The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-22 00:00:00

MR. SIMS REEVES.

Mr. Sims Reeves has been more fortunate in the
new trial granted him, in reference to his non-
appearance at the Cheltenham concert, than at the
former one, having obtained a verdict in his favour,
and the costs in the first snit being divided. Medical
evidence was produced declaring that the famous tenor
was quite unable to sing on the night in question, and
Mrs. Reeves, who travelled with her husband, confirmed
this statement. The fine of £lO imposed on Mr.
Reeves for not answering his subpoena was remitted
by the judge, who said that he should not have
inflicted it had he known the real facts. The defen-
dant has therefore escaped from the affair with more
credit than was expected, though it is doubtful
whether his actual pecuniary outlay will be much
diminished, seeing that counsel were employed on
both sides. No doubt Mr. Reeves feared a plentiful
crop of actionk if this one were sustained.

THE ATLANTIC TELEGRAPH.
The expectations which were formed of the com-
mercial utility of the Atlantic telegraph before its
completion have been fully realised. We learn from
the statement made by the chairman, Mr. t,,J.:T:rt
Wortley, at the recent meeting, that the income
from messages is now on an average £7OO per day.
He complains, however, that they have not
yet derived much profit from social messages, which
usually give large returns. The company is, not-
withstanding, able to pay the claim of the Anglo-
American Company on its £1.25,000 preference, and
a dividend of something over four per cent. on the
eight per cent. preference stock of the company.
The chairman advocates an amalgamation with the
Anglo-American Company, which, he thinks, would
contribute largely to the prosperity of both. The
cables.are both perfect.

BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.—A singular
trial for breach of promise was brought to a close at the
County Court of Warren (U.S.) on the Bth inst. The
plaintiff was a milliner, 26 years of age, named Mary
Ferguson, carrying on business in the village of Spring-
born', and the defendant, Mr. John Armstrong Brad-
shaw, who is 47 years of age, claims to be a descendant to
Brad- tw, the English regicide. Evidence of the
" prowise " having been given, the defendant urged in his
defence that the plaintiff was of African descent, and for
that reason he could not, under the laws of Ohio, legally
wed her. The question of the purity of the plaintiff's
blood was the most interesting that came up on the trial.
It was shewn that she had lived until 9or 10 years of
age with a woman known as Betsy Ferguson as her child, and
Betsy, it was shewn, was a little lighter than a mulatto.
Shadrick Ferguson and Pete Ferguson, two mulattoes,
testified that the plaintiff was their niece, the daughter of
their sister Betsy, that she was born on the Kanawha
river in Virginia, and that a white man, named William
Harvey, was said to be her father. Betsy Ferguson was
living at the time at the house of her father, being an
unmarried woman. The Ferguson family, they say, came
from Virginia to Springboro' while Mary was a nursing
child. They were there with the family, and never heard
anyone question the matter of her being the child of their
sister. Three physicians were called, who said that they
had attended Mary medically, and that as they saw her
sick in bed—not appearing as she does in the court
room--she exhibited undoubted marks ofAfrican admixture.
Other parties, suNiosed to be judges of such matters,
were called upon, and testified that they could observe
indications of African blood in the plaintiff's appearance.
On the other side, more than twice as many persons said
that they saw in her no indications of negro blood. It was
shewn that she associated with white persons and moved
in good society. The trial lasted a whole week, and the
jury returned a verdict of 10,000 dollars for the plaintiff,
after being out but a few minutes.
THE APPROACMNG DIVISION.
The .Tehn Bull says the lowest majority "against " (of
sourse" for" is meant) the Irish Church Bill isexpected
to be 108. The same paper goes on to say that the
course of the House of Lords will in no way be
affected by the numbers on the division ; but their
lordships will be very much influenced by the ex-
pression of public opinion, such as that elicited at
the great Belfast meeting. "After Dr. Ball's speech
it was stated that some such compromise as he
shadowed out, retaining the Establishment but en-
dowing Roman Catholics and Presbyterians, would
probably meet the views of Earl Russell, and Lords
Westbury and Clanricarde." It is a little hard of
our contemporary to put Lord Russell in such com-
pany. Probably, too, the House of Lords will re-
member that it is not three noblemen but three
kingdoms who have to be satisfied, and that any
" compromise " which does not satisfy the second will
be of very small avail even though it should meet
with the approval of the first.
THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM.
Dr. Mal, in hie Drench on F./4,1.y, gaye the imprfs-
sion that he was for reverting to the original policy
of the Conservative party, and for endowing the
three Churches, on the principle that as it was impos-
sible to maintain the Protestant Episcopal Church
alone, it was better to raise the other Churches to an
equality with it, rather than to resort to the volun-
tary principle, which he denounced as a failure. Mr.
Bright gave some remarkable figures to shew how
entirely wrong was the major premise of the
learned gentleman—the failure of the voluntary
system. Nothing more telling has occurred
during the debate than Mr. Bright's description
of the great secession in Scotland twenty-six years
ago. He said :
"In 1843 nearly 500 ministers in Scotland, not waiting
for an Act of Parliament to disestablish them, walked out
of their manses. They left many charming residences, and
many nice churches, and they quitted the homes in which
they had spent some and many of the happiest years of
their They went out as a Church absolutely naked.
There was not a church left for them, nor a glebe house, nor
a curtilage, nor a commutation ; and I am bound to say
not a single good wish or ' God bless you' from any man
on that side of the House followed them. Do not tell us
that your Irish Protestant congregations are feebler and
worse than the congregations in Scotland. What have
they done since in Scotland? It is told in a sentence,
though it would take you weeks to survey it all. They have
built 900 churches, not less than 650 manses and houses for
their ministers; they have built 500 schools, three theological
colleges, and two training institutions. And during the
last three years—l have not seen the account further back,
but it would support what I say, I doubt not—they have
raised on an average during the last three years, by the
voluntary subscriptions of their members, not less than
£370,000 per annum, and during the twenty-five years
that have elapsed since these 500 ministers walked out of
the church, their congregations have raised by voluntary
contributions a sum exceeding £8,000,000 sterling."
A very different authority from Mr. Bright, the
Church Times, has no less faith in the voluntary prin-
ciple than has the President of the Board of Trade.
In a leader entitled " Disestablishment in England,"
our very High Church contemporary says that a Dis-
establishment and Disendowment Bill in England
would doubtless cause a great deal of trouble, but the
result would give no cause for the friends of the
Church of England to lament or to despair. It
would make the clergy more earnest, and give
the Church greater freedom, and win for her
greater respect. " Fat livings demoralise the clergy,
and if they were all lost, the Church, upon the whole,
would be the better for parting with them." " If ever
the Church should be thrown upon her own resources
she would be obliged to reorganise her missionary
machinery in a way she can never do while she is
fettered by her present laws and traditions."
ELECTION ITEMS.