The Sun.
London, England, 1870-03-08 00:00:00

THE LICENSING SYSTEM.

The Telegraph, in anticipating the debate on the licen•
sing system, considers that so far as the metropolis is con-
cerned, and probably the statement is true also of the
largest provincial town; the existing machinery of licen-
sing magistrates has lost the public confidence. Rightly
or wrongly, it is supposed that they can be influenced in
many ways ; and, at any rate, they have to answer for
the present highly objectionable state of things. We
admit that the cases of the metropolis, of the largest
provincial towns, and of the rural districts, are different.
So essentially different, indeed, are they as to impress us
at first with the idea that two bills might have been
needed to regulate the whole matter. Our own suggestion
for London was, that the power of regulating the public-
house traffic should be lodged with the twenty-three stipen-
diary magistrates of the metropolis, whose decision should
1)3 without appeal. From their aily administration of
the criminal law, they must know better than any
one else the dangerous points in their respective districts.
The clninkard, the rioter, the disorderly woman, the
thief, are constantly brought before them; who, then, can
better know the usual haunts of crime and vice?
Finally,. they are men who cannot be influenced.
We -had spoken of London alone ; but, con-
sidering that the great provincial towns have not
helped us to a better suggestion in their own
cases, why not make an uniform regulation ? In
large towns such as Manchester and Liverpool,
why should not the same authority be lodged with the
stipendiary magistrate which we may think it right to
confer on his professional brother in the metropolis ? Let
Mr. Bruce at any rate, try, in the first instance, the effect
of placing the licensing of public-houses under the police-
magistrates. If this should not turn out so satisfactorily
as we believe it will, we shall have time enough to advance
further in the way of repression.

SAD DE:! TR OF A BOY CRIMINAL.—A boy of 15,
who had just nclergone a month's imprisonment in
Belfast Gaol, was turwarded, on Thursday last, in charge
of a warder of the pr;:911, to Glencree Reformatory,
County Wicklow, and died from expoz,uro to the cold
while crossing- the " Feather Led " Mountain. It
transpired at the inquest that, "in accordance with the
regulations," he had been denuded of the warm prison
clothing, and his own clothing, described as "miserable
rags," substituted. The day was bitterly cold, snow was
falling, and in some places was three feet in depth,
and the journey was made on an outside car. The
horse was unable to drag the car beyond the top of the
ynountain, and the youth was placad on the horse's
back. with a rug thrown over him. He was unable to
retain ;js seat, and was then carried a portion of the
journey on the back of the warder, but eventually
succumbed to the cold. The jury, in recording their
verdict, strongly caisured the prison authorities.--Dublin.
E.evress.
We have reason to believe (says the Western
Morning News), that the Liberal party in East Devon do
not not intend to oppose the election of Mr. Kennaway to
fill the seat at present nominally occupied by Lord
Courtenay, but which will be vacated whenever that
gentleman forms a true estimate of what his political
friends in Devonshire think of his dog-in-the manger
conduct.
- •

1V e understand that on satchiday ifie'.;ZZ,
instant, at one o'clock, the Postmast6r-General will recoive a
deputation of Liberal members of Parliament and others in-
terested in the proposed reduction of thn rate of inland
postage on printed matter to id. for two ounces. The
following gentlemen have, we believe, already consented
to take part in the deputation :—Sir Thomas Maley, Bart.,
M.P., Mr. Jacob Bright, M.P., Mr. David Chadwick, M.P.,
Sir Charles W. Dilke, Bart., M.P., Sir John Gray, M.P.,
Mr. John bourns, M.P., Mr. Thbttuts Hughes, M.P.,
Mr. E. A. Leatham, M.P., Mr. A. J. Mundella, M.P., Mr.
Samuel Plimsoll, M.P., Mr. William Rathbone, M.P., Mr.
Peter Rylands, M.P., Mr. R. Sbaw, M.P., Mr. W. T. M.
Torrens, M.P.. and Mr. Watkin Williams, M.P.

inure are very Irony atori4,-,3 guzng
new workings of tho Publics Works Department. There is
a capital account of a certain castor which was lost off an
arm-chair, and which entailed requisitions, correspondence,
inspections, visits, &c., day after day till a van with two
horses and three men came to take off the arm-chair in
triumph--..and the castor came off the day after the chair was
returned !

