The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-28 00:00:00

DOVER.

On Tuesd-y evening Mr. Bernal Osborne ad
dressed a large and enthusiastic meeting of the
electors of Dover, held in the Maison Dieu Hall, at
whiCh upwards of 2,000 persons were present.
Mr. OSBORNE, who was greeted with much en-
thusiasm, said,—l stand before you a candidate for
the borough of Dover on clear and distinct princi-
ples ; I have expounded my creed—(hear, hear)—
and it is not too much for me to ask—What are the
principles of my opponents ? (Hear, hear.) They
come to this constituency of Dover, which has al-
ways required any man who asked for their votes
to explain his principles—(hear, hear)—and to this
day you are almost in ignorance of what they pro-
fess. For the life of me I cannot find that Sir H.
Leeke professes any one principle. Probably,
having before his eyes the promises of Devonport,
and no doubt remembering the proverb of a certain
French cynic who held that " we promise according
to our hopes and perform according to our fears,"
he comes to Dover and tells us that it is impossible
for him, in his situation, to promise anything.
(Hear.) He goes on to allude to the magnificent
fleet he introduced in his other speech—(hear, and
a laugh)—and then informs his hearers that Dover
has a fine harbour, but that it ought not to be a
" tidal harbour." Ido not know how he can pre-
vent that. Admirals can do a great deal—(a laugh)
—but I am unable to imagine how he can prevent
that. And, mind, he promises to do nothing.
(Hear.) He then goes on to say that as he was
walking through the town in the course of his can-
vass he was much struck with the squalor and
wretchedness which met him in some of the back
lanes. I think he might have been as much struck
with the squalor and wretchedness of Devonport,
and that if he wanted to do good he might have
stayed there and have done it. (Hear, hear.)
But this is literally the whole of the declaration
of principles made by my opponent, and he comes
before a constituency like Dover and calls that
an exposition of his political sentiments ! I
dismiss the senior candidate for the present
and come to his coadjutor. If we know but
little of the politics of Sir Henry Lecke we must
do Mr. Nicol the justice to say that we know
somewhat more, although a very little more, of
his. Mr. Nicol tells us that 22 years ago he stood
as a Protestant for the town of Youghal. It is
rather a vague kind of recommendation, standing
as a Protestant, and it reminds me of the charity
boy who, being examined, and asked what his god-
fathers and godmothers did for him, said they took
his sins upon them, but that he was to be drawn
for the militia. (Laughter.) But upon what does
Mr. Nicol standhere ? Not upon his Protestantism.
If I know anything of the matter he stands as a
director of the London and County Bank. He is
going to " make things pleasant" to certain gentle.
men, and I understand that one of the persons can-
vassing for him is the solicitor to the London and
County Bank. Several of the shareholders, how-
ever, are not pleased at this. This establishment
has already obtained some notoriety, not in relation
to the Protestant interest, although connected with
Ireland—(a laugh)—and the shareholders are not
desirous of encountering fresh troubles. (Hear,
hear.) But why are either of these gentlemen here?
Why, in default of an exposition of their principles,
do they come before VQU ? Captain Carnegie has
published a letter, and what does Captain Carnegie
say? That Sir John Pakington told him he had
"no option," but must conic to Dover. Why was
Captain Carnegie dismissed ? Not because he would
not go into Parliament—because he offered to go to
another seat. " But," said Sir John Pakington and
Lord Derby, " you have no option ; you must go to
Dover." " No," returns Captain Carnegie, " I will
not go to Dover, because I cannot succeed there
except by trying means I will not condescend to
adopt." (Loud cheers.) A board seems to have been
put over the Admiralty like that which is frequently
seen at the Horse Guards—" Wanted a few stout
recruits." (Laughter.) In the Admiralty are
wanted a few juvenile members of Parliament of
whom junior lords may be made. Sir Henry
Leeke, we know, has " no option ;" and that, per-
haps, is the reason for his appearance. (A laugh.)
Admiral Leeke, K.C.8., K.H., comes here with still
another order round his neck—the order of the
" millstone."
" Admirals rush in where captains fear to tread."

