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

TH.3 SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING: DECEMBER 12, 1860.

oppose Parliamentary reform," If there be any
doubt among the old Tory faction as to the accu-

- - -
racy of this opinion, let them only attempt to test

it upon the very next opportunity.
In reality, it has long since become one of
the most notorious political" facts" of the age that
the necessity for Parliamentary Reform is ad-
mitted by all parties alike. The only question
now remaining as a bone of contention
among the rival parties being the still
so far problematical question to the extent to
which Parliament should be reformed. That
Reform of some kind should be conceded, all are

agreed upon. The need for this is allowed both on
the side of the Liberal (Coalition) Government and
upon the side of the Conservative (Reforming)
Opposition. Ever since the DERBY-DISRAELI
Ministry decided upon preparing a measure of
Parliamentary Reform, the Opposition to Reform
ceased—the triumph of Reform became a mere
question of time—the extent of Reform became a
mere question of convenience and expediency. Yet
since that period the cause of Reform has virtually
somehow not advanced one inchtowards its triumph
in the adoption by the Lords and Commons of a
substantial enactment. This moreover simultane-
ously with the wider and wider diffusion of
Reform principles throughout tie country among
electors and non-electors alike, and this too most
conspicuously in the instances of the more remark-
' able of the leading constituencies. With Reform
advocated thus, far and wide, all over the United
Kingdom, with the necessity for Reform conceded
definitively two or three years back by the Tory
Opposition (conceded so unmistakably moreover that
a Tory Reform Bill can now be reverted to as a sub-
stantial historical document), it certainly does upon
the face of it appear monstrous and inexplicable
that the Question of Parliamentary Reform
should yet continue to this very hour
undetermined. Nay, not merely still undetermined
in any way, but actually to all appearance set
aside by general consent within the Legislature
for two or three sessions to come, by an indefinite
postponement. The reason for all which is mani-
festly nowhere discernible, saving in the jealousies
of political parties, in the implacable jealousies of
the two great opposing sections of the popular
branch of Parliament—those two great political
parties, alternately in and out, according to the
accidents of time, like the fluctuating " ins" and
" outs" of the little doll figures in the toy barometer,
alternately her MAJESTY'S Opposition and her
MAJESTY'S Government. But for these petty
spites and heartburnings of jealousy among the
great contending parties of the State, we should
long since—we must, by necessity, long since—have
had this vital question of Parliamentary Reform
settled, and what is more, settled satisfactorily. When
Lord DERBY and his colleagues, two or three years
back decided upon bringing in a Reform Bill, and
laying it upon the table of the House of Com-
mons—as they did frankly, boldly, and honestly,
this bill, being besides of that plastic and elastic
character that it might have been readily ex-
panded to any dimensions, and moulded into any
shape that the majority of the House might
have decided upon in Committee—the rough
draft of the enactment so introduced was pre-
cluded from the chance of getting even as far as
that third stage of " the Committee"—by the paltry
jealousies rankling in the Whig section of the so-
called liberal Opposition. Jealousies of a kind not a jot
less paltry, inciting the Tory section of the Conserva-
tive Opposition to retaliate last year upon their old
enemiesthe Whigs by aiding and abetting anybody
and everybody also who chose to have a fling at Lord
J. RUSSELL'S "Poor Little Bill"—and how many
were there not who had an arrow keenly barbed
and delicately poisoned lurking in their quiver for
that wretched little target, that miserable little
microscopic pariah of a reform measure ! The
position of Reform, in fact, in the House of Com-
mons for a long while past has been such, so strange,
so anomalous, so extraordinary, that it almost jus-
tifies one in doubting whether the great Reform
Leader on the side of the Government, the
noble lord who has the historic glory of
having in his early manhood introduced
Lord GREY'S measure into the unreformed House
of Commons—in doubting now whether he still
continues at heart really in earnest as a Reformer !
Let Lord JOHN but show himself to be as earnest
as Mr. BRIGHT in the championship of Parliamen-
tary Reform, and not another legislative session
would elapse, could elapse, without that great
problem of reform being solved—to the strength-
ening of the Constitution by means of a rational
widening of the popular representation.

