The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-09 00:00:00

THE PAUPER LUNATIC ASYLUM.

Alderman DAKIN brought up a report from the
special committee appointed to superintend the erec-
tion of the new Pauper Lunatic Asylum near Dart-
ford, in Kent, which stated that the building was
ready for the reception of inmates, and that it had
been completed for a sum very little in excess of the
estimated cost, which was £60,000. It was stated
that a little remained to be done to the building, but
it was sufficiently completed to justify the committee
in asking the Lord Mayor and the members of the
Court to pay a visit to it, in order to judge for
themselves how the money had been expended.
This report gave rise to a somewhat lengthened
discussion, in the course of which Mr. H. L. Taylor
suggested that it would be better to wait until the
entire cost of the building was ascertained before
any report was agreed to ; and he at the same time
inquired whether the Commissioners of Lunacy had
given their formal certificate that the building was
' in a fit state for the reception of inmates.
Mr. WOODTHORPE, the Town Clerk, upon this
read a communication that had been received from
the Commissioners, the effect of which appeared to
be that, although the building was fit for the recep-
tion of a particular class, they considered that cer-
tain alterations should be made, and among them
arrangements should be made for the inmates to be
enabled to carry out farming operations, and at pre-
sent it appeared that they did not feel themselves
justifiedin granting a positive certificate of approval.
Mr. H. L. TAYLOR said it appeared to him that
they were now in the possession of a great deal more
information respecting the asylum than was furnished
by the report of the committee or the speech of the
worthy alderman ; and he was afraid that the ex-
pense would be very much greater than had been
anticipated by that Court. (Hear, hear.) If they
were to go into the question of farm buildings, he
thought this Court ought not to be called upon to
find the money. _

Mr. FRICKER said that as the report alluded to
some further expense that was to be incurred, he
should be glad if the worthy alderman would inform
him what additional amount he considered would be

required.
Alderman DAKIN said that he believed £2OO
would be all that would be required for what re-
mained to be done. With regard to the subject of
farm buildings or providing farming operations for
the patients, he begged to inform the Court that
the committee had never taken such a matter into
their consideration. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. FRICKER said it had been reported that it
would require £lO,OOO more to complete the build-
ing.

Alderman DARIN said nothing of the sort was re-
quired.

Mr. M'GEORGE expressed his opinion that from
the letter of the Commissioners of Lunacy, and
what had transpired in Court, that the building was
very- far from being complete ; and he should there-
fore move as an amendment, " That the report be
referred back to the committee for them to make a
report upon the total cost of the building, and that
the proposed visit of the Lord Mayor and of the
members of that Court be postponed until this was
done."

Deputy PER KIN 3,
15r. SAUNDERS, and several
other honourable members, then addressed the
Court, and it was contended by the two former
that the new building was quite as complete as those
of a similar description at Hanwell, Colney-hatch,
and Wandsworth ; and it was observed that with
regard to the suggestions of the Lunacy Commis-
sioners that they were a changing body, and that
one set of gentlemen frequently recommended what
their successors disapproved of ; and after a some-
what lengthened discussion the amendment was put
and negatived, and the original motion was put and
carried, and it was arranged that the Lord Mayor
and such members of the Court as chose to accom-
pany him, should visit the asylum on Monday, the
19th inst.

THE RAILWAY INVASION OF THE CITY.
The REMEMBRANCER (Mr. Corrie) reported a
number of railway bills that were before Parlia-
ment, some of which it appeared would interfere
with the proposed Holborn Valley Improvement and

other works projected by the Corporation, and he
recommended that the Court should petition against
such of the bills as affected the interests of the Cor-
poration.

The report was referred to the Improvement
Committee.

TILE GAS QUESTION.

Mr. J. F. BONTEMS brought up a report from the
special committee appointed in reference to the ques-
tion of the supply of gas in the City, which stated
that there were several bills before Parliament, the
object of which was to enable certain companies to
amalgamate and to increase their capital to the
extent of a million of pounds. The report recom-
mended that the necessary steps should be taken to
oppose all those bills.

