The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-20 00:00:00

THE WINDSOR ELECTION PETITION.

The Lonaon correspondent of the Liverpol Almon, writ-
ing apropos to the Windsor election petition, expresses his
approval of the new system of hearing allegatons of bribery:
But ho is rather doubtful as to saving expenses. The
fees to counsel—always high in such cases —will now be

higher still, because the learned gentlemen will be
brought down from London, and will have each day to
confine themselves to the ono case. Under the old system
some Parliamentary counsel were in as many as a dozen
cases on the same day—election petitions and private bills
included—all of which cases were going on at the same time.
It was the habit of these fortunate barristers to make a tour
of the corridor, looting into this 'room now, and into that
in a few minutes after. Indeed, one distinguished 9,ueen's
counsel of the Parliamentari bar would not iniaaiiike
to do anything more in a case, so far as actual work
in the committee-room, than make a speech ; but to secure
this and to prevent "the other side" from having him, you
must "refresh" him and give him a "consultation" fee each
day while the case was at hearing, even if the hearing lasted
a month. It is only fair to him to say that when his
similar engagements in respect of speech-making in
other cases permitted, he would walk in and "take
a witness" or two ; but, not being like Sir Boyle
Roche's bird, he could not be in two places at once.
Mr. O'Malley, Q C., the leading counsel for Col. Richardson-
Gardner at Windsor, would have had a "retainer" of fifty
guineas and a "refresher" of ten guineas a day, with a
five-guinea " consultation," if the cause had been heard in
the old form at Westminster Palace. At Windsor he had
a "retainer" of 120 guineas and a "refresher" of fifty
guineas a day. But there was not the expense of bringing
all the witnesses to London, keeping them in clover here,
and employing other people to watch them; nor were
there the very heavy house fees which have to be
paid by parties having business before Committees
of the Commons. Colonel Richardson-Gardner will

have to pay all the costs; but he is a very rich
man, or, at least, the son-in-law of a very rich one. The
gallant gentleman was never in the army nor the militia.
He is honorary colonel of a corps of volunteers. His own
name was Richardson, but he assumed the additional sur-
name of Gardner on his marriage with the daughter and
only child of Mr. Gardner, a gentleman with an income of
about £35,000 a year.

Some of the New York papers propose that
,he centenary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott, which

falls on the 15th August, 1871, should be celebrated
throughout the English-speaking world. It seems pro-
bable that in America, at least, the proposal will be favour-
ably entertained.

Lord Stanley was to have addressed a meeting
in the mayor's parl our, Town Hall, Manchester, on Monday,
of the Discharged Prisoners' Aid Society, but on the
assembling of the• meeting at twelve o'clock, a telegram
was received from his lordship, stating that he had missed
the train, and could not come in time for the meeting.

A very large meeting assembled at the Lambeth
Baths on Monday evening, to take into consideration the
propriety of presenting an address to Mr. John Abel
Smith, in reference to his labours on b ha f of the
Sunday closing of public-houses. Resolutions in accord.
ance with the objects of the meeting were unanimously
adopted.
COMPARISONS. —The Reston (U.S.) Advertiser
says :—" A noted democratic politician of this vicinity
was once asserting his entire indifference to the opinions of
his opponents, and to their personal abuse. Why,' said
he, ' a man likened me the other day to Judas Iscariot,
but I don't care.' Yes,' said a bystander, but how does
Judas feel about it ?'"

The clergy of the rural deanery of Rilmacrenan, in
the county of Donegal, have passed a resolution approving
of the principles of reconstruction of the Irish Church when
disestablished which have been propounded in Archdeacon
Stopford's pamphlet, and calling on the Bishop of Derry
"to take early action with a view to convening a synod re.
presentative of the clergy and laity of the diocese" on those
principles.

At the annual meeting of the Staffordshire Cham-
ber of Agriculture, on Saturday, the question of local rating
was discussed ; and a resolution was adopted expressing an
opinion that the area for the collection of such rates ought
to be extended as far as practicable, and that the general
income and property of the country should contribnte to
the support of those institutions which are necessary to the
well-being of the entire community. The Earl of Harrowby
was of opinion that it would not be possible to go further
than to expect a contribution to local rates, in some such
way as is now done in the case of Government contribution
to county rates; but he thought that it would be mis-
chievous to hand over the entire mass of the poor to 410401
ousnort.