The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 13, 1866,

ter to the same end. The duty which I have to
perform is a much humbler one, but I am quite sure
that in taking part in the administration of the
navy I am undertaking a duty which, if faithfully
performed, will be appreciated, not only by my con-
stituents, but by the country at large. (Cheers.)
No great change of policy can take place in that
department. The eminent men who have for the
last few years held office have been endeavouring to
ascertain what principles were necessary to guide
them in the construction of ships and in the charac-
ter of the arms entrusted to the seamen, but I be-
lieve sufficient time has been devoted to those in-
quiries, and that we should now come to a decision.
Recent events on the Continent of Europe have
shown that an inferior weapon, compared with
other rifled arms with which we are acquainted, has
given important advantages to an army which had
not hitherto been considered superior to the
forces to which it was opposed, and this practi-
cal and unmistakable result should lead us at once
to arm our soldiers and seamen with the best pos-
sible weapons, for whatever the cost may be it will
in the
form of ou
long run prove
hvsetihpeshas
cheapest
also
been -asubject
of (Cheers.)
The
of much experiment, and some of these forms have
not realised the sanguine expectations of their in.,
ventors. A newly - constructed ship, of which
the Board of Admiralty pro-
mphyesie predecessors at
pro-
phesied things—the Amazon—has unfortu-
nately come into collision in the Channel with the
Osprey, a steamer from Cork, and both vessels have
foundered, though, happily, a small loss of life took
place. The Amazon was constructed with the view
of providing what were regarded as improved Ala-
bamas, it being deemed essential, after the achieve-
ments of the Confederate cruiser of that name that
ships of such a kind should be added to the navy,
and that they should have the means of sinking any
antagonist by means of a submarine prow or beak.
Many naval men believed that this was no great ad-
vantage, but the Amazon was so built, and certainly
sunk the ship with which she came in collision, but
at the sacrifice of herself-t-scarcely the best proof of
the advantage of that system of construction. (A
laugh.) Again, there has been much dispute with
respect to the cupola, or turn-table, upon which
large guns are carried, and which enables the
heaviest artillery to be safely mounted at sea. It
was confidently asserted that ships of such a kind
could not be made safe for seagoing purposes; but
there is now in our waters a very singular specimen
of that mode of construction, belonging to our bre-
them on the other side of the Atlantic. The Mian-
tonomah, which carries the heaviest guns, has safely
navigated the Atlantic, and I am told there is no
wooden ship in her Majesty's navy which could for
a moment oppose herself to this formidable engine
of warfare. A wooden vessel might indeed be
swifter, and so escape ; but this is not the course
which Englishmen would desire our navy to adopt.
(Cheers.) This vesselshows that such ships can na-
vigate the ocean, and though they may not be so
swift or so safe as others, it is high time thatvessels
should be constructed capable of opposing these
monsters, and I venture to hope that my right hon.
friend at the head of the Admiralty and my other
colleagues who are eminent men in the profession
will not be slow in turning their attention, not to
theoretical experiments, but to constructing and
arming ships as to make our navy what you desire
it to le, viz., the first in the world. (Cheers.)
Another question which requires attention is that,
in spite of the liberal supplies which have been voted
by the country in order to obtain a proper comple-
ment of men and to do away with the abominable
pressgang, the number of men who can be relied on
for the naval service has been diminishing at the rate
of about 2,000 per annum during the last four or five
years. How can that loss be supplied ? Speaking
simply for myself—for of course there has not been
much opportunity for conference with my colleagues
—I believe the wisest plan is to educate boys in the
training ships along the coasts. Not only would
well-disciplined men be thus obtained, and the ne-
cessity of harsh discipline and punishment avoided,
but many lads who might otherwise from want of
education swell the criminal classes would be well
educated, and ready for service either in the Royal
Navy or the merchant service, according as the de-
mand for men might happen to be. (Hear, hear.)
These are poiuts to which the Admiralty should at-
tend, and we have sufficient data to enable us to
come, I hope, to a speedy decision. Boards, I know
it is said, never decide very quickly, but I think I
may venture to say, considering the character of the
First Lord and of those who will assist him, that we
shall endeavour during the recess to come to some
decision on these matters, and to place the navy on
a firmer footing both with regard to arms and men.
(Cheers.) With reference to political questions, you
know enough of me to know that I am a stanch Con-
servative, and I believe I represent as such the feel-
ings of a very large majority of the constituency.
(Cheers.) I can only assure you that, in giving you
my hearty thanks for the hononr you have now done
me, I will endeavour as far as in me lies to serve the
Queen faithfully in the office to which I have been
appointed, and to serve you faithfully in the position
to which you have just re-elected me. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. HEALEY wished to know whether Lord
Cranborne contemplated doing anything for Ireland,
which was justly discontented.

Lord CRANBO RNE thought Mr. Healey did not
sufficiently consider the fact that India and Ireland
were countries widely remote from each other.
(Cheers and laughter.) His impression was that in
the India-office he should find quite enough to do
without undertaking to go to the Lord-Lieutenant
or Chief Secretary for Ireland and tell them how to
govern that other most important country. (Cheers.)
As a member of the Cabinet, he should, no doubt,
have to consider Irish questions, and he quite agreed
with Mr. Healey that something had been wrong in
Ireland for a great number of years. The misfor-
tunes of Ireland were the inheritance of the faults of
England in bygone times, and whatever England
could do to alleviate those misfortunes, and to re-
move the evils which our forefathers by their ignor-
ance and error produced, we were bound to under-
take. The Government, it was obvious, had had
as yet no time to come to any conclusions on mat-
ters of detail relative to Ireland, but he hoped that
when they next met his questioner would approve
what they had done. (Hear, hear.)
The proceedings then concluded with a vote of
thanks to the Mayor, proposed by Lord Cranborne
and seconded
.by Sir J. llay.

