The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-09 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOUR:NALL

The Saturday Review examines at some lengtn tnie
principles on which the tenure of property by religious
corporations is based, and observes that there are two
,cases in which the State may take away the property of :
religious corporations without being revolutionary:: either
it may decide that the corporation is in itself albad one,
or, though not had, that it has too much property. In
,applying this theory to the Irish Church, the Saturday
Review says that either we must alter all our constitu-
tional schemes, and allow the minority in the House of
,Commons to govern the nation, or the Liberal party must
be allowed to apply their principles in Ireland as else-
Where. But then the Anglican Church in Ireland is not
a noxious institution in itself. On the contrary,, it is as
beneficial an institution as could be wished for. It is not
.necessary—and, if unnecessary, it would be very wrong—to
suppress it, or injure it, or harass it, except exactly so far
as. may be necessary to remove from it that accidental
character of noxiousness which it has unhappily received.
It must have some of its property taken from it, because it
is by holding this property, and by the impress which this
property has given it, that it has become noxious ; just as
r~nmething must be taken away from its position as an Esta,-
bllehed Church, because historically this quality of an Esta-
blisi'ed Church is connected with its other quality of being a
noxious institution. But directly we have done enough we
may stop. Directly we have removed from it the taint of
;being a.symbol of religious hatred, we need go no further.
When it, is once made an innocuous institution, the State is
not at all interested in lessening the control of its laymem-
bers over its clerical members, or in lessening its resources.
istaot in any kind of way the business of the State to
start-the Anglican Church in Ireland as a poor voluntary
body, Moder the dominion of zealots, and then see how the
curious experiment will answer. If the Anglican Church
in Irelanlfswishes itself to change its whole character that
wcadd be a.clifferent matter. It could petition Parliament,
anct.we might see what arrangements could be made for
stripping it of every shilling, and letting a clique ride
roughshod over it. But at present, so far as is known, all
it asks-is to be left alone. We cannot let it alone alto-
gether, for we cannot permit an institution to continue
which in its present shape is incompatible with good
isegrernmenfa But we may let it alone as much as possi-
ble,, and hold our hand directly we have relieved it from
that-character of noxiousness with which it is unfortunately
invented at present.
ThesSpectator refers to the hard treatment experienced
oy the new President of the Board of Trade, and the per-
tinacity of his officious adviser. The enthusiasts have
made a first attempt on the Right Honourable John
Bright in leis capacity of Minister, and the object was to
enlist his powerful aid in an internecine war—agairst
bottle-nosed whales. Father Newman describes very
amusingly in " Loss and Gain " the rush of fanatics upon
any eminent man who is known to be in transitu between
Church and Church. All sorts of wild schemers imme-
diately descend upon him and try to engage him for their
pet extravagance. Apparently, an analogous political
fate nzay be in store for Mr. Bright on his accession to
office. All sorts of political dreamers will be apt to think
that now at last they have got a man in office whose mind
may be open to the grand ideas which they have never yet
persuaded any one but themselves to entertain. Mr.
Alexander Drew, of Nairn, will not be satisfied unless
the new President of the Board of Trade will devote a
good share of the Army savings to placing a bounty on
the, slaughter of bottle-nosed whales and porpoises, whom
he regards as tli great poachers on the supplies of our
fisheries. Mr. Bright keeps his countenance, in a political
senseovell. He first replies to Mr. Drew that Parlia-
ment is not likely to vote bounty money for the slaughter
of bottle-nosed whales and porpoises, and on receiving
from Mr. Drew reproaches for taking so " contracted" a
view of the bottle•noses, and exhortations enforcing his
views in a rather excited manner, Mr. Bright merely
directs his secretary to acknowledge the receipt of the
letter enclosing the correspondence with Mr. Loch on
" bottle-nosed whales."
The London Review, in discussing Mr. Mill's arguments
against the Ballot, remarks that he advances the seeming
paradox that the spread of bribery proves the Ballot to
be unnecessary. There is, however, a considerable amount
of truth in the suggestion that bribery and intimidation
are antagonistic to each other. Where intimidation has
prevailed, bribery has often been brought in to rectify the
balance ; but let us at least recognise the fact that if
there had been secret voting neither the disease nor the
antidote would have existed. Landlords and customers
could not have intimidated ; candidates would not have
needed to meet intimidation by pecuniary corruption.
Nor can anyone doubt that where the remedy is so vile
it would be better to prevent the disease than to cure it.
At present, however, we are making a special effort to
destroy the atrocious remedy, bribery, without removing
the virulent disease, intimidation. From Mr. Mill's own
point of view, the prevention of bribery by the Bribery
Bill will naturally tend to the revival and increase of
intimidation, which bribery in the past has done some-
thing to check. We are absolutely bound, therefore, to
follow the Bribery Bill by the Ballot. If we do not, we
shall have given a downright advantage to the intimida-
tors, and, in striking at the impurity, shall have pros-
trated lower than ever the independence of the electoral
community. There is nothing in all that Mr. Mill has
written on the subject to invalidate the practical and
moral arguments in favour of secret voting. If the fran-
chise is a right, the Ballot is an essential security of the
possessor of the right. If the franchise is a trust, the
Ballot is an essential instrument for the general fulfil-
ment of the trust. If it were to lead to denying votes
that had been given, that would be a lesser evil than
giving votes which are mere records of intellectual, moral,
and political abasement. But it would not lead to the
denial of votes or lying of any kind, for it would make
voters free, and free men need not, and, as a rule, do not
lie. In short, without the Ballot, there is, in a compre-
hensive sense no suffrage. " What," says Mr. Grote,
" is the difference between taking away a man's vote alto-
gether and taking away from him theliberty of voting as he
inwardly prefers? Is not the number of genuine and
bond fide electors just as much influenced by the one act
as by the other ?" It follows that Parliamentary Reform,
which Mr. Disraeli says is completed, cannot be deemed
a finished work until all voters have the Ballot, without
which any voter's suffrage may be unreal.
The John Bull discusses the question of primogeniture,
and refers to a plan suggested on the subject before the
matter had engrossed public attention so much as it has
lately done. A proposal was lately made by an ingenious
essayist—if we mistake not by the lively and vigorous
writer who has renewed his youth under the pseudonym
of Cornelius O'Dowd—that a society should be formed for
the extermination of elder brothers. We can fancy that
such a society would meet with considerable support
among the more advanced politicians of the day, and
would soon be able to set up in a leading thoroughfare
with a large brass plate, a secretary, and all the other
paraphernalia without which in these days no object,
Charitable or utilitarian, can be carried out. But there is
a alight drawback to such a scheme. If properly worked
it would lead to the unpleasant result of the extermination
of many of its own supporters, who would, by the gradual
process of eliminating their elder brothers, themselves
succeed to that unpopular position, and be eliminated in
their turn to make way for their younger brethren, so that
at last, as in the case of the Kilkenny cats, nothing but
the tail of the family would be left. This borough English
tenure of existence would hardly be generally acceptable.
It is, however, obvious that, in addition to this slight

