The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-21 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPT. 21, 1867.

Mr. GLADSTONE has been :most fortunate in hav-
ing an opportunity of displaying his eloquence in
discoursing on the iron track of Lancashire. On
Thursday a ceremonial took place at Barrow, in
Furness, on the Lancashire coast, to celebrate the
opening of the new docks which have been made
by the Farnet:s Railway company. The manner
in which the town of Barrow has sprung up into
importance is really surprising, and is a tribute to
the wonders of commercial enterprise. After the busi-
ness of the day was over a grand banquet took place,
at which an immense company assembled. The Duke
of DEVONSHIRE occupied the chair, and in propose
ing " Success to the Barrow Docks," he entered at
some length into the chief points of interest con-
nected with the affair. He said that it required an
effort of the imagination to " realise the condition
of things which existed at Barrow in the pre-rail-
way times. In his early days Barrow consisted of
a few cottages." It is, indeed, a transformation,
from the population consisting of fewer than a hun-
dred inhabitants to having nearly 20,000 inhabi-
tants. The deposits of " iron ore" have been the
cause of this rapid change, and the introduc-
tion of the railway system into the district
has also tended much to its development.
Mr. GLADSTONE proposed ." The Town and Trade
of Barrow," and remarked that the occasion which
brought them thus together was one of national
interest. "'We have heard," said the right hon.
gentleman, " a great deal at different times about
King Cotton as king in England, and far be it from
me to say anything against his majesty, to whom I
wish to be sincerely loyal ; but although they could
not get on with two kings in Brentford, yet of this
class and character there are two kings in England.
There is a King Iron as well as a King Cotton, and
I think in every sense as Englishmen we must
rejoice that• in these latter years especially King
Iron has risen up out of the bowels of the earth to
assert his claim to a share in the sovereignty."
This is put in that graphic style for which Mr.
GLADSTONE'S oratory is so famous, and brings be-
fore us in an impressive manner the remarkable cha-
racteristics of the trade and commerce of the
country.

It is always desirable and profitable to turn
aside when we can from the mere material interests
of the moment, and consider the meaning of things,
and when the inquirer and speculative can follow
a master mind it is a rare opportunity that should
be duly appreciated. The fate of Iron has
been, as Mr. GLADSTONE remarked, a singular one ;
and, in taking a retrospective glance at his course,
we may understand how PROVIDENCE adapts the
productions of the earth in their varied forms and
several characters to the requirements of society at
different stages. Thus looking at barbarous life,
we see that iron is utterly unknown as a luxury in
these earliest days. They passed from stone and
wood to metal, but iron was still untouched. We
may form the best notion of the matter by taking a
practical view of the value of the different metals, and
hence we see that iron, which was three thousand years
ago ten times more valuable than copper, is now
not one-tenth of the price of copper; and this change
is not accounted for by any decrease in the value of
copper, which is indeed obtained more readily than
heretofore, and put to more use, but because, to take
the illustration here given, " the gigantic strides
with which iron has attested itself, and because by
far the most useful and valuable of all the metals
which the earth affords, perhaps more useful and
more necessary than all the rest put together, has
effected this extraordinary change." There are
many things to think of in connection with this
striking change, and one is the rapid improvements
that have been made. As Mr. GLADSTONE said,
the men of olden times would have regarded in the
light of a miracle many of the commodities now
supplied to us, and which, from habit and custom,
we consider as ordinary affairs. The result of all
these inquiries is that we arrive at a satisfactory
conclusion, for the more the use of "iron" advances
the more the power of England advances also.
Hence, as we find mentioned impressively in this
discourse, it may be very well for us to obtain com-
modities from our neighbours if we cannot produce
them cheaper and better for ourselves; but the value of
a treasure is greatly increased if we can produce them
for ourselves, and in this especial instance of Bar-
row we may note that the " commodity" is one
which is intimately associated with national wealth,
and with national security and power. We think
that Mr. GLADSTONE did not make a rash venture
when he said that looking forward the progress of
iron was so rooted and fixed in the essential wants
of society that it assumed the character of a law of
modern trade and industry.

It is indeed encouraging to look upon such
a picture as Barrow presents, and to draw
from thence the conclusion that much may
yet be done in the way of real advancement
among us, although it is the fashion nowadays to
talk as if our day was departing. As Mr. GLAD-
STONE remarked, it seems extraordinary to see that
"in what we call an old country like this there
should be still so much youth and still so much
energy to develop) and expand itself." Among
many of the drawbacks of the present day it is
pleasant to think that in one respect a decided
change for the better has taken place, and that
such is the progress of things, and the increase in the
resources of trade and capital, that any particular
place may start into prominence from a state of pre-
vious insignificance, without materially injuring
others, or interfering with their prosperity. In point of
fact, they may sometimes be of service to those with
whom they seem at first sight to compete prejudi-
cially, for they serve as a stimulus to their efforts,
and may compel them to improve their condition
through the exercise of care and judgment, instead
of wasting their natural gifts and treasures through
lavish prodigality. Mr. GLADSTONE speaks out
boldly, and with the true English spirit of per-
severance. Some say that Barrow will be-
' come a Liverpool. " Let it become a Liverpool if
it will and can," lie replies. " The old Liverpool
will be none the worse, but the better for its exist-
ence, and as a Liverpool man I cordially join in the
sentiment I ask you to adopt, and make you join
in drinking Prosperity to the Trade and Town
of Barrow.' " The proceedings at this affair were
altogether of a most into,restint, kind, and we refer
our readers to them, with the confident assurance
that they will find plenty to attract notice, for they
refer to matters which are of great importance and
interest in a national sense.

The interest attaching to the news brought from
New York by the Cuba is thrown into the shade
by the melancholy intelligence transmitted through
the cable. Sir FREDERICK BRUCE is gone in the
prime of life and the full strength of his powers,
gone just when his services were most valuable to
his country—his aid most model in the future. By
a singular fatality three brothers, all of whom