The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-13 00:00:00

IRE SUN, LONDON, TITESDAY, r toECEIVIBMI 13, 187 C.

AIR. T. HUGHES, AIX., ()N AMERICA.

On .Wurday evening Mr. Thomas Hughes, M.P., met
a nuthher of old students and friends at the Working
Men'ssCoilee,e, Great Ormond-strects amt,after a social ,
tea, gave a descriptioa of some, of the things which had.,
struck him during his recent trip to America. The hon.
gentleman, in view of the contingency of any of his
remarks being published, was careful to state that
it was not a lecture on America or the Americans, but a
little familiar gossip about what lie had seen. With
this preface lie commenced with a short account of his
passage over the Atlantic. The hon. gentleman Anis much
interested in the 700 steerage passengera, who—including
A Whitechapel birdcatcher, who was going out with a ,
venture in the shape of English blackbirds, thrushes and
larks—appear to have been people going out to commence
life in the New World, with a sprinkling of men who had
tried the experiment years before, and had succeeded so
well as to have been able to "go home" on a visit to
their friends and relatives, One of these men, an honest,
hard-working blacksmith, who had been thirty
years in Canada, had been able to dower three daughters
with $1,500 each, put four sons in farms, and was then on
his way to pass the rest of his life in comfort on a good
1 farm of his own. Some agreeable sketches were given of
the inhabitants of Lower Canada, of the city. of Quebec,
and of Montreal, the appreciation of the audience being
much assisted by handing round some photographs. The
marvellous growth of Montreal—which forty years
since contained 17,000 inhabitants, and is now a city of
150,000—was briefly referred to, and the striking feature
which it possesses in common with most twansatlantic
towns, of wide streets and avenues planted on either side
with trees, was duly dwelt upon, The atmosphere struck
the hon. gentleman as eminently suited to induce the
sensation of the pleasure of mere living. The Canadian
farmers of the province of ()aeries impressed him very
favourably, and their life, especially during the winter,
when the pleasant neighboUrly visits called "surprises"
are in vogue, seemed agreeable in the extreme. The
Canadians had not impressed him •as present/ng any
marked characteristics to distinguish them from English- ',
men; but on crossing the border he was conscious of being i
amongst a new people, of which the first peculiarity which
struck him was their being remarkably silent. He en-
deavoured to talk at once, but, though he found the
Americans exceedingly courteous and civil, he at the same
time found it extremely difficult to open a conversation
with them. All over the States, contrary to his impres-
sion, he had found them a remarkably • self-contained,
serious, and almost sad people. The Americans appear
to have fallen away somewhat from their Democratic
notions by having practically established three classes
on their tailways. The new drawing-room cars now
found on all the lines, for which a considerable addition
to the ordinary fare has to be (said, is really a first-clas4
and if anyone wants to smoke he is obliged to occupy a
very inferior car, equivalent to our third-class, the ordi-
nary car repiesenting the second class. With the "Hub
of the Universe" the hon. gentleman was delighted, and
appears to have made up his mind that if ever he has to
leave England Boston will be his resting place for the
remainder of his life. He was graphic in his description
of the quaint old city, with its noble.commonfringecl with
the, residences of men whose names are known almost
as well in thissxxmtry as in their awn ; and of Cambridge
the seat of the Harvard University, where he stayed-with
Professor Lowell, and close by the house of Longfellow,
whose 'reeidence was the head-quarters of Washington at
the outbreak of the revolutionary war. The Harvard
students appeared to him very much like our own,
except that some of them were finishing their education
prior to commencing the rough work of hewing a for-
tune for themselves out of the forests and prairies of the
West. tie anticipated, blowever, that the time was not far
distant when young Englishinen of the upper classes would
have to take to something of the same kind of life, and
endeavour to make fortunes out of the noble domains
open to all Englishmen by corning into contact
with mother earth in the most thorough manner.
At Cornell University thehon. gentleman met Mr. Goldwin
Smith, whom he was glad to see looking better and
stronger than he had known him for years, and from him
and the other professors of the university he received
most interesting information on . the subject of its pro-
gress. He told the story of the honest working man
'who has devoted the large fortune he has accumulataby
an invention in connection with telegraphs to ,the
foundation of, a university .at which it shall be pos-
sible. for young men_, of his own class to' receive
the highest education while earning their living
by honest labour- Already seven, hundred young
fellows, rough from . the .woods of the West,. are
practically carrying out this . idea—which bids fair
eventually to be fully realised—mid of them Professor
,Goldwin Smith is able to say that they arc the best mate-
rial for scholars he has ever had in his rooms, lads who
come with so earnest a desire to work that he finds it a
pleasure to be amongst them. They did net seem to be so
advanced in sports as in other matters, not going beyond
" base ball." The hon, gentleman endeavoured to im-
press on them the superiority of our English game. The,
answer he got was that it took too long, and that they
liked to get through their games quicker than they could
at cricket. This he conceives to be an Index to tho striking
difference between American and Englisll young mgn,
there being an impatience and hurry about our transat-
lantic cousins which is not found here.

