The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LON t THURSDA Y E V EKING, DECEMBER 26, 1867.

MANCHESTER riIUCATION COMMITTEE.

The Committee on Education, which holds its sittings
at the Manchester Town Hall, has decided upon taking
such action as shall result in the reintroduction of the bill
prepared under its auspices, and which in the last session
of Parliament was introduced into the House of Coril-
mons by Mr. Bruce, Mr. W. E. Forster, and Mr. Alger-
non Egerton. Arrangements are being made for a
Conference, to be held in the Town Hall, Manchester, on
Wednesday and Thursday, the 15th and IGth of January
next, and it is hoped that the committee will secure the
attendance of the most influential friends of education, of
all political parties and religious denominations. The
bill introduced last session, and the provisions of which
will bs discussed at the Conference next month, is per-
missive in its character•, and, when passed, it
may be adopted by the ratepayers in nny
borough or district. When so adopted, i'.
the administration of the fund; in the of

school committee, elected by tile to -I; ) • in m
cipal born and by the ratepayers in othe. d
have power to call upon the overseers, or local
authority, to levy a rate for educational purposes. It
adopts existing schools as the basis of its operations, and
onlycontemplates the establishment of new schools, on
the failure of voluntary effort to supply, after due notice,
any deficiency of school accommodation. Trustees or
managers may, under the provisions of the bill, place
their schools in union with the school committee, either
as free schools or aided schools, and receive payment per
head for the attendance of the scholars on compliance
with such conditions as will secure the efficiency of the
schools and protect the rights of conscience ; but with-
out the sehool committee acquiring thereby any right
to interfere with the internal management, disci-
pline, or instrxction, in such schools, otherwise
than to see that the conditions of union are com-
plied with by the managers, and thus what is commonly
called the religious difficulty is entirely avoided. The
principle of the bill is local rating, for the support of free
and aided schools, with local administration of the funds ;
union of existing schools without interference with their
internal management ; and security for the rights of
conscience, without violating the convictions of school
managers ; a power of appeal being given in all cases to
the Queen in Council. It is proposed that Mr. Bazley
shall, when the bill is in committee, introduce certain
clauses, with a view to compel the attendance of children
at school.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR FREEDOM or WOE"
SIIIP.—A prize is offered by this association for the best
" scheme of operations " for awakening Church authorities,
seat-holders, and the nation at large, to the wrong and
mischief of excluding the great mass of the people—the
working classes—from the national churches by the pew
system.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST GREEK FIRE AT THE Go-
VERNMENT OFFICES. —At the offices of the Board of
Trade, the Privy Council, and other Government esta-
blishments, the precaution has been taken of having the
flooring leading to the several departments strewn with
sand, and supplies of sand kept in readiness in the event
of the buildings being attempted to be destroyed by means
of Greek fire.

THE EASTERN FISHERIES. —Taking the season
as a whole, it is feared that the herring fishery on the
eastern coast this year will not prove quite up to the
average, as, since the 20th ult., when stormy weather set
in, the quantity of fish secured has been comparatively
small. The sales made during the last few days have been
at from £l7 to £2l per last (13,200 fish).

CONSISTENCY.—A political scene, which in any
other country and with any other actor would be thought
extraordinary, was witnessed in Ballymoney, County
Antrim. An Orange soiree was held at which Mr. John
Rea, of Belfast, who had been specially invited to attend,
made a speech, in which he avowed the utmost sympathy
with the Orangemen, eulogised them as the stalwart sup.
porters of liberty, complained that he had been misrepre-
sented to them, and declared his intention to devote him-
self to their interest for the future. Only a month has
elapsed since Mr. Rea delivered a vehement speech in
Belfast, denouncing the Fenian executions, and declaring
that had be been in Manchester he might have been one
of the prisoners. He has all his life been ranged with the
Liberal party fighting fiercely to overthrow Orange in-
fluence. The apparently irreconcilable inconsistency may,
perhaps, be accounted for by the supposition that he
is endeavouring to promote the formation of a great
Democratic league in. the North—an object which other
politicians have in view in contemplation of an Irish Re-
form Bill.

