The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

seamen

authorities. The want of seamen is con-
stantly complained of, the difficulty in obtaining re-
cruits for the navy having been often mentioned in
Parliament, and not denied by the members of the
Admiralty Board. There are many reasons for this
difficulty, and one in particular is afforded by the
genera! employment of steam. In steamers there is
no longer the training school for boys that the old
sailing vessels afforded. They want ready trained
men, and thus the establishment of training ships
will be an invaluable means of furnishing them with
seamen. Mr. HALL expressed a hope, while making
his proposal, that if the Government could Snot or

of cur

would not provide tberequisite training ships rigged an d

fitted up, private benevolence would come forward and
do so. We have no doubt but that this hope would
'rove to have been well-founded, in the event of
official assistance being withheld, but the work is
clearly one which falls within the range of Govern-
ment obligations. The Administration is bound to
provide our ships with sailors—an axiom which no
one would be likely to dispute—but the Government
is also bound to check roguery, to repress crime, to
care for the future prospects of the hosts of children
whom unfavourable circumstances have thrown upon
the guardianship of the State. The establishment of
these training ships affords a ready solution of the
double difficulty. The kind of employment is admirably
adapted for boys who have been occustomed to
an irregular and unsettled life in the open air. Con-
finement is irksome to them, the dull routine of
mechanical work is monotonous and uninteresting,
and the change from all their former inclinations and
habits is sudden and violent. A seafaring life, on
the other hand, possesses inexhaustible attractions for
boys of all ages. It needs no strong coercion of
their wishes to induce them to follow so fascinat-
ing a profession. Indeed the whole influence and
authority of parents and guardians has often to be
exerted the other way. It is very certain, too, that
if the boys chafe under restraint they will not be
able to escape so readily from the training ship as
from the industrial school. So far as experiments of
this kind have yet been tried they have always been
eminently successful. The active invigorating out-
door work proves the best counterpoise to
the restless, unsettled inclinations, where the
old evil associations and companionships are
necessarily thoroughly broken off. In the naval
profession more than in any other early training is
❑eeessary, and this is in itself an obstacle in the way
of obtaining recruits. Parents are often averse to
sending their sons to sea, and are not consequently
very likely to undergo the expense and trouble of
fitting them for it. It requires, too, an early dee

sion, while the boy is still young enough to have
many other careers open before him, and before it can
be seen whether he is not better fitted for land work,
it is requisite to decide whether he shall be a sailor or
no. The seaman has always been in the abstract a
favourite character with the people ; but, in point of
fact, the numbers of naval volunteers have been ex-
tremely limited. Here, then, is a ready means of
supplying a great national want in a systematic and
thoroughly reliable manner, while it gives us, too, a
resource for the better training of our homeless boys,
and for those boys who, though not absolutely desti-
tute, are yet without the means for fitting them-

selves, by careful and costly training, of the mos'

mportant of our national services.

ON the hypothesis that the public opinion of
America is represented by the New York press, the
prospect of a speedy settlement of the Alabama
claims could not be regarded during the last few
weeks as other than doubtful. In the United States
the terms of agreement just decided upon between
Mr. lIEVERDY JOHNSON and Lord STANLEY
met with a decidedly unfavourable reception.
Mr. JOHNSON'S arrangements were decried as
far too liberal, and not only were greater
concessions demanded, but the American journals
did not hesitate to clamour for terms which they
well knew could not be accepted on this side of the
Atlantic. Some objected to the Convention appa-
rently because of their hostility to the Ambassador
who concluded it ; others because of the principle of
arbitration involved ; and the Neu, York, herald
because England ought to pay the bill without
further ceremony. All the more serious of these
rumours are unfounded. The Government of the
United States is by no means indifferent to the
settlement of this long-pending dispute, and the
English Ministry so thoroughly approves of the
action of the late Cabinet that the negotiations have
been taken up precisely where Lord STANLEY left
them. Mr. SEWARD suggested certain changes,
but none of these was such as to affect
the principle of the agreement, nor such as

to compromise in any way the interests of
England. Lord STANLEY'S negotiation has simply
been continued by his successor, and on Thursday a
Convention, upon terms substantially the same as
those we announced some time ago, was signed by
Lord CLARENDON and the American Ambassador.
The principle of arbitration is to be retained; the
prime question of liability for the depredations of
the Alabama and other vessels is to be referred to
an independent sovereign. The mixed commis-
sion will be constituted as before, and will
be charged with similar duties. When the decision
of the arbitrators is given, the Anglo-American Com-
mission will proceed, as before arranged, to inves-
tigate all individual claims which the decision may
involve. The changes in the original settlements
have been made on suggestions from both sides,
Mr. SEWARD having obtained some modifications
of the mode of procedure, whilst Lord CLARENDON
confined himself to some verbal alterations. But
we are given to understand that in no case is
any point of importance involved.