I was amused the other night in the House of Com-
mons to hear Sir John Pakington, with a Pecksni-
ffian and Pharisaical piety—(laughter)--talking
about the " honour of our public men." He said in
the House of Commons, but it was before this was
found out—(a laugh)—that the honour of our public
men is " not what it used to be.'' I echo that sen-

timent. (Hear, hear.) The honour of our public
men is not what it used to be ; and I will defy any
man to put his hand on a period of our history.
when -a First Lord of the Admiralty is found com-
pelling his officers not to serve the State in their
profession, but, as a sine qua non, to go to a borough
and get returned as its representative in Parliament,
although told that such a return could not be pro-
cured by fair and honourable means. (Loud cheers.)
We have heard some talk of " reconstructing the
fleet ;" but we have another job before us—we must
first reconstruct the Admiralty. (Hear and laugh-
ter.) This kind of proceeding at the Admiralty is
no new thing. In 1853 a committee of the House
of Commons sat to inquire into the dockyard ap-
pointments. and the practice of the Admiralty
during the election of 1852, when Lord Derby was
last in office ; and the report of that committee
shows how foul were the transactions that took
place in the dockyards, and how great the compul-
sion put on men to make them vote, from the use
of the Admiralty for electioneering purposes. When
I succeeded to the Admiralty I found the dockyards
in complete disorganisation from the power that
had been used by the Government in making ap-
pointments ; and what did Ido ? (Hear.) I per-
suaded Sir Charles Wood to issue the following
order :
"My Lords have therefore determined to transfer the re-
sponsibility of the first entry of all artificers and labourers
to this officer in each yard, and trust that in so doing they
will have his active co-operation in watching closely that
no workmen be admitted but such as are in all respects the
best to be obtained for her Majesty's service."
That was my part in endeavouring to put an end
to intimidation and bribery in the dockyards.
(Cheers.) But what does this Government propose in
1E359, while this order is still in force—for they
dare not abrogate it whatever they may wish.
The Government of 1859 came down to the House
of Commons with a bill which proposed to disfran-
chise all those dockyard men. (Hear, hear.) You
have all probably seen the Queen's Speech ; but,
although I had seen it, I was until last night in
some difficulty to find out why Parliament had been
dissolved. (Hear, hear.) Sir John Pakington last
night at the Mansion-house gave a reason, and it is
the first I have yet heard given. Sir John Paking-
ton, like the frog in the fable, swelling if not into
the dimensions, yet with the spirit of a bull in a
china shop, said that " The last Parliament was a
China Parliament, and therefore it ought to be
broken." And that was the reason given at the
Mansion-house for dissolving Parliament on the
eve of a Reform Bill and a European war. But
what else is given ? Why, we have lived to see the
Queen's speech—which we all know is not the
Queen's speech, but the speech of her Ministers—
made the vehicle of election squibbing, The only
thing it tells you is that the Parliament is dissolved
to enable the people to express their opinions on
the state of public affairs. (Hear.) Nothing is
said iu that speech about confidence in the Minis-
try ; and, if only for olie Minute, let us
venture pause to see
how that Ministry is composed P
that there never was a Ministry which,with one
say
one
much
or two exceptions, was so below par in all

the qualities which the people of this country are
accustomed to respect in its Ministers. There is
the Lord Chancellor, who is called " the keeper of
the Queen's conscience." And how has he kept
the Queen's conscience? There has been nipped
in the bud one very significant little job, which I
take upon myself to say was one of the most un-
blushing things which ever proceedr2d from a Lord
Chancellor. (Hear.) We have heard almost
nightly in the House of Commons that he has
been flooding the bench with magistrates of his
way of thinking. So much for the Lord Chan-
cellor. Then, we have a Foreign Secretary
who, we are told, is " necessary to the peace
of the world." But all that can be said

for the Foreign Secretary is that he speaks
French better than he writes English, as his
despatches testify—(a laugh)—and what has he
done ? Why, of all the unfortunate diplomatists
we have ever had commend me to Lord Malmes-

bury. (Hear, hear.) He has been jockeyed by
Russia in the proposed Congress, and is weak
enough to let this be seen and to complain of it—(a
laugh)—yet Lord Malmesbury is necessary, for-
sooth, to the peace of the world, and Parliament is
dissolved to keep him in office. Then we have a

