The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING OCTOBER 8 1856

for the eight first months of 1855 produced altoge-
ther to the State the sum of 189,706,690 f. ; and of
that amount no less than 189,264,240 f. were yielded
by the taxation of raw materials and alimentary
substances of primary necessity. The Monite,r
and the semi-official journals of Paris set up a
chorus of praise to Imperialism every time the
aistoms returns appear ; but they never tell their
credulous readers that the increase which they as-
cribe to the Imperial is really owing ta the Protec-
cive system, which tries, by means of duties on raw
material, to participate in the illicit gains which the
French manufacturers so largely get out of the
French people. Yet so it is. It is the duties on
raw materials that yield the increase. A few days
ago the illoniteur gave a comparative result of
taxation during the first eight months of the last
triennial period, and from it we extract the leading
articles of raw material :-
1851. 1855. 1856.
Fr. Fr. Fr.
Cotton 10,609,615 13,421,643 11,310,732
Wool 6,014,589 10,496,091 5,979,42
Coal
II a- Iron
Cast Iron 2,868,975 3,751,3t1 3,526,964
13 tr Steel 179,293 288,690 215,426
Lead 540,940 1,052,772 :108,151
Other metals 11,551,433 14,95 ',279 14,961,932
The sum total of all the duties on raw materials
and alimentary substances in that period is—
Fr. Fr. Fr.
93,773,039 189,264,210 114,592,525
This detestable and mischievous state of things
is the necessary consequence of a system of prohi-
bitions and protections such as disgraces the French
tariff, and injures to the last degree that French
people for which Imperialism professes so fatherly
a regard.
The result of this perverse system of procuring
revenue to the State, and of this wicked system of
enriching one particular class of the community, is
that the French workmen, or rather the whole body
of French consumers, are prevented from buying in
the cheapest and the best markets nine-tenths of
the materials of their dress, their furniture,
and their food. The French consumer is denied
the opportunity or oloko:Zoioa from a foreign ma-
nufacturer the cloth for his coat and trowsers, the
woollen stuff or cotton pique for his waistcoat,
the cotton cloth for his shirt ; he can wear neither
foreign stockings, be they woollen or cotton,
nor foreign shoes. As for his furniture and his
household gear, the iron pan in which his wife pre-
pares his food—every article of brass, zinc, cast
iron, hammered iron, tin, or steel ; all cutlery, all
locks, all plated ware, his dishes, his plates, his
glass—all must be domestic, dear, and bad. For
these descriptions of foreign goods are not taxed
on admission into the French Empire ; the, are
one and all absolutely prohibited. The French
cannot. import horse-hair to cover their chairs or
sofas ; or, if it be going out of fashion, woollen
tissue, either for that or any other purpose. They
lie shivering in their beds in winter because the
State, to favour ono class of monopolists, imposes
a duty of 220 f. per 100 kilogrammes on woollen
blankets ; and they sit on their bare floors because
for the sake of another set the Government puts a
duty on our cheap carpets, which is prohibitory in
reality though not in name. Even foreign soap is
denied admission, to please the manufacturers of
Marseilles and the North. Thus, as Michel Che-
valier happily concludes his examination of the
French Commercial System, the liberty of the
French consumeris very like that which was allowed
to Figaro, who was permitted freely to publish his
opinion of public affairs, on condition that in so
doing he was not to allude in particular to anybody
or anything.
No doubt, Imperialism at the Tuileries has asked
Imperialism at the Corps Legislatif to repeal pro-
hibitions and substitute heavy duties. But then
Imperialism in the provinces had, at the dictation
of the Imperialism at the Ministry of the Interior,
sent to that corps bevies of those eminent
" friends of order," who were all thoroughgoing
monopolists. And " the friends of order" in the
Corps Legislatif proved just as selfish as "the
friends of order" at the Tuileries. They regarded
prohibitions as the Malakhoff of Protection ; and
in vain they were wooed to pass this project of
law. Imperialism is one vast congeries of Pro-
tection ; why should they renounce what all the
other partsof the system wore to continue to enjoy 7
And so the project was withdrawn, and the pro-
vinces were, the world was told, to be consulted
directly through the Conseils-Generaux.
Well, the Conseils-Generaux have met and gone;
and what say they ? Of course that of the Herault
has pronounced in favour of freedom of trade, pro-
tection interfering, as it thinks, with the freedom of
sale for its wines. But as for the others, they have
either said nothing at all on the subject, or have
declared themselves Protectionist in one form or
other. And how could it be otherwise ? The
same system of selfishness which fills the Corps
Legislatif with the " friends of order," fills the
Conseils-Generaux with them too ; and the •"friends
of order," as a body, are all eminently protective
of their own and singularly greedy of other people's
property. We had large experience of them in
England, and know the genus well. But, though
in the Conseils-Generaux these worthies ivill not
hear of freedom of trade, they loudly protest against
duties on raw materials. Such duties are odious,
mischievous, suicidal, they say. Repeal them, by
all means, they advise Imperialism. That would
be true wisdom. Now, if Imperialism at the Tuile-
ries be at all sincere in its Free-trade professions,
it ought to be on its guard against this advice and
entreaty. It seems plausible enough at first sight ;
but, when examined a little closely, it resolves
itself into merely another form of self-seeking.
Nothing can be worse than the duties on raw ma-
terials, except duties to protect domestic fabrics.
But, if a system of prohibitions and protections is
in any shape to be inflicted on France, the State,
at all events, does to some extent derive revenue
from duties on raw materials. To abolish them
as a preliminary step, before thinking of sup-
pressing even prohibitions, or of providing other
sources of revenue, would be simply to transfer
to the manufacturing monopolists of France the
revenue now derived from them by the State.
We have seen that in 1855, out of a total Customs
revenue of 189,704,690 francs, no less than
189,264,240 francs came from raw materials of one
son or other. This statement at once shows how
immense is the vofd which acquiescence in the last
proposition of the French monopolists would create
in the Treasury of France with its rapidly grewin,
expenses. It would transfer nearly eight millions
sterling to the monopolists front the State, and at
one blow destroy nearly the whole existing Cus-
toms revenue. Such is the answer of the C'onseils-
Generaux, of France to the appeal which Impe-
rialism has made to their patriotism.
What France wants and needs is increased, not
diminished reveuue—new sources of income to the
State. Bat these she can, happily, only acquire
by means of freedom of commerce ; and how any
nation can hope to get freedom of commerce except
through the instrumentality of political freedom
surpasses our comprehension. This, at all events,
is clear, that the Corps Legislatif awl the (Imseils-
Gcnerau.e' being neither of them the organs of poli-
tical freedom, are not, and cannot be, the avenues
to commercial freedom in Imperial France.