FORTUNE OF THE LOTTERY. —Not a little amuse-
ment has been afforded to the Viennese lately by .an
eccentric illustration of the humours of the lottery. The
day after the drawing of the quarter-million prize, a
trimestral sensation in Vienna, the intelligence spread far
and wide over city and suburbs that a female under-cook
in the light pastry department of that good and great
institution, the Archduke Charles Hotel was the owner
of the £25,000 number, and soon a host of congratulators
assailed Mr. Schneider's domain, and insisted upon visit-
ing the culinary department, in order to offer their heart-
felt and disinterested felicitations to the Lady of the
Rolling Pin. In vain she denied the good fortune ascribed
to her—her denegations were received with respectful,
incredulity, and attributed to great astuteness of charac-`
ter ; assurances of friendship, protestations of affection,
were showered upon her ; and she was overwhelmed by
half a dozen marriage proposals in the course of an after-
noon. How many beautiful and accomplished girls have
waited a life-long without one such request being addressed
to them ! The cream of the joke is, of course, that she
really had not even possessed a 'share of a lottery ticket,
far less drawn the first prize, and that the whole mystifi,
cation was got up by some cynical young lions of finance
as a test of Viennese character. As the supposed favourite
of fortune is neither young nor fair, let us hope that she
closed with one of the numerous offers made her by her
enraptured suitors.

MR. MASON AGAIN.—A letter from Mr. Mason,
ex-envoy of the Confederacy in Europe, in reply to the
invitation of a certain Colonel Graham, formerly of Texas,
to settle in Jamaica, has appeared in the Virginia papers.
Mr. Mason refuses to settle in Jamaica himself or to ad-
vise others to do so, inasmuch as "it is his hope and be-
lief that a time must come when the r,ekless and unscru-
pulous party in power at Washington will be overthrown,
anti the Southern States again remitted to full and exclu-
sive control over their respective populations, without
foreign intervention." What he means by this " full and
exclusive control over their populations," he explains fur-
ther on by expressing his confidence " that the intelli-
gence, wisdom, and, more than all, the experience of our
people in regard to negroes would make them devise some
system of legislation by which, without again reducing
them to slavery, they would be made to discharge the
incumbent duties of a labouring class." All this, being
turned into plain English, means that he looks forward to
the time when the South will be enabled to put in force
the black code which most of the States drew up at the
close of the war ; and that this expectation is shared by
the great body of the white population' there can be very
little doubt. If the Dettlocratic party should get into
power before the traditions of slavery have died out, en 1
before the negroes have acquired enough education and
intelligence to be able to protect their own rights, there
can be little question that this expectation would be
realised, which is as strong a reason as can be given why
the Republican party should carefully avoid whatever
seems likely to take from it the confidence of the masses.
—New York Nation.

" Christmas Day in the Workhouses" is, of course,
always good for rather over two columns. Then there are
descriptions of the Christmas dinners which have been
given, through the kindness of the benevolent, to the poor
who have not yet taken up their lot within the workhouse
walls. The attractions of the Christmas amusements are
described at a length which contrasts in a remarkable de-
gree with the unfeeling manner in which this class of
matter is treated at any other period of the year. The fine
arts, so terribly neglected in the parliamentary session, are
now dealt with in such a way as to make ample amends
for the sins of omission which have characterised the past.
Two or three columns of " East London Distress " seem
to cast a heavy gloom over the recorded incidents of this
festive season. The resolutions of the Pan-Anglican
Synod were fortunately issued only a day or two ago, and
they occupy nearly five columns in some of the papers. A
writer on " Railway Engines Abroad " has deemed the
topic of sufficient importance to devote three columns to
it. Close alongside it is a letter on the wheat crop of 1867
—not a satisfactory one, as we are now finding out. The
evidence before the Trades Union Commission holds out
capitally. An elongated description of British Honduras
will be thoroughly appreciated after the lovers of the legi-
timate drama have witnessed the pantomime. Those who
wish to know how religious denominations flourish in the
United States are presented with some light and pleasant
reaaing in the shape of a pile of statistics. To counterbalance
the possible effect of figures on the nervous system, the scis-
sors have been ruthlessly employed on the pages of " Ne
Thoroughfare," " London Society," " Cassell's Christmas
Annual," and works of a kindred nature, for these have
contributed column after column to the morning's matter.
One paper, which usually publishes a " summary," finds
nothing whatever in the world's intelligence to include
under that heading ; another condenses the news from the
uttermost parts of the earth into three paragraphs averag-
ing s 1 lines each. So much for the "topics. of the day"
in. Lond.on; now for those of the proviwefo,

EXAMINATION OF THE FENIAN, FINITY.

BOW-STREET.--(THIs DAY.)

