The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-15 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—l beg to inform you, for the information of
your readers, that the mail-packet Samphire, onher
voyage last night from Dover to Calais with the
mails, and about 70 passengers and their baggage,
at about 11.30 p.m. came into collision with an Ame-
rican barque, and was struck in her fore compart-
ment, which immediately filled and disabled her
from proceeding on her voyage. The Samphire
being constructed with water-tight compartments
the passengers and crew were all kept in safety in
the after part of the vessel until the Belgian mail
packet, La Belgique, came to her assistance, and
conveyed passengers, crew, and baggage in safety
to Dover. The Samphire has also been towed into
Dover this morning, where she will be immediately
overhauled with the view of ascertaining the damage
she has sustained. As far as we can at present learn
no blame is to be attached to the commander of the
Samphire.—l am, sir, &c.,
LUKE SMITHETT, Kt., Marine Superintendent.
Dover, Dec. 14.

DOVER, FRIDAY.
(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
The water has been got out of the ill-fated mail
steamer Samphire.
The mail bags have been landed.
PASSENGERS DROWNED.
Monsr. Laignelet.
Mons. Martin de Crocq.
A foreign gentleman, name unknown.
Miss Baines, of Galding, Kent ; and
Miss Kening, in company of Miss Baines.

Another Fire in Bermondsey.

- - -

This morning (Friday) the inhabitants of this
densely populated parish were again alarmed by the
outbreak of a fire in the extensive row of buildings
belonging to Messrs. Armfield and Sons, leather
manufacturers, Bermondsey-street. The discovery
was made by a policeman, who gave the usual alarm.
The fire-escape and hand and steam fire-engines
were promptly in attendance ; and plenty of water
having been obtained, the firemen went to work in
an admirable manner, but the only thing that could
be saved was the adjoining factories. The premises
in which the fire broke out was partially destroyed.
The origin of the fire is unknown. • The firm is un-
derstood to be fully insured. The police rendered
essential aid to the firemen by keeping an immense
crowd in order and out of danger.

THE FENIAN- TRIALS.

(BY TELEGRAPH.)

TIURSD AY EVENING.

The Judges went to Cork this morning by the
ordinary mail train, preced€d by a pilot engine.
Great crowds awaited their arrival in Cork, but all
very good-humoured. _

141 r. Justice Fitzgerald, in lelivering the charge
to the grand jury, contradictA the report that he
had attended a Privy Council meeting which ad-
vised these prosecutions, It was utterly devoid of
foundation.

It is said that a military force of 4,000 men will
guard the city of Cork during the trials.
The troops in all the Dublir barracks were under
arms last night.
The large establishment •f Messrs. O'Farrell,
North King-street, Dublin, was burnt down this
morning, when soap, candles; oil, turpentine, and
other property to the value of £35,000, were totally
destroyed.

The Bank of France returnshows a reduction of
£160,000 in the bullion, and anincrease of £445,000
in the notes in circulation. The bills discounted
have also been augmented £48),000, and the Trea-
sury balance £165,720. The current accounts have
been decreased £260,000.

