The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-10 00:00:00

Our first view was that though it might be wise to
attempt to effect a cure, yet the surest course was to
give the power of slaughter. That power was given,
and we were soon overwhelmed with remonstrances
against the exercise of it. In De:temberlast a deputa-
tion waited upon me from some of the agricultural
associations, who expressed their opposition to the
power we had given, and their satisfaction at the fact
that in deference to public opinion we were about to
modify it. We were told throughout most distinctly
that public opinion did not support the Government,
but subsequently experience has fully confirmed the
wisdom of the course we took in declaring that
slaughter was the only effectual way of checking the
spread of the disease. In Aberdeenshire, in October
last, measures were taken to stamp out the disease
by slaughter, and great good was done. I believe
that a fund was raised to compensate those whose
cattle were destroyed, which was contributed to
equally by landlord and tenant.

Sir G. JENKINSON remarked that one of the reso-
lutions passed at the conference declared that com-
pensation for the slaughter of animals infected, or in
immediate contact with those infected, should be
provided by Act of Parliament. His own view was,
that such compensation should be provided by a
local or county rate.

Sir G. GREY asked if the deputation were aware
that a proposal had been made for a poll-tax upon
cattle.

Mr. PELL thought there were insuperable difficul-
ties in the way of the accomplishment of that object.
Mr. SINTIIIES inquired if the Government pro-
posed to take a census of cattle.
Sir G. GREY-It i 3 being taken now, and we hope
to have it in our possession shortly.
Mr. TOLLEMACIIE, M.P., said the question of
compensation involved great difficulties. As re-
garded Cheshire, the disease has been so general,
that if they were to attempt to compensate the far-
mers by a rate levied on agricultural property alone,
there would be no relief. It would be simply re-
ceiving with one hand, and paying with another.

Sir G. GREY—I see here a resolution in favour of
disinfecting markets, railway trucks, and cattle-
pens. That is a very important question. The
Government wished to have it done, and they
brought in two bills, but the whole agricultural in-
terest opposed them. lam glad you have now seen
the evil of your objections, and I hope that measures
may be taken to provide a permanent remedy for
this state of things.
Lord LICIIFIELD thanked Lord Granville and Sir
George Grey for the courtesy they had displayed,
and the deputation then withdrew.
Naval and Military Intelligence.

Her Majesty's ship Chanticleer, Commander W.
Fenwick, arrived off Woolwich arsenal yesterday
morning at 8 o'clock, and, having saluted the flagship
Fisgard, she made fast at the powder buoy to dis-
charge her war stores. The salute not being custo-
mary in the Thames occasioned some official inquiry,
and was not returned. Her ship's company will be
mustered this morning by Commodore Superinten-
dent Dunlop, C. 8., and Mr. Ponsonby, naval secre-
tary. She landed a draught of seamen yesterday
brought up from Portsmouth to make up the com-
plement of 180 men who will be transferred this
morning from the flagship to the turret ship Prince
Albert. She experienced stormy weather during her
voyage home, in which some of her bulwarks were
carried away, and she also lost a portion of her false
keel. Capt. Wilmshurst, in command of the Prince
Albert, at Woolwich, has again joined from leave
of absence ; as also have the majority of her officers
commissioned. According to present arrangements,
she will be docked and out of the shipwrights' hands
on the 17th inst. She was inspected on Thursday
by Vice-Admiral Lord E. Russell, C. 8., Vice-Ad-
miral Sir G. R. Mundy, K.C.8., Rear-Admiral
Stopford, and Rear-Admiral Sir F. W. E. Nichol-
son, C. 8., who were attended in their inspection by
Mr. Turner and other officials of the yard.
The officials and draughtsmen connected with the
master-shipwright's establishment at Chatham are
busily engaged, under the superintendence of one
of the assistant-constructors from the department
of the Controller of the Navy, in preparing the
drawings, plans, and moulds, from the designs trans-
mitted from time to time from the Admiralty, of the
ironclad turret-ship Monarch, and the new broad-
side iron frigate Hercules, both of which are to be
commenced at Chatham as soon as the graving
docks now occupied by the ironclad frigates Belle-
rophon and Lord Warden are completed, the former
vessel being under orders to leave dock on the 17th
inst., and the latter during the ensuing month.
The chief interest is just now centered in the pre-
paration of the playas for the Monarch, the first
turret-ship designed for the Royal Navy by Mr.
Reed, the Chief Constructor at the Admiralty. It
is intended that the Hercules and Monarch shall be
constructed simultaneously so as to allow of both
vessels being completed and fit for sea at about the
same time. From the drawings and models already
received at Chatham, it appears that the Monarch
will be constructed with double turrets, and will
be the first vessel of her size carrying two turrets.
The Monitor class of ships hitherto built carry
only one turret, but the advantages of two turrets
is beginning to be appreciated by the Americans,
who had already built such vessels of light draught.
It was originally intended to construct the Monarch
with only one turret, as proposed by Capt. Coles,
but the committee of naval officers appointed by the
Admiralty to examine and report upon the turret
principle, of which Vice-Admiral the Earl of Lau-
derdale, K.C.8., was the president, strongly ob-
jected to a single turret, and hence the decision of
the Admiralty to construct the proposed vessel with
two turrets. The Monarch is designed with an
upper deck twice the height above the water of the
turret-ships Royal Sovereign and Royal Albert.
Like the Bellerophon, she will be provided with an
inner skin, and will be constructed on the double
bottom cellular principle. Her armour will be of a
maximum thickness of 7in. It will be carried to a
height of 15ft. above and sft. below her water-line.
The armour on her turrets will be close upon 12in.
thick, while the interior of each turret will be suffi-
ciently large to receive two of the largest guns con-
structed. At the same time she will carry a heavy
gun at her stem and stern. Both vessels are to be
completed within two years.
On Thursday evening the ward room officers of
her Majesty's ship Victory entertained Admiral S'
Michael Seymour, G.C.8., Port-Admiral and Nava
Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, and staff,
comprising Flag-Capt. F. Scott, C. 8., aide-de-
camp to the Queen, Flag-Lieut. E. 11. Seymour,
and Secretary W. D. Jeans, C. 8., at dinner on
board the Victory. After the cloth was drawn
Commander Sheers, of the Victory, proposed " The
Health of Sir Michael and Lady Seymour." Sir M.
Seymour, in reply, expressed deep regret that the
period of his command was drawing near, and bore
willing testimony to the zeal and ability with which
his orders had been executed by all the officers un-
der his commond. It is reported that SirW.Martin
will be Sir Michael's successor at Portsmouth.

