The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-02 00:00:00

worth said, I ara not here in any political character,
yet I cannot help feeling that, after all, if it had not
been for a political career which is not wholly con-
demned, but may be approved by my townsmen
(applause)—probably I should not have been here
to-day. Strengthened by the approbation and by
the sympathy of my townsmen, I shall hope yet to
do something to extend the liberties of my country-
men. (The hon. gentleman was loudly cheered.)
Mr. POTTER, M.P. for the borough, afterwards,
addressed the assemblage, and the proceedings at
the stone terminated with cheers for the Mayor.
Afterwards there, was a luncheon at the Public-
hall, attended by about 250 gentlemen, the Mayor
again presiding. A marble bust of the late Mr.
Cobden, by Mr. Burnard, sculptor, of London, which
is an excellent likeness, had been lent by Mr. Bright
for the occasion, and was placed at the end of the
room, facing the platform where the principal
auests were seated.
Mr. BRIGHT, in response to the toast of his health,
proposed in very laudatory terms, said,—Mr. Mayor
and fellow-townsmen,—lt is a very difficult task to
rise to speak in answer to such a speech as that
which my friend Mr. Alderman Ashworth has just
made, and for the kind reception which you have
given to me. If I could possibly believe that
not one-half, but one tithe of what he said was true
it must inevitably be my ruin. (Laughter and
cheers.) But then' can attribute it all to a certain
partiality, which I shall not contend against, and a
great kindness on your part which, even if it be in
any degree exaggerated, I am willing with all thank-
fulness to receive. The ceremony of this morning
has been very simple, but, as 1 then said, there is a
significance about it, and I have been struck be-
yond what I can easily express with the apparently
almost universal sympathy of the whole population
of the borough. Those of us who have lived here
for 20 or 30 years have witnessed a great change,
from which, if we may not learn a great lesson, at
any rate we may derive confirmation for what I
think at any rate is a wise add just opinion. Years
ago our town was governed by a body who went by
the name of Commissioners of Police. I don't re-
collect very well how they were appointed, but I
think at one time they appointed themselves—
(laughter) —that is, under a clause of an Act of
Parliament every man who was rated to a certain
amount of £2O or £3O, might offer himself and take
up his position as commissioner. After that there
was some change, and the governing body was elected,
if I am not mistaken, upon the principal of what is
termed Sturges Bourne's Act—that is, that one man
give 'one vote, and a nan who was not a bit bigger,
but was a little richer, gave two, and another richer
still gave three, and so on, and until at last some-
body who got up to the perfection of the possession of
wealth gave six votes. And that is a principle which
some people have recommended for Parliamentary
elections of late years. (A laugh.) However, the
Commissioners of Police were so elected, and under
that authority exercised poiver in this borough. Now
I put it to all the population of the town, and ask
them whether that body had great respect or great
influence, or whether it would have been allowed by
any possibility to have levied the taxes, and incurred
the expenditure, and done the works which have
distinguished the career of our corporation ? (Ap-
plause.) I venture to say that all these things are
done, and have been done, only because you have
had during the last 10 or 11 years a municipal go-
vernment in which the town has had perfect con-
fidence, and which is in point of fact the direct
creation of all the householders and ratepayers in
the town. Five years hence—probably less—we
shall have the Mayor, instead of being shut up
where you can hardly find him, in that place in
Smith-street—(laughter)—seated on what may be
fairly called his municipal throne in this great
building that is about to be reared. You_ will have
him svrouncled by dignified aldermen (" Hear,"
from an alderman, and much laughter), and, if'in
any degree they are less dignified, still by very ho-
nourable councillors—(applause)—and, instead of
taking to the present practice of the constitution of
the country, in which we have two Houses of Par-
liament, one which they call the Lower and the
other the Upper House, though I don't exactly
know for what special reason those words are used—
(laughter and applause)—the mayor of Rochdale, no
doubt, will revert to the ancient practice of the con-
stitution, when lords and commons sat in one House,
and we shall have one House for those dignified
aldermen and these honourable councillors, and
the Mayor may save the expense of the
woolsack in the one •House, and the Speaker
in the other, and will preside in person over an
united Parliament. I have heard persons joke about
mayors and aldermen and councillors, but in my
opinion there is scarcely anything more import-
ant in a country than an honest municipal govern-
ment. That is the government which we feel every
day, which preserves the peace among us, which im-
partially administers justice, which makes our towns
and districts comfortable and safe to live in ; and I
feel always great gratitude to the men who devote
so much of their time to the service of the town and
the public as do the members of our municipal go-
vernments. But I said that I thought this power of
our corporation, by which so many good things have
been done and were promised us, was a power that
arose in this manner—that it was based upon the
will of the whole people. I don't think the expe-
rience of our town ought to make reasonable men
afraid of a large number of votes. It is to me the
most curious thing going, probably, about that
matter, that there should be a class of men in this
country who believe that it would be extremely benefi-
cial to have more voters, and there should be another
class of men, whom you cadnot distinguish from
the first, as they walk the streets or you see them
in their houses—(laughter)—who somehow or other
come to the exactly opposite opinion, and a line is
drawn between them which neither will pass, and
there remain two parties divided upon this question.
