The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

-- IHE SUN, LONDON, TriaRSDAY EVENING, MAY 29, 18621

M••••••••••• 11.
their report upon that core of the whole of our tin_
—the
mpreodjieaetteofif noaunrciaclodaisffit cEulotryti,fi,
ctahtait is to m
ons,becgoiaen'i'ng
at
Spithead! For the scheme has clearly this pecu-
liarity about it. Decide upon one, and others
will follow to a number as indefinite
and alarming as the Shadow-Kings seen
in the witch-glass by MACBETH. The first
stone fort erected according to this plan anywhere
along our coasts—say at Spithead—will be like a
stone dropped into water: circle upon circle, forti-
fication upon fortification will widen out from it.
For all which JOHN BULL will have to pay the
piper—out of a yearly £5,000,000 or 810,000,000
income tax. Wherefore it clearly behoves the old
gentleman to be exceedingly careful just now as to
what it is he is really about. One way or another
the Commons will have an opportunity of deciding
this momentous question upon the occasion of the
motion to be brought before it by the hon. member
for Halifax.

After looking through the long series of papers
on the Mexican affair, we have nothing to blame
out Government for but commencing the undertak-
ing at all. The papers do but confirm the original
impressions we received from public facts, and
which we have so recently expressed, that England
entered on the undertaking in perfect good faith,
and with no reserved thought whatever; that Spain
thought to outwit both her allies by anticipating
both on the scene of action, and calling forth a
Mexican demonstration in her favour; and that
France had also her own object, which is now de-
veloping itself. The excuse made at Madrid for
Spain's so obviously attempting to repeat the part
she played at St. Domingo is altogether nugatory
—it is "distance from the scene of action." We
fear that the true explanation of the present virtue
of Spain is that "the grapes are sour." Our con-
temporary, the Scotenzan,makes a statement which,
assuming its correctness, explains everything on the
part of Spain; it says that " the Spanish General
PRIM (who is either brother-in-law or son-in-law
of DOBLADO) was sent to Mexico with the design,
on the part not only of himself bat of the Spanish
Government, to be set up as President; and once in
that position he was to pave the way, as oppor-
tunities might serve, for the advent of a Spanish
Prince. Tkis design became known to the French,
and was openly charged against PRIM at a Coun-
cil, and an intimation made that France would
act independently of Spain, though she had no
objection to have the aid of Spanish forces in so
acting. General PRIM, not denying the charge,
assumed indignation, and withdrew his forces."
On the other hand, France early began to put
forth such extravagant claims to pecuniary compen-
sations as seemed designed to be the forerunners of
disagreement and rupture; but all was brought to
a crisis by the French permittin g General ALMONTE,
and other known reactionaries, who had been
banished the country, to land under French pro-
tection, and even to advance with the French into
the interior, there to plot with the resident oppo•
nents of the existing Government at their leisure.
That this should be followed by petty hostilities on
the part of JUAREZ and his Government was but a.
natural consequence ; and equally natural that
France, being on the watch for such an opportu-
nity, should make it a pretext for declaring war
against the JUAREZ Government. France had ap-
parently been really induced to believe the repre-
sentations of ALMONTE and the other fugitives,
that the Austrian Archduke MAximmart would
be welcomed by the Mexicans as, a Constitutional
Monarch, to terminate the present endless revolu-
tions, by the peaceful blessings of HAPSBURG rule.
The French contrived, therefore, to break up the
arrangement for a conference in which all claims
were to be arranged, and before it could be held, to
place themselves in a position to march on the
capital to enable the Mexicans freely to choose
their cwn Government when the existing one had
been ousted by French arms.
This, therefore, is how the quarrel now stands,
English and Spanish have withdrawn and watch
the doings of France from their own shores. France
meantime is marching on the capital, probably by
this time she is there. Lord RUSSELL communicates
to Mr. WYKE our Government's full approbation
of his- breaking off the joint action, when Franc•
persisted in provoking civil war in Mexico, by
encouraging General ALMONTE and in refusing to
treat with the Government of SUAREZ. Lord Rua-
SELL, however, asserts that England could have
pursued no other course with honour than that of
joining in the original expedition, when she had the
same claims to make as the other allies had, and
that the evils of not uniting at first with
the allies would have been greater than the pre-
sent separation. It seems almost amusing, after
all this, to find his Lordship stating that nothing
has occurred to "impair the friendly relations"
between the Governments of France and England.
Nothing certainly to cause a quarrel. France has
a right to take her own course with Mexico; only
when three persons agree to act together,we should
say that the one which separates from the other
two is the prima facie offender. Evidently France
had a wish from the beginning to attempt setting
Mexico right. It is a pity she did not say so, as
it might have saved us some useless expense. As
to Spain, we cannot pity her; it is but too plain
that she would have liked to do what France is
doing.

