The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-13 00:00:00

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morning in inspecting the iron.
e ca t
itne r hertb e launchp add i e
and Favourite, in construction a,
designs in Woolwich Dockyard ;
necessity of employing all possible speed, in order
that the Favourite may be undocked and made place
for the
d
v ie
fi:,a,Mehatrßchlalek
last.
An Admiralty order was yesterday received at
Iro
Eagle,
Staff Commander Whiffler (as more suitable for the
purpose than the Vivid), to be got ready for the
service of Prince Arthur for a cruise in the Afedi-
terranean, to sail from Woolwich, where the Prince
will embark on the 15th of March. Preparations
are ordered to be commenced forthwith for the con-
struction of an elevated cabin, for which the dimcn..
slims of the Black Eagle's quarter deck are highly
appropriate. The cost of the entire work has been
estimated at about 5001.

limori"

PRICE 4d.
STAMPED 5d

successfully administered, and under it, I believe,
we have at last arrived at a system which approaches,
if it does not reach, the most economical, rapid,
and mtisfactory way of distributing the estates of. a
bankrupt. The main distinction in principal
which now exists between the system in force in
England and our own consists in one working
1830,creditors the
th rtel:eitttgotsrleissl vhiei
as
I:
luadetii
frtrei
oo
mainly of courts and officials, and the other work-
ing
ion
however, which is of recent growth, for I believe
priorthat I)3'
to
do with the administration than they have now.
The tendency of all the En
m
1830 to 186I.has been in the direction of • • giving
more power to the Court and -less to the creditors,
while in Scotland the tendency has lain entirely in
the opposite direction. The bill of Lord Westbury
did not, cause,' but, on the other hand, did not cure,
many of the evils complained, of in the English
systeml But a Parliamentary committee, of which
I was a member, has pulled to pieces the toy which
decoyed the commercial mind :of Scotland in 1853.
His Lordship proceeded to analyse minutely the evi-
deuce taken by. the Select Committee, pointing out
that of the 646,0001. of assets paiXto official as-
signees in'lB63,'onlY 489,0001. had been paid out as
dividends, leaving a balance of expenses of 157,0001.,
in addition to the proper expenses of the court—
namely, 126,000/., making the total *cost' of the
systeni 283,0007. 'He also quoted evidence to show
that in two-thirds of the, bankrupt estates there was
no dividend, and that in . 5G cases reported in the
Birniingham district the liabilities were 90,0001., the
assets were 30,0001., the amount after paying pre-
ferable claims was 14,000/.; and the sum divided
6,0001. The evidence was cited of one merchant
who called the Bankruptcy Court a sink of iniquity,
and of another who said that the threat of a small
dividend often induced creditors to accept a much'
less favourable settlement than they would get if the
estates were more easily realised. The absence of
any real audit of the assignees' accounts, the influ-
ences exerted by the lower office-bearers upon the
higher, the powers usurped and fees exacted by the
messenger, ushers, and broker were severally ad-
verted to, his lordship remarking that it was im-
possible to see that there was the slightest check upon
these officials. He proceeded to say :—I think the
bankruptcy law ought to proceed upon ordinarytrade
principles. If a man cannot pay his debts the object is
to get payment of what he can pay as quickly and as
cheaply as possible. My opinion is there should be
no other object whatever in bankruptcy law but to
do that. The question is, how can you make him
pay his debts with as little expense to his creditors
as possible and with as great a return to them as
can be had. I rather expect a great deal of mis-
chief has arisen from supposing that there should be
combined with bankruptcy law a kind of penal code
to be worked at the expense of the creditors. I
perfectly agree that nothing is more dangerous to a
'community, nor. should be more closely watched,
than a fraudulent bankruptcy. It is a thing to which
there is great temptation, and in which there is
great danger, but what I demur to is that the public
morality is to be protected at the expense of the cre-
ditors, who have already lost enough. There is no
good reason why creditors should be at the expense
of punishing debtors in bankruptcy any more than
under other circumstances. In England there is no
public prosecutor, and fraud in bankruptcy as well
as fraud in anything else must be punished by pri-
vate individuals prosecuting. But in Scotland it is
different. In the second place, Isay that the essence
of bankruptcy administered is despatch. A dividend
of ss. to-morrow; in nine cases out of ten, is worth
more than a dividend of 10s. two years hence to the
creditors ; and it is very likely that at the end of
of the two years, instead of being 10s., it will only
be 2s. 6d. (Laughter.) Despatch means economy.
Lawyers' bills have a wonderful aptitude to grow
with time. (Laughter and applause.) An while
legal-authorities are dreaming over the law of the
case, and trying to do exact justice, the unfortunate,
creditor is fairly starved out of his claims. Time is
too short for that, especially commercial time, and
to do the business of bankruptcy well it is essential
to do it quickly, and I should say that in the great
majority of cases to do it quickly is to do it well.
(Applause.) All that you have to provide for is, to
see that the creditors are to have the management
of the estate in their own hands. I would only
say now, in conclusion, that, while free trade flourishes
in other respects, we may hare, in this matter, free
trade in law reform—and import and export what
we please. We have long since found it more
profitable to buy English cattle than to steal
them—(laughter)—and so, 'perhaps, we may come
to be of one mind on both sides-:of the Tweed, that
a fair interchange of good institutions and wise laws
is better than wrangling about their merits. If we
Oink we can with advantage communicate to Eng-