In our Borough we have about 1,440 electors.
I shall not say a word,:it would be foolish and
stupid for me to say anything against the mode in
which the 1,440 electors of Rochdale exercise their
Parliamentary franchise. If I look to the mem-
bers who have sat for this borough, taking the
whole time from the period of our enfranchisement,
now 34 years ago, Ithink we may hold up our heads
alongside any constituency in the kingdom. (Cheers.)
Whether I point to Mr. Fenton, who was our
first member —(applause)—a neighbour in high
esteem, faithful always to his convictions, and
retaining, so long as he chose to sit, the confi-
dence of the constituency, or come down from him
to Mr. Sharman Crawford, who came to this town
—I can hardly say as a candidate, because he was
no candidate of his own offering, but who came to
be elected at a time when I believe there was not a
single person in the town but myself that had ever
seen him, and I was one of those who did not vote
for his candidature when he was first proposed,
though, of course, I voted for him at the election.
(Cheers.) After him was Mr Miall—(cheers)--a man
who has made for himself a,great position, and a
name in connexion with great principles, for which
it may be this country is not yet prepared, but which
perhaps will live long after all those who deride and
oppose them are most of them forgotten. (Cheers.)
Well, after him we elected another man. (Here
some of the audience began to laugh ironically,
while others anxiously checked the demonstration ;
apparently the one party imagining the speaker was
about to name the Conservative member, Sir A.
Ramsay, who displaced Mr. Miall, while those
who observed Mr. Blight's expression of counte-
nance more closely perceived the mistake. I fear
to speak now of one who this time 12 months was
yet living, but the anniversary of the day of whose
death will be only to. morrow. You see there u
marble (the reference was to the bust at feed o
the room) a representation of his outviardt
°f
good, I think, as you will rarely see of itn7'Fila
warble itself ig but that,
has puttied from among ufs• But

of a transient duration compared with the perma-
nency of that fame which his services to his
country have conferred upon his name. (Cheers.)
We have elected since then another re-
presentative ; but I will not speak of the present
member for this borough. Ile has said of the Par-
liament that it was a new Parliament, and that it
had not been for a very long time tried, and there-
fore I might say the same of him. (Laughter.) I
have no doubt that when the time shall come that
his connection with the borough shall cease, and I
wish that time to be remote—(applause)--we shall
be able to add him to the list of our representatives
who have done credit to the choice of our consti-
tuency, and who by their consistency in support
of all great principles of public freedom
have done something to aid the advancing in-
terests and liberties of this country. But that is
altogether a digression. What I wanted to show
was this—that although our 1,440 electors for the
which
e the
)
Parnatuentery representation have done wisely in
the main in the exercise of their right, they cannot
pretend at all to have been wiser than the 5,000 of
ourcciopuanli ictbiulonwdi ahl
he as
5,000, I believe, have cliosen a town
well electors. (Hear,
represents ha
trThueeopminuinoin
and true interests of this town as any-
that could
possibly be elected, if the choice rested in the
1,440 Parliamentary electors. And if it were to be
assumed that the 5,000 were no more wise than the
1,40, let it be ganted that they are no more foolish,
and is it not infinitely better that your corpo
should be based upon the support of the 5,000 than
on the support of 1,440? (Applause.) And if you
turn back to any election which has taken place,
when there has been a contest, since the enfranchise-
ment of the borough, notwithstanding that we boast
ouselves to be probably one of the very best boroughs
in the kingdom in regard to the absence of an offen-
sive interference with voters' rights, and in regard to
corruption of any kind, yet let any man here of
moral sense and of self-respect look back to the pro-
ceedings of our contests, and he will see that there is
not a little which he would rather have wished had
been absent. And I understand that your municipal
elections when the 5,000 come to vote, there is infi-
nitely less of everything that is unpleasant and that
ought to be condemned, than there is when the 1,440
find themselves plunged into an electoral contest.
