The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-19 00:00:00

THE BOTTALLACK MINE,

The quarterly meeting of the Bottallack mine in St.
Just, Cornwall, was held yesterday at the mine. A divi-
dend of £lO per hundred shares was declared.

DEATH OF LADY AUCKLAND.

Lady Auckland, whose husband has just succeeded to
the title by the death of his father, at one time Bishop of
Bath and Wells, is dead.

EVICTION OF MINERS AT BACKWORTH,

About four hundred men are idle and out on strike at
Backworth Colliery, about eight miles from Newcestle-on-
Tyne. A section of the men demanded an advancce of
fivepence per ton owing to the difficulty of working the
seam, but the owners declined to accede to the demand,
and the whole of them gave a month's notice, which ter-
minated on Saturday. The work of evicting the men
began yesterday peaceably.

THE BISHOP OF MANCHESTER ON EDUCA-
TIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

Yesterday the Bishop of Manchester moved a resolution
at a meeting of the Trustees of the Manchester Grammar
School, to raise a fund of thirty thousand pounds for the
extension of buildings in the cause of education. He
declared himself in favour of altering the precise
forms of a foundation to suit the wants of
the present time, so long as the alterations made were in
accordance with the intentions of the founders. He said
that those who centuries ago bequeathed fortunes for the
advancement of knowledge were men in the van of their
age, and would have been had they been now living—de-
sirous that their money should have been expended to the
greatest possible advantage in fulfilment of the wants of
the time.

THE NATIONAL REFORM UNION AND THE

BALLOT,

At a special meeting of the executive of the National
Reform Union, held in Manchester, to consider the
Government Ballot Bill, Mr. George Wilson, the veteran
chairman of the Union, presided, and spoke at some
length on the importance of the measure. He compared
the different systems of voting by ballot, and expressed
the opinion that the one proposed by Lord Hartington,
so far as it had been explained, was a practical and
perfect one, assuming that a scrutiny of the votes ought
to be provided for. He especially approved of the checks
against corrupt expenditure provided for in the bill, and
recommended the Union in all parts of the country to
give a hearty support to the Government. The following
resolution was unanimously passed, calling upon the
members and frends of the National Reform Union in
all parts of the country to give a hearty expression of
their views in support of the measure proposed by the
Government.

LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF

IMPER lAL FARLIAM EN T

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY •
The Speaker took the chair at twenty minutes past
twelve o'clock.

MALLOW ELECTION.
Mr. WATERS took the oath and his seat for Mallow.

MUNICIPAL BOROUGHS (METROPOLIS) BILL.
Mr. C. BUXTON moved the second reading of this bill.
He remarked that there was no self-government for
London. The only attempt in that direction was
the establishment of the Metropolitan Board of
works, but the functions of that body being limited it
could not be regarded as a municipal system of self-
government. His plan was that the City Corporation
should be extended to the whole of the metropolis, and
that it should carry with it all its present functions, pro-
perty, and prestige. London, he contended, suffered
from the want of some powerful systejn of self-govern-
ment. The hon. member described what he called the state
of anarchy in Loudon, and pointed out the evils attendant
upon the complicated and anomalous form of government
at present existing in the metropolis. He said that the
system was a wasteful one in every respect, both in regard
to time and money. The necessity for a central and
powerful intelligent body was obvious and imperative.
He proposed to take the existing divisions of
London for Parliamentary boroughs, and that
each Parliamentary borough should be endowed
with a complete municipal institution, which would
enable it to deal with all the petty affairs which
would not cama under the cognizance of the Central
Government, as not interesting the whole of the metro-
)ohs. The extraordinary defect of which he spoke was.
listinetly recognised on all hands, and it was almost uni-
versally admitted that the time had come to amend it.

Mr. BENTINCK moved that the bill be read a second
time that day six months. The hon. member called
attention to the various schemes which had been proposed
for the bettor government of the metropolis, and pointed
out that the present plan was toally different from any
of the schemes previously advocated. The scheme pro-
posed by the Select Committee of 1.367 had been
received with very great favour. It was that
the Board of Works should be entirely . recon-
structed as the central authority of London,
its constitution should be altered, its name changed, and
its p3wer enlarged. It was proposed that the Board
should have control over the gas and water, and protect the
public interest, both as regarded the thoroughfares and rail-
ways, &c. He hoped the three bills which the hon. member
had brought in would not, at this advanced period of the ses-
sion, be referred to a select committee. It was clear that
the matter could not be dealt with this year, and if the
subject were deferred the Government would have time
for mature consideration.

Mr. MORRISON remarked that there was an advantage
in the preliminary inquiry by a select committee, because
it reduced the points in dispute to a minimum. So far
from having no authority to urge in favour of the scheme
of the hon. in,-;mber for East Surrey, ho could cite the
authority of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the
Corporation. The proposal of Mr. Buxton was more
statesmanlike than that of the Committee of 1867.

Lord JOIIN MANNERS said no Government could hope
to cope successfully with the immense difficulties con-
tained in the proposal, unless they secured the co-opera-
tion of the great representative bodies such as existed at
present moment. He did not think any good would result
from referring the series of bills relating to the subject to
a select committee.

Mr. LOCKE was in favour of the proposal for one
central governing body, which should be the Corporation,
the whole of the metropolis being divided into wards.
Mr. W. H. SMITH said that a constitution for London
was undoubtedly necessary, but the question involved
such a great principle that it was unadvisable to refer it
to a select committee. He agreed with Mr. Locke as to
the desirableness of extending the corporation.
Mr. BRUCE thought so important a question should be
dealt with by Government, and at the same time he did
not think it was inconsistent to refer the subject to a
select committee. He was not sanguine enough to believe
that a select committee could conduct the inquiry to an
issue so as to enable the Government to deal with the
subject this session.
Mr. RUSSELL GURNEY said he was authorised by the
Corprration to say that they were anxious for a full
inquiry.

Sir WILLIAM TITE, on behalf of the Metropolitanßoard
of Works, made a similar statemeut. _ _

Alderman LAWLECE pointed out that no provssion had
been made for the extension of the boundaries of London.
Thirty years hence, he observed, the population might be
six millions.

Alter some further discussion the House divided—
For the second reading ... ... 130
A,gaimit ... 66 ,

Majority 64
The bill was read a second time and referred to a select
committee.

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1870.

MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY (NO. 2) BILL.
Mr. C. RAIHES moved the second reading of this bill.
Mr. JACOB BRIGHT moved, and Mr. HEADLAM seconded,
that the bill be read that day six months.
On a division, the amendment was carried by 208 to 46
votes.