The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-11 00:00:00

Our remark the other day that a very little time
would suffice to place us au courant with the views
of all our public men in succession in reference to
the rifle corps movement is being rapidly verified.
Since then a large number of other notabilities
have spoken out frankly, to the point, and to the
purpose. Yesterday we gave a glimpse of the
sentiments with which the National Arming is re-
garded by one of our learned Recorders and also by
one of our leading Statesmen. Both, it will doubt-
less have been already remarked by many of our
readers, regard the progress, the advance, and the
development of this grand movementwith sentiments
of profound and patriotic complacency. Elsewhere
in to-day's paper it will be seen that two others
have spoken out quite as earnestly and explicitly—
the one a gallant old tar (Admiral IVALcoTT,
M.P.), the other a leading statesman of the Oppo-
site side (the Earl of MALMESBURY), ex-Foreign
Secretary. The arguments of both will be found
elsewhere in this evening's impression of our jour-
nal, and to the consideration of these arguments
we earnestly commend all who have at heart the
completion, as speedily and thoroughly as possible,
of the machinery of our National Defences.
Already we have commented upon the justifiably
exultant tone with which -Arr. 'WARREN, as Re-
corder of Hull, availed himself of a not unfitting
opportunity in which to refer to the wide and rapid
spread of these evidences, at once of our loyalty and
of our civism. It is but right, now, we think, that
we should revert for a moment, however cursorily,
to the views expressed more recently at Watford,
in Hertfordshire, by the Earl of CLARENDON, K.G.,
the views and sentiments expressed by him in re-
gard to the same identical movement. The superior
advantages of these Rifle Corps, or, in other words,
of a regularly organised National Guard,drawn from
the ranks of the people—the superior advantages of
this system of defence, over that to which England
has a peculiar repugnance, namely, that of a large
standing army,the Earl of CLARENDON thus forcibly
indicated :—" If," said he, " they were to have a
large standing army there would always be a
danger to freedom and liberty, and other Powers
might be justified in asking if our intentions were
pacific ; but they could not ask what were the in-
tentions of volunteer rifle corps, the formation of
which was merely a defensive measure for the pro-
tection of our homes, not calculated to give um-
brage in the slightest degree to foreign Powers."
Than which conclusion nothing surely could be
more just and reasonable. The noble lord added,
"The movement, although as yet only in its infancy.
had produced a very salutary effect throughout
Europe." Observing yet farther, that "It was the
most complete scheme that had been devised to
secure peace, and place us beyond the recur-
rence of unmanly panics of which English-
men should be ashamed." The next words
we cannot but regard as an admirable ex-
ample of that peculiar mode of argument
known as the reductio ad absurdum: It is an
argument, in fact, we take it, quite unanswerable—
as unanswerable as the position it describes (and
which has often been that of England hitherto)
is simply ridiculous. "To see a danger," re-
marks Lord CLARENDON, "to be frightened,
and yet to do nothing to avert it, was
worthy only of a nation of old women ; to see it
and to shut their eyes to it was pusillanimous ; but
to look the danger steadily in the face was the part
of freemen and patriots, and worthy the people of
England." Thus the matter is now viewed on all
hands. Our voices upon this long-vexed question
of the National Defences are, at length, thank
Heaven, fast becoming accordant.

The interest taken by the country at large in the
regulation of Indian affairs has fortunately greatly
increased of late years. Before the mutiny which
brought home the sad consequences of mis-
management with such startling violence
to so many English hearths and hearts.
people generally troubled themselves very little
about the internal arrangements of the Board of
Control. It was supposed to be much on the same
footing as the other public offices, where the
disposal of the patronage would not always
bear examination, but with which it was no one's
particular business to meddle. Some politicians
alnB f
objected to the system of the double Government,
but unless the appointment of a Governor-General,
or
of Ministry, brought Indian affairs pro-
minentlyrward, the subject was thought little of.
Since a chgse;
, however, matters are very different.
The destruction of the old monopoly, and the
assumption of direct power by the Imperial Go-
vernment, have brought home the sense of respox-
sibility to the English public, who are honestly
anxious to do their best for the extensive territory
and vast population committed to their charge.
A deep interest is, consequently, very gene-
rally felt in the management of this

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon,
at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in
Downing-street. It was attended by Viscount Palmer-
ston, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Duke of
Argyll, Sir G. Cornewall Lewis, Lord John Russell, the
Duke of Newcastle, the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert, Sir
Charles Wood, thP Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Duke
of Somerset, the Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson, the Earl
of Elgin, the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers, and the Right
Hon. E d ward Card well.

The Duke of Newcastle arrived in town yester.
day morning from his seat, Clumber-park, Notts.

Maria Marchioness of Ailesbury, accompanied by
the Hon. Colonel and Mrs. Macdonald, have left Badmin-
ton, the seat of the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort, for
Strathfieldsaye, Hants.

The ,Marquis of Abercorn, who has been paying
a brief visit to his estates in Ireland, will return to Brocket
Hall in a few days.
The Earl and Countess of Lichfield have returned
to their residence in Bruton-street, from visiting the Mar-
chioness of Abercorn at Brocket Hall.

