The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-20 00:00:00

have gathered that, neither as regards the fevers
which are present in St. Petersburg, nor as regards
the nervous disease which is occurring in North
Germany, are the circumstances such as have on
former occasions led to the adoption of quarantine
by this country—that, as regards the importability
of the nervous disease, our danger in communicat-
ing with the Baltic ports (unless they were move-
ments of masses of infected population) is apparently
nothing, or next to nothing—and that, as regards
the Russian epidemic, our danger in communicating
with St. Petersburg is only the same sort of danger
as the several parts of the United Kingdom have
often occasioned to one another, and are even at the
present time, as regards the worst known forms of
fever, daily and abundantly occasioning.
As, however, it is possible and evenprobable that,
with the re-opening of the Baltic navigation, ships

which come to our ports from Russian territorymay
occasionally have fever cases on board, it is essen-
tial that, in places which this danger may affect, the
local sanitary authorities should exercise peculiar
vigilance against all those unwholesome conditions
which favour the propagation of such disease. In
this connection I would beg leave to advert to the
short general memorandum which, under direction
of the Lords of the Council, I prepared in 1860, and
have since then been in the habit of circulating, on
the " proceedings which are available in places at-
tacked or threatened by epidemic disease." As re-
gards the class of places to which my present re-
marks particularly apply, it is scarcely needful to
observe that the state of common lodging-houses,

and of houses which are sub-let in several small

holdings, ought very specially to be seen to, and
that every possible care ought to be taken to pro-
vide lest they be left over-crowded and ill-ventilated.
Except in connection with reckless personal asso-
ciation, there is little danger that febrile contagion
will spread widely where the sanitary circumstances
are good ; but the advent of such a contagion into
the poorer dwellings of a place tests, in a crucial
and unflattering way, the sufficiency of their adap-
tation to health.

Finally, with reference to the just-mentioned

danger, and to others of a like kind, it seems im-
perative on me that on this occasion I should bring
under your lordship's partial notice the very unsatis-
factory state of our sanitary laws in everything
which relates to the migration, exposure, and hous-
ing of persons who are infected with the current
contagions of the country, and who, in the absence
of proper precaution, must communicate their disease
to others. Complaints are frequently made that
the public health of a district is seriously endangered
by the arrival (sometimes from abroad, sometimes
from other parts of the United Kingdom) of patients
suffering with small-pox, typhus, typhoid fever,
scarlatina, or some other malignant and more or
less communicable disease ; or that such patients are
being lodged in houses where the disease can hardly
fail to spread ; or that, either in states of imperfect
convalescence, or even during active disease, they
travel in public conveyances or expose themselves in
places of common resort. In the present state of
the law the authorities who are charged with the
local protection of the public health are practically
almost powerless against these evils, and it would
be over-sanguine to imagine that, within any small
number of generations, the sanitary state of the
poorer dwellings of the country will be generally
such that the germs of contagious disease can with
impunity be imported into them. I would therefore
venture to submit to your lordship that in my opinion
it deserves the consideration of the legislature,
whether the hands of local authorities might not ex-
pediently be strengthened against the evils which I
have described ; whether, namely, such authorities
might not, under proper qualifications, be empowered
to require that persons who come with dangerous
communicable disease into the district should so
dispose themselves, in regard to lodgment and seclu-
sion, as not, in any fairly avoidable degree, to en-
danger the public health.—l have the honour to be,
my lord, your lordship's most obedient servant,

(Signed) JonN SrmoN.
To the Lord President of the Council, K.G.

Mr. Hibb,rt, Id,P., at Oldham,
- -

Yesterday the Oldham Liberal Registration So-
ciety held its first festival at the Co-operative Hall,
King-street, in that borough. At the public meeting
which was held in the evening there was only a mo-
derate attendance, and that was composed largely of
women. Mr. J. Platt took the chair, and was sup-
ported by Mr. Ilibbert, one of the members for the
borough, and by several of the town councillors and
leading Liberal electors of Oldham.
The CHAIRMAN said the time was not very far
distant when the electors of that town would be
called upon to exercise the franchise ; but they had
been so long without a contested election that he
scarcely knew whether any person took any interest
in politics. There had, however, recently been a
contest in a neighbouring town, where the old party
spirit seemed to be alive, and parties who had been
there said that the excitement could not possibly
have been greater even if there had been an invasion
of England. He congratulated the Liberals of Roch-
dale on having fought a very good battle. (Hear,
and cheers.) Many of his Liberal friends in Roch-
dale had entertained misgivings about the result of
the election, for what reason he did not know, ex-
cept it was the boasting of their opponents. They
never had any reason to doubt their ,friends, and
they knew the register was in their favour.; yet they
knew their political opponents had been for manyyears
organising an opposition. He could not help feeling
sorry for Mr. Brett, who belonged to the old school
of Tories. If he must have an opponent that was
the very man he should like to fight, because there
could be no doubt about his opinions. Their diffi-
culty in Oldham was of a very different character.
They could not tell what kind of a man they were
fighting. How the Conservatives and extreme Ra-
dicals could unite in supporting Mr. Cobbett had
been a puzzle to him ever since he took a part in the
politics of Oldham. The time would soon arrive
when they would have to think of politics, and of
the promotion of Liberal principles, by which he
meant principles in accordance with the legislation
of the last 30 years. After the results they had seen,
he did not think that any of them would like to go
back. (Hear.) Opponents who had fought against
that great and good man who had lately departed
from them, were willing to pay homage to his me-
mory, to applaud his abilities, and many of them
had stated publicly that he was right and they were
wrong. Might not they also be wrong on many
other questions on which Mr. Cobden had expressed
views differing from them. Among other mea-
sures, Mr. Cobden was willing to extend the
franchise to the people, and he believed that a
practical solution of the difficulty as to such an ex-
tension will be found in the last letter which
Mr. Cobden wrote. He (the Chairman) believed
the time was not far distant when they would
see the end of the present struggle in America,
with the end of which they would see also the
end of slavery. (Applause.) He hailed the last
news with the greatest possible pleasure, as he
thought the struggles of Lancashire were drawing
to an end. Whenever the history of the cotton
famine should be written, it would be seen that
Lancashire had stood forward nobly in a good cause,
and that never had this country been truer to itself
than in maintaining neutrality during the American
war. (Cheers.)

