The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-20 00:00:00

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC OATH.

In answer to Sir B. MUDGE;
Mr. MONSELL said he would proceed with this bill on
Wednesday next.

MEDALS.-THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY.

the state of the works connected with the harbour of re.
fuge at Alderney.
Mr. F. PEEL said the works had been damved to the
extent of £15,000 in a recent storm ;,,and that )11u moiety
of the damage would have to be made goo TI 1 y the con-
tractor and the other by the Government.
The vote was then agreed to, as was the next vote of
£49,930 for works at Holyhead Harbour aid Portpatrick,
and a vote of .£70,677 for the erection and maintenance of
buildings in charge of the Public Works Commissioners
of Ireland.

On the vote of £3,000 to complete the construction of
the new records buildings at the Four Courts, Dublin,
Sir C. O'LOGHLEN, understanding that it was only
intended to complete a portion of the interior of the
building at present, urged that it would be much more
economical to complete the whole at once.
Mr. F. PEEL said it was only deemed necessary to com-
plete four-tenths of the interior at present.
The vote was then agreed to, as was a vote of £Bl3 to
complete the works at the National Gallery, Ireland.
On the vote of £19,474 for erecting and maintaining cer-
tain lighthouses abroad,
Mr. H. SEYMOUR complained that the Indian Govern-
ment made no contribution to the maintenance of the
Basses lightship which was stationed off the Island of
Ceylon, and did good service to all ships passing up to the
Bay of Bengal.
The vote was agreed to.

Mr. W. MILLER asked the Secretary of State for India
if the officers and men of several corps, regular and irre-
gular, employed in the Deccan and elsewhere, and who
were actually engaged against rebels and mutineers, had
not received the medal.

On the vote of £4,000 for the erection in the Isle of Man
of a building for the reception of criminal and other
lunatics,

Sir C. WOOD said he was not aware that there wero any
persons who wero entitled to those medals who had not
received them.

AMERICA.

Mr. A. SMITH reminded the committee that tho vote
was rejected last year, and asked for explanations.
_ _ _ _ _

Mr. F. PEEL said the vote was justified by the assur-
ances given by the Home-office in 1850, 1858, and 1859, to
the authorities of the Isle of Man, that the Treasury would
bear half the expense of the erection of such a building.
Mr. FINLAY said this was a local tax, and he did not
see why the Isle of Man should be put on a different foot-
ing from Scotland, and why it should be exempted from
the payment of this sum, and he therefore moved the rejec-
tion of the vote.

Mr. D. GRIFFTII asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether his attention had been drawn to the proclamation
of the' President of the United States offering $lOO,OOO
for the arrest of Mr. Jefferson Davis ; and, whether her
Majesty's Ministers were prepared to make any representa-
tions to the Government of the United States in reference
to the treatment of the Southern leaders.

Lord PALMERSTON—The only answer 1 can give to
the question of the hon. gentleman is that her Majesty's
Government have no intention to attempt any interference
with the internal affairs of America. (Loud cheers.)

Lord J. BROWNE said they were building a lunatic
asylum in Mayo, and he should like to know why there
should be any difference between Ireland and the Isle of
Man.

Sir G. GREY said that, independently of the expectation
held out to the island, the committee ought to bear in mind
that this asylum was for criminal lunatics, a class of lunatics
which were not provided for either in England or Ireland
from private sources.
Mr. Alderman SALOMONS thought the difficulty might
bo met by a partial reduction of the vote.

Kr. O'REILLY said that if individual members of an
administration could pledge the faith of the Government
that a vote should be passed, that committee might as well
abdicate its functions at once.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that

the late Sir G. Lewis, and subsequently the Government of
Lord Derby, had promised to recommend the vote to the
house ; but, of course, no Administration could presume to
bind the house beforehand in regard to any vote.
After some further discussion, the committee divided—
For the vote
Against _ _ 33