So far, then, the evil auguries which came from
the other side of the ocean have proved erroneous.
The result is satisfactory, both because the United
States' Government has persevered in a policy of
conciliation in spite of strong pressure from without,
and because the interests and dignity of England
have been so far upheld that a Liberal Ministry has
no hesitation in completing what the Conservative
Government commenced. This unanimity is itself a
guarantee that we have in no wise purchased peace
at the sacrifice of honour. Of course the question is
not yet closed ; indeed, in a measure it is but opened.
The treaty now signed is only that which has been in
abeyance so long, and it will require the ratification
of the English Parliament as involving money, and
of the American Senate because no treaty whatever
can be concluded by the PRESIDENT without the
sanction of the Upper House. As far as regards the
first of these conditions, no difficulty need be appre-
hended. The action of the English Govern-
ment has the general approval of the nation.
The general desire for a settlement of the
Alabama difficulty is justified by the fact
that a precedent in such cases is necessary for our
own welfare in the future, and the wish for good
relations with America is founded upon a recognition
—too long delay-ed—of the joint interests of the
tw3 nations. Nor is the hope that the Senate
will finally ratify the convention without ground.
The chance of its accepting the terms agreed upon
will be the greater for the delay, since the proposi-
tion will now come before it during General GRANT'S
regime. The danger which might arise from the

antagonism between Mr. ANDREW JOHNSON and the
Legislature will be avoided, and should General
GRANT, as is probable, continue the work of concilia-

tion, a favourable result is certain.

THE BRITISH' AlesEnt AND THE POLlCE.—Yes-
terday morning an order issued by the Chief Commis-
sioner of Police was read to the constables at all the me-
tropolitan police-stations informing them that the police-
sergeants and constables on Outy at the British Museum
were for the future to receive ls. per day extra for refresh-
ments, and arrears from the Ist of .April, 1867, would also
be paid.

THE MANUFACTURE OF WATCHES AND CLOC K S.-
A most interesting and instructive little work, describing briefly
but with great clearness, the rise and ess of watch and
clock makin , has just been published by Mr T. W. Benson, of
25, Old Bond-street, 99, WestLourne-grove, and the City Steam
Factory, SS and GO, Ludgate-hill. The book, which is profusely
illustrated, gives a full description of the various finds of watches
and clocks, with their prices, and no one should na Ike a purchase
without visiting the above establishments or Consulting this truly
valuable work. By its aid persons residing in any part of tte
United Kingdom, India, or the Colonies, are enabled to select for
themselves the watch best adapted for their • use, and have it sent
to them with perfect safety. Mr. Benson, Id o holds the appoint-
ment to the Prince of Wales, sends this pamr, hlet to any address
on receipt of two postage stamps, and we et tnnot too stiongly
recommend it to the notice of the intending, purchaser,

THE SUN, LONDON, S TURDAY- EVENING, JANUARY 16, 1869,

LATEST INTELL IGENCE,

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE CONFERENCE.

PARIS, Jan. 16,

The Official Journal of to day states that the
fourth meeting of the Conference took place yester..
day. The fifth sitting will take place to-day.

The Constitutionnel confirms that the deliberations
of yesterday's sittings of the Conference, which
lasted three hours, took a decisive form of a most
satisfactory character. Considerable progress was
made towards the wished-for solution, although the
substance and form of the final settlement were not
unanimously agreed upon. The paper adds : "To
all appearance, therefore, to-day's sitting will be the
last, as the Plenipotentiaries will have accomplished
their task of conciliation, which all Europe will wel-
come with unqualified satisfaction."

SPAIN.

MADRID, Jan. 15, Evening.

The elections to the Cortes have commenced this
morning in several election districts. There was
little excitement.

The party in favour of a monarchy, to be esta-
blished on a broad Democratic basis, have obtained
a large majority at the election of the members of
the bureaux.

The Government have resolved that 120 millions
of reals are to be paid to the railway companies.
At present they will receive 80 millions.

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, Jan. 15

The 2 agblatt of to-day publishes a private tele-
gram, according to which the Conference will limit
its work to the expression of a wish that the Greco-
Turkish conflict may not endanger peace in the
East, and perhaps also a collective note will be sent
to this effect to Constantinople and Athens.
The National Bank, which claimed from the
council of Ministers an auxiliary sum of 669,409
guilders to be paid by the State, has received from
the Council a reply declining to comply with the
request.

GERMANY.

