The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-28 00:00:00

Proclamation of Neutrality.

A supplement to the London Gazette, dated Wednes-
day, June 27, contains a proclamation by the Queen,
which, after the usual formal recitals of the state of
war between the Sovereigns of Austria, Prussia, and

Italy, declares—That, being desirous of preserving
the blessings of peace, which her subjects now hap-
pily enjoy, England is firmly purposed and deter-
mined to abstain altogether from taking any part,
directly or indirectly, in the war now unhappily
existing between the said Sovereigns and States,
their subjects and territories, and to remain at peace
with, and to maintain a peaceful and friendly inter-
course with all and with each of them and their re-
spective subjects, and others inhabiting within any
of their countries, territories, and dominions, and
to maintain a strict and impartial neutrality in the
said hostilities and war, unhappily existing between
them.

The proclamation continues :—We, therefore,
have thought fit, by and with the advice of our
Privy Council, to issue this our Royal Proclamation.

And we do hereby strictly charge and command
all our loving subjects to govern themselves accord-
ingly, and to observe a strict neutrality in and
during the aforesaid hostilities and war, and to ab-
stain from violating or contravening either the laws
and statutes of the realm in this behalf, or the law of
nations in relation thereto, as they will answer to
the contrary at their peril.
And whereas in and by a certain statute made
and passed in the 59th year of his Majesty King
George the Third, entitled " An act to prevent the
enlisting or engagement of his Majesty's subjects to
serve in a foreign service, and the fitting out or
equippingin his Majesty's dominions vessels for war-
like purposes without his Majesty's licence," it is
amongst other things declared and enacted as fol-
lows :—" That if any person within any part of the
United Kingdom, or in any part of his
Majesty's dominions beyond the seas, shall, with-
out the leave and licence of his Majesty, for that
purpose first had and obtained as aforesaid,
equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or attempt or en-
deavour to equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or pro-
cure to be equipped, furnished, fitted out, or armed,
or shall knowingly aid, assist, or be concerned in
the equipping, furnishing, fitting out, or arming of
any ship, or vessel, with intent or in order that such
ship or vessel shall be employed in the service of
any foreign Prince, State, or Potentate, or of any
foreign colony, province, or part of any province or
people, or of any person or persons exercising or
assuming to exercise any powers of Government in
or over any foreign State, colony, province, or part
of any province or people, as a transport or store-
ship, or with intent to cruise or commit hostilities
against any Prince, State, or Potentate, or against
the subjects or citizens of any Prince, State, or Po.
tentate, or against the persons exercising, or assum-
ing to exercise, the powers of government in any
colony, province, or part of any province or coun-
try, or against the inhabitants of any foreign colony,
province, or part of any province or country with
whom his Majesty shall not then be at war, or shall,
within the United Kingdom, or any of his Majesty's
dominions, or in any settlement, colony, territory,
island, place, belonging or subject to his Majesty,
issue or deliver any commission for any ship or
vessel, to the intent that such ship or vessel shall
be employed as aforesaid, every such person so
offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour,
and shall, upon conviction thereof, upon any infor-
mation or indictment, be punished by fine and im-
prisonment, or either of them, at the discretion of
the Court in which such offender shall be con-
victed; and every such ship or vessel, with the tackle,
apparel, and furniture, together with all the mate-
rials, arms, ammunition and stores which maybelong
to or be on board of any such ship or vessel, shall be
forfeited; and it shall be lawful for any officer of
his Majesty's Customs or Excise, or any officer of
his Majesty's navy, who is by law empowered to
make seizures for any forfeiture incurred under any
of the laws of Customs or Excise, or the laws of
trade and navigation, to seize such ships and vessels
aforesaid, and in such places and in such manner, in
which the officers of his Majesty's Customs or Ex-
cise, and the officers of his Majesty's navy, are em-
powered respectively to make seizures under the law
of Customs and Excise, or under the laws of trade
and navigation; and that every such ship and ves-
sel, with the tackle, apparel, and furniture, together
with all the materials, arms, ammunition, and stores,
which may belong to, or be on board of such ship or
vessel, may be prosecuted and condemned, in the
like manner, and in such Courts as ships or vessels
may be prosecuted and condemned for any breach
of the laws made for the protection of the revenues
of the Customs and Excise, or the laws of trade aid
navigation."