Board of Trade under the control of two ex-soldiers,

with the Earl of Donoughmore, an Irish peer, of
whom very little is known, except that he has fre-
quently fits of the gout, and that his speeches are
" inaudible in the gallery"—(a laugh)—as presi-
. .

dent. That is the constitution of folir Board. of
Trade. I have nothing to object to his vice-presi-
dent, Lord Lovaine. And how have they carried on
matters in the sister country ? We have heard some-
thing of Irish jury packing, where men are chosen
on a jury not with a view to the merits of the case,
but according to their religious opinions, and or-
dered to stand aside if they happen to be Roman
Catholic. (Hear.) Yet the Government, finding
they are losing confidence in Ireland, and fearing
that the elections will go against them, have in-
creased the salaries paid to Roman Catholic chap-
lains. So, while on the one hand they are persecut-
ing the people, on the other they are encouraging
the priesthood by giving them additional money.
But all is of a piece; the unfortunate publicans
might have complained for ever as to the billeting
of soldiers upon them. But there came a general
election, and on the day Parliament was dissolved
the publicans found that instead of getting lid.
per day for the billeted soldier, they would get 41-d.
(Hear, hear.) On Monday night Lord Derby comes
down to the house and declares that war is immi-
nent, and that it will be necessary to have this
country prepared, so that it may keep an armed
neutrality, and on Tuesday he dissolves Parliament !
Why, if Parliament was of any use at all, it was of
use in such an awful state of the world as this if only
to control Ministers. We have already been almost
involved in war from Lord Malm esbury's well in-
tended: blundering. The Foreign Secretary tells
the House of Lords that he offered to guarantee
Sardinia, if France would join him, against all
attacks of Austria in case Sardinia disarmed ; and
it is only a mercy that France did not accept
the offer. If she had, we should have doubt-
less found ourselves involved in a war, and the
prosperity, blood, and wealth of this country sacri-
ficed without our knowing the reason until we were
called upon to pay the bill. Yet the Government,
with some such dreadful contingency looming in
the future, takes upon itself to dissolve Parliament.
(Hear, hear.) You will be six weeks without a
Parliament ; the Government of the country acts
on its own responsibility alone. But I will ask
the constituencies how they are satisfied with such
a state of things. How are you satisfied with an
" armed neutrality," but with no check upon Mini-
sters ? God knows how soon we may find ourselves
involved in a war without the constitutional check
of Parliament upon the Government. (Hear.) I
say that this act alone—a Ministry for party pur-
poses dissolving Parliament in the face of such a
state of things as now exists in Italy and upon the
continent, would in other times have served for and
demanded impeachment. (Loud cheering.) One
word on foreign affairs. I agree with the words of
Lord Aberdeen, that " when war ceases to be a
necessity it becomes a crime.") Without scanning
too accurately the designs of Sardinia, without in-
quiring too microscopically into the motives of
France, I sympathise with Italy—(cheers)—as an
individual, I sympathise with these 25,000,000 who
are beneath the iron heel of irresponsible despotism
—but as the representative, as I hope to be through
your assistance—(enthusiastic cheering)—of tax-
paying Englishmen, I will never advocate a war of
propagandism. (Cheers.) Chat ity begins at home;
and I will have no hand in plunging this country
into a war for anything but an occasion of self-
defence. (Prolonged cheering.) I sympathise with
Italy from the bottom of my heart, and wish her
patriots God speed ; but at the same time I will
never call on you to support me in urging on
Government any measure which shall plunge
this country into a continental war, least of all a
war in defence of despotism and tyranny. (Loud
cheers.) The natural alliance of this country, let
who may be on the throne, is France. (Hear, hear.)
Our natural alliance is not with monarchs, empe-
rors, or presidents, but with the French people.
(Loud cheering.) I wish to see that alliance and
that good understanding which have existed be-
ween France and England kept up—(hear, hear)—
but not even to purchase that alliance would I be a
party to a continental war. (Hear.) So much,
gentlemen, for foreign affairs. You are called on,
in common with other constituencies, to give your
opinion on that point, and I hope if you send me to
Parliament I shall in this respect be faithfully re-
presenting your feelings. (Cheers.) The hon.
gentleman concluded by expressing his conviction
that the opinions he had expressed were shared by
Sir W. Russell, and resumed his seat amid loud and
prolonged cheering.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(Front the Registrar-General's Report.)
The total deaths registered in London in the
week ending last Saturday were 1,126, and exhibit
an increase on those of the previous week, which
were 1,084. In the ten years 1849-58 the average
number of deaths in the weeks corresponding with
last week was 1,069; but as the deaths returned
for last week occurred in a population which has
increased, they can only be compared with the
average raised in proportion to that increase--
namely, with 1,175. Hence it appears that the
deaths of last week were less by 49 than the num-
ber which would have occurred if the average rate
of mortality had prevailed.
The deaths from scarlatina and diphtheria rose
again last week from 51 to 79 ; 15 from diphtheria
occurred in sub-districts as follows :—St. Paul,
Hammersmith, 1; Belg,rave, 1; Christchurch,
Marylebone, 1; St. John, Marylebone, 2; Regent's
Park, 1 ; South Hackney, 1 ; St. George, Holborn,
1 ; London City, North-west, 1; Hackney-road, 1;
Mile•end Old Town East, 1 ; St. James, Bermond-
sey, 1; Rotherhithe, 1 ; Woolwich Dockyard, 1 ;
and Lee, 1. Only four deaths occurred from
diarrhoea.

