The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUSI! 27, ICO9.

THEATRE-EGYAL DM:TRY-LANE.
dole Lessee and Manager, Mr. F. B. Chatterton.

Trns EVENMG, at 7, BELLES OF THE KITCHEN. At 8,
FORMOSA : Messrs. Barrett, H. Irving, David Fisher, Brittain,
Wright, John Rouse; Mrs Billington, Misses M. Brennan, Mac-
donald. and KAtharine Rodgers. Conclude with BORROWED
PLUM P.S.

ey are 'endeavOuring to console themselves by
giving rise to these base and, happily as we believe,
groundless rumours as to his MAJESTY being very
seriously indisposed.

QUEEN ELIZABETH forbade play-acting on Thurs-
days because it interfered with her, favourite sport
of bear-beating, to which that day was dedicated. The
LORD CHAMBERLAIN has not yet ordered the theatres
to be closed on Saturdays, the day devoted to pigeon-
shooting. But if Hurlingham continues to grow in
public estimation as it has grown during the
last few months, we must be prepared for some sump-
tuary law of the kind. Certainly if the prohibition
were justified in the first case it would be in the
second. If WELL SHAKSPERE and BEN JoNsox
had to give way to two bears, Mr. DION DOUCI-
CAULT and Mr. TOM TAYLOR ought to give way to 212
pigeons. If the bear-garden was a scene of cruelty
and slaughter, much more is Ilurlingham Park. For
it is come to this, that we in England who speak
with indignation of the Spanish bull-fight, and
express our wonder how women can gaze on that
spectacle, do yet find sport for ourselves and for our
ladies in the slaughter of hundreds of birds. The
bears were fierce and combative, and made a good
fight for life. The pigeons are gentle and timid, and
have no chance of escaping death save through the
unskilfulness of the marksman. The tauridor and
the matador do run a very serious risk of being
gored or ripped up, and in the bull-fight each com-
batant wars with his own weapon. But in
the pigeon-match there is only one com-
batant, a dandy with a gun, who fires
away as fast as he can against the defenceless birds,
bewildered by their confinement in the trap, from
which they are released only to be slaughtered. It
was not sufficient for our "golden youth" that they
should have a battue on the Ist of September, but
they must have it every Saturday all the year round.
It is not enough that they, the degenerate descen-
dants of sportsmen who walked five-and-twenty miles
a day over the moors, should saunter to the nearest
preserve and pop away right and left, sure that their
shots must bring down something, but they must drive
down in faultless equipages, attired in faultless gar-
ments, to display their prowess upon pigeons. They
have even ceased to care about a good " bag ; " a
good " book " is all that they think of. Partridges
and pheasants can be sent to town friends, can be
bestowed upon faithful constituents ; but pigeons are
available neither as gifts nor bribes. They are
useful simply as affording another opportunity
for that all-consuming occupation of betting—the
business of the upper classes. When the heroes of
the aristocratic shambles drive back to town and com-
pare notes, it is not that they may dwell upon their
skill as shots, but that they may enlarge upon their
bets. Gold changes hands, and is bright enough to
look at, but it is the price of blood. Richly wrought
vases are won, yet, though decorated with the finest
chasings of the graver's art, there are graven more
deeply still ihe words bloodthirstiness and cruelty. They
are not even content to confine this sport to Eng-
land; they must carry it abroad with them, and it
is now announced that there is to be a great pigeon-
shooting match at Baden-Baden. _ But this is
not all. Women have this year taken to
frequent the scene of carnage. The brightte;,
the fairest, the gentlest, crowd down to
gaze on the spectacle of birds with broken wings and
smashed legs and battered and gory heads. If there
were room for courage on the part of the slayers one
could almost forgive the spectators. But English
ladies have not even the excuse of their
Spanish sisters. There is not opportunity for the
exhibition of one manly quality in this amusement.
There is nothing but sheer callousness and contempt
of the rights which the humblest of GOD'S creatures
possess. It is upon a scene of cruelty unmitigated by
a single manly, much more heroic, sentiment, that
the mothers and the maidens of England flock to
gaze in ever-increasing numbers. Can we wonder
if the sons of these women should turn out
DOMITIANS