The decision of the Admiralty in the case of Mr.
Hatch, the foreman of riggers at Chatham dock-
yard, who was suspended from that establishment
for having, as was alleged, been in a state of int oxi-
cation on the occasion of the docking of her Ma-
jesty's Cadmus, 21, Captain A. C. Gordon,
was announced at the dockyard yesterday-
Their •lordships - direct the removal 'of Mr.
Hatch from his. present office. Ile is ordered to
join the Wellesley, 72, for service with the ordinary,
and he is no longer to be employed in the civil de-
partment-of the navy. The appointment of foreman
of riggers at Chatham dockyard, thus rendered
vacant, has been conferred on Mr. Wallace, one of
the warrant officers at the port.
The Vernon, 50, sailing frigate; is ordered to be
masted at Chatham with the masts and gear belong-
ing to the Castor, 22, now attached to the Royal
Naval Reserve, and afterwards sent round to Wool-
wich, where she will complete her fitments.
The screw gun vessel Torch, 50, 80-horse, fitting
at Chatham harbour for the first division of the
steam reserve, will be .out of the hands of the ship-
wright department to-morrow, in readiness for
handing over to the officials of the reserve." There
are now five vessels attached to the Chatham steam
reserve which are completed, or-on the eve of com-
pletion, and at the disposal of the Admiralty for
commission, the whole being rigged and equipped—
viz., the Bristol, 39, 3,027 tons, 600-horse power,
screw frigate ; the Terrible, 21, 1,850 tons, 800-horse
power, the largest paddle-wheel steamer in the ser-
vice, which has recently been almost rebuilt ; the
Scout, 21, 1,462 tons, 400-horse power, screw cor-
vette, which has also undergone a most extensive
repair ; the Torch, 5, 428 tons, 80-horse power ;
and lastly, the ironclad frigate Valiant, 24, 4,063
tons, 800-horse power. In addition to the vessels
above enumerated, the paddle-wheel steamer Basi-
lisk, 6, 1,031 tons, 400-horse power, is being brought
forward with all expedition for the first class *steam
reserve.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Capt. A. L. Mansell, to the Hydra ;
Commander G. R. Wilkinson, to the Firefly; Lieut.
Thomas V. Williams, to the Excellent; William G.
Atkinson, master, to the Cumberland, for the
Basilisk; George A. Browning, additional, to the
Sutlej, for surveying services, promoted to master ;
Edward B. Brooks, midshipman, to the Cadmus ;
F. H. Richardson, assist.-surg., to Jamaica Hospi-
tal ; J. W. Ashford, assist.-surg., to the Donegal ;
E. W. Doyle, acting assist.-surg., to the Princess
Royal ; C. J. Devonshire, assist.-surg., to the Pen-
guin ; R. H. Lavers, assist.-engineer, to the Indus,
as supernumerary ; J. Hindley, assist.-engineer, to
the Dauntless ; C. F. 11. Burt, assist.-engineer, to
the Wasp ; R. W. Allison and W. N. Sennet,
assist.-engineers, to the Princess Royal ; C. Wig-
gins, assist.-engineer, to the Fisgard, as supernu-
merary ; and. R. S. S. Ross, assist.-clerk, to the
Dauntless.

