The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-25 00:00:00

Tll E SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENEG, JUNE 25, 1869.

when the commission hereby created shall —ex-
pire, any surplus which the commissioners may
report to her Majesty to be still remaining may
be applied in the manner. hereinafter directed."
Now, it is in regard to this -proposition beyond all
others, as we conceive, that the delayed or repressed
antagonism, not merely of opposing politicians, but
of conflicting religionists throughout the country,
will, sooner or liter, be very energetically manifested.
It is by that, far rather than by anything else
that could have been suggested, that the people
out of doors will be aroused and excited beyond
measure. The suggestion embodied its thii
amendment will be as the fluttering of a
re-I flag in the eyes of ama I bull when it comes dis-
t:uctly within view of the Irish Orangemen. We
question even whether it may not prove equally
irritating when it comes to be fully appreciated,
here in England, by the Lew Chum!) party,
and by a very considerable proportion at any rate
of the dissenting body throughout the United
Kingdom. The situation again, to say the least of it, is
aufliciently eccentric. Here are the Catholic Bishops
of Ireland, with one voic.-, declaring mast solemnly
and moat deliberately th it they will accept
no endowment whatever at the hands of the
Government. An I here, in direct opposition to
that announcement of theirs, is an Ex-Pre.nier and
an Ex-Leader of the Liberal Party—l personage
of no less importance than Earl RUSSELL, the very
man, by the way, who wrote the Durham Letter, the
very man who, in thtt historical document, iuveighed
against what he was pleased to call " the mummeries
of superstition"—here is this very L)rd RUSSELL
iyoposing to ask Parliament to award large suns of
money—the surplus accruing out of the realisation
Jf the property of the Iris's Churs.th immediately
upon its disendowment—among other purposes-4.0
what• end ? Actually to the end of building up
churches, of awarding glebe lands, of opening
up graveyards for the use, for the service, for
the occupation of the Roman Cstho'ics of Ireland.
Turning the tables, that is, urtainly, and with a
engeanee! Levelling up, that is, complete'y and
:horouglily ! Why a prop ositi.) a lik s that
khvarrs. to absolute sigoificauco -ae - once the
,uggcstion for levelling up, as it was set Earth on'y
last year by Lord M tio when he was addre..-.slng
:louse of Co.n•nons i r his then otlieial capacity as
f Secretary for Ireland. The compensation
regard to Maynooth, as embodie I iu Mr. GLADSTONE'S

bill, is, in point of fast, a mere trivial item in

the account of appropriation as compared
with this for the building of Churches, for the
dlotting of glebe lauds and for the opening of Grave-
yards. The Catholic Episc3pacy of Irel and all the
.vhile, remember, intimating as plainly as very simple
and very solemn words could intimate anything, that
the Church committed to their governauca by the
Holy See will accept nothing in the shape
of an endowment from the British Government.

Even as 'natters stood in regard to that ques ion

of the Maynooth compensation just now referred to,
it has more than once been conscientiously objected
to that portion of the Irish Church Bill now before
Parliament, that it is in one s:n3e a violation

of the original intimation given to the country
by the Liberal Party, to the effect that no
portion of the funds accruing from the sale
of the property of the Irish Church immediately
upon its dsestablishmcnt and its subs2iumt disen
downment should, under any circumstances, be de-
voted to religious purposes in dealing in Ireland
with the different confronting denominations. In

order to make good that virtual pledge or promise to

he whole country, it has been argued that the com-

pensation to Maynooth ought by rights to come from

he ConEolidated Fund, and not from the surplus

. -
funds obtained from the realisation of the Irish
Church property in carrying out the scheme of disen-
dowment. But, contrast with that clause in the bill
relating to Maynooth with this amendment now
projected 14 EArl RUSSELL ! So extraordinary is
the transformation of the whole policy of the
Government, in regard to the Irish Church,
involved in the acceptance of any such amendment
as that by a considerable majority of the House of
Lords, that the prospect becomes again imminent,
not merely of an autumnal s.ission, but of a collision

at last, not altogether improbable, between the Lords

and the Commons.