The right man, then, in the right place—and by
a majority of 1,175. Not one word have we to say
against so respectable a citizen as Mr. SCOVELL
—not a word had we to say against that respect-
able citizen Mr. COWAN, the paper maker, when
he was supplanted MACAULAY at Edinburgh. Re-
spectable citizens are in one sense the most valuable
part of the community, and we need not dilate on
their merits ; but among those merits is rarely that
of fitness to represpnt their country in the British
Parliament, much less of fitness to supersede men
like the late Lord MACAULAY, or men like Mr.
AUSTEN HENRI LAYARD. We do not rejoice, there-
fore, in the defeat and disappointment of a valuable
man of business and his supporters, but in the
choice by Southwark of a man who, as all the in-
telligence of the nation would say, ought to be in
our Senate. We may certainly thus express our-
selves with the greater freedom, because, on the
China war question, which was the cause of his
exclusion from Parliament, we differed from him
very decidedly, but we by no means wish those
from whom we often differ very strongly to be out
of Parliament. We could conscientiously give
them our own votes on their general merits, while
opposing them to the uttermost on a particular
question. _ _

To Southwark belongs the credit of choosing
representatives on purely public grounds—a gene-
rous policy which cannot be too strongly commended
to all constituencies. It is a disgrace to large
constituencies if they drive all the more dis-
tinguished men, the men who are the nation's
property, to seek refuge in some petty nomination
borough, by uniformly electing respectable medio-
crities from their own neighbourhood. We
want, it is true, some of our first-rate merchants
and manufacturers in the House of Commons.
Their questions are frequently before the house,
and their
special knowledge is of course needed ;
but surely large constituencies should have an eye
to something
beyond their local business. They
form an important part of the nation, and ought
ever to choose one of their representatives, at least,
from national considerations. Birmingham, Shef-
field, we may add, Lynn and Herts also, set a right
example in this respect. We cannot afford to miss
such men from the house as BB.IGIIT, and ROE-
BUCK*, or Lord STANLEY, and Sir 131.TLIVER LYT-
TON. Whether we agree with or differ from them,
we all agree that we should not like our
of Commons without them. One of Lord
PALMERSTON'S antagonists in the House of.
Commons once remarked, "We are all proud
of him," expressing therein the thorough English
feeling of pleasure in the talents of a worthy op-

pone No w, it is perfectly certain that if we will
---
have men of high capacity, men of genius, in the
House, we mu 3t put up with frequent crotchets, as
we are apt to term them, points in which they
differ in opinion from most of us, and yet are far
too self-reliant to tone down their opinions to what
will suit us. We must take them as they are.
The Roebucks, the Horsmans, and the Layards are
amongst the most needful elements of a free and
representative assemNy- We need never fear that
there will not be abunda.nce of the more prosaic, com-
mon-place stuff, to neutralise any possible mischief
from the flights, or aberratio.us, or eccentricities of
genius ; but the genius—the independent genius, is
above all price in our House of Commons. We may
well query whether without it, it might not be•
come a very Common House.

• There is one feature in this election which ought
not to be overlooked—AUSTEN —HENRY LATARD
was emphatically the working man's candidate—
they !worked for him to the last• —they proffered,
by a shilling subscription, to bear their share of the
expenses of his election ; and not only in South-
wark, but in York, the working men stood by Mr.
LAYARD, and appealed to their own class here to
do the same. We hail this as one of many similar
answers to the charge against the working classes,
that they would degrade the national assembly
by sending to it inferior men. We believe
nothing of the kind. If they did return
a NEWTON or a POTTER to advocate their
special claims, and explain their business to an
assembly which can know little practically of
them, no class of men are more ready to appreciate
public merit and to be enthusiastic in doing it
honour. We wonder whether we could find a
single borough under the influence of some edu-
cated potentate who despises working men, or a
single county over which the class who, have
been trained at universities reign supreme, who
wouldihave shown their sense of the deserts of
genius and public spirit,which has just been evinced
by the working men of Southwark. So far from
diminishing the number of our great men in Par-
liament by a large extension of the suffrage, we
believe the effect would be just the reverse. The
well connected mediocrities would be the gentry
who would have notice to quit. Probably they
think so ; they see that working men in Southwark
can prefer a Sir W. MOLESWORTH, or a CHARLES
NAPIER, or a LAYARD—aII men who had earned in
very different ways a national reputation, to the
class whom wealth and connection would nominate.
Mr. LAYARD has now the course of public life
opened to him afresh ; he will enter upon it with
no less independence than before, but perhaps with
a little more diseretion. Not that we could wish
him to repress, for prudence sake merely, a single
conviction, the value of such men is that they see
things strangely in a different light to most, and
that they give unflinching expression to their
views. We have little fear, however, that he will
offend his present constituents by differing from
them on some point. His sincere accordance with
them on all that is permanently important will
be quite sufficient, they will not turn him out for
having a mind of his own. Rather would they do
so, if they knew him to be guilty of it, for thinking
one way and voting another.