Majority
The vote was then agreed to.
A vote of X 20,000 for defraying the charge of erecting
court-houses and offices for sheriffs' courts in Scotland was
also agreed to.
A sum of X 27,000 having been proposed for contributions
in aid of local assessments for the relief of the poor in re-
spect to certain descriptions of Government property,
Mr. M'MAHON objected to the vote, as he thought it
was an objectionable practice to supplement the rates of
the metropolis by public grants.
Mr. Alderman SALMONS supported the vote, as he
saw no reason why the Government should not pay rates
for the ground they occupied.
Mr. F. PEEL could assure hon. members that, with re-
gard to the present vote, no distinction was made between
England and any other part of the United Kingdom. Their
first object was to indemnify the parish for any loss in the
transfer of property from private hands of the Government.
The property in respect to the present vote had long been
exempt from rating, and to assess it now would only be
conferring advantage upon persons who had acquired their
property under the existing state of things. But whatever
the Government property was in the proportion of one-
sixth of the rateable value of the property of the parish
they contributed a proportion.
Mr. LOCKE remarked thaf the sum of £27,000 was per-
fectly ludicrous as a contribution of the Government to the
poor rates of the parishes in which the property was
situated. They ought to be rated like any other owner of
property.
Mr. J. JERVOISE contended that Government property
ought to be rated to the poor relief like the property of any
private owner.
Admiral DUNCOMBE said that if the Government were
called upon to pay poor rates like private owners it would
probably be necessary to reimpose some of the income-tax
which they had this year taken off.
After some further discussion, the vote was agreed to.
On the vote of £51,064 for the salaries and expenses of
officers of the two Houses of Parliament and for allowances
to retired officers,
Mr. AYRTON complained of the mode in which the
ventilation of the house was conducted, and remarked that
he thought they could not be called upon to vote anything
for the services of the gentleman who was charged with
that duty.
Mr. WHALLEY said that, according to the laws of
nature, the upper stratum of air should be cooler than the
lower, in order that the impurities of human breath and
other impurities might be carried off. (Laughter.) But in
that house they had created an artificial heat above.
(Laughter.) Nothing could be contrived more deliberately
ruinous to the health of independent members. (Renewed
laughter.) For his own part he could stand it no longer.
(Cheers and laughter.)
The vote was agreed to.
On the vote of £39,488 for salaries and expenses of her
Majesty's Treasury,

-16

ATTORNEYS AND SOLICITORS' CERTIFICATES.

On the order for going into committee of supply,
Mr. DENMAN moved that in the opinion of the house it
was just and expedient the annual duty paid by attorneys
and solicitors on their certificates should be abolished. This
tax of £9 a year in London and in the country, he de-
nounced as unjust, anomalous, and arbitrary. Ile examined
the history of the duty to sho* that it was imposed by Mr.
Pitt as a war tax, on the suggestion of certain members of
the house, in 1785. The whole amount produced was only
£90,000, and he contended that, for that sum, it was not
fair to retain such a tax permanently in the present condi-
tion of the country. _ _

Mr. HUNT objected to the charge for messengers. He
thought a great saving might be effected by reducing the
number of messengers in all our public offices. He did
not see why letters from public offices to different parts of
the metropolis could not be entrusted to the post instead
of being delivered by hand. The cost of messengers in
the public offices in London was no less than £34,497.
He had no doubt that this might be reduced by two-
thirds.

Mr. VANCE seconded the resolution.
Mr. HUNT objected to the proposal of the resolution at
this time. Many members of the house were largely in-
debted to the services of attorneys for their seats. They
were now within a few weeks of a general election, and he
thought it an improper time to discuss such a question.
Mr. HUMBERS TON supported the resolution.

The vote was agreed to.
A rote of £21,118, for the expenses of the Home-office,
was agreed to.
On the vote of .£18,885 for the Foreign-office,

Mr. BLACK and Mr. CLAY briefly addressed the house,
which appeared impatient for a division.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained
the present Parliamentary position of tho question, and
again protested against an attempt to pledge the future
action of the house by an abstract resolution with regard
to any tax. The time to have proposed the removal of the
the duty was when the resolutions of the Budget were
before the house. Then some substitute for the tax might
have been suggested, or the amount of other remissions
reduced. He was no great admirer of such duties, but
there was a great difference between imposing a duty of
this kind for the first time and abolishing it when it had
been paid for several generations. He denied that the case
of the attorneys could be separated from those of all the
other callings paying an annual duty for a license to carry
on a business. Why should attorneys be excepted, and
not auctioneers and pawnbrokers ? They ought not to
make an invidious selection of the most wealthy and power-
ful profession. He had never declared that the duty should
be permanent. He declined to speculate on the perma-
nency of the duty. Some taxes must be maintained ; but
this duty was fairly open to the consideration of the house,
though nct under present circumstances.
The house then divided. The numbers were—
For the resolution
Against it 143
Majority —3
A short discussion was raised by Sir J. HAY, who called
attention to the petition of the widows of warrant officers
in the navy, and moved " that the cruel exception which
deprives of any pension those who became widows prior to
1860, is not approved by the house."
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE and Admiral WALCOTT spoke in sup-
port of the resolution. _ _ _

Mr. D. GRIFFITH thought the time was coming when
we might dispense with a great part of the expense of the
Foreign-office. There could bo very little occasion for
diplomacy if we resolved, as we seemed inclined to do, to
abandon all interference in the affairs of other nations, and
if we refused for the future to do anything to help our
friend; or to prevent the commission of wrong. The office
of Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs in that house had
become a complete sinecure. He (Mr. Griffith) had not
had to ask him a single question during the present session.
(Laughter.)