The truth is, this novel kind of sport arises from
that intense craving for fresh excitement which is
the result of a life wholly given up to pleasure.
Where there is no proper occupation, the great
object of existence is to devise some new kind of
amusement. But when pleasure becomes a business
it ceases to be pleasure. New modes of amusement
will be devised, each containing more of the brandy
and cayenne of excitement than the last, but each
palling more than the last upon the jaded taste.
Racing becomes irksome unless it is associated with
betting, and the authorities of the sporting clubs
have declared that gambling and racing are insepar-
ably united. Shooting becomes equally wearisome
without the same stimulus. Young professional men,
and men of business who work hard during eleven
months of the year, find keen delight and all the
excitement that they require in the Camp
at Wimbledon and on the Scotch moors.
But the young patrician who never works
at all finds the " running deer" slow, the
grouse a bore. As he cannot earn money
in trade he seeks to acquire the satisfactory sensation
which attends honest broad-winning by staking money
on trials of skill. He cannot compete with his equals
in commerce, and so he competes with them in thought-
less cruelty. As he is unacquainted with ledgers he
grasps at -everthing which gives him the opportunity
of making a book. his first remark in the morning
is no longer, " Come and let us kill something," but
" Let us see what we can win by killing something."
His life is one long, fruitless search after the enjoy-
ment which he will no more obtain than he who
resorts to constant stimulants will obtain health. The
Turf will not give it, even with the excitement of
" plunging ; " the stage will not give it, however
liberal actresses may be of their legs. Even
pigeon-shooting will cease to give it when,
as we trust may quickly happen, our jaded
patricians weary of the sight of birds butchered to
make a British holiday. What will they try next ?
The " Ring" is forbidden, and pigeon-shooters are not
likely to turn duellists, even were it lawful to do so.
Suppose they try scholarship, or science, or art, or
statesmanship, or philanthropy. There is room in
any of these vocations for any number of our
" golden youth." They would find success in one of
them give golden wings to the now leaden-footed
hours.

It is intended to hold an educational congress in
Manchester, in November next, under the auspices of the
society established a few days ago in Birmingham for the
amendment and extension of the present system of national
education. Similar gatherings aro afterwards to be held iu
Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Aberdeen. Norwich, and Bris-
tol. Compulsory attendance, larger grants from the Privy
Council, a liberal conscience clause, the maintenance of the
present mode of school management, enforcement of sites
for school buildings, and the extension of the half-time sys-
tem aro among the main features of the scheme. The society
has been established in opposition to the movement for a
national system of unsoctarian education.

At the Liverpool Assizes on Wednesday an action for
slander was tried against Mr. John Platt, M.P. for Old-
ham. Tho plaintiff was Mr. Joshua Booth, of 'Oldham,
manager for Messrs. Lees, colliery proprietors, and the alleged
slander was uttered in an electioneering bpeech at a place
called Chaddetton. The charge was that the plaintiff
with others, had altered the valuation lists of the town-
ship of Chaddorton so as to reduce the rateable value
and the gross estimated rental of Messrs. Lees' pro-
perty. Mr. Platt was calls(' as a witness, and he
stated that the objectionable remarks in his speech were
founded on a resolution of a committee of the Board of
Guardians, and that ho did not mean to accuse anyone
personally of robbing the township. "What be meant,"
he said, " was simply that by the alteration of the books
the township had been robbed,"and that the parties mentioned
in the resolution were privy to the offence. The jury found
that the defendant had uttered the words imputed to him,
but without malice. The v3rdict was therefore for the
plaintiff, with nominal damages.
The National Reform Union of Afauchester is stated
to bo preparing for active work during the approaching
winter. A special meeting of the executive is to be held
next week to consider the present position of the Liberal
party, and to resolve upon the course to be adopted by the
Union before the opening of the next session. The Irish
land law and the ballot will receive the attention of the
Union and its branches.

VIE LORD-LIBUTENART AT TRALEE,

The Tralee Royal Agricultural Show seems to be going
off with great éclat. The presence of the Lord-Lieutenant
has added to its celebrity. The banquet was riven on
Thursday night, Lord Ventry presiding. The assemblage
was large and influential. Responding to the toast of
" Prosperity to Ireland," his Excellency the Lord-
Lieutenant congratulated the society on the successful
show. Speaking of the condition Of the country, he
referred to the great improvement in houses and to
the increased deposits in joint-stock banks, which
represented twenty millions of savings made by the
agricultural classes. These two points were indicative of
a better state of things. There was a considerable in-
crease of all kinds of stock except sheep. lie referred to
the Act for regulating contagious diseases among cattle,
and the special clauses about pleuro-pneumonia, and
strongly advocated the application of the same provisions
to Ireland. The large increase of pigs this year was au evi-
dence of greater prosperity among the labouring classes.
lie was anxious for the introduction of highly-bred stock;
still lie advised his hearers not to allow the cultivation of
the soil to decrease, but to extend it as much as possible.
Tillage was backward in Kerry, and farmers should
cultivate green crops and artificial grass. lie deprecated
large fences with dykes, seen every where, es indications of
bad farming. Politics are excluded, but he could not
avoid a reference to a subject occupying all minds—the
land question. lie knew the importance of encouraging
mutual confidence between landlord and tenant, and he
hoped the subject would be approached everywhere with
a desire to secure fairness, impartiality, and justice.
Those who wanted a satisfactory settlement of this diffi-
culty should confine themselves to the practicable. Ile
was confident the question would be settled in a way which
would afford satisfaction to all. lie congratulated them
on the good harvest, and hoped it would be successfully
gathered.