Several engineers who were making some geolo-

gical researches near Auxerre (Yonne) discovered a few
days ago, in the arrondissement of Avallon, a fine coal bed.
It extends under several communes of the Yonne, as well
as under others in the neighbouring department of the
Cote d'Or.

AN EXCELLENT LAW.—By the ancient Law of
Hungary, a man convicted of bigamy was condemned to
live with both wives in the same house ; the crime was, in

consequence, extremely rare.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY, EXETER-HALL.-
The first meeting this season of the Handel Festival Choir
will take place on Friday next, Dec. 14, under the direc••

tion of Mr. Costa. Mozart's 12th Mass is selected for re-
hearsal by a choir of 1,600. Never perhaps has this noble
work been sung by so large a number of voices. The solo
parts will be sustained by Miss Chambers, Miss Lascelles,
Mr. Evans, and Mr. Patey.

EFFECTS OF A GALE.—The ship Prince Consort,
from Liverpool to Melbotrne, put into Portsmouth on Sun-
day, with loss of top of tire and main topmasts, yards, sails,
and all the gear attached, mizen topmast sprung, live stock
and fodder washed off the deck and lost, and one cabin pas-
senger, Mr. Adams, waded overboard and drowned. She
experienced a tremendous hurricane in the Bay of Biscay
on the 25th ult., and endeavoured to reach Lisbon, but
encountered another gale, and was compelled to bear up for
Falmouth ; arrived off that place Dec. 6th, but no assistance
offering, was obliged to ran for Portsmouth, where she was
towed into harbour on Sunday.

RISE OF RENT ON HILL FARMS.—The Ayr Ex-
press chronicles a striking instance of rise of rent in the
case of some hill farms is the parish of Carsphairn, belong-

ing to Major Clark Kennedy. They are in the holding of
one person, and during :he current lease the rental has been
£540. They had been :et separately, after a keen competi-
tion, at figures which nake a total of £1,003.
GARIBALDI IN 1113 RETREAT.—A Turin letter in
the Siscle has the following :—" I have just seen a person
arrived from Caprera vho has given me some details about
Garibaldi. The general has sent away all the aides-de-
camp who accompaniel him, and has now with him only
his son and daughter, his friend Deideri, and his private
secretary, Basso. The mass of letters he receives from all
parts of the world is enormous, and some of them contain
strange propositions. Dr. Riboli, a distinguished physi-
cian of Turin, and a great partisan of phrenology, has
written to Garibaldi entreating him to allow his head to be
examined, remarking that he believes it to be one of the
best organised and the moat remarkable known. A sad
event has occurred in the island. The son of the colonel
of the Italian Legion at Monte-Video passed some days on
a visit with the general, and as the colonel was an old
friend and companion in arms of Garibaldi when in Ame-
rica, every attention was shown the young man. When
the moment for departure arrived, the latter seemed quite
in despair at the idea of leaving, and on entering a boat
. which was to convey him to a vessel, he pulled out a pistol,
and before any one could prevent him, discharged it into
his breast. Garibaldi, hearing the report, hurried up, and
did all he Could for his guest, who, however, expired in a
few hours. No other reason can be assigned for this rash
act than that the young man's enthusiasm for Garibaldi
was so great that he could not bear to be separated from
him."

