The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-12 00:00:00

British and Foreign Bible Society.

Yesterday the interesting ceremony of laying the
foundation-stone of a new building, under the
auspices of this society, was performed by his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales at Addlehill, Doctors'-
commons, in presence of a large assemblage of
persons, including the Lord Mayor, the Earl of
Shaftesbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of
Winchester, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Dean of
Westminster, the Rev. Dr. Binney, the Sheriffs of
London and Middlesex, Mr. Charles Reed, &c.
His royal highness was received by the building
committee—a detachment of the Hon. Artillery
Company (of which the prince is colonel) forming a
guard of honour on the occasion.
A statement of the society's objects and opera-
tions was read to the prince by the Rev. S. B.
Bergue, one of the secretaries. It conveyed the
information that on this spot the British and Fo-
reign Bible Society proposed to rear an edifice
which should be consecrated to the sole and simple
purpose of promoting the widest practicable dis-
semination of the Holy Scriptures in our own and
all other lands. The society during the 62 years of
its existence had expended nearly £6,000,000 in the
furtherance of its object ; and the receipts last year
from all sources reached the munificent sum of
£171,375.
The foundation-stone bore an appropriate in-
scription, and underneath it were placed a bottle
containing a copy of the last annual report of the
society, a copy on parchment of the inscription,
a Times newspaper, and several of the current coins,
dated 1866.

The Prince of WALES, having gone through the
ceremony with the trowel in the usual form, made
the following reply to the address *which had been
read by the secretary Lord Archbishop, my
Lords and Gentlemen,--I have to thank you for
the very interesting address in which you so ably
set forth the objects of this noble institution. It is
now 63 years since Mr. Wilberforce, the father of
the eminent prelate who now occupies so prominent
a place in the Church of England, met with a few
friends by candlelight, in a small room in a dingy
counting-house, and resolved upon the establish-
ment of the Bible Society. Contrast with this ob-
scure beginning the scene of this day, and which,
not only in England and in our colonies, but in the
United States of America, and in every nation in
Europe, will awaken the keenest interest. Such a
reward of perseverance is always a gratifying spec-
tacle—much more so when the work which it com-
memorates is one in which all Christians can take
part, and when the object is that of enabling every
man in his own tongue to read the wonderful works
of God. I have a hereditary claim to be here upon
this occasion. My grandfather, the Duke of Kent,
as you have reminded me, warmly advocated the
claims of this society, and it is gratifying to me to
reflect that the two modern versions of the Scrip-
tures more widely circulated than any others—the
German and English—were both in their origin
connected with my family. The translation of
Martin Luther was executed under the protection
of the Elector of Saxony, the collateral ancestor
of my lamented father; whilst that of William
Tyndale, the present authorised English version,
was introduced with the sanction of the royal pre-
decessor of my mother the Queen, who first desired
that the Bible should have free course through
all Christendom, but especially in his own realm."
It is my hope and trust that, under the Divine
guidance, the wider diffusion and the deeper
study of the Scriptures will in this, as in every age,
be at once the surest guarantee of the progress and
liberty of mankind, and the means of multiplying
in the purest form the consolations of our holy

religion.

Prayer was then offered by the Archbishop of
York, and thanks to his royal highness was proposed
by the Bishop of Winchester. The proceedings
then terminated.

Shortly afterwards a select company assembled at
a luucheon at the Mansion House to meet his royal
highness, who was attended by General Knollys and

Colonel Keppel. Amongst the company were :
The Archbishop of York and Mrs. Thomson, the
Bishop of Winchester and Mrs. George Sumner,
the Bishop of Carlisle, the Earl of Shaftesbury, the
Dean of Westminster and Lady Augusta Stanley,
Mr. Alderman Besley, the Sheriffs of London and
Middlesex, Mr. and Mrs. William Barnet, the Rev.
Dr. Binney, Colonel Macdonald, Mr. Gregory, Mr.
R. R. Roberts, Mr. Rockett, the treasurer of the
society, Mr. Charles Reed, Bcc.
The LORD MAYOR, having given " The Health
of her Majesty the Queen " (which was drunk with
the warmest acclamations), said he had next the
honour of proposing " The Health of their Royal
guest his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales."
(Cheers.) His royal highness was always a welcome
guest, but as a citizen he (the Lord Mayor) hoped
he might be permitted to assure his royal highness
that upon this occasion the chief magistrate of this
great and important city greeted him with a loving
and a hearty welcome. (Cheers.) If in a society
like this there could be anything that would for a
moment mar the gratification and pleisure of the
company, it was the absence of that royal lady, his
royal princess, whose presence on all occasions lent a
charm and shed a lustre over all society. He begged
leave to offer to his royal highness his personal ac-
knowledgments, as well as the hearty congratula-
tionsof the members of this society, for the unaf-