If this be so, then if there be any gentlemen
here—and I have no doubt there are some—who are
alarmed, it may be, at the present proposition of
the Government, let them look at the influence of
their own town, at the conduct of their own people,
and let them believe this, which I believe to be as
true as anything in the world, that where you trust
men, give them votes, appeal to their intelligence,
and to their higher sympathies, show them the re-
sponsibility of their position, the grandeur it may be
even of the act of giving a vote, you will find that
there is nothing whatever in propositions now be-
fore Parliament, or in propositions more extensive,
that might possibly be offered, which ought to
create the slightest apprehension in the mind of an/
man who is acquainted with the genius and cha-
racter of his countrymen. I therefore draw an
argument from this town in favour of what is now
about to be discussed in Parliament. I say that
our municipal Government becomes incomparably
stronger, because it is based on a wider foundation ;
I say that it can do things for the public of our town
of essential advantage to the town, which it dares
not have contemplated or attempted if it had been
based, as it was some few years ago, on the unstable
foundation of self-election, or of that miserable and
odious system of election which was established by
Sturges,Bourne's Act. (Cheers.) Now, we are
here to congratulate ourselves on the foundation of
this Town-hall. If it does afford a shelter—if you
like a magnificent shelter—for the Parliament of this
town,—for its authorities, for its magistracy in the
dispensation of what our ancestors used to call in-
different, but what 4e call impartallisticerini
affords room for all the variouadepartments of busi-
ness which the Corporation is to manage; and if it
builds for us that grand hall which the possession
of this small place only makes us long for the more,
then I think, perhaps, we may forgive them even
for the expenditure which they are about to incur.
(Laughter.) With regard to that great hall, I be-
lieve there is nothing that tends so much to improve
every town, and every country, as an innumerable,
almost, supply of places for public meeting. Why
this country for the last.4o years would have been
in darkness still if it had not been for its power
and practice of holding public meetings ; your great
Reform Bill of 1832 must have fallen dead if there
had been any power that could have forbidden
the people from the holding of a public
meeting. Your agitation for the great mea-
sure of free trade must have been an agitation
without result, if it were not for thehundreds of public
meetings that were held. And now, in the discussion
of another great question, what could be done with
the tardy reluctance of Parliament if it were not for
the expression of public feeling through the means of
public meetings ? Then, if this, and if all other great
measures that are to come—measures some of which
we do not now dream of, measures many of which
may be called for out of the exigencies of times
and circumstances which we know not—if all this
must owe its progress, its advancement, its success,
to the discussion of a free people in public meetings,
I rejoice as much for that as for anything else that
the Corporation in putting up a building for its own
service and accommodation has included within it
a magnificent hall for the service of the town. And
' I hope there are—l believe' there are in this
room, and there are many in this town—young
men who, from their education, their habit of intel-
ligent thought, will be able in after times, when some
of our tongues are silent, to instruct their fellow
townsmen, to stimulate to good, and to lead them
to further achievements on behalf of freedom. For
myself I have only to say that I thank you with a
heartiness and a feeling which I cannot put into
words for the kindness which you have shown me
to-day among the thousands that were assembled
at the site of the new building, and which you have
shown me in this hall. I know how little, after all,
any one man can do, in the country or in the world,
but all that has been done by man, of course, is
doneby the little that individual men can do added
together. I hope, therefore, that if my labours
have met with your approbation (enthusiastic
cheers), I can feel that wherever I am, and in what-
soever cause I am working, consistent with the
past, I shall have, so far as it may fairly be given,
the sympathy and support of my townsmen, which
I value far more and far above all the sympathy
and support I can obtain from any other body of
my countrymen. (Loud cheers.)
