The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-05 00:00:00

THE GREAT POLISH SALT MINE.

The recent inundation of the salt Miles of \Vrelicska
has attracten some attention, and Mr. Greig, who visited
them some time since, has published a description of his
experience under ground. His account is a very graphic
one, the scene in the mine being a most singular
one. The ground is pure salt, and the sight
of galley after galley, each named after some
illustrious personage, surprises the visitor. There are huge
chambers of salt having an imposing character, and the
solemnity of the whole is increased by the dead stillness
and thick darkness. At every gleam of light from the
torches or rockets borne by the visitors the, ground,
the walls, and the columns of these chambers
sparkle as if with myriads of jewels. One large hall
where the rockets were thrown above and below seemed
to have unmeasurable depth and height and width. From
one of the galleries the visitor came to the borders of a
large lake, which had to be crossed by a strange-looking
ferry-boat. When nearly over this lake a pistol was dis-
charged, and the echoes reverberated like the most
deafening thunder. It gave the visitor an un-
comfortable sensation when some time after he
was walking at a greater depth, and was told by his
guide he was just under the huge lake which he had
crossed in the morning. One of the most wonderful
things in the mine is the beautiful little chapel of salt.
There is an altar, a crucifix of great size, and statues of
the saints and kings of Poland. The miners all
assemble to hear full mass in this chapel on
the day of St. Am egunda, their patron saint.
Another marvel is the ball-room highly ornamented and
illumined by a chandelier cut from pure salt crystal.
The Emperor and Empress hold a Court ball here occa-
sionally, and do the honours of their underground palace
in person. The mine is an exception to mines in general
in:point of salubrity, no miner being ever known to have
a weak chest, as the air is pure and warm. The excava-
tions are between 800 and .900 feet below the surface, and
extend for some miles.

MR. EDWARDS CALLED TO ACCOUNT.

Mr. Edward Watkin Edwards, whose evidence before
the Lord Mayor, at the Guildhall, in the matter of the
Overend, Gurney, and Co. prosecution has caused so much
stir, is not to go on without having to explain his trans-
actions. It seems that the Commissioners in Bankruptcy,
as soon as the matter came under their notice, put them-
selves in communication with the Lord Chancellor, and
he gave orders that Mr. Edwards should be called upon
in open court for an explanation. So, on Thursday, Mr.
Commissioner Holroyd thus addressed the official

assignee : •` I have considered it to be my duty
to require Mr. Edwards to attend me in open
court this day with reference to a communication

which I have received from the Lord Chancellor, in
answer to a letter from me to his lordship on a matter of
great public moment, affecting the conduct of Mr. Edwards,
an official assignee of this court, as represented by himself
in his recent examination as a witness in the case of Over-
end, Gurney, and Co., before the Lord Mayor and Sir T.
Gabriel. In pursuance of the Lord Chancellor's request,'
have to require Mr. Edwards to state whether or not
the newspaper report of his examination as a witness in
the proceedings which have lately been taken before the
Lord Mayor and Sir T. Gabriel with reference to several
members of the firm of Overend, Gurney, and Co. be sub-
stantially correct ; and, if so, how Mr. Edwards recon-
ciles his attendance at board meetings of the Atlantic
Royal Mail Steam Company in the middle of the day,
twice a week, and his services to the company of Overend,
Gurney, and Co., at a salary of £5,000 a year,
with the performance of his duties as an official
assignee in bankruptcy. I have also to ask Mr.
Edwards to explain on what account he received a further
sum of 1210,000, and, further, to explain his letter of the
20th January, 1564, upon the subject of his connection
with the then house of Overend, Gurney, and Co., and why
he then represented his connection with Overend and Co. as
an engagement in ' arbitrations, references, and negotia-
tions, which could not interfere with his official duties,'
and did not then state his positive engagement at a salary
of £5,000 a year for his services to that firm. A copy of
the above requisitions, together with a copy of the corre-
spondence in 1864, and the printed copies from the Times of
his alleged answers on examination as a witness as before
mentioned, will he delivered to Mr. Edwards. If Mr.
Edwards be not prepared at once to give his explanations
and answers to the questions which the Lord Chancellor
has desired to be propounded to him, I think he should be
allowed a reasonable time for that purpose." Mr. Edwards
read a statement asking for time. The case was adjourned
till Monday week.