Provost LU3IGAIR proposed the " Health of Mr.
Baxter," adverting to the great estimation in which
he was held, not only ;by his constituents, but by
the country at large, as shown by the desire of Lord
Palmerston's Government that he should take office
to his zeal as a reformer, and to the independent
position he had always maintained.
The toast was very warmly received.
Mr. BAXTER, who was received with loud and
lon g-continued cheering, after expressing his thanks
for the kindness he had always experienced at the
hands of his constituents, and his grateful appre-
ciation of his long and pleasant associations with
the Montrose district of burghs—referring to offers
made him by Lord Palmerston and Earl Russell,
and which he was not in a position to entertain, he
said—To have been associated, even in an humble
capacity, with men like the present Prime Minister
and Mr. Gladstone, would have been a great honour
—(hear, hear)—and while not in the least as poli-
tically ambitious as some people suppose, I am by
no means insensible to it. But do not let us forget
what the Chancellor of the Exchequer said in Glas-
gow so eloquently and so well, regarding men who
had rendered important services to their country
without office or reward. (Great applause.) Hap-
pily, the dead calm in politics seems about to be
disturbed. In the grave of Lord Palmerston was
buried the olive branch of peace. Now, that the
American war has ended, and constitutional liberty
has been vindicated in the Western hemisphere, many
men whose minds were much engrossed with that
struggle have more time to consider our-political
position at home, and to ask themselves if nothing
can be done to place on a wider basis the founda-
tion of British freedom and power. (Applause.)
We have in our midst the most intelligent artisan
class in the world--working mechanics, whose skill
and industry do honour to the country—labouring
men, who bring up their families creditably, read
and understand their daily newspaper, and an audi-
ence composed of those whom every public speaker
likes to address. Since the last great alteration in
our constitution, they have made almost unprece-
dented strides in knowledge and independent intel-
ligent thought--(cheers)—and yet only a mere hand-
ful of them have votes. Now, gentlemen, I ask you
is this fair, is it just, is it safe ? When the United
11 States of America, with all the evils of universal suf-
frage, have done what was beyond the power of any
European monarchy—when our own colonies admit
the working classes to vote, what possible reason can
you give for keeping them beyond the pale of the
constitution in this well-ordered, peaceful, law-ob-
serving country of ours ? (Loud cheers.) I rejoice
to think that the time has gone by for blinking this
question any longer. We shall have a Reform Bill
—(hear, hear)—a bill, I believe, framed in a large
spirit of generous confidence, and a bill by which
Lord Russell's Ministry will stand or fall. (Loud
cheers.) Every measure of this kind must neces-
sarily have faults ; but if its main object is to en-
franchise a considerable portion of the working
classes, by reducing the present standard of a £lO
house-rent, it shall have my earnest and active sup-
port. (Applause.) My own opinion is, that the
qualification should be on the value of the dwelling-
house alone, as affording, on the whole, the fairest
test which practically can be obtained of the occu-
pier's fitness to vote ; and, therefore, I would gladly
welcome a proposal to fix the rent of the dwelling
very low if other premises were altogether excluded.
I do not see why one man should have a vote be-
cause attached to his house are stables or drinking
rooms, while another man with an equally good, or
even better, house has no vote, because he does
not drive a cart or sell spirits. (Applause.) But if
the Government do not see their way to such an alte-
ration as this, but propose a simple reduction from
£lO to £5 or £6, I think we can help them to beat
the Tories, even though the latter should be aided
by your Lowes and Horsmans, and other politicians
of that unbelieving school. (Applause.) Our hope-
ful sign may already be observed. The Times has
sounded the note of opposition, and the Times
lately has always been on the losing side. The other
important point which will fall to be considered in
the new measure is there-distribution of seats. You
know the difficulties and dangers incidental to any
attempt at disfranchisement—and, if not supported
vigorously by the public outside, the Government
may possibly be upset by the votes of Liberal mem-
bers for little insignficant English boroughs, whose
inhabitants might be removed to America or Aus-
tralia by the Great Eastern in half a dozen trips.
(Laughter and cheers.) It is monstrous to think of
the power possessed by these petty villages. You
will find that the number of members returned to
Parliament by the following large cities, having in
the aggregate 294,029 electors, is 51, viz. :—Tower
Hamlets, Lambeth, Marylebone, Manchester, Leeds,
Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Finsbury, Shef-
field, Westminster, London, Wolverhampton, Bir-
kenhead, Bradford, Brighton, Coventry, Hudders-
field, Hull, Leicester, Norwich, Nottingham, Sal-
ford, Portsmouth, and Southampton—while an
equal number of members is returned by the fol-
lowing wretched places, having only 9,393 electors,
viz., Andover, Arundel, Caine, Cockermouth, Dart-
mouth, Devizes,Evesham, Harwich, Honiton, Hunt-
ingdon, Knaresborough, Leominster, Ludlow,
Lymington, Marlborough, Great Marlow, Ripon,
Tewkesbury, Totness, Wells, Wilton, Bodmin,
Buckingham, Dorchester, Eye, Tavistock, Farn-
worth, and Chippenham. I have never been able
to see why they should not be grouped together as
our smaller towns are in Scotland. (Cheers.) The
system has many advantages to counterbalance the
only disadvantage urged against it--viz., the addi-
tional expense for agents in each borough in
case of an election ; but whatever proposal be
made things cannot be allowed to remain as
they are, and • for my part I should be glad to
see some self-acting plan adopted for depriving
these places of their members, when their
population fell below a certain proportion to the
population of the whole country. (Hear, hear.)
You are aware that in the United States the electo-
ral districts are altered after each decennial census
of the people, thus enabling representation to keep
co-extensive with population and taxation. Some
approximation to that plan would save us the con-
stant bitterness and worry of those contests which
must take place periodically for a century or two, if
no radical alteration be made in our present arrange-
ments. In any scheme for the redistribution of the
seats I hope that her Majesty's Ministers, as the re-
cognised leaders of the Liberal party, will not for-
get the deep debt of obligation which that party owes
to Scotland. (Cheers.) It is the overwhelming ma-
jority in favour of progress in this portion of the
island, and that alone, which all these long years has
kept the Tories out of office; and considering that
only two of our large cities have a couple of members
each, while not one of our counties has more than a
single representative--considering, too, that wehave
no rotten burghs and no bribery, and moreover that
Scotland has made a remarkable progressive increase
in wealth and influence since the Act of Union, and
even since the passing of the Reform Bill, a Reform
Government would act both ungratefully and un-
justly if our claims to additional representation were
ignored. (Cheers) When Lord Palmerston's Minis-
try proposed, two or three years ago, to give a mem-
ber to the metropolitan suburb of Kensington, the
Scotch representatives in a body, considering that
their country had a prior claim, joined the Opposition
in opposing the measure, and the consequence was
its decisive defeat. We north of the Tweed have
ever given a large majority to the side of reform, and
now at the hands of the most veteran reformer of
the country—the First Lord of her Majesty's Trea-
sury—we claim our reward. (Cheers.) But while clear
that Scotland ought to have more members, Lam not
quite so sure that the Angus burghs ought to be di-
vided. It has been suggestedthat Montrose, Brechin,
and Bervie should have a member for themselves,
and that Arbroath and Forfar should return a separate
representative. I admit the force of the reasoning,
and the cogency of the figures in support of it, but
the effect of this disruption would be to place me
on the horns of a very unpleasant dilemma—very