difficulty in working a promising scheme, the times am
not yet ripe for so comprehensive a measure of reform,
and some process short of extermination must be adopted
by younger sons, a class who, if we may believe the most
noisy and pushing of their representatives, do not consider
that their elder brothers' lands are comprised in the inter-
pretation clause of the tenth commandment. And here
we may pause for a moment to express a doubt whether
younger sons as a body are fairly represented by the
would-be Reformers. It is not always—with respect to
Mr. Beales and Mr. Finlen be it spoken—the most noisy
section of the community which must accurately repre-
sents the feelings of the whole ; and we do not believe that
younger sons do, as a rule, look upon themselves as injured
by the family estates descending to their eldest brother.

At a meeting of the Liberal party held at Glasgow
yesterday, it was resolved to invite the Right Hon. A. H.
Bruce, Home Secretary, to come forward as a candidate
for Renfrewsbiro in the room of the late Mr. Speirs. The
meeting was adjourned to Tuesday, to receive Mr. Bruce's
reply. Colonel Mure has agreed to waive his claim in favour
of the right hon. gentleman.

LOCHGILPHEAD.—On Saturday last two boats
were on the 100k-out for herring at the head of the loch.
So plentiful were the fish that, to use a well hackneyed
phras6, the sea " boiled" most ;violently. A wicker.
basket wag dined amongst the struggling herrings, and
it Iva+ at once filled and transferred to the boat, and
" catch" went bravely on. One of the crew was
sail armed with a shovel framed with iron and covered
with a net, with which he alternately shovelled the
Lerriugs into big shill from the water, as fast as his arms
ciuld move, and spread the struggling " take" level
is the boat as they were being accumulated on ono
ct. For an he u: and a I a'f this p -oceeded, until the
net was safely talon c n bo.rd again. Ore of the boats,
which was empty of tv rything but herrings, was filled
liteially to the water's edge. The other boat, having the
nets, of course had not em h a cargo, but altogether the
" take" was about 5 ),000. The captors, six in number,
made a fair way direct to the quay, where they sold theia
freight.to some English buy e':s for the London market-:
the price got for the whole being £45, and the operation,
from the "shooting" of,..the net to the selling of the fiabj