Mr. MEDWIN, in supporting the report, said it was
clear that the object the companies had in view was
to prevent the public having the benefit that the
law intended to give them of getting cheaper gas
when the dividends of the gas companies exceeded
10 per cent. If the scheme was not defeated, the
companies would have to pay 10 per cent. upon an
additional million of capital, and the present price
of gas would be maintained. (Hear, hear.)
The report was then agreed to.
LORD PALMERSTON.

Mr. T. RLIDKIN then brought forward a motion
that has been upon the paper of business for a con-
siderable time :—" That it be referred to the City
Lands Committee to consider what mark of respect
should be paid by the Corporation of London to
the memory of the late Lord Viscount Palmer-
ston." He said he should have preferred bringing
the motion forward when the Court was fuller
than at present, but it had been several months on
the paper of business, and it was as well that' it
should be disposed of. He should not address
the Court at any length, for he felt assured that
almost every member of it would agree with
him that Lord Palmerston, who had passed away
from them, was entitled to every compliment that
could be paid to his memory. (Hear, hear.)
There might be some difference with regard to his
political opinions, but he thought that every. Eng-
lishman must admit the great services he had ren-
dered his country, and the able manner in which he
had on every occasion upheld its honour and dignity.
He did not believe that any statesman ever pos-
sessed so much control over the House of Commons
or was so generally esteemed in that august assem-
bly as the late Lord Palmerston ; and at the present
early period of the session his loss was already felt
more day after day. It had been stated that Lord
Palmerston had devoted all the energies of his mind
to the consideration of the subject of the cattle dis-
ease, and he believed that if he had been spared, he
would have suggested something more practi-
cal for the relief of the country from the terrible
calamity than all the Orders in Council put together.
(Hear.) He admitted his incompetence to do jus-
tice to the subject, but he said he hoped that the
Court would agree to his motion unanimously.
Mr. JESSE TURNER said he had no desire in any
way to disparage the character of the noble vis-
count, but it appeared to him that there was no neces-
sity that the matter should go to a committee, but that
the Court itself, relying upon the precedents now be-
fore it, might agree upon a bust of the noble lord being
placed in the Council Chamber, as had been done in
the case of other illustrious persons. He moved an
amendment to this effect, with the addition, that the
cost of the proposed bust should not exceed £250.
A difficulty then arose that as this involved the
question of the outlay of money, which could not be
done without notice, or the standing order relating
to the subject being suspended, a motion was made
that the last-mentioned course should be adopted.
The motion was, however, negatived, and the
amendment consequently fell to the ground.
Mr. WEBBER said he hoped the Court would pause
before they agreed to the motion of Mr. Rudkin, and
that they would not lose siglit of the fact that in the
cases of such illustrious men as George Canning
and Earl Grey the Court took no steps to do
honour to their memory. (Hear, hear, and inter-
ruption.) That Court, he repeated, took no steps to
recognise the brilliant services of those statesmen
whose names he had mentioned, and they were now
called upon to do honour to the memory of a ➢linis-
ter whose name did not appear upon any bill except
the Extradition Treaty, to serve him of France.
(Loud cries of " Hear, hear, order," and " No.")
He would ask the Court if Lord Palmerston had
ever given his support to any liberal measures, or to
the cause of liberty in foreign countries, and whether
he had not always been the backer-up of despotism
in every quarter? (Cries of " Order," and " hear,
hear.") Where was Lord Palmerston when Hun-
gary was on her knees begging to be recognised and
to be made free ? Where was Lord Palmerston
when Poland upon two occasions had an opportu-
nity of Obtaining freedom, and implored the aid of
this country to enable her to become so ? A word
from England would have rendered these countries
as free as she was herself ; but where was Lord
Palmerston to speak that word ? With these views
upon the subject, he said he should propose as an
amendment the previous question, and, if he stood
alone, he would divide the Court upon it.
_ _

Mr. ORRIDGE seconded the amendment.