(Laughter and applause.) To bring about these
changes may require more than one session, perhaps
another dissolution ; but I have not the slightest
doubt of the result ; for truth is great and will pre-
vail, and when the case has been fairly argued in
sincerity I believemuch of the latent hostility which
now exists will disappear. Moreover, I should not
be surprised to see moderate, well-informed, and
patriotic Conservatives like Mr. Walpole and Mr.
Adderley supporting the Government. There are
not a few gentlemen sitting on the Conservative side
of the house who are better Liberals than some old
Whigs. (Hear, hear.) Speaking of old Whigs, it is
their former blundering, their bad handling of the
party in past years, which has caused the greatest
practical difficulty which Earl Russell had at this
moment to encounter—viz., that of obtaining de-
bating talent in high offices in the House of Com-
mons. The Whigs seldom would advance a man
unless he had some kind of relationship to one or
other of their own magnates; the consequence is
that they thus have no men in foremost places fitted
to cope with formidable adversaries. The little
family party is now, fortunately for the best inter-
ests of the country, nearly broken up ; but it is
possible that another consequence of their past pur-
blind generalship may be the breaking up of Lord
Russell's Ministry. Happily, gentlemen, the progress
of Liberal principles does not depend on the fate of
a Ministry—(applause)—the management of a party,
the issue of a debate, or the accidents of the
hour. Their eventual triumph both in Church and
State is as certain as the rise of to-morrow's sun.
(Renewed applause.) Her Majesty's Opposition is
a compact,well-organised body, and not without its
uses ; but it can no more prevent us by and bye en-
franchising the working classes, repealing church
rates, disendowing the Irish Church, and opening
the English Universities, with all their honours, to
all subjects of the Queen, irrespective of religious
belief, than it can put back the wheels of time. We
have beaten the party of obstruction point by point
in every battle hitherto, and I have the fullest con-
fidence that in these questions—perhaps on some
others, of which more next day we meet—we shall
beat them all the same. (Great applause.) And
now, gentlemen, I thank you once more, and be
assured that come what may—weal or woe—in what-
ever circumstances it may please God to place me,
even in those dark hours which sooner or later fall
to the lot of every man, it will always be to me a
source of happiness and of gratitude to think of my
connexion with you. (Loud applause.)

