The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-22 00:00:00

Mr. Ferrand and Mr. Bright, M.P.

The gratuitous and coarse attack lately made by
Mr. Bright upon Mr. Ferrand has created great in-
dignation among the factory operatives in Lanca-
shire, and they have urged him to appear among
them, so that they may show Mr. Bright their
opinion of his conduct, and Mr. Ferrand that they
can discern their real from their pretended friends.
In reply, he has addressed the following letter to
their secretary :

St. Ives, Bingley, Jan. 17, 1867.
I have to thank you for your letter and papers. I have
read all relating to the agitation now going on in Lanca-
shire very carefully.

Tho state of things which I foretold for both employers
and employed is taking place. Foreign competition is taking
away the masters' profit; and reducing by degrees Eng-
lish wages to the continental level.

This is a question which must now be discussed, I trust,
with good feeling, by both employers and employed; it ought
to be kept entirely apart from politics, so far as party influ-
ence and feeling aro concerned. Depend upon it were 1
to take part in the discussions at the present time it would
give great offence to many of Lord Derby's supporters in
Lancashire, and would create excitement and distrust in-
stead of peace and confidence.

I would urge upon you, and all who discuss the wage and
short-time questions, to use friendly language towards the
millowners. The "fierce competition" they had to contend
against in foreign markets is a thing they did not credit
during the period of the battle between protection and free
trade. The people of this country adopted Manchester
free trade, and it can only be modified or repudiated by the
united decision of employers and employed.
Above all, I would urge upon the factory operatives to
avoid strikes, and not to allow people residing out of Lan-
cashire to interfere in any disputes which unfortunately
may occur between them and the manufacturers, and to
discuss in the spirit of friendship with their employers all
matters in dispute.

I thank the operatives for their kind feeling towards me.
I have spent 40 years in their service, and I am happy in
the knowledge that they have not forgotten me. Were I
again to appear among them publicly it would be only as
a promoter of peace and harmony between factory owners
and factory operatives.—Believe me, yours truly,
Mr. John Hull, &c. W. FERRAND.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

(BY TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.

Arrived, Jan. 21.—Greatham Hall, steamer, from Vigo ;
Planet, steamer, from Hamburg; Octa, steamer, from
Konigsberg.

Sailed, Jan. 22.—Highland Mary, for Boston ; rivt
Rover, for St. Helena ; Belgium, steamer, for Ostend.
DEAL, Tuesday Morning.
Passed, Jan. 21.—Henry Adderley, for Kurrachee ;
Venus, for Buenos Ayros -both from London.

MR. GLADSTONE AND THE LIBERAL PARTY.—
It is asserted that on Mr. Gladstone's return to England a
conference will be held under his auspices between the
heads of the sections comprising the Liberal party. The
right hon. gentleman is expected in Paris next week, and
will, in all probability, be in London before the close of

this month.
AIR. J. R. HERBERT, R.A., has undertaken to
paint a picture, or series of pictures, for the new CatholicTh
This
church at Kilburn, the work of Mr. W. Pugin.
establishment is attached to a college for fifty missionary
wients.
ayiolitics than to the
correspondentpeeplea .onfg tlereTaimtteesnstaieyns
thaTthteheNAemweYricoarkn
to what is going on in Englishh
of their elriaown affairs. The
excited the deepest
th h
late urgencyilef
Reform
meetingspesstire
interest. Long telegraphic messages through the
despatched concerpnriiihigtedtheithn,fannlid. most The
ocfabtlehew
thhaatveAbneleelans are greatly shaken
theirihesba s been
fliat Reform was imperatively needed
n result
in England. An enlargement of the suffrage may,
they seem to think, be desirable, but they also
believe that the masses of the working classes
neither desire nor are fit for the suffrage. " Our
principle is," said a gentleman not connected with
political life to the writer, " not that all men are
fit to vote, but that it is our duty to educate them
so that they may make a proper use of the privilege.
Evidently, these men of yours know nothing of the
duties or responsibilities of self-government. Our
people are trained, by their incessant control of
local governments, to take an intelligent pa) t
in the control of the Federal Government."
An article in the New York Times, which
has often attacked the English governing class for
" keeping down" the working men, acknowledges a
total change in its opinions since our Reform meet-
ings. It declares its conviction that the English
political system is approved by the bulk of the
people, and that they have no desire to change it.
A PLEASURE TRIP TO CIIINA.—We (Panama
Star) learn that a party of gentlemen will arrive by the
steamer Henry Chauncey, from New York, with the in-
tention of proceeding to San Francisco, and thence by
the first steamer to Japan and China, on a pleasure ex-
cursion, •