The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-23 00:00:00

HIGHWAYS BILL,

An HON. NIEMBER gave notice that on the motion for the
second reading of this bill, he would move, as au amend-
ment, that it be read a second time that day six months.
VOLUNTEER CORPS.

Mr. E. JAMES gave notice of his intention to ask the
Secretary of State for War a question in reference to the
volonteer corps, namely, as to whether they were to be'exer-
cised at Aldershot or any other camp.
IMPORT DUTIES.

Mr. NEWDEGATE asked the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether it is understood by the Govern-
ment that the proposed reduction and abolition of import
duties, pursuant to Articles 5 and 6 of the treaty with
France, are to take effect as regards the produce of other
countries than France and her dependencies, in virtue of
the obligations of the said treaty.
Mr. GLADSTONE, in the absence of his noble friend
(Lord J. Russell) said that as far as he was aware the
treaty with France had no reference to anything respecting
imports into this country, except its own productions.
Parliament might take whatever course it deemed expe-
dient in regard to the productions of other countries. For
instance, with respect to the silks of Germany, they
might increase or reduce the prohititive duties. (Hear,
hear.)

PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS BILL,

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,

Mr. WALTER, moved that the house resolve itself into
committee this day six months.
After some remarks by Mr. Cave, Mr. Henley, and Mr.
Cross,

Sir G. GREY said that he assented to the principle of
the bill, but considered the machinery totally inoperative
for effecting the object proposed.
After some further discussion,
Mr. SLANEY, proposer of the bill, said he wished to
have time to consider the objections to the measure, with a
view to meet them, and still retain the principle involved.
He deprecated the question of church-rates being intro-
duced on the discussion of the bill. He proposed to provide
places of public recreation for the working classes, where
they might enjoy themselves after their toil in company
with their wives and children, instead of being, as at pre-
sent, driven into publichouses. lie alluded to the fact that
the table of the house was crowded with petitions in favour
of the bill. He would withdraw his motion for a fortnight
in order to amend the bill, and then he trusted that it would
receive the approval of the house.
Mr. WALTER said he retained his opposition to the
principles of the bill, but would withdraw his amendment,
in order to afford the hon. gentleman time to bring forward
his measure in an amended form.
Leave was then given to postpone the motion for going
into committee for a fortnight.

- -
WINDOW CLEANING BILL.
Sir C. BURRE LL moved the second reading of this bill.
Sir F. GOLDSMID and Mr. E. JAMES opposed the
bill, on the ground that the provisions were too stringent
and would be inoperative.
Mr. PACKE and Sir G. B. PECHELL supported the second
reading.
Mr. H. BERKELEY considered the bill a most foolish
and petty measure, and one that should never have been
introduced into the house. (Hear, hear, and laughter.)
After a few words from Sir G. GREY against the bill,
Sir C. BURRELL contended that the principle of the
bill was just.
Sir G. C. LEWIS moved that the bill be read a second
time that day six months.
The motion for the second reading of the bill was nega-
tived without a division.
ATTORNEYS' AND SOLICITORS' BILL.

The house went into committee on this bill, and several
clauses, after some verbal amendments, were agreed to.
Mr. MURRAY proposed different amendments, but ob-
served that as they had not been distributed to hon. mem-
bers before this morning they had not time to consider
them.

-------
The CllAtioux reported progress, and the house re•
sumed.

CONVEYANCE OF VOTERS, &c., BILL.
The second reading of this bill was postponed till to
morrow.

ELECTION PETITIONS ACT, 1848.

On the motion for the second reading of this bill,
Mr. E. JAMES moved that the bill be committed to
the select committee on the Corrupt Practices Prevention
Act (1854), &c. Ile contended that under the present
system there was much abuse, and several petitions were
presented merely for the purpose of intimidating members.
In many cases these petitions against the return of mem-
bers, on the ground of bribery and treating, should never
have been brought before a tribunal like the house of
Commons.
Sir G. C. LEWIS would not oppose the second reading
of the bill, but considered that it should then be referred to
a select connoittee.