Michael Finity, a ferocious-looking personage,
was charged on remand with using wicked, mali-
cious, . and seditious words and expressions against
our Sovereign Lady the Queen.
Mr. Poland, instructed by Mr. Hodgson, the
solicitor to the Treasury, appeared for the prosecu-
tion, and Mr. Ricketts, solicitor, defended.
To accommodate the prisoner's solicitor, the de-
positions taken at the last examination were read
or er.

Mr. Poland—Did the prisoner say. Mr. Somen,
in what way the Queen would be shot?

Witness—lie said the first time she went to the
house.

Mr. Poland—He did not say by a bullet or not.

Witnes—No.

Cross-examined by Mr. Ricketts—l don't think
he was drunk. Ile had a wife and little child with
him. I did not see any fellow-workmen of
there. They were principally men working
on the railway works. I have known him about
five years. For the last twelve or thirteen months
he has not much used my house. He never did
much. I never heard him say anything when be
was sober, unless you put him out, and then he
would talk as he did on that night. There was no
one to dispute with on this occasion. He was shout-
ing out at the top of his voice. Ido not think that
any one spoke to me. I do not know Mrs. West.
I did not hear any female speak. I have no bar-
maid. My wife and daughters assist in the busi-
ness.

George Balderstin, cross-examined, said that he
heard prisoner say he would shoot the - Queen
the first time she opened Parliament. He was not
drunk. He thought it extraordinary conduct. He
was in the house from 9to 11 o'clock. He heard
the man while he was passing, and he looked at
him. He thought it odd conduct. He worked for
the Midland Railway Company.

Thomas Lintot stated that he lived at 5, Hull-
street. He was a ganger on the Midland Railway.
On the 14th he was in the public-house where the
prisoner was. He was damning the country and
all in it. Witness said then you are damning me.
He said he was not. He did not appear drunk.
This was soon after 10 o'clock.

Cross-examined—He did not appear to be sober.
He might have been excited. His manner impressed
him that he was sober.

Thomas Wood said he lived at No. 2, South-
wark-street. He was a valveman at the Imperial
Gas Works. He then confirmed the statement
made at Mr. Somers 'sby the prisoner.
A witness, Huckel, was called, and he stated that
he had never heard the prisoner at the gasworks
say anything seditious whatever. He thought him
a harmless man.

This was the last witness, and Mr. Ricketts com-
mented upon his evidence, and said if it had not
been for the late detestable crime at Clerkenwell,
would Sir Thomas have entertained this charge as it
had been entertained ?

Sir T. Henry (emphatically)—Certainly.
Mr. _Ricketts here said that he should satisfac
torily prove that the prismer was drunk, and ha
been so all the latter part of the day, and that he
should call witnesses who would confirm this state-
ment. He trusted that after hearing this evidence
Sir lhomas would discharge him. _ _

A witness named Mack, working at the Impe-
rial Gas Works, deposed that he had been drinking
at various public-houses in the neighbourhood of
the gasworks, and that they all got pretty nearly
drunk. This was after four o'clock. When pri-
soner left him he thought he was drunk. Michael
Lowry and Mrs. West gave confirmatory evidence.

Mr. Poland said that it was wrong to suppose
that the Treasury had taken up this matter. They
really were only watching the case upon the infor-
mation of persons who thought it their duty to
come forward. Under all the circumstance; he
should hardly ask that the prisoner should be sent
to trial, but that he should be bound over.
Sir Thomas Henry said he thought that Mr.
Poland had taken the right course, and that no
jury would convict the prisoner, therefore he must
find two sureties in each, and the imprisonment
he had undergone he richly deserved for his
drunken habits.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREE r.

ONSLAUGHT ON THE POLICE—A BEGGARS' MEET-
ING.—James Wilson and William Crompton, two
rough-looking fellows, were charged before Mr.
Knox with behaving in a disorderly manner,
Crompton being further charged with assaulting
Police-constable John Moore, 193 C.
Sergeant George Appleton, 26 C, said—About 9
o'clock last night my attention was called to the
British Stores beer-shop, in Gerrard-street, Soho,
by hearing a great noise. On looking in I saw
about fifty persons, nearly all of them known to
me as beggars, drunk, hallooing, and fighting ; and
as soon as I entered the house with a constable there
was a general onslaught on us, and pots were thrown
at us. Finding we could not cope with the persons
I sent for some of the inhabitants, and they assisted
me, and we got the persons out. Wilson then re-
fused to go away and I ordered him to be taken into
custody, and while Wilson was gone to the station,
Crompton returned with some of his companions and
set to shouting and hallooing.
Mr. Knox —Were both the prisoners concerned
in the onslaught on the police, and were they both
drunk ?

