The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-26 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE SUN.

havo just seen in your paper of the 17th
inst. that the authorities have granted permission
to inter the remains of the late Robert Stephenson
in Westminster Abbey. Although the modesty
which was so characteristic of him would, I am sure,
have been content with a resting-place at Chester-
field along with his great father, I am glad that
fitting honours will be paid to one who, without
invidious distinctions or comparisons, may perhaps
be called the greatest among his contemporaries in
the engineering world. It occurs to me, however,
that in honouring the son, the father, who was pre-
eminently the author of the locomotive system,
ought not to be forgotten, but that his remains
should be removed from the comparative obscurity
in which they are now placed to Westminster
Abbey, and that a suitable monument should be
erected there in memory of the father and son, to
whom England and the world are so much indebted.
The removal of the remains of the elder Stephenson
was mentioned to me by some of his old associates
not very long ago, although without any anticipa-
tion of the sad event which appears to make this a
proper occasion to bring the matter under public
notice. If you, Sir, and the public agree with
me in thinking such a step desirable, I am sure
the authorities will gladly give their consent to
the necessary arrangements ; and the friends and
admirers of the two Stephensons will not be
wanting in their contributions. As a justification
for putting myself forward in this matter,
I beg to add that I was an intimate friend of the
late George Stephenson, and that I also enjoyed
the friendship of his son, whom, indeed, a short
time before his fatal illness I had arranged to join
in a journey through Egypt next month.—l am, sir,
your obedient servant, _ _

JOSEPH PAXTON.

Bilboa, Get. 21.

LIFEBOATS FOR SCOTLAND.

TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE StiN.

Sir,—ln The Sun there appeared some time since
a statement of the wrecks on our coasts during the
past year, and of the efforts of the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution to diminish the dreadful loss of
life which annually occurs from these disasters. I
was sorry to observe that an unsuccessful appeal
had been made to the Scotch to second these efforts
by aiding the institution to place lifeboats upon
their coasts, which are at present almost entirely
unprovided with them. The following is the ex-
tract referred to :
" On the coast of Scotland there is a sad want of
lifeboats. It is along this coast a large portion of
our trade with the Baltic, Greenland, Archangels
Davis's Straits, and much of that of the Canadian
and United States trade is carried on. In addition
to this traffic the Scotch coast is remarkable for its
great herring fishery. Peterhead has its 250 fishing
boats ; Praserburg and Buckle more than 400 sail ;
while further north, off the coast of Caithness, more
than 1,200 fishing boats, manned by 6,000 persons,
nightly pursue their calling during the season ex-
posed to the proverbial suddenness of a north-east
gale. About two years ago, during a fearful gale
of wind, of a fleet of such boats, five were lost,
from which 42 men were drowned, leaving 21
widows and 79 orphans unprovided for. Sine.e
then calamities to Scotch fishermen nearly equal
in magnitude have occurred. Within the last two
or three months the National Lifeboat Institution
has made an urgent appeal to the Scotch people
generally for assistance to station additional life-
boats on their coast ; but we lament to say that
appeal has met with little response from them."
In consequence of these remarks I have made
inquiries, and I find that the following is briefly
the state of the case :
The coast of Scotland, in order to be provided
with the smallest number of lifeboats required 131
the coastguard returns, should have twenty-on?
boats. It has, in reality, but three of the instv
tution's, and a few others of uncertain efficienelf
only two or three having regular crews or mainte-
uance. This lamentable want is due to the extraor4
diary supineness of the Scotch, for the institution
cannot place boats without local aid, and the 65
boats it has on the English coast are owing to the
support it has received there. The late appeal'
though widely circulated among tho Scotch, 1135
not produced a fund sufficient to purchase a single
boat.