PREVENTION OP BORG bARY AND FIRE.

-.Dot evening a party of- gentlemen assembled at No.
145, Regent-street, to hear Dr. Bachhoffner eTplain an
ingenious contrivance invented by a Mr. Burgess, for
the prevention of burglary and fire. The expedient is of
the simplest, but of the most efficient character. It con-
sists of a spring concealed in every door, window, shut-
ter, or desk to which it may be thought proper to apply
it, and it is so arranged that when any attempt at bur
glarious entry, or even at tampering with a lock is made,
an electric circuit is completed, which causes an alarm
bell to ring in the bedroom of the master of the house.
In the day time the circuit can be shut off by turning a
handle ; but so long as the watch is set, neither ingress
nor egress is possible without the knowledge and per-
mission of Paterfmniliad. The denizens of Noting-hill
may. therefore, for the future, rest in peace without
invoking the aid either of revolvers or man-traps ; and,
erevided always that the public will avail themselves of
Mr. Burgess's clever invention, the burglary interest
may as well direct its attention to some more honest and
Profitable industry. An Englishman'. house may now
become his castle in a sense hardly contemplated by
the originator of that famous apothegm. Even fire
will find it difficult to !break out without leave. The
contrivance for curbing the "devouring element" is con-
structed on the principle of Brequet's thermometer ;
when the temperature of a room rises, from any cause,
beyond a Nivea limit—say 120 degreeir.----the electric
circuit will be completed, and the alarm bell will sum-
rnon instant assistance. On board ship, it is needless to
iy, the invention will be invaluable. The cost of aPPIP
inv, it to a house of ordinary size is stated not to exceed
101., arid an additional pound per year for maintaining
the battery power will afford the housekeeper more real
security than an outlay of ton Vines that amount in
Chubb locks, fire escapee, and police rates. After lis-
tening to Dr. Bichhoffner'e explanations the comp any
dined together, and cordially drank success to the enter-
prise of the patentees, Messrs. Symons and Burgess,