fected and very generous manner in which he had
been pleased to officiate on that most interesting oc-
casion. He was sure that the good Work to which
his royal highness had that day lent his aid would
long live as a lastingrecord in the memories of those
who were permitted to witness it. He invited them
to drink with him to the" Health of his Royal High-
ness the Prince of Wales and of her Royal Highness
the Princess of Wales." He prayed that every
earthly happiness might bless the promise of
their dawning years—that that silent King—that
" silent father of Kings to be"—might watch over
them in spirit, and that the Great Giver of all good
—the King of Kings—might guard and protect
them through a long and honoured life. (Cheers.)
The Prince of WALES, in returning thanks, said

—I am indeed deeply touched and gratified by the
toast which has just been proposed by the Lord
Mayor, and by the very kind and feeling manner in
which you have drunk to the health of the princess
and to my own. It is to me a source of sincere gra-
tification to receive again the hospitality of the chief
magistrate of the City of London. I can never for-
get, nor can the princess ever forget, the manner in
which he was received on her first entry into Lon-
don; and although she is not here to-day—a fact
which I deeply regret—l can bear testimony that
she has never forgotten,and never will forget, the re-
ception given to her three years ago in this great city.
The occasion which has brought me here to-day has
afforded me sincere gratification. I shall be happy
on all occasions to do anything that may tend (as
the Lord Bishop of Winchester stated in the morn-
ing) to alleviate the sufferings of man. I feel sure
that the work that I have been able to perform to-
day—small though it may be—will bear testimony
to the great good done to the poorer classes by a
society which has existed for so many years. Once
more I thank you for the opportunity you have
given me of coming forward on this interesting
occasion ; and I beg again to assure you that 1 shall
always be happy to render every assistance in my
power to an institution which is calculated to ren-
der such important benefits to the world. I return
my best thanks for the greeting accorded• to me at
the ceremony this morning, and also for the kind
manner in which I have been received at this enter-
tainment. (Cheers.) Before I sit down I beg to
propose " The Health of the Lord Mayor."
The toast having been cordially responded to,
The LORD MAYOR, in acknowledging the compli-
ment said that when he heard it said at the cere-
mony in the morning that the object of the society
was to make the Bible the common property of
mankind, he thought the Lord Mayor of London
could not do better than lend his countenance

and assistance to so great an undertaking.
He was sure that the citizens of London would re-
ceive with unmingled joy the sentiments which his
royal highness had condescended to utter on this
most interesting occasion.