LUBECK, Jan. 16

The Prince and Princess of Wales and suite ar-
rived here this morning, and was received by the
English Minister, Mr. Ward. Their Royal High-
nesses proceed to-day to Hamburg, and to-morrow
to Berlin.

TiR GOA .EJ E VCJ; AT A R

Yesterday the body of Viscount Strangford
was removed from his town residence, Cumberland-place,
Hyde Park-corner, to Kensal-green, for interment. The
funeral consisted of a hearse and four horses, with three
carriages containing the relatives and friends of deceased,
followed by many carriages of the nobility. The service
was read by the Rev. Charles Stuart, M.A., chaplain of
Kensal-green Cemetery. The body was deposited in the
family vault. The coffin bore the following inscription
Percy Allen Algernon Freak Wm. Barnes Sydney, eighth
and last Viscount Strangford, and Baron Peuhurst. Born
Nov. 26, 1825 ; died January 9, 1869."
Mr. T. B. Potter, M.P., was present at the annual
dinner of the Rochdale Merchants' and Tradesmen's Asso-
ciation on Thursday. The hon. gentleman responded to tho
toast of " The County and Borough Members." Refer-
ring to the state of trade, he said the dawn of a better day
could not yet be seen, but he hoped the recent good harvest
would soon produce a good effect. At the present moment
they could purchase three loaves for the same price they
paid for two 12 months ago, and this being the case they
knew there must be something leftin the pockets of the work-
ing class. The question of free trade was a subject ho migh
ventur to touch upon. The treaty with France would
soon have to be renewed. He hoped that the trade of the
two countries would continue to prosper, and that the duties
now imposed in France would be still further reduced. He
thought it would be wise if the association took up theso
subjects.

The " masons' case" came again before the Shef-
field Bench yesterday. A man named Crane had agreed
to serve Mr. Powell, and then broke the contract. For this
he was sentenced to imprisonment. Against that decision
an appeal was made, and the sentence of the Court below
confirmed. Mr. Powell had offered not to enforce judgment if
Crane would return to his work and pay costs. Crane
refused, and yesterday Mr. Barker, barrister, asked
the Bench to enforce his judgment. Mr. Sugg, for the
defendant, denied the power of the Cot-:t to do so; and
Mr. Albert Smith said the Bench had no power to act
at present, for they had no official notice of the decision
of the Court above. The case was brought to a close by a
verbal agreement that Crane should return to work on
Monday, and serve Mr. Powell for three weeks, at the end
of which time he is allowed to depart. On the other band,
if he does not fulfil this agreement, Mr. Powell is at liberty
to proceed to enforce the judgment of the Court.
THE GLADSTONES.—John Gladstone was twice
married. He does not appear to have had any issue by
his first wife. He married secondly Ann Robertson, of
Stornoway, N. 8., daughter of Andrew Robertson, who
had been Provost of Dingwall. One who knew her well
testifies that she was "a lady of very great accomi,:ish-

ments, of fascinating manners, of commanding pre.

sence, and high intellect ; one to grace any home
and endear any heart." By her he had a family
of four sons and two daughters. Of these, three sons—
Sir Thomas, Bart., of Fasque ; Robertson, the
Liverpool merchant ; and William Ewart —and one
daughter, who is unmarried, survive. John Neilson, a
captain in the navy, and ALP. for Portarlington, died a
few years ago. John Gladstone was made a baronet by
Sir Robert Peel in 1845. He died in ISSI. Besides the
Provision made for his family by will, he gave to each of
his sons £lOO,OOO in his lifetime. William Ewart was
born on the 29th of December, 1809, in the same bedroom
as that in which, five years later, his friend Mr. Cardwell
first saw the light.—Gilchrist's Life of TV. E. Gladstone.
PUBLICATION OF THE NAMES OF DEFAULTERS._
A most disgraceful act has recently sullied the pages of
the Racing Calendar. The name of Mr. W. 11. Gladstone,
_lll_.P., has appeared in the forfeit list as a defaulter. On

Mr. GladBto-n-e's attention being drawn to the publication

of his name in the turf defaulters' Ns', the hon. member
thus explains the circumstance :—" The default of £5 is

not on account of any bet or eni..geinent which I have
failed to fulfil, but is a forfeit on account of a horse n,,t

starting at the last Chester races, which had been without
my knowledge entered in my name, as a member for the
city. Long after the races were over it was intimated to

me that this forfeit had been incurred. I objected to pa 37
it because I demurred to a liability, whether great or
small, made known to me ex post facto, and of which

had been till then in total ignorance. Not only had I
received no notice of it, but there was no evidence,
through the local papers or otherwise, by which

a person unacquainted with turf matters, like myself,
could have been cognisant of the arrangement." Mr.
Gladstone's name is not the only one that has been un•
justly branded as a defaulter, and the sooner the Jockey
Club order the suppression of this annual list, except in

cases where, the defaulters have been guilty of ungentle.

rawly action, the better will it be for theßreetige of the
national mustime.—Land and water.