A number of other toasts were given, and the
proceedings terminated about 6 o'clock.

Foreign Mail Packet List
MAILS DUE.
Australia and New Zealand, via Southaniptoh.
ril 13
Ditto, via Marseilles .............•••
......... April 6
Brazil and Cape Verds• by British packet.
......... April 1 •
Ditto, by French packet .......... .. . ii.;ic.3....April _3
Cape of Goad Hope, Ascension, and sta.thatap
ton.. April 5.
China, Penang.. and Sing4p)re. via S°
............. al.rll 13
Ditto. via Marseilles ........• ...............
Falkland Islands ................................. Mir.
31.
Gibraltar, via ~outha-opton v...•
.0
_•,,•••n0,0_
...
a April S
India (Calcutta), and Ceylon,
.. *...,".
... April _3
Ditto, via Mar,,eilles ..
ton
S0110111:1* • •.. Mar 31.
India (Bombao via ...
Marseilles .. ...... April 7
Ditto, via
d Aden, via Southampton ...... MAN 3,.
Malta, EtrYPt. 11
la Marseilles April 7.
Ditto, v
lianritlua, via Southampton
April :3
Ditto, via Marseille., . ... April 7.
Ntewloundland
• •4
....... 19
POrt ugal ...... —•• • • •
~ • •
.. --April 6.
Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon..
united states and British North America, by Bri-
tish packet
.. ......,April 5.
Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp-

ton
Ditto, via C:irk
•• , . ••• • •
Ditto. by Canadian packet. via Londonderry.. April 6.
West Indies and Pirelli() (except Bahamas and
Honduras)
Cuba ad 110400 e'.. .. Aprll 23,

The simple spring dresses will not be much trimmed—
pattes, or lozenges, or silk pipings, will be all the ornament
—but for richer materials the various kinds of passemen-
terie will be in requisition. By passementerie our readers
must not understand the gimp of former days merely, but
silk cords mixed with "gold, cameos, fringes, crystal, jet,
and mother-of-pearl pendants in endless variety.
The rage for Cluny lace has produced many pretty
white batiste and muslin bodies._ trimmed with it, and for
small ireunloTorTEiy are much spoken of ; but it must be
said that black lace is preferable for evening wear, except-
ing, perhaps, for quite young ladies. They are made with
basquines of wide lace, and, if desired, a sash or band may
be worn over them ; but they are always high, and some-
times made open a little way down the front.
As to sleeves, when worn at all, they are quite small
and straight, with an insertion up the seam, but these
casaques are as frequently made without as with sleeves.
Of course this depends upon the taste of the wearer.
We commence our list of dresses this month with. some
full toilets for out-of-doors wear.
A robe of steel-grey poplin, with aband of green taffetas
roun.dthe bottom, rounded and carried up the front, with
a row of green buttons on each side. Fitting paletot of
the same material, with a bias of green taffetas up every
seam. Pamela bonnet of green tulle, worked with crystal
beads.
A dress of violet faille; at the bottom of theskirt a flounce
put on in groups of three plaits, and headed by a band of
velvet of the same shade, with jet ornaments upon it. A
similar band up every seam. Casaque of the same material
as the dress, quite tight, short, and basquines slashed and
trimmed to match velvet ceinture. Fanchon bonnet of
violet crape, with a jet chain trimming it.
A Princesse dress of violet poult de soie. Round the
bottom a flounce of black guipure, wide in the front, but
gradually narrowing towards the back, so that round the
train it is quite narrow. Casaque to match the dress, with
basques slashed up so as to make five different ends, com-
pletely separated and trimmed round with guipure. Pamela
bonnet, entirely composed of shaded violets. Benoiton
chain of jet.