We must do the Lords the justice to acknowledge
that if two of them, a temporal and a spiritual
peer, could be found to utter the most unmitigated
bigotry on Tuesday night, all the rest, whether lay
or temporal lords, had a word to say in favour of
some degree of liberty in subscription. The Bishop
of OXFORD'S High Churchism stands to him, in the
place of his worthy father's conscience. The con-
science of the father, by his excessive solicitude to
be right, often kept his Parliamentary friends in
painful suspense, whether he and the half-dozen
who usually voted with him would give their
votes to their party or to a scruple. All were
certain he would vote as he believed he ought,
though they thought he frequently employed
weights and scales too delicate for political matters.
Of the son, on the contrary, you are quite sure how
he will vote, because you know that his Church is
his conscience—his Church, unreformed, unmiti-
gated, with all the beauties of TUDOR and STUART
creation, and, indeed, all the ivy and moss which
was not scraped off at the Reformation. These are its
charm in his oyes. Hence the temper into which
the Right Rev. Father in --- threw himself
with Lord EBURY'S Bill. It actually had tho
audacity to propose some mitigation of the pressure
on clerical integrity in the matter of subscription.—
some modification of an act certainly worthy of the
darkest ages—the Act of Uniformity. We have all
of us read enough of history to know that not one
of our standard historians now ventures to defend
that monument of bygone bigotry, indeed, hardly
one can be found who does not implicitly or ex-
plicitly condemn it.
OxFono will Never mind—the Bishop of
maintain"
is a pillar th© ainst all comers; that it
a°
With most libeChurch.r-'
fault they -41. minded Englishmen, the only
would find with Lord EBURY'S bill
wr''
„aid be, that it did not go far enough. The
question is simply this—The Act of Uniformity

