willis's Rooms, to meet the
honourable candidate, and hear from him an ex-
position of his political views. The meeting was
held in the Lower Room, which was crowded. Mr.
J. L. Elliot, in the absence of Earl Percy, presided;
and there were present on the platform the Hon.
Admiral Duncombe, M.P., Col. Brownlow Knox,
M.P., Sir J. Heron Maxwell, Mr. J. Taverner
Miller, M.P., Colonel Bagot, Mr. Twining, Mr.
Pratt Barlow, Mr. Murdock, Mr. Carter Wood,
Hon. R. Grimston, Colonel Rowley, Mr. G. A.
Miller, Mr. Beckwith, Mr. J. G Talbot, Mr. J.
Wood, Mr. Hartley, Mr. Golding, Mr. Cribb, Mr.
Marshall, Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Granville Ryder, Dr.
Witt, Dr. Duncan, Mr. Low, Mr. Spencer Perceval,
Mr. Tuxford, Mr. Mason, &c.
Mr. Smith was loudly cheered on entering the
room, and was hailed with repeated shouts and
hurrahs.

The CHAIRMAN briefly stated that the object of
the meeting was to afford to the Conservative can-
didate for Westminster an opportunity of meeting
a large number of those whom he hoped soon to call
his constituents, to explain his political views, and
to answer any questions they might desire to put.
Mr. Smith had already avowed moderate conserva-
tive:principles, and his determination to resist all
innovations which under the spurious name of Re-
form threatened to undermine our glorious consti-
tution.

Mr. W. H. S3lllll then came forward, and of ter
the cheering by which he was again greeted had sub-
sided, and he had claimed the indulgence of his
audience on the ground of his want of practice in
public speaking, said he desired honestly and openly
to state the opinions by which, whatever the result,
he resolved to be guided. It had been said that he
came before them as a Tory ; one of that good old
and respectable political party. He had not the
honour to be a Tory. Then it had been said he was
a milk-and-water politician. He did not come before
them as a party man, but one who was determined
to maintain his independence. (Cheers.) There
was no leader at present to whom he was disposed
to give in his undivided allegiance. He had great
respect for our old and glorious constitution, and he
hesitated in acquiescing in any measures which he
thought would in the slightest degree impair it.
Speaking of Mr. Baines's bill, which proposed to ad-
mit the upper stratum of the working classes to the
franchise, they were all the working classes. He
held the franchise, and had done so for 20 years,
but he had not been admitted as one of any parti-
cular class. He did not think the £lO household
franchise at all too high a qualification, nor was it
one that any working man who chose to be indus-
trious and steady could not obtain. He was not pre-
pared therefore to vote for a£6 franchise. (Hear.)
Then who was to decide where the line of the upper
stratum of the working classes was to begin ? The
qualification for the franchise should be some test
that the party exercising it had something like a
stake in the country, or would exercise it for the
good of the country at large. During the seven years
of the present Parliament the country had been
prosperous and content, and if it had not been the
Parliament would have been dissolved before. What
was the object of the present appeal to the consti-
tuencies ? It was to ascertain whether the people
were prepared for a great constitutional change.
They were told if the country desired in answer to
that appeal to demand reform it would be granted.
He wished it to be distinctly understood that he
did not come before them as the advocate of any
radical change in the constitution. On the contrary,
he was opposed to it. He was desirous to remedy all
abuses that existed, but he denied that all reform
was centred in a lowering of the franchise. There
were reforms of a more practical character. There
was such a thing as administrative reform. It had
been said the other day that it was difficult to check
the national accounts so as to promote economy.
He believed in this way reform was necessary, and
that in this direction the executive required to be
strengthened. Then there were social reforms—
reforms in our streets and in the education of the
people, and, if he might be allowed to say so,
he would educate the people before he admitted
them to the franchise. It was the case in this and
other large towns, and in the agricultural parishes
as well, in which the overcrowding of families ren-
dered it impossible to train up children in the know-
ledge and practice of moral principles and the social
virtues. He thought that persons and the heads of
families who lived in this way were not fitted for the
franchise. (A Voice : "It was class legislation that
made it so.") He did not give pledges ; brit there
was one matter upon -which he would give a pro-
mise, and that was to give his best attention to the
local interests of Westminster if returned. (Cheers.)
The issue put to the electors was, would they send
him to Parliament or send gentlemen who would
admit all and any to Parliament--who would give
the franchise to whoever asked it, and who having
once committed themselves to this slippery path
would slide down it to the very bottom. Some
persons whom he had canvassed said, " There is
really no difference between your views and mine,
but having always voted for a Liberal I must con-
tinue to do so." But he warned those who voted
on that principle to remember that the present Par-
liament had existed for six years on unfulfilled pro-
mises, and that if they returned their members on
that principle they might find another Parliament
disappointing them in the same way. (Hear, hear.)
Admiral DuNco3lBE, M.P., moved a resolution
approving of Mr. Smith's political principles, and
pledging the meeting to use its best endeavours to
secure his return.