OIIARGE AGAINST. WILLIAM
RUSSELL, M.P.
,
The toed Mayor resumed his' ilWegtigation against Sir
William Russell, Bart, M.P., at the Mansion House.
yesterday.
Mr.
.11.1etmdfe, the counsel for the 'piosecution, com-
plained that threats had been held out that some of the
witnesses for the prosecution would be proceeded against
for perjury. One of those persons had not yet given his
evidence.

Mr. Xliesiger,- 'the counsel
.for the defence, said that
when the present "proceedings 'were over, Sir William
Russell intended taking proceedings for perjury. 'lie had
to complain that Mr. Linklater, who had instructed him
(the counsel.), had been allowed to inspect certain letters,
but had been refused copies of them.
Mr. Metcalfe said if his friend would make any specific
letter evidence, he should have a copy of it.
Mr. Swift, the prosecutor, produced certain letters and
telegrams, one of the latter wasfrom " Watson, Liverpool,
to Swift and Co., Sheffield." Both Watson and Heslop were
acting for Sir William Russell. The witness was cross-
examined at some length as to a correspondence with
Caleb i Watson and Co., of Liverpool, the object
of the cross-examination being . apparently to
shew that Sir William RuFsell was not
really ; the purchaser of the rails which
it was alleged by the prosecution he had obtained within
four months of his filing his petition for an adjudication
of bankruptcy, and had disposed of otherwise than in the
ordinary course Ihf business. Witness was shewn a ledg4,
and said it spewed that Mr. Smith was credited with a
bill or debited with a cheque.
In re•cxamination witness said he never saw Hutchings.
Heslop said he was about to contract for a railway for
Sir William Russell, and that person would hack his
bills. On that representation, and on the etatement of
the Bank, witness parted with his rails. '-
Mr. Alexander G. • Pooley, financial agent, said
he knew the defendant for the first time in No-
vember, 1868. Between that time and Novem-
ber, 1869, he had large transactions with him.
Had financial transactions with Sir William to the extent
of •£120,000. Sir William said he was -going to raise
£lO,OOO, as Mr. Holden was to cash his bills. He was to
give Holden bills for £20,000 and some railway bonds.
Sir 'William was to give a bill for £2,900 for some iron
which he had bought through Mr. Holden, and on which
ho could raise £1,500. An arrangement was made that
witness's son was to go down with a bill which would be
exchinged for the iron, And get the £1,500 from Heslop.
Witness's son came home on the Saturdayniglq, and gave
him the delivery order for the 500 tons of iron.
In consequence, of that witness saw the defendant on the
following Tuesday and Handed him the order. Sir Wil-
liam 'stated that he had arranged to get £1,500 from Mr.
Holden in London. On the following Saturday the
defendant gave witness instructions to go to Messrs.
Herford and Taylor's, and there see Mr. Holden
who would hand over the £1;500. Sir William
gave witness written instructions to- that effect on
the day in question December the and 1869. Witness
got a cheque for 'the £1,500, and left with Herford and
Taylor the delivery order. Saw Sir William on the Mon-
day,-: and he gave witness a cheque for £650 and the
£1,500 to take up his dishonoured cheques on the Metro-
politan Bank. Witness did so, and gave up the cheques
to Sir William afterwards. Jlad had. as much as £B,OOO
in dishonoured cheques of Sir William's on six or seven
different banks,--Cross-examined c Made a claim of £5,000
on the liquidator. No claim was brought against witness
by the liquidator. The liquidator might have a claim ;
but-on his oatii did not know such was the ease. His first
transaction with Sir W. Russell was lending him £4,000.
With respect to the transactions before the court, lie
received the cheque from Mr. Taylor, and for Sir William
Russell: The cheque produced-was the one in question,
but did not see Hutchings sign the bought note. Did not,
offer to Holden to advance the £1,500 if he was allowed a
commission. Petitioned himself against Sir William ;
but it was not for the purpose of being appointed
assignee. Was a dissentient creditor, and. so was Sir
William. Fester.

Henry Taylor gave evidence as to the last witness pre-
sentilw the delivery order And written instructions. The
£1,500° was given for the absolute purchase of the rails.
There was an understanding with Hutchings that if the
money were repaid within a fortnight the order should
be given up,
Mr. Gardner, in the office of Messrs. Kemp and Com-
pany, accountants, stated that the debts of Sir William
Russell were over half a million. Ho had paid £4,000
down, and agreed to pay £l,OOO per annum for five years.
It was impossible to say what more would be realised, as
the securities were principally mortgages, the interest on
which, in some instances, exceeded the rental.
At this stage the Court adjourned, Mr. Metcalfe
stating that he had adduced the whole of the evidence he
-intended to tbring forward on behalf of the prosecution.