The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-25 00:00:00

THE REFORM DEBATE.

The interest to be present in the strangers gallery
may be judged of by the fact that at the opening of
the doors of the house this morning, at 6 a.m., no
less than 102 persons, each having a member's
order, proceeded to the entrance of the gallery, and
remained there until a quarter to four in the
afternoon.

The Speaker's gallery, and the portions of the
house set apart for the use of the peers, were occu-
pied by the Prince of Wales, Earl Russell, Earl
Granville, the Duke of Argyle, 'Earl Berners, the
Bishop of Oxford, the Duke of Marlborough, Lord
Stanley of Alderley, and a great number of peers.
All sorts of rumours were rife this evening, the
most important of which was that Viscount Cran-
bourne, General Peel, and the members of the
Cabinet who act with them, had resigned in conse-
quence of the declaration of the Government to
adhere to the resolutions on reform. _ _

The Right Hon. the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER rose at ten minutes to five o'clock,
and began by saying that he moved that the house
now do form itself into a committee of the whole
house to take into consideration the most celebrated
statute of modern times —meaning the Act of Will.
IV., chap . He maintained that this did not by
any means involve the condemnation of that act—
au act which he described as handing our political
power to the possession of the Whig party. Excel-
lently arranged though the political system was ac-
cording to reorganization parlimentary authority by
that act, circumstances had since repeatedly indi-
cated that, notwithstanding the skill and tact ap-
plied to the difficult task of remodelling the
legislative, and, in some measure also, the
administrative system, the House of Commons
was not altogether endowed with its full
share of national sympathy. In 1832, he said,
there was great diversity of opinion as to the advi-
sability of the course pursued in demanding Par-
liamentary Reform of any kind whatever. Now, at
the present moment, we were alive to the necessity,
not alone the advisability, but the necessity, the
imperative necessity, of some additional change
or reform of Parliament. He reminded the
house that only a fortnight had elapsed since he
laid the resolutions upon the table of the house. Iu
now explaining the general tendency and signifi-
cance of these resolutions, he would first take
into consideration the question of the fran-
chise. The Government now propose to
introduce four new borough franchises, none
of which need in any way alarm the house.
The first of the four would be an Educational
Franchise. The second of the four franchises now
intended to be proposed by thebonetlienogbvoeliemsoaeftnisitf
3awocot
oUrlyd
cbheaaraScatevrisn t
he Bank
qualification Franchise,
de-
posited in any savings bank. The third franchise
would be on Funded Property to the amount of
£5O. the fourth new franchise would he one
secured upon the payment of so much taxation, the
qualification here being the payment of to the
tax-gatherer. This would, it was calculated, in-
crease the electors to tho extent of 30,000

