The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY 10, 1870.

unjust. There can be no principle more nrmiy
established than this, that the Government,
in engaging certain persons definitely, and
not merely as supernumeraries, is bound either
to keep them employed so long as they discharge
their duties properly, or to pension them if it chooses
to discharge them. The grounds of this understanding
are intelligible enough. A man who enters the
service of the Government as a clerk enters a profes-
sion in which it is impossible to make a large profit,
or to save much money. He accepts a low payment
because he knows that his place is safe so long
as ho conducts himself well and is in good
health ; and that if he should become ill
he will receive a pension which will at all
events keep him from starvation. But if he
is to be subject to dismissal while in the possession
of all Ms faculties of mind and body, and while dis-
charing all his duties, ho will not care to choose
that profession, knowing well that he cannot expect
at 40 or 50 to train himself for other modes of life.
On the other hand, the Government gets a com-
pensating advantage out of this fixity of tenure. It
is enabled to get work done at a lower rate of pay
than would otherwise be possible, and it is tolerably
secure against being left in the lurch by sudden resig-
nations on the part of its employes. If the under-
standing which has hitherto prevailed is to be put
aside, then the Government must be prepared either
to pay mare per man, or it must be content with a
lower class of servants. Probably the latter alterna-
tive would prove the real solution ; for there is no
doubt that much of the work now done by
gentlemen might be accomplished by private
soldiers and other persons of the same social
grade. But that is a question which affects future
civil servants. It does not, or ought not to concern
the present. It ought to be no reason for arbitrary
dismissals without compensation. If, therefore, there
have been any cases of hardship, such as that of the
Coastguard civil officers appears to be, there is good
ground of complaint against the Government.
At the same time we do not feel it

necessary to put entire confidence in all
that is said. A few weeks ago a great
outcry was raised about the alleged harshness of the
Government towards certain employes in the dock-
yards. The complaints were circumstantial enough,
and were made the substance of a serious charge by
the Opposition press. On examination it turned out
that the Government had but carried out the arrange-
ments as to dismissal made by the Opposition them-
selves when in office ; and that the present Board cf
Admiralty had actually been more liberal in the way
of pensions than they were bound to be either by law
or by equity. It may turn out that the
case of the Coastguard officials is very different
from that which it is represented to be. Under
any circumstances there must be a considerable
amount of suffering involved in making a sudden
change from a wasteful and profligate to an econo-
mical expenditure. The waste is not attributable
solely to either political party; but it had culminated
under the last Government, and the present is the
first that has seriously set to work to conduct
our great spending departments on the same
financial principles as regulate ordinary firms. The
sweeping reductions which the Ministers now in office
are compelled to make supply the strongest reason
why they should exercise the utmost care to prevent
wrong being Hone to individuals. The saving of a
shilling or two to the taxpayer would inadequately
compensate for a broken heart or a brain maddened
by distress.

ANOTHER great electioneering mystery is in store
tor us. Colonel -WRIGHT having, as it was said at
the time, consented to resign his seat at Nottingham
if the petition against him were withdrawn, but having
afterwards denied the promise, or forgotten to fulfil it,
is_now once more contemplating resignation. Conse-
quently the electors are looking out for new candi-
dates, and in spite of the eccentric character of the
constituency, there is sure to be no lack of competi-
tors. In fact, there is no reason why anyone should
not get in for the lace metropolis, however wild or
absurd he may be. The town which made a hero
of the late Sir RoDEET CLIFTON must rather like than
object to Bohemianism, whether social or political.
Find a man whose antecedents would tell aq•ainst him

in any other constituency, and he will prove just the
man for Nottingham. Mr. FERGUS O'CONNOR, the
mad Chartist, was a sort of demi-god in that famous
town. Since then that "universal representative,"
Mr. BEI:NAL OSBORNE, has been both the beloved
and the rejected of the "lambs," has been at
the head of the poll and at the bottom,
and no one knows why he occupied either
the ono position or the other. Mr. DIGBY SEYMOUR,
to whom Southampton aforetime gave his cone, very
nearly got in last year when Sir ROBERT CLIFTON died,
but failed, though Lady CLIFTON and ➢lr. OSBORNE
did their best for him. Now it is said that he will
come forward again, and that he will this time
have Mr. OSBORNE, not as backer, but as rival. It
would be difficult to define the politics of either
of these gentlemen, for though they used to
profess Liberal views when they represented
Southampton and Liskeard, they dropped them
at Nottingham, where, though Chartism was once the
popular creed, Liberalism certainly is not. Under these
circumstances the advent of a Conservative candi-
date is almost certain, and remembering that in
consequence of the plethora of Liberal and quasi-
Liberal candidates in 18G8, a Conservative got in, it
would seem probable enough that another Conser-
vative would be successful under similar circum-
stances, were it not that in Nottingham, whatever
appears most probable to happen is most likely notto
happen. Nottingham elections are games of chance
in which skill has no Dart ancl.prophots aro wholly at
fault.