Opening of the Hungarian Diet—Speech of

the Emperor.

PESTH, Dec. 14.
The Hungarian Diet was opened to-day by the
Emperor in person.

His Majesty said a contradiction existed between
the statement of some Austrian statesmen, who
asserted that Hungary had forfeited all her ancient
constitutional rights by the insurrection of 1848-49,
and the claim of the Hungarian political parties to
have all constitutional reform vigorously carried out
on the basis of historical rights, This contradiction
could only be reconciled by the Pragmatic Sanction,
which both parties had taken as their point of de-
parture. The Emperor recognised the necessity of
the autonomy of Hungary, so far as it does not affect
the unity of the empire and the position of Austria
as a great European Power. His Majesty wished to
re-establish the integrity of the Hungarian Crown,
and in order to effect this steps had been taken that
Transylvania and Croatia should be represented in
the Diet at Pesth. The first task before the Diet
was to take into consideration those questions which
concern all the provinces. The Emperor wished the
Diet to keep in view as their principal aim the unity
of the empire, and the position of Austria as a great
Power. The second object of the Diet must be the
revision of the laws of 1848, which were to be mo-
dified, since they were incompatible not only with
the unity of the empire, but with the rights of the
Sovereign. These principal questions having been
solved, the Diet must then discuss the Inaugural
Diploma (the programme of the coronation), after
which the coronation of the Emperor of Austria as
King of Hungary would take place. He hoped that
the confidence between the nation and the King
would be increased, and that the great work of
decentralising Austria and Hungary would give
satisfaction to all the nationalities composing the
empire.

His Majesty's speech was frequently interrupted
by cheers.

Naval and Military intelligence.