I by, the Educational Franchise, 10,000 by
the Savings-bank Franchise, 7,000 by the
Funded Property Franchise, and 30,000 bb
the Taxation Franchise : making altogether 77,000.
In dealing with the existing franchise in boroughs
the . subject was one of some difficulty, but the
- Government, after much consideration, had deter-
mined that the borough franchise should be
adjusted on a £6 rating basis. (Hear,
hear, and cheers.) This with the other
qualifications he had mentioned would give
an addition to the present number of voters of r‘o
less,than 212,000. With respect to counties, the
Government had determined to reduce the occzpa_
tion franchise to £2o—(hear, hear)—an d this
reduction, taken with the increase that would
take place in the county constituency by the
four new franchises—namely, the educational,
the savings bank qualification of £3O deposited
forthe year, the funded property franchise of
£5O in the public funds, and the direct taxation
franchise by the payment of 20s. in direct taxation
would give, in gross numbers, no less an addition
to the numb: of voters than 400,000. (Hear, hear.)
With respect to the bribery inquiries, the Govern-
ment propose for the future that those inquiries
should take place on the spot where it
occurred, and with respect to the bribery
by candidates, where it was proved that one
candidate had committed bribery to obtain election,
and the other, though a loser, if proved pure should
have the seat. With respect to the bribery inquiry
that had taken place in Great Yarmouth, Lanca-
shire, Totness, and Reigate, the Govern-
ment proposed to disfranchise those places alto-
gether, and to give the 14 members to Hartlepool,
Darlington, Burnley, Staleybridge, St. Helens,
Dewsbury, Middlesborough, a member for the
Black Country, Croydon, Gravesend, and Torquay,
and also to divide the Tower Hamlets, and give
that constituency two additional members. (Hear.)
They also proposed:to divide the following counties,
each prtion of which would have 100,000, viz., North
Lancashire, Lincolnshire, the West Riding, East
Surrey, Middlesex, South Staffordshire, and South
Devon, and to obtain the additional scats without
adding to the number of members of that house it
was proposed to ask all boroughs with a population
of 7,000 to give up their superfluous members. (Oh,
oh, and cheers.) He would not name those
boroughs— (oh, oh, and name)—they would
easily be ascertained, but the 23 surplu
members that would be received for the
small boroughs, and the seven that had been
taken from the four places that had distictly lost
their representation they would be able to give
the representation to the places he had named.
The inconvenience of taking voters an inconsider-
able distance to record their votes had also been
considered, and it was recommended that pro-
vision should be made in the bill, if they ob-
tained permission to introduce it, to remedy
the evil. With respect to the question of bounda-
ries before that was dealt with, a Royal Commis-
sion issue to inquire into the whole matter. (Hear,
hear.) By the explanations he had given he had
fulfilled the pledge he had given in that house.
Her Majesty's Government brought for-
ward a sincre, moderate and practical
vote, which he trusted would be consistent with the
feeling of an united people. (The right hon. gen-
tleman resumed his seat amidst loud cheering from
both sides of the house.

Mr. LOWE rose and was left speaking.

The North German Parliament.

OPENING SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT.
BERLIN, Feb. 25.
The President by seniority of the North German
Parliament delivered his opening speech to-day.

Deputy Arnim urged the provisional adoption of
the order of business in force in the Prussian
Chambers.

Deputy Laskar submitted the draft of au order
of business. Count Schwerin proposed the Prus-
sian order of business. Deputies Arnini and
Laskar subsequently withdrew their motions, and
Count Schwa in agreed that the Prussian order
should only be provisionally adopted, which was
almost unanimously agreed to.
The deputies Count Bismark, Baron von der
Heydt, Count Itzenplitzuud, Herr von Savigy, were
present.
All the members of the North German Parlia-
ment have been invited to dine at the Royal Palace
to-day. They will afterwards assemble in the Kit-
tersaal, and be grouped according to the provinces
they represent, in order to be presented to the
King.