BLUE-BOOKS, notwithstanding their homeliness,
often supply information as interesting as it is
important ; and rarely has any of these uncouth
documents afforded a more gratifying record of pro-
gress than that contained in the sixteenth report of
the Science and Art Department. The functions of
this department, which is under the rule of the
Committee of Council on Education, are diverse.
It distributes the aid given for the promotion of
elementary and scientific drawing, the geological
survey is under its guidance, and it has the care of
the South Kensington Museum, and minor institu-
tions of the kind. But none of its duties is more im-
portant than the administration of the fund set apart
for the encouragement of scientific training. It is
but a short time since technical education, so long
talked of, first received practical attention. Already
s
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for promoting the teaching of science as applied to
mechanical industry, first came into operation, and in
that year nine schools or classes, with a total of 800
.scholars, received aid. Th enumber of students increased
at the average rate of 1,000 a year up to 18G0, when
the total was 0,835 in 158 schools. In 1807 there
was a great advance, the numbers being 10,920 and
)19. Last year the progress was still greater, the
totals being 15,000 students in 300 schools. Nor do
these figures represent the entire advance of the
movement, for the returns shew that the attendance
at lectures, the readers at libraries, and the visitors
to scientific and industrial exhibitions have alzo multi-
plied greatly.

roubtless a good deal of 'this remarkable progress

• its character, of such really vital importance, that it
is worthy of being taken at once into very
serious consideration. After the word " ap-
plied," in the twenty-sixth line of the
sixty-eighth clause, Lord RUSSELL proposes to
ask their Lordships in Committee to insert these
words—" to the benefit of the Irish people : and
whereas it is desirable to satisfy as far as possible
upon principles- of equality as between the several
religious denominations in Ireland, all just and
equitable claims ; and whereas provision has been
made in the foregoing part of this Act to satisfy
the just and equitable claims of the representa-
tive body of the present Established Protestant
Church of Ireland, in respect to churches, grave.
yards, ecclesiastical residences, and glebe lands ;
and whereas the Presbyterian Church in Ire-
land and the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland
have just an 1 evitable claims, such property shall
be applied—(l.) To the buil ling of churches or
chapels, the building or purchase of ecclesiastical re-
sidences, and the purchase or grant of glebe lands
not exceeding thirty acres, attached to each such re-
sk once, to the Presbyterian Church and clergy in
Ireland. (2.) To the buildings of churches or chapels,
the building or purchase of ecclesiastical residences,
and the grant of glebe lands, not exceeding
thirty acres, attached to each such residence,
to the Roman Catholic Church and clergy of
Ireland. (3.) To the purchase or grant of lands
when applied for by petition of the inhabitants
of any parish or parishes for the purpose of grave-
yards for Protestants of all denominations, and
members of the Roman Catholic Church. And

is to be attributed to Mr. WHITWORTH'S miificent
bequest. In the spring of last year this geleman
announced his intention of founding thirtytholar-
ships, each of the annual value of £lOO, or the
further instruction of young men in the thry and
practice of mechanical industry. Itcannot
be too widely known that these aluable
prizes are open to anybody who )ssesses
the industry end the perseverance to pretre for
them. In order to be successful, the capetitor
must have a moderate knowledge of thdeading
branches of science, and be equal to the praical use
of some ordinary tool. It is perfectly iinaterial
whether he display greater proficiency in ;knee or
in mechanical skill. Thus, the artisan rith fine
workmanship and a modicum of scientific kowledge,
and the student with a little practal skill
and greater theoretical proficiency, coipete on
equal terms. But theory or practice lone will
not suffice. Besides these scholarships, M. 'WHIT-
WORTH has founded sixty exhibitions, alue £25
each, tenable for one year. These exhibiions were
des'gned to be rreparatory to the sclolarships,
and they have been satisfactorily climsed of.
Increased interest in scientific traning has
been awakened by this noble gift, whit, in fact,
has given the movement precisely the impalse which
was needed. But proof is not wanting that the
working classses are rapidly learning to appreciate
industrial education for its own sake. The number
of schools and students have advanced during the
past year by 50 per cent.; but the increase was
very great in the previous year, when Mr.
NVHITWORTII'S intention had not been announced.
The history of the efforts on behalf of technical
education, as described in these reports, is a signal
disproof of the theory that the State ought to give
to the people nothing which the people do not impor-
cases in which the Government inky,'WHYmi-nr&refl
rate limits,,setAthe first example in action. Pre-
viously to 1800 technical education could not be said
to exist ; now it is a great fact. should the advance
of the movement be maintained, its beneficial effects
when the next generation of British workmen arises
will be great indeed.

ti WOO
s'*<*t_g4,,lgy Ci
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CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT'.)

