The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-19 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1865.

The Union Chargeability Bill is making progress,
and last night passed through committee and was
reported with amendments to the house. Mr.
HENLEY proposed an amendment, to the effect that
the system of removal be entirely abolished. The
right hon. gentleman stated that a great boon would
thereby be conferred upon the poor, who suffered
great inconvenience from the present mode. The
various changes that have been made have brought
the necessary term down to three years, and many
devices are resorted to in order to prevent the
poorer classes from remaining the full time which
gives them a claim in any parish. There was great
force in the arguments employed by Mr. HENLEY
in favour of his proposition, and he urgal on the
house to put a stop to the "miseries and manoeuvres"
that were occasioned by the present system of removal
Re also stated that the effect of this bill would be ,
tl:2 equalise the rates throughout the metropolis.
11 this be effected it will certainly be a great thing
gained, and it is to be hoped that such a consequence
may follow. Mr. VILLIERS adopted rather an
extraordinary course with respect to this proposi-
tion
; he agreed with the principle of the amend-
ment, but was at great pains to show that Mr.
HENLEY Could not sincere in his proposal. In
endeavouring to cast t ridicule upon his political
opponent he made a great mistake himself, and
showed an oversight and inattention that were quite
out of character in aMinister bringing in a bill, when
he certainly ought to know all the details connected
with it. He said that the amendment of the right
hon. gentleman had taken him by surprise, whereas
Mr. HENLEY stated that he had placed the notice
on the paper before the recess. Before making a
sweeping statement or accusation of any sort, it is
always expedient to be furnished with facts ; but,
allowing that a mistake is made, nothing can ac-
count for Mr. VILLIERS omitting to acknowledge
his error. He did neither himself nor his cause any
credit by the bitterness of feeling and the party
spirit which he displayed last night. If a proposal
be
good, it can matter very little to the country
from which side of the house it emanates. The
people want measures, not men ; but it is evident
that Mr. ITILLIERs thinks that a benefit would lose

its efficacy if the Opposition suggested its adoption.
It seems strange that the right hon. gentleman
himself and his friends did not propose this
abolition of the Law of Settlement when
they were making such extensive changes
and complete alterations. Mr. KEKEWICH'S amend-
ment was agreed to, which was so far satisfactory,
as it was a good one, and limits the term of settle-
ment to one year. There is reason .to hope that
advantages will accrue from the bill as it stands,
but it might have gone further, and done more.
Mr. VILLIERS said that he would be very glad to
introduce a bill for the purpose of equalising the
rates in the metropolis, when he saw any chance of
success for it. It is to be hoped that this much-
needed reform will shortly take place, for many
reasons urge its adoption, and while many complain
of their heavy rates the real sufferers are the poor,
who only receive relief in the most niggardly man-
ner, and are subject to the most stringent rules in
consequence of the absurd and unequal distribution
of the present system of relief.