TIIE BRIDGWATER ELECTION

COMMISSION.

The evidence given at Bridgwater on Thursday reveals
a state of things such as rivals Totnes. The "dodges"
and schemes of the, Liberals,--for as yet inquiry has been
kept to the doings of that party—wimld be mbst amusing
were they not startling on account of the open and bare-
faced illegality with which they are marked. The witness
under examination is Henry Chapman Bussell, part of whose
story we have already summarised. Mr. Bussell was a very
" active agent." The first (1866) election he was as active
in as the later ones. Being requeSted to tell what he
knew of it, he made a clean breast. " Thomas Hill (he
said) came into my house on the nomination night.
Andrew Allen afterwards came in and gaVe me £7O, and
Hill £5O. It was in gold. I knew what it was for. The
next morning I went to work and spent the money in
bribery. I gave several of the voters £5, and promised
them £5 more and paid them, for when. I promised I
always paid the money. (Laughter.) Between nine and
ten o'clock Henry Lovibond sent Mr. Dymond to say I
was neither to give money nor promise any. Several
voters asked me what was going on, and if there was any-
thing to be bad. I said, No, for we have won
the election.' Mr. Bagehot was then in a large
majority. Several of the voters then went up
the town, and were bottled at the Clarence and another
house. There were thirty or forty of them. I had paid all
the £7O I had received before that time. I afterwards got
more money and paid it away. I paid about £2OO alto-
gether. I believe I got the money from Allen. There was
a report that one man on the other side got the price of a
cow, and that some men got as much as £5O or £6O. I have
no doubt Mr. Bagehot spent about £1,400. -Mr. Bagehot
was in a minority of seven at the close of the day. With
respect to the Conservative side, it was reported that
many of the voters received £3O or £4O apiece, and that
some stuck out fur heavier amounts. The 1865 election
was marked by corruption, but not so very general as the
later and some of the previous ones. Sir John Shelley
declared be would have pure principles rule the election,
and although his requirements were not submitted to,
some little regard was paid to them." Witness was next
examined as to the electron of 1859, when the, candidates
were Padwick, Westropp, Tynte, and Kieglake. He
said the election took place on 30th April. Padwick
had not been in the town ten minutes before it was
known he had plenty of money. "On the day before
the nomination a person named Forrester came to me
and said he should have the money ready next
day. I knew what he meant. 'That was my first trans-
action in bribery. Forrester asked me to get as many
men as I could, and I did so. I knew that Padwick and
Westropp had been spending money for a long time,
through John Morris, who kept the Albion. I
knew they were spending it freely, but Benjamin
Lovibond would not believe it until he saw the iiist tally
of the poll ; and when he taw the class of voters he at
once said that they were spending money, and then the
' cry went out to I arricade the streets and nail all
the men we could. We did so. The other side
bad bought so many voters, that they were sure of winning.
• We seized every Conservative voter we could, and gave
them money, and then they polled for us. Within an hour
after that we had picked up a greater number of the men
the Conservatives bad bought at £lO apiece, and we gaVe
them £lO more and tcok care to poll then► at once.
'There were forty or fifty men bought in that way. The
whole sum which I paid at that election was £lOO.
You see I was not much up to it then. I was going
to give £lO to a man named Squibbs, but I found
he had received two £lO already, in addition to what he
got from the other side. I believe we spent from £3,000
to £4,000, and that the other side spent £5,000. The
number of the constituency at that time was 600. It was
reported that Morris had run away with some of the
Conservative money. It was said he stuck to £4O or £5O.
Out of 512 who then voted, not more than 250 voted
without money. That would leave £9,000 or
£lO,OOO to divide amongst 300 voters. I should
think about £5OO was spent on each side in treating.
There was no disguise about the matter. We paid the
money openly in the streets. The fact was that the Con-
servatives had bribed so much that we got very bold, and
did not care what we did." The witness was next exa-
mined as to the election of 1857, when the candidates were
Follett, Tynte, and Kinglake. " Follett had no chance,
and left the town very early in the day. From £4OO to
£5OO was spent on our side in treating. Follett would
not pay anything. lie had paid a good deal in 1852.
There was no money•paid at the election in 1857. At the
election of 1852 the Liberal candidates were Lord Henley,
Colonel Tynte, and Mr. Kiuglake. It was reported that
a good deal of money was spent. There was an organised
system of treating."

The Princess of Teck laid the foundation stone
of a new church at Richmond on Thursday afternoon.