PARIS, THURSDAY, June 24.
The Belgian Railway Commissioners have again been
sitting, and again have they been unable to hatch any-
thing. The Patrie, which makes no attempt to conceal its
ill-humour, is obliged to confess that its hopes of a settle-
ment have been disappointed. It says that some points,
which it was expected had been: given up by Belgium,
have again been made the subject of dispute, and
the imbroglio remains just where it was. The other
day the Patrie triumphantly announced that the Brussels
Cabinet had yielded—that King Leopold would not
brave the danger of holding out any longer,
and therefore the question was settled. It now
appears that this statement was merely a disin-
genuous hint of what King Leopold might expect if he
did not yield, not a piece of information that he actu-
ally had yielded, Another meeting is to be held
this week. " France," says the semi-oflicial paper,
"continues to do everything in her power to bring about
an understanding," leaving it to be inferred that Belgium
does not.

Two pieces of disquieting news caused great excitement.
on the Bourse to-day. First there was this Belgian dead.
lock, which, of course, was magnified on the Bourne into a
statement that the negotiations bad finally and irrevocably
broken of ; and there was a rumour to the effect
that the Emperor bad
.made a very warlike speech at
Chalons. Both reports were exaggerated. It will be seen that
the negotiations have not been broken off, though they
are in a bad way at present. As to the speech, consi-
dering that this is the tenth anniversary of Solferiuo, and
that the Emperor ought naturally to feel a little bellicose
inspiration, there is positively nothing warlike in it.
His Majesty was rejoiced to see that his soldiers had
not forgotten the grand cause for which he and they
had fought ten years ago. They were •to keep in their
hearts, he said, the remembrance of the battles.of their
fathers and of their own, for the history of the French
wars is the history of the progress of civilisation. Of
course, if people are so minded, they can find reason for
gamin this statement. As the Emperor thinks that
possible that be may be meditating iilittte—ittrepitOgtsi!
But not the slightest approach to a specific allusion does
this speech contain. It is scarcely posSible that anything
milder could be said by a sovereign address'ng his old
soldiers on the anniversary of a great victory.
Another item of news from Chalons is of con-
siderable interest. We are told that three

Prussian officers recently put up at one of the
hotels at Chalons, and were present at the
_ _

manoeuvres executed before the Emperor on Tues-
day. They were dressed in plain clothes, without
any decorations ; but their identity was soon found out,
and they were requested to withdraw, by an order from
Marshal Niel. One of them is attached to the King's
staff. They went away with a very bad grace. As many
officers of all nations are now at Chtilons, it would be
difficult to understand why these three Prussians were
regarded with such jealousy. It appears, however, that
they had not been accredited by the Prussian Ambassador,
they had not announced themselves to one cf the French
generals, as the other officers do, and, moreover, they had
given expression to some very uncomplimentary opinions.
Two 3-ears ago, says one of the papers here, a prince of
Prussia came to the camp incognito, and was much struck
with the fine appearance and proficiency of the French
soldiers. He is reported to have said "What a misfortunt•
not to command troops like these." The three officers who
were requested to withdraw seemed to have entertained
quite the contrary idea.

