The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-14 00:00:00

has crept into the debate which will prejudice our
interests abroad and offend a friendly power. The
very unsatisfactory result which has ensued respect-
ing the relations between Canada and the United
States confirms the soundness of Mr. FITZGERALD'S
strictures upon the subject, for the inconsistency of
our Government has been most marked, and it ha 3
met with the usual fate attending such matters, for
the Federals have done all in their power to show
their sense of our vacillation and uncertain action.
Mr. FITZGERALD concl4ed his eloquent speech by
earnestly pressing upon the Government the neces-
sity of looking to the defences of Canada, and so
arranging affairs that, if war broke out, that colony
might not suffer, as it was now to be apprehended it
would. There are several points in the right hon.
gentleman's speech which are worthy of attention,
and which may be dwelt upon with advantage by
those in authority : for instance, in one passage he
compared the zeal and efficiency displayed by the
Americans in the question of fortifications with the
supineness of our Government, who were content to
take the chance of the chapter of accidents.
Mr. CAVE'S remarks were almost as absurd as
they well could be, for the right hon. gentleman
seemed to go out of his way to abuse the
Canadians,.and he was at great pains to show that
too much fuss was made about the affair. In the
course of his speech he showed a great deal of that
irritation of feeling which he so strongly deprecated
in others, and altogether his discourse must have
been very satisfactory to Mr. BRIGHT. His at-
tempts to make game of Mr. FITZGERALD'S speech
proved a signal failure, and his concluding
proposal met with universal dissatisfaction.
He said that the best thing we could
do "in the interests of peace, and for the
purpose of carrying on a successful war, if war there
must be, would be at once to withdraw our troops
from Canada." Certainly when these topics do
come on it is extraordinary to notice what incon-
gruous and unsuitable propositions are made. It
would be madness to throw away our resources and
waste our opportunities after this fashion, and
it would be playing directly into the hands of the
Yankees and carrying out the principles of the
Mumto doctrine. Lord PALMERSTON, with his
usual discrimination, discerned the dangerous drift
of Mr. CAVE'S views, and at once utterly dis-
claimed all participation in them. The noble lord
emphatically declared that he dissented from
the notion that Canada could not be de-
fended, and added with becoming spirit that
the honour of England required that the attempt
at any rate should be made if occasion called for it.
" I am anxious," said the noble lord, " that there
should be no mistake on the subject, and that it
may be fully understood that it is not the in-
tention of the Government to follow the advice of
my right hon. friend and withdraw our troops
from Canada." This assurance will be a welcome
one, and it is just as well that Lord PALMERSTON
should have so clearly and specifically stated his 1
intentions. Mr. DISRAELI also strongly urged the
adoption of some vigorous policy with regard
to this important matter, and he did so from
no immediate anticipation of a war with the
United States, but for the purpose of being in a
proper state of preparation, ready for emergency,
and prepared for casualties. The right hon. gen-
tleman wisely pointed out the mistakes made by those
who confine their notions of the" balance of power"
to Europe, because there are other States not
among European Powers whose influence prevailed
greatly in public affairs. The consequences which
1 Mr. DISRAELI considers to follow upon all discus-
sion are certainly very important ones—that " we
are conscious now of what our duty to the colonies
• is, and that we are prepared to fulfil that duty in a
manner which I doubt not will conduce to the
strength and independence of the British empire:,
If such sentiments prevail, there can be little fear-
of the result of our policy. Mr. BRIGHT'S speech was
what might be expected of him upon such a topic,
but he did not meet with a very favourable recep-
tion. On the whole we may consider that this de-
bate has been satisfactory, and the loud cheers
which greeted the conclusion of Lord PALMERSTON'S
speech sufficiently proved that the House appre-
ciated the spirited tone of the noble lord's speech,
and which was worthy of the Prime Minister of
this great country in speaking of her colonial
possessions.

We are glad to find that the question of our har-
bours of refuge is going to be brought under the
notice of Parliament. Their importance to a mari-
time nation like ourselves is very great, but with
the singular dilatoriness which seems to be insepar-
able from all our official proceedings, our supply is
still very far short of our requirements. On the
north and north-east coasts, more especially, har-
bours of refuge are much wanted ; and, again, on
the south coast, by Newhaven, half way between
Portsmouth and the Downs. Our commerce is so
large, that the expense of such an outlay hardly de-
serves to be considered in comparison to the
immense value of the property at stake.
Part of the expense might be cheerfully
borne by the town or county benefited by
the harbour of refuge, which would naturally draw
large profits from the continual presence of ships.
What further remained to be done should be done
without hesitation by the Imperial Government,
which should surely be as anxious to provide for the
safety of our sailors and ships against the destruc-
tive agency of the tempest, as to guard our shores
against the enemy by the construction of costly
forts. The one danger is possible, and should
therefore be guarded against; the other is not only
possible, but inevitable, and should, most certainly,
be guarded against. Nature, if she has given us
rugged and dangerous coasts, has herself pro-
vided, in some measure, the remedy, for there
are many localities where the natural con-
struction of the ground forms the framework of
a harbour of refuge. Pembroke Harbour, which
some gentlemen the other evening advised should
be abandoned by the Government, is such a gift of
Nature, and it would be the height of folly for the
Imperial Government to resign such a position.
Sir F. SMITH last evening gave notice that after
Easter he would move a resolution to the effect that
it is the duty of the Government to adopt at once
those measures for the construction of harbours of
refuge which have been recommended by a Parlia-
mentary Committee in 1857 and a Royal Commis-
sion in 1859.