After a few words from Mr. LAWLEY, the amend-
ment was put to the Court and declared to be
negatived.

A division then took place, when there appeared
—For the amendment, 22 ; against it, 56 ; majo-
rity against, 34.

The original motion of Mr. Rudkin was then put
and carried, after which the Court adjourned.

The Cattle Plague.

A conference was hold yesterday morning at St. James's-
hall of the representatives from the various agricultural
societies of Great Britain and others upon the subject of
the cattlo plague. The Earl of LICHFIELD presided, and
upon the platform were Lord Combermere, Lord Berners,
Lord Mostyn, Lord Bateman, Lord Shrewsbury and Tal-
bot, Lord Ravensworth, Earl of Stradbroke, Lord Powis,
Lord Vivian, Lord Southampton, Sir C. Russell, M.P., Sir
J. Western, Mr. Robow, M.P., Mr. Biddulph, M.P., Col.
Stuart, M.P., Mr. Bromley, M.P., Mr. Dodson, M.P.,
Captain Speirs, M.P., Hon. C. Carnegie, M.P.,
Hon. P. A. St. John ; Hon. H. G. Liddell, M.P., the
M`Leod of PiPLeod ; Hon. P. Scott, Mr. Bass, M.P., Mr.
Davey, M.P. ; Mr. Heneage, M.P., Mr. Selwyn, M.P., Mr.
D. Nicol, M.P., Major Parker, M.P., and a great number of
agriculturists.

The CHAIRMAN expressed his satisfaction at seeing so
many agriculturists present to discuss a subject which
threatened, without the interposition of Providence, to be-
come one of the greatest national calamities that had ever
befallen this country. The object of the meeting he took to
be to afford an opportunity forpractical agriculturists from
all parts of the country to express their opinions as to the
means which it might be desirable to take, in order if pos-
sible to check the spread of the disease. lie suggested that
the members of either house of Parliament present should
content themselves with listening to those opinions as a
guide to them in the course they might think it right to
take when the subject came before Parliament. This would
deprive the meeting of any political tone and save time,
which was very valuable.
Mr. A. PEEL, of Northamptonshire, moved a resolution,
declaring that the removal of all live cattle from one place
to another over highways, except in uninfected counties,
and the removal of all live cattle by railways throughout
Great Britain, ought to be prohibited for a limited time.
This disease was not new. 150 years ago scientific men
made it their study, and foremost amongst them was Lan-
chesi, the Italian, who said that the pole-axe was the only
remedy to kill out the germ of the disorder. By the system
of treating it now adopted, the statistics showed a twelve-
fold increase in three months. Another plan had been sug-
gested by the Royal Commission, which might be called
Mr. Lowe's plan, and this was in substance merely a repe-
tition of Lanchesi's plan; but Mr. Lowe said that if Par-
liament granted the prohibition this resolution called for
it was easy to enforce, inasmuch as the presence of any
beast on a road or railway would be proof of the offence.
Many ol4jections had been made and many exceptions
had been claimed, especially for fat cattle, but he would
allow of no exceptions. There was no difficulty in for-
warding the meat when killed from one place or from
one part of the country to another to any extent. There
was no fear, therefore, that London or any great town
would be insufficiently supplied.
Tho resolution was seconded by Colonel lIALPORD, of
Leicester, who spoke of the impossibility of carrying out
the proposed or any plan for staying the plague under the
system of local authorities.
Mr. MARSHALL, of Ely, in Cambridgeshire, which he said
was the largest loser of cattle from the plague, pointed out
that in the resolution there was a most significant excep-
tion in the words " except in uninfected counties," and
proposed that those words should be eliminated. (Hear.)
Mr. PEEL would have preferred to omit the words, but it
was urged that there were eleven counties in Scotland in
which no diseao existed, and that it was hard to subject

them to restrictions. With the concurrence of the seconder
he would withdraw the words.