LORD JOHN RUSSELL AND THE ITALIANS.—A few
Milanese, interpreting the sentiments of gratitude by which
Italy is actuated towards her illustrious advocate before the
Areopagus of Europe, have conceived the idea of promoting
a generrl subscription, to be extended to all parts of Lom-
bardy (without, however, excluding the rest of Italy), for
the purpose of offering to Lord John Russell, as a grateful
acknowledgment of his efforts for the national cause, a
statue in Carrara marble, the work of the distinguished
Milanese sculptor, C. Romaco. The figure symbolises the
" Conviction of Italian unity," and represents a beautiful
maiden in a sitting posture. On her arm she wears a brace-
let, on which is graven the motto, "Italia Una," and her
eyes are intently fixed on the diadem which she holds be-
tween her hands, and on which are executed in relief the
armorial ensigns of the various territorial divisions:of Italy.
—Prospectus of the Milanese Committee,
THE BRADFORD INVITATION TO MESSRS. GLAD-
STONE, COBDEN, AND MILNER GIBSOL—A meeting of the
Connell of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce took place
on Monday evening, for the purpose of conferring with the
deputation appointed at a mixed meeting, held in the Com-
mittee-room of St. George's-hall, on the 3d inst., on the
subject of inviting the three gentlemen abovenamed to
Bradford, to acknowledge their valuable services in con-
nection with the French treaty. H. W. Ripley, Esq., pre-
sident of the Chamber, was in the chair. The council
having agreed to accept the invitation given them by the
meeting held on the 3d, to take the initiative in carrying
into effect the resolutions passed at that meeting, resolved
itself into a committee, with Messrs. W. R. Haigh, E.
Benion, Jas. Hanson, and A. Holden, the deputation. A
very long conversation ensued, and resulted in a resolution
to the effect that a requisition be drawnup,inviting Messrs.
Gladstone, Cobden, and Milner Gibson, to a public demon-
stration to be held at the earliest possible time in Bradford,
as the centre of the worsted district, and that the requisi-
tion be presented to all gentlemen interested in the trade
for signature. A sub-committee was appointed to draw up
the requisition, and obtain signatures thereto.
INUNDATIONS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The
heavy and continued rains which have fallen for the past
10 days in Notts, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, have
caused the rivers Trent and Soar to overflow their banks,
and large tracts of land in the surrounding country are
now under water. In some places -the cattle have had a
very narrow escape of being drowned, and the most active
exertions have had to be used to prevent such casualties.
As it is, however, the consequences will be serious. Wheat-
sowing, and the sowing of other grain has for some time
been retarded through the moistness of the weather, and
now these operations must be delayed until the spring.
The meadows near Nottingham have been inundated to a
considerable extent. The waters have forced their way
into the cellars of several houses in Arkwright-street and
other streets in that locality, some of which have been sub•
merged to the depth of several feet. Many of the tenants
who are suffering by the flood were engaged yesterday in
lading the water out of their houses, and, should the flood
become much higher, the lower districts of the town will
feel its effects, as well as those villages which are situated
on the banks of the Trent. The weather is serious in an-
other point of view, as threshing corn cannot be:proceeded
with, the dampness rendering it out of condition. An ex-
citing scene occurred yesterday at Wilford, near Notting-
ham. A fox near the village found his old quarters had
been so much damaged by the continued rising of the
waters, that he attempted to cross the Trent. A farmer
who was near the spot sent in his shepherd dog after the
fox, and tie dog soon began to shorten the distance between
himself and reynard. The latter turned round, caught the
dog by the neck, and a fierce encounter ensued (the contest