The Court will not return to Windsor before the
end of Februlry.
The Cornwall Gazette believes that Plyirouth is to
be the assize town for both Cornwall and Devon.

The Reconcilement of her Royal Highness the
Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein will, according to
the Court Journal, take place about May next.

A brother of the Chancellor of the Exchequer has
just accepted a curacy at V- e hinds of the rector of Church
Eaton, near Penkridge, worth probably 1100 a year.
The new Irish Master of the Rolls will be sworn in
next Monday. The Lublin Mail says that Mr. Barry will
be the new Attorney-General, and most probably Sir Col-
man O'Loghlou will succeed as Solicitor-Gener.d.

It is in contemplation to invite the Prince and
Princess of Wales to Belfast on Easter Monday, when it is
proposed to unveil the statue of the late Prince Consort at
the Albert Memorial.

It is reported that a certain Dowager Countess,
the widow of a Scotch nobleman, has recently bestowed her
hand upon her Italian courier. The spouse has already
passed her sixtieth year.

A butcher named Walters, who had left two beasts
at the Birkenhead slaughter-house from Tuesday night to
Thursday morning without food or water, has been fined £3
and costs ou a charge of cruelty.

Mr. Thomas Williams, the poor-rate collector and
assistant overseer fur the parish of Rhuddlan, in Flintshire,
has been susirn !ed, owing to an allegation that he is a de-
faulter to the extent of several hundred pounds. He is sup-
posed to have absconded.

The South London Press says that Parliament will
be ask, d next session to sanction the construction of ano-
ther Thames subway, stretching from St. George's Church
(Southwark), underneath the river, to Arthur-street, in the
City.

The Reg7strar-General's Department in Edin-
burgh, says the London Scotsman, has received intimation
that it is to be included in the inquiry begun by the Earl of
Camperdown and Sir W illiam Clerk, and has been eallad on
to furni3ll returns, Itc., to the commissioners.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, with Prince
Albert Victor, Prince George, and the Princesses Louiso
Victoria Alexandra, and Maud, remain at Gunton Hall, Nor-
folk, and are not expected to take their departure for another
fortnight or ten days.

The proceedings for alleged bribery at the East
Norwich municip d elections commenced to-day against Mr.
Hardiment. Mr. Hardiment is also to be prosecuted by the
Attorney-General for briber{ at the last Norwich parliamen-
tary election. . • __

WOMEN AND FIELD LABOUR,

We drew attention to an article which appeared in the
Pall Mall Gazette on the employment of women in field
labour. A "Northern Rustic," in the same journal endorses
the remarks therein contained. Tho writer states
that his mother reaped corn in her seven-
tieth year, and contends that in rural districts
it is always understood that women who do not
share in it are either not under the necessiey of doing so,
or are too idle, the latter being looked upon or contemned
accordingly. He adds:—" I thought we had got past
the days when the bottling-up process was thought
to be the best safeguard of morals. We cannot
prevent young people learning more or less of
evil sooner or later. The only thing to be done is to
strengthen their moral principle, which is altogether a
different thing from mere ignorance of evil. I do not
know, judging from the tone of the ordinary novel of the
period, that the gossip of a harvest field is one whit worse
if it be nearly so bad, as the scandal of a drawing-room
full of dowagers ; kit my experience teaches me that
women may do field-work and yet be the best of wives and
mothers, and that those who are not good wives and
nnthers would be what they are if there were no such
thing as field-work."

THE STATE AND CONDITION OF THE
ROYAL NAVY.