EDINBURGH PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTION,--The whiter
sesf•ion of this institution is to be opened on Thursday
evening, Oct. 30, by an address from the Earl of Elgin
and Kincariine, K.T., LL.D. The first course of lectures
will be delivered by Mr. W. M. Thsekeray, who will re.
peat bis American course "On the Four Georges." Dr.
Scoresby, Dr. Gottfreid Kinkel, from Bonn ; Principal
Scott, of Manchester ; Professors Masson, Brewer,
and
Hunt, of London, Allman, of Edinburgh, and Nielol, of
Glasgow, will also deliver lectures on literature and
science during the winter ; . and the session will be closed
on the 24th March by an address from Lord Ardwifian,
one of the judges of the Court of Session. i

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, TUESDAY MORNM
THE LATE BARON DE ROBECK.

It was currently reported yesterday morning
that the body of this unfortunate gentleman had
been discovered in the river Liffey, a little below
Island-bridge, close to the Phoenix-park. The
report, however, proved to be groundless, and as
yet there is no trace of the remains. Au evening
paper (the Mail) has the following statement in
reference to the baron's death :

" We are enabled to state the following particu-
lars respecting the disappearance of this lamented
gentleman, of whose death by drowning, we re-
gret to say, no doubt any longer remains, although
the body has not yet been found. Leixlip Castle,
the residence of the baron, is, as all Dublin people
know, situate close to the fall of the river Liffey,
called the salmon leap, which, in consequence of
the flood (one of the greatest that has been known
for many years), was an object peculiarly interest-
ing on the evening of the accident. Baron do Ro-
beck had twice walked to look at it in company with
his son, Major de Robeck, and upon each occasion
strongly expressed his admiration of the grandeur
of the fall. Re wished to visit it a third time, but
was dissuaded from doing so by Major de Robeck,
on account of the dampness of the evening, and '
was left by him for a short time in the drawing
room of the Castle, from which a window opens
upon the grounds close to the river. The last that
was seen of him afterwards was by a girl, who ob-
served him from the opposite side of the river,
standing on the brink, lopking at the fall for seve-
ral minutes. She then saw him turn away to
ascend the steep bank rising from the river, in
doing which he was hidden from her view by a
brake of bushes. During his previous walks he
had been assisted up this bank by his son, and
the probability is that, wanting that assistance
upon the final occasion, he slipped in, and,
being very feeble, could not recover him-
self until he rolled into- the stream and was carried
away by the current, then running furiously. His
handkerchief was found in a weir a considerable dis-
cho river, LUAU LIU Vlf t/L 1.1410
dress has been found upon the bank or elsewhere.
These circumstances prove that the melancholy
occurrence must have been purely accidental, and
we trust they will be made known by any of our
contemporaries who may have unintentionally
caused pain to the family by giving currency to un-
founded and hasty rumours respecting the matter."

POLITICS MEETING AT GREAT
. YARMOUTH.