Sir G. JENKINSON objected that there was nothing in the
resolution that went to what he considered the important
point, viz., that the orders should proceed direct from the
Government, and from no other authority.
The CHAIRMAN remarked that it would be impossible to
carry out such an order unless it emanated from the Go-
vernment.

Mr. Ssow, who represented the fleshers of Edinburgh,
feared that such a prohibition would inflict great inconve-
nience in country districts and small towns, especially in
Scotland. He moved that healthy fat cattle proceeding to
market should be exempted.

Mr. DUNCAN, representing the fleshers of Glasgow,
seconded this.

Mr. BRANTUP suggested that, unless some provision was
made for conveying cows to the male animal, next year
the majority of the cows would be barren, and thus the
future supply of cattle would be still further reduced.

The resolution as amended by leaving out the excepting
words was carried, as was another moved by Mr. SMYTHES,
to the effect that all imported cattle be prohibited from
moving inlaad.

Mr. GOODLAKE, president of the Edinburgh Chamber of
Agriculture, moved :—" That the immediate destruction of
all plague-stricken animals and those in direct contact with
them, and the complete isolation and official watching and
control of all animals that have been within the influence
of contagion, ought by act of Parliament to be provided
for."

This was seconded by Mr. RYDER, of the Liverpool Agri-
cultural Society, who observed that, from information he
had received, vaccination, which had been regarded as a
last resource for preventing the spread of the rinderpest,
had failed in Cheshire, where the disease was increasing.
It was only the cattle trade that opposed prohibitory mea-
sures. The Government had been negligent on the subject,
every measure which had emanated from them having been
dragged from them. He had no doubt that the country
would readily compensate those whose interests were
affected by the suggested measures of precaution, and ho
proposed that it should be done by a compulsory rate.
He further suggested that a public subscription should be
made to compensate those who had already lost cattle—
(no, no.)—and condemned the slaughtering of calves for
food during the continuance of the disease.
Professor GAMGEE supported the motion, and contended
for the stamping out of the disease by slaughtering all in-
fected animals. The thermometer enabled them to detect
accurately the existence or non-existence of the disease in
any animal.
The motion was adopted with two dissentients.
Sir G. JENKINSON moved—" That tile partial remunera-
tion of the owners of animals affected by these measures
be provided for by act of Parliament." Ho could not ad-
vocate that such remuneration should be provided out of
the consolidated fund, but by a county rate. (No, no.)
The CHAIRMAN remarked that the resolution left that
point open. _ _

- -
Sir G. JENKINSON, in continuation, blamed the Govern-
ment for not having acted in accordance with the recom-
mendations of their own commissioners.

The resolution was seconded by Mr. NORMAN and carried,
as was another requiring that the disinfecting of all infected
premises, market places, railway trucks, and cattle pens,
should be enforced by act of Parliament, moved by Capt.
De Witt and seconded by Mr. Tucker. A deputation was
appointed to wait on Sir G. Grey to represent the views of
the meeting, and urge upon the Government to take the
steps necessary for giving effect to the same—the Hon. F.
Scott objecting that it ought to be to Earl Russell—and a
petition to Parliament praying that a stop may be put by
legislative enactment to the removal of all live cattle from
one place in Groat Britain to another, for a limited time,
and, in connection therewith, to enact further—that all ani-
mals labouring under the disease shall be immediately
slaughtered, and buried in the skin—the same being previ-
ously slashed and spoilt—the owners thereof being parti-
ally compensated from such source as the wisdom of Par-
liament may devise ; and that all cattle which have come
in direct contact with diseased animals, or which have been
in the same enclosure with them, though yet showing no
symptoms of the disease, shall also be immediately slaugh-
tered on the premises, the offals to be disinfected and
buried, the hides to be disinfected and sold, and the car-
casses also to be sold for the benefit of the owners ; the
loss thereon•to the owner to be partially compensated, in
like manner, out of the fnnds raised as aforesaid ; and in
order that full advantage may be taken of this compulsory
stoppage of transit of cattle, to enact provisions for carrying
out sanitary measures to extinguish effectually all germs of
the disease—in particular, that the whole premises occu-
pied by diseased animals, or by animals which have come
in contact with, or been in the same enclosure, shed, or
byre with diseased animals, shall be thoroughly cleansed
and disinfected, and the manure, litter, and fodder taken
therefrom, also disinfected or burnt, at the occupier's ex-
pense, by proper officers. And that further all railway
trucks and pens, and other railway plant that have been
used in the transportation of live stock, be officially
cleansed and disinfected, and their use prohibited for a
period of time.

