The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-09 00:00:00

WHAT HAS LORD DERBY DONE ?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SlR,—Many years have indeed passed since I first
learned the Latin grammar as a little boy at school.
I, however, full well remember when I did
do so that I began learning the imperfect
and past, or rather the preterperfect tenses
before I began to learn the future. In my
correspondence with you six months ago I
began with the future, and am going to end with
the preterite or past tense. I began at the com-
mencement of the present session with the inquiry,
" What will Lord Derby do?" I will now end my
correspondence with the simple question of " What
has Lord Derby done?" Aly answer to the ques-

tion at the commencement of the session was, of
course, vague and problematical, as the future is for
some wise and good end hidden from our view; but
I have a good, full, and substantial answer to my
question, at the end of the session, and that is where
I ask, " What has Lord Derby done ?" In good
truth, I can say, a vast deal. He has accomplished
far more than has been done at any time
since the ever-memorable year 1832, thirty-five
years ago; and it must be owned he has shown
the same amount of energy and talent in carrying
the Reform Bill of 1867 that he did in giving birth
to its great ancestor of 1832. Thus in somewhat
less than forty years has he completely been the
means of revolutionising our ancient electoral
system. Forty years is but a brief period,
historically speaking ; and just this time forty
years ago Reform was described by the
late Earl Grey (the very individual who only five
short years afterwards actually carried the great
bill itself) to be in a sad, hopeless, drooping, and
despairing plight. What things have we not seen
accomplished since 1832! Our gigantic railway
system, which now spreads over the whole length
and breadth of the land, was then little more than
a foetus, or at most a baby in arms. The electric
telegraph was wholly unknown, and had any
one even in those days been soothsayer
enough to predict its present wonderful
powers, he would have been laughed to scorn as a
fool or a madman. Our police force was then in its
infancy, having been introduced only three years
previously by a Minister whom all England feels
so justly proud of—l mean the immortal Sir R.
Peel--and whose untimely end the country has
daily fresh cause to deplore. Omnibuses were a
mere novelty, and it was even so late as this very
year 1832 said that it would be at least ten years
before the London and Birmingham Railway would
be completed. But so little are we ever permitted
to know the future, that in less than five years
every coach between London and Birmingham was
off the road. Pursuing my theme still further, I
may remark the old of 1832 are gone, those then
in their prime arc either in extreme old age, dying,
or dead. The undergraduates of those days, as
also the sixth-form boys in our public schools,
aro now converted by old Father Time,
the greatest pantomimist, into the grey, elderly
man. The little boy of those days is now middle-
aged, and in many cases become a grandpapa.
The youthful Princess Victoria, the heiress pre-
sumptive to the British throne of those days, who
at that time was regarded by the people of Eng-
land with feeble and uncertain hopes as their
future Queen (remembering, as we all did,
the melancholy tragedy of the death in direct suc-
cession to the throne of two generations of British
princes only a few, short years previously) is
now, and has been for a whole generation, our
Queen, and is the mother of a large and numerous
family of children and grandchildren, from whom
we look forward to a line of illustrious kings ;
and, in fact, in good truth it can be
said that Queen Victoria has commenced
a new dy nasty to the British throne, an d
has been the means of severing Old England
from her continental dominions, which, as we all
know, have lately become merged iu another
foreign Power; now connected by marriage with the
Queen of England. Before I quit this part of my
subject, I will observe that the present line of suc-
cession to the English throne is wholly and
entirely without precedent in the history of Eng-
land. Queens Regnant, as well as Princes of Wales,
have flourished before, but never until within the
last 30 years have we been governed by a Queen
Regnant, with an heir apparent in succession.
The stage coach, with all its numerous appen-
dages, which at the time of the passing of the old
treform Bill was said to have only just arrived at
erfection, is now, in 1867, as much a creature of

he past as the lleptarchy, and, in fact, may

be said to form one of the curiosities of the Archaeo-
logical Society. Indeed, the locomotion of those
days is what the rising generation of the present
time have but an abstract idea of. To return,
however,

ask, what has Lord Derby done? Why, more in
six short months than his predecessors did in seven
long years. The only advantage England gained
by turning out the Conservatives in 1859 has
been that of causing Parliamentary Reform to be

placed on the shelf for eight long years, and so
causing England to be deprived for several years of
a useful body of electors. Pray, why did the late
Government postpone Parliamentary Reform for
so many years ? Why, when they thought proper
to turn out the Government of Lord Derby in
the summer of 1859, on their then Reform