Mr. RIBBERI, M.P., who was received with con-
siderable applause, said he had great pleasure in
coming there that night to meet his constituents,
many of whom he hoped he might now call his old
and dear friends. (Ilear, hear.) For the first time
since he had been their representative he saw ladies
at a political meeting. He was -glad to see them,
because it showed that they took an interest in poli-
tical progress, and he thought if the wives were on
the right side there could be no doubt the husbands
would be there also. It was right in his opinion that
ladies should take an interest in political progress,
because there was nothing that so much affected their
comfort and happiness as the great advance which
had taken place in political and financial matters
during the last 30 years. It was certainly a matter
for congratulation that so much had been done to
add to the comfort and happiness of the people ;
and he was sure there was no man, woman, or child
in this country who did not feel benefited
by the noble deed that was done by those who

obtained the repeal of the corn laws. In speak-
ing of that his mind naturally reverted to the la-
mented death of Richard Cobden. He (Mr. Rib-
bert) had now had the pleasure of sitting in the
House of Commons for nearly three years, very near
to that respected man for whom he had the greatest
admiration, not only on account of his political
opinions, but also because of what he had perceived
of Mr. Cobden's conduct in the house. Not only did
the late member for Rochdale pay attention to the
questions of State which agitated this country, but
he was always ready and willing to attend to the
least local matters which affected the interests of the
county of Lancashire in general, and Rochdale in
particular. He remembered that at the time the
cotton distress commenced, an effort was made in
the House of Commons to carry out some legisla-
tion in order to enable the people of Lancashire to
meet that distress. Mr. Cobden was always ready
to take a part in the discussion of the questions
arising thereon. However small was the business
required to be done, Mr. Cobden never seemed to
think it too small a matter for him to stoop to ; and
he (Mr. Hibbert) remembered that in the second
year of the distress, Mr. Cobden was particularly
anxious, knowing how severely the small millowners
suffered from the large amount of taxation which
was coming upon them, and wrote to him (Mr. Hib-
bert) several letters, wishing to know whether some-
thing could not be done to relieve the silent mills from
bearing so large a proportion of rates. Unfortunately
at that time nothing could be done ; but he believed
a course of action had since been taken to follow
out very much the suggestions which were made by
Mr. Cobden. He thought the world at large would
admit that they had lost a great mai, and all
Englishmen would admit that this country had lost
one of her greatest statesmen. Mr. Disraeli had
said that Mr. Cobden was the greatest political
character that the middle classes of this country had
ever produced. , He (Mr. Hibbert) had no doubt
that such was the truth ; and that now Mr. Cobden
was gone from them they would feel his loss more
and more. There was one subject to which atten-
tion ought certainly to be paid, viz., to the Liberal
Registration Society of Oldham, and those gentle-
men who gave so much time, labour, and money to ,
promote its success ought to be thanked. Objec-
tions to voters had been sent out right and left by
the registration societies of South Lancashire, and
had given great trouble and inconvenience. From
30 to 40 householders in that borough had lost their
votes, merely because they could not attend before
the revising barrister. He was happy to say there
was now a bill before Parliament, and likely he
thought soon to become law, which required the ob-
jection to be stated in each notice paper. One of
the greatest questions of the day was that of
reform, and he believed the people were
apathetic, owing to the length of time since
there had been a general election. He was in
favour of the plan for re-distributing the seats,
dividing the larger towns into wards, and
giving those large towns more representatives,
by whom all interests would be represented. It
was impossible that another Parliament could meet
without extending the franchise in some measure to
the working classes. They should not " rest and be
thankful," but endeavour to improve their constitu-
tion. He believed the enfranchisement of the work-
ing classes would add dignity to this country, would
bind the entire community still closer together, and
in a united people the country would possess a better
safeguard than in her armies or her fleets. (Cheers.)
Several other gentlemen also addressed the meet-

The Royal Dublin Society's Spring Cattle
Show.