There can be no difference of opinion, out of royal
naval circles, as to the necessity of reforming naval
abuses ; and the fact that a captain of tho
royal navy has lent himself to the bringing about
an amelioration of the condition of the gallant profession
augurs well for the ultimate result. Captain BedfordPim
invites our attention to a letter which he has addressed to
his professional brethren of all ranks, especially regarding
the " excessively crowded lists cause ;" the great waste of
public money, the lamentable deterioration in professional
zeal and ability; the enforced idleness on half the pro-
fession," and many other subjects that he considers work
injuriously to the best interests of the country. The
means of dealing with the evil are very
plainly stated by Captain Pim in detail. He
advises the release of some 1,500 officers from their con-
nection with the navy, "with the greatest regard to
their feelings and future prospects." He thinks a standing
navy should at once be inauguratedat home and permanent
stations created abroad ; also that the half pay and pension
lists should cease to exist by the introduction of an Act
amending the present system in this respect, soon after
the meeting of the present Parliament. We fully
endorse the opinion of Sir James Graham, quoted
by Captain Pim. "I cannot express in adequate terms
my admiration of the naval character ; I think it decidedly
the very flower of British society, I think that a naval
officer, trained from his youth in his profession and master
of his profession, is one of the noblest and finest characters
that the history of the country can produce;" we may also be
allowed to add, that the sooner the invitation of Captain
Pim is responded to, namely, that all ranks and classes
should communicate with him unreservedly, the sooner
will the picture of Sir James Graham be perfected.

SOME VISITS TO STREET EXHIBITIONS.
Under the heading "Outside the Cattle Show," Mr.
Frank Buckland contributes an amusing article to Land
and Water, describing his experiences in some exhibitions
for the people. "We heard (he says) ati emendous beat-
ing of gongs, and saw a blazing light ; pushing through the
dense crowd, we managed to get near the door. There
were two enormous pictures outside the door, of black men
wlth feathers in their heads and clubs in their hands danc-
ing round a fire, and a human skull and dr:nking jug were
lying on the ground close to the fire, evidently to
give an idea that some cannibals had just finished their
dinner, and were taking " curacoa and maraschino" after
the Cashion of cannibals. A fellow with a cap made of
cat's skin, a whip in his hand, and a kind of feather cloak
on his shoulders, was at the door shouting, "Come and
see them eat 'em alive o ! eat 'em alive o ! Walk in, walk
in, we 'ye now got a respectable company, admission only
one penny. The wonderful black fellows is just going to
take their supper, Jim, bring out the rats." He then held
up a wire cage containing about a dozen common rats alive.
"This is their supper, and they're just agoing to begin."
Of course we at once went in, and found ourselves in a
blacksmith's shop. One corner of the forge was curtained
off ; and from behind the curtain I could see four black
hands protruding so as to catch the heat of the fire. The
room being full of visitors, the master gave a crack with
his whip, and made a kind of savage yell. Immediately
from behind the curtain there started out with a terrible
spring two Caffres—short, but exceedingly powerful men,
with very little clothes on them. The first of all gave us a
war dance, and then showed us how they hunted, speared,
and killed the lion, which beast the proprietors informed
us, " they could smell thirty miles off." The wild men,
we were then informed, had the privilege of going round
to collect coppers before they had their supper. I gave
one fellow half a cigar, he put the lighted end inside his
mouth and smoked it in this fashion. I then gave him
another, the pointed end of which he stuck in his nose.
The money being collected, the cage tun of rats was then
brought in and handed round to see that there was "no
deception." One of the Caffres then thrust his hand into
the cage, yelling all the time and acting signs of famishing
hunger. He quickly seized a rat and almost quicker than
the eye could follow put the rat's head in his mouth and
bit it clean off. He then munched up a good portion of
the head and bleeding body of the rat, while what was left
was held up by the tail to the audience outside. This
was certainly not a drawing-room exhibition, but I
stood very close to the Caffre and could not help wonder-
ing not only at his peculiar taste, but also at his remarkable
agility in executing the unfortunate rat. I have no
doubt that these two Caffres (or their master which is
more probable) gain a good deal of money by rat eating,
for in the Caffre's greasy cap there was certainly two
shillings worth of coppers, and I suppose there were 30
people at a penny a head inthe room. The next exhibition
we visited was that of a " fossil human skeleton." Out-
side the door again was a cartoon. This time there was a
picture of a stalactite cave ; a man was represented as
digging a hole in the floor of the cave while three other
people with huge planters' hats on were portrayed as
standing round in mute astonishment at " the discovery
of the skeleton." The skeleton itself was laid out on a
board in the middle of a little stick and umbrella shop,
and the exhibitor told us awonderful story—of course per-
fectly untrue—about its discovery. lat once examined it
very closely, and in a few minutes came to the conclusion
that the skeleton had never been in the earth at all.
There is a certain individual in London who gets his
living by preparing skeletons and human bones, which he
sells to medical students. This individual, wishing to
profit by the cattle show, had cunningly set some old
skeleton which he could not. sell, to do duty outside the
cattle show. He had covered it over with a mixture of
plaster of Paris and common earth, leaving the bones here
and there exposed so that they could be seen through the
pseudo-stalagmite The skull was exceedingly well dis-
guised, and I confess that I should not have been so certain
of what I now state had I not found an iron wire protruding
from the top of the vertebrae to which the skull was affixed
when the skeleton was in 'proper saleable order. There
were also traces of iron wire and iron hinges at the joints.
Fossil skeletons are not set up with wire, thus fully
proving to me that this skeleton once had been what we
call an " articulated skeleton," and was now made an ex-
hibition of under another term. I have since ascertained
that my theory as regards the history of this skeleton is
perfectly correct. Besides the skeleton, we got a sight
of another exhibition in this room, all included
in a penny. This was " the fire-eater. Again
from behind the curtain there came out a
black man; once more a Caffre; having made a sort of
salaam, the proprietor handed him a saucer containing
some burning naptha. This the Caffre shewed us, and
then producing a spoon he filled it with the
burning naptha, put it into his mouth, and swallowed
it. He continued taking up spoonful after spoonful
till the saucer was empty. I suppose altogether
he took half a wine glassful of naptha. He then
brought out a bar of redhot iron, and this he licked with
his tongue five or six times. After the people were
gone out I gave the Caffre a shilling to allow me to
look down his throat. The inside of his mouth and the
fauces were in a state of considerable redness and in-
flammation. Ido not, however, think the Caffre actually
swallowed the naptha, but allowed it to burn itself almost
entirely away before he put the spoon in his mouth.
The inflammation caused by the heated material was not
sufficient to do him any real harm. I have before seen
the trick of licking the red-hot poker performed in private
the reason why it does not burn the tongue is, I believe..
that there is a film of steam, a non-conductor of heat.
between the tongue and the iron, which prevents the heat
taking effect ; still I should imagine that the first trial of
this feat would be excessively difficult arid dangerous to
a person who was not very alert and very careful.

