The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-22 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN CONCEETS.I
COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.
EVERY EVENING at 8.
Under the sole Direction of Mr. J.
eh
RUSSELL.
Madlle. Sarolta, Eraclio, M. J. M. Wli, Mr. R.
Levy, Mr. Reynolds. The Courtois Union, and Badudntorof
100 performers. Conductor, Signor Bottesini. Conc
of the Dance Music, Herr Johann Strauss, from VienDna.
THIS EVENING (THURSDAY), a MENDELSSOIT
NIGHT.
Box-office open from 10 till 5. Promenade, Is.
Doors open at half-past Seven.

TiIENTRE ROYAL, HAYMARKET,
Sole Lessee and fitanage.r. Mr. Bucks One.
TfllS F.VENING, AN UNEQUAL MATCH. MBraidesr.
Back:stone, Chippendale, ftotturs. Comptoii, Kendal, ,
c ark, Weaviershy, c. ; 3te •damcs Sid w ek, BtrAcingham
White, eitzwilliam, Laws, Coleman. &c.
I ter which, TO PARIS AND BACK FOR, FIVE
rousl3S. Mr. Euckstone.
To ccnclude with PEC nc e S3IINK.
ommeat Seven.

THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI.
Sole Proprietor and Manazer, Mr. B. Webster.
?HIS EVENING, THE rARONET ABROAD. Miss
Roden.
After which, at 8. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTINZG.
Messrs. Nevill•, Billington, Stuart, Ashley, PhillipsH, C. J.
Smith, J. Clarke, J. G. Taylor, C. 11. Stephenson, i:omcr;
Mi,ses Kate Terry, E. Pitt. Hughes, and A. Seaman.
To conclude with A SLICE OV LUCK. Messrs J.
Clarke, J. G. Taylor, C. IT. Stephenson, C. J. Smith ; Mies
A. Seaman and Miss E. Pitt.

110YAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
New Management.
Sole Lessee, Mr. B. Webster ; Manager, Mr. H. Wigan.
II
TO-NIGHT, SIX MONTHS AGO. Mr. Clayton, Mr.
J. Montague, Miss 31. Palmer.
Alter which. THE GRASSHMOP. Messrs.H.Wigan Emma
,
D. Murray, and J. Clayton ; esdamPEßes Ada and
Webb, and Sheridan.
To conclude with BETTY MARTIN. Mr. G. Vincent
and Miss E. Farren.
Doors open at half-past Six; Commence at Seven.

LAST NIGHT OF THE SEASON.
ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Sole Lessee, Mr. Vining.
Under the Ilanagement of Mr. Hermann Vezin.
THIS EVENING at 7 (for the Benefit of Mr. Hermann
Vezin'. the performance will commence with THE MAN
0' AI RL E. .limes II dreell. Mr. Hermann Vezin; Messrs.
E. Price. 11. Forrester, Gresham. Maclean, G. Merton ;
Misses E. Stuart and Neily Moore.
To conclude with MASKS AND FACES. Peg Woffing-
ton, Mrs. Hermann Vezin.
Doors open at half-past 6 ; commence at 7.

ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE AND CIRCUS,
HIGH HOLBORN.
OPEN EVERY EVENING.—BRILLIANT AND UNABATED
SUCCESS.
THIS EVENING. an3'ber Change of Programme. En-
g-gement of La Petite Taglioni, the Juvenile Wondcer
Abbot of tht,
e
World. The "Vanishing Clown,'' by the
rece'ved nightly with shouts of laughter and rounds of ap-
plause. The Istothers Daniels, Musical
ire towns; M. Airec s
thrilling rrapcze Act; th
kt ondel Fe " Zamor,"
he.; together with SCENES 1N THE ARENA by the
Matchless Troupe of Equestrians.
Commence at Eight.