Hornble Scenes in China,

The following is an extract from a Shanghai letter
of November 22, published in the Times :
Interesting depositions have been made by two
English subjects who were detained by the rebels at
Hoochow, ana have only just effected their escape,
which throw some light on the internal arrange-
ments of their cities. The executive arrangements
and state of Hoochow are thus described by Mark
Conry :—" I saw the Tow-wing decapitate 150 of
his soldiers one morning. Ido not know what their
crime Was. A man was punished by death for
smoking. Whenever I went into the city I saw
heads and trunks lying about. Dead bodies
were not buried, but were - allowed to re-

main in the streets. The city was in a most
wretched state. There was no _ trade of any
sort going on ; provision shops were allowed to be
open, but no others. There used to be executions
every day, sometimes 20 at a time, but never less
than four." These. are the people whom we were
to have upheld in preference to the Imperialists; bad
Has the latter may be, corrupt as are their officials,
and effete as is their Government, their regime is
better than that here described. The second man
who has returned, named Patrick Nellis, went up in
i lk. On arriving one of the small steamers which run into the interior
inhgadatbetehneirocdce:ptiinedatiboyn
they found
that the place
the rebels a few days previously, and Nellis, with
the crew, was • made prisoner. He was taken to
Hoochow, asked by the Tow-wang whether he
understood rifles, and, on his replying in the
affirmative, was requested to remain. The question
was superfluous, as he had no alternative ; but it
was a matter of form, and the form having been
gone through, the chain was taken from his neck
and the fear of immediate death removed. Some
time after he had been in Hoochow the Kan-wang
arrived-from Nankin, and it oozed out the city had
fallen. The siege of Hoochow followed, and Nellis
describes various successful operations against the
Imperialists ; until at length starvation compelled
the garrison to evacuate it. Several of the little
band of foreigners had been shot and died of sick-
ness, but such as remained were compelled to
accompany the retreat, which will be best de-
scribed in Nellis's own words :—" Men were patrol-
. ling the streets to cut down any who might attempt
to escape. That evening we saw fearful sights. The
rebels were embarking their wounded, and could
not take all. The poor woman crowded down to

landour system of registers and of bankruptcy, there
will be no difficulty in squaring the account, and
even if ultimately a balance should be due on either
side, that which is due from benefit received is easily
paid with goodwill. (Loud applause.)
Mr. J. Marshall, seconded by Lord Deas, moved
a cordial vote of thanks to the Lord Advocate for
his address.