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro-
ceedings.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—The protracted disputes between Capt.
Cowper P. Coles and the Admiralty have been re-
cently brought to an unfortunate close. Capt. Coles,
as everybody now knows, is the inventor and pro-
moter of a new design for a fighting-ship, the prin-
ciple of which consists in mounting its battery in a
turret or turrets instead of placing it in broadside.
Some time ago the merits or capabilities of the inven-
tion were so far recognised that Capt. Coles was
taken into the pay of the Admiralty, and his skill
made available for the public service. It appears
that by a rule or tradition of the Department, the
officers employed in it are debarred from entering
publicly into controversies on professional subjects,
but Capt. Coles obtained a special privilege in this
respect, and was allowed to have " free liberty, by
means of lectures, models, publications, and other-
wise, to prove the great utility, value, and economy
of his invention of shield ships, by way of diffusing
and extending the reputation thereof, and to show
the value of the same, and the numerous ways in
which it may be used, worked, and extended for sea-
going ships, coast defences, and otherwise." That
a liberal use was made of this privilege our readers
will easily remember, but at the beginning of
last month Capt. Coles addressed to one of our
contemporaries a letter, in which he was thought
to have transgressed the bounds of propriety by
attacking the designs and performances of his own
colleagues in the service. Accordingly the Admi-
ralty called upon him to acknowledge or disavow
the publication, and when he acknowledged it--
indeed, the letter had borne his own signature—
proceeded at once to dismiss him from employment.
On the face of this proceeding it would be hard
to deny that the Admiralty was justified. The
letter in question did certainly exceed the limits de-
fined by the reservation above given. It was not
so much exceptionable in itself as inconsistent with
the writer's position. It may, perhaps, have been
inaccurate in some respects, and it was undoubtedly
aggressive, but it did not in these particulars trans-
gress the privileges which controversialists, in the
heat of argument, are apt to assume. But Captain
Coles was an officer receiving Government pay, and
his attacks were directed against his brother officers
in his own department—the very men with whom
he was supposed to be co-operating for the public
good.
They, moreover, stood absolutely debarred
by the rules of the service from all chance of self-
defence. They could not reply to their assailant,
nor meet his charges with any explanation or denial.
Their hands were tied, and therefore, whatever the
chief authorities of the Department might have
thought of the case themselves, they were bound to
protect their servants in general from the abuse of
a privilege conceded to one of their number. Capt.
Coles had not confined himself to the advocacy of
his own invention ; he had devoted himself rather
to the disparagement of other designs, especially the
designs of Mr. Reed, and had not been sparing of
his censures in describing the productions of those
who were employed with him, or the administration
of those by whom he was employed. Although,
however, we feel bound to make these admissions,
we think the Admiralty might have accom-
plished all that was required by a less rigorous
sentence, and we are of opinion that Captain
Coles, under all the circumstances of the case,
was entitled to their forbearance. In short, look-
ing at the matter broadly, there was enough in
his position to excuse:irritability and discontent.
HERALD.—The opinion of an eminent Irishman
upon the state of Ireland at the present crisis of her
history must be deserving of the very serious atten-
tion even of those who are most inclined to dissent
from his views. It is instructive to us to have both
sides of every great question presented to us by ad-
vocates who put their case as strongly as they can.
Before criticising too severely the speech made by
The O'Donoghue last night in the House of Com-
mons we should remember that he is an Irishman
per sang, that he aspires to the leadership of what
may be called the national party, that he is the
avowed opponent of the present system of govern-
ing Ireland by Englishmen. A man of Irish descent
and patronymic, inheriting Irish traditions and
Irish sympathies, it would be absurd to expect of
him that he should regard the relations between
that country and this in exactly the same light as
an Englishman. He has been accused of making
treasonable speeches, but his harangue of last night
was certainly no more treasonable than was the
statement of the Secretary of the Baptist Society,
that the Jamaica negroes are disaffected to the Go-
vernment. The gist of The O'Donoghue's speech is,
that the Irish are disaffected, and his assertion on
this point is so far of importance that he ought to
know more of the feelings of his fellow-country men
than we do. If Irishmen are discontented with Whig
rule, they an very much in the same position as