SIR GEORGE SMART.--This respected and vene-
rable professor expired on Saturday morning, at his house
No. 91, Great Portland-street. He would have entered his
91st year in May next, having been born in 1776. As com-
poser and organist to the Chapel Royal, St. James's, he
directed the musio at the coronations of King William and
Queen Adelaide and of her Most Gracious Majesty Queen
Victoria, but his musical career may be dated from his pre-
sence as a boy at the Handelian Commemoration in West-
minster Abbey, in 1784. Sir George was conductor of the
Musical Festival in the Abbey in 1834. He was one of the
founders of the Philharmonic Society, in 1813, and directed
the famous City Concerts in 1818, founded by Mr.lleath,af ter-
wards Governor of the Bank of England. Sir G. Smart was
conductor of the musical festivals in Norwich, York, Derby,
Liverpool,and Manchester. In 1836 he ittrod ueed, for the first
time in this country, Mendelssohn's oratorio "St. Paul," at
Liverpool. In the same year he conducted the famed Man-
chester festival, at which three entire streets were covered
over and connected for the concluding fancy ball, at
which 7,000 persons were present. It was at this meeting
that Malibran died. From 1813 up to the period of
their extinction by the Sacred Harmonic Society, Sir
George Smart directed the Lenten oratorios both at Covent-
garden and Drury-lane Theatres. He was director of the
music at Covent-garden Theatre under the management of
Charles Kemble, and it was Sir George who engaged Weber
died in Sir George's lme, 91, Great
Gorman composer
tthotic°gmupeostseof‘ °SWirrG°lle' for that st
elaretaatblitshhen itein. Webermte.The
wasgreat
Portland-street, on the 4th of Juno, 1826. Mainly through
the o continuousber,s
pupiefforts:h:
Dresdeno f ir s
ta George,tue to theaided e
renowned
e d Benedict,
com
poser of
w
the "Freischutz " was erected, England having
contributedwliehwas raised the largest
or Weber
's
amount of the subscription
Sircription
George was knighted in Dublin in 1811 by the
Duke of Richmond, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. Sir
George was a careful and conscientious musician, and
possessed a demonstrative ability, which particularly de-
veloped itself in the arrangements of great concerts and
festivals. His integrity secured for him the respect of
the artistes, native and foreign, with whom he came in
contact fur more than threescore years. He was
past 80 before ho ceased to give singing lessons, and
his father, a music publisher iu Argyle-street, having
heard Handel conduct his oratorios, transmitted the
traditions to Sir George, who consequently became the
master of almost every singer who desired to acquire tho
true Handelian style and time. He taught Sontag and
Jenny Lind oratorio music. Sir George has loft a widow
and one daughter. his nephew (the son of the Mr. Smart
iaG.LN
nSn'
yehdocotrechguwooetmna
nispdboa,altsyeyneads(rbi:: of t
when
judged
noged Henryhe
dHi
Henry
dwa)Dr
when
dusen
inDurmiauymtrb-til Drury-lane,
aznraceTir, Covent-garden,
net
h,ollelBel2co3trecollected
,ththreaetehr organist
and
Lyceum
of Sir
vsne iddr
Clementi,• Dussek
Cherubineneisaol
i,dSpohin
r, A, m
übeeyr,ebe
Spontini,rerwe rRe in fullossini o noi
re
e:t
.t , BHO -s
a lirntii Mendelsohn,
reminiscences included the names; Do f
of Paussozini,
the tenor, Signor Gabriella, Miss Davies, Signor Racchie-
rotti, Madame Mora, Signora Storace, Madame Banta,
Mrs. Billington, Madame Cataliui. Madame Pasts'
Velluti, Ambrogetti, Naldi, De Begnis,. Bartloman, Bra-
ham, Bellamy, Vaughan, Garcia (father of Malibran and
Viardot), Madame Vestris, whoa she sang at the King's
Theatre (now her Majesty's), Mrs. Salmon, Miss Stephens
(Countess Dowager of Essex), Miss Paton (Lady W.
Lennox and Mrs. Wood), Miss M. Tree (Mrs. Bradshaw),
the Misses Cawse, Miss luverarity, Miss Sheriff, Miss
Ruiner, &c. Art advancement has made rapid strides since
Sir George was in full force at the head of all our musical
undertakings, but his name will be hell in respect as eu
able musician and as a thoroughly honest man.
HOSPITAL FOR DISEASES OF THE CHEST, y I
R C-
TORIA-PA K.—The number of patients relieved at this in-
stitution during last week was 1,512, of which 371 wore
new cases.

[ADvEnnsEDlENT.l—Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—
Eftect of Oold.—Numerous and severe aro the diseases
resulting from exposure to low temperatures. Skin
muscles, lungs, and circulation become disordered, and
serious illnesses succeed unless the derangement receive
timely attention. For all cutaneous affections, neuralgic
All disorders
atmo_
springing
rheumatic pains, Holloway's soothing Ointment well
rubbed ou the afflicted parts is an inestimable remedy.
When the lungs or heart have au irregular action the
hills, other.wet,
or Ointment must be well rubbed on the chest and assisted in
its curative efforts by Holloway Pills. Those noble
m
tyed c assistos, c l colds, each
spheric vicissitudes are thus safely and speedily checked in
rilnicgaimngenfrtosmm nuetgulaelcl
their course and freed from pain and danger by
preparations.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

NORTH LONDON.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held on Saturday, at the Euston Station—Mr. J.
Bancroft in the chair.

