The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-12 00:00:00

Ti lIE "SUN" NEWSPAPER.-
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THE "SUN" NEWSPAPER.-
G. R. GLENIE, Sporting Library, 4, Connaught•
terrace, Edgware-road, chlivers the LATE EDITION of
" LIE SUN "at the earilest possible moment after leaving
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and In many parts of the Country at a comparatively early
hour the same evening. say 40 miles by 0 o'clock.
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Orders by Post punctaally attended to.

LONDON, SA7 URDAY, OCT. 12, 1867.

Those who thought when the Session closed that
the confusion about the Reform question was settled
for the present, and that there would be no more
talk for some time at least, did not indulge in very
unreasonable expectations, and yet they have turned
out to be wrong in their sanguine notions. Ever
and anon the public has had to undergo the inflic-
tion of reading or hearing repetitions of statements
from those whose expressions of opinion were only
too prominently put forward during the session
and its lengthy discussions. What end all this re-
newed fuss answers it is difficult to tell, but so
it is, and we must put up with the consequences,
tedious though they be. A meeting of " advanced
Liberals" has been held at Norwich, and letters
were read from distinguished persons, foremost in
the list of which was a communication from Mr.
GLADSTONE. This letter of the right hon. gentle-
man refers chiefly to the vexed subject of " rates,"
the mere mention of which is always enough to
put Mr. GLADSTONE in a state of great excitement
and indignation. We should say that it was
quite unnecessary for any one to demand an ex-
planation from him on the subject, or for him to
take the trouble to reply to it. In fact the
right hon. gentleman seems to think so himself, for
he declares that he would rather refer those he ad-
dresses to those debates in which he expressed his
views on the matter, rather than to any " succinct
summary" of them such as he could now convey.
Having premised this, he has no objection to state
that those provisions are "of a most inconvenient
and annoying character ;" and, -what is a more sig-
nificant announcement, that they will admit of
great and effectual amendment. Mr. GLADSTONE
will look with interest to the result of the experience
which the autumn and winter will bring, and if ho
is correct in his views ho thinks that "speedy re-
dress " will follow upon these grievances.
It is really very absurd for people to prejudge
things like this, and this opinion of Mr. GLAD-
STONE'S is not an isolated one. On more than one
occasion have hints been given that something must
be done to alter the injurious effect of the measure.
Nor can any one tell how the said measure may act
until it has come into actual working, and
all these declarations are perfectly groundless
Were the matter one of minor importance it would
be amusing to notice how infatuated people can be
when and where their prejudices are concerned;
but in a case of paramount interest, like the pre-
sent, it is really quite uncalled-for and inconsistent
that we should meet with these lets and hindrances
in the way of evil prognostications, false prophesy-
ing, and the like. The Reform Bill of 1867 was no
measure smuggled through Parliament with unseemly
haste. A fair fight took place, and long months
were occupied in its discussion. In this inter-
regnum state it is not suitable to presume to judge as
if it were now on its trial. It is not so that that tria
has yet to be made, and we would advise those who
do not approve of it to abstain from indirect details,
and let it wait until the experience of the country
has divided upon its merits. We have no doubt
that that decision will be as favourable as its re-
ception has already been with all but the wilfully
perverse and prejudiced, whom it:is impossible to
satisfy at any cost.

The annual IVreck Register and Wreck Chart, issued
under the supervision of the Board of Trade is
always an interesting study, and, unfortunately, the
one just published has a more powerful claim upon
our attention than usual. The year 1866 was, as
we all know, unusually productive of shipwreck
and disaster at sea, and it is, therefore, more matter
of regret than of surprise to find the list of casual-
ties a very heavy one. The number of wrecks and
casualties in the twelvemonth was 1,860, and the
loss of life in the same period no less than 896. The
numbers of casualties in the two preceding years
were respectively 1,390 and 1,656, the average num-
ber during the last 10 years having been 1,466. It
must be observed that these statistics refer exclusively
to the disasters on the coasts of the United King-
dom and in the surrounding seas ; but, thanks to
the rocky and dangerous. nature of some parts of
our coasts, and to the immense amount of our ship-
ping, such wrecks and casualties form a large pro-
portion of the maritime disasters of the whole
world. The coasting trade, as usual, occupies an
unenviable prominence. The number of vessels
employed in the regular carrying trade which were
more or less damaged during the year was 2,173, in
which the collier class largely predominates. The
Register reiterates its frequent remonstrances against
the manner in which too many of these ships are
sent to sea. Ships which must fall to pieces as soon as
they touch the ground do not give their crews much
chance of escape iu case of disaster, yet we are told
on good authority that such is often the case with
the coasting ships, and those, too, not by any
means the oldest. Vessels are employed in this
service which have reached the venerable age of

The list of collisions is a very heavy one—no less
than 422. These disasters involved the loss of two
or more ships, which accounts for the seeming
discrepancy between the number of ships lost or
damaged, and the number of casualties reported.
Unfortunately these collisions are becoming more
and more frequent, and have actually occurred at
the rate of more than one a day, since 422 are re-
corded in the year. •Our naval authorities should
exercise a strict supervision on this point, since the
carelessness or indifference in which these disasters
too frequently originate can hardly be too severely
blamed.
The services of the National Lifeboat Institution
form a pleasing part of the mournful chronicle, and
it is satisfactory to know that they have now a fleet
of 183 lifeboats on our coasts, so ably manned
and so efficiently directed as to call forth the
cordial approval of continental nations. The In-
ternational Jury of the Paris Exhibition,awarded
to the Institution one of their nineteen great gold
medals in acknowledgment of the important ser-
vices which they had rendered to shipwrecked
sailors of all nations, and we have no doubt the
benefits of their good example will soon extend still
further.

The York Church Institute was inaugurated on
Wednesday last, when the Archbishop of YORE
delivered an address full of interest to those who
take pleasure in such proceedings, and expressed
a hope that at a time when so much occurred to
distract men's minds they ;might be able to pre-
serve unity of feeling and sentiment. The object
of this institute iu question is to provide recreation
for the _mind, which is, in fact, as needful as em-
ployment for it, and also to see that the amusement
is of a satisfactory kind, and one which will not
cause regret or retrospection. Self-education, it is
truly said here, is a thing possible to all, and a faith
in its possibility is a great step towards realising it.
Connected with this subject the Archbishop made
some remarks on the tendencies of literature at the
present day. During the last half century many
things have occurred which have combined to give
a peculiar turn to thought and a rapid development
to literature. In France, at the end of last century,
great confusion reigned in all these matters, and it
was difficult to distinguish the prevailing feeling of
the people amid the tangled web that chance and
change had woven. In Germany attempts were
made to show that religion was beyond man's
understanding, and in England teachers started up
to spread the doctrines of the material school, and
make philosophy superior to faith. From these
complications a new and better state of things has
arisen, and men have turned with satisfaction
from the wearisome details of abstract philosophy
to subjects that come more within the legitimate
scope of their observation. In some respects art has
gone through changes somewhat similar, and
realism in art has kept pace with physical inquiry
and with philosophic doubt. In too many cases
the directors of our present literature have consi-
dered it a sufficient excuse that a thing is like real life
to render its description admissible into the pages
of romance. As it is forcibly put in this discourse,
" ThTre are noble exceptions, no doubt, but the
painter and the novelist are often content to repro-
duce, with minute fidelity, the facts of life as they
are, and besides are led into haunts of sin, and
taught how usurers roger each other, and harlots
live and die, because the picture it presents is true,