Naval and Military Intelligence.
,_____

Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Secretary of State
for War, who was accompanied by Gen. Sir John
F. Burgoyne, G.C.8., Principal Director of Works;
and Inspector-General of Royal Engineers ; Lieut.-
Col. W. F. D. Jervois, C. 8., Deputy-Director of
Works ; Capt. J. C. Caffin, C. 8., Director of Stores
and Naval Director-General of Artillery, with other
officials, was occupied until late on Wednesday
evening in making an inspection of the new works
completed and in progress at Chatham connected
with the 'War Department, including the fortifica-
tions, barrack buildings, hospitals, magazines, and
other buildings at the military station, preparatory
to the framing of the new Estimates for the ap-
proaching Session of Parliament. His lordship, who
was met at the railway station and accompanied on
his tour of inspection by the principal officials of
the garrison, directed his attention chiefly to the
subject of the barrack accommodation at Chatham.
The several barracks now in the occupation of the
Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, and the troops of
the Line were ,all inspected, in order to enable a
correct estimate to be formed of their present con-
dition and requirements. In the course 'of his tour
of inspection the principal portion of the fortifica-
tions and magazines were visited, but in neither of
those departments will a large outlay be required
during the ensuing year. It was expected that a
visit would be paid to the extensive powder maga-
zines and War Department stores at Upnor Castle ;
but as the whole question of the removal or non-
removal of the gunpowder stores from their proxi-
mity to Chatham is just now under the considera-
tion of a committee, of which Gen. Sir John Bur-
goyne is the president, it was not eonsideornaedurd:
sary to inspect the Castle pending the roo
tion of the committee. The largehospital
was inspected,
esta
formerly used as a garrison liosspolunetedent,
ihsi
as was also the Fort Pitt establishment,ple thete
df
near
rr
Chhoastphi
at an.:
being now the military hospitalf or the lvhtohl
ee
olaftttieli
e
troops quartered at-
Ile
being required for quarters
Clia
:for the troops. "
recentlyt 1 icaoi
barracks, and intended
for quarters for the married
for occupation.
soldiers, were also visited, the whole of the rooms
ythreeandoyur at which the inspection termi-
oarfl Owing to the
ntsehe extensive stores and establishments at the
beingnlaatteendes,
Ordnance and Gun-wharfs could not be visited.
Mr. E. J. Reed, chief constructor of the Royal
Navy, who is still suffering from the effects of his
late 'severe indisposition, yesterday visited the de-
partment of Woolwich Dockyard. The chief con-
structor, accompanied by Mr. George Turner and
Mr. Henwood, master and assistant-master ship-
wrights of the `yard, spent a great portion of the

wounded man'
•
the boats, and were cut at and driven back. We
left the city, which was empty, at three a.m., and
soon saw it in a blaze. It rained, however, heavily.
We pushed on, and passing through the lake, came
to the entrance to a creek. Here the most fearful
confusion ensued. All the boats were sculling on
and jamming each other, the rebels marching along
the bank. Here we passed the night. The next
day the confusion still continued, and
' advance. Six men (Cowroy's party) here ,left for
the ostensible purpose of getting
• ftlwrteh firewood,coulde further
could- n-buto t
man. The latter
never came back. With me
nd certain death
as. we could not carry him.
remained two Greeks.
lavnasinoteurpr interpreter, atl.douablew;
him, and offered his ring
could not do but
biHi ehen
bdleogengoeendi
iiivni(liteo:
I took leave of shim, and told
to remain.
countrymen. They refused, and we
nstoaoliidsii iilioo,
roeta,
e.
it, he could
left him in the. boat. 'rhe rebels were now in con-
fusion, running everywhere, and the Imperialists
askand
his money
two
close at hand. We landed and took to the hills,
and, after wandering about two or three days, got a
boat, and with some difficulty got down to Shang-
hai." The picture of Hoochow and of the Tow-
wanes administration given by Cowroy only con-
firms the accounts which have already frequently
been made public of the horrors of the Taeping oc-
cupation—accounts which receive their confirmation
in the desolation and ruin which everywhere mark
the footsteps of their retreating armies.

THE AMMON (S.).—The Amphion steamer has
been stranded on Sherringham beach, and is ex-
pected to become a total wreck. The ill-fated vessel at the
time of the disaster was on a voyage from Sunderland to
London, and ran ashore at Sherringham during the pre-
valence of thick weather. All efforts to float her have
proved fruitless ; indeed the gale of Friday and Saturday
drove the vessel higher up the beach. The Amphion is a
vessel of 1,600 tons burthen, and was originally an English
frigate, having formed part of Sir Charles Napier's blockad-
ing squadron in the Baltic during the Russian war. She
was purchased from the GovernMent by Messrs. Wilson,
of Sunderland, her present owners, and is insured for
£17,000. . •