Bill, because, according to their idea of
things it did not go far enough ? . Why, again,
do I ask, with all humility, did. they allow the whole
subject to go to sleep for seven years? Why, if a
Reform Bill were so necessary in 1859, was it not
ec,nsidcred necessary until 186(3? The answer is

by no mans a difficult one. All the soi-disant
Liberals wanted was to get into office. This feat
they accomplished, I have not the least hesitation in
asserting, to the great injury of the country; and
when once fairly installed in office they were glad
enough to send Parliamentary Reform to the winds.
I might cry out with Juvenal, " Quis emin salvis
infamia nummis," which might fairly be the motto
of the late Government. Let us, however, be thank-
ful for our bountiful harvest of now Parliamen-

tary Reform. It cannot, and indeed it is not to
be denied that no Reform Bill has ever
reached manhood unless our present most
illustrious Premier, happens to be a member of the
Cabinet. Ile has carried the bill of 1867, as he did
its great ancestor in 1832, only 35 short years ago,
for 35 years is but a brief period, historically
speaking, however long it may be for other pur-
poses. I am glad the country has taken my advice
and given the present Ministry a fair trial. I trust
the present Reform Bill will be the law of the land
before we are any of us a fortnight older.—l remain,
Sir, your faithful servant,
A LOVER AND OBSERVER OF HISTORICAL
DATES AND FACTS.

VOLUNTEER COURT OF INQUIRY.—The Duke of
Somerset having issued a commission, a court has
been held to inquire into the conulct of Lieutenant Clarke,
of the Ist (Exeter) Devon Volunteer Rifles. Sir Arthur
Chichester was the president of the court. The allegation
against the defendant was that, having made a certain
statement against Major Moore, with regard to his dealing
with the money of the corps unknown to the members,
and charging his personal expenses when others paid theirs
out of their own pocket,, ho retracted and apologised for
having used such language at a committee mooting of offi-
cers held on the 15th February last, but that a short time
after ha repeated the calumny, well knowing at the time
that it was a falsehood. The whole of the evidence taken,
with the opinion of the court, will bi laid before the Lord
Lieutenant for his decision.

THE RECKLESSNESS OF A CORNISH MINER.—
The 300 men mployed iu Condurrow mine, Camberne,
were informed a few days a.zo that some amongst their
number had been " spilled" (fined) to the amount of ..C8 or
£9 for riding in a ship; that the dangerous practice was
strictly prohibited ; and that any man injured in the for-
bidden and hazardous enterprise would receive no benefit
from the mind club. Yet, on Thursday, four or live men
got into the skip 220 f.tthoms from the surface, and, as it
actually moved off, John Cock attempted to jump in. As
the skip ascended ho fell back, his head was caught by the
partaiou of the shaft, ant the poJr fellow was killed on
the ;put.—Corti,h Tdcyraph. _ _ _

NINE DivinExn.;:---buriug the month of July
tho :aggregate dividends (botanic' amounted to £16,821.
Of this total, Devon Great Consols paid £7,168, South
Caradon £3,072, \Vhitewell £1,500, Mirke Valley £1,350,
Last Pool £640. East Cacadou £614, East Duren £6OO,
Soutar Darren £l5O, and Australian £l,OOO,

LATEST INTELLIGIiNGE

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

ARRIVAL OF THE CUBA.

NEW YORK, JULY 30.

In consequence of apprehensions of serious elec-
tion riots in Tennessee Federal troops are being
distributed to preserve order, and Brownlow's
militia are ordered to be under arms. The citizens
also are generally armed. It is reported that the
negroes in some counties will be intimidated from

voting.
President Johnson has, it is stated, positively
decided to remove General Sheridan.
The Connecticut Legislature has rejected the
Female Suffrage Bill.

Fifty deaths from cholera occur daily at Memphis,
chiefly among the negroes. Cholera is also raging
among the garrisons of the forts on the Western

plains.

Advices from Brownsville to the 20th inst. state
that all imperial prefects in Mexico had been exiled
for six years. The Bishop of Jalapa had been
arrested on a charge of aiding the empire.
A general confiscation of Imperialist property
bad commenced.

Foreign prisoners are alleged to have been marched
through the streets of Queretaro. Lopez, the be-
trayer of Maximilian, had been arrested at Oajaca
by the Governor, and ordered to be tried by court-
martial for excesses committed by him whilst an
Imperial officer.
Escobedo had announced his candidature for the
Presidency, and proclaimed his policy to be to ex-
terminate or drive all foreigners from Mexico.
The royal mail steamship Cuba from New York
arrived at Queenstown at 5.50 a.m. to-day (August
9), with 150 cabin passengers, and $121,100 in
specie. She landed 14 sacks of mails, 19 passengers,
and proceeded for Liverpool at 6 a.m. All well.
She was detained at Halifax nine hours by fog.
QUEBEC, August 6.
The Allans steamer Nestorian arrived here to day.