A meeting waEheld at the Star Hotel, Yarmouth, on
Monday evening or the purpose of receiving Mr. W. T.
M'Cullagh, and Ir. E. W. Watkin (of the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Liccolnshire Railway) as candidates for
the borough, in the Liberal interest. Mr. J. Ciowes,
solicitor, was caled to the chair.
Mr. APO:H.I,SL! addressed the meeting with great
effect for near!' an hour. He expressed his opinion
that the faults n the administration of public affairs
rested not so molt with the accident of who might be
the Minister of he day as with the House of Commons,
the centre of allpower in the country. They had sue
cessive adminiarations, but no change in respect to effi-
cient government. The grievances sought to be redressed
in 1852 still renain unaltered, taxation continued to be
enormously increased, although the war had ceased, and
were the Execitivc ever so disposed to propose measures
of progress, it would not be able to carry them as the
house was nog constituted. In 1852 there was a very,
prevalent feeli)g that reform was required in the admini--
tration, though parties differed in opinion as to the ex-
tent to which it should be carried, but what progress h td
been 'aide? With regard to administrative reform it
was too comprehensive a phrase, but in the application
of adrninistrive reform principles men were tested and
seen through. A year and a half since the country was in
a rage at the manner in which the war bad been con•
ducted, and ;he cry was irresistible from one end of the
country to de other that those who had thrown the army
away in the Crimea should be made answerable. But had
any sincere attempt been made by the House of Com-
mons, who pretended to be for inquiry, to bring convic-
tion home, and to enforce punishment ? The last scene
enacted in the farce performed with regard to the loss of
the Crimean army took place in Chelsea Hospital, where
some very respectable old gentlemen for a great number
of days. heard a deal of evidence of an ex-parte character,
and gave a verdict completely exonerating every one ex-
cept one particular department of her Majesty's Govern-
ment. Those who were most implicated had received de-
corations and distinctions, and there had been a determi-
nation shown on the part of the Tory party to shield the
delinquency, as it was shared in by persons of high rank
and fortune. Administrative reform had been said to be
required in the civil' service, but the monopoly in that
service remained as it ever was. The oligarchic power had
never been greater in the country than at the present time,
tBl3indi hiPaitig°oll. "Ili:ggicaloz.the House of Commons
members ofa compact body who had no sympathy Wit& 61;3
middle and industrial classes, and he claimed for the
;atter a fair share in the government of the country.
Administrative reform had been- said to be wanting in
the army, but the House of Commons had inexorably
refused to allow the private soldier returning from the
Crimea to wear a decoration, though an officer might
have it who had not taken the slightest part in the fray.
Adverting to the sale of commissions, and to the case of
the Earl of Cardigan, who had paid 40,0001. to clamber
up into a position which gave a command in the most
critical times in the Crimea, Mr. M'Cullagh said such
instances were not solitary ; they were the result of a
system which insured incompetence in the moment of
danger, and ill-direction of our arms when it was most
important that they should be entrusted to those most fit
to control them. The 'system was at variance with the
experience of every country in the world which had great
armies and had achieved great influence ; but the House
of Commons had determined that this system should re-
main, as it was found to work exceedingly agreeably for
the benefit of a particular class. Touching next on the
peace, Mr. M'Cullagh said—While the British ambas-
sador was doing honour to the new Czar, and while the
solemnities were actually in course of performance, Rus-
sia could not control the exuberance of her contempt for
the manner in which she had been let off, and she had
issued a manifesto which showed that, though her power
might for a moment be weakened and her prudence be
the better part of her valour, she was determined to hold
the same tone of defiance to the free governments of
Europa. She laughed at the alliance between this coun-
try and France, for, with the sagacity of the serpent,
though not the harmlessness of the dove, she knew full
welt that between a despotic power and a free people,
when the latter awoke to a sense of their true external
policy there could be no cordial friendship. She
waited the hour therefore when it suited her purpose
to break up the alliance and to wreak her resentment.
What were we doing in the meantime ? Where were our
representative institutions, which should shield us and
strike terror into aggressive powers ? No where, be-
cause the present House of Commons had never lifted up
its voice for the war when war was imminent; had never
sought for inquiry at once, when the war was misman-
aged, and had soon repented of doing so, and had been
ready to accept peace at any price, rather than continue
the burdens which they hated, and the dangers to the
despotisms which they loathed in their hearts. The only
security was a popularly elected and popularly respons-
ible House of Commons, and the Czar would never be
convinced that the house was a representative of the
industrial free heart of England until there was a fair
and equal representation of the hard heads and the strong
hands which had made the country what it was.
Mr. WATSIN delivered an address of a similar charac-
ter, and the meeting unanimously passed resolutions
pledging those present to do their utmost to secure the
return of both the candidates at the next election.