And it is, in and by the said act, further enacted,
" That if any person in any part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or in any
part of his Majesty's dominions beyond the seas,
without the leave and licence of his Majesty for
that purpose first had and obtained as aforesaid,
shall, by adding to the number of the guns of such
vessel, or changing those on board for other guns, or
by the addition of any equipment for war, increase
or augment, or procure to be increased or augmented,
or shall be knowingly concerned in increasing or
augmenting, the warlike force of any ship or vessel
of war, or cruiser, or other armed vessel, which, at
the time of her arrival in any part of the United King-
dom, or any of his Majesty's dominions, was a ship
of war, cruiser, or armed vessel, in the service of any
foreign State, Prince, or Potentate, or of any per-
son, or persons exercising, or assuming to exercise,
any powers of government in or over any colony,
province, or part of any province or people belong-
ing to the subject of any such Prince, State, or
Potentate, or to the inhabitants of any colony, pro-
vince, or part of any province or country, under the
control of any person or persons so exercising, or
assuming to exercise, the powers of government,
every such person so offending shall be deemed
guilty of misdemeanour, and shall, upon being con-
victed thereof, upon any information or indictment,
be punished by fire and imprisonment, or either of
them, at the discretion of the Court before which
such offender shall be convicted."

Now, in order that none of our subjects may un-
warily render themselves liable to the penalties im-
posed by the said statute, we do hereby strictly com-
mand that no person or persons whatsoever, do
commit any
act, matter, or thing whatsoever con-
trary to the provisions of the said statute, upon pain
and of our high displeasure.
Penalties by the said statute imposed,
of the several
And we do hereby further warn and admonish all
our loving subjects, and all persons whatsoever en-
titled to our prote-Aion,
to observe towards each and
all of the aforesaid Sovereigns and States, their sub-
jects and territoxies, and towards all belligerents
whatsoever, with whom we are at peace, the duties
of neutrality ; and to respect, in all and each of
them, the exercise of those belligerent rights which
we awl our Royal
predecessors have always claimed
to exercise.

And we do hereby further warn all our loving
subjects, and all persons whatsoever entitled to our
protection, that if any of them shall presume, in
contempt of this cur Royal Proclamation, and of
our high displeasure, to do any acts in derogation
of their duty as subjects of a neutral Sovereign,
in a war between other Sovereigns and States, or in
violation or contravention of the- law of nations in
that behalf, as more especially by breaking, or en-

deavouring to break, any blockade lawfully and
actually established by or on behalf of any or either
of the said Sovereigns or States, by carrying officers,
soldiers, despatches, arms, ammunition, military,
stores or materials, or any article or articles consi-
dered and deemed to be contraband of war, accord-
ing to the law or modern usages of nation, for the
use or service of any or either of the said Sovereigns
and States, that all persons so offending, together
with their ships and goods, will rightfully incur, and
be justly liable to, hostile capture, and to the penal-
ties denounced by the law of nations in that behalf.
And we do hereby give notice, that all our sub-
jects and persons entitled to our protection who
may misconduct themselves in the premises, will do
so at their peril and of their own wrong ; and that
they will in no wise obtain any protection from us
against such capture or such penalties as aforesaid,
but will, on the contrary, incur our high displeasure
by such misconduct.

Society for Improving the Condition of the
Labouring Classes.

The twenty-second annual meeting of the sub-
scribers and friends of this society was held yester-
day, at Willis's Rooms, under the presidency of the
Earl of SHAFTESBURY.

The Rev. EmmuS BAILY having opened the pro-
ceedings with prayer,
Mr. PAGE, the secretary, read the report, which
speaks of a gradual improvement in the position of
the society and the extension of its operations, and
calls attention to the great necessity of such an
agency consequent upon the overcrowding, resulting
from the clearing away of the dwellings of the poor
for new railways. It then states that the railway
bills of the present session contemplated the removal
of 16,000 houses, while the whole of the model
lodging-houses only supplied accommodation for
8,798 persons, and after referring to recent legisla.
tion on the subject, and urging the importance of
extending the efforts to provide cheap and healthful
dwellings for the working classes, it gives the fol-
lowing abstract of the cash account and of the funds
and property of the society for the year ending 31st
December, 1865 :—The funds actually received in
the year from all sources for the general purposes
of the society was £5,981 is. 6d. ; the balance in
hand at the commencement of the year being £287,
makes the total amount to be accounted for
£6,268 is. 6d. The total current expenses of all
the lodging houses (including repairs and re-paint-
ing, &c.) amounted to £3,365 6s. 33-d. ; the loans
repaid, and other claims, and interest on loans, &c.,
amounted to £1,932 Bs. 4d. ; and the rent of of-
fices, salaries, manager's commission, printing of
publications and plans, stationery, postages, and all
incidentals, £669 4s. 3d. ; leaving a balance of
£3Ol 2s. 71d. The real property, &c., of the
society (valued at cost) is £44,365 3s. id., and the
general liabilities £21,015 ; leaving assets, £23,350
3s. id.