Mr. J. C. WOOD seconded this, observing that
although Mr. Smith might not have the ability of a
Gladstone, he had at least the honesty. (Cheers,
and cries of " Gladstone for ever.")
Mr. MARSHALL cordially accepted Mr. Smith as
a candidate for the City of Westminster, for it was
of the highest importance that the electors should
send to parliament a practical and business man,
and he thought no one who had heard Mr. Smith's
statement could doubt that he was such a man.
Mr. NEWBURY, an elector, who met with consi-
derable interruption, advocated the claims of Capt.
Grosvenor.

An ELECTOR inquired as to the hon. candidate's
views in reference to the Maynooth grant.
Mr. LEWIS addressed the meeting in support of
the resolution, and deprecated the electors being
dictated to by some nine gentlemen who selected
themselves from the select vestries to dictate as to
who should represent them. Mr. Smith represented
to a tittle that moderate conservative sentiment
which he believed pervaded the whole of the middle
class of the electors of Westminster. (Hear, hear.)
He advised the friends of Mr. Smith not to split
their votes, but to plump for that gentleman, whose
success in that case was certain.

Mr. MILLER, M.P.,
also supported the motion,
which was put and carried with great cheering,
three or four hands only being held up against it.
Mr. W. H. SMITH moved a vote of thanks to the
chairman (but without replying to the question about
Maynooth) which was seconded by Col. Knox, M.P.,
and carried by acclamation ; and the chairman's
brief acknowledgment closed the proceedings.

A public meeting of the parishioners of St. Anne's
and St. Martin's, Westminster, favourable to the re-
turn of Mr. John Stuart Mill at the forthcoming
election, was held last evening in the Polygraphic
Hall, King William-street ; Dr. Rogers in the chair.
The CIIAIRMAN having expressed the pleasure he
felt at presiding on such an occasion, said the elec-
tors met for the purpose of advancing the unequalled
claims of Mr. Mill to their suffrage. He regretted to
say that Engla,nd seemed to be the only country in
which intellectual capacity did not meet with a pro-
per recognition, and there was no doubt the sarcasm
that was directed towards us was to a considerable
extent deserved. The distinguished gentleman who
appeared as a candidate had lifted himself from the
people to the foremost position amongst the people,
and the City of Westminster would be honoured by
having such a luau in the House of Commons to
attend to their interests. He (the chairman) felt
sincere sorrow at the retirement of Sir J. Shelley,
who while he represented them never proved a re-

creant to the principles for which he was selected,
and it was to be hoped for the public good that his
services would not be lost to the country.

Mr. T. HARE proposed a resolution recommend-
ing the election of Mr. Mill, and which was sub-
substantially the same as was adopted at other meet-
ings connected with the representation of West-
minster.

Mr. M. CHAMBERS, in seconding the resolution,
expressed a hope that what he called " money-
ocracy" would cease to command the influence
which it exercised among constituencies, and that
the electors of England would hasten to appreciate
the independence which would be only secured by a
determination to obtain the return of men of integ-
rity and talent.

The resolution, which was duly supported, was then
put to the meeting and carried amid acclamation.

BEVERLEY.

On Saturday Mr. D. Keane, Q.C., the Liberal
candidate for the representation of this borough,
addressed the electors for the first time. He met
with a most enthusiastic reception. He considered
it of great importance to secure freedom of election,
and said that he would vote for any reduction of
the franchise that he could get. If they approved
his principles and sent him a proper requisition he
would fight their battles to the last.