remain as it is, and the plodding statesman :and
the worn-out Minister may enjoy a season, of
comparative repose. The interest of the ceremony
of yesterday was, of course, very different to -what
it would have been had her MAJESTY appeared.
The Royal assent having been given to some bills, the
Lord Chancellor proceeded to read the Queen's Speech
which was above the average in point of interest
and importance. It began by stating that the
members of both Houses were released from t'ae
labours of a long and more than " usually everat-
fur Session, which was strictly true in every sense
of the word, and more especially as related tc the
House of Commons, which has indeed been most
assiduous in its efforts. Allusion is made to the
friendly relations with foreign Powers, and to the
doubt which arose at one time respecting the
state of feeling between France and Prussia,
and the happy results which followed from the in-
tervention of the English Government, and those
of the other neutral states. The most important
paragraph in the Speech is that which relates to
Abyssinia, wherein it is said that the communica-
tions to the King of ABYSSINIA have hitherto most
unfortunately proved to be ineffectual to obtain
the release of the British subjects whom he
detains in his dominions. " I have found
it necessary to address to him a peremptory
demand for their immediate liberation, and to take
measures for supporting that demand, should it
ultimately be found necessary to resort to force."
This is very decided language, and we are glad to
meet with it. The time has certainly come now
when the honour of the country and the dignity of
the' Sovereign of these realms demand that some
measures be taken of a decided character. Besides,
the hardships and sufferings that these unfortunate
captives have endured, and for which justice loudly
calls for compensation, we have to bear in mind
that they are not only our fellow countrymen, but
that one of them, at any rate, represents the autho-
rity of this country in that distant place. To go on
appearing indifferent to their fate will not be
at all calculated to raise our character abroad, or to
keep up the prestige which we at present enjoy.
No doubt proceeding to extremities may be a costly
and dangerous way of settling the matter, but if no
other solution presents itself that reason can justify,
this course must be adopted with as good a grace
as possible. A " peremptory demand" is the best
mode of addressing a man like THEODORE, and
it would have been better had this style been tried
previously. Either one course or the other should
have been pursued ; but the line which was fol-
lowed by the late Government was a most unwise
one. First they treated him with indifference, and
forgot the ordinary rules of courtesy ; and next
they gave him cause to think that they
were frightened of him, or at least did
not think it expedient to adopt extreme mea-
sures. We learn from Aden that Colonel MERE-
WETHER was to leave for Bombay in her Majesty's
ship Dalhousie, and to return in a fortnight, which
is a significant piece of intelligence, and, taken in
conjunction with the impressive passage in the
Royal Speech, naturally induces us to expect that
decisive steps will be taken. Lord STANLEY, in his
last speech in the House of Commons on the
subject, desired that the House would
leave the matter in the hands of those
with whom the responsibility rested, and the
public may feel assured on good grounds that the
best will be done in this affair.
The treasonable conspiracy in Ireland is made
mention of, and due acknowledgments are made to
the loyalty of the general population which contri-
buted as much as the admirable manner of the
troops and the police to put down the insurgents.
Her MAJESTY rejoices that the supremacy of
the law was vindicated, without the pain-
ful necessity of sacrificing a single life.
Respecting the great work of the Session, her MA-
JESTY declares that she has " great satisfaction i❑
giving her assent to a Bill for Amending the Re-
presentation of the People in Parliament, and
earnestly trusts that the extensive and liberal mea-
sures just passed may effect a durable settlement of
a question which has long engaged public attention,
and that the large number of my subjects who will
be for the first time admitted to the elective
franchise may prove themselves worthy of the
confidence which Parliament has reposed in them."
The time and labour required iu the due considera-
tion of this important subject have not, however,
prevented other matters from being noticed, and
we find that, in the epitome of the session which a
Royal Speech always makes, mention is made of
' some interesting questions concerning the wellbeing
of the working classes to which Parliament
has directed its efforts. The provisions of
the Factory Acts have been extended to
various trades, and this is indeed a satisfactory
thing to mention as part of the work of a session.
The Trade Unions are spoken of, and it is said that
the revelations that have taken place before the
Commission have disclosed a state of things that
will demand the earnest attention of Parliament.
This is indeed a task which will await the labours
of another session ; but the way has been so
far cleared by the discover ies that have
been made and the time spent in consideration.
The administration of the poor laws requires con-
stant supervision, and hence a bill has been intro-
duced for improving the treatment of the sick poor.
There is more reason this year than on many prior
occasions to think that the hope expressed in the
last passage of the Royal Speech may be realised,
and that the members of both Houses may
think on returning to their homes that their
time and pains have not been thrown away,
but feel the gratifying consciousness that " they
have resulted in a series of measures which may
contribute to the welfare of the country and the
contentment and happiness of the people." The
Session of 1867 does not rest its claim to regard
entirely on the measure of Reform which it has
passed, for many other useful acts have been
assed, although of course not equal in importance
and interest to that of the Representation of the

People.