requires of all beneficed clergymen, and many
others, not only an engagement to conform to the
Prayer•book in their conduct of public wor-
ship, but a declaration that " nothing in it is
contrary to Holy Scripture," and that they give
their " unfeigned assent and consent" to everything
in it. How much there is in it few of us know.
Often as we use its ordinary service, how many of
us have ever read all the services for every occa-
sion, and how many ever thought of examining the
theological truth, or even consistency of the parts ?
By nearly all, who have so examined, the parts of
this compilation of cervices, creeds, catechism, ar-
ticles, &c., are declared to be many of them contra-
dictory to each other—and we presume there can
be little doubt of the truth of Lord CHATHAM'S
dictum uttered in the House of Lords, that "we
have a Calvinistic Creed, a Popish Liturgy, end an
Arminian clergy." We have all of us the vague
impression that the Articles favour the Evangelicals,
while the Liturgy is the stronghold of the Ro-
manizers—an impression justified by the conduct
and preaching of both parties.
Things being thus, let us, says Lord EBURY, not
require all our clergy to declare that they believe
all things written in this possibly incongruous col-
lection of creeds and services—lut us be satisfied
with accepting their declaration simply, of confor-
mity. Let the clergyman merely say that he will
use these services, and no other, in his official capa-
city. This seems a very moderate proposal. How
is it met ? That admirable theologian, Lord DUN-
GANNON, moved the rejection of the bill, in a speech
which we searched in vain for arguments. What
seemed most like one was a sort of picture of a con-
gregation listening to a clergyman who declined to
express his " unfeigred assent and consent" to all
he read to them—hcw then must their faith in him
be weakened. But, unfortunately for this argument,
if he were not required to express it, his congrega-
tion could not be aware that he differed from his
book—and, still mire unfortunately, as things
stand, the preaching of at least three great
sects in the Charch the Puseyites, the
Evangelicals, and the Broad Church—makes
the people think something much worse of
them—namely, that they have subscribed to what
they do not believe ! So that the question is not
whether the congregation shall doubt their believ-
ing every iota of th, Prayer-book, for they know
the contrary, but whether the congregation shall
think their clergyman a man who will not only
take liberty to doubt and disbelieve many things,
but the further and ruch more questionable liberty
of signing what he dies not believe.
The rest of the Lords and Bishops, although all
having something tc say for the " venerable Act,',
or for the need of " ctution" in the mode of dealing
with it—still felt that something was really needed
to make an old Act of the time of the STUARTS
square with the irrelligence and the spirit of
inquiry of the preseat age. Lords RUSSELL and
SHAFTESBURY felt this very strongly, and the son
of WILBERFORC E am, the theological Viscount made
but sorry figures by their side. For ourselves, the
whole subject seems iardly to admit of dispute. To
think in the year 1.62 of requiring any educated
human being, with I conscience to call his own, to
sign to implicit belielin all and everything in an old
Book so big, and so of controverted matter as
the Prayer-book, setts like an insult to his under-
standing. When po4tion and emoluments are made
to depend on subseiption, as in the case of the
Established Church,the demanders of subscription
are almost guilty o! subornation to perjury—of
subornation of unbeieving subscription they cer-
tainly are. In the sleepy unexamining times of the
Church, so vividly painted by MACAULAY, subscrip-
tion was done in the lump, and, as a matter of
course, like Custom-house oaths. The Revenue
Service has, however, abolished its impractic-
able oaths, and the Church must abolish her im-
practicable subscri?tions. The Church must rise
to the civil standart of morality, or she will make
pharisees of the cifilians. It can no longer be en-
dured that clergynen shall be forbidden to think
out of the ruts of the Prayer-book, because they
have pledged themielves not only to use it, but to
believe it from thefirst to the last sentence.

MADAME LIND-GOLDSCHMIDT'S CONCERTS.

If it were possible for Exeter Hall to have been fuller
than on the occasion of Madame Goldschmidt's last ap-
pearance there, we should say that the crowd was still
greater last night, when Haydn's " Creation" was given
for the benefit of Brompton Hospital for Consump
tion. "While it is impossible that so faultless a
mistress of every point in the art of florid
vocalisation can sing the grand airs in the " Creation"
otherwise than most perfectly, it is nevertheless true that
this oratorio is not calculated, like Handel's "Messiah,"
for the full development of that particular feature in Ma-
dame Lind-Goldschmidt's performances which will consti-
tute her the grandest living exponent of sacred music so
long as she shall see fit to sing at all—viz,, the spirit of
fervid exhortation or deep devotion which sho infuses
into every word conveying the least part of that religion
whose principles it is her highest triumph to set forth in her
songs. The soprano airs in the " Creation" are for the most
part glowing and descriptive rather than religious in cha-
racter, and require artistic skill snore than depth of feeling
to give them due expression ; and thus it is that, missing
the inspiration by which Madame Goldschmidt carries
heart and judgment alike captive while singing Han-
del's music, we are necessarily more conscious of
the havoc which time has made upon her once peerless
voice to an extent for which her absolute mastery of every
mechanical difficulty does not always compensate. In the
third part, however, where the enunciation of sentiment be-
comes the task of the treble voice, she was far more herself :
the first duet was beautifully sung, but the part of Eve in
the second piece, beginning, "Oh, thou for whom I am 1"
was a truly glorious effort, exquisite in tenderness,
and overflowing with passionate and devoted feeling.
It took the audience by storm, and, notwithstanding the
previous outburst of admiration for her execution of the
favourite airs in the first and second parts, was Madame
Goldschmidt's most triumphant success. Mr. Sims Reeves
was the tenor of the night, and in the beautiful air, " In
native worth," sang in the very best manner, and would
have been encored if he had seen fit to respond to the in-
vitation. Mr. Beletti was as ever careful and effective, and
the choruses were of the best quality.