ALARMING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

A sad accident occurred on Monday evening at the
Fisherton station of the Wilts and Somerset Railway,
whereby the lives of two men were sacrificed, and a
large number of sheep destroyed. Considerable damage
was also occasioned to the property of the company.
The facts, asiar as they have been at present ascer-
tained, are these :—Special cattle trains run every fort-
night for the convenience of dealers attending the Salis-
bury cattle market, and it was to one of these trains that
the accident occurred. It consisted of 35 trucks filled
with sheep, oxen, and heifers, and on arriving at
Westbury in the evening it remained until the goods
train and 5.10 passenger train had passed that station.
The train was drawn by two powerful engines ; and
it is said that, the foreman of the locomotive department'
at Westbury, specially informed the driver of the second
engine, who had not been down before, the gradients on
the line, and particularly those between Wilton and
Salisbury. John Mays, the driver of the first engine,
who has accompanied each cattle train since the opening
of the line, replied, "I know all about it : take
care," and the train proceeded on its journey. It passed
Wilton at a rapid rate, and it is said that the steam was
not shut off at the proper time, as the train dashed into
the station at full speed, carrying everything before it.
The point man saw the impending danger. and shouted,
but it was too late. Toe shock that followed must
have been truly frightful. The foremost engine
broke down the immense wooden piles and buffers at the
end of the rails, carried away nine or ten feet of the plat-
form, and burst through the station, crushing doors,
walls, and every other object in its progress ; even the
outer wall towards Fisherton was broken down before
it came to a standstill. Mays, the driver, escaped un-
hurt through the breach formed by the engine, but the
fireman (William Symonds) was not quite so fortunate ;
he jumped out, and, in doing so, sustained a severe I
blow on the head, which necessitated his instant re-
meval to the infirmary. The scene within the station
was appalling, the driver and fireman of the second en-
gine (Slane' Nicholson and Wm. Isles) lay smashed to
pieces between the engine and tender—the head of one
and a hand of the other being all that was perceptible
to the bystanders. Tbc force of the concussion
heaped trucks upon trucks, and the mangled bodies of
the animals they contained were scattered in every
d.rsction. Both engines continued to emit dense
volumes of steam, and fears were at one time entei-
tained that the boilers would explode, or that the sta-
tion would be fired. Mr. Duffet; the station-master,
acted with great coolness on the occasion ; and the
Board of Health water hose having been obtained and
attached to a hydrant, a plentiful supply of water was
thrown upon the engines to extinguish the fires. This
was not accomplished without considerable difficulty,
for although the accident occurred about half-
past eight, it was nearly eleven before all danger was
over. Two engines were afterwards brought up and every
'effort made to remove the debris. The trucks which
escaped injury were detached, and the sheep released, and
ropes and chains were then attached to the injured trucks,
portions of which were removed, and all the injured sheep
that could be got out were at once slaughtered. Every
endeavour was made to rescue the bodies of the unfortu-
nate men, but until between 4 and 5 o'clock yesteF•
day morning without success. They were then extri-
cated, and presented a fearfully mangled appearance.
Theycoro were'
i
e ,gconveyediuest. to one of the station stores to await
a
Several dealers and drovers were in the train at the time of the accident, but fortunately received noin-
jury beyond a violent shaking. The ordinary passen-
ger train arrived about half an hour afterwreds. It was
extremely fortunate that it was not ta the station at
the time, or a much greater loss of life would probably
have bees the result. Some of the sheep e- :aped in a
mann..,r as marvellous rs the engine-driver. After the
lapse of two or three hours several were extricated
from the ruins without having received the slightest in
jury.