We hope the House will come totheacnodnsliidbeerraa-1
tion of this subject with a candid
spirit. The protection of our
vulremlfaarrietinmf maritime interests
country, terestsis
so very interesting to the
that the question of a few thousands, more or less,
does not deserve to be weighed in the balance, so
long as the amount is fairly laid out in really
suitable positions. The sums lavished at the
Admiralty for alterations and experiments, for ships
that will not sail, and armour-plates that cannot
resist shot, would soon serve to put our coasts in a
Proper state of protection against the storms and
tempests of our winter seasons. Indeed, the whole
question of our harbours and docks requires a full
examination, and we hope that in future a little
more care will be taken by the authorities before
the public money is laid out, professedly
with a good object in view, but in reality in the

very place or manner to defeat the object intended.
The Malta dock is a striking instance of an Admi-
ralty blunder. After all the debate and discussion,
the indignant remonstrances of those who know the
island, and the angry opposition of Ministers, the
Admiralty is forced to own itself in the wrong, and
to concede all that it had so strenuously maintained.
Acting in direct defiance of the reiterated opinions
of Admiral FANSHAWE MARTIN, Commander-in-
Chief of the station, and of Admiral CODRINGTON,
Superintendent of Malta Dockyard, the Admiralty
persisted in the construction of a dock and basin at
the Marsa, when every argument was in favour of
the selection of a different site. The French
Creek has every advantage over its neighbour,
and it is no wonder that when the Admiralty pro-
ceedings became known in this country an active
opposition was raised to the scheme. We did not
fail ourselves to point out very strongly the absur-
dity of constructing costly works at the Marsa
while so excellent a site as the French Creek, so
contiguous to the dockyard and so advantageous in
every way to the public service was left unemployed
on the ground of some old treaty with the Maltese
Government, which could be easily arranged with-
out any breach of faith. The Admiralty officials,
however, would hear no reason ; but thanks to the
persistence of the House and the press, the
public have been saved so unprofitable and
foolish an outlay as was intended. The Duke
of SOMERSET deserves high praise for his determina-
tion to judge for himself, and to see with his own
eyes the actual condition of the case. Accordingly,
during the recess, the First Lord of the Admiralty
visited Malta, and arrived at the conclusion which
no intelligent and unprejudiced man actually on the
spot could fail to arrive at. The superiority of the
French Creek over the site of the Marsa was at
once apparent, and it was not long before the Duke
made an amicable arrangement with the Maltese
authorities, and a dock is to be commenced at once
in that locality. There is little hope, we fear, that
this transaction will serve as a warning to our
Admiralty, but it bears its moral for the pub-
lic. The opinions and advice of disinterested
parties actually on the spot, whose experience and
Whose responsible position entitled them to reflect,
was entirely set at nought, and the opposition of
independent members of Parliament was met by
denials, evasions, and assertions of the impossibility
of a change. Yet, where there is a will there is a
way; and no sooner does the Duke of SOMERSET be-
come convinced of the true state of the case than all
difficulties melt away like snow, a fresh site is
chosen, and the work we are told is to begin at
once. Yet we have here a fair sample of the man-
ner in which the public money is too often wasted,
through the ignorance, prejudice, or the obstinacy
of officials. If the heads of a department
cannot always inspect for themselves they can
at least accept the opinion of men whom
they knew to be capable of forming a correct and
unbiassed judgment. Surely, in a case like that of
the Malta dock, the views of two Admirals, who
were familiar not only with the requirements of the
fleet, but the peculiarities of the island, deserved a
respect which was not shown to them. •

The selection of Bermuda as a site for a dock is a
very excellent measure; and Lord C. PAGET spoke
truly when he said the advantages of that island far
outweighed those of Halifax ; but we regret that the
vote for it should have been postponed until a further
examination of the place. The Secretary for the
Navy himself said he knew it well, for the locality
is no newly discovered one, and its peculiarities and
difficulties are familiar to many. It would be de-
sirable for many reasons to begin the construction
of the Bermuda dock at once, and there is no doubt
that some of our able scientific men can suggest a
way of obviating the local difficulties without any
further examination.

