The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY !'EVENING, DECEMBER 13, 1860.

guished foreigner rather too roughly ; but lam
not ashamed to say that I admire the spirit in which
it was done. It was done because they felt there
was a man among them who had committed intoler-
able acts of cruelty, injustice, and wrong; they felt
that the rights of justice and humanity in all parts
of the world were under the protection of English-
men. This they showed in a way which I repeat
I cannot applaud—(a laugh)—but still in one
which marked without doubt ►hat their real
opinions were of that distinguished foreigner.
(Cheers.) Again, when Italy rose to cast off her
oppressors, on her side were found the people of
England. France went out armed indeed to her
aid, but she went with a selfish idea. The
people of France had no great sympathy with
Italy, because they knew their own liberties
had been compromised, and they did not
feel that the man who had compromised their
liberties was likely to confer liberty upon others.
(Cheers.) Their armies, no doubt, rendered great
service in Lombardy; but look at the conduct of
France ever since. Why everything she has done
has only impeded the progress of freedom in the
peninsula. If it had not been for her action at
Rome, Gaeta, and Naples, at this moment Italy
would have been free from the Alps to Sicily.
(Cheers.) On the other hand, what we have done
we have done without the expenditure of a chilling,
or the infliction upon the country of a farthing of
increased taxation. Why, we have given an aid to
Italy without which she would not be what she
new is ; and I tell you, on the authority of great
statesmen in that country who have stated the fact
to me, that she has gained more from the moral
support of England than from the arms of France.
(Cheers.) Last year what did I hear in the upper
circles of this 'country, and at the dinner tables at
the West-end ? Why, sympathy was expressed
with Austria rather than with Italy ; and no man
can deny that fact. But in whnqe favour were the
sympathies of the freedom-loving and intelligent
working men of England ? Why, for nations
struggling for their liberties. And how has that
sympathy at last found vent ? In Lord J. Russell's
second despatch—l say nothing about the first one,
which we had better all forget. (A laugh.) That
second despatch, avowedly based on Vattel or
Gretius, instead of the heart of the English people,
declared that the sympathies of England were
with freedom throughout the world, that we were
OR the side of Italy, and would see her have justice
done. (Cheers.) That was not the voice of Vattel
or Giotius, or any other gentlemen who passed
their days in their studies 200 or 300 years ago—
(a laugh)—bat the voice of the present, living,
active mind and will of England, to which I, for
one, shall hereafter look as the real source of inter-
national law. Sympathy with nations struggling
for their freedom, the resolve not to interfere with
the affairs of other States ourselves, and not to allow
others to interfere—that should be our future in-
ternational law ; and I only hope there may be
some future Vattel in this hall who will arise and
put these principles upon record. Lord J. Russell
has done this to a certain extent ; and 1 say,
going to Parliament as I am about to do, hs shall
have my ardent and disinterested support, because
he has done a noble thing, and spoken in your
name. (Cheers,) I have never yet entered, and
shall not now enter the House of Commons pledged
to support any Government, except so far as I be-
lieve they do their duty to England, and represent
the true wishes and feelings of the people. Every
Government, however composed, which does that
shall night and day receive my earnest support ;
for if I fail to render it I know I am sure to lose
yours. But on any Government which is untrue to
its trust shall my back be steadfastly turned, and
nothing on earth shall induce me to connive at
their unfaithfulness. I hope these are not idle
words. (Cheers.) I can appeal to a past though
short career, and I think those who refer to my
previous conduct will find that, whether right or
wrong, these are the principles on which I have
acted, and on which I have suffered. (Cheers.) No
doubt some persons were not in favour of my views,
or I should not have lost my seat. Well, although
I did lose my seat, I shall never regret my views.
Not that in the abstract I am a peace-man, but I
thought we went to war on unjust grounds; and
although I believe that China may have afforded
us a hundred excuses for quarrel, I believed that
the ground selected by our Government was a false
one. God only knows to what that war may lead
us. When I read the newspapers, as Ido daily, I
tremble at our position in China. What is to be
done with that great kingdom of hundreds of mil-
lions of souls ? What fearfal bloodshed and
misery are falling upon that great country ! Shall
we obtain there results that will be satisfac-
tory to ourselves ? I earnestly hope we may. Igo
to Parliament with the conviction that the sooner
we bring this unhappy war to a close, with honour
to this country, and with such guarantees as will
prevent the possibility of a recurrence of a similar
state of things, the better it will be for the
interests of every man, woman, and child in the
kingdom. Gentlemen, you are all pugnacious
—you all like to fight ; but not a man among
you likes to pay for it —(a laugh) yet if
you would not pay you should not fight ; and
if fight you will, trust me, gentlemen, pay you
must. (Cheers and a laugh.) lam one of those who
are not opposed to war when war is absolutely
necessary, but I would never wage it without having
right on our side, without having great interests a