The principle of limited liability has been gene-
rally accepted as based on common sense and
simple justice. Such painful cases occurred under
the old system, and such heavy risks were run by
small partners, who were invariably ruined by the
collapse of a great firm, that a conviction of the
necessity of some change had gained ground among
all commercial classes. The measure, when car-
ried, worked very successfully, and gave general
satisfaction. No one now wishes to retrace the
steps taken by it, or to burden the individual part-
ners of joint-stock companies with the weight of
the whole liabilities. It is manifest how much such
a system must tend to deter men of capital from
forming any connection with men who may have
enterprise, talent, integrity, and all other
requisites for success in trade, but have not the
necessary funds. If this objection was felt in the
establishment- of large public companies, it is evi-
dent that it exists in much stronger force in the
way of the capitalist who may wish to give some
assistance to a struggling beginner without encum-
bering him with the weight of an annual and in-
flexible payment. The Partnership Amendment
Bill, which last night passedthrongh committee, was
framed to remove this difficulty, and to extend the
benefits granted to joint-stock companies to private
firms. By its provisions the lender is enabled to
receive a share in the yearly profits instead of an
annual fixed interest, without thereby incurring
the risk of partnership. It is evident that
this facility offers great advantages to both
sides, provided that the transaction is bona
fide, since the merchant or the tradesman, in-
stead of being compelled to sacrifice the interests of
his business by making up a large yearly sum, in-
dependent of any of the thousand fluctuations of
trade, is enabled to make his business his first care,
his creditor's interests being identical with his own.
It is manifest that the general creditors of the bor-
rower are much more likely to profit by such an
arrangement, since, if there is an exorbitant credi-
tor, his interests will always be paramount to theirs,
but if his gains depend on the real profits of the
business, the general creditors have really the pre-
ference. Some of the opponents of the measure
seemed to think that it would facilitate fraud, but
they did not establish their point. It will, of course, be
impossible under any circumstances to guard en-
tirely against fraud or dishonesty, but there is no
evidencethat the measure in question will afford any
additional facilities to the unscrupulous, or that it
will in any way assist him in evading the existing
laws. It was objected that a lender might withdraw
his money on the very day on which 'he knew the
borrower was to become a bankrupt, but this argu-
ment had no force against the bill, seeing that the
very same thing might be done by a lender who
advanced his money at a fixed rate of interest. The
Solicitor-General showed that, by making his re-
turns
dependent on the rate of profit, a lender
really encroached less on the general fund than if he
took a fixed rate of interest. On the other hand,
some members corciplained that the precaution taken
against any abuse of the privilege was excessive,
and that the clause which provided that a lender
who advanced money on the terms of a share of the
profits should not be repaid his loan, in case of bank-
ruptcy, until all the other creditors were satis-
fied. But although apparently hard in prac-
tice, the theory upon which this clause is
based is perfectly sound, seeing that such a
creditor is supposed to have profited by the good
fortune of the firm to a greater extent than any
other. In prosperous seasons he may have received
10 or 20 per cent. for his money, and can, therefore,
better afford to run the risk of loss than the other
creditors. His capital has been the means of extending
the business and of obtaining confidence and credit; it
is therefore only fair that he should bear some addi-
tional risk. The clause was finally agreed to, and
allowed to stand part of the bill, and certainly it
affords a safeguard against any abuse of the privi-
lege. The clause proposed by Mr. SELWYN, on the
other hand, gave no such protection, but would
merely serve to damage a man's credit, which, as
every one knows, is to damage his business. We
are not surprised that, on its being pressed to a
division, it should have been rejected by a decisive
majority. Bovna.'s clause was rejected as unfair
to the creditor, while the Attorney-General showed
that the existing law was powerful enough to meet
any case of collusion. On the whole, the bill, while
enlarging the sphere of commercial enterprise, offers
every reasonable protection against fraud, and is,
therefore, deserving of public support.

The motion for the second reading of the Dock-
yard Extensions Bill, last evening, met with general
support. It is not very usual for Sir J. ELPHIN-
STONE and Sir J. D. HAY to express their approval
of any Government measure, and if such shrewd
and able critics are satisfied that the public interests
have been duly considered, the fact is of itself a
recommendation to the Bill. Sir J. HAY expressed
his satisfaction at the alteration in the character of
the contracts. Formerly they were so small and
petty that they fell into the hands of inferior firms,
but now they are raised to an amount which will
bring the highest class of contractors into
the field. The committee of the House which
sat last year gave its opinion that the Government
should be empowered to give contracts for the whole
of the works to be spread over a certain number
of years. In the case of Portsmouth the maxi-
mum amount of the contract is to be £700,000, and
the maximum sum to be made payable in any 12
months £250,000. In the case of Chatham the re-
spective maximum amounts to £650,000 and
£200,000, and the maximum duration of the con-
tracts to be five years. Sir J. ELPHINSTONE, while
supporting the Bill, urged that the works should be
completed as quickly as possible, an appeal which
was supported by Sir JOHN HAY. Mr. CHILDERS
met this argument with the assertion that parts of
the work were to be done by convict
labour, which, of course, was not included
in the estimates. It is to be hoped that
when the work is fairly set on foot it will be pro-
secuted with due vigour, and that no petty half-
measures may be adopted. It is a national concern,
in which a few thousands should not be considered,
but the durability and efficiency of the works should
be the paramount consideration. It is a pity that

the Government did not carry out their plans on
the scale that was recommended a few years
since. At Portsmouth there is little doubt
that, before the works are completed, the
whole of the waste land at the foot of the Porto-
down hills will be included. Nature has conferred
such benefits on this spot that it seems as if she had
designed it for docks and basins. The peculiarity
of the tide from Langdon, -which will flow into the
harbour for two hours after the ebb, gives immense
advantages, and this could easily be turned into
another channel. in the works—since undertaken
in a large and liberal spirit—the most can be made
of those natural advantages ; and we hope before
they are concluded they will be worthy of the
coun

Ltry.

