The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-12 00:00:00

ELECTION PETITIONS.

IVESTBURT.-A second address has just been issued by
Bin C. P. Phipps, of Chalcot, brother of the unseated
member for this borough, Mr. John Lewis Phipps, the
Conservative candidate, asking the suffrages of the
electors, and expressing his determination to contest the
seat with Mr. Abraham Laverton, the Liberal candidate,
on independent principles. Mr. Phipps will not pledge
himself as to the Irish Church, although expressing him.
self favourable to an adjustment of the question. He is
in favour of a seduction of the public expenditure.

DUMFIIIESSIIIRE.—At a crowded and enthusiastic meet-
ing of the electors of the county, the following resolution
was carried unanimously :—" The Liberal electors of
Dumfriesshire having been informed that the petition at
the instance of Major Walker has been withdrawn, and
that, in consequence, Sir Sydney H. Waterlow is duly
elected and returned as member for the county, desire to
express to Sir Sydney their assurance of their continued
confidence and support, and request him to maintain his
position as their representative."
CITY OF LONDON.—The Globe says :—" Calculating the
results of the last election, and estimating the probabilities
of a single-handed contest, the supporters of
the distinguished baron entertain little or no
doubt of his success. The Conservatives and Con-
stitutionalists of the City of Loudon must not be idle.
The struggle is well worthy of their noblest and best exer-
tions. At the recent election the party asserted its repre-
sentative importance, and evinced its strength. Strong
and united action will be needed to justify the promise
given on that occasion. There is not a moment to be lost;
if it be intended to retain the seat, immediate steps must
he taken to secure it."

THE TREATY BETJVEEN _ENGLAND AND
AMERICA.

The New Fork Nation putlishes on the Alabama Claims
Treaty au article, which may be taken as a fair expressma
of moderate American opinion on the subject. Tho Nation
notices, first, that whilst there aro heights of national
indignation and depths of national feeling for which
'here is no remedy but war ; y t when once a nation
agrees to arbitration it passes cut of the domain of
feeling into that of reason, it lass down its wrongs and goes
into court. Bence the spirit of the English nation during
he war, or the moral complexion. Lard's shire in the de-
struction of American commerce ought not to affect the
national judgment on the convention. Further, it is nothing
against the proposed tril need that it will not, under any
circumstances, award the full amount of damage the United
States has sustained at sea,or take from England the full amount
of the gain which has accrued to her through the rebellion.
" There is no human mode of exacting of everybody who
participates in or instigates a great war the proper
amount of retribution. No court is adequate to any
such task. Nobody can say exactly who is responsible for
a great war, or to whom it was owing that it was attended
with such and such atrocities or did not end at such and such
a time. We might as well attempt to put the Demo-
cratic party on its trial for the rebellion." As it appears
to the Nation the Convention does contain one
great fault, flagrant and patent., and that is tho mode of
appointing the umpire who is to decide i❑ case the commis-
sioners cannot agree upon the same person. This umpire
is to be chosen by lot out of two previously selected by
both parties, so that even the question of Eng-
land's liability might bo decided at the outset
by an Englishman or a poison selected by Eng-
land. If the arbiter may be chosen by lot under such cir-
cumstances, the whole question might as well be decided at
Once by tossing up a cent. The object of the commission is
not simply to give a decision, but to give a decision which
both parties are likely to respect, and a decision arrived at,
even in part, by blind chance would command nobody's re-
spect, and probably would not be enforced. But then the
Senate is at least as likely to see this, as well as other weak
points of the convention, as anybody out of doors, and we
may feel aisured that it will be satisfactory in any form in
which it issues from their hands. Even Mr. Seward's great
point, the submission to the commission of the propriety,
in point of time, of the concession of belligerent rights
to the insurgents by Great Britain, would hardly give
trouble, even if England had refused to agree to it because
nobody has ever been able to see how that, or any other
notorious fact, could be kept back from the consideration of
the commission." From this it will be seen that the Nation
assumes the reference of our recognition of the Southern
belligerency as a matter of course.

Two women were committed for trial yesterday at
Bow-street for a daring Lurglary. They broke into a houso
in Bedford-place, and stole plate to the value of .£5O.

A fearful story is told of the sufferings of the crew
of the barquo Cadet, which left Liverpool for Philadelphia.
She was provisioned for thirty-Eve days, but being driven
out of her course by violent gales, tho men were reduced
almost to the point of starvation. Their provisions were
reduced to ten pounds of 11 u when they fortunately spoke
a vessel and obtained a small supply of food, which enabled
them ultimately to reach Philadelphia. But for this timely
assistance they must have all perished.

At the annual meeting of the Nottingham Ragged
School, Mr. Mundella, M.P., trusted that the time was at
' band when there would be no need for ragged schools as
they now existed ; but in the present state of our educa-
tional system they filled a most important void.
It was the duty of the State to educate the neglected chil-
dren of the poor, and he hoped it would do so soon. In
Manchester alone there were 6,000 neglected children about
the streets, and he did hope that Christian men would deal
with the question of education in the right spirit, and not
allow theological differences to stand in the way.
At the annual meeting of the Leeds Chamber of
Commerce Mr. Baines, M.P., was present, and spoke at some
length on the prospects of commercial legislation. 31r.
Baines said that he hoped the Bankruptcy Bid would have a
good chance of passing this year. lie thought there bad
been a needless delay in obtaining the returns, which
were called for a year ago, respecting the amount
of machinery and the number of hands em-
"'eyed in the factories of the country. Mr. Baines
touched upon several other topics connected with commer-
cial reform, including the Austrian and American tariffs
and the registration of partnerships, anci expressed himself
favoural le to the establishment of courts of conciliation.

RITUALISM. —The Rev. Charles Voysey, vicar
of Healaugh, in the diocese of York, propounds a simple
and ready cure for ritualism. It is that an Act of Parlia-
ment should be passed abolishing the ceremony of conse-
crating the elements at the Holy Communion. Mr.
Voysey thinks this "slight change" would be accepted to
Parliament, because, among other reasons, the proportion
of communicants in the Church of England, as compared
with the number of her members, is absurdly small. His
etxraordinary proposal appears in the form of alettey to
tike Yarbhire Gazette.