Gre it preparations arc to be commenced immedi-
ately at Belfast for the reception of their Royal Highnesses
the Prince and Princess of Wales about Easter. Through-
out the north of Ireland the visit is looked upon as vn event
of groat inktest It is rumoured that their 'loyal High-
nesses will honour the Marquis and Marchioness of Ely
avAlt a visit to Ely Lodge, on ono of the islands of Lough

—••••••
Mr. Patrick O'Brien, member of the Local Board
of Health, Ventnor, has been committed for trial charged
with publishing a reflecting on Mr. Fletcher Moor,
ati6thotibember of the same board. The silloged libel was
printed as an advertisement iu the Isle of Wiyht Me; eury,
and contained the words "ill-bred, vu:gar, and brawling
braggalt," applied to Mr. Moor. Mr. O'Brien has been
a twitted to bail.

A retort of Mr. Bright's has been going the
rounds. Some little time ago the President of the Board of
Trade was dining with a well-known citizen of Cotton-
opolis' and the conversation turned on the subject of the
growth and development Of America. "I should like," said
the host, w ho is ari enthusiastic adruirerof the Great Republic,
" to come back fifty Sears after my death to see what a tine
country America had become." "I believe you would be
glad of any excuse to come b.Lck," said Mr. Bright.
The London correspondent of the Dublin Mail
says:—"l Lave authority from Lord Claud J. Hamilton to
say that nothing shall prevent the Madden case from being
brought ou, except a previous debate on Irish subjects,
raising a general discussion on the whole state of Ireland,
and the failure of Government to maintain the peace. Such
a debate would necessarily embrace the grave questions
raised by Mr. 31adden's letter, and the point whether the
Govemnent were justified in distorting its plain meaning,
and vindictively removing him from the commission of the

VOYSEY ON HIS PRESENT SITIYATIOS,

A letter is published from Mr. Voyscy, vicar of go'
laugh, who is under prosecution for teaching Unitarianisul
and other heresies in the Church of England. It is ad"
dressed from Healaugh Vicarage, under date February 23,
to Mr. Shaen, the rev. gentleman's solicitor. From this
communication, it appears that Mr. Voysey has had his
resignation under consideration. Some of hi
friends have pressed it on him, and .he 1155
evidently consulted his solicitor on the subject.
To Mr. Shaen's reply, he says he has given the most care
ful consideration, and also to a communication to the
~
effect that his resignation would not be accepted unless It
were accompanied by a personal undertaking on 11. f.
Voysey's part not to accept any other preferment in ti
Church of England, and also by a substantial payment all
account of the costs which have been incurred by prose,:
clitors. " I have taken counsel (Mr. Voysey says) with some o
those friends on my committee and my defence fund hs!
who, in my opinion, are best able to advise me. It is true
that most of them were in favour of my resigning my bene.
flee, provided only that the contest in which I have been
engaged engaged were to issue unmistakably in a " drawn ganles,
and .that the arrangements between myself and
prosecutors should involve no triumph on either In e:
The advantage of my thus retiring from the contest
might have been very great, because it would have le'„
quite undecided those questions of law which! have bee:.n
.
raised, and this would have prevented the remotest 110s;11,..
bility of fresh restrictions being put on the liberties of UV'
clergy." But Mr. Voysey yet decides not to, re-
sign. "Since your first interview with Mr. -bee'
events have occurred—more particularly in Convocatiou--
which have materially altered my own view, and the
view of seine of m friends of what would be- ,the
probable result on the minds of the Liberal party in
Church were I to resign my living and withclrawmy aPPe
:
There is something in the very atmosphere of the Bede
siastical world which seems to me stifling and paralysiag
to all feeling of manly independence. Everywhere,
indications a mutual distrust and of a timidity waf
makes men, who are otherwise high-principled and nob!)
adopt a course better suited to render their own path
plasant than to uphold, at all cost, the interests of truth
and liberty, which are vital alike to individual and social
integrity. I believe that my resignation, however quaa,;
fled and explained it might be, would be regarded—
justly regarded—as another instance of the desertion
of a cause, and the abandonment of a principle, far Inal
injurious to the world at large than any rupture whie,
might be inflicted on the Church by the possible failure a'
my appeal. One determined protest against the Pre-
vailing cowardice would do more good in the end both to
Church and State than any compromise or capitulation;
and I cannot overcome the feeling that my resignation
would be an attempt to secure my own safety from Ju
cial condemnation by the sacrifice of self-respect, and to the
detriment of the whole body to which I belong. It is tree,
indeed, that I have said all along—and I now repeat—that.
I have no wish to stay in a Church which enforces on the
clergy and people the doctrines which I have denounced'
But there is only one way in which the Church can no':
must
first an opinion as to those doctrines. My appeal :as.",
first be heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council, and no other voice in England is authorised to
decide this momentous
:question. I will keep
and yet adhere to my original terms. What
of
will not do is either to accept the opinion. „
individuals in place of that judicial deefste:
which I have challenged, or to become my own itlaft;
by retiring voluntarily from the Church of England'
Mr. Voysey goes on to express the pain he feels at beil
prohibited from_ preaching, and then continues :—" wlps
not run away—l will not try to avert the consequenevi.
of my conduct, which I believe to have been right boti,i,
in law and morals, by withdrawing the challenge which
I have thrown down. It is my firm conviction that the
my word
time has come, or is very near at hand, for a gre
amount of daylight and fresh air to be poured in upon t'
Articles of our Church ; and then it will be seen not on 13r
how much at variance with them, as legal documents, 81°
the sermons of this man or that man, but how universally
impossible it is for the clergy to preach or to teach all;
wise than in contradiction to some statement or statemell,i,
contained in the Creeds or Articles. These are legally bind
big, no doubt, but in practice they do not bind a single bishq,.;
priest or deacon among us all. Some day it will be see"
how unfair is the attack which has been made upon rl
and posterity will only excuse the injustice on the score,(_'‘,
ignorance and prejudice. No ; I will not go out of ta;°
Church. I must first be judicially condemned before :3
MATE one step beyond the pale of my orders. On tee
Church, through its highest court, let there fall th
deserved odium of narrowing, in this •age above all other
`'the limits of free thought, and of damming up the exPre3.
sion of honest conviction."

ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT WESTERN.

RAILWAY.

A serious accident happened on the Great Wo°lll
Railway on Saturday evening-, about midway between t',,!
Stourbridge and Kidderminster stations. Between the"
two places there are sir WI stations at Hagley and Churchill,
and the line from the former to the latter is a hes:cl,
incline. A coal train of thirty-five waggons was runTl3,,i'
down this incline at ten minutes after five in the evenl%
at the rate of forty miles an hour, when the axle of
truck next the engine snapped, and the wheel flew °hi
This instantly threw the train into confusion, and on
ten of the waggons remained on the metals. Seventeen
or eighteen were smashed and flung about like ton
the wheels, grease•boxes, and iron-work were wrenche,„
off, and one or two iron-sided trucks were ripped
pieces as though merely made of paper. One-half 0f
the foremost truck was carried on about a quarter °a
a mile by the engine before the driver could Pil„,
up, and the fragment was then jerked partly %-
the other line of metals. The train was 200 or 300 Yarr
from the passenger station when the wheel flew off tucl
first truck, and a great part of the wreck was deposited
between the two platforms. Seven broken waggons of
large size were thrown crossways on the two sets c't
metals ; another stood on end behind them, and nel
to this was another, which had been broken throng
d
by the momentum behind. These waggons fer,ln_eth
a complete wedge between the platforms,
of which were damaged and pushed outwartr4
) much DA to need reconstructing for a length of twell
or thirty yards. A little further along was a second
bl.w
kade. A coal truck had been tossed in the air an„
falien top downwards on the opposite side of the line, 'a
truck loaded with iron bars rested partly on this &Dor
partly against another inverted truck,. and eleven ..
twelve dislocated wheels lay underneath it. Some of tf.l7,
trucks were pitched over into a sidings and crushed
n%
pieces ; and altogether the amount of damage d°
was vary great, and seem to surprise even rail-watt?.
officials who have had some little experience of rail",
casualties. A pair of wheels and other equally (13,118
gerous missiles were hurled against the booking-office, t"j
exterior of which was slightly damaged. Coal was jerk%
about in all directions. The only person near at the tint
was a junior porter, who was engaged near the end °f
the platform. Seeing the waggons moving about he 11.)'t
away • from the line as fast as he could, and no cl°%s
escaped injury, if not death, by so doing, for pies s
of iron and coal were whirled over the 61%.%
where he had been. One of the breaksmen w,,`"„
severely shaken, but no one else was hurt. Neither t.t-
efrgine nor break-van left the metals. A fast passePg
train on the same line was due shortly after the accido,',l
and but for this portion of the line being worked on the
block system, it would probably have come on 11,,5--
checked, and been exposed to serious peril, as it r11:4
through Churchhill at 30 or 35 miles an hour. Messag',-.
Were sent off to Worcester, Wolverhampton and other
stations for assistance, and several hundred 'men wed
brought to the spot in special trains. Fires were light"i;
along the line for them to work by, but the manner i¢
which the trucks were jammed tocrether,
especis%
between the platforms, made it a slow task to clear' t'-
line. It took eleven hours to clear one line and the goocig
trains, which had accumulated during the night, were the
sent on,