Mr. WHALLEY said the hon. member was quite wrong
in saying that we had no interest in foreign affairs so long
as Protestantism—(laughter}—had arrayed against it the
animosity of foreign countries. So long as we maintained
our pre-eminent civil and religious liberty, and provided a
refuge for those who maintained those principles, it was
necessary to keep up the Foreign-office.
The vote was then agreed to.
A vote of £23,858 for the salaries and expenses of the
Colonial-office was agreed to.
On a vote of £13,842 for her Majesty's Privy Council
Department,
Sir J. JERVIS called attention to the medical depart-
ment of the Privy Council, the experiments and reports of
which were very empirical and unsatisfactory.
Col. DUNNE said the officer who had presented the
report referred to in the debate on the Union Charge-
ability Bill showed such slight regard for truth, that the
amount of his salary ought to be deducted from the vote.
Mr. BRUCE said that the report referred to had been
prepared by a gentleman specially employed. He was not
prepared to accede to the justice of the criticism of hon.
gentlemen opposite ; on the contrary, he should on Mon-
day have an opportunity of conferring with Dr. Hunter,
and he should be able to show the house that the criticisms
had been directed against that gentleman under entire mis-
apprehension.
Sir W. JOLLIFFE thought that the medical reports
were beneficial and useful to the country, but that they re-
quired to be super-iised by the Privy Council, to prevent
their exciting sometimes the laughter, and always the cri-
ticism, of the house.
Mr. F. POWELL was not prepared to join in the criti-
cisms as to the domiciliary condition of the agricultural
population, but he was convinced that if tho report of the
medical officer had been directed to all classes of the
labouring population, it would be found that the condition
of the labouring population of the manufacturing districts
would prove more disgraceful to our civilisation than that
which had been shown in our agricultural districts. He
wished to know where the expense of those medical reports
appeared in the estimates.
Mr. BRUCE said th© expense referred to appeared under
the head of contingent expenses, and explained that in the
very volume which contained the report on rural habita-
tions there was a report on the outbreak of a fever in
Liverpool, and the state of the town which had led to it.
Out of the seven volumes already in existence there was
not one which did not contain reports on the state of the
important towns of England.
Mr. HUNT thought there should be some sort of notifi-
cation to the neighbourhood when any such inquiries wore
v
going
The
o t wastoof
50e 0 agreedx ,
the Board of Trade, 52 to.
On the vfor the salaries of the officers of
Mr. A. SMITH complained that two gentlemen, one
being Mr. Edward Bowring, had been allowed to retirer
superannuation at the early ages of 38 and 40 years. u
Mr. 31. GIBSON explained that it was occasioned by the

Lord O. PAGET admitted there were cases of hardship,
but could not undertake to apply to the Treasury to grant
v_ota of money for them.
°II a division, the resolution was rejected by a majority
of 20,

lir. G. DGIT2ovEnv NMENT OF INDIA ACT.
the information called attention to the manner in which
required to be laid before Parliament by
the Government of itria Act was supp/ied.
Mr. KINN/id-RD ought the spirit of the law was not
complied with, and suggested that if the Government could
not draw up a summaryofhtehre Indian documents, it might
at least order a larger number pies of the reports printed
of
library.
in India to be laid on the table
Sir C. WOOD was understood state that, for use, the
text of these documents was better°th
hal arrived at
ARMY OFFICERS' HOUSES. mere
summary.
Col. NORTH asked if the GovernmentE S. :
taxation of
any decision as to the exemption from local.e
houses occupied by officers of the army in
In performance
Of their official duties.
Mr. F. FEEL said the officers' houses in Chelsea Hos-
pital were rated under a local act, and the only question
was whether the rate should be paid by the Government
or the officers themselves. On the whole it bad boo,
thought better it should be paid by the resident officers.
LUNATIC ASYLUMS IN IRELAND.
In reply to Mr. M‘Evov,
Sir R. PEEL stated that the Government was building
additional asylums in Ireland for the reception of danger-
ous lunatics and insane persons now confined in gaols and
workhouses.