BOAT ACCIDENT ON TIIP. TAY—TWO brothers,
twelve and ten years of age respectively, the sons of Mr.
Chalmers, teacher, at Taypat, Dundee, went out in a plea-
sure boat on the river Tay, on Saturday evening. The
boat was swamped through carelessness, and both boys
were drowned. Another son of Mr. Chalmers was drowned
in the Tay when bathing some months ago.

Tho inhabitants of 13odulin agreed on Friday even-
ing at the Town Hall, Bodmin, to present an address t,
Lord Rob,rte congratulating his lordship on his accession
to the peerage. Tho presentation will be made on behai
of the inhabitants by the Mayor, Mr. J. Crang, who pre
sided at the meeting. The address states that his lord
ship's elevation to the peerage will be hailed throughout
0913.17411 M pg b.411414X 411 d AdTP,IISAgQ t 9 the POll/4V.

M. OLLIVIER ON THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN
QUESTION.

The Norddeutschelgemeine Zeitung, of Friday, pub-
lishes a letter written by M. 011ivier in 1367, in answer to
a German friend, who had sent bins a copy of the address
presented by the Iteichtag to the King of Prussia. " I thank
you," the letter runs, " for your attention, and for sending
me the address. Tho letter has my approval, because it is
only patriotic and not a challenge, and gives emphatic ex-
pression to the beautiful parole of peace. In spite of all
the efforts made by certain wicked and ill-regulated

spirits, both amongst you and amongst ourselves, I
have the firm hope that peace will be maintained. In
France also this is the universal wish. Our people do
not desire war ; they do not demand it. War is only
wished by those who would like, by interference with
foreign affairs, to repress the demands of the nation,
which become daily more energetic for the re-establish-
ment of internal freedom. I should be delighted to aid in
doing away with all prejudices and misunderstandings
between the two most powerful races, who, united by an
enduring friendship, would shine before the world like a
biilliant flame."