DUBLIN, April 19.

This show is regarded with deep interest through-
out the entire country. And good reason there is
for this. Li. the years that Ireland was most de-
pressed it indicated with considerable fidelity the
unfortunate condition of the agricultural commu-
nity, and, when the return of prosperity took place,
it proved a faithful index of the happy change.
Looking at it in this light, therefore, even though
it were not the most important agent in the country
for producing an improved breed of stock, its value
will at once be readily admitted. The present show
confirms the opinion of those who hold that Ireland
is not going backward. There is not only an increase
in the number of animals exhibited, but they are
better bred. A comparison of the society's records
of shorthorned stock entered in 1864 and in the
current year will establish the former statement :
Yearling bulls—lB64, 77 ; 1865, 98 ; two-year-old
bulls-1864, 34 ; 1865, 36 ; three-year-old bulls-
-1864, 12; 1865, 14 ; aged bulls-1861, 10 ; 1865,
13 ; yearling heifers--1864, 17 ; 1865, 18 ; two-
year-old heifers-1864, 5 ; 1865, 12 ; three-year-
old heifers, 1864, 3 ; 1865, 4 ; aged cows-1864,
9 ; 1865, 18. This shows an increase of 41 entries
for 1865. As to the marked improvement in the
breeding of the stock—a matter of much more conse-
quence, it must be allowed, than an increase in the
number of entries—the Freeman affords most em-
phatic evidence. " The excellence of the breeding
and fat horned stock at the present show came
upon many with most agreeable surprise, as per-
sons interested in stock-growing were aware that,
owing to the high price of meat, nearly all animals
that were not near being what is called finished,'
and been shipped to supply the English markets,
and this, combined with the scarcity of grass and
green crops, led persons to suppose that the show
of horned cattle this year would be far below the
average. But we do not remember to have seen any
similar exhibition held under the auspices of the
society in which the stock breeding of the entire
country was so well represented. In the collection are
to be found animals from all parts of Ireland, of the
best and purest breeds, and some of them, from re-
mote localities, have taken off the highest prizes in
the department to which they belong. In the shows
of former years our attention was often drawn to the
very inferior breeding of some of the animals entered
for competition, but on passing through the show
that commenced yesterday, nothing struck us more
forcibly than the claims to notice and commendation
which nearly every animal exhibited possessed." This
is cheering language ; it seems to prove, too, that
the agricultural classes are beginning to recognise
the truth of the assertion that they ought to devote
themselves mainly to breeding stock. Among the
noblemen and gentlemen who, as on previous occa-
sions, exhibit shorthorns, are the Marquis of
Drogheda, the Earl of Mayo, the Earl of Caledon,
Lord Cremorne, Lord Crofton, Colonel Leslie,
M.P. ; Mr. Barnes, the Messrs. Christy, Sir Robert
Paul, Mr. Richard Reynall, Mr. Jaffray Barcroft,
Mr. Cosby, Mr. Phinease Riall, Mr. Allan Pollok,
Sir Alan Bellingham, Mr. G. W. Lambert, Mr.
Henry Richardson, Sir Percy Nugent, Mr. Conolly,
M.P. ; Mr. Wm. Jameson, Mr. N. Burton, Mr. N.
M. Archdall, Mr. Dunlop, Mr. R. Chalmer, Colonel
Fisher, &c. Among the English exhibitors are
Lady Pigot, Mr. R. Tennant, and the Hon. G. E.
Lascelles. The English element, it may be noticed,
is well represented on the list of judges :—Short-
horns—John Thompson, Aislaby, Hull ; Stiles Rich,
Dedmartin, Chippenham, Wilts ; James Bult, Dod-
hill House, Kingston, near Taunton. Miscellaneous
Breeds—Henry Haywood, Blakemere House, Here-
ford. Sheep—Robert J. Wiley, Winterfield, Cat-
terick, Yorkshire. Swine—Henry Haywood, Blake-
mere House, Hereford. Fat Stock—Robert J. Wiley,
Winterfield, Catterick. It is only just to say that
in proportion to the means at its disposal, the Royal
Dublin Society awards most liberal prizes. A co-
veted prize, which, indeed, confers the blue ribbon
of the show, has always been the Irish Framers'
Gazette Challenge Cup. This prize was originally
presented by Messrs. W. S. and E. Purdon, the
enterprising proprietors of the Irish Farmers'
Gazette, to be awarded to the animal in the
breeding classes of neat cattle, which, in the opinion
of the judges, possessed the greatest merit. For
several years it went through a variety of vicissitudes
of ownerships, but was at length permanently won
by Col. Townley, of Townley Hall, Lancashire. The
gallant gentleman, who always took a deep interest
in the prosperity of the society's shows, seeing the
advantage which competition for such a valuable
prize must confer, determined that this cup should
be replaced by a plate with which the name of
the Irish Farmer's Gazette should be associated,
and accordingly he contributed the sum of 100