SUPPLY.
The first Tote proposed was for £76,000, to defray the
expense of the construction of certain harbours of refuge.
Mr. A. SMITH asked for some explanations respecting

abolition of certain offices in `the department ; and that, as
regarded one of the gentlemen referred to, his services
were available whenever required by the service.
The vote was agreed to, as was also a vote of £1,000,000
for the payment of Exchequer Bonds falling due on March
31, 1866.
Sir C. O'LOGHLEN then moved that the Chairman be
ordered to report progress.
The committee divided—
For reporting progress l2l
Against it
Majority —77
The house having resumed,
The Drainage and Improvement of Lands Act (Ireland)
Bill was read a third time.
ROMAN CATHOLIC OATH BILL.
Mr. MONSELL moved that the house go into committee
on this bill.
Mr. VANCE objected to the bill being proceeded with at
that late hour (it was a quarter to twelve), in the absence
of the hon. member for North Warwickshire (Mr. Newde-
gate) ; but more especially did he object to the bill being
proceeded with because it was believed by many hon. mem-
bers that the Government would have taken the question
up, and would have prepared an oath that might have been
taken by all members of the house, while at the same time
it adequately protected the Church Establishment. He
moved the adjournment of the debate.
Sir B. BRYDGES seconded the motion, and appealed to
the hon. member who had charge of the bill to postpone
the committee until a more convenient opportunity.
Mr. MONSELL declined to do so. He had not the con-
trol of the business of the house, and all that remained for
him, after the concessions already made to the opponents
of the bill, was to bring it on when he could.
Mr. WHITESIDE said they had a right to know
whether the Government were willing to take charge of so
important a question.
Sir G. GREY said that the bill before the house, to all
intents and purposes, did introduce a uniform oath to be
taken by all members of Parliament, the only difference
being that the oath to be taken by Protestants contained
a declaration that the Pope had no spiritual power or do-
minion in this country, while the Roman Catholic oath left
that out, and greatly to its advantage, as he believed.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUNT said that although he cordially supported
the bill, he was under the impression, after the declaration
made on Wednesday last, that the Government were about
to take the matter in hand.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER entirely
agreed it would have been the duty of the Government
to have charged themselves with the responsibility of
legislating upon the question, if they had not believed that
they would be limiting the number of the objections to
the proposal by leaving it in the hands of his right hon.
friend. This subject had been introduced by Lord John
Russell, under the Government of Lord Aberdeen, but
the bill had failed—a circumstance which showed that, if
a subject of this kind were taken up by a Government,
there was a danger of its being treated as a party question.
Lord John Russell had failed in passing his measure,
whereas the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Monsell) had suc-
ceeded in carrying his by a large majority on the second
reading. He thought the success of the right hon. gentle-
man went far to show that the Government had acted
wisely in forbearing to prosecute at the present moment
what might indeed be a more perfect measure, but which
would obstruct the more limited, but valuable and benefi-
cial, purpose of his right hon. friend.
After a few words from Mr. VANSITTART,
Mr. HEYGATE hoped the Government would bring
forward a measure which would put all Christian members
of that house on the same footing. If the present bill
passed, Protestants would be less favoured than Catholics
so far as regarded the oaths they would respectively have
to take.

The Dante Festival,

FROM THE TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.)
FLORENCE, May 15.

The impression made upon the public of Florence
by yesterday's festival seems to be in all respects
quite as favourable as that which I myself received
from it. There was no hitch of any kind, not the
slightest disorder; the best feeling prevailed among
the Florentines, as well as among the foreigners and
Italian strangers whom this great occasion has
brought together, and whose numbers I have heard
roughly estimated at 100,000. This may be a mere
guess, but it is quite possible that it is not over the
mark. Every, nook and bed in the town has been
taken up, and numbers of the lower class of visitors
slept in the street. Provisions threatened to run
short, and the bakers had to work day and night.
The arrivals in Florence by the Leghorn line
alone amounted to 8,500 persons yesterday and
the day before. Considering that the main ob-
ject of all these strangers and of a great part
of the Florentines during the three days of fes-
tivity is to move about and amuse themselves,
it was obviously judicious to provide outdoor
entertainment in spacious localities. A better
behaved and more gentle multitude it would be im-
possible to find, and during two hours' ramble last
night through the crowded and illuminated city not
a single instance of rughness, not the slightest rude-
ness came under my observation. As regards yes-
terday morning's ceremony I have little to add to
what I wrote immediately after its conclusion.
Italians and foreigners all seem to have been alike
delighted with it. It is looked upon as a national
jubilee, and as a pledge of future harmony among
the people of Italy, and the papers to-day are loud
in rejoicing and congratulation. Besides the banners
and deputations of the Venetians and Romans,which
I find were applauded all along the line of the pro-
cession as warmly as by the throng in the Piazza
Santa Croce, those of Turin received similar marks
of respect and good will. It is to be hoped the good
feeling thus manifested will soon come to be shared
by Milan and some other places now accused of
jealousy and unjust dislike of the Piedmontese city
to which Italy owes more than she can easily repay.
If Italy completes and preserves that unity and in-
dependence to which she aspires, and to which nearly
all Englishmen earnestly desire that she may attain,
she will owe it in a great measure to the sacrifices
and struggles of Piedmont. Many marked with plea-
sure the kindly feeling yesterday testified to the dele-
gates of the former capital. As to the beauty of the
sight afforded by the square of Santa Croce all who
were there are agreed, and those who saw the pro-
cession in its passage through the streets are equally
loud in admiration. The effect of the great number
of banners was extremely fine. There were upwards
of 700, all, as far as I saw, of silk, and as the breeze
waved them their folds mingled and blended and
formed a continuous line of gorgeous colours and
gilding, the whole permeated, as it were, by the
sparkling sunlight. A great many of these banners
have been offered, and others probably will be, by
the provinces, communes, associations, and corpora-
tions to which they belong as presents to the munici-
pality of Florence, which will treasure them in
memory of a day of general gratification and good-
will. I omitted yesterday to mention that with the
municipalities of Florence and Ravenna, which
closed the procession, there walked a descendant of
Dante, Count Sarego Alighieri. Also that the Gon-
faloniere, Count Cambray Digny, who yesterday,
in accordance with time-honoured tradition, bent
his knee before the King, was attired in the costume
worn by that high dignitary in the days of the old
Florentine republic. The statue of Dante, which is
in white marble, is not yet finished, especially as
regards the pedestal, and,: when the fetes are over
it will be enclosed from public view until completed.
The King appears to have been pleased with it, for,
by his own impulse, he conferred the Maurice and
Lazarus decoration upon the sculptor Pazzi.
The general application of gas, while increasing
the beauty and brilliancy of illuminations in cities,
has given them a sameness of character from which
it is rather refreshing to meet with a deviation. It
is now some years since I described to you the illu-

