The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONL ON, TUESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1867.

lessons by bitter experience. They had seen the
tyranny of the few and of the many ; they perceived
that the. liberties of the people were best protected
by a constitutional monarchy, and while they left
much for us to enlarge, improve, and amend, ac-
cording to the increasing requirements of the age,
they laid down landmarks and erected barriers,
which, if we wish to preserve the blessings of free
thought, free action, a free press, and civil and re-
ligious liberty, we shall take care not lightly to
remove.

Mr. JONES says that, with manhood suffrage and
the ballot, bribery and corruption would be at au
end. We should have an end, then, of human na-
ture, as at present constituted ; for it is not the
fact of living in a £lO house that makes a man
open to temptation, but the inherent weakness of
mankind. The eloquent advocate of manhood suf-
frage goes on to ask, " Where are the purses that
could bribe the majority of 7,000,000 electors, and
where is the fool to attempt it when he could never
tell how the man he bribed had voted after all ?"
But although this sounds very plausible, facts are
stubborn things, and political corruption has reached
a height in America which is happily at present
unknown in England. There are other evil
influences besides the electioneering agent,
who offers a voter £lO or £2O for his vote. The
tyranny of intimidation by landlords has often been
justly denounced, and forms one of the strong points
of the democratic case against the aristocracy. But
the Trades' Unions have given us some pretty
strong specimens that the tyranny of intimidation
is not a vice unknown to the working men. Why
should it be ? Is he not flesh and blood like the
nobleman or the millionnaire ? Would not their
vices be his vices, and vice versa if their positions
were exchanged. There is nothing in the fact that
a man has not received a classical education, and has
worked with his hands instead of his head, that will
prevent him from abusing power over his fellows
when he gets the opportunity. Neither do the cir-
cumstances of his birth and his bringing up tend to
render him superior in political wisdom and public
spirit to the man above him in station. Of course
he may be so. A working man may be not only
more honest, but more shrewd and clear-sighted than
a highly-educated gentleman, because natural
ability will force its way, and the self-education
painfully now in face of great difficulties often does
more to quicken a man's faculties than the
routine knowledge obtained by the indolent
or the incapable under the most favourable
auspices. Men of genius and talent in all
professions have risen from the lower ranks,
but we must not, therefore, conclude that every
artisan or mechanic is a GEORGE STEPHENSON or a
HUMPHREY DAVY in disguise. Such an inference
would be as unjust as Mr. JONES'S insinuation that
a Parliament composed exclusively of the upper
classes would be an assembly of DEAN PAULS. Mr.
JONES argues sensibly enough that the working
classes would not, like one vast machine, vote all
one way at elections ; but his logic is sometimes in-
consistent. For instance, he tells us, first, that the
working classes have been mainly instrumental in
securing Catholic Emancipation, the removal of
Jewish disabilities, Free-trade, Reform, and the Ten
Hours Bill. Yet a sentence or two after he complains
of their exclusion from political power. Again he
says, "Establish manhood suffrage and in six months
education would be made compulsory throughout
the country." But after a while, in opposing the
educational test, he says :—" I presume all your
present electors can read, write, and cipher, or
where's the use o: your £lO test ?—and see what
they are worth. Indeed, sir, our criminal calen-
dars show that nearly all the more serious crimes,
excepting these of highway robbery, are committed
by persons who can read and write generally well."
According to this statement (which we believe to be
incorrect) the increase of education would mean the
increase of criminals. But we must also differ
from his first statement, without disparaging the
more intellectual portion of the working classes,
because ignorance cannot appreciate the advantages
of education; and if we had a Parliament of work-
ing men they would be the last to insist upon their
children going to school instead of earning their one
or two shillings a week. " The working-classes,"
says Mr. JONES, " insteal of wanting education to
fit them for the franchise, want the franchise to
enable them to obtain education." Then are they
to gain their experience at the cost of the country,
and are we to be governed by the representatives
of the opinions of uneducated men? Such ques-
tions present themselves with such overwhelming
force to some minds that, like Professor BLACKIE,
they declare they would rather have no Reform
than a movement in favour of democracy. But,
while we differ from Mr. JONES, we cannot
agree with the Professor that the bill of
1832 should have been final. Final for that
generation it might be, but a new generation has
sprung up, with new wants and requirements. If
all the legislation of that day had been final, where
should we be now? It was a great experiment,
and established a great principle, leaving the details
to be adjusted by its successors. The England of
1867 is not the same England as in 1832. Happily
she still retains many of her best and most
distinctive characteristics, prominent among which
are the love of liberty and fair play which
distinguishes both the accomplished disputants at
Edinburgh.