We learn by telegraph from Sheffield that a meet-
ing of the executive of the organised trades was
held there last evening, when a resolution was rassed
denouncing the resolutions recently agreed to by the
Sawgrinders' Union, and refusing to have any com-
munication with that union until it had expressed
contrition for past misdeeds and given a guaran-
tee for their future good conduct. We are glad
that the men of Sheffield have come boldly for-
ward to disclaim any participation in such atro-
cities, either directly or indirectly, and we hope
that the Sawgrinders may be brought to
a sense of their conduct by the energetic
and united protest of the other trades. The
opinion of the class above them and those at a
distance seems to possess no influence ; perhaps the
unanimous condemnation of men of their own

standing in their own immediate vicinity may be
more effectual. At any rate, it is well that these
meetings should have been held by the Sheffield
workmen to remove some part at least of the stigma
which has attached to their town from the achieve-
ments of BROADHEAD, CROOKES, and their fellows.
Meantime the tailors on strike in London are
receiving a leSson which, it is to 1c hoped, pay

teach them a little more moderation. The evil ten-
dency of those combinations which attempt to con-

,rol. the action of men without their ranks is perhaps

more forcibly shown by the London tailors than by
th.e Sheffield saw-grinders, because the former have

not thrown off every restraint of law, morality, and
humanity as the latter have done. Nevertheless

the effects are the same in a lesser degree. When

once the principle of interference with a man's

'ree will in the government of his own

right and reasonable actions is admitted, we shall
invariably be led on step by step until we arrive at

unmitigated despotism ; and thus, though blowing
up and shooting down is less popular as yet in Lon-
don than in Sheffield, the system of " picketing 'is
unhesitatingly adopted, and every lesser means of
intimidation and annoyance employed which can
frighten and harrass men and women away from
their work. The system of picketing as described
by the police would be contemptible if it were not so
mischievous. It is wonderful what time these men
are willing to spend not in honest work to get their
living, but in endeavouring to prevent other men
from getting theirs. From the 22d of April, when
it began, the picketing, says one of the master
tailors in his evidence, has never ceased ; and he
adds that he has seen from one to sixty persons
opposite his shop at a time. One of the extra police
employed said that while on duty he had never seen
any one leave a master tailor's shop with a bundle
who was not followed. Mr. Baron BRAMWELL, in
his summing up, told the jury that picketing was
not illegal if it was done without any molestation
or threatening, but it is quite evident that such
was not the case here, since many of the men em-
ployed were afraid to go home alone, and the women
were often much terrified, though no actual injury
seems to have been done. Even if the picketing
were strictly confined to following in crowds, and
using bad language, it is certainly an unwarrantable
thing for a man to be so annoyed because he chooses
to work at a particular shop. The talk about the
rights of labour, like a good deal of other talk,
ends by defeating its own object. After all
the abuse of masters, and the discussion about
the relations between capital and labour, the chief
difficulty seems to be with the men themselves
The contest is between workmen and workmen
more than between employers and employed. No
master dare treat his men as BROADHEAD and the
other heads of the unions treat their recasant
subscribers. If a man leaves his employers it is an
unheard-of thing for the employer to follow him
from town to town, and hinder his getting other
employment. It would be something new for an
employer to discharge his hands because they had
not paid up their subscriptions. The men have a
thousand opportunities of tyrannising over their
fellows, which in these days are happily unattain-
able by masters, and while judges and lawyers all
sanction the principle of trade combinations, the
great difficulty is to make the men stop short at the
right time. Combination in these days of rapid
communication and easy transit loses much of its
force, since new hands can be imported to supply
the vacancies caused by a strike. The men con-
sequently resort to the expedient of threatening
and intimidating the new comers, and thus keeping
off all rivals. But the worst part of the Union re-
gulations is the severity with which the adoption of
their rules is enforced on ordinary workmen in
quiet times. There can be no question that under
their influence English industry has lost much of
its vantage ground, and the quality of our handi-
crafts is inferior to those of many foreign nations.
We must hope that the events of this year, painful
and startling though they may have been, may yet
do good service in convincing men of their errors.