stake, nor where we had not a rational hope of
coming out of it, not with the mere fleeting honour
.of a day, but with that enduring honour which
some future Grote or Macaulay might conscien-
tiously inscribe upon the historic page. (Cheers.)
Gentlemen, I fear I must have exhausted your
patience—(" no, non—while I have nearly worn
out myself. I have never shrunk from answering
any question, whether put to me by elector or non-
elector, but have done my best to open my heart to
every man. All I ask of you is that you will judge
me strictly as one who has been sent to discharge an
important trust—that if you think me worthy you
will not turn from me hereafter, but will extend to
me a renewal of your confidence ; for remember,
the obligations of a member and his constituents
are reciprocal. If he performs his duty towards
you you are equally bound to perform a duty to-
wards him. (Hear, hear.) Let me again thank
you all from the bottom of my heart for your noble
and gener-eus support ; for your triumph is one of
which you may be justly proud, and the results of

which may be such as few of tic eonteuiplate
throughout the length and breadth of England.
Mr. Layard concluded amid vehement cheers by
proposing a vote of thanks to the High Bailiff for
his kindness and impartiality in presiding over
their proceedings.
Mr. J. HARRIS, a member of Mr. Scovell's com-
mittee, was understood to second the motion.

Major BERESFORD then said—Gentlemen, I am
sure that in appealing to you I appeal to the best
feelings of Englishmen when I ask you to treat the

matter which I am about to submit to you in a
generous spirit. Mr. Scovell is the defeated can•
didatc. I assure you that he is physically unable

to attend here to-day. (Oh, oh, hisses, and cries
of "Silence !") Gentlemen, caa't you afford to be

generous for one minute ? (Cheers.) I state a

fact—that Mr. Scovell is physically unable to
attend here this day. I, therefore, come here on

his behalf simply to thank these electors who

honoured him with their support, and I do so most

cordially. (Cheers.)
Mr. NEWMAN, Mr. Layard'e mover, said that
having fought a fair and manly battle, and gained

a glorious victory, let them now be generous to the

vanquished, and not attempt to tramplo upon them.

(Loud diners.)
The vote of thanks having been carried by
acclamation,

The Moll BAILIFF said the electors had been
deprived, by some chance or other, of their ancient
Town-hall. Fearing that they might have had a

continuanceof the late wet weather, he had brought
them under that cover, where they had heard,when
they had listened—(laeg,hter)—all that had been

addressed to them. Fortunately, his anticipa-
tions about the weather had not been

realized, and a gleam of sunshine had been
thrown over the whole of that election. (Cheers and
a laugh.) Re thanked them for their kindness

in appreciating the step he had taken, and respect-
fully wished them all good day.
The assemblage then dispersed.
The following analysis of the poll indicates the
comparative strength of the two candidates in the
six districts into which the borough is divided :
covell. Layard.
Parish of Bermondsey 1,188 1,944
Rotherhithe
Christchurch
St. George 749 1,390
St. Olave and St. John .. 418 160
St. Saviour and St. Thomas.... 554 519

Totals 3,377 4,572
Layard's total majority, 1,195.

The excitement in the borough caused by the
recent contest is gradually subsiding; and, owing
to the admirable tact and vigilance of the police,
those symptoms of riot which once looked threat-
ening have entirely disappeared.
The arrangements of the High Bailiff were ex •
cellent, and his courtesy to the representatives of
the press demands special acknowledgment.

the waterline, must have been broken or injured, so as to
admit a constant stream of water through a bore of four
inches diameter, and that a body of water would thus accu-
mulate in the ship's bilge under the fore stokehole through
the upper port of which the pipe passed, and the valve con
netting the stokehole with the fore coal reserve being
open, the water would increase there to a higher level than
in the other parts of the ship. Mr. Palmer states that the
pipe is liable to injury, and being placed behind the boilers
is not likely to be noticed. This seems a probable conjec-
ture, and the only observation to be made with regard to it is
that a pipe so liable to injury should not have been placed
in a situation where its derangement could not readily be
discovered and remedied.

