The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-03 00:00:00

Three o'clock.—The close has taken place at the
ollowing quotations :

4} per Cents —
Do. end month —

Bank Shares 3565
Italian Loan,,,,
Do. end month 56 15
Mexican Loan
Do. Bonds —
Spanish Threes
Home Debt —
Deferred
'AY&

3 per Cents. —
Do. end month 69 40

for ...

Do. end month ... 498 75

'onciel

Do. end month 1392 50

For Account.
Orleans
Northern 1195
Lyons and Mediterranean 9Ol 25
Southern 582 50
Western — _

Eastern
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard 385
North of Spain 125
SaragosE a
Ditto to Barcelona 53 75
Roman. B5

THE WORKING MEN OF CHELMSFORD AND MR.
BRIGHT.—An address to Mr. Bright, M.P. was
forwarded to that gentleman a few days ago from the
working men of Chelmsford, having been signed by nearly
two hundred and fifty of their number. Having reviewed
his past great services to the nation, the address went on
to express the confidence of those who had signed it in
Mr. Bright's leadership in the agitation for political
Reform. Mr. Bright, in acknowledging the receipt of the
address, says :—" I have received the address, and I write
to express my thanks to the working men who have
signed it. I value their good opinion very highly, and
were it not that they are so far off, and that I have so
much to occupy me here, I should be glad to have an
opportunity of meeting them to discuss the question of
Reform with them. The question of a wide extension of
the suffrage is making way. The address says that
' Nearly 100 millions in the United States and in Germany
are in possession of the franchise,' and they argue from
that the cause cannot be withstood here. I believe they
are right in this, and that we shall come up with the
nations most advanced in the theory and practice of
representative government. The working men through-
out the United Kingdom are becoming interested in this
great question, and their organisation is becoming more
complete. Their power, added to the power of the Liberal
middle-class, will be too great for those who now mono-
polise the influence of Government, and a great change
cannot be far off. In every town and village the question
of working_class emancipation should be discussed.
Societies should be formed, information should be spread,
and thus opinion will be created and combined so as to
bear down all opposition. Do not imagine because you
cannot bring together a vast multitude as has been done
in Birmingham, in Manchester, in Leeds, and in Glasgow,
that you have no part in the great work. Every town
and village may do its part, and the efforts of all will be
needed. But the cause is great and good, and the result
is certain. Thanking you and your friends for both letter
and kind address,-1 arn,;vory truly yours, JOHN BRIGHT."
THE MAJORITY OF THE EARL OF MARCH.—The
special festivities at Goodwood to celebrate the joyous
event have been postponed until the anniversary of the
birthday of his grace, on the 27th of February. The only
event by which the day was marked at Goodwood, the
Duke's. seat in Sussex, was a ball for the members of the
household and their friends. The rooms were tastefully
and appropriately decorated with holly, ivy, and other
evergreens. Soon after the closing in of the evening the
company began to assemble in the rooms sot apart for their
use. An excellent band from Brighton had been engaged,
and (lancing soon commenced. The Duke and Duchess led
off with Mr. Gibbs, the house steward, and Mrs. Saunders,
the housekeeper. Lord Algernon, Lord Francis, Lady
Caroline, and other members of the family, joined in the
dance. The Egyptian Room was set apart for dancing,
while refreshments were provided in the Long Hall. The
Duke and others danced for about two hours, and after
they left the room a most sumptuous anpper was provided
for those who were their guests that evening. Altogether
they must have numbered about 130. Dancing was kept
up with spirit until nearly sunrise, and all present enjoyed
themselyes to the utmost.

Great Reform Demonstration at Blael3burn.

Tuesday was the occasion of the Reformers of
Blackburn and its surrounding villages, hamlets,
and towns, consecrating the chief part of a cold,
wintry day, the first of the year 1867, to agitation
for a large extension of political reform, especially
as it applies to the franchise protected by the ballot.
The demand for household suffrage has been pretty
general, though some of the Reform associations
have all along gone in for manhood suffrage and the
ballot, hence the resolutions that were submitted to
the people at the four district platforms were so ex-
pressed as to meet the approval of all real and sin-
cere Reformers and friends or the people. The local
Reformers have been very united, and assiduous in
their exertions to make the demonstration a com-
plete success. Large and enthusiastic meetings
have been held in the town and districts approving
the demonstration, and expressing adhesion in the
present; agitation and to the leading Liberal states
men. Up to a late hour on Sunday night the
weather continued very open and unseasonable, and
at that time a heavy fall of snow commenced and
continued up'to noon on Monday. A slight frost
then set in, leaving the snow seven or eight inches
deep in the streets, and it continued throughout
the night, leaving the streets and thoroughfares
very slippery. The roads from the surrounding
towns, &c., were, therefore, anything but favourable
to bring together so large a multitude of people from
the populous districts as had been anticipated ; still
considering the difficulty of locomotion and the
absence of cheap trains, it may be presumed that
none but men determined to be enfranchised or to
extend it to others were present, and the demonstra-
tion was worthy of the occasion, the attendance at it
being variously estimated to consist of at least 15,000
persons. The processions from the neighbouring
towns and villages began to arrive in the streets ad-
jacent to the Market-square, on which the demon-
stration was held, about ten o'clock, and continued
to take up their positions until nearly half-past
eleven, when, all having come to hand, the proces-
sion was duly formed, and moved off in the follow-
ing order from the Reform Club :—The nrnnly3rs of
the club ; carriages containing the chief speakers ;
the members of the Audley and Quick-place, Black-
burn, Reform Clubs ; stonemasons, operative
power-loom weavers and spinners, and other trades ;
the Preston, Accrington, Durwen, Great Harwood,
Padiham, Colne, Haslingden, and other district
Reform associations. The procession which, occu -
pied the space of half-au-hour in passing any given
point, then passed along many of the principal
streets, accompanied by bands and bearing a large
number of banners, mottoes, &c., having reference
to the opponents of Reform and the Adullamites.
On their return to the market ground, which had
been cleared of the snow, the integral portions of
the procession formed at the platforms allotted to
them, and amid the cheers of the vast populace the
proceedings of the meeting were commenced. The
following resolutions were carried with applause at
all the platforms :—" That this meeting protests
against, and enters its denial of, the charges of
drunkenness, ignorance, venality, and indifference
to Reform, made against the working classes during
the last session of Parliament ; and this meeting de-
clares that no Reform Bill can be accepted which
does not provide for the full, fair, and free represen-
tation of the people, nor can any representation be
free which does not include the Ballot." "That
this meeting awards its thanks to Earl Russell,
the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, John Bright,
M.P., John Stuart Mill, M.P., Professor Fawcett,
M.P., E. Baines, M.P., W. E. Forster, M.P., and
all true friends of Reform, for their patriotism in de-
fence of the rights of the people in the last session
of Parliament." "That the best thanks of this
meeting are due, and are hereby given to the chair-
man for his. able presidency."
The Olerkenwell Casual Wards.