being for several minutes equal), which ended, however,
in the dog bringing his enemy safe to land. The cattle
which were in the neighbourhood of the inundation are
either safely housed or placed upon higher ground, their
prior position having become exceedingly dangerous.
MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE.—The public accounts
for the last financial year disclose, as usual, the receipt of
some very miscellaneous, although at the same time substan-
tial, waifs and strays. Small branches of the hereditary
revenue yielded £4,744 ; House of Commons' fees, £47,015 ;
Home-office ditto, £1,416; Privy Council-office ditto,
£1,009 ; Office for the Registration of Joint-Stock Com-
panies, £4,932 ; fees and fines from police-courts, £10,902 ;
miscellaneous fees, £10,688; fees from public offices (Scot-
land), £37,214 ; ditto (Ireland), £4,767 ; Army and Ord-
nance, &c., extra receipts, £508,606; navy old stores, &e.,
£121,223; receipts for old materials, &c , in the Office of
Works, £11,599; seignorage upon bullion purchased for
coinage at the Mint, £36,830 ; proceeds on the sale of books,
&c., at the Stationary-office, £12,485 ; proceeds of the sale
of surplus clothing, £84,499 ; productive labour, of prisoners
in convict establishments, £13,066; London, Dublin, and
Edinburgh Gazettes, £20,430 ; conscience tmoney, £16,488 ;
abatement from salaries, £1,669 ; various casual and mis-
cellaneous receipts, £279,988 , repaid by trustees of the
King of the Belgians, £38,000; unclaimed dividends,
£72,669 ; contributions from revenues of India for pensions,
&c., £60,000; ditto for proportion of expenses of China
consular establishments, £45,895 ; ditto on account of mail
service to India, £15,701; contributions from masters and
seamen of the merchant service, per Act 16th and 17th
Victoria, cap. 131, £14,658 ; savings on grants of Parlia-
ment and over issues repaid, £25,086. The conscience
money item appears to have been larger than usual, as in
1858-9 it was only £3,015 ; in 1857-8, £8,522; and in 1856-7,
£5,982.
THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN CUMBERLAND.—
The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the three men, John
Wales, Leonard Bell, and Joseph Beckett, who were killed
by the colliery explosion in Guslet-pit, Maryport, on Mon-
day, the 3d inst., was resumed on Monday last at Maryport.
Further evidence was given that more gas had been gene-
rated in the pit in the last three or four weeks than for
some time back. The deputy- overmen had remarked this
among themselves, but it did not appear that it had been
reported to the superior officers. Evidence was given that
no gas had been observed in the Robbery, where the ac-
cumulation which led to the explosion took plaee. One
witness said he considered the pit so fiery and unsafe that
he had left, and did not intend to go back. Mr. Dixon,
mining engineer, was called on behalf of the lessees of the
colliery to describe the ventilation, and gave his opinion
upon the occurrence. He said he was satisfied the ventila-
tion was good. He condemned the fastening up of the door
by Wales and Rogerson, as reported in Saturday's evidence,
as an error of judgment, though done with good intention.
He expressed his opinion that the working had become foul
from a large fall of coal between Saturday night and Mon-
day morning. It was still so foul that they were unable to
get at it. He thought the door was unimportant as regards
the ventilation of the Robbery. This evidence was con-
flicting with the opinion of the Government inspector, who
thought the door was necessary, so long as it was kept in
good order, for the proper ventilation of the Robbery, and
who also stated that the pit was at one time one of the most
dangeroqs pits he knew ; a shaft had since been put in,
tilAt the, ventilation now was only adequate if the greatest
care and caution were observed. The jury retired for about
an hour, after which they returned a verdict, " that the
three men were killed by an explosion, but how that explo-
aim originated did not appear."