The report (which has already appeared) was
taken as read.

The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report,
and said that, though the receipts were as satisfac-
tory as could have been anticipated, yet the accounts
ge lerally did not come out as well as could be de-
sired. The expenses had been above what might
have been looked for, and the principal causes of the
increase' of the expenses were compensation claims
£2,025, ..ates and taxes £3,041, and Government
duty 12,7J0. These three items amounted to £7,894
on the half year, or about 6 per cent. on the gross
receipts. With respect to the compensation claims,
they were for accidents, which, in 19 cases out of
20, could not he guarded against by all the vigilance
of the directors and their servants, and yet in all
cases the company was made responsible, as if they
had designedly laid traps to maim and kill their
customers. So, indeed, juries seemed to treat these
cases. Persons who were in a train when an acci-
dent happened set up an excuse whereby to obtain
compensation when they had sustained no bodily
injury, that their nerves were affected, or their spinal
cord injured, and in this the claimants were sus-
tained by medical evidence, they got lawyers to
plead the cases and juries to believe them. With re-
gard to the rates and taxes, no reduction could be
expected, as the company's property was constantly
increasing in value, and parish officers were aware
of the fact. As to the item of Government duty he
thought the company and all other railway compa-
nies had cause for complaint, for the Government
had been the means of the company reducing the
rates, and compelled them to carry those who were
called the " working classes" at low rates, The Go-
vernment then, instead of decreasing the duty as an
allowance for these low fares, had aettsally increased
the duty. If this course wereperseverectin the com-
pany would have to raise the rat,e6,,..The present
dividend would have to be paid oti. a capital of
£2,287,387, and there was a money value of about
£150,000 in surplus land, which might from time to
time be disposed of, if not made available. The re-
gistration of debentures had been made in due form,
and they had not exceeded the amount the company
was legally authorised to issue. He regretted to say
the company had received no income from the Lon-
don and North-Western for the Broad-street sta-
tion, as the station was not yet completed. The ex-
pense of getting down to Broad-street was very great
indeed, and the London and North-Western Com-
pany Was pushing on its works with all passible speed.
When that source of income was opened to the com-
pany they had a right to anticipate a very material
increase from that source. There had been a very
satisfactory increase of passengers during the past
six months. In the corresponding half-year the
number of passengers was 5,292,018. During the
last half-year the number carried was 7,789,526,
showing an increase of 2,497,508, which would have
been much larger bat for the unfavourable weather.
In the mineral traffic there had been an increase,
but a slight decrease in the goods traffic.
Mr. R. D. MANGLES seconded the motion for the
adoption of the report.
Mr. CUNNINGTON said he could not regard the
report as satisfactory, There was an increase of 30
per cent. in the receipts, but no increase of dividend.
Then it appeared to him that the shareholders were
suffering for the benefit of the London and North-
Western Company.
The CHAIRMAN, in reply, said that he had already
explained items which had taken off 6 per cent, of
the gross receipts, and it was also to be borne in
mind that there were other causes of increased ex-
penditure,—namely, the enormous advance in the
price of fuel, and the advance in wages. There was
also additional capital which had been laid out in
the proper development of the undertaking, and the
benefits of this extra work could not be realised until
the additions to the line were in working order.

The resolutions were then carried. Dividends at
the rate of £2 10s. per cent for the half-year on the
preference stock and £2 15s. per cent. on the ordi-
nary stock and shares of the company were declared
payable on the 28th inst. A resolution was also
passed for the conversion of ptid-up shares into
stock.

The retiring director, Mr. Stewart, and the retir-
ing auditor, Mr. Greenaway, were re-elected, and
the proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to
the chairman.