Lyceum Theatre,

Last evening, owing to the sudden indisposition
of Mr. Fechter, Mdlle. Beatrice made her first
appearance at this theatre in the character of Mrs.
Haller in the play of the " Stranger." The per-
formance was marked with all that womanly ten-
derness which so distinguished the lady when she
sustained the character at the Haymarket Theatre
some short time ago. The applause of the audience
was hearty and spontaneous, and the addition of
Aidlle. Beatrice to the company now engaged at the
Lyceum cannot but be productive of the best results.
Of course there were the usual number of calls, all
of which Mdlle. Beatrice most gracefully acknow-
ledged.

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE.—AduIt baptism in the
river is being revived at Mallon, and on Sunday the
immersion of four upgrown persons was the cause of one of
the most remarkable scenes ever witnessed in the town
That part of the river Derwent between the county bridge
and the old Roman ford is known as "Jordan," and tradi-
tion has held it that the Saxon King Edwin of Northumbria
was baptised here,with many of his subjects, by Archbishop
Paulinus, in the 7th century. About 35 or 40 years ago, on
the establishment of the Baptist mission in the town, there
was a resumption of baptism by immersion at this part of
the river, and some 12 or 14 persons were then immersed.
The practice was discontinued on the formation of a well in
the chapel, and has not been revived till about two years ago,
when the now sect calling themselves Christian Brethren, re-
stored it, by the public baptism of a young man in the
river, but the sect do not hold this immersion as a sine qua
non. About two months since a lady was baptized in the
same manner, and on Sunday one young lady, Miss Birss, and
three of the male sex, Mr. Graham, Mr. Vasey, and another
young lad, were immersed in the river by Mr. W. Wright,
the leader of the "brethren." Two baptisms of other young
ladies were deferred until warmer weather, the ladies being
'in delicate health. The novelty of the ceremony attracted
crowds of persons of all classes, the bridge, the railway
viaduct, the island, and every available point where a view
could be had, being crowded. The candidates for the rite
met in the bridge-house, from which the three men soon
emerged, lightly clad, followed by the lady in a robe
of white. Mr. Wright found his task no easy one,
owing to the considerable amount of flood water in the
river, in which a bath was anything but inviting. Some
time was consumed by Mr. Wright in getting into the river
at various points, to try to find out a place sufficiently
shallow for the immersion to take place, each failure being
hailed with derisive laughter from certain of the crowd,
many of whom treated the affair as a capital joke. At
length a suitable place was found, and Mr. Wright was pre-
paring to undertake the baptism of the young lady, when a
young lad named Blackburn, who had perched on a ledge of
the gasworks, was observed to fall headlong into the most
dangerous part of the river, close by the main arch,
through which a very powerful current was running. An
alarm was raised, and the whole 1,200 or 1,500 persons at
once left the baptismal party to see the result of the lad's
struggles in the river at the opposite side of the island. At
first it seemed as if the lad must be drowned in the presence
of every ono ; but shortly a young man named Killen, son of
Mr. Killen, shoemaker, threw off his coat and leapt into the
current, and succeded in reaching the drowning lad just in
time. Amid the plaudits of the crowd he brought Black-
burn to land, though himself thoroughly exhausted by the
strong
current. Several gentlemen on the spot resolved
that a testimonial should bo raised to reward the gallant
fellow. When this drowning business was settled, the crowd
hurried back to " Jordan," where the baptismal proceedings
had been arrested by the alarm. Betting on any subject
whatever is sure, to characterise a crowd in the sporting
atmosphere:of Molten, and offers to back Killen
against
Wright were numerous, and again roused the hilarity which
the accident had suppressed. Mr. Wright Wivraigsht
possiblyliira se lfseem
renderede d
ff
muddyee
to have somewhat lost nerve, n
worse by the taunts and gibes of the roughs. At length
all was ready, and Mr. Wright, having walked a few yards
into the river, was followed by the young lady, whom he
baptised in the name of the Trinity, the immersion being
the signal for a grand cheer from a considerable part of the
assemblage. The same form was gone through with each
of the men, one of whom looked particularly nervous, and
was laughed at immensely. After the proceedings were
completed the newly baptised persons were taken to the
bridge-house
Tthoermesournmeintghewirasorvdeinryaryeolddr,eassndantdhepawrtnatkore
in
a half of
hot
state. There were very few sympathisers with
methodthe " breot
fh epr putting
nwgh
themose
into particularprabo at
ipotei s moaaul
ene
do t i
amusementthe
to almost all present, and were a source of fun to a
majority of the beholders, who saw nothing sacred in the
proceedings.