It is announced as a grand work of Prussian
clemency that the public functionaries in the an-
nexed provinces are not to be superseded, and,
according to the North German Gazette, this may be
taken as a proof that the Berlin Government can
rely upon a tranquil spirit prevailing in these places.
It is amusing, however, to see that in the midst of
this felicitation and self-glorifying some clouds are
to be discerned, and we find that a comparison is
instituted between the state of the electoral move-
ment in Prussia and that now witnessed in
the minor States, in reference to the North
German Parliament. The North German Gazette is
virtuously indignant at the conclusion it is forced to
arrive at, and declares that there should not be so
much apathy in Prussia, when it :is known that the
Budget, the Military Constitution, will have to be
determined upon. General activity Qught to rule
the day, observes this wise and patriotic authority ;
but really we are n)t surprised to find that the
Prussians are getting rather tirel of all this con-
stant fuss about the same thing. A deputation of
the nobles from Schleswig-Holstein waited upon the
KING, and delivered an address, couched in
fulsome terms of praise and approving of
the plan for uniting them to Prussia. We
never hear the particulars of the deputations
from the other side, because the authorities in
Berlin take very good care that they shall never
have an opportunity of making their wishes known.
It has been said by some one, more credulous than
wise, that the Duchies of the Elbe form the Christ-
mas tree of the Prussian monarchy ; but they may
yet find the tree bear bitter fruits, and richly do
they deserve that it should do so. A greater system
of treachery and deceit has never been witnessed in
the world's history than that which has marked the
whole course of the procedure of the Prussian
Government in this matter of Schleswig-Holstein.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, Monday Evening.
In imitation of the German journals, some of the
Paris -papers are endeavouring to create anxiety
about the affairs of the East, and with this view
alarming reports are fabricated. They have not
escaped the attention of the Moniteur, which, in
allusion to some statements in the Petrie, says they
are the work purely of imagination.
A Cabinet Council was held on Saturday at the
Tuileries, at which the Emperor presided. The
Empress was present at this Council.
The Moniteur, in reference to a former notifica-
tion that various States, upon the suggestion of
France, had agreed to abolish the fee heretofore
paid for the signature to passports, enumerates the
various Governments which have agreed to the
abolition. They are, the Duchies of Saxony, the
free cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lubeck, the
United States of America, Chili, the Argentine
Republic, the United States of Columbia, Hayti,
and Uruguay. Travellers belonging to those States
will in future, therefore, be exempt from payment
for the visa to passports in the Diplomatic Chan-
celleries and Consulates of France in foreign
countries.

A private despatch from Florence, received by
the journal l' Italie, confirms the news of the satis-
factory progress of the negotiations between Com-
mander 'fonello and the Pope. Indeed it is stated
that they are upon the point of being terminated by
an agreement exclusively relating to religious affairs.
Already the task of choosing new Bishops has
commenced. It is probable that there will not be
any formal treaty, which fact excludes the idea of a
Concordat, but simply a verbal arrangement.
A Madrid paper announces that M. Fernando
Guzman has been elected President of the Republic
of Nicaragua.

The Imperial Commission having been inundated
with applications for cards of admission to inspect
the progress of the Exhibition Building, they have
made a very simple arrangement by which all may
be accommodated. A turnstile, like that at
Waterloo-bridge, has been erected at two points
leading to the Champ de Mars, the Porte Domi-
nique, and the bridge of Jena—and the payment of
a small sum enables any one to visit the Exhibition.
One day last week about £4O sterling was received
for ingress to the Champ de Mars. The privilege
for the direction of the International Theatre has
been granted to Mons. J. Reymier. The decora-
tions of the interior of the theatre are to be consi-
dered as articles exhibited, after having been sub-
jected to the inspection of theAdmissionCommiktee,
and consequently they will be inserted in the official
catalogue, and they will be included for the compe-
tition for prizes.