Viscount Palmerston arrived at Cambridge House
yesterday morning from Broadlands. The noble viscount
left town in the afternoon on a visit to her Majesty, at
Windsor Castle. Her ladyship remains at Broadlands.
Viscount and ViscomttessValletort arrived in town
yesterday from visiting the Marquis and Marchioness of
Abercorn, at Brocket Hall. The noble viscount and vis-
countess will leave town today for Mount Edgcumbe, De-
vonshire.

GOVERNMENT PRESENT.—A very beautiful pre-
sent is about to be made by the Government to M. Tchokar,
a gentleman of Bucharest, as an acknowledgment of the
hospitality and courtesy exhibited by him towards Sir
Henry Bulwer, in the year 18,57. M. Tchokar placed his
house at the disposal of the English representative, and as
he refused to accept of any recompense when Sir Henry
left, it hasbeen thought right to make an acknowledgment.
The present consists of a magnificent and valuable inkstand.
The centre is composed of a finely modelled representation
of a Wallachian gentleman and his horse, the latter stand-
ing underneath a palm tree, the emblem of peace. A more
perfect piece of workmanship has never been executed evim.
by Mr. C. F. Hancock, of Bruton-street, to whom the talk
was intrusted. It is worth while to pay a visit to Mr.
Hancock's establishment, if only to inspect such a tasteful
and beautiful specimen of art manufacture.

THE LONDON ORCHESTRAL ASSOCIATION.—
The first meeting of this society took place on Saturday
evening at St. James's Hall, when upwards of GO amateur
instrumentalists were present, and very creditably per-
fermed several overtures and symphonies, under the able
direction of Dr. James Pech. The next meetings are an-
nounced to take place every Saturday evening, terminating
in June.

GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION.—The Government
emigrant vessel West Australian, 699 tons, Captain James
Downie, belonging to Messrs. Park, Brothers, of London,
which sailed from Plymouth on the 12th of July, arrived at
Perth, Western Australia, on the 24th of October, with 20
married couples, two single men, 99 single women, four
boys between the ages of one and 12, four mato infants and
seven female, making a total of 156 souls, equal to 143}
statute adults, under charge of Surgeon-Superintendent
George Mottley. Two births and one death (an infant)
occurred during the voyage.

Le Nord mentions a rumour, to which, however,
it does not give credence, that Marshal Canrobert is going
to Rome on a special mission, to take the command of the
corps of occupation, and to direct the evacuation which, on
that supposition, would be determined on, and near at hand.
Mr. Cobden attended the monthly dinner of the
Society of Political Economists in Paris on Thursday. The
conversation turned chiefly on the Isthmus of Suez scheme.
Mr. Cobden observed that the opposition in Parliament was
owing in some measure to the manner in which the question
was introduced, the House of Commons almost fancying
that it was expected to take shares in the enterprise. The
principal opposition was found among diplomatists, who
seemed to think that the concession of lands and the con•
struetion of forts might at some period be turned to the
injury of English interests ; but that there was no opposi-
tion on the ground that any country on the Mediterranean
could deprive England by means of that canal of a conside-
rable portion of her trade with the East. The natural ad
vantages of England and her geographical situation ren-
dered any such apprehensions futile. Moreover, the oppo-
sition to the scheme had much diminished in England.
DEMOCRACY IN VICTORIA.—As a result of the
General Election conducted upon the basis of the ballot and
"manhood suffrage," half-a-dozen working men, including
two or three representatives, whose caudidature was re-
garded as a "practical joke," have been returned to the
Victorian Parliament.-4usei•alian JAIL

A
decision
:NE
olN.‘ceonSsiodCerrii
a'lLleWimAE
importance
SanceQLAh'a' S
srrblt.eGn
pronounced
by the SaKerne Court in a squatting case—Pringle v. Ma-
chattie. The action was for trespass by the driving of in-
fected sheep over plaintiff's run, wherAy the plaintiff's
flocks became diseased. To this it had been pleaded anion,*
other things, that the sheep were driven along a publichighway, and that they exhibited at the time no signs of
disease. The question was, whether this absence of what
may be called guilty knowledge, formed any defence in an
action for injuries which had actually resulted from the
presence of the diseased flock ? The Coal t sustained the
plea. The defendant, it was held, had a clear right to drive
his flock along the highway, even although that highway
passed through his neighbour's land. Being therefore en-
naged in a lawful tad he was not responsible for any
.harm-
ful consequences which aught ensue therefrom, provided it
resulted from circumstances over which he had no control.
Thus if he had really no knowledge of the existence of
disease in his flock he would not be responsible for the
communication of this disease to the plaintiff's sheep.—
Australian Hail.
:The steamer with the Bombay mail on Thursday
will take £40,542 in gold far Alexandria, £7OO in gold for
Men, and £112,750 in gold and £282,010 in silver for
Bombay, 1.1,n iyholc being on private =OW,