THE TELEGRAPH AT FAULT.--A Eingular and
ludicrous blunder occurred in a St. Louis telegram in the
Times of yesterday. The telegraph operator made
" steamboats'' out of the name " Samuel Bowles," so that
the despatch read, "steamboats left Denver yesterday to
join the Vice-President's party," instead of "Samuel
Bowles," &c.—Zrezu York Times, August 8.

A DESERVED REWARD.—James Hudson, for-
tnerly an apprentice seaman on board the Maid of Orleans,
f A rdrossan, has been presented at Glasgow with the
Albert medal of the second class for gallantry in saving
life at sea on the 17th of March last. The Marmion, of
North Shields, was stranded on the Cornish coast near
Faltnoutb, and, though dissuaded from making the
attempt, Hudson swam from the Maid of Orleans, then
in Falmouth Harbour, to the distressed vessel, got on
board with a line, and thus effected communication with
the shore. Along with the medal there was handed to
him a letter from Mr. Bright, President of the Board of
Trade.

DESERTION OF A SENTINEL AT WINDSOR
CASTLE.—A very unusual occurrence in connection with
the Winesor guard happened on Wednesday night.
The sentinels at the various posts around the palace
are relieved every two hours. At nine o'clock on Wed-
nesday evening Private Wilkinson was placed at his post
on the terrace at the north-cast front of the Castle.
and. at eleven o'clock the patrol of the 2nd Battalion
Grenadier Guards (to which the sentinel belonged), upon
visiting the spot, found tLat he had deserted, leaving his
ifle bchid him. It is supposed that the deserter, who
would have had some difficulty in leaving the Castle by
any other way, owing to the number of sentries posted in
and about the palace, made his way by the steps leading
from the terrace into the park, and thus escaped. A strict
inquiry will of course by made into the matter by the
military authorities, the deserter's post being situated at
o great distance from the private apartments of her
Majesty and the Royal Family.
A MAORI SONG OF WELCOME.—Our readers Ir
no doubt recollect the unearthly ovation of yells, issuing
from hundreds of Maori throats, which greeted the arrivi
of the Duke of Edinburgh's barge at the wharf, and which
raised such great astonishment amongst his Highness's
rew, who were somewhat surprised at the Cerberian song
welcome, for such it really was—in fact, a Maori perm.
i'he following is the original and translation, and will, no
doubt, be interesting to our readers as a specimen of a
Maori ode—a long way after Tennyson's ode of welcome
to Alexandra:—

" A kumea mai te waka,
A toia mal te waka,
Ki te urunga te waka,
Ki te moenga to waka,
Ki te takotoranga i takoto ai
're rake."
"Now then, draw hither the canoe, now then drag up the
:anon, to the place prepared for the canoe, to the sleeping
Place for the canoe, to the resting•place whore the canoe
&hall

A MANGE INSURRECTION IN TUI?KEY.

Our correspondent at Trieste, writing on the 10th inst.,
says: "Letters from Albania state that the Governor-
General of Scutari has sent Ibrahim Pasha with
two thousand five hundred men into the Mattia
Hills to restore ord'vr among the population there,
who have risen in insurrection in consequence of the
Government having ordered a road to ho made in the
district. These people, who live in some 8,000 houses
scattered about the hills, are bigoted Mussulinans, with a
strong warlike spirit, and have hitherto enjoyed a
certain degree of independence. They are divided
into four clans, which are in constant conflict
with each other. The Turkish troops, are to go to
Franna, a village about six hours' journey from Durazz,),
and, as the tradesmen have all closed their shops, a stub-
born resistance is expected. In Bosnia the inhabitants of
the Drobniak and Sarance districts have driven away the
Turkish police and officials, and have established a civil
administration of their own."—E'aztera, Budget.

DESTRUCTION OF A TOWN BY FIRE.

-O.

The Eastern Budget contains the following account of a
disastrous fire which took place at Janina, in Albania :
" In the night of the oth inst. nearly the whole of Janina
was burnt to the ground. The fire lasted nine hours, and
the bazaar, about 1,300 shops, and 300 private houses
were reduced to ashes. No lives were lost, but the
destruction of property must have been enormous,
for nearly all the goods and provisions which
were stored in the bazaar perished. This catas-
trophe has given a blow to the trade of the
town which will long be felt. Many of the merchants
have suspended payment, and the Austrian trade espe-
cially will suffer, as most of the sums due for imports from
that country are still outstanding. Tho loss would, per-
haps, not have been so great but for the scandalous con-
duct of the authorities. Tho Governor-General was,
unfortunately absent on a visit to Thessaly, and his
deputies, instead of usidg every means of preserving order,
remained entirely passive. The result was that the
Turkish troops took advantage of the confusion to make
off with everything of value they could lay their hands
on."