The tr:al of the schoolmaster for falsifying the electoral
returns in his commune has excited great interest
here, but I cannot agree with the coMplaint!,
raised -by some of the Liberal paperS. They argue
that the jury truckled to the public prosecutor
in acquitting the prisoner. Well, the facts are very clear.
This wooden-headed schoolmaster took out sixteen bulle.
tins which had been recorded in favoUr of the Opposition
candi late, and changed them for voting•papers in favora
of the Official candidate, announcing first that all the

votes but one had been given fur the latter, and afterwards
that he had been unanimously supported. That is, in a

small commune in which sixteen votes out of fortytwo
had voted for the Liberal, this worthy official had the
audacity to record a unanimous decision in favour of the
Imperialist. The whole affair was so clumsily managed, the
certainty of detect:fin so plain, that the pubic prosecutor
could hardly have been far wrong in pronouncing tl e
schoolmaster an idiot, and moving for an acquittal en
that ground. There was really little justification fm
punishing such a wretch. What may justly be com-
plained of is, that ignorant maires and ignorant
officials of all grades are entrusted with important dutica
in every part of France.

THE COUNTESS D'ALTETRAC.

-

The case of the Countess D'Alteyrae, whose proceedings
against Turd Willoughby D'En.sby raised so much stir
some time since, was before the Court of Bankruptcy or.
Thursday. Her larlyship has spent some time in prison,
but of late has been allowed to be at large. A sitting
for last examiration and discharze was now held.
The bankruptcy is ascribed to insuflich.my of income,
law expenses, and pressure by creditors. The accounts
chew debts of £5,20 ; property given up, £6,350 ; surplus,
JA2O. Her ladyship's expenditure is returned at £2,000
a year. The following statement is appended to
the balance - sheet : " I am entitled to receive
from Lord Willoughby D'Eresby, under an
award dated 4th April, 1868, and made by W. Vernon
Harcourt, Esq., Q.C., an annuity for my life of
£1,200, payable half-yearly, namely, on the 14th of
October and the Ist of April, and a further sum of
£lOO per calendar month till such annuity shall be
legally secured and settled by the said Lord Willoughby
n'Eresby ; estimated value, £6,000."
It being stated that the accounts had not been fileci in
time, the hearing, after some discussion, was adjourned.

.4 PASSAGE FROM THE LIFE OF DEFOE,

-.4.

Some recently-discovered papers of Daniel Defoe do no
,resent the author of " Robinson Crusoe " in the mos'

favourable light. Truth, indeed, will be rather ;;;accept-
able to those who from childhood have been led to regard
the celebrated writer as a hero. Some letters discovered
in 18G4—which are all in the handwriting of Defoe
himself, and of unquestionable authenticity—shew that
in the year 1718 the writer was engaged by the Whig
Government of Lord Sunderland, as he had been a few
years previously by that of Lord Townshend and
Sir Robert Walpole, to exercise a species of secret
influence over the high Tory publication called
111ist's Weekly Journal, as well as another periodical of the
same stamp, called Dormer's News Letter. This he did by
introducing himself to the proprietors of those journals,
representing that he was under the displeasure of the
Government (as in fact he had been some time before),
and so obtaining the management of the papers—•
ostensibly with a view to advocating Tory principles,
bat really with the design, as he expresses it, of
" taking the sting out " of the comments am
paragraphs of news, amusing the • party, pre-
venting their setting up more violent organs, and
" disabling " and " enervating " the journals in question,

" so as to do no mischief, or give any offence to the
Government." Ho also himself commenced, and carried
on for several years, a monthly review, called Mercurius
Po/it/cm, which, by a mild expression of Tory, or what
we should now call Conservative, principles, still further
" amused " the bamboozled party, and prevented th
starting of independent journals. Mr. Mist, the proprie-
tor of the Weekly Journal, seems to have justified his
name, and to have had at first no idea of the purposes to
which his periodical was being put. Defoe, when-
ever ho suppressed anything very strong against th.
Whigs, told him that he did so to keep the concern clear
of a prosecution ; but it would seem that ultimately Mist
himself came into the plot, and, upon the Government
foregoing a prosecution for some piece of sedition which
had obtained insertion despite of Defoe's vigilance, under-
took to act secretly in favour of the Government. The
Journal had been set up in the Pretender's interest, and
oue part of Defoe's work was not only to suppress the
treasonable matter which thus came into his possession,
but to hand it over to the Ministers. The connection
between Defoe and Mist continued with a brief interrup-
tion until July 1720, when the former refused to be further
responsible for the general conduct of the paper, though he
contributed to its pages for some time longer

Several papers pirblLh a very old opinion of no
Solicitor-General Sir Bounden Palmer and Dr. Deane, Q.C.,
t tie effe et that no means at present exist for trying, bpforo
ally tribunal competent -to decide the Tie. Lion, whether or
no Dr. Colenso, the present Bishop of Natal, has advocated
doctrinal opinions not in accordance with the doctrines held
by the Church of England; and assuming the present
Bishop of Natal to Lave been guilty of an ecclesiastical
f'ffrnce, no steps can be taken to bang him, as such bishop,
before any tribunal.