THE SOLICITOR-GENERAL.

GUILDFORD.

The resignation of the Liberal candidate having
occurred after a poll had been demanded it was
necessary that the polling booths should be opened
yesterday, and that all the officials should be in at-
tendance during the statutory hours to receive the
votes of such electors as might present themselves.
A considerable number of Mr. Bovill's friends
deemed it prudent to register their votes, in order
to guard against any surprise on the part of that
section of the Liberals who disapproved of the re-
signation of their candidate.
A placard issued by the committee of the Liberal
candidate announces that they requested Mr. Long
to withdraw from the contest "in consequence of
the declared intention of many of the Liberal party
to abstain from voting, and on account of the ex-
traordinary pFessure which has been put upon the
electors generally." It appears from the same placard
that the thanks of the committee were given to Mr.
Long for the "truly disinterested and patriotic man-
ner in which he came forward to support the Liberal
cause at the present momentous crisis of public
affairs, and more especially for the kind manner
in which he placed himself in the hands of his
committee" (in assenting to their wish that he should
not proceed to a poll).
A few Liberal electors tendered their votes, but
the understanding that Mr. Long withdrew from the
contest was honourably observed by the great ma-
jority of the partf. The polling being thus nearly
all on one side, very little of the excitement of a
contested election was displayed, and the town wore
throughout the day a most peaceable and orderly
aspect.
A large assemblage of electors and non-electors
took place at the Public Hall to hear the declira-
tion of the poll. The Mayor (Mr. Jacob), ac.com-
palled by the Solicitor-General and his friends,

made his appearance on the platform at 7 o'clock.
His worship declared the numbers to be as follows :
For Mr. Bovill ... 316
For Mr. Long ... 11
He therefore declared Mr. Bovill to be duly elected
for the borough of Guildford.
Mr. BovILL, who received a most enthusiastic
welcome, said he had now the honour of being again
the representative of one of the most honourable
and independent constituencies of the kingdom. The
electors had been taunted that morning, in the pla-
cards issued by the Liberal committee, with having
had an extraordinary pressure put upon them. He
would, however, ask what pressure had been put
upon the 316 electors who had come to the poll when
there was no necessity for doing so ? (Cheers.) He
could assure them that a great many more would
have come if it had been necessary. Some of the
friends of their cause, when they were told that the
election for Guildford was regarded with interest by
the whole community did not hesitate to travel
some hundreds of miles to support and return him
as their representative, and to record their votes
in favour of constitutional government. (Cheers.)
His honourable opponent, Mr. Long, whom he
should have been glad to see there that night,
had been pleased on the nomination to give
'the electors a reason why he had come for-
ward. He said he had done so because he could not
help it. Some one had asked the reason why Mr.
Pocock did not come forward to contest the borough
on the Liberal interest, as he had done at the last
election, and the reason given was that he, too,
could not help it. '(A laugh.) That seemed to be
the fate of the party. Having come forward, why
did Mr. Long go away ? There was the same an-
swer—because he could not help it. (Laughter.)
And why did the committee request him to go away?
Because they could not help it either. (Laughter.)
And did they know why nobody could not help it?
Because their opponents had made a canvass of the
town, and knew the feeling of the electors. He un-
derstood that they were out early and late, and that
certain mysterious strangers were observed in the
town. They were, however, so well watched that
they were unable to operate, and at length they
were fairly run to earth. (Cheers.) It was unneces-
sary to remind them that the number of votes
polled for him by no means represented the number
of promises he had received or the number of those
who intended to vote for him if their votes had been
required. Last year they heard a good deal about
the " eleven" of the county of Surrey, and now
that very eleven had turned up and had voted for
Mr. Long. (Laughter.) His hon. colleague
(Mr. Onslow) told the electors yesterday that
the eyes of millions of their countrymen were upon
them. For himself he rejoiced that this issue had
been placed before them, because it would show
whether on the first contested election of a member
of the present Government for an English borough
that borough approved or not the principles of the
existing Government. (Cheers.) Having again
thanked the electors for the honour they had con-
ferred upon him in sending him to Parliament for
the fourth time, and for the kindness he had re-
ceived upon his present canvass, the hon. and
learned gentleman concluded his address amid the
enthusiastic cheers of the meeting.

The proceedings terminated with the usual com-
pliment to the Mayor.
No sooner had Mr. Bovillreturned to his carriage
than the crowd outside the hall detached the horses
and drew the hon. and learned gentleman in triumph
through the principal streets of the town. When
Mr. Bovill had been escorted to his hotel, thcWhite
Hart, the cheers of the crowd in the street were re-
newed, and it became necessary for the hon. and
learned gentleman to come to the balcony to bow
his acknowledgments. The same demonstration of
good feeling and cordiality accompanied the Soli-
citor-General to the railway station on his return to
town.

long., The readings of the barometer at the station
also afford the most curious data, which until now
have been almost entirely overlooked in electrical
science as connected with the submarine cables. It
is found that exactly in proportion as the barometer
rose the resistance of the current increased, and vice
versa. In plain terms, a low barometer meant a
good cable, and a high barometer a bad one. An-
other curious circumstance which has sometimes
been noticed, but never carefully recorded till now,
is that between 12 and 2 in the day, and only at
those hours, the cable is always at its worst. It is
impossible, however, to enter into this question at
length now, when the Racoon is on the point of
starting round to Berehaven, and in search of the
William Corry. But enough has been given in out-
line to indicate that a mass of most interesting and
important facts remains to be disclosed, which may
perhaps hereafter have a most important bearing on
the whole theory and practice of submarine tele-
graphy.