The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 21, 1E69.

'
IC\ 4r `L.; - 11/4t.
AF"' 4(5-444

by which large =quantities of a vitriol solution were
constantly poured into the rivers. A new process has
been 'discovered by which this solution may be partly
used over again; and partly employed in the manu-
facture of copperas. A palpable purification
of the adjacent rivers has been effected wherever
this process has been carried out. This is one
instance. As a general rule, the inspectors are of
opinion, not only that a river may be kept pure,
but that it is to the advantage of the manufacturers
to refrain from polluting it. They are the largest
consumers of water, and by the agency of their own
establishments they are being driven more and
more to seek fresh water at a distance. But
so slow is the progress of ideas that some very
simple suggestions made by the inspectors have met
with no attention. The obstruction of rivers by
weirs and dams is a subject of not less importance.
In many cases these weirs cannot be meddled with.
The gradual superseding of water-power by steam
tends to diminish the number of weirs for milling
purpos3s. But the inspectors think that even now
the Legislature might interfere in forbidding the
useless multiplication of new weirs, and in
promoting the removal of some of the obsolete
old ones. In all other cases facilities for enabling
the salmon to pass the weir ought to be insisted upon.
The injurious effect of these obstructions, in pre-
venting the fish from ascending the stream, is very
great. In the else of the Tyne, the removal of an
insurmountable dam in 1863 speedily changed this
river into one cf the most productive in England.
Undoubtedly there is yet amplescope for improve-
ment. The streams of England and Wales which
now produce salmon drain no more than J,OOO square
miles. But the total area suited to this fish
is not less than 46,000 square miles. The
flat districts of the Eastern counties can never be
made productive, but there is scarcely any other part
of England where salmon ought not to be found.
And yet, through the agency of obstruction,
contamination, and general neglect, only one-
fifth of these capabilities are utilised. Here
is clearly much justification for the demands
which have been made for further legislation. A
law forbidding pollution of rivers, restricting the
employment of weirs, and bringing trout under all
the regulations which apply to salmon, might yet
render the most excellent of fish the " food of the
people."

LATEST INTELL EGENCE

(REU'ER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.

NEW YORK, May 20.
The Anchor Company's steamer Dorian arrivel

here to-day.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
CLOSING PitICES.

Gold closed at 143/ ; the highest quotation dur
ng the day wa 1448; the lowest, 1431.
Sterling Exchange on L.)ndon 1094.
5-20 U. S. 13Jads, 1834
" 1885 ll9l.
" 1867 l2Ol,
, 110.
148.
291.
28/c.
32c.

it 10-40
Illinois .... .
Erie
Cotton—Alii. upland
Petroleum—Staudard White
Flour, extra state, $5.952. to $6 55e.
mixed, 02e.

Coro, old

PLYMOUTH, May 21.

The Haniburgh and American Company's Eteamer
Cimbria, from New York, arrived here this morn-
ing. She brings 10 passengers for Plymouth, 31
for Cherbourg, 197 for Hamburg, 51 sacks of mails
for England, 9 for France, 21 for hamburg, $111,436
in specie for France, and $1,200 for Hamburg.
The passenger and mails for England were landed,
and the latter were forwardel by the 10.25 a.m.
train. On the 17th May the Cimbria passed the
Advice from GlaAg),v, on the 18th the Allemannia,
and on the 20th a 11.-etuu steamer bound west.
Tile Cimbria performed the passage in 9 days 10
urs.

QuEp.s.TowN, May 21.

The Cunard Royal Mail steamship Scotia, from
mew York, arrived here at 5 a.m. to-day, with 244
cabin passengers, aud $lO,OOO in specie.
lauded 65 sacks of mails, 48 passengers, and pro-
cLeded for Liverpool at 5.15. All well.

SPAIN.

She

MADRID, May 21 (Morning).

In last evening's sitting of the Constituent Cortes,
Senor Rios Rosas replied to Senor Castelar's
speech, by defending monarchical institutions and
the members of the Orleans family against Senor
Castelar's attack. The Colonial Minister said—
The originators of the revolution would never
have undertaken the task had they suspected
that the result would be the establishment of a
republic. Finally the Chamber adopted the mo-
narchical clauses by 211 against 71 votes.

Senor Castelar, in hii sp ecli yesterday, ac-
knowledged the virtues of the Duke de Moutpen-
sier, but said that being a Bourbon it was impos-
sible for him to be King.

in reply to this, Admiral Topete, the Minister of
Marine, declared that the Duke de Montpensier
was the best candidate.

INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.

SUEZ, May 21.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Deccan, from Calcutta on the 27th ult., arrived
here this morning.

SPEECHES ON EDUCA T 1 ON.

MR. FORSTER, ON THE GOVERNMENT
MEASURES.