After a brief discussion, in which Lord J. Browne, Mr
T. Collins, Mr. Kennedy, and Captain Esmond took part,
Mr. WHALLEY expressed a hope that, as the member
for North Warwickshire was prevented by illness from
attending to propose the amendment of which he had
given notice, the house would not proceed at so late an
hour (12.15) with the bill. Several alterations had been
proposed in the oath, and there were some expressions, not
intelligible to ordinary understandings, which the right
hon. gentleman proposed to omit. (Laughter.) Were they
at so late an hour to enter upon a critical examination of
the words now proposed with the words for which they
were to be substituted ? (Loud cries of " Divide.")
Sir F. HEYGATE thought the bill should have been
introduced by the Government; and although they might
obtain some advantage at the elections by their present
course, yet it was possible they might arouse the Protes-
tant feeling of the country.
Mr. G. DENMAN had heard the same sentiment before
that night, but he trusted that neither the Government
nor the house would be influenced by such a cowardly
argument.
Mr. WALPOLE felt convinced that when making so
important a change as this bill proposed it should be un-
dertaken by the responsible advisers of the Crown. If
the Government endeavoured to frame one uniform oath
for all the members of that house, he would cordially unite
with them in effecting that object.
Mr. GRIFFITH thought that in framing a uniform oath
it would be necessary to consider another class of gentle-
men lately admitted to that house, as well as Catholics and
Protestants.
The house then divided—
For the adjournment of the debate
Against
Majority —7l
Mr. B. STANHOPE (amid loud cries of "Oh, oh") moved
the adjournment of the house.
Mr. WIIITESIDE, in reference to what foil from the
Secretary for the Home Department, contended that, as far
as Protestants members were concerned, they should retain
the oath which negatived the spiritual jurisdiction of the
the Pope.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL expressed his surprise at
the doctrine laid down by the right hon. gentleman, who
would retain an oath for Protestants in which they denied
the spirital jurisdiction of the Pope as the bulwark of
the constitution, while he would exempt Roman Catholics,
who really did believe in that jurisdiction, from the obliga-
tion of such an oath. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
The house then divided—
For the adjournment
Against it