-
ourselves ; if they are tired of the union with
England, and wish to sever it, we regret that it
should be so, because the continuance of that
union is inevitable ; if they have tangible griev-
ances to allege and wrongs to be redressed, we
would wish to be informed of those grievances
and to be put into a position to redress those
wrongs. The speech of The O'Donoghue, in-
temperate as it was in parts, and exaggerated in
tone, as might have been expected from him, does
not put these complaints in any very novellight.
It is the occasion which gives it its importance,
the recognised existence of a widespread conspi-
racy of rebellion, which has been so far suppressed
by the strong arm of the law, and happily without
bloodshed. The O'Donoghue attempts to explain
to us the sympathy for these conspirators among the
lower classes in Ireland, by telling us that these
i classes have been made disloyal by misgovernment
and a persistent denial of their rights. Ireland at
this moment is a " sick man," about the symptoms
of whose malady and the remedies to be applied to
it the doctors may perhaps differ, as doctors do.
We have here a new prescription and a new line of
treatment recommended. Some of us may dissent,
in lirnine, from the theory upon which it is based,
but the fact that all other recipes have more or less
failed may, at all events, be alleged in behalf of the
new panacea. The Attorney-General for Ireland,
in his reply to The.O'Donoghue, contented himself
with denying, in general terms, that the misgovern-
ment of Ireland had anything to do with the ad-
mitted dislike of the Irish for English rule, or that
the Fenian conspiracy was the result of this feeling.
He had it all his own way when he defended Judges
Keogh and Fitzgerald, whose impartiality and mode-
ration have gained for them universal applause, and
in criticising suggestions put at haphazard by his
antagonist, such as the appropriation of the surplus
revenue of Ireland, whatever that may be, to Irish
purposes, and the tax to be levied on absentee land-
lords. After an evasive and lawyer-like speech, Mr.
Lawson left the question of Ireland very much
where he found it. In the animated debate which
followed several Irish members laid various degrees
of blame on the Government, while Mr. George and
Lord Naas contended that the grievances alleged,
whether real or imaginary, had nothing to do with
the Fenian movement, which was of foreign origin.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer refused to admit
the affirmation of the proposed amendment to the
Address, " that a widespread disaffection" existed
in Ireland, the result of grave causes which it was
the duty of Government to remove. He assumed,
as he had no right to do, that this disaffection meant
Fenianism. What the mover of the amendment
urged was, that Fenianism sprang up from and grew
upon it as. a fungus on rank soil. The Govern-
ment, Mr. Gladstone paid, could not remedy the
evils of Ireland, because those evils were " inve-
terate." He would make no promise, and bind him-
self by no engagement for the future. The British
Government cannot deal with inveterate wrongs.
Ireland may have much to complain of, but things
must rest as they are. The consideration of the
amendment to the Address proposed by Th,e,
O'Donoghue, the sting of which is that it lays all
the troubles of Ireland at the door of her Majesty's
Ministers, was postponed by common consent to the
bringing up of the report, when the debate will be
resumed, and new combatants will enter on tile
field.