After a few words from Sir F. KELLY,
Mr. MILLER said that he proposed in the bill to afford
facilities for the withdrawal of election petitions, and to
prevent those of a frivolous and vexatious character being
presented. He heard only yesterday from an hen. member
that two., ithstanding an arrangement between .44^,'"^r-
by which a petition against his return was withdrawn, he
would have to ply between £3OO and 4100.
Sir G. GREY considered that they should not make the
provisions of a bill on this subject too stringent, as it might
have the effect of preventing the presentation of petitions
for which there might be good grounds.
Aftbr some discussion, in which Sir F. Goldemid, Mr.
Vausittart, Mr. Deedes, Mr. Collier, Mr. Henley, Mr.
Bouverie, Mr. Stewart, and other hon. members took part,
The bill was read a second time, and ordered to be re-
ferred to a select committee.
The other orders of the day were disposed of, and the
house adjourned.

THE SEA SERPENT CAUGHT AT LAST!

(Ron, the Berinttillan of lam 25.)
Every one who has read that fine old poem by
Andrew Marvel, entitled " The Lrmigrants in Ber-
mudas" will remember how skilfully he describes
the wonders in Nature which Providence displays
at these Islands—that while " eternal spring"
reigns here and fruits, delicate and luscious, abound,
it is nevertheless a spot
" Where lie the huge sea-monsters wracks
That lift the deep upon their backs."
This characteristic, which the good old Puritan poet
ascribed to the Bermudas, was not inaptly exempli-
fied by the remarkable occurrence at Hungary Bay
on Sunday last. Between ten and eleven
o'clock a.m., on that day, a very singular fish was
actually wrecked on the shelving shore at the en-
trance to the bay we have mentioned. Mr. George
Trimingham and Mr. D. Trimingham were near
the shore at the time, and, hearing a noise like that
made ley a large fish floundering in the water,
rushed to the spot whence the sounds came. There
they found alive, but rapidly dying from exhaus-
tion, a " huge sea-monster.' Its colour was a
bright and shining silver. This brilliant cover-
ing of the skin was, from the struggling of the
animal, scattered in great profusion about the
place. The skin had a rough, warty feeling to
the touch, but was destitute of any scales.
There was a dorsal fin running nearly the whole
length of the creature, composed of short slender
rays united by a transparent membrane, and
separated at intervals of less than an inch ; in other
words, the slight back fin had a number of regular
gaps in it. It had a curiously shaped head, the like
of which we have not seen in any of the numerous
illustrations of icthyology we have examined.
From a drawing which is now before us (for we
had not the good fortune to see the creature itself)
the conformation of the head in profile is not unlike
that of a dog. There is a defined forehead, with
a projecting mouth. The eyes, large, flat, and ex-
ceedingly brilliant. It had very small pectoral
fins, and minute ventral fins proceeding from the
thorax. It had large gills, but was, we are told,
destitute of teeth. But its most remarkable feature
was a beautiful crestal appendage, consistin g of eight
long spines, of a rich red colour, which sprang
from the top of the head, commencing at the fron-
tal edge of the forehead and following each other
singly about au inch apart, the three first of these
spines being connected half-way upwards from the
cranial covering by a gauzy filament, but all the
rest woe wholly destitute of any membraneous
appendage. These delicate crestal spines, which
the creature had the power to raise or depress at
pleasure, were of irregular lengths—the longest,
growing from about the centre of the top of the
head, being three feet in length, and the rest rang-
ing front 18 inches to 21 feet. The larger number
of these appendages were flattened at the extreme
end, somewhat like the tip of a spear.
The length of this singular inhabitant of the
liny world was 16 feet 7 inches from the front
edge of the lips to the end of the tail. It was 11
inches deep measuring through from the top of the
back, at about one-third of its length from the head,
and its thickness, laterally, was from 3 to 6 inches,
at the same distance from the head. Thence the
body tapered gradually until it terminated in a
bluntish point of about half an inch in diameter—
the tail having no finny or any other appendage.
This singular fish was opened by one of the
spectators, and Mr. George Trimingham informs
us there was found in it a roe, about three feet
in length, showing that the creature was a
female. It was also inspected by Dr. H. J. Hinson,
Dr. P. B. Tucker, Dr. Cullen, and other gentle-
men, including J. Matthew Jones, Esq., the last-
named gentleman being well known as the author
of " The Naturalist in Bermuda." Mr. Jones is in
possession of the head, a considerable part of the
tail, and a section of the dorsal fiu ; and is, we be-
believe, engaged in preparing a paper bearing upon
the peculiar features of this wonderful specimen.
The question is, What is the proper designation of
this "sea-monster?" It has already been widely
spoken of as the " sea-serpent," or as an offspring
of that seldom-seen and much-doubted denizen of
the ocean. Eminent scientific men have declared
that a " sea-serpent" is a fabulous creature—