Though not a Scotchman, I am the son of a
Scotchman, and feel a deep interest in all that Cow
terns Scotland. I deplore the state of her shore!,
which this statement discloses, and for the sake °.t
humanity as well as the honour of the country
am anxious to renew the appeal to the Scotch. 11°
prove that I am in earnest, I have made a coo'
mencement by presenting the institution with
two life boats of the value of Xl.Bo each, who'.
the committee have liberally undertaken to PO.,
vide with carriages and houses to place as speedllo
as possible on those points of the coast where there
the most urgent need. I earnestly trust that tho
example may be followed by the landholders, sing-
owners, merchants, and manufacturers of Scotland
If each large town would contribute one or mare
boats, and each coast district make an effort in
.81 P
the work would be done, and Scotland's opprobril
removed of neglecting the calls of humanity,
leaving shipwrecked seamen to perish helpless nn
her inhospitable coasts. Shall it be said that Eng;
land provides 65 life boats, and Scotland but three:
That all the wealth and liberalty of the nortk le
insensible to the cry of the poor drowning mariner
on its own shores ; and while profiting so largely
by commerce utterly neglects the security of the
seamen who carry it on ? Can there be a rfors"
philanthropic object, or one which it is more a duty
to carry out than this ?
I will add nothing more. If something is to be
done, now is the time. Winter, with its storms an',
shipwrecks, is fast approaching, and unless the
Scotch coast is to remain another dark season
without life-saving means, not a moment is to be
lost in answering the appeal.
I enclose my card, and I am your obedient
servant, J.

London, Oct. 25.
P.S.—After all, the sum required to accomplish
the object is extremely moderate. There will be
five efficient boats as soon as the two mentioned
above are stationed. Sixteen only are, therefore!.
required, at a cost of about £7,000. I have little
doubt that if two-thirds of this sum can be rased
in Scotland, the institution will receive the suPPe'"
in England necessary to make up the remaiope:,:,
The object, then, is to raise about £5,000, and
secure the small local support necessary for tr
boats when stationed. If this cannot be entire
accomplished let a part be done, and boats be
on as fast as the funds accrue.

LORD WARD AND SIR J. PAKINGTO
ON REFORMATORIES.

At the Worcestershire Quarter Sessions on gal:
day the subject of the management of reformatorio"
for juvenile criminals was discussed on a motion bf
the Rev. J. Pearson, who desired to see a more 11?1_1";
form system of management adopted, and stato
that for want of this the results were not so saw.
factory as would otherwise be the case.
Lord WARD (who has established a reforinatori
for boys at his own cost at Woodbury-hill, in tllO
00
county of Worcester), after stating his
to increase the accommodation for boys if it Wei;
required, at his reformatory, andito establish also
girls' reformatory if the magistrates of the county
could show him any want for such an institutioti_o
said the cause of the present position of matters re
between the promoters of reformatories and tP
Government was to be found in that system of cow'
f
promise which characterised our modern system t 0
legislation. The Government merely eve aid
the exertions of private individuals, instead ‘l_,
placing a measure before the country enabling them`
to do for juvenile criminals what it did for adults:
He was sure it was not the wish of the originator;
of reformatories to preserve for themselves the
little patronage and power which was connected
with such establishments. Let the Government
take the management of them into their own hand'
if they wished, or let the counties manage them
they did their lunatic asylums and other institw
tions. He should not object to reformatories being
governed by one uniform set of rules, but he thought
,
these institutions ought to possess the right °
refusal to admit inmates under certain circuol;
stances, especially when there was a chance 0f
bodily or moral contamination. (Hear, hear.)
Sir JOHN PARINGTON said the law was ee,r,,'
tainly in a very anomalous state as regarded the
government of reformatories. Power was given ut°,,
send to them offenders of a certain age, but to:
law did not require them to receive the offenders
so sent. Every reformatory had the power °0
exercising its own discretion as to the admissi°
or refusal of an inmate, and this discretion had bee:..,
repeatedly exercised. This anomalous and unsatls;
factory state of things existed solely because t?
Government and the Legislature had allowed 11',0
existence, merely from the reformatory system being
an experiment, though a great, interesting, and illy;
portant one. It was to be hoped that Governinen
_.!
would ere long whether they were memorialised u:
not, take care that these institutions were put ior;
more satisfactory and definite shape than they we
at present. (Hear, hear.)
No action was taken by resolution upon the
subject.

CRYSTAL PALACE. ONE SHILLING DAY'
, 1.0
TUESDAY, Oct. 25—Admissions on payment, 3,413 i u"
by season tiQkets, 1,197; total visitors, 4,610.