mination of Turin, on occasion of the festival of the

Statuto, when the whole of the Via di Po is converted
into a huge parterre, where flowers and globes of
brilliant colours float, seemingly unsupported, in the
darkness, their light reflected on crimson draperies
above. It is a business of several days to prepare
these illuminations, which are got up with extraor-
dinary care and completeness, and the effect pro-
duced is hardly to be surpassed. Equally beautiful
are those of Florence, but in a style so different as to
forbid comparison. The means here employed are
simpler. The effect is quite as striking in its way.
Flat clay saucers, and glass vessels resembling very
large wide-mouthed oil flasks, or, a better simile, like
goldfish jars with a capacious neck added on and
tall in proportion to their contents, are the unpre-
tending apparatus here employed. A tin collar
round the neck and a tin loop, like a pail handle,
facilitate suspension from hooks driven into the
wall. Within each jar is placed an oil lamp, thus
thoroughly protected from the wind, and they are
usually suspended in clusters of three, five, or more.
The flat clay saucers are rather apt to be puffed out
by even a light breeze, such as last night extin-
guished a few of those in elevated situations. The
Palazzo Vecchio was well lighted, and the effect both
from distant points and from the square of the Sig-
noria was very fine. From the square the specta-
tor, standing near the building and looking up, did
not see the flame of the lamps, but the portions of
the wall and architecture close to it, and upon which
its most vivid light fell. The effect was peculiarly
beautiful, almost that of transparency, and as if the
light were within the stone. Next in prominence to
that massive and magnificent structure came the
lofty tower of the Bargello, the upper part of which
when gazed at from below seemed saturated with
light proceeding oue knew not from whence. The
illumination of the cathedral was rather indicated
by a few lights than fully carried out. There was a
good reason for this ; the municipal authorities are
naturally unwilling to sully by the smoke of so
many lamps the delicate materials of that wonder-
ful edifice which has bestowed a well deserved im-
mortality on its architects. The whole gigantic
front of the splendid Pitti Palace, now occupied
by the King of Italy, was illuminated in a most
remarkable and effective manner, all the principal
outlines of the building and the arches of the win-
dows being thickly set with the large glass lamps
above described. The great regularity of the deco-
ration and the immense surface thus covered com-
bined to convey to the spectator an impression of
grandeur and vastness, and he felt that the style
of illumination was in perfect harmony with the
general colossal character of a building of which the
walls contain blocks of stone, or, rather, masses of
rock, such as Titians might have shrunk from hand-
ling. The light, although only that of oil, was so
dazzling that it was a relief to look at it through
smoked glasses. Striking as this spectacle was, a
still more attractive sight was afforded by the illu-
mination on the river. Three bridges, the Vecchio,
the Trinita, and the Carraia, as well as the adjacent
banks of the Arno, were profusely lighted up, and
the effect, especially when viewed from the centre
bridge, was very novel and beautiful. Along the
parapets, close to the water's edge, and in covered
arches just over the stream, the flaming cups were
ranged in rows, the light from them and from those
upon the bridges reflected threefold upon the placid
Arno, which scarcely a ripple stirred. It fell upon
the surface of the river in long and brilliant lines,
in effulgent cones and blades of light, which shone
the more each time the stealthy night wind ruffled
the tranquil water. Crowds assembled on bridge
and bank to view the fairly-like spectacle ; in the
principal streets and across the bridges the strings
of vehicles seemed interminable, and although the
day had been very hot and fatiguing, and nearly
every one had risen soon after dawn, midnight was
not far off when the multitude began to disperse.
Even after 12 the streets were noisy, and many
of the lights still held out and music was heard
upon the squares, and the cafes drove a roar-
ing trade until some hour of the morning which
I cannot of my own knowledge particularise.
Although not all the houses were lit up, the
private illuminations, in addition to those of the
public buildings, were very general. Several of the

Majority -66
Mr. 'WHALLEY then moved the adjournment of the
debate, proceeding, amid much laughter and interruption,
to defend the oath that was proposed to be abolished, and
to criticise the oath to be substituted.
After a few words of explanation from Mr. WHITESIDE
and the ATTORNEY-GENERAL,
Mr. MONSELL agreed to the motion, and the debate
was adjourned to Tuesday.
The County Voters Registration Bill and the Commis-
sioners of Supply Meetings (Scotland) Bill were read a
third time and passed.
The House adjourned at half-past one o'clock.

MR. JOHN BRIGHT, M.P., ON THE COMING
ELECTION.—The Carlisle Examiner gives a corre-
spondence which has just taken place between some of the
radical electors of Carlisle and Mr Bright, M.P., on the
subject of the duty of the advanced liberals towards the
Government. Mr. Bright's letter is as follows :—" Roch-
dale, May 15.—Dear Sir,—My opinion is that the proper
course for the liberal members is to withdraw their sup-
port from any Government which will not bring in and
carry a good measure for the extension of the suffrage.
Fortunately, your members are well disposed on the reform
question, and would do anything that was thought wise
in the matter. Lord Palmerston is the real difficulty. He
is not a liberal, and the failure of the bill of 1860 was owing
entirely to him. When he is out of the way, no Govern-
ment can exist on one side of the house which will not
deal with the question of reform. I hope, at the coming
election, the radical electors will endeavour to bring their
members up to the point of refusing to support a Govern-
ment not willing to fulfil the pledges of 1859 and 1860.
When it is a question of reform or expulsion from office,
the Whig statesmen will decide in favour of reform. This
is the only effectual mode of dealing with them, and I
hope it will be adopted. I hope the electors of your city
will not think it needful to make any change in your re-
presentation.—l am, &c., JOHN BRIGHT."
SHOCKING ACCIDENT IN ROTTEN-ROW. On
Thursday morning a young lady named Miss G.
Millard, one of the riding mistresses in the establishment
of Captain and Mrs. Walton, Glocester-crescent, Hyde
Park, met with a serious accident while riding in Rotten-
row with one of the lady pupils. Miss Millard, who is
said to be one of the most accomplished horsewomen in
London, was giving some instructions to the pupil, when,
unobserved by her, a watering-cart came lumbering along,
and her horse dashed with full force against it, all but
killing himself on the spot by the violence of the collision.
At the same instant, through the breaking of the saddle-
girths, Miss Millard, with the saddle, was thrown upwards
into an adjacent tree. The young lady's face came in
violent contact with ono of the branches, and she fell head-
long into the roadway, sustaining further injuries by the
fall. Mr. Harry Mitchell, of Hyde Park-gate, and some
other gentlemen, immediately ran to the unfortunate lady's
assistance. She was unconscious for a moment or so, but
soon rallied, and was able to walk to a carriage, which was
placed at her disposal to convey her to St. George's Hos-
pital. The lady was mostly injured about the face and
head, her features being much disfigured and mutilated.
The lamentable casualty was entirely owing to the cir-
cumstance of Miss Millard having her attention at the
moment directed to her pupil, and not to any want of train-
ing in the horse or skill on the part of the fair rider.
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climate.