Silt ALMANDIat MILNE.—We have reason0
believe (says the Pall Mall Gazette) that, after due cones
deration, it has been resolved that on promotion to th:
rank of Admiral, Sir Alexander Milne will have to s'o'c
the command of the Mediterranean fleet, but will be cow'
pensated for the loss he sustains in consequence PI
being nominated to the first home port that may becoolw
vacant.

• ----- •
RAILWAYS IN JAPAN.—The Japan Gazette tell
us that the loan that has been effected to the Governine,,o
1
M '
by r. Lay for the construction of railways is so far
accomplished fact that the first draught, to the amount (it
half a million dollars, has been actually paid to them.
is understood that engineers to superintend the works
be shortly on the spot, and that the necessary surv933;
levelling, &c., will be commenced at once. Between A' Vas
and Asaca some difficulties will have to be eccountered,
there is at least one mountain range to be crossed and map
large rivers. The Japan Gazette does not think the Prt.
sent loan of £1,000,000 sterling will be nearly suffidellii
However, it is good beginning, and if the work is proper
carried on European capitalists will no doubt take it .11,bl
" Once under the eye of the moneyed interests, Japan s'l,o
become altogether of more importance in the world ; °La
will almost be obliged by the simple force of ciroutegs
to develope ae resources."
-Inc opin ll
zonher vaticale announces tbat the reel
Lion of M. Reese to.the Chair of Hebrew, at the Collegeo
France, is decided upon, and his nomination only awaits ,
Ministerial ratification.
The Leeds Mercury states that a movement/ di
shortly be commenced to secure the division of the
e.
Riding for Parliamentary purposes, and to secure two rer*r
sentaves for each division.
A suit for st•paration a mensa et thoro is announce,
between the Count Girgenti and his wife, the Infanta lda
Bella, daughter of the ex-Queen of Spain. The wife n,e;io
plains of the extravagancios of the husband, who is said
have squandered all her dowry. •
Admiral the Hon. Sir F. Grey, G.C.8., and Rear
Admiral Admiral Sir John Hay, not having been afloat for ten rt..
will shortly be placed on the retired list, and will, in cot!.
quence, be debarred from joining any future Board of A`"--
ralty except in the capacity of secretary or civil lord.
Discharges at the dockyards continue. Anoth_.f
batch has left Pembroke. Fifty more men were turned 0..1.'4
at Chatham. The "hired hands," who have been diswisle
without gratuity or travelling expenses when they 11'1.4
come from a distance to work, loudly complain of ll'
treatment.
The grand jury of the county of Cavan 1154
resolved that in their opinion the course adopted
Government of, permitting large maKes of people •og
march in procession, wearing scarves and carrYci
es
banners, has been attended with disastrous consequen.
of
and is calculated permanently to endanger the peke
the county.
The tenor of the addressee from till agricultur3l
districts respecting the growing crops is still favouravilitei
The young wheat plant continue] to be regarded
_l.k,
satisfaction, and the great progress made during the %";iOO
owing to the milder weather, is taken as a sure indic3„,'„ed
of its vigorous constitution. Farmers are busilyenglre
in field labour, and ploughing and sowing operations
being rapidly pushed forward.
WhADVERTISEMEXT.—HoIIoway's Ointment and ilO
ooping Cough, Colds, Pneumonia.—Those „•
complaints were the terror of parents who knew Lisa
inj-
possibility of administering, medicines internally t 70,
dren, till Professor Rollosvay discovered his inv"
Ointment. This Ointment, rubbed externally c'n3tes
throat and chest, passes through the skin, and penetrol
to the affected tissues, without causing the irritabilityed.,,
feverishness produced by a child's repugnance t0..11:0,..
tine, and will vastly procrastinate the cure. NO 11
venienco cr difficulty attaches to this treatment,
which thousands of children are annually saved nirc.,7, 0
cured against future pulmonary disease. In all diso riavp.
to which childhood is particularly liable, parents,
cafe
dians, and nurses tray with confidence resort to
way's Ointment, which, when practicable, should Do
sliced by his purifying rifle.