The Rev. J. B. OWEN moved a resolution adopt-
ing the report and recognising the Divine blessing
upon the society's operations. As showing the value
of the application of simple inexpensive methods of
sanitary reform, he stated that of the population
inhabiting the society's dwellings, numbering 1,678
persons, there had been only 28 deaths during the
year, and of those 12 were children under 8 years
old ; snaking the average of deaths among the popu-
lation inhabiting the society's houses only 16 per
1,000, the average in the entire population of
London being 26 per 1,000, and the average
in Edinburgh 27 per 1,000, in Manchester 33 per
1,000, and in Liverpool 41 per 1,000.

Dr. GREENHILL, who from personal knowledge
bore testimony to the benefit which had resulted from
the sanitary measures adopted by the society in the
provision made by them for providing improved
dwellings, seconded the motion, which was carried.

The Rev. Canon CONWAY moved the re-election
of the members of the committee, and pointed out
that as a means to the greater end of improving the
moral and religious character of the lower classes,
the operations of the society were of great import-
ance.

The resolution was spoken to by the Rev. E.
BAILY, who remarked upon the commercial aspect
of the question, that by taking old buildings, alter-
ing them, and adapting them for suitable dwelling
places for the poor, 5 per cent. might be secured on
the outlay, and that upon freehold securities.
On the motion of Mr. Spurling, seconded by the
Rev. Mr. Wilkinson, who stated that five thousand
poor persons would be dispossessed of their homes
between this and October on the site of the proposed
new law courts, and drew attention to the evils
which overcrowding must occasion at such a season
as the present, thanks were voted to the chairman,
who, in acknowledging, said he had received letters
regretting their inability to attend from the Bishop
of London, Lord Ebury, and Lord C. Bruce. He
then referred to the munificent gift of Mr. Peabody,
and expressed the desire of the people of this coun-
try to reciprocate ; and in urging the claims of this
society, observed that there was no greater obstacle
to the social, moral, and intellectual improvement
of the population than the domiciliary condition in
which they were allowed to remain. He added that
one result of the displacement of the dwellings of the
poor to make room for railways and other improve-
ments was to increase rents so much that families
who used to have two or more rooms were now
crowded into one, and had to pay for that one as
much as they formerly paid for two, and the evil was
increasing to such an extent that the ultimate effect
was fearful to contemplate.

THE ASYLUM FOR FEMALE ORPHANS.--The new
asylum for female orphans was opened at Bedding-
ton, near Croydon, yesterday, by the Duke of Cambridge,
K.G., the president of the institution. After the arrival
of his Royal Highness, who was received by the vice-pre-
sidents, the committee, and the secretary, ho proceeded to
the building, accompanied by the Archbishop of. Canter-
bury and the Bishop of Winchester. Mr. W. H. Stone,
M.P., then read an address, in which ho referred to the his-
tory of the institution. He stated that since it was estab-
lished in 1758 it had provided a home and a useful and
Christian education for 2,874 orphan girls. At the time of
its first foundation the situation of thefasylum at Lambeth
was, no doubt, well suitedfor its purpose, but the enormous
extension of London during late years had produced such
changes in the neighbourhood as to render it in several
respects inconvenient for an institution of this kind. The
commit tee and guardians decided upon the removal of the
children to a new situation in the country; and with that
view they purchased the estate and mansion of Bedding-
ton, a former residence of the Carew family. The man-
sion had been successfully converted into an asylum capable
of containing 200 children, with abundant space and venti-
lation, and all the advantages afforded by the best modern
construction. The value of the old sito at Lambeth,
together with the surplus land which might be disposed of
at Beddington, would, it was hoped, cover the whole ex-
pense which had boon incurred in the removal. On en-
tering the large hall, one of the most remarkable parts of
the mansion, an old Tudor building, which has been re-
stored and extended with great taste, the children and
company, accompanied by the band of the Grenadier
Guards, sang the National Anthem. A dejeuner, at which
various toasts were proposed, closed the proceedings.
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