rim SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 20, 186 as

" Vieni a veder la tua Roma cho piango,
Vedova, Bola e di e notte chiama,
Cesare mio perche non mi accompagna ?"

Naval and Military Intelligence.

- ------••-•-

palaces of the wealthy Florentine families made I
a brilliant'display. The official residence of the mu-
nicipality on the Piazza di Trinita was a blaze of
light, and the Post-office was gorgeous in garlands
of lamps:of the threegtalia,n colours. Orchestras had
been erected, and strong bands played on the squares
of the Cathedral, Trinita, Manin, Signoria, and
others ; and so the amusements and sights of the
night formed a worthy conclusion to the festivities
of a very joyous and happy day.
On Saturday afternoon the King, attended bythe
Ministers of Public Instruction and of the Royal
Household, and by Generals Rossi and Cucchiari
was present at the inauguration of the Great Dante
exposition in the Palazzo del Postesth. When he
entered the'hall the Gonfaloniere, Count de Cam-
bray Digny, presented to his Majesty, in the name
of the Provincial Council, and as a memorial of the
Dante Festival, a magnificent sword, made for the
occasion by a young workman named GuididiPescia.
On one side of the blade are the words " Dante to
the first King of Italy," and on the other the fol-
lowing three lines from the sixth canto of the Pur-
gatorio, selected as an appropriate inscription for
the sword of the foremost champion of Italian inde-
pendence :

On the two sides of the hilt are allegorical figures
relating to the Inferno and the Purgatorio, and on
the guard, allusive to the Paradiso, are those of
Dante and Beatrice. The King is said to have been
much gratified with the present. Among the curio-
sities of this Dante exhibition is said tube the muster
roll of the Florentine army at one of the battles in
which the poet took part. His name appears upon
the document.

The following is a translation of the speech made
yesterday by the Gonfaloniere of Florence at the
inauguration ceremony :
" This concourse of the represenatatives of so many illus-
trious cities and distinguished institutions at the foot of the
statue which we to-day inaugurate and the august pre-
sence of the King of Italy in this solemn assembly have a
great and sublime signification. From Alighieri Italy re-
ceived her language, the first element of unity, and also the
national idea which for five centuries has worked within
her until all obstacles having before our eyes been overcome
by the agency of a magnanimous King the idea has become
a fact. If, then, the memory and the lessons of that great
man, jealously guarded in Italian hearts during times of
oppression, were the germ of the events which we have
witnessed and been actors in, it was a reason for free Italy to
celebrate with singular honours the first secular anniver-
sary of his birth that has occurred since her emancipation.
It is not, then, only to the first of poets, to the eminent
philosopher, and to the great citizen that we to-day render
a richly-merited homage. No, gentlemen, we all here as-
sembled from the remotest districts of Italy, we all from
the august monarch down to the representative of the
humblest municipality, we have come together to affirm

again, in presence of the whole world, the glorious resur-
rection of the Italian nation, our indissoluble unity, our
independence. And affirm it we do in the best and noblest
manner, by revealing to the astonished nations the first
work of our regeneration, which, although not yet com-
pleted, is henceforward assured. Let it, then, be recog-
nisel I by Italy, by Europe, and the whole civilised world
that this festival which the poet's native city to-day com-

memorates, that this act which we are accomplishing are
nothing less than the solemn confirmation of the compact
that recombines the scattered members of the ancient
mother of modern civilisation. And since official duty has
called upon me, unworthy, to be the first to raise my voice
in this solemnity and in the midst of you, may his Majesty
the King deign to accept from my lips the homage of fide-
lity of this land, which only aspires to devote itself entirely
to the fulfilment of Italian destinies, and may the popula-
tions of the kingdom accept a fraternal salutation from us,
who ardently desire the opportunity of making every sac-
rifice for the glory and prosperity of our common country!"