L 'I E rr INT ENV S.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
PARIS, DEC. 12.

The ZJoniteur publishes a decree fixing the duty
on dry vegetables and their meals at 25 centimes
per 100 kilogrammes, whether imported into
France by sea or land, in French or foreign
vessels, until the 30th Sept., 1861. The vessels
also will be free from tonnage dues.

VIENNA, DEC. 12.

The official Wiener Zeitung of to-day announces
the appointment of Field-Marshal-Lieutenants Ton
Schmerling and Mertens as substitutes of the
Minister for War,

Count Emmeriehs-Miko has been provisionally
appointed President of the Stadtholdership of
Transylvania.

THE SIEGE OF GAETA.

A letter from Gaeta, dated the 4th inst., says—

"The siege is becoming more interesting. The
besiegers are showing more activity. Yesterday
the Piedmontese received reinforcements from
Naples to the amount of 3,000 men, and the
Cavalli guns are all in position. I have been told
that there are 80 of them. Shots are continually
exchanged between the besiegers and the fortress.
"On Sunday last shells of large dimensions were
fired from rifled cannon. Many went over the bat-
teries. One shell burst near the Orlando Tower,
which is a long range. Four men were wounded.
The Royal Princes visit the batteries in turn, and
the King seems resolved to hold out."

NAPLES.
The Naples correspondent of the Debats has the
following :—" The cardinal of Naples, as I have
already informed you, was recalled almost uncon-
ditionally. The police, or rather the national
guard, prevented the demonstration which a num-
ber of priests and zealots intended to make on his
arrival by going to meet his Eminence. On the
following day, which was Sunday, the people
flocked in crowds to the cardinal's palace, part of

them with the design of shouting ' Down with the
cardinal !' and part to submit to his Eminence two
humble propositions ; first, that he should place the
Piedmontese arms on the front of his palace
where those of the Bourbon rtill defy public
opinion ; and, secondly, that he should give some
sign of acknowledging the Government of the
usurper. His Eminence considered these demands
very impertinent, and replied that those were
points for his own desision, and that he would
communicate with M. Farini on the subject. Two
majors of the national guard carried this
answer to the crowd, while his eminence went to
the cathedral to sing a 2e Deurn for his return and
the triumph of the Church. The unbelieving
multitude did not consider this answer satisfac-
tory, and some of them exclaimed, ' Since his
Eminence will not take the trouble, let us set
about it ourselves.' They accordingly tore down
the arms above the door, and put a portrait of Victor
Emmanuel in its place with a flag on each side of it.
They then entered the palace and put flags in all the
windows. Then they formed a double line in his
Eminence's staircase, with a flag as big as the main-
sail of a brig and an illuminated portrait of Victor
Emmanuel. After the Te Deurn his Eminence
returned to take his chocolate, and was obliged to
ascend the staircase. Mgr. Riario-Sforza, without
being at all disconcerted, ascended the stairs, bow-
ing to the people who lined them, smiled on seeing
the King's portrait, took no notice of the revolu-
tionary flags, and entered his apartments. But he
had counted without the populace and the provin-
cial priests whom his Eminence had almost excom-
municated, as suspected partisans of Garibaldi, by
refusing to allow them to say mass, and thus con-
demning them to starve. The uproar under his
windows after a while became tremendous, and a
few panes of glass were broken. The Cardinal
held out for about six hours, but at last became
alarmed by the fury of the mob. So, after writing
a short protest against the violence done him, he
went out on the balcony, with a rather bad grace,
gave his blessing to the mob amid a concert of
groans, and then lighted a taper before a plaster
bust of the King of Italy."
The following note has been addressed to the
commerce of Italy by the Minister of Foreign
Affairs of King Francis 11. :

" Gaeta, 27th Nov.
" Since the town of Gaeta has been besieged,
four vessels with Sardinian flags and cargoes have
anchored in the port, having been driven in by
stress of weather. The King's Government had
evidently the right to seize them, since they were
protected neither by their flag, nor by the destina-
tion of their cargoes. The application of the right
of war would besides have been advantageous to
the besieged town, the first of the vessels having
been freighted with coal, and the other three with
grain—articles of great utility to a place which is
invested. The King, however, proved himself
generous, by taking into consideration the excep-
tional circumstances of the present war, which was
preceded by no regular declaration nor denunciation
of hostilities, and his Majesty has ordered that the
vessels should be set at liberty. But the King
cannot permit a benevolent and spontaneous conces-
sion to be interpreted as an abandonment of his
rights, or as a proof of weakness. He has, there-
fore, decided that any vessel which from this day,
the 27th Nov., may present itself in the waters of
Gaeta under the Sardinian fl tg shall be immediately
captured by the Royal Navy, and treated according
to the laws of war. " S. CASELLA."
King Francis 11. has conferred the Order of
Francis I. on M. Autran, commissary-general at
Toulon, and on M. Cros, director of naval construc-
tions, for the care with which they lately bad the
Neapolitan vessels of war repaired in that port.