The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-10 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS

The Timesobserves that the news that the Viceroy of Egypt
has accepted the conditions contained in the last despatch
from the Grand Vizier will give satisfaction to all who take an
interest in the stability and progress of the East, while it
will effectually dispel the apprehensions that had gathered
under the influence of so many alarming rumours. The
anticipation we ventured to express last week, that the
Viceroy would feel it advisable to accept the con-
ditions on which the Sultan insisted, has been fully
confirmed. Ismail Pasha assents to the principle
that the taxes of his province shall be levied in
the Sultan's name and by the Sultan's permission, and that
no new foreign loans shall be contracted, except by the
authority of the Sultan. It seems that this question of
the financial dependence of Egypt was one on which the
Sultan was particularly in earnest. He looked upon the
power of taxing, and still more the power of borrowing, as
weapons in the hands of his vassal that might at any time
be turned against himself; and the unwillingness of the
Viceroy to cede this important attribute of his
dominion only confirmed the Porte and its master
in their belief that it must be taken from him at any
cost. The Viceroy has yielded, and there is every
reason to be satisfied at this termination of the dispute.
As regards the people of Egypt themselves, there can be no
doubt they are to be congratulated. Egypt is perfectly
safe from foreign invasion, and the costs of armies and
fleets are useless burdens on the people. The good sense
of Europe has decided that the Porte was justified in its
demands, and it cannot be doubted that the influence of
this opinion has been powerful in producing the
settlement. We must not ignore another element
which, though not so palpable to Europeans, has,
we may be sure, not been absent from the
calculations of either party. It is that the political
conditions under which Mehemet Ali rose to his
unexampled fortunes no longer exist. If another member
of the Viceregal family were to arise with the military
genius of Ibrahim, he would not find a distracted empire to
attack nor a devoted army to follow him. Whatever may
be the relations of the Turkish empire to Christian em-
pires and to its own Christian subjects, it is as regards the
Ifussulman population remarkably united. The name of
She Sultan is a power in Egypt, as elsewhere, and it would
be difficult to engage its people in serious resistance to his
authority.

Dr. Johnson, as is well known, says the _Daily Nero,
pronounced the Irish to be a very candid people, for they
never spoke well of one another. A native proverb, of a
somewhat homely kind, pleads guilty to this indictment,
saying that whenever an Irishman is making, another
Irishman is sure to be turning the spit. We seem to be
approaching better days in this respect. A good deal of
fraternal feeling is now being expressed on platforms
whence mutual denunciations were once thundered. A
reconciliation and reunion are on foot. Evidence of this
change of sentiment is conspicuous in the proceedings of
the Duke of York Orange Lodge, the members of which met
on Tuesday in the Molesworth Hall at Dublin. Mr. W.John-
ston, of Ballykilbeg, the member for Belfast, the recognised
chief of the Orange democracy, seems to have given the tone
to the meeting ; and the feature which was the most con-
spicuous in it was the indirect sympathy which he ex-
pressed with Fenians and with Fenianism. Captain
Madden, of Monaghan, expressed his great delight at the
result of the late Tipperary election, and his gratitude to
the Tipperary people who had chosen that honest man,
O'Donovan, Rossa, M.P., as their representative. But
Captain Madden is not content with this victory. Ho
would like to see the convict Luby elected for another con-
stituency. The force of this compliment to the honest
Fenians is somewhat weakened by the colleagues whom he
wishes to give these unfortunate patriots. "If the devil
was returned for Cork and one of his angels for Galway,"
says the captain, "so much the better." Probably he
thinks that these honourable members in posse could be
relied on to oppose Mr. Gladstone's Ministry. We have
not heard that there is any intention of nominating them.
Captain Madden, too, holds that, as between the Fenians
and the English Government, Orangemen should remain
passive. The Orange Society, if it is of one mind with the
distinguished brothers who spoke at the Molesworth Hall,
evidently conceives itself to be an independent power. It
issues its proclamation of neutrality between her Majesty
and the Irish Republic with as enol a conviction of being
within its right as the British Government displayed when
it issued its Orders in Council with respect to the bellige-
rents in the American civil war.