TILE EXTRAORDINARY CONFESSION OF
MURDER,

Correspondence from Norwich, dated Friday, says ;•—.7,
William Sheward, the man charged with the murder of
his wife, Martha Sheward, on the 15th of June, 1851, and
who voluntarily surrendered himself to justice on Friday,
January 1, 1869, was brought up for examination to-day
at the Guildhall. Sheward arrived in Norwich by the
down express last evening, and to avoid any possible excite-
ment at the Norwich (Thorpe) station of the Great Eastern
Railway, he was removed from the train at the Trowse
station (about one mile from Thorpe), and taken to the
Police-office, where he passed the night.
It appears, from inquiries made, that previously to 1838
Sheward resided in the metropolis, where he met his
deceased wife, whose maiden name was Martha Francis,
a native of Wymondham, Norfolk, a woman considerably
his senior. She appears to have lived with Sheward as
his housekeeper at Greenwich, where they were married.
In 1838, Sheward and his wife came to Norwich, and
resided for some time in 13er-street, where it is believed he
worked as a tailor. lie next removed to White
Lion-street, where fort‘ine does not seem to have
smiled very kindly upon him, as lie failed for a con-
siderable sum. lie next removed to Upper St.
Giles's street, Norwich, and from thence to St.
Martin-at-Palace, where, according to his confession, the
horrible crime now under investigation was perpetrated.
A person who was then a neighbour of Sherward's remem-
bers missing Mrs. Sheward at the time considerable
excitement prevailed in Norwich in consequence of the
finding of the remains of a young woman. This woman,
although on friendly terms with Mrs. Sheward, never
made inquiries, and never heard what had become of her.
The next heard of Sheward was that he resided
in King-street, near St. Peter-per-Mountergate Church,
where he carried on business as a pawnbroker, lending
money on goods and plate. On the 13th February,
1862, Sheward married his present wife, with whom he
:Lad previously cohabited, and by whom he had had two
or three children. The marriage took place at the regis-
;:rar's office, in King-street, Norwich. About four months
since Sheward, who seems not to have been very prosperous
in his pawnbroking business, disposed of his stock princi-
pally to Mr. Boston, another pawnbroker, of Orford-hill,
Norwich, and removed to the Key and Castle Tavern, in
St. Martin's-at-Oak, where his family are at present
residing. He left home a week or two since, and it was
remarked before he left that he was somewhat depressed
in his spirits. He had stated his intention to go to London
in order to see his sister, and he had fixed the Monday
after Christmas for his journey. When the day in
question arrived he did not start, on the plea that
lie did not feel well, but early on the following morning
(Tuesday, Dec. 28), after passing a somewhat restless
night, he started for the metropolis. Nothing was heard
of him by his wife until the morning of Sunday, Jan. 3,
when she received a letter from him stating that he was
" in trouble," the nature of which she would soon learn.
Since the disappearance of the first Mrs. Sheward, in 1851,
a sum of about £4OO has been bequeathed to her, and is
now in the hands of Mr. Cann, a solicitor, at Wymond-
ham, Norfolk, the birthplace of the deceased woman.
Inquiries were made of Sheward as to the whereabouts
of his first wife when this legacy was left to her, and he
is said to have replied that he did not know where she
was—that he believed she had gone to New Zealand, or
Van Diemen's Land, or one of the Australian colonies.
Reviewing all the circumstances which have since trans-
pired, it seems strange that suspicions of foul play on the
nart of Sheward never arose,

Mr. Mendham, town clerk of Norwich, appeared for
the prosecution ; and Mr. Stanley, solicitor, appeared for
.;Iteward, who was accommodated with a seat in the dock.
Mr. Mendham having shortly opened the case,

Inspector Davis, of the P. division of the metropolitan
police, was examined, and stated that on Friday, the Ist
instant, he was on duty at the Walsworth Police-station.
The prisoner came into the office and made a statement,
in consequence of which he was taken before the magis-
trate at the Lambeth Police-court on the following day.
No inducement whatever was held out to the prisoner to lead
him to make the confession. Ho asked the prisoner some
questions as to how or where the body was found. He
" Oh, don't say any more ; it is too horrible to
talk about." He told me he had had no food for two days,
and that he could not eat. Witness offered him food, but
he still said he could not eat. He drank, however, a
cup of coffee. He appeared to be very much depressed in
spirits.