Sergeant Appleton—They were.
John Moore, 193 C—At nine o'clock last night
I went with the sergeant to the British Stores, and
saw a number of drunk and disorderly persons.
On getting them into the street they set to
shouting and hallooing,*.and would not go away.
After taking Wilson to the station, I returned and
took Crompton into custody, and on the way to the
station he set to kicking and plunging, and kicked
my legs from under me, and we had great difficulty
in getting him to the station, and he nearly tore the
nail cff one of my fingers.
Mr. Edward Yeomans,- an inhabitant of Gerrard-
street, said—Having been sent for by the sergeant,
I went to the British Stores, and there saw between
forty and fifty of the lowest persons in Lon-
don. I persuaded the persons to leave, and
as soon as they got outside they began quarrelling,
shouting at the tops of their voices. Wilson abused
me, saying that he had killed many a better man
than me, and Crompton said that he had paid for a
pint of beer, and he was -- if he would not break
every pane of glass in the place.
Mr. Knox—Has the attention of the authorities
been called to the house ?
Sergeant Appleton—lt has ; they had made the
place a meeting place yesterday, having got plenty
of money and got drunk.
Mr. Yeomans-I'm told that they beg all day
and leave the money they get with the landlady on
their leaving the house to get a bed in the casual
wards, and that they call for their money the fol-
lowing morning.
Mr. Knox fined each of the prisoners 40s. or a
month for their disorderly conduct, .and committed
Crompton for a month without a firie for assaulting
the constable.
James Doyle, alias Bryan, one of the same class
as the other prisoners, was brought ul ) for behaving
himself in a disorderly manner and br, caking a pane
of glass of the value of 405., the property of Mr.
Bentley, of Wardour-street.
The prisoner went into Mr. Bentley's house, in-
sulted the customers because they wcwild not give
him beer, and then on being put out ot' the house
deliberately smashed a pane of glass in the window.
Mr. Knox committed the prisoner for a month
without a fine.
A number of persons were brought bei'ore Mr.
Knox this morning; charged with being dr uuk
disorderly. Whereand
incapable, and di:la.c and
the charge was only for ,
drunkenness the offenders
qther cases Mr. Knox,
were discharged, and in the
-lnsideration, im-
taking the festivo tiqa*Cal ilito t.-
posed slight fines,

chief warder of the Westminster He 1130 of Correc-
tion, Tothill Fields.
A solicitor appeared from the Visiting ' Justices to

prosecute.
Mrs. Howe said on the 14th of Nov ember she
passed into No. 3 prison, C section, to see the
work taken by Warder Lambert, and th ,e prisoner
passed into the room to the oakum scale. She was
suffering a term of two years' impisotiment,
when she got to the scale she had not pickK:d her
day's oakum, and the warder at the scale ask ed her
if she was excused. She said "No ; bhe had been
'stated' for the doctor." She turned .!.cund. to the
warder and directed her to put the prisoi-er f own as
No work until inquire." Prisoner wag th 'n told
to stand by the scale. She did so for a mL nitif,, and
then suddenly picking up a 21b, weight, tiu,:w it
with all her might at witness, striking her on the
arm. She picked up a 11b. weight and also threw
it, but witness ducked her head, and it passed. over

By Mr. Arnold—Could not suggest any motive
for it except that prisoner had been reported before
by another warder for having forbidden things
without permission. filer character was bad during
the whole time.

Mr. Arnold inquired why the prisoner had not
been brought up before ?
Mr. Walley, the solicitor, said the visiting justices
considered the matter on the 16th, and thought it
too serious for any punishment they could inflict,
and ordered her to be brought up at the expiration
of her term.

Mr. Arnold said it was just a case that came
under Jervis' Act, where the prisoner should have
been brought up at once, and at the expiration of
the term inflicted for the offence sent back to finish
the original term. He found that when the pri-
soner was sentenced to two years, she had insulted
a witness in court and ordered to find bail for

three months. Prisoner seemed to be a person of
ungovernable temper, and it was necessary to re-
press exhibitions of this sort in a prison, where
the utmost discipline should be kept. He sentenced
the prisoner to three mouths' hard labour.