The Siecle says—" Most of the Governments
which constitute the Germanic Confederation of the
North have consented to the resolution adopted by
the Prussian Cabinet to convoke the Parliament for
the 15th of February. It is desirable that all of
them come to a speedy agreement. Hitherto Ger-
many has, so to speak, been dragged :in the orbit
of the Prussian Government, which had become
master of the situation by a brilliant campaign.
But the preponderance of the Cabinet of Berlin
will be balanced by the national representation of
Germany, based upon universal suffrage. This will
be a Congress of a new kind, of which it would be
difficult to foresee the consequences. At all events
we are convinced that it will condemn the ancient
career of personal ambition, ideas of absolutism, and
retrograde movements, while the cause of liberty
and progress will gain ground."
M. Devine, in the name of the Committee of
Finance, has published some details respecting the
financial position of the City of Paris, which is
favourable. The ordinary expenses of the coming
year will not exceed those of the past year. The
result, presented in a supplement of the resources
of the Budget of 1867, shows that the Municipal
Council have calculated as follows :
Receipts 241,653,6131. 30e.
General fund5...180,525,613f. 30c
Special funds ... 61,128,000 f.

241,633,613 f. 30c.
Eapenses 211,633,613 f. 30c.
General fund5...180,523,613f. 30c
Special funds 61,128,000 f.

241,653,613 f. 30c.
Thus showing a result which every Government
cannot obtain—a balance of receipts and expenses.
During the greater portion of last night the rain
fell in torrents, and there has been very heavy rain
this morning. It has been showery throughout the
day, and no gleam of sunshine. Every vestige of
snow has departed. The temperature is mild, but
it is very stormy.

A fac-simile of a literary curiosity has been pro-
duced at Ghent. The Gazette de Gand has cele-
brated its 200th anniversary by sending round to
its subscribers an imitation, produced by photo-
graphy upon old paper, of its first number, which
appeared on the Bth of September, 1667. This
journal, which is in the Flemish language, is printed
in with two sorts of type, the Roman like the type
of English and French newspapers and the German
type. The first number contains foreign news and
a short chronicle of local incidents.

During the progress of the trial of the young
convicts for revolt and the destruction of the Peni-
tentiary at Hyeres, M. Lepelatier Ducondray, the
director of the Semaphore at Marseilles, who, as I
mentioned, endeavoured to render assistance, was
brought into court on a bed to give evidence.
His injuries are very severe. Both his thighs
were broken when the prisoners threw him into
the ditch. When asked to assist in quelling the
riot he said he had no objection, but he would rather
stay and protect his wife and two infants. When
e went he saw Galaret, one of the prisoners, who
was drunk, and had a bar of iron in his hand. The
witness identified Laurent, one of the prisoners, as
having assisted to throw him into the dry ditch,
which was 20 feet deep. Another tied his cravat
very tightly in order to suffocate him. While the
witness was in the ditch he heard one of the victims
call out, " Oh, my mother." The prisoners were
furious. He saw them bite the bars and scratch the
walls with their nails. " I," continued the witness,
" I, who had never cried in my life—l, who had
sailed upon the ocean for fourteen years an d had
seen death near me hundreds of times—l sat down
upon a stone and wept like a child. I could no
longer endure the terrible sight. I dragged myself
to a distance of 50 paces with my broken limb, and
rolled upon the ground. My senses were gone !"
Ilere the Procureur-General rose, and impressively
said—" Monsieur
Ducondray—lf I do not offer you
public congratulations it is because your conduct
was above all praise. But I wish to offer you here
of
the testimonythy personal admiration, and the
gratitude of society and the Government." These
Many persons went to M. Ducon-
words, says the report, were' received with thunders
of applause. :Any
dray's bed-side, grasped his hand fervently, and
congratulated him. It is feared that it will be ne-
cessary to amputate one of the fractured thighs.
Some very inaccurate accounts have been pub-
fished of a murder in the streets of Paris. The real
facts are these :—The name of the victim is
Laurent Aymon. He is about 40, and was foreman
in the saddlery establishment of Messrs. Binder,
Boulevard Hausman. He was proceeding home
along the Boulevard de Neuilly,
and had nearly
reached the round point of the old barrierMouveau,
when a ruffi In who followed him gave him a mortal
stab in the side with some sharp instrument. M.
AYmnn was a powerful, vigorous man, and had it
not been for the cowardly nature of the attack he
would no doubt have been able to defend himself.
The police, with all their activity, have not yet
been able to discover any clue to the murderer, nor
is it yet known whether the motive of the crime was
robbery or some feeling of vengeance.
A paper of Boulogne-sur-Mer says that the em-
barkation of oxen at that port for England con-
tinues on a very extensive scale. Some hundreds of
oxen and calves are exported every week.
L
Although the weather has been so severe both in
and Paris, in some-parts of the south of
France there has been a spring temperature. At
Toulouse it was mild and at Nice a day or two
ago ripe cherries were sold in the market at a cheap
price. In Paris the cold led to comical incidents,