A morning toilet of knickerbocker, pale violet : dress,
short paletot, and under skirt, all of the same material. At
the bottom of the lower skirt a plaiting of violet taffetas
Upon the dress, at each seam, a patte rather wide at the
waist, and ending in three points with tassels, which fall
over the bottom skirt. Paletot trimmed with revers of taf-
fetas. Fanchon bonnet of violet tulle. Three bouillons,
separated by cordons of violets.
A dark grey dress of taffetas, worked all over with small
crystal beads, and round the bottom an embroidery of beads,
forming a grecque. Long casaque of the same, trimmed to
match. A Pamela bonnet of pink crape ; the back formed
with a feather, which falls over the chignon. The feather
is fastened by a triple row of crystal beads, which is joined
at the sides, and falls over the strings in three rows, a la
Benoiton.
A robe of black plush ; long train, quite plain. Paletot
of the same, trimmed with jot buttons, and piped with
maize-coloured satin. Pamela bonnet of maize velvet.
A cress of taffetas, Princesse make ; wide stripes of two
shades of green. Up each seam a trimming of Cluny gui-
pure, laid flat. Two rows of Cluny up the front and round
the throat. Sash tied in a bow behind, and with long ends,
trimmed round with wide Cluny. Tight sleeves, with
Cluny trimming.
A Princesse robe of green moire. At the bottom of the
askirl-selcaa4smalLsoulacurr.Ar.e'rt-s4saCiiii,
shade, crossed every here and 'there by a strap of green
velvet, trimmed with a crystal fringe. Casaque of the
same trimmed to match, and with a band of velvet, and a
bow trimmed with crystal fringe. Fanchon bonnet of
green tulle, spotted with crystel beads, and Benoiton chain
of crystal.
• A light brown taffetas dress, with double skirt—the
under skirt having round the bottom a velvet flounce of a
deeper shade, plaited in groups of three plaits. The upper
skirt is caught up by pattes of velvet and large mother-of-
pearl buttons. Casaque to match with mousque-taire
revers. Pockets and sleeves entirely velvet, trimmed with
mother-of-pearl buttons. White tulle Pamela bonnet, with
pd uepearlaffus
Similarl foor iftefi
trimmings,
aenglael
tt,
hhuaeepur
nsd
.11 wat
ner
foiderinaoa tzah whits f goldenstrings.
Dinner dress of silver-grey satin —Princesse make—
trimmedt
. , a
di
smallert he dagdse:
scale,
roweuunpd
twh
eiot of whits
eamblack
so satinaf
tech e.
sleeves, and fancy buttons of silver.

SAMUEL WILDERSTIN, THE FOUNDER OF INFANT
SCHOOLS, who died on the 10th inst., aged 74, was
born at Hornsey, in Middlesex, not in poverty, as in one
place stated, but in lowly rank He obtained only an
elementary school education, and was placed to learn a
common trade ; but his sympathies led him to become a
teacher of poor children, he began where we in work-
houses and low neighbourhood ought to begin, namely,
with the "precious infants," using a term which he de-
lighted to employ ; and the honest, truthful, little man suc-
ceeded as he deserved. His first school, we believe, was
in Quakei-street, Spitalfields, London. As " Temple Bar"
in 1861 said, "he was at home in the midst of babies."
What a fine touch of nature he-displayed when he subdued
to pietude a school full of crying, yelling, kicking, little
rebels, who had risen in boisterous panic to go to their
mothers, by marching among them with his wife's gaily-
ribboned cap stuck on a clothes prop ! He used to be
proud of this feat, and it illustrates the principle on which
he acted. Mr. Wilderspin was married twice, and he had
three daughters. Two of these have gone before him. One
was unmarried, and she lies in Thorne's churchyard, where
also his earthly remains, attended by friends, were placed
last Wednesday morning. The other was the wife of Mr.
Yung, a fellow-worker of Mr.Wilderspin's, now principal
of the Infant department of the Irish Model Schools in
Dublin, who was present at the funeral ; as also was his
son, the Rev. Samuel Wilderspin Young, by whom part of
the service was read, Mr. Jones officiating at the grave.
Mrs. Ten ington is the remaining daughter. Her husband
was known to and respected by many here, he having, on
some of his visits several years ago, lectured at our Mecha-
nics Institution. Her son, too, was present at the funeral.
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