If any progress has been made in matters politica,
during the last few days, the world outside the Ministry
knows nothing of it. The personal difficulties of the
Ministry may now be considered at an end. It appears
that there never was the smallest ground for contesting
the validity of Mr. Forster's return at Bradford. The
Marquis of Hartington is considered safe at Radnor, and
when he is elected every member of the Government
requiring a seat in Parliament will be provided with one.
The political difficulties of the Ministry are what they
were—great, as has always been admitted,"as ;the Liberal
papers are carefully telling us ; that they are insuperable,
as the Conservative papers tell us, remains to be proved.
The idea has gained ground during the last few days that
a section of the Cabinet is in favour of co-existent endow-
ments, as the easiest way of solving a troublesome
problem. It is likely enough that the proposal has been
discussed, and that arguments in support of it have been
passed in review by the Cabinet. But that this course will
not be adopted is certain. It would split up the Liberal
party hopelessly; it would, in fact, be the very levelling-
up policy which Mr. Gladstone denounced in his reply to
Lord Mayo last March. The Liberal journals this morn-
ing re-affirm Mr. Gladstone's old assertion, that no-part of
the Irish Church endowments shall go towards the Roman
Catholic Church. As for the leading members of the Irish
Church themselves, they are believed to be for compro-
mise; and the rumour thereof has caused no little disgust
among English Conservative journalists. It must
be admitted that their case is rather hard. Having
fought and sacrificed themselves for the Irish
Church at the elections, having suffered utter
rout because the nation determined that the
Irish Church should be disestablished, they feel very sore
that they should be left in the lurch by those in whose be-
half they have done and borne so much. Yet, no doubt
Irish Churchmen have taken the most prudent course.
Better make terms than fight another such losing battle
as that of last November and December, especially with
allies who are rathergiven to unconditional surrender when
hard pushed.
A letter, just received from an influential friend in India
tells me of the alarm which prevailed in that country at
the thought of having Mr. Bright as Secretary of State
for India. My correspondent assumes that the right
hon. member for Birmingham would have looked upon
India 'solely as a cotton-field, and, knowing nothing about
the country, would have governed it after evolving it, in
German fashion, out of his moral consciousness. All this
is very amusing. Clearly it was not generally known in
India that there is scarcely any Englishman living who
is so well acquainted with that country as Mr. Bright is.
He has studied it until he knows every road and river in
it. After all, India might be turned to worse purposes
than that of a cotton-field. To make it that would require
irrigation works, new roads, new railways—in fact, just the
very undertakings that India most wants, and which it is
necessary that she should have, in order to prevent a
repetition of the terrible famine of two years ago.
Conservative journalism in London has been woefully
unsuccessful. The Imperial Review " went out" with its
patrons. The only journals of the party which have any life
in them are the Standard as their daily, and the John Bull
as their weekly organ. The latter paper especially has
shewn itself well informed, and has frequently beaten all
its contemporaries in the earliness of its religious and
political news. Its conductors are now about to start
a penny Conservative weekly paper, the Britannia,
intended especially for the working classes. So far as the
name goes this journal will be a revival. Many years
ago there existed a Britannia which passed into the hands
of the proprietors of the John Bull, who have since then
published once a year a small sheet in order to retain the
copyright of the first paper, just as the proprietors of the
Daily Telegraph still publish the Morning Chronicle. In
its new form the Britannia will be so arranged that it may
be converted into a local organ of Conservatism in any
town, one or more pages being left unprinted in London
for that purpose.
There seems to be only too much reason to fear that the
present Government will shortly have to make its first
bishop. The Bishop of Salisbury is in a most perilous and
distressing condition. There is little chance that the southern
diocese will be presided over by another prelate of the
school to which Dr. Hamilton belongs. The dislike of the
Queen towards the High Church party has become so strong
that High Churchmen have very little prospect of pro-
motion. I mentioned in a former letter that Dean
Goodwin is tabooed. The Bishop of Oxford is also
in the black list. He was recommended by Lord Palmer-
ston for York when that see last became vacant, but the
Queen selected the then Bishop of Gloucester, who had
written a pathetic and highly judicious sermon on the
death of the Prince Consort. Recently, Bishop Wilberforce
was strongly recommended for the see of London by Mr.
1I Disraeli, bat, though the recommendation was backed by
1 the present Archbishop of Canterbury,it was unavailing. It
was only after urgent representations that the Royal
sanction was given to the appointment of Mr. Gregory to
a canonry. Even when it was given St. Paul's was sub-
stituted for Westminster, since the Broad Church dean of
the Abbey was not likely to pull well with the High
Church vicar of St. Mary's, Lambeth. Since the present
Government have been in office the same disfavour has
been felt by another member of the High Church
party. Mr. Gladstone has had no warmer sup-
porter at Oxford than Dr. Irons, the vicar of
nomination
mlmrpaottnoisonnw,
masa,
annsdantao
not
ndr