In Camberwell at 16 and 17, Queen's-terrace,
Neate-street, three girls, all belonging to different
families, died between the 16th and 20th instant
from " fever with dysentery." One of the inform-
ants stated that the water was impure.
Three persons died last week from intemperance.
Eight persons, of whom two were men and six
women, died at the age of 90 years and upwards.
Three of the women died at the age of 95, and one
at 96 years.
Mr. Druitt, medical officer of health for Hanover-
square and Mayfair sub-districts, writing on April
18, makes the following communication :—" At No.
15, Woodstock-street (Hanover-square sub-district),
six deaths have occurred in 10 days—viz., a female,
phthisis ; four children in first floor back, measles
and scarlatina ; one child in second floor back, from
the same, or diphtheria. The house large, lofty,
airy, not overcrowded, but of the date 1720, and
in a neighbourhood where the drainage is all bad,
unless quite new. The basement is pervaded with
sewer smell at times, and so is the back room on the
ground floor beneath the rooms in which the five
children died. Theme is also a suspicious water
closet in the centre of the house, used by about 15
persons. But there is no evidence yet of the en-
trance of sewer air into the rooms in which the
children died. The chief thing to complain of is
that close smell and uncleansed state of walls and
ceilings which even the most respectable and well
paid artisans still persist in."
Last week the births of 860 boys and 839 girls,
in all 1,699 children, were registered
n
regifsttehle.e3dreairnsLondon.
In the 10 corresponding v
weeks
the average number was 1,649. 1849-58
At the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.568 in.
The barometrical readings from 29.34 in. on Wed-
nesday to 29.72 in. on Saturday. The mean tem-
perature of the week was 41 deg., which is 5.9
deg. below the average of the same week in 43
years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher). The mean
daily temperature was below the average throughout
the week, and on the first two days the extent of
depression was more than 8 deg. The thermometer
in the shade ranged from 28.5 deg. on Tuesday, the
lowest point attained in the week, to 56 deg. on
Friday, the highest point in the week. The entire
range was therefore 27.5 deg. ; the mean dal),
range was 20.9 deg. On Friday the range was
26.3 deg. The mean temperature of the water of
the Thames was 47'7 deg. The difference between
the mean dew-point temperature and air tempera-
ture was 9 deg. The mean degree of humidity of
the air was 68. The wind blew generally from
the north or Aortli-etist. No rain wo,s measured hv
the gauge, "w