A large number of distinguished men came together at
Leeds on Wednesday. The occasion was that of the
thirty-second annual conference of the Yorkshire Union
of Mechanics' Institutes. The Right Hon. W. E.
Forster presided. He spoke at great length on the
position of the educational question. He said it was
impossible for the State to interfere in the matters of
education and relief of the poor without some degree of
danger, which must be instantly guarded against. A
poor man must be made to understand that education was
not given as a matter of charity, but a work of co opera-
tion. It was the duty of Government when dealing with
education to consider the question as a great whole, and it
was the business of the State to turn the Universities and
the endowed schools into great national institutions, to
which all parties and all creeds had access. Grammar
schools had been too much forgetful of the poor, and there
had been too much aping of the education of Eton. If that
departure from the necessities of these days had not
occurred, the secondary schools would have betteranswered
their purposes. Speaking of the universities, he said a
man could not obtain his degree until he was 22, and he
complained that the time was much longer than it need
be. Boarding schools, he considered, had arisen from the
secondary classes imitating the ways of those above them.
It was said they must be very careful how they changed
the standard of education ; that it would be disadvantageous
to those who were born with silver spoons in their mouths.
He believed the day was gone by when men were born rulers,
and no arrangement would be more unjust to the gentlemen
of England than to give them educational establishments
exclusively to themselves. The more efficient the educa-
tion of great schools was made, the more efficient would
be the education in the schools for the poorer classes. It
had been his duty to inquire into the education of the

working classes, and he found that unless they made the
grammar schools teachers of what was wanted, they would
be no longer schools of the greatest use, schools in which
the cleverest boys of the working classes could be brought

up. The great feature of his bill was to make use of these
endowments for the development of talent wher-
ever it could be found. At present there was very little
chance for clever boys of working parents. If they were
to keep pace with other countries, they could not afford to
let. any talent lie dormant, and they must call it out and
give it opportunity to rise. He hoped to see every large
town in the country rating itself to have one of these
reformed grammar schools, because they would see how
good they were ; and the time would come when in all
elementary, national, and British schools there would be
exhibitions by means of which the cleverest boy
would be able to ascend to the greatest position. He was
glad to find that at Birmingham, Faversham, and
other places, including Doncaster, the main provision
of his bill had been anticipated. In his bill there were
two ideas—one, a reform of the endowed schools by a
temporary commission; and the other, a good system
of examination and the means of raising the educa-
tional profession by means of an Educational Council.
This last idea had attracted a good deal of attention
in Yorkshire, but his first object was to provide
some means by which the endowed schools when reformed
might be kept good. He had wished to provide some
machinery which should shew the trustees how themasters
were teaching, and also that there should be a sort of
guarantee by the granting of certificates that the master
appointed was fit for teaching. Schoolmasters were not
considered as they ought to be as a profession, as one of
the noblest professions. He sought to appoint an Educa-
tional Council, and the idea was a new one, but he thought
the more schoolmasters and parents looked at it the more
they would like it. Asking what mechanics' institutions
had to do with all this, he said they would be the means of
providing bridges from one class of schools to another, so
that the poor child should have the chance, if he had the
faculty, of becoming a scholar for the benefit of his country.
Ignorance was weakness, and weakness meant pauperism
and crime. There never was a time when people in Eng-
land were more proud of the glory of their country and
wished to maintain it, and that could onlybe done by help.
ing to make each individual stronger, and increasing
his culture. He would not admit secular teaching to be
on a par with religion, but the greater faculty you can
give a boy the better he was for the clergyman to deal
with.

Mr. BAINES, M.P., made a few observations in
taking leave of an old and bygone controversy, which.
he said, was a battle that was fought with some perseve-
rance and gallantry and with honest attachment to the
cause of education by many. He stated briefly what had
caused him in a great measure to resign himself to the ac-
ceptance of State aid in the great work of education.
The great and important political change which had taken
place had made every man a more important man than he
was. Now every ratepayer might be said to be almost a
member of the Government, and he was one of those who
decided the form of education that was to be given—in
fact the whole people had been made agents in one grand
voluntary system. The next consideration that influenced
him was that he saw the immense value of examination
and inspection in the work of education.
Mr. MUNDELLA, M. P. , was strongly of opinion that the
future success and stability of England depended upon the
solving of the question of education. He considered that
education ought to be made compulsory, and that such a
system would only be obtained by the demand of the
working classes themselves, inasmuch as the middle classes
did not as yet sufficiently appreciate the great want.
Mr. CARTER, M.P., was glad that Mr. Mundella's
advocacy of a system of compulsory education met with
approval. Since he went to London he had been convinced
that the Ministers of the Crown and the members of
Parliament believed that the working classes did notwish
for a system of compulsory education, and it would be for
the working classes to convince them that they were in
favour of such a system.