their post
- Wherever blame may rest, the station master and
officials must be entirely exonerated, as they were all at
s,
message was despatched to Mr. Tarr, the
super.ntendent of the line .at Trowbridge, who arrived
, and the usual signals were displayed. A
during the night, and at once gave Mays, the engine-
driver, into the custody of the
of t'he coroner's inquiry. police, to await the result
The statement of Mays is to the effect that after leav-
ihg Westbury he stopped at Wyly() to take in water. He
told liicholson that it was a dangerous place to go into
Salisbury, and that he was sure to be steady. He shut
off the steam at the usual place, bat owing to the sharp
inclir e, the weight of the train, and the slipperiness of
the metals, he found it impossible to save it. lie applied
the %Matte, and heard Nicholson's engine working, but
whether with forward or back gear he could not say.
After being thrown from the engine he returned, ai d
let a quantity of water into the fire. After this, he
could do nothing.
Hundreds of persons flocked to the scene of the
disaster during the night, and at an early hour yes-
terday morning the station was besieged by crowds
of anxious inquirers. The effects of the accidtnt were
in the morning rendereci more apparent.
Superintendents Blake and Matthews, with a body of
police, were in attendance during the night, and greatly
contributed to the maintenance of order.
At present we are unable to ascertain the numbv of
shesp killed, as many still remain to be extricated from
the overturned trucks, but they are estimated at 'about
100.... .

The ordinary traffic of tho line has not been inter•
rupted, trains having been run during the day as usual,

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(From the Report of the Regil:`,.ar•denereti.)

The return of deaths for last week is a not unfavout-
able indication of the present state of health in London.
The total number of deaths registered was 1,071, of
which 540 were those of males, 531 those of females.
The deaths from diarrhoea declined from 72 in the pre-
vious week to 64 last week. A. death from "choleraic
diarrhoea" occurred, after 24 hours' illness, and at the
age of 42 years, in Hanover Scarlatina carried off 47
children, nearly the same nuta:ier as in the previous week.
Five children in a family wore attacked by this disease ;
of these one died at home, and three in the London
Fever Hospital ; and the fifth is now hopelessly ill in
the same hospital. A house is reported, No. 7, George's-
cottages, Brixton-hill, in which three cases of "fever"
have occurred within the last month ; the drainage is
stated to be "in very bad condition." In Wellesley-
street, Somer.;-town, also, there is a house, No. 16, where
fever and other complaints are common, these being
caused, or much agravated by the offensive state of the
drains ; and in the adjoining house, No. 15, a woman
died from disease and want combined. Several persons
died last week, whose ages were from 90 to 93 years.
Last week the births of 828 boys and 768 girls,' in all
1,596 children, were registered in London. In the ten
corresponding weeks of the years 1846.55 the average
number was 1,417.

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29'439 in. The'
lowest reading was 26.68 in. on Sunday, the 28th ult.
Toe mean temperature of the week was 55.3 deg., which
is 2 deg. above the average. On Saturday the mean
temperature was 591. deg., which is 7.1 deg. above the
average. The highest on that day was 65.8 deg., the
1 )west 57 deg. The wind blew generally from the south-
west. Rain fell on almost every day, and the whole
amount was 0.54 in.