Yesterday Mr. Corbett, one of the Poor Law
Commissioners for the metropolitan district, held au
inquiry at the Clerkenwell Workhouse, respecting
the alleged refusal of the officials to admit persons
to the wards certified under the Houseless Poor A et.
The complaints appeared in the newspapers of the
24th and 31st ult., and the first had been commu-
nicated to the Poor Law Board. This was that two
wayfarers, under circumstances of great hardship,
had been refused admission to the wards, and the
second was that an applicant had been expelled with
violence from the place when asking for admission.
Mr. Boulton represented the guardians, of whom
many were present, and Mr. Inspector Potter, of the
G division, represented the Police Commissioners.
William Taylor, the porter to the casual ward, was
called to speak to the first case. He said, in the
course of a very long examination, that a little be-
fore one o'clock he refused admission to two casuals,
who had the appearance of being excavators or
labourers, because they were intoxicated. He had
only refused them a few minutes and got into the
house when he heard a very loud knocking. He re-
turned to the door and saw a third person there,
who demanded the reason why the men were refused
admission, and he told this third person that he
was drunk, ordered him to get out of the forecourt,
and threatened to give him into custody for knock-
ing at the door. The third person subsequently took
the casuals away. In cross-examination by the
gentleman, whose name was Mr. While, the wit-
ness said he was a policeman before he became
porter here. He was tried and convicted for an
assault, and was discharged from the force, in
which he had been for eleven years without any
other complaint having been made against him.
Police-constable 158 G deposed to having his atten-
tion attracted to the wards by hearing a very loud
knocking at the doors, and he then saw down in the
forecourt a gentleman and two casuals. The gentle-
man was somewhat excited at having been told that
he was drunk by the porter at the wards; but wit-
ness, who turned his light full on the person, was I
convinced from all he saw that the gentleman was
perfectly sober. He thought, however, that the men
bad had some drink. He thought so from their ge-
neral appearance ; but he did not see much of them.
He heard the porter refuse to admit the men, and
without assigning any reason, and he saw him ad-
vance upon the gentleman and order him to leave
the forecourt, and the gentleman did so, saying that
he was not going to give the porter an excuse for
committing a breach of the peace. Mr. While, the
gentleman who had made complaint to the Poor Law
Board, then detailed the circumstances witnessed by
him. He saw the two men, who seemed thoroughly
tired out, and, to his mind, perfectly sober, crouch-
ing in the shelter of the casual wards door. He
waited for a time to see if any one came, and the
men, in answer to his question, telling him that the
porter had refused them admission, he knocked at
the door. No answer came, and he knocked again
louder, and no one coming, he knocked still more
loud. The porter then came, told him he was drunk,
refused to give any reason for not admitting the
men, threateningly ordered him out of the forecourt,
and then threatened to give him into custody for
knocking at the door. Witness called the attention
of the constable and Mr. Northfield, a neighbour, to
the affair. The last-named gentleman also deposed
that Mr. While and the two casuals were perfectly
sober. Inspector Potter, in answer to Mr. Corbett,
said that there were repeated complaints at the dis-
trict police stations with respect to the manner in
which these wards were managed, and he handed in
a statement of some of the complaints, which were
neiti made public. Mr. Corbett stated that the evi-
dence would be reported to the Poor Law Board,
who would give their decision in the case. A conver-
sation arose between the guardians, and it transpired
that orders had been given that no one was to be
admitted to the wards unless introduced by a guar-
dian. Mr. Corbett, in conclusion, told the guardians
they ought to be obliged to Mr. While for bringing
the matter out, and he recommended them, without
waiting for the Poor Law Board's report, to adopt
a system by which the refusals to admit applicants
for any cause should be checked. The guardians
passed a vote of thanks to the Commissioner, and
the proceedings, which had lasted for many hours,
terminated.

A Prussian national school is to be built in the
park of the Exhibition. It will in all respects be
an exact copy of an ordinary school in a Prussian
Village.