The other morning, after the masked ball at the
opera, the revellers rolled about the iced streets.
The cabs were taken by assault, although the for-
bearing cabmen asked 25f. and even 30f. to take the
joyous dancers from the opera to the Madeleine, a
distance of only about a mile. Several serious ac-
cidents took place in consequence of the slippery
state of the streets. There were broken limbs and
contused bodies. Some skating took place in the
Bois de Boulogne.

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

- -

THE FRENCH IN COCIHN CHINA.
PARIS, January 8.

Official despatches have been received from
Admiral Rose to the 17th Nov. After several ex-
ploring expeditions, in which the French were always
successful, the Admiral, seeing that the King of
Corea took no further steps in the negotiations
already opened, and fearing that winter might in-
terrupt navigation in the river, decided upon leav-
ing Kanghoa, after destroying all the Government
establishments and the royal palace.
" The destruction of Kanghoa," continues the
despatch, " will have proved to the Corean Go-
vernment that the murder of the French missionaries

was not to remain unpunished."
General Montebello has been nominated a Senator.

The subscription to the loan recently contracted
by the Spanish Government with French bankers
will be open from the 12th to the 14th inst.

SEVERE GALE.
PLYmouTa, Jan. 8.

A heavy S.S.W. gale was experienced here last
night, when two small schooners were totally
wrecked in Batten Bay. The Teazer, of Ipswich,
with loss of all hands, except the mate; and the
Palmyra, of Southampton, with all hands. The
ship John Gray, of Glasgow, from Demerara, for
London, was also totally wrecked in Mount Bay.
The passengers and crew saved. The captain and
mate were drowned.

The telegraph wires in some parts have been
blown down.

ANOTHER SHOCK OF EARTHQUAKE IN

ALGERIA.

MARSEILLES, January 8.
Intelligence received here from Algeria announces
that another shock of earthquake was felt there on
the morning of the 4th inst., during the prevalence
of a very heavy rain. No mishaps had occurred.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, Jan. 7, Two o'clock.—Various scc'iri-
ties are quoted to-day ex-dividend. The amount of
the coupon detached on Italian Fives is 2f. 50c., on
Credit Foncier shares 12f. 50c., on Spanish Mobilier
15f., on Northern Railway shares 25f., on Southern
20f., and on Austrian 12f. 50c. The first telegram
from London announced a decline on Consols of *,
but the second, owing probably to bad weather, had
not yet arrived. Though the market here is calm
a new and important advance has taken place on
most securities. French Threes have gained 25c.-
70f. 25c ; Italian Fives 30c.-54f. 55c. (ex-div.) ;
Credit Alobilier 7f. 50c.—at 515 f. ; Credit Foncier
as much as the whole coupon, at 1,440 f. Railway
shares are also in advance, Northern of 5f.—at
1,195 f. (cx. div.) A similar rise is to be noticed
in Southern shares, also taking into account the
coupon.