In the 13 weeks that ended 27th Sept, 14,066 per-
sons died in London, which is about 1,000 more than in
the same quarter of 1855. Diseases of the zyrnotic cha-
racter were fatal in 4,093 cases, against 3,661 in the
summer quarter of last year ; of these 101 were due to
croup, 108 to small-pox, 382 to hooping-cough, 393 to
measles, 433 to scarlatina, 573 to typhus and common
fever, 1,610 to diarrhoea (against 1,258 from this com-
plaint in the same period of last year),l3l to cholera,chiefly
cholera infantum, the rest to various other diseases of this
class. Very young children were the sufferers from diar-
rucea In 4 "voty
from measles were most numerous in the South
districts, those from scarlatina and typhus in the East.
Diatrhcea appears to have prevailed with considerable
uniformity over the great divisions of the metropolis,
though, if the sub-districts be compared with each other,
both with reference to population and deaths, results in
many instances widely different will be obtained.
Piathisis (or consumption) carried off 1,794 persons,
the number in the corresponding quarter of 1855 having
been 1,645 ; bronchitis 562, pneumonia 581, being an
increase on the previous year of both diseases ; 86 women
died from diseases of the puerperal state ; 18 persons
died of carbuncle, the numbers in the summer quarters
of the last five years ranging only from 15 to 19. Ten
persons died from the intemperate use of liquor, besides
those who sustained fatal injuries when intoxicated, and
those who died from maladies generated by intemperance,
which, however, is not shown in the medical certificate ;
35 from delirium tremens ; six unfortunate persons from
want; 145 children from want of breastmilk. Poison
destroyed 22 lives, the number in five quarters of 1852-
56 ranging from 13 to 23. Drowning is recorded in
138 cases, which is considerably more than the average.

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS.
NUMBER, OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, OCT. 4.
Zymotic Diseases
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Tubercular Diseases
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves and Senses
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 4B
Diseases of the Lungs and other Organs of
Respiration... 143
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs
of Digestion
Diseases of the Kidneys &c.
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin. &c.
.
Malformations .. 3
Premature Birth and Debility 3O
Atrophy 35
Old Age . .
Wudden l5
Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 77
Causes not specified

DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES 1,071
Population Deaths in corre- Deaths
Enumerated. •ponding week in the
1851. of 1855. Wee).
West Districts
North Districts 490,396
Central Districts..... 893,256
East Districts 485,522
South Districts 616,635 ... 234

Totals 2,362,238 951 1,071
Males
Foramles 531
BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females..

Total .

828
768

1,596

Ml?. EIaBST JONES. - A POLITICAL

SOII?,EE.