Mrs. Sarah Batson, wife of the postmaster at llellesdon,
near Norwich, deposed that she was married on the 18th
of March, 1850. She and her husband went to live in a
house in Tabernacle-street, St. Martin-at-Palace, Nor-
wich. At the time she went to live in Tabernacle-
street, the next house to hers was not occupied. It was
afterwards taken by a man and woman. She never spoke
to the man, and did not recognise him now in court. The
'roman w!ed to come into witness's house to buy things.
She was a light-complexioned woman, and wore her hair
in curls—it was almost golden-coloured hair. She was a
'cry fair woman. Witness remembered the Whitsuntide
of 1851. She could not, however, tell the day of the

month when it occurred. On reference to au almanac,
witness found that Whit-Sunday occurred in 1851 on
rune 8. According to a local custom, she made two
lustards for the Whit-Snuday, and part of one of these

ustards she took to the woman, whom she never saw
again. She saw the man go backwards and forwards
to the house after this, but she did not recollect ever seeing
Ile man or woman again after a short time. She did not
know the business of the man.

In cross examination by Mr. Stanley, witness stated
that she and her husband left Tabernacle-street in 1852.
After the next house to hers became unoccupied after June
or July 1852, it again became occupied, but only by some
women, so far as she knew. Witness never had any con-
versation with the man to whom she had been referring.

By the Bench : I should say the woman to whom I gave
the custard was between fifty arid sixty years of age. She
was a middle-sized woman. I never heard any disputes
between the man and the woman.
Potter Batson, the husband of the last witness, gave
c3nfirmaton* evidence. He thought the woman who lived
•.ext him in June 1851 was between fifty and sixty years
•f age. She wore her hair in curls, and was a neat dres-
sing person. Witness could not describe the man who
lived with the woman. He never noticed him particu-
larly. Witness kept a general shop, and the woman
often came into it. He never saw her after Whit-Sunday,
'B5l. He remembered quite well some human flesh being
found near Norwich in the summer of 1851 ; some was
Found on his father's farm on which he worked, at
Hellesdon. It was found about the latter end of June, -
or in July, ISSI.
Cross-examined • Witness had often wondered where the
old woman had gone to. He had never talked, however,
' about the matter.

Inspector Peck, of the Norwich police, said he occupied
his present office in June 1851, when human remains
were found in the neighbourhood of Norwich. They
were brought to the police station about the latter end of
June 1851, not later than the 27th. Witness could not,
however, fix the date from memory. There was an in-
vestigation on the subject before the magistrates. Mr.
Nicholls, a surgeon, examined the remains. They were
also examined by Mr. Donald Dalrymple, another surgeon,
and by the late Mr. 13. 11. Norgate, a third surgeon. The
remains were brought to the police station by various
persons. The remains consisted of human hands, a foot,
leg bones, part of an arm, and a quantity of other bones.
They were preserved in spirits of wine, and locked up.
At this stage Mr. Mendh-am applied for a remand, to
which the magistrates agreed. The prisoner, who wore an
air of hopeless, although subdued depression, was then
removed.

The remains to which reference has been repeatedly
made were buried many years since in a vault in the
Guildhall, Norwich, and have not yet been disinterred.
The spot in which the jar containing them was deposited
is, however, well known.

lue death is announced of Dr. Woodford, her
Majesty's Inspector of Schools for Scotian I.

Sixty dead bodies were picked up, washed in
from the sea, between Cape Fiuisterre and Cape Ortegal,
on December 28 and 20.

In a Sussex churchyard may be seen the follow-
ing curious epitaph :—" Richard Basset, the old clerk of
this parish, who had continued the office of clerk and
sexton for the space of forty-three years, whose melody
was warbled forth as if he had been thumped on the back
with a stone, was buried on the 20th September, 1866."

TILE AMERICAN MINISTER. Mr. B evenly
Johnson continues his extraordinary efforts to eat and
drink his way into the affections of the English people
with unabated assiduity. That he will succeed in accom-
plishing his purpose we have little doubt. But is this the
real aject of his mission ? He is in England to represent
A merican interests and to adjust with the English
Government certain claims urged upon it cry our own.
The good will of the English people, which he is so
anxious to conciliate, is not half so important to this
end as the good will of our own. We are quite certain
that there is much less hostile feeling in England than
here. There is no class in Great Britain that wants a war
with the United States. We cannot say as much for this
country. The great mass of the Irish people in this
country—to say nothing of the vast number of demagogues
who court their favour and their votes—are always eager
for a war with England ; and Mr. Johnson's efforts to
placate English feeling only exasperate and give fresh
food for this hostility. It is about time Mr. Johnson
Sneed to reflect on the consequences of his course on his
p ciaindtakucry,,, a 4 wvll ala uzio4g RNS9 04glinnien
•