The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-15 00:00:00

Mr. Edward Akroyd, in reply to a note urging aim to
support the Permissive Bill, wrote :—" I beg respectfully
to acknowledge yours of the Bth, informing me that
a petition in favour of Sir Wilfrid Lawson's Permis-
sive Prohibitory Liquor Bill, signed by upwards of 9,000
inhabitants, has been sent to Mr. Stansfeld for presenta-
tion. I have further to thank you for the very considerate
and courteous manner in which you press upon me to sup-
port the measure. Am I unreasonable in asking—whilst
thoroughly agreeing with yon in your object of putting
down the abuses of the present licensing system—that I
should be permitted to exercise my own judgment in
accomplishing our common object? Honestly I believe
that the Beerhouses, &c., Bill will do this more effectually
than the Permissive Bill. For were this last measure
passed, it would only be applicable to those places where
the majority of the ratepayers are in favour of the sup-
pression of beerhouses and public-houses, leaving untouched
those places where the majority are on the other side. More-
over, if the .bill were passed and put into force, there
would be da:iger of a strong reaction, which might cause
the re opening of houses once closed. Again, I think, it
would be unjust to confiscate the property of those who
had embarked their capital on the faith of an Act of
Parliament in these houses. I have deemed it more
respectful to yourself to state thus broadly my objection
without any desire to enter into a controversy on this
question. I view with regret the differences among those
who wish to improve the moral well-being of society.as to
the means of arriving at the accomplishment of their

purpose."
Mr. .S'.ansfeld gave the following reply to a similar
con4rounication I have presented the Halifax petition
signed by upwards of 9.003 persons, inhabitants of Halifax,
in favour of i r \V. Law: on's bill. I need not repeat my
opinions on th 3 subject. lam in favour of the object
which I believe the petitioners to have in view, and what-
ever I can do I will do to promote and urge prompt and
comprehensive and more stringent legislation on the
subject, bnt I do not approve of the bill as now conceived
and drawn."

---
Sir Francis Crossley wrote much after the same

manlier.

The Leeds Mercury Las reason to know that there
is no truth in the rumour of the Owl that Mr. Stansfeld
will succeed Mr. G. A. Hamilton as poi manent Secretary to
the Treasury.
Viscount Stratford de Redeliffe gave notice on
Thursday night of his intention on Juno 4 to move for copy
of any treaty concluded between her Majesty's Chief Secre-
tary of Sato for Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the
United States Government of Noah America, respecting
the so•called Alabama clai►ns, be laid upon the table of the

hcuse.
In a pamphlet un " Our Duty in the Present
Crisis," just published in Dublin, and addressed by the Rev.
Fit tcher Birk(rdike, incumbent of Ardamine, to his brethren,
the following advice is given :—" Let us not lean en the
Conservative patty, with Mr. DI-raeli es their leader, lost
our staff break under us and pierce our own arm. This has
harpcnel to us more than once already."
The Tablet learns from Rome that the heavier
work of the preparat7ons for the General Council has been
now got through, and that the foreign theologians who have
been engaged upon it during the last six mouths are leav-
ing Rome. Mgr. Weathers, the theologian for England, is
on his way home to take up his pcsitien in London as Pre-
eident of tha Diocesan Theological Seminary which his
Grace the Archbishop of Westminster is about to open at
Westminster.
The Weekly Register says--A very urgent " whip"
bus gone forth from both sides of the Hou Lo
se of rds, so
as to summon to town every peer that can be found
for the coming debate.; and votes on the Irish Church
Bill. Very soon after the short Whitsuntide vaca-
tion is over, the battle will commence in the Peers, and the
present universal speculation as to " what will they
do with the Mr will be set at rest. lf, as some
persons predict, the measure is rejected by the Lords, we
ehall in all probability have a more stirring political time

ban h:is been witnessed in England since the diys of Wm.
.V. and the pasiing of the great Reform Bill.

A return has just been printed of the
number of companies wound up or winding up since August,
1802. From this it appears that in Great Brit:du and-Ire-
laud there have been 480 companies thus disposed of, with an
aggregate nominal capital of .V 18,634,272 ; tho paid up capi-
ta (as far as known) amounts t) £21,348,027 ; liabilities,
£74,482,421 ; and the expens33 of winding up, £'330,283.
Of the total nuather of companies, 423 belong to England,
42 to .Scotland, and 15 to Ireland. No return has been
furnished of the expenses incidental to winding up in Scot-
land.

There was a somewhat serious riot in Paris on
Wednesday evening. M. Emile 011ivior addressed a et owded
meeting at the Theatre Meek t. 'rhe author of "Le 19 Jan-
vier" was badly received, and could not obtain n hearing for
some time. .A t length, whilst saying that the Empire was
founded on Universal Suffrage, the uproar became so great
that 11. e cotemi.,eary of police dissolved the meeting. Out-
side the theatre there was a great crowd, which kept
order for rome time, 'tut niter a while the "
seilla:se" was sung, end the disturbances commenced. The
police then iet,rfereel and fighting ensued, resulting in
serious damage. It is feared that some lives are lost.
Sem al were wounded.
Sir n..Phillinacre beard an applidaticrn on Friday at
the Court of Admit ally ty the American Government in
the cafe) of the alleged Confederate ship the Mary, other-
wise the Alexandra. Mr. B. C. Clarkson, en the part of the
United States Government, applied for a commission to
examine witnesses at Nassau or New rrovidenea to show
that the vessa which had been seized by the Ameri-
can Government bad belonged to the Confederates. Mr.
- Butt, Q.C., and Mr. Benjamin strenuously opposed the ap-
plication. The learned counsel said the court could
lnot
fail to see the political purpose intended by
the deay.
Sir R. Phillimore said it involved an important question.
- The case bad been pending. since lefarebt
1867. He ruled;
boweerer, not to exclude evidence from the ceamisSioncre,
..‘l,OOO additjWl
Wed • - •