Yesterday evening a somewhat novel experiment was
made by Mr. Ernest Jones. By invitation and adver-
tisement, the public were summoned to St. Martin's-hall,
to assist at what . was termed a " political soiree," and
the cards of admission concluded with the words;
" music at 8 o'clock." At that hour about 30G persons,
or perhaps more, assembled, hut the area of the hall
appeared somewhat empty. Mr. Ernest Jones shortly
afterwards appeared on the platform, accompanied by
seven or eight ladles and gentlemen, who turned out to
be singers and musicians. Mr. Jones then stated that
he was about, for the first time, to attempt to blend dry
political discussii:in with a musical entertainment, hoping
that by these means he should attract many persons on
whose minds he was desirous of engrafting essential
political knowledge. , The programme of the evening
would-be as follows :—There would be no chairman—
the musical entertainment would be divided into parts,
and he would himself deliver a lecture, also divided into
two parts. Being determined to endeavour to preach
political truth, he had to announce that that ball was
engaged for a similar soiree on the first Tuesday in
November. The first part of a vocal concert was then
proceeded with, embracing several well-known songs,
glees, and madrigals, and among them the " Marseil-
laise," %Ilia, however, few, if any one, seemed to re-
cognise, as it did not create any enthusiasm, and ws
n't followed by the applause which greeted the. otherr
r ed.
pieces, which were really very credi4abiryittpeen"boymMr.
The programme included two " odes w
of the Lewtr Classes,'
Jones. ine first, the
was very cleverly written";Ssiinmglele.,towtehe venryinuetem,ost in
its language, it was yet rythmical, b d and
full of points ; and, bsing sung to a popular it was
exceedingly effective. The other, "A Song of the Times
cf Cromwell, was more pretentious, less intelligible,
"
and consequently far less telling. The first Rd of Mr.
Jones's lecture was devoted to the consideration of the
relations between labour and capital, between employer
and employed. After stating that England was on the
brink of mighty social changes, and that the character of
those changes depended on what was done before the
crisis in the way of harmonising the interests of all classes,
on the basis of justice to all and wrong to none, in which
case he doubted not that things would go on in safe con-
stitutional progression ; and deprecating all desire of set-
ting class against class, he proceeded to point out what,
in his visw, was the condition of the English labourer ie
relation to capital. He urged that capital was nothing
but the surplus production of working men, either ias
mediateiy or remotely, and in very vigorous language
denounced capital, as at present distributed, as the curse
of the labourer, inasmuch as he, the producer, had no
share in that which he produced. He argued that in this
country poverty was treated as a crime and adduced a
very remarkable case at Halifax, in which the majority
of the board of guardians laid down the principle, and
acted on it, that a destitute able-bodied man who applied
for parochial relief was guilty of the crime of vagrancy,
and punishable and punished by imprisoement with hard
labour. In the second part of his address, Mr. Jones dealt
with the question of the causes of poverty among the
working classes, with all its difficulties for the present and
its dangers for the future. He said that pauperism was
owing to the simple fact that there was not work enough
in England for the people, and that was entirely owing
to the undeveloped resources of the land and the ab-
sence of cultivation, stating that there were in this
country more than 28 millions of acres uncultivated,
besides a vast quantity of arable land, which had been
turned into grass land. He denounced the monopoly of
great landowners, whose policy it was to depopulate the
greater part of theiri estates ; and he entered into de-
tailed statistics to make out his case. Certainly as speci-
mens of oratory, and even of ratiocination, nothing could
be much better than Mr. Jones's addresses, and they
bore on them the impress of earnestness and sincerity,
which were not among the least of their merits. Not-
withstanding a very stinging denunciation of the-news-
paper press by Mr. Ernest Jones, Should his addresses
not be given in all their fulness and elaboration in the
columns of the daily journals, we are obliged to content
ourselves with the above sketch of his " political soiree,"
which, both as regards the personal efforts of the origi-
nator, and the highly decorous and intelligent demeanour
of his audience,
—morning Papow..as d°Bervii,g of every commendation,

ANOTITER ALARMING ACCIDENT ON TIIE EAST LAN
CASIIERE IZattway.—Ye:Aerday (.Monday) morning, as
the 9.10 express train from Blackburn to Liverpol was
passing at full speed between Blackburn at .1 Batnber-
bridge, two wheels of a first class carriage broke down,
the under-works of the carriage were at (nee demolished,
and the carriage was embedded ht the earth. Owing to
the patent break used by this company, by which the
train was instantly stopped, the passengers sustained no
injury. Atter a short delay the portion of the train in
front of the broken carriage proceeded to Liverpool. It
was stated by a passenger that some other of the car-
riages appeared in a very rickety condition. This is the
third accident that has occurred on this line with'n
a short Liao, in one of which three lives were lost, and
therefore it behoves the directors immediately to inves-
tigate the matter.

From the London Gazette of Last Night

WHITEHALL, OCT. 6.
-the Olean has been pleased to constituto and appoint,
James Goodsell Middleton, Esq., to ha Major in the AT
company of London, in the room of Samuel 'Ox
nard, Vsq.;

BOARD OF TRADE, WHITEHALL. OCT. 6.
The Right Honou7able the Lords cf the Committee of
Privy Council for Tradtc and Plantations have received,
through the Secretary of St.: to for Foreign Affairs, a copy
of a Despatch from her MajesL:7's Minister at Parana, en-
closing a copy of a law recently passed by the Argentine
Legislature levying duties, us folio :vs. upon merchandise
brought into any of the provinces of ti,-9 Argentine Confe-
deration from within the Capes at the nion.9l of the River
Plate, and which law will como into effect in tie month of
February, 1857.