The last intelligence concerning the Paddlers'
Strike is very satisfactory. It is stated that the
paddlers at the various works are all going in, and
the strike is therefore virtually at an end. When the
first feeling of dissatisfaction has subsided, it must
suggest itself to the reflective mind that a great
deal of confusion has arisen for very little purpose.
All can count the losses, but who may measure the
gains of such unseemly struggles and deplorable
strife ? It is a melancholy spectacle to witness men
flinging away their chances of livelihood for the
veriest trifles, and casting all considerations of
prudence to the winds, in order to gratify the pas-
sions of the moment, and carry out some scheme that
is perhaps not a feasible one at any time, and
at the especial juncture when it is attempted
may be most injurious. On the other hand, the
conduct of the masters is often most blameable, and
they occasion great injuries to their own interests,
as well as ruining immense numbers of their work-
men, by their prejudices and infatuation. Nothing
is a greater mistake than to persist in keeping to one
predetermined line of action, irrespective of the
consequences, and regardless of the changes that
time and circumstances may render necessary. This
obduracy on the part of employers has been the
cause of great mischief and misery. Perhaps the
fairest conclusion to arrive at, in the case of the
Staffordshire strikes and lock-outs, is to divide the
blame between both parties in the dispute. Doubtless
the men have been apparently the most in fault,
but might not more care and consideration on
the part of the masters have obviated the necessity
of proceeding to extremities. It is always more
wise, more politic, and more humane, to avoid
coming into collision with class interests, and they
who by timely concessions are able to avert the ca-
tastrophe are much to be commended, and may de-
servedly rank among the benefactors of their kind.
If the happy intelligence which has reached us be
fully realised in all its details there will still remain
many sad records of the struggle which cannot easily
be effaced, and will be long rankling in the minds
of those who will find it difficult to forgive or forget
the insults and injuries that have been freely received
and given on both sides. It is not too much
to expect that in these days of enlightenment
a cessation should take place in these unseemly
exhibitions, and that the last outbreak may finally
dispose of this unsatisfactory and undignified mode
of dealing with the " vexed questions " that ever
and anon will necessarily arise between those who
employ and those who serve. It will generally be
found that the spirit of bitterness and rancour that
is engendered by these affairs militates greatly
against the prosperity of all concerned, and there-
fore, for the sake of self-interest generally, the next
potent agency to invoke, it is to be trusted that a
period will be put to the matter at present, and that
in future those higher considerations of morality
and justice, which should alike influence, may be
brought to bear upon the disputants.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, MAY 18.

Between 6 and 7 o'clock yesterday morning the
mail steamer Leinster, Commander Slaughter, R.N.,
ran into the Eblana, Captain Timothy, another
steamer belonging to the City of Dublin Steam
Packet Company, which plies between Dublin and
Liverpool. The collision occurred about half way
between the Kish lightship and Kingstown harbour.
The Leinster struck the stern of the Eblana, carry-
ing away the taffrail, the wheel, and the steering
apparatus, and damaging considerably the after part
of the vessel. The shock was very great, and caused
much alarm among the passengers and crew. It
was some minutes before the extent of the damage
was clearly ascertained, and in anticipation of an
emergency Captain Timothy ordered the boats to be
lowered. Fortunately it was found that no material
injury had been inflicted, and by placing tackle on
the rudder head a temporary steering apparatus was
improvised, by means of which the Eblana was
worked into Kingstown harbour, where she arrived
about an hour and twenty minutes after the acci-
dent. When the collision took place one of the
men at the wheel of the Eblana, fearing the vessel
might go down, leaped on board the Leinster. As
there .was no fog, it is difficult to account for
the collision on any other supposition than that
there was a bad look-out on board the Leinster.
The commander of that vessel, no doubt reluctant
to delay the arrival of the mails, and not supposing
there was much danger, immediately on getting his
boat free continued his course for the harbour.