The Telegraph remarks that the Lord Mayor was com-
pelled, on Wednesday, to fine a gentleman 2s. 6d. and
costs, in all 4s. 6d., for travelling on the South-Eastern
Railway in a second-class carriage with a third-class
ticket. According to the railway people, the practice had
become so prevalent, that "travelling ticket inspectors "
—locomotive detectives, so to speak—had been ordered to
accompany the trains, to watch for delinquents. One of these
inspectors said the person charged left a third-class carriage
at New-cross and entered a second-class compartment, in
which he remained until the Cannon-street terminus was
reached. There he gave up a third-class ticket,
snd did not tender the difference of fare, which amounted
to the enormous sum of twopence. The inspector stepped
up, demanded the culprit's name and address ; the two-
pence was tendered, but declined, the company wishing to
make an example. The defence was, that the passenger
got out at New-cross to speak to a friend; that when he
returned to his own carriage he found it full; and that in
that emergency he entered a second-class compartment, and
so completed the fag-end of his journey. The inspector
declared that there was room in the third-class car-
riage, and on the strength of the official statement the
defendant was amerced in the sum above mentioned; but
the Lord Mayor took occasion to comment with deserved
severity on the injustice and one-sidedness of the railway
bye-laws. How would it be, he asked, if a gentleman who
had taken a first-class ticket were compelled, through want
of room, to travel third-class ? Could he demand the return
of a proportionate amount of his fare? Mr. Lewis, the soli-
citor who appeared for the company, replied that in such
a case the only remedy would be by an action at
law. The Lord Mayor, who had been served in
that way twice in ono week, really thought that "there
should be a remedy on both sides." Here Mr. Oke, the
chief clerk, added the remark that "at present the railway
companies had it all their own way." It is true that rail-
way passengers cannot be smashed or mutilated with
impunity, but for petty grievances the public have no
appeal. The Lord Mayor has pointed out the necessity
for a remedy, but who will bell the cat ? Who will watch
the next Railway Management Bill through Parliament,
or introduce a new measure with a clause empowering
travellers to summon railway companies before a police-
court for summary redress in minor disputes?

The Post discusses the report of Mr. Childers's Com-
mittee, issued in July 1867, on promotion in the non-pur-
chase corps of the army, and regrets that no action has
been taken upon it. "While viewing the present and
immediately prospective condition of the non-purchase
corps as entirely exceptional, and therefore as requiring
exceptional treatment, such a re-arrangement of the regu-
lations, and possibly an adjustment of the relative propor-
tions of the ranks should manifestly be made as would main-
tain the corps in a healthy self-acting state of promotion,
without doing injustice, however, to existing interests. Here
the report of the actuaries would be of great assistance. They
have deduced certain laws, and laid down certain mathe-
matical fcrmuln by means of which it is possible to design
establishments that shall, on the average produce such
results, as to length of service in the different grades,
as may be desired. Evidently a reduction of the numbers
in the junior ranks would be one of the provisions cal-
culated to prevent future stagnation where it is most

felt, without incurring excessive outlay. Bak might not
the opportunity of effecting this rearrangement of the
strength of the different grades be taken advantage of to
give moderate retirements to many officers in the junior
ranks, who, from one cause or another, might he willing or
anxious to leave the service ? The question of reducing
the number of such officers has already been mooted, and
it is pretty generally admitted, we believe, that such a

change might in many cases be made withont detriment to

the service.

The Japanese Mint is now under an English super.
intendent.

The lady principal of a school, in her advertise-
ment mentioned her lady assistant, and the " reputation
for teaching which she bear;" but the printer left out the
" which ;" so the advertisement went forth commendini
the lady's " reputation for teaching she bears."
PRESENTATION OF £l,OOO TO THE HEY. Dn.
Bnocx.—On Wednesday evening the members of the
church and congregation connected with Bloomsbury
Chapel met at the Ironover-square Concert room to com-
memorate the twenty-first anniversary of the opening of
that place of worship. A handsome casket, containing
£l,OOO, with a suitaLle imcription on a silver plate, was
prc2ented by Mr. James Ecnham, the s•-:nior deacon of a,
chard:2l. to Dr. 1.:1-cck., 1. 3 a, n 1,111.-: of h:mour and iespe:,
The rev
gentleman acknowledged the gift inn spc...ce'a of grew

fr()ln Li; attaclicd Lien

1..3 and

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intcreit

RUNAWAY Husrt...ND3.—At the annual meeting
of tho
_Liverpool Society of the Friends cf Foreigners in
Distress held on Thursday, the report stated that many of
the non-resident applicants for relief were persons who
bad been induced by unscrupulous agents to spend their
last shilling in obtaining a passage to Liverpool in the
belief that on arriving there they would at once be for-
warded to America. Fifty-fivo women and their children
from Poland alone had come in search of their busbaildo
1.49_11,(1 gone to America. _