" Mr. Palmer's suggestion with regard to the origin of
the fire is that great heat must have been produced in the
after superheater and funnel, and that by urging the fires
under the starboard boilers aft, the ship having a heavy list
to port, the heat and flame would strike with extraordinary
force on the starboard side of the superheater and funnel,
and might have raised the temperature of that surface to
such a degree as to ignite the lagging of the boiler, and the
fire so commenced would be communicated probably to the
drp coal in the bunker with the floor of the ladies' cabin,
and thence rapidly to the other parts of the ship. This
appears to be a very probable conjecture. He is, however,
of opinion that the superheater had not the effect of intensi-
fying the heat in the funnel. Possibly this may be so ; but
it is deserving of consideration whether other arrangements
besides those adopted in the Connaught are not necessary
to protect the combustible parts of the ship in the neigh-
bourhood of the funnel from taking fire.
" The lagging, which is said to have first caught fire, was
about 12 inches from the superheater, and six inches from
the air casing. It is generally supposed that heat commu-
nicated by steam does not cause ignition, but the occurrence
of the fire in this ease would seem to qualify that opinion in
some measure. If the heat generated in the furnaces and
carried up the funnel is greater than can be absorbed and
carried off by the steam passing through the superheater, it
will naturally act upon the metal with which it comes iA
contact and tend to raise its temperature to a red heat, ea
in fact is supposed to have happened in this case. This,
though net the normal state of things, becomes the cause
of danger if by the ship's list to either side the heat is
directed constantly against one side. Under such circum-
stances it may be questionable whether an air passage such
as that in the Connaught affords sufficient protection.
" The fire appears to have been communicated to the
lagging at a distance of 12 inches from the superheater,
from which it may be inferred that a greater distance or
some other medium than an air passage must be interposed
to guard effectually against all risk.

" Though this investigation has not led to any certain
conclusion as to the matters in question, it may be of im-
portance by offering subjects for consideration and sug-
gestions for the improvement and greater security of steam-
ships. One of these suggestions relates to the important
duties of engineers, and to their competency and responsi-
bility. It has been considered hitherto that the competency
and responsibility of masters and mates affords a sufficient
guarantee for the safety of ships and passengers. Now,
however, that steam has taken the place of wind, and pad-
dles and screws the place of sails, skill of another kind is
required. By the Passenger Act the law has anxiously
provided for the accommodation and proper sustenance of
passengers by sea, but something seems wanted to. provide
for their safe conveyance by requiring some public test of
the competency of engineers, and imposing upon them the
same responsibility as masters and mates are subjected to
by the Merchant Shipping Act.
" It would be well, also, if masters and mates of steam-
ships were required to have some practical knowledge in
the engineers' department, so as not to be wholly dependent
upon the judgment and discretion of others. A knowledge
of steam, though I believe not absolutely necessary, is con-
sidered a most important qualification for the command of
a steamship in the Royal Navy. It is stated in Mr. Pal-
mer's evidence that, by directions of the Board of Trade,
the Connaught was under a non-official inspection during
the progress of building. This would be advisable in all
cases of ships to be employed in passenger traffic, especially
under Government contract. Many defects may be pre.
vented or remedied during progress, which might escape
detection or be suffered to pass after the ship is completed.
This is the more necessary now that steamships have grown
to such an extraordinary length relatively to their breadth.
The Connaught's length was nine times her breadth.

" A ship of so great a length, with her engines placed
abaft the centre of gravity, must be liable to great strain in
a high head sea, and would require special attention to the
soundness of her materials and the strength of her frame
at those parts where the heavy strain would be moat felt.
A weak girder, faulty plates, or loose riveting there would
be productive of tenfold mischief.

" In making these remarks I am speaking generally, and
not with reference to the Connaught, for there is no evidence
whatever of her having showed any symptoms of weakness.
" As I have already observed, there is every reason to
believe that she was in all respects a strong and well-built
ship.—l have the honour to be, my lords, your lordships'
most obedient servant,

" JA.I‘UR TRAILL.

"I concur in the above report:
" HENRY HAIMIS, Nautical Aesoasor,
" The Lords of the Committee •f Privy Council
for Trade, &c."