LIFE PRESERVED BY A WATCH.—At a meeting
of the East Riding Militia, a day or two ago, at Westwood,
Beverley, one of the spectators of their evolutions had a
marvellous escape from death. A private named Harring-
ton neglected after loading his rifle to remove his ramrod,
and on the firearm being discharged the rod was shot away
and struck a man named Bartle. Fortunately the end of
the rod came in contact with a double-cased silver watch
Bartle had in his waistcoat pocket. The watch was shat-
tered to atoms, but to the resistance it offered its owner was
indebted for the safety of his life, as from the force with
which the rod struck him there is no doubt it would have
penetrated his body had not the watch warded it off. The
rod when picked up was found to have been bent into a zig-
zag form by the force of the collision. Bartle did not suffer
beyond feeling an acute pain in the side for a short period.
_Leeds Nercury.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR PRESTON.—On Mon-
day morning an accident occurred on the Preston and Wyre
Railway by which a tender and two carriages were thrown
off the line, and the lives of a large number of passengers
were endangered. The 8.30 a.m, express train from Fleet-
wood to Manchester, due in Preston at 0 o'clock, neared
the last named place about that time and when coming
round the curve north of Maudland the rod of the self-
acting points broke, and the engine and carriages, instead of
going on to Preston, went towards the Maudland station
for a distance of 200 yards. The tender and two of the
carriages were thrown off the line by the shock, but fortu-
nately they suffered little damage, and the passengers also
escaped serious injury. The train was a very heavy one,
consisting of ten carriages, the passengers being chiefly
merchants from Preston and Manchester, who in the sum-
mer time spend Saturday and Sunday of each week at Fleet-
wood, Blackpool, and Lytham. A portion of the rails were
torn up by the dragging of the carriages. It is fortunate
that the train stopped where it did ; a few yards further,
and it would have been on the crossing of the Lancaster
and Carlisle Railway, on which a train was due, where a
collision would have been inevitable, and a fearful loss of
life not improbable.
GROUSE PROSPECTS ON THE OCHILS. The
accounts of the present prospects of the grouse on the Ochil
moorland ranges are anything but cheering. A keeper
who has lately traversed some of the best parts, and who
has had long experience of the sport in these districts, states
for the last 10 years the prospects have not been so bad, as
many of the birds are dying of disease. This will tell sadly
upon the hatching season, as few of the birds are apparently
able to bring out their young. Perhaps the prevalence of
the disease at present is owing to the excessive rains in
March and April. The early part of last winter was very
severe for them, but the month of February, which was
mild and open, revived them much, and good hopes were
entertained of cheering prospects during the hatching sea-
son. Owing to the abrupt conclusion of the sport last year,
by reason of the weather, a larger number of birds than
usual were left on the mcors, but the present epidemic will
soon lessen it.—Scotsman.

EXTRAORDINARY DEATH FROM OVER-EATING.
—An inquest was held before Mr. Bedford, the coroner, at
Westminster Hospital, on Tuesday, on the body of a man
unknown, who died from the effects of over-eating. From
the evidence of Police-constable Gill, 106 A, and others, it
appeared that late on -Wednesday night last week the de-
ceased was observed seated upon the steps of a house in
Parliament-street, and from the groaning noise and other
sounds he made, attention was called to him. The constable
found the poor fellow almost in a senseless condition, rolling
his head in a most peculiar manner. With assistance he
was conveyed to the Westminster Hospital, where he ex-
pired a few hours after admission. Deceased never rallied,
and no clue to his identity has been obtained since. He had
the appearance of a respectable mechanic. A paper was
found in his pocket, with the words, written in pencil,
" Liptff, Dublin, 46, Pall-mall, and 27, Chesham-place."
He was about 35 years of age. Dr. Tanner, the house phy-
sician of Westminster Hospital, stated that when the de-
ceased was brought in, efforts were made to remove some-
thing from the stomach, when it was found that the
stomach-pump became choked up .with large pieces of
meat. Every effort was made to restore the deceased, but
he expired in about two hours. A post-mortem examination
had been made, from which it was clearly shown that death
had resulted from disease of the heart, caused by the de-
ceased having eaten a large quantity of pork and fat, which
was found in lumps in the stomach. The coroner having
remarked upon the singular nature of the case, the jury
returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