" The plenipotentiaries entered into afresh engagement
to observe absolute secresy as to the course of their delibe-
rations." This piece of intelligence, telegraphed on Thurs-
day evening, is the crowning absurdity of one of the most
absurd procedures in the history of diplomacy. It
might be fairly asked how it came to be disclosed
that the Ambassadors had resolved to disclose
nothing. But there can be no doubt that such
a resolution was needed. There is every reason
why the proceedings of the Conference should be kept
secret, for in truth they will not bear the light, but they
have, nevertheless, been disclosed, and the public is sub-
stantially as well a.-_:quainted with the deliberations as the
plenipotentiares themselves. The proceedings have been
published almost in full by the Paris journals, the reports
were copied into the semi-official prints, and as they have not
been denied, but rather confirmed, there is not the slightest
reason for questioning their truth. M. de Lavalette has
made a most unauspicious commencement of his career as
Foreign Minister. The Ambassadors have been got
together before the consent of all the parties has been
obtained. Greece has been insulted, and in turn
has insulted all the Powers. The proceedings are at a
standstill ; and, finally, though of such an awkward
character, they have all been made public. Even the order
in which the unfortunate Ambassadors sit round the still
more unfortunate M. de Lavalette has been ascer-
tained. To prevent all trouble with susceptibili-
ties, they axe arranged alphabetically Austria,
Great Britain, Italy, Prussia, Russia, and Turkey.
In addition to this interesting detail, we are informed that
the French Emperor is exceedingly angry at the turn
affairs have taken, and M. de Lavalette's mismanagement
may cost him his place. There is this foundation
for these reports": if the Emperor be not angry,
he has el ery reason to be. Every day that has
passed since the Greek Ambassador made his extra-
ordinary refusal has increased the difficulty and danger
of the situation. The first meeting of the Conference
was held on Saturday. The Powers immediately
afterwards made representations to Greece, but
no answer had been returned up to Friday. The Libert6
believes the Conference is a "still-born infant" of diplo-
macy. It thinks the resistance of Greece is serious and
definite ; and not only will a protocol without
the signature of Greece be of diminished value,
but the Powers have agreed beforehand that they will
not guarantee its stipulations, and that therefore it will
have no value whatever. It is difficult to conceive what
could be the object of this gathering except to prove that
diplomacy could do nothing. La Frarce believes the Con-
ference will adjourn indefinitely to avoid more humiliating
consequences. The Patrie had no hope that a reply would
come from Greece. The Temps thinks the representatives
of the Powers will adjourn after having in a manner
formally recorded their impotence. It believes that nothing
that the Conference can now effect will content Turkey,
and a war in the East is all but inevitable. The Independance
Belge, which has most earnestly believed in the success of
the deliberations, has now little hope. The Globe is appre-
hensive of a war, and the other English papers are scarcely
more hopeful. To sum up, it is evident that, supposing
the Ambassadors finish their labours without Greece, the
protocol can guarantee nothing; indeed, it has been
expressly declared that it shall guarantee nothing; and if
the Conference be adjourned siiie die, the rupture between
Turkey and Greece remains in worse case than ever. The
best result that can be hoped for is unsatisfactory.

ennslyvania, it is said, has nearly five liquor
shops to each school teacher.
The Alaska belles are said to begin dinner with
a bottle of whisky, and close the repast with a copious
draught of whale oil.

The total sum subscribed by the Metropolitan
Police for the erection of a memorial to the late Sir
Richard Mayne, K.C.8., Chief Commissioner of Police,
is £574 Bs. 9d.
Coal is cheaper in Sydney than it is in Liver-
pool, and the quality is no longer questioned, since the
City of Sydney screw steamer made the shortest passage
on record from Melbourne to Suez with Australian coal.
The Agricultural Gazette says the cattle plague,
obeying the law which seems to regulate contagious
diseases generally, is advancing westward from its
reputed home' in the Steppes. Our contemporary is
apprehensive that the plague may be reintroduced into
this country.
The Philadelphia Public Ledger says :—" It is
estimated that no less than 200,000 persons are now resid-
ing in New York City who have no work, no real homes,
and no means which ensure them a livelihood. Some of
them beg or steal outright ; but a large number eke out a
miserable existence by running into debt for lodging and
board, or by borrowing from week to week of whomsoever
will lend them, or by cpiartering themselveS- on reluctant
relatives or friends. The result is reported to be an
aggregate of want, squalor, misery, and degradation fearful
to contemplate.