These words seem to me sufficiently earnest and
weighty to merit reproduction, and all the more so
as they give to the celebration of Dante's 600th
birthday a significance which probably few in Eng-
land have thought of attributing to it.

The iron screw ship Black Prince, 41, Capt. Lord
Fred. H. Kerr, left Plymouth Sound on Thursday
evening, to join the Channel Fleet.
The paddlewheel steam frigate Gladiator, 6, Capt.
Francis H. Shortt, left Plymouth yesterday (Fri-
day) with a gang of riggers, under Commander
Paul, to proceed to Pembroke, to navigate the new
screw steam sloop Amazon, 4, to Devonport.
Her Majesty's screw corvette Scout, 21, 1,402 tons,
400 horse power, Capt. J. F. Tlight, fitting for the
Pacific station, is being rapidly pushed forward for
sea, and her stores, guns, &c., are being placed on
board from Chatham and Sheerness dockyards. The
following officers have received commissions in this
vessel, and most of them have already joined :
Lieuts. W. It Kennedy, E. J. Jermain, W. E. Fitz-
gerald, and W. H. Jocelyn ; Sub.-Lieut. P. Aldrich,
E. B. Miall, paymaster ; J. Sproule, surgeon ;
W. Carmichael, assistant-surgeon ; C. L. W.
Lagrange, assistant paymaster ; J. Morris, chief
engineer ; N. Farrant, engineer; T. M'Farlane,
first-class assistant engineer ; A. W. Fitzgerald,
second class assist.-engineer ; E. G. Whitmore,
clerk ; W. 0. Bedford, assist.-clerk ; the Hon. D. 0.
Murray, C. F. Naylor, E. D. Maud, E. H. Bayley,
E. Bayne, and J. N. Hurt, midshipmen ; H. W.
Saville, A. H. Coker, and E. H. Genn, naval
cadets. The guns, shot, and shell have been des-
patched from the Ordnance-wharf, Chatham.

During the past few months a number of the
junior officials, chiefly from the class of inspectors
at Chatham Dockyard, have resigned their appoint-
ments at that establishment for the purpose of en-
tering at Lloyd's, where their pay and position are
considerably improved. From the number of offi-
cials who have of late left the establishment ander
the circumstances stated it is understood that some
regulation will be adopted by the Admiralty to pre-
vent the services of this class of mechanics being
lost to the country. Several of the established
workmen belonging to the joiners' department have
also taken their discharge from Chatham Dockyard
during the past week, and entered the service of
private firms, on account of the low wages paid at
the Royal Dockyards.
Information was yesterday received at Woolwich
by Major-Gen. Sandham, Lieutenant-Governor of
the Royal Military Academy, announcing a sad
calamity which had occurred at the gunnery range,
Shoeburyness, on the previous day to Mr. Hannay,
a cadet of the A division, senior class, who left
Woolwich on Monday last for a week's practice
there. During the experimental firing with steel
shot the cadets were ordered to be in attendance.
They were stationed at what was deemed a safe
distance, and it is stated that Mr. Hannay was
lying on the grass upwards of 500 yards in rear of
the gun, when a fragment of the shot rebounded
and struck him on the thigh, lacerating the part and
leaving a very severe flesh wound. The sufferer
was promptly attended to by the medical officer on
the spot, and at present he is pronounced in a fair
way to recovery.
Major-Gen. Stransham, Inspector-Gen. of the
Royal Marines, yesterday resumed his half-yearly
inspection at Woolwich. - Having examined the men's
necessaries and the detachments under rifle instruc-
tion on the previous day the General went over the
barrack department yesterday morning. After the
men's dinner hour, he repaired to the review-ground
on Woolwich-common, where the division was
brigaded in three battalions, Capt. Bunce acting as
Major of Brigade. The General was attended by
Capt. Travers, A.D.C., Col. G. B. Payne, the
Commandant, commanding the whole. The three
battalions went though a variety of field movements
from 2 till 4 o'clock, and at the conclusion the
General informed Col. Payne that he was glad to
see his old division again under arms ; that, in re-
ference to their present discipline, he had never seen
a line better formed in his life. The rudiments of
drill, he said, were well attended to. Some of the
officers he could not speak so favourably of, but the
cause of his complaint, he added, would be remedied
during the summer, after which he hoped to see
them again.

The 16th (Queen's) Lancers are held in readiness
by orders from the Horse Guards to embark for
Madras between the 20th and 30th proximo, to
relieve the Ist Dragoons. They have been inspected
this week by Major-Gen. Lord George Paget, C. 8.,
Inspector-Gen. of Cavalry.