-~-

VALETTA, Dec. 9.—There have been no movements in
the fleet except the departure of her Majesty's despatch
vessel Psyche since any last. Rear-Admiral Yelverton,
C. 8., inspected the Racer, 11, screw corvette, Commander
L. Brine, on the sth inst., and expressed himself much
pleased with the order and discipline of the ship. The
Turkish screw transport Kars, with a detachment of troops
for Tripoli, arrived on the 2d inst. from Constantinople.
The telegraph steamer Hawk left on the sth inst. with
passengers and merchandise for Tunis. Her Majesty's ships
in port are as follow : The Victoria, 102 (bearing the flag
of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Robert Smart, K.C.8.,
K.H.) ; the Hibernia, receiving-ship (beering the flag of
Rear-Admiral H. Kellett, C. 8.); the Caledonia, 31, iron-
clad (bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral H. R. Yelverton,
C. 8.); the Royal Oak, 35, ironclad; the Gibraltar, 81;
the Resistance, 16, iron ship ; the Enterprise, 4, iron
sloop ; the Pelican, 17 ; the Racer, 11; the Assurance, 4 ;
the Surprise, 4 (arrived this morning from Corfu) ; the
Wizard, 2 (about to be recommissioned); the Tyrian, 1 ;
and the Caradoc, 2, despatch vessel. Foreign—ltalian
ironclad frigates Castelfidardo, 26, and the San Martino,
26. The Italian Consul, Chevalier Slythe, paid a visit to
Rear-Admiral Yelverton on board the Caledonia on the
sth inst. Mr. T. Andrews, engineer and general super-
intendent of the Mediterranean Extension Telegraph Com-
pany, who accompanied on behalf of this company the
telegraph expedition for the repair of the Corfu-Otranto
cable, undertaken by the Telegraph Construction and
Maintenance Coy., returned from Corfu in her Majesty's
ship Gibraltar, having remained in Corfu for the purpose
of finally testing the cable, which now works admirably.
The Sardo-Siculo Submarine Cable, which had stopped
working, has also been successfully repaired, and tele-
grams for the islands of Sardinia and Corsica are now
telegraphed to their destination as heretofore. It is re-
ported that Major Clarke, director of the Admiralty works,
will shortly arrive in this island, accompanied by several
contractors, to receive tenders for the construction of the
naval dock in the French Creek, which, it is said, will cost
£200,000. Although this island has for some time past
enjoyed excellent health, arrivals from Malta are still sub-
ject at Messina to 21 days' quarantine. The other ports
of Sicily are less unreasonable, but they will not yet admit
us to free pratique, and continue to enforce on arrivals
hence a quarantine of seven days. In Messina, I regret
to say, an epidemic of scarlatina has manifested itself,
chiefly among children. It is fatal after an illness of
only two days. Arrivals here from Smyrna, Alex-
andria, Naples, and Marseilles, are still put in quar-
antine. From Marseilles, however, ships are furnished
with clean bills of health. A smart shock of an earth-
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from their sleep. It is generally described as having
been more like a violent concussion of the air, accom-
panied by a loud noise, than a heaving of the earth. For-
tunately, it was of very brief duration, and no ill effects
have been experienced, except that arising from fright to
nervous people, and the knocking down of a little white-
wash and plaster. Several slight shocks are said to
have been felt during the last six weeks, and it is affirmed
that the great shock was preceded by smaller ones during
the night. In answer to inquiries by telegraph I learn that
nothing was felt of it in Sicily and Italy, in the volcanic
regions of Etna and Vesuvius, which volcanoes have of
late shown greater uneasiness than usual.
The Civil Service examinations at Woolwich dockyard
were yesterday concluded. There were 78 candidates in
the shipwright department for promotions, and 10 student
engineers. They were examined by Mr. Geo. Turner and
Mr. J. Trickett in presence of the Civil Service Commis-
sioner. The report will be forwarded to the Admiralty.
The candidates for promotion were, writers, draughtsmen,
foremen, inspectors, leading men, inspectors of joiners,
attendant converters, inspectors of caulkers, &c. The num-
ber of questions proposed to the candidates varied from 18
to 24.
Adjutant Everitt, depot Royal Horse Artillery at Maid-
atone, yesterday proceeded to Warley to select 50 men from
the 3d division of the depot, for transfer to the corps of the
Royal Horse Artillery, to fill up vacancies at headquarters,
Woolwich.

The Captain's Good Service Pension, vacant by the pro-
motion of Capt. Harvey to the rank of Rear-Admiral, has
been conferred upon Capt. James N. Strange.
The following gentlemen have been nominated Naval
Cadets :—Edward F. Tyacke and J. B. Bonett.

France entered with heart and soul into the in-
ternational free trade policy, of which Richard.
Cobden was the leader, and of which he became
England's arbitrator. France has had no reason to
regret the change for the better—which took
place the moment the formidable barriers of re-
striction to international commerce were thrown
down—and every day's experience since has
shown the wisdom of that measure, more
especially as regards the interests of France,
deriving as that nation did so large a share
of its advantages. One most important clog, how-
ever, was perhaps inadvertently, or from necessity,
as the case may be, left on the chariot wheels of
progress, and which it is high time for international
interests should be done away with at once and for
ever—namely, the exorbitant postal rates between
the two countries. Why should this high rate o
postage be continued between France and England,
the distance from one capital to the other occupying
only eleven hours ? We can send our letters to
Jersey, Guernsey, Dublin, and Scotland, with ad.
vantage to the revenue for one penny, and yet to
Paris we must pay the exorbitant fee of 4d. per
loz.; we feel sure that in the interests of inter..
national commerce, and in these days of free trade
convictions, it is only necessary to call the attention
of the French executive to this matter—as also to
the fact of the wonderful influence of a cheap
postage in the development of the home trade of
England—to convince them that to allow this ab-
surd restriction to fetter the development of the
industrial resources of the nation is a great mistake.
Let it then be swept away as an incubus on the
commercial energies of the two great powers of
Europe.—The Stationer and Fancy Trades' Register.