A letter from Major-General Grey, commanding
her Majesty's troops in China and Japan, has been
forwarded from the I-lorse Guards through the
Admiralty to the several divisions of Royal Ma-
rines for promulgation on parade. He says :
Having forwarded to the Quartermaster-General for
the information of his Royal Highness the Field-
Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, my report of the
embarkation of the battalion of Royal Marines on
board her Majesty's ship Conqueror for return to
England, I have now 'the honour to bring to the
notice of his Royal Highness the high state of offi-
ciency and discipline for which the battalion under
the command of Lieut.-Colonel Suther has been so
conspicuous daring the period of its service in Japan.
i
It s due to the commanding officer and the officers
and men under his orders to state that the steady
and correct manner in which their duties were
per-
formed, their excellent behaviour in camp,
and their
clean, soldie
mr-cloikemendtl
appearance.on on parade, are alike
deserving
of
ma antll beg to request that his Royal highnessbe
ath'le Field-Marshal Com-
manding-in-Chiefy pleased
dtomakeknoNvn
my favourable report to ta e
Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty.

Ex-Provisional Governor Johnson has returned
to tho practice of his profession, the law, at his home in
Columbus, Georgia.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held
yesterday at the London Tavern—Lieut.-Colonel
Pearson in the chair.

The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said the working expenses had been grad-
ually increasing during the past four years. Some
gentlemen thought they could save out of the work-
ing expenses 1i per cent. to increase the dividend.
He trusted, however, that he would be able to show
they were progressing in the right direction.
Some three years ago a gentleman in the north con-
tended that the working expenses could be consi-
derably reduced. Messrs. Quilter and Ball, the
accountants, were employed to examine the
counts. The directors did not believe the working
expenses could be reduced so much as had been sup-
posed. The Board had accepted the new directors
selected by the shareholders, with a view to keep
down the expenses and improve the working. A
general manager was then appointed, and also a re-
sident engineer. He might say they were most for-
tunate in the selection of those gentlemen, for better
men could not be obtained. The company's old and
faithful servant, Mr. Forsyth, who had been ma-
nager and resident engineer of the company at the
small salary of £B5O a year for many years, was ap-
pointed consulting engineer. Mr. Wilson, an inde-
pendent engineer, had examined the working stock,
and reported that it was in fair working order, but
the engines had long boilers that would not bear a
pressure of more than 901 b. or 100 lb. to the square
inch, while it was necessary they should be strong
enough to bear a pressure of 1401 b. to the square
inch, so, as to work efficiently and with economy.
They had had various difficulties to deal with ; then
it was found the repairing shops of the company
were unequal to the requirements of the ordinary
repairs. Proper tools and machinery had to be pro-
vided, and all this preparation had involved ex-
penses. The locomotive stock had in the interval to
be kept in good order, and although the workshops
were now in full operation, the expenses in that de-
partment had not been much reduced. Although
the receipts of the railway had increased on the
whole, the expenses had increased to a greater
extent. There had been a falling off in the re-
ceipts on the canal as compared with the correspond-
ing half of 1864. The difference between the sum
available for dividend and that for the corre-
sponding period was about £11,600 less. There
had been a falling off in the canal traffic of
£2,000, in the balance brought over of £3,000 ; the
increase of working expenses had been more than
£3,000 ; the increase in the interest account had
been £2,800. Those sums accounted for the
difference in the available balance. He then explained
that the effects of the strike last year had been in-
jurious to their traffic. He represented the prefer-
ence shareholders at the board, and maintained that
they were more interested in the success of the un-
dertaking than the ordinary shareholders, as they
would participate in the surplus profits over a cer-
tain amount. They had no Parliamentary contest
this year, and were doing everything in their power
to develope the traffic of the district and to improve
the position of the company.
Mr. J. B. MooftE seconded the motion for the
adoption of the report.
A discussion ensued, in the course of which Mr.
FILDES, M.P., recommended the directors to deve-
lope the through traffic from their district, and ob-
tain outlets for it in connexion with the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway, and other com-
panies north and south.
_ _ _

Sir A. ANDERSON, a director, said he considered
that the North Staffordshire Company was never in
a more hopeful position than it was at present, and
he believed the increased expenditure was capable of
reduction.

The report was unanimously adopted ; a dividend
at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum was declared
on the preference stock, and at the rate of 41 per
cent. per annum on the ordinary stock of the com-
pany for the past half-year.
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman and directors.