aftoitrfihetedh,edavenaacdtahniNtiorpf.
r eAfele
oar
zmni
eoeynn tw. Faa°r Buttes et
hu ee
substi-
tuted. It is scarcely too much to say that Dean Law, the
" Nestor " of the Record, has as much influence in the
appointment of Church dignitaries as the Prime Minister.
It was Dr. Law, then rector of Weston-super-Mare, who
was consulted by Lord Shaftesbury during the time that
this nobleman kept the conscience of Lord Palmerston.
Curiously enough, it was to Dr. Law, now Dean of
Gloucester, that the present Bishop of Gloucester owes his
appointment. The selection of one Low Church bishop
after another had at last caused such bitter complaints,
Exeter,btel
goingi%isaeh tnoselected.amongpLfsa partisanship,or whoserwdaD rtiorP and
thatagpl a. thatel
n-
ro Lawes
rporki jsnrstso:onrnhnEadbeen lylllySie :cdhnofuaotl consideredpftdt,anotherinersoebtnaauEnurr sleyal
ciacegnoiwroteiguaranteevttcihlmore
ogthootlrtoteheon e mustpo frDean.
L against thesereligiousabowef
appoint-
ment, avowed himself a strong Conservative to Lord
Palmerston, and asked him to withdraw his offer if he
wished to do so. But the Premier refused to do so. It
is to Dean Law that the present Bishop of Peterborough
I also owes his appointment, for Dr. Magee was known to
Dr. Law only as the one-while Low Church preacher
of a Bath proprietary chapel. As for the next
new bishop, two names are mentioned— Canon
Miller and the Hon. W. H. Lyttelton. Both are
able men. Every one knows the first, and the part he
has taken in regard to the Irish Church and the Ritual
question. Mr. Lyttelton is known as a frequent writer
on " broad " views in the Spectator and the Guardian. Dr.
Miller, of course, is one of Mr. Gladstone's most influential
constituents, as well as one of his warmest supporters at
Oxford ; between Mr. Lyttelton and Mr. Gladstone there
is a sort of family connection, the brother of the first having
married the sister-in-law of the second. Still writing on
these topics, I may add that the Queen takes as deep an
interest in the Scotch Church as in the English. As a
rule, English statesmen care little for the first ; they have
not to reward supporters to the same extent north of the
Tweed that they have in the south. Thus the Presbyterian
appointments are even more strongly impressed with the
Royal will than the Episcopalian.
The number of Ritualist clergy likely to suffer martyrdom
in behalf of altar-lights is not likely to be large. Mr.
Bennett, of Frome, is, I believe, prepared for deprivation,
or even imprisonment. Mr. Nugee, of Wymering, being
a man of wealth, is prepared for endless litiga-
tion. Mr. Le Geyt, of Stoke Newington, will
probably obey the judgment, for even his own
churchwarden, the well-known Mr. Brett, urges upon
him to do so. The others are for the most part
waiting for the new Bishop of London to take action in
the matter; that is, they throw upon him the disagreeable
burden of enforcing an unpopular judgment—a course
which seems to me neither just nor generous.
I am told by Conservative friends that the petition against
the members for North Norfolk is nearly certain to be
sustained. There is no doubt that extensive treating did
prevail, the county gentry insisting that there could be no
harm in shewing hospitality to political supporters. The
Hon. F. Walpole and Sir 17, Lacon should pray to be tried
by Justice Willes, who seems !sa be by far the most lenient
of the three judges.
mptlphilotaea;sxclypotuaoasennutui
itdyaia;ler are
after aware,
term th e; trial
that ofis , theno till Gurneys
June. will
Dr.not ta k
Thom,e
ee,
wariehidic.th 2o O
must b
prosecutionyb ; e
,t
butl
al e
mere
(4he Ore:
referrflalulliteCidonntt
ootftoawuka.ehr
what
maws
ffooaaufsi mount, thtff,i
gtrheeattersiatlawnixlifetcyisiohuimlafdreeinolvfiersut:o last. It will be a far
and that cost the prosect..
solely on the ground of:RI:lino: Paul, Straban, and Bates,
tor, Dr. Griffiths, £1,200. It is
really too bad that prosecCtions like these, undertaken
have been talking about a pub:ircal:
but then in England it requires a ,tynoasnedcuitnovr oflovrinygeatrlsie;
sin private persons. We
T necessaryhe
i‘r
Manchester
call, legs et se
rt o
eh
he
ammandeer. genel :ation for the most
of Commerce -have been
discussing, among other matters, our consular rep- -esenta-
tives. At present the inhabitants of Cottonopolis cork lain THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE.
that men are chosen without anyreferency to tb eir comme."" This much-abused tribunal is a much more influen-
tial body than its accusers suppose. It includes the
cial experience. This is absolutely trae-, Tiae posts are-
conferred as rewards for political service. Ja n instance i, .1. chbi.shop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, the
that occurred a few months agcp was, a very ArOhhishop of York, the past Chancellors of Great
Tkitilin --- viz.. Lords St.. Leon.ards..- ClleirusforcL

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

What becomes of "secret service money"? Of course
no one is likely to answer that question, because to do so
would defeat the very object for which the money was
granted. Still, I should like to know why, when the sum
usually allotted for that purpose is £lO,OOO a, year it was
last year £28,000.

Times are still very bad in the City, though there is a
slight upward tendency. Among other trades severely
affected is the building trade, and I am told that there
are many firms which are struggling with difficulty to
keep afloat. One eminent firm engaged in very large
works at the West-end has lately failed ; and there is
always a tendency to follow suit.
We are, it seems, to have a centenary of Scott in 1871.
Meanwhile, every one, both in England and France,
seems to forget that 1869 is the hundredth anniversary of
the birth of Wellington and Napoleon. But arena cedant
atylo ; the sword has given place to the pen—•writers to
warriors, thank heaven.