THE GOLD IN NOVA SCOTlA.—Subjoined is an
extract from a mercantile letter from Halifax regarding the
present state of the gold-fields of Nova Scotia :—" I have
to report very favourable accounts from the gold-fields
generally. A lead has been discovered on the Carr lot, on
the lands of Townsend, and I have no doubt that rich leads
run all through these lands. The prospects for new dis-
coveries and of the localities already discovered continue
good. The miners are beg-inning to send gold to market.
The new discoveries which are exciting most attention are
those at Ehnsdale, on the line of the canal and railroad, and
at Nine-mile River, in Hants county. The latter is spoken
of as promising great things, and the people in that neigh-
bourhood are quite confident that this locality will prove
very remunerative. The Laurencetown washings look very
favourable for the interests of such as are prepared to go
into the work in the right way. Tangier, after a long and
tedious winter, is looking up. Many who were driven out
of their claims by the heavy and continuous rains last fall
have resumed work, and many more will join as they have
put in their crops. Those who held on during the winter
have uniformly done well. Prospecting, since the weather
has improved, has been going on with a good deal of spirit.
At present there are three crushers at Tangier, a ton of
quartz is stated to have been put through one of them,
which yielded 3oz. 3dwts. of gold, in addition to 100 dollars
worth of specimens taken out of the same lot, making the
total yield of gold and specimens 157 dollars for a single
ton of quartz."
CLERGY RELIEF BlLL,—This Bill of Mr. Bou-
verie has emerged from the select committee with some
alterations, and stands for discussion on the 18th of June.
The declaration to be made by a clergyman desirous of being
released from his clerical status was originally proposed to
be one of " conscientious dissent from the doctrines of the
Church ;" it is now proposed that it may state his dissent
from the doctrine or the discipline of the Church, or from
both. It was provided by the Bill, when introduced, that
although released from clerical obligations and deprived of
clerical rights, he should not for a year be qualified to sit in
the House of Commons; it is now provided that he shall
not be qualified to set there at all.

THE SEED AND TIIE FRUIT.—A physician, re-
ferring to the effect of different modes of education, says, of
thirty boys who were brought up in contempt of all useful
knowledge and occupation, spending their days in reading
novels and the lives of pirates and murderers, and their
evenings in the streets, at the dramshops, gambling saloons,
the circus, and theatre, one was hung for murder at the age
of forty-five, ono for robbing the mail, three as pirates, five
died in the penitentiary, and seven lived and died as useless
vagabonds; three were useful mechanics, and he was igno-
rant of the fate of the remainder. Of forty boys educated
with him by a moral and scientific teacher, under a rigid
system of restraint, at the age of fifty-five one was a mem-
ber of Congress, one a judge of the Circuit Court, three
physicians, five lawyers; fourteen were dead, and the re-
mainder were farmers and mechanics; not one was ever
charged with crime, all were respectable, and all but two or
three had respectable homes.— Anieriean Paper.
CRIEFF.—SHEEP SHEARING.—During the last
eight days a large number of sheep have been clipped in
this district. All accounts agree that the crop of wool,
both as regards quantity and quality, will be the best which
has occurred for a long series of years. Ihe stock of wool
in the market is nearly exhausted ; but, notwithstanding,
it is anticipated that there will be a great reduction in the
price of wool this season, owing to the heavy fleeces) com-
bined with the depressed state of trade in all the manufac-
turing districts, and the millions of operatives who arc pur-
chasers of our woollen cloths are unable in a season like
this to buy goods when they cannot fond employment.
oicotoman.

LATEST NEWS.

TURIN, MAY 29.

A report is current that a royal decree will forth-
with be issued, ordering the incorporation of the
Chasseurs of the Tiber with the regular army.

Prince Napoleon has been received with marks
of sympathy at Trapani and Calatafima, and has
taken his departure for Girgenti.

WARSAW, MAY 28.

The first meeting of the Municipal Council, under
the presidency of the Town President, Von W oyda,
took place yesterday. MM. Zamoyski, Schlenker,
Lewinski, Zulinski, Kragenski, and Natanson were
also present.

THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE,
PLYMOUTH, THURSDAY, 10 A.M.
The mail steamship Norman, Commander Ladds,
from the Cape, St. Helena, and Ascension, is now
approaching the port.