The company then separated.
The dejeuner was provided by Messrs. Ring and
Brymer in the most liberal and recherche manner.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—At such a time as the present it cannot
be said that the House of Commons wastes an even- ,
ing by devoting it to a conversation on the state of
Europe, even though nothing more is elicited than a
general expression of the views of Government, and
though the final judgment of the house isthat nothing
can be done. It is impossible that war should rage
within 48 hours' journey of our shores, between some
of the most civilised communities of the earth, with-
out involving, more or less, our interests, and im-
posing on us important duties. We may have to
protect some right menaced by a belligerent, or it
may be necessary at some time to offer once more
our counsels or our mediation in behalf of peace.
Let us then know how we stand as a nation with
regard to these turbulent neighbours, whether we
have committed ourselves unduly to either party or -
cause, what her Majesty's Ministers have done, and
what, as far as can be judged at present, it is their
intention to do. The course of this country has been
so cautious and dignified during the present troubles
that neither the Ministry nor the nation has reason
to fear inquiry. It may be that calamities are im-
pending over the Continent, that great political
changes are at hand, but whether for good or evil,
what is brought to pass will be independent of us.
We are not sorry, therefore, that Mr. Kinglakegave
the Government last night the opportunity of ex-
plaining its present opinions, and showing what the
action of the country has been. He lucidly stated
the strong case of Austria, and was answered by
Mr. Gladstone in a speech that became the Minister
of a neutral Power. Mr. Gladstone, as might be
expected, could give no grounds for a solid expec-
tation that peace would be preserved, and declined
to express an opinion on the subject. But assum-
ing that, unhappily, the present differences will
terminate in hostilities, he successfully vindicated
the Government from the charge of having in
any way neglected the interests of peace. Mr.
Kinglake was disposed to censure the Government
for having accepted the principle of a Conference
before having ascertained what were the views of
Austria in the matter, and accused them of encourag-
ing Italy by letting it be known that they approve
the cession of Venetia. On neither point do we
think that the Government is to blame. The Con-
ference to which the neutral Powers invited the
three probable belligerents would have been a very
different gathering from that at which it was pro-
" posed to discuss European matters in general in 1864.
The lately proposed Conference was an expedient
to save the Continent from impending war, to settle
questions which demanded immediate settlement.
The Congress of 1864 was a scheme of much wider
scope and very much less necessity. It would have
opened disputes instead of closing them, and might
probably have hastened the very troubles we now
deplore. As for ascertaining the intentions of Aus-
tria, this could only be done by an actual invitation,
which, of course, could not be despatched by the
neutral Powers until they themselves had accepted
the principle and made out the plan of the Confer-
ence. We never had much faith in such a meeting,
but at a crisis like the present a humane Government
was bound to leave no expedient untried, and the
most natural course was to call the European Powers
together for a solemn consideration of the two de-
finite questions on which the hostile States were at
issue. A more important matter, however, is the
advice which the Government, or one or more of its
members, is said to have given to Austria on the
subject of Venetia. We know not why Mr. Gladstone
should protest against being called on to speak on
this subject, for it is impossible to suppose that
such a discussion as that of last night will add to
the chances of war. Mr. Kinglake used forcible
arguments to show that Austria could not yield
Venetia, and his views were supported by Sir R. Peel
and Lord Cranborne. No one who has thought on
this question will make light of the reasoning of the
Austrians. We have always thought it so cogent
that from the legal point of view there is no answer
to it at all. What was said in the house does not
differ in substance from the contents of the despatch
addressed by the Austrian Government to its re-
presentatives at the neutral Courts. An analysis of
this document was published by us yesterday. The
Austrian Government had no hope of good results
from the Conference, for it felt that .however care-
! fully the programme might be drawn up, the dis-
I cession of the " Italian difference" could mean no-
, thing but a demand for the cession of Venetia. To
this demand Austria could only give a refusal, for