The remains of the ltight Hon. Edward John
Baron Stanley of Alderley, have been interred in the family
vault beneath the ancient and venerable pariah church of
Alderley. The body was brought down to Alderley park on
Saturday night from London. The funeral was conducted
in the plainest and simplest manner; but the bug line o:
mourners, exclusive cf those who were connected by family
ties with the deceased peer, bore testimony to the estimation
in which he was hold. Tho Dean of Westminster conducted
the funeral service,

THE AFFAIRS OF THE DUKE OF

NEWCASTLE.

The affairs of the Duke of Newcastle were before the
Bankruptcy Court on Thursday. A petition had been filed
against his Grace for the purpose of securing an equal dis-
tribution of his estate amongst the creditors. The petition
is presented. against Henry Pelham Alexander Clinton,
Duke of Newcastle, of No. 10, Carlton-house-
terrace, in the county of Middlesex, and of
Clumber Park, in the county of Notts. The petitioning
creditor is Mr. Robert Morris, of Carlton Chambers,
Regent-street, who claims £IO,COO on a joint and several
promissory note, given on the 22nd of October last by the
Duke and another peer, with interest thereon at 30 per
cent. per annum.

Mr. Bagley appeared for the petitioning creditor ; Mr.
George Lewis represented Mr. Padwick, who had been
summoned as a witness ; and Mr. Davis and Mr. W. H.
Roberts appeared for the creditors.

The proceedings were strictly private, and were con-
ducted in a little room in a remote part of the building,
from which the representatives of the press were excluded.
At the close it transpired that only one witness, Mr.
Padwick, had been examined; and further proceeding
were adjourned till Monday.

Thursday was the last of the five days appointed for
the sale of the Duke of Newcastle's Tam and penateg,
and the mansion in Carlton•house-terrace is now denuded
of all that it contained, save those objects of family
tradition reserved as "heirlooms" by the protective order
of Baron Martin. The dispersal of such very small
household gods as belonged to the pantries and servants'
rooms completed this remarkable sale, the catalogue of
which is perhaps one of the most comprehensive on re-
cord, including as it does the Duke's cigars, ivory-handled
walking.stick, racing calendars, and other little personal
and private possessions, and his very clothing. Court-
swords, dress hats in their tin cases, and " a crimson
velvet robe" were also brought to the hammer. Very
high prices have been the rule throughout this sale.
Many pieces of furniture must have been sold for at
least their original cost when new. A centre fauteuil,
with a lounge and chairs en suite, their frames being
andail{; their upholstery crimson satin, brought 200
s _
gUilnema'sr;c c ntwO tai
tin
.robroidered panels
mann
was sold for GO
window curtains fetched 93 guineas ; a marqueterie table
less than two feet long, 84 guineas ; two pair of ormolu
candelabra, 81 guineas ; a pair of "moderator" lamps,
28 guineas ; another pair, 25 guineas ; an Axminster
carpet, 18 feet by 16, 58 guineas; another carpet of the
same kind, 33 feet by 21, 110 guineas ; a walnut-wood
cigar-case and stand, 40 guineas ; and a small pair of
ebony and tortoisehell cabinets, 44 guineas. The Duke's
cigars, which were known to be excellent, were
contested with great spirit by smokers who " don't care
what they pay for the right thing." Mingling with the
crowd on the several days were the Earl of Abergavenny,
Lord Carysfort, Lord Cowley, the Marquis of Lorne,
Captain Archdall, and Sir E. Halse. Many ladies were
also present, most of whom, as well as the greater number
of those gentlemen above named, were buyers.