In reply somewhat to this, Mr. FORSTER said: If
Government attempted to do what public opinion was not
ready for, there would be a reaction, which would probably
throw them back. That, however, did not in the slightest
degree diminish his desire and expectation to arrive at the

state of things which he had already sketched out.

MR. FOI?STER AND 1118 CONSTITUENTS.

On Thursday the Right Hon. W. E. Forster met his
constituents at Bradford.

After a resolution expressing a vote of confidence in Arr.
Forster, the right hon. gentleman rose, and addressed the
electors. He touched upon the cattle importation ques-
tion, said it was a most important one, and that a
great deal of attention would have to be devoted

to it, inasmuch as it was desirable to procure as
much food as possible for the people. On the education
question he referred his hearers to what he had said in
Leeds on the preceding night. The Government this
year were engaged in considering the question of secondary
education, and next year, if nothing more important
interfered, they intended to devote themselves to a con-
sideration of the subject of elementary education. The
position of the Ministry at the present time was much
easier than it had been during the preceding Administra-
tion—a circumstance which he attributed to the fact that
the Reform Bill had been passed in the last Parliament.
He (Mr. Forster) did not see that the composition of the
House of Commons was materially different, but the
members had to act differently, owing to having enlarged
constituencies at their back. The time had now come
when it was possible to make complete and searching
reforms. The Irish Church Bill was a measure of that
class, and he attributed its success to the fact that it
possessed that quality. It had been attempted by the
Conservatives to put the Government on a false
scent by saying that they ought to deal with
the land question ; but, in his opinion, one great measure
was enough for the time. If it were anything
in the shape of consolation or comfort for their opponents
in the House, he might state that, next year, the Irish
land question would be tackled in a similar way by the
Government as the Irish Church measure had been.
The right hon. gentleman next alluded to the American
question, especially referring to Mr. Sumner's speech.
England had felt a warm interest in the cause of the
North of America—in the victory of freedom over
slavery. Sumner had complained that England bad
acted in a hostile manner with respect to the proclamation
of neutrality ; Sumner appeared to consider that the
South ought to have been treated as pirates. But
he (Mr. Forster) found, from his study of international
law, that where there was a revolution between States in
the same country they were belligerents, and that it was
the duty of a neutral Government to treat them as such.
Then, again, Mr. Sumner had remarked that, although
there was war by land then in America, there

was no war at sea ; but remember the procla-
mation's the Northern States made, and let them
also consider that the North themselves, by the blockade
of ports in the South, recognised the existence of war
with the South. The Southern Confederacy ran their
vessels out of port, and time after time disturbed the
blockade the North had instituted. The blockade in
itself was an act of war. Sumner also appeared to con-
tend that that blockade was not a real blockade ;
but Mr. Forster argued that the American Govern.
ment were playing upon words, for sailing to
Southern ports was the act of a belligerent Power,
Although there were individuals who had committed
acts offensive to the Noah, they ought to look at what
the Government of the country had done. With
respect to the A:abama business, it ought to be remeni,
tiered that Earl Russell had strained the law, and kept
the armed rams from going to Liverpool. Sumner
had also said that when Americans came to_. England
they were sure to be annoyed by hearing observations
unfavourable to the North ; but it was absurd for
}howl ti take the club-rooms of the Weetlutt,A

celgra,via as theksjiterion in this respect. If our American
friends had gone into the workshops of England
they would have heard quite a different story—for the
sympathies of the English people were fully in favour of
the abolition of slavery. In his opinion there could be
no war between America and England, for there could
be no real antagonistic feeling between people mutually
speaking the English language and of kindred tastes and
habits. ,

The right hon. gentleman was followed by Mr. Miall,
M.P., and other speakers.

A VOLUNTEER SHOT BY HIS OWN

SERGEANT.

On Thursday afternoon a lamentable accident took place
Bilston, near Wolverhampton. A party of the Bilston
eplunteers (4th Staffordshire Battalion) were engaged on
their practice-ground firing at a 400 yards range, nnder
the direction of Drill-Sergeant Nason. A private named
Chatterton, a tailor, with seven children, offered to go and
mark. He did so, and indicated by the red disc that all
was clear. On this Company-Sergeant Fenny asked
the drill-sergeant if all was right, and the drill-sergeant
said, " Yes ; Go on ! " He fired, and just as he
pulled the trigger he was horrified to see Chat-
terton run out from the mantlet and make for the
target five yards distant. Chatterton was seen to face
rotind towards the squad, and he instantly dropped
on his face in the opposite direction, and his back
was exposed to the dire. The bullet-rntered the lowerpart
of his back, passed through the bowels, and then struck
the target. No blame is to be attached to the firing party,
as`Chatterton did not hoist the danger signal before he left
his place of safety. It is supposed that his object was to
clean some marks from the target, which he thought would
prevent him from recording the score.