Moate-park, the beautiful seat of Lord Crofton,
has been totally destroyed by fire. About 1 o'clock
yesterday morning the discovery was first made that
the house was on fire, and, notwithstanding that
every assistance in their power was rendered by the
constabulary and the tenants on the estate, the fine
mansion was entirely consumed, nearly all the fur-
niture and many objects of great value having been
destroyed. The house is said to be insured for a con-
siderable amount. Happily no accident took place.
The officers of the 60th Rifles gave a grand ball
on Tuesday evening, at the International Hotel, ,
Bray, to the elite of the nobility and gentry of the
county and city. The coffeeroom, which is of vast
dimensions, was specially prepared for dancing. It
was in every respect a brilliant reunion, and doubt-
less will be long remembered in connection with the
stay of the Rifles in Dublin.
The beautiful grounds of Trinity College Park
were crowded yesterday with as numerous and
brilliant an assembly as was ever gathered within
their precincts on any similar occasion to witness
the contests of strength and speed between the
students who so eagerly compete for the much
coveted prize. The weather was all that could be
desired, being for the most part bright and sunny,
with a strong though refreshing breeze. The whole
of the central sward was railed off for the athletes ;
and the spectators, from almost every portion of the
field, had a very fair view of the proceedings. Around
the barriers innumerable seats were placed, and at
the end nearest the Provost's residence several tents
were erected for the convenience of the more dis-
tinguished visitors, with one specially for the accom-
modation of the Viceregal party, who were in
attendance. A marquee to the rear of these was
for refreshments. A flag, with the College arms,
occupied a conspicuous position. The whole park
presented as gay and animated a scene as could well
be imagined. The proceedings commenced about
two o'clock. Mr. Gerrard has won the championship
this year by two points, Mr. Smith being second.
The last event was not decided until after half-past
six o'clock, when Miss M'Donnell, the Provost's
daughter, distributed the prizes, and the vast assem-
bly separated, evidently well pleased with the day's
proceedings.

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE.—Their Royal High-
nesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duchess
of Cambridge and Princess Mary honoured the performance
at the Royal Lyceum Theatre with their presence last

evening.
CRYSTAL PALACE.-ONE SHILLING DAY.--
THURSDAY, May 18.—Admissions on payment, 2,670 ; ditto
by season tickets, 1,240; total visitors, 3,910.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE CALCUTTA, CHINA, AND
AUSTRALIAN MAILS.
SOUTHAMPTON, May 19.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-
ship. Poona), Capt. Field, with the above mails and
163 passengers, has arrived. She brings 20 pkgs.
specie, value £22,876, and 1,222 pkgs. cargo,
including 854 bales raw silk, value £70,000 sterling.
Amongst the passengers are Sir Charles and
Lady Trevelyan and General M'Cleverty andfamily.
On the 9th the Poonah spoke the steamship
Euxine ; 13th, the English bark Stentor : and on
the 14th, off• Tarrifa Point, steering east, the
English bark Melpomone, brig Sarah Ann, Turkish
steam brig, new code, No. 48,719.
Her Majesty's ships Victoria, Royal Oak,
Resistance and Pysche at Malta. _

GIBRALTAR, May 14.
The Spanish screw frigate Novas de Zobosa was
launched at the Carracas on the 10th.
The Spanish papers publish a decree, permitting
goods manufactured in Catalonia to be imported
into Cuba and other islands of the Spanish Antilles.
The Spanish Government are hastening the de-
parture of the ships that are to be employed in
removing the garrison and stores from St. Domingo
to the Havannah. The Isabel la Cattolica is the
vessel named to take out the order for the abandon-
ment of the island.
The departure of Isabella Queen of Spain for her
royal seat at Aranjuez has been suspended.
Advices from Melilla state that all intercourse
with the Moors had ceased, and the inhabitants of
that penal settlement were deprived of provisions
usually brought in by the Moors, particularly char-
coal and firewood, which are now supplied from the
military stores at high prices.
News from El Penon mention that the Moors
continue their hostility against that fortress, not-
withstanding that the fire from the batteries had
killed and wounded several of them. It is the
opinion that hostilities are likely to break out at all

points.
The following British vessels have arrived here
since the last mail for England :—Steamer Don
Pedro, from Cork; schooner Reaper, from Meath;
brig Oporto, from Liverpool ; steamer Christina,
from Liverpool ; steamer London, from London ;
steamer Cairo, from Liverpool ; and schooner
Blanche, from London.
Exchanges are quoted—London, 90 days' date,
491; Paris, sf. 27c. ; Marseilles, 8 days' sight, sf.
18c. to. 19c. ; Madrid, 2 to 2/ dis. ; Cadiz, 31 to 34
dis. ; Seville, par to 4 dis. ; Malaga, toe dis. ;
Barcelona, / toe prem. Freights unchanged.