Three o'clock.—The second despatch from Lon-
don indicates a recovery of the eighth lost. The
market closed with the following quotations :
ti per Cent 5......,.. 99 05 Bank Shares 3600
Do. end m0nth...... Italian Loan 54 10
3 per Cents. ........ 70 20 Do. end month 54 25
Do. end month 7O 20 Mexican Loan ......
Credit Mobilier
Do. end month ... 511. 25 Spanish Threes
Credit Fonder — Home Debt .--

Do. end month 1430

btooooooo .. ••••

Deforrod _
-
LYS.

Orleans .............. For Account.
..................... 902 50
Northern ......... .................. 1193 75
Lyons and Mediterranean ........
....... 918 75
Southern .................................
Western ..................
................
Eastern
Austrian ................................. 396 75
Lombard ..... 392 50
North of Spain .......................... 125
Saragossa .............................. 142 50
Ditto to Barcelona ..................... GO
Roma Lu—
—

Fearful Storm.—Accident to the Holyhead
Mail Train.

ABER, near Bangor, Monday.
A most fearful storm of wind and snow prevailed
over this district of North Wales on Saturday night,
and was a prelude to the break-up of the frost. It
committed great havoc here, and led to an accident
on the Chester and Holyhead Railway, and the
complete stoppage of the traffic for over 20 hours—
i. from Bor9 on Saturday night to 4 p.m. on
Sunday. Travellers on the line are aware that be-
tween Conway and Bangor the line runs almost
continuously nearly ou the edge of the sea, with
high mountains towering over it. Notwithstanding
the great fall of snow in the middle of last week,
there having been comparatively little drifting, the
railway traffic was not much delayed. On Saturday
night, however, a violent storm of snow and sleet
set in, accompanied by a terrific gale from the
south-west. Snow drifted down from the moun-
tains in blinding masses, and accumulated in the
railway cuttings, blocking them up so that, although
the railway authorities had placed 50 or GO men on
the line in the exposed places to keep it clear, the
work beat them, and the traffic was completely
stopped on Saturday night. An attempt, how-
ever, was made to get the mail train, which leaves
Holyhead at 8 20 p.m., through the drift, and it
was sent on from Bangor. The train had got
halfway between Bangor and the next up station
(Aber), when, on passing down an embankment,
the violence of the wind, which rushed down
the valleys between the mountains as down a
spout, was so great that, although the train was
driven by two engines in the hope of driving through
the snow, it actually blew over the poet-office van,
and threw it on the side of the embankment. The
engine couplings at the same moment snapped, and
the engines ran on until they stuck in the snow
(which was six or seven feet deep). The passengers'
carriages also left the rails, but did not turn over.
There were very few passengers, who escaped with-
out serious injury. The Post-office clerks also escaped
miraculously, and when got at it was found they had
only sustained (as we are informed) a shaking. The
guard had to run back to Bangor, and the telegraph
communication being broken it was impossible to
stop down trains from coming on. The telegraph
posts and wires have been broken for two or three
miles.

Mr. Lee, the engineer of the Bangor section of
the line, and Mr. Binger, of Cheshire, the district
superintendent (who happened to be in thelocality),
were promptly on the spot, and everything was done
to clear the line ; but although the men worked
all the bitter night it was not until dusk yesterday
evening that one line of rails could be cleared, and at
the present moment (Monday afternoon) the traffic
is being carried on on one line between Aber and
Bangor.

The storm was one of the most fearful that can
be imagined. At Aber the gale drifted the snow in
masses, blinding everybody exposed to it, and the
railway officials were frequently thrown down by the
violence of the wind as it rushed down the volleys,
while at the same time in Bangor the wind was coin.
paratively calm. Signal lights could not be seen 20
yards, and collisions, happily unattended with seri-
ous consequences, were the result. At Aber, while a
train was standing at the station, with the signals
up, another coming up behind ran into it, shaking
anddrbruising the passengers.
The thaw set in on Sunday, and the rain since has
cleared away the snow, except in the drifts, where it
is still very deep. At one time there were eight or
nine trains stopped between Abh. and Bangor.