to yield a province of such importance, military,
maritime, and political, would be an act of suicide ;
the Imperial Government could not in honour accept
money for the province, and Europe had nothing
else to give. Territorial compensation might be
obtained as the consequences of war, but it could
not be given by a conclave of diplomatists round a
green table. What, indeed, could these give ?
Turkey they are not at liberty to dismember, and
even if they were the provinces that would be given
to Austria would be no real compensation to her for
her loss of Venetia. The Danubian Principalities,
Bosnia and the Herzegovina, are countries much
less advanced than the rest of Europe ; their pro-
duction is small ; they would be a source of weak-
ness, and instead of furnishing Austria with new
resources, would only serve to exhaust those she
already possesses. Can, then, Austria seek for
compensation in Germany ? She says " No," for
in that country she only desires that each State
should keep what belongs to it. In addition to
these arguments Austria has also urged in her com-
munications with foreign Cabinets that she only
desires to hold her own, to keep that which has
been solemnly adjudged to belong to her by treaty;
that while other States have advanced their fron-
tiers in late times, she has gained nothing, and
sought to gain nothing ; that she is still content
with her present possessions, but is determined not
to allow any part of them to be torn from her. We
have never denied the strength of this position,
which forms a sort of legal Quadrilateral not easily
assailable by argument. Italy has no right that
statesmen can take notice of to the possession of an
undoubted Austrian province. Yet we do not the
less think that the British Government is justified
if, when called upon to express an opinion, it de-
clares sincerely that it would be better for Austria
to rid herself of Venetia and its disaffected popula-
tion. It may be unadvisable that the Premier should
trench on the functions of the Foreign Secretary,
and make known the views of the Government un-
officially by private letters, and we trust that if
such a practice has obtained of late it may be dis-
continued. But if the Queen's Government is to
give its advice either at a conference or elsewhere,
it must form a definite opinion on this most impor-
tant question ; and it is justified we think in agree-
ing with the French Government, and with the
great body of the English people, that it is advisable
for Austria to abandon Venetia. Even the Austrian
Government itself seems to admit that its position is
untenable, for it declares that:if victory were to bless
its standards, and territorial arrangements could be
effected with advantage, it might be induced in the
interest of a general pacification to make conces-
sions. Venetia, in fact, exhibits a hopeless vari-
ance between the political or legal rights of the
State and the natural rights of the people. Austria
seems to say that such a difficulty can only be
settled by war—and it may be so ; but it is not the
less the duty of humane statesmen to try to dispense
with such an ordeal, and to advise the doing at once
that which every one seems to admit must be done
some day. The tone of the discussion, which was
friendly to Austria, shows the effect which the insin-
cerity and violence of the Prussian Government have
produced on English public opinion. In Germany
the Imperial power is at present the upholder of law
and justice, and if war breaks out it will be through
the machinations of its adversary, who is now said
to have despatched an ultimatum to Vienna. If Italy
were not in existence the peace of Europe would still
be threatened by the policy of Count Bismark, so
that. Austria, whatever her policy concerning
Venetia, cannot be charged with the whole blame of
the war. If the Emperor should think fit to listen
to the advice of this country he may be sure that it
will be given in a spirit of sincerity and friendship.
POST.—Fire and water are generally acknow-
ledged to be good servants but bad masters. The
bursting of a reservoir or the loss of a ship with all
hands are events which have of late years been
lamentably numerous, and they cause a thrill of
horror to pass through the national heart, besides
bringing grief and ruin to many a home. A strife
is threatened in Europe which, if it should begin,
will light up the flames of conflagration the end of
which not even those who remember the wars of
Napoleon will be able to predict. Disastrous fires
in this country seem to be unusually numerous of
late. The town of Ottery St. Mary was almost
utterly destroyed the other day by some accidental
spark which ignited the thatch of a cottage and
burnt down nearly all the houses inhabited by the
labouring classes. British benevolence has, we are
glad to find, supplied the immediate wantsofth
the
sufferers, and, as no lives were lost, in all probabi-
lity Ottery St. Mary will rise from its ashes reno-
vated and renewed, and in all respects be converted
into a more substantially-built town than it was
before. About nine o'clock on Thursday evening
last a house at the corner of Westmoreland-street,
Dublin, close to Carlisle-bridge, and within a few

yards of the Liffey, was burnt down, and, sad to
relate, six persons met with an untimely end. The
are-escapes and the fire-engines appear, according
to all accounts, to have been utterly useless ; 1314
we forbear to make comments ou matters whi ch
must speedily form the subject of public investiga-
tion. The Dublin affair is a very sad business as
far as the loss of life and the efficient means
adopted to render assistance are concerned, but
the catastrophe which happened early on Sunday
morning in the Welwyn Tunnel, on the Great
Northern Railway, about twenty miles from
London, is extremely serious and remarkable,
but fortunately it was attended with less le.s
of life than the fire in the Irish metropolisd
From the circumstantial account ,which appeared
in our columns of yesterday, it seems that an empty
goods train was passibg through the tunnel when,
from some cause or other, at present difficult to
make out, the engine came to a stand. No means
were taken to signal up or down trains of the pre-
sence of an obstruction, and the result was that two
trains, one from the north and the other from the
south, rushed successively against the engine ante
empty trucks, and a scene followed which can be
more easily imagined than described. RaY, the
guard of the train which first stopped, was killed
a companion of his was frightfully injured,; the
guard of the northern up train has suffered seriously .
but, with these exceptions, no other persons seem to
have been killed or wounded. The engines,
ur ear:
riages, and goods, however, which were h
against one another in the tunnel, were not only
scattered into fragments, but were instantly set on
fire by the cinders of the engine furnaces, and the,
tunnel instantly filled with smoke ; flames issued
through the ventilators, while loud explosions were
repeatedly heard, resembling those attending the 3
blasting of rocks or the throbbing eruptions of
volcano. The conflagration raged throughout the
greater part of Sunday. The officials and navvleo
who came to render aid were comparatively power-
less until the flames had somewhat expended them'
la.