MURDEROUS ASSAULT IN THE
QUEEN'S PRISON.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. Combe, one of the magis-
trates of the Southwark Police Court, with Mr.
Nokes, the second clerk, attended the Queen's
Prison, at the request of Captain Hudson, the
governor, to investigate a serious charge of assault
committed by Mr. Francis George Hare, commonly
called Captain Hare, an inmate, on Mr. Henry
Augustus Prince, also an inmate, confined in the
first-class portion of the prison for debt. The in-
quiry took place in the governor's room, in the pre-
sence of Lieutenant Evison, the deputy-governor,
and Mr. Charles Colwell, the chief gaolor.
The complainant, whose face was much dis-
figured, and who appeared to have been much in-
jured, said that he was a gentleman, and at present
confined in that prison for debt. About eight
o'clock on Tuesday evening he was in Mr. Pitcher's
room, No. 6 by 3, when he heard a Mr. Gray call
out " Prince, Prince !" Witness went down stairs
to him and met the defendant, who is
called Captain Hare. He said, " Prince, I want
you in my room." Witness told him he hoped
it was not for a row. He answered, " No, I
have a little business with you, that is all." Wit-
ness went to his room, and as soon as he was seated
the defendant handed him a paper, requesting him
to sign it. On looking at it, and perceiving that it
was for an indefinite amount, he refused to have
anything to do with it. The defendant said that
it was only for £6, when witness altered it to that
extent, and was about to sign it, when the prisoner
said he had spoiled it, and demanded him to fill up
another, and sign his name to it. Witness refused
to do so, when the prisoner hit him on the side of
the head, and knocked him off on the floor. While
on the floor he felt a pressure below his face, and,
extricating himself, he jumped at the door, which
he found locked, and the key out. While he was
at the door he was pulled back by the prisoner, and
thrown on the floor, when the blows were repeated,
and feeling faint, he called out for protection. The
prisoner said, " Oh, - you," and kicked him on
the hips so violently that he thought he had broken
his legs. He told the prisoner so, but instead of
desisting he struck him on the eye, when it bled
profusely. He and his companion then lifted him
up, and after assisting him to wash the blood off
they left the room. As soon after as possible he
communicated with the governor.
Mr. Combe asked the prisoner whether he wished
to cross-examine the complainant, or ask him any
questions ?
He replied that he was called upon so suddenly
that he did not know what to ask. He should like
to consult his solicitor before he did so, if his wor-
ship would adjourn the case.
Mr. Combe told him that it was a serious charge,
and required thorough investigation. He should
therefore adjourn the hearing until a future day, to
enable Captain Hare to have the assistance of his
legal adviser.
The parties were then escorted to their respective
rooms in the prison.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

NEWARK-APRIL 26.

At to-day's market there was a moderate show of wheat,
which sold at 3s to 4s per qr more money than last we 549
with an improved demand. In barley little doing, grinding
at late rates, malting at full prices. Beans in small supply,
and is higher. Other articles unchanged.
White wheat, nev, 44s to 53s Barley, grinding.. 28s to 303
Red do. 4os to 47s Oats, old, .. 2Bs to 303
Old white 44s to 53s New do 26s to 303
Red d 0.... 3Bs to 43s Beans.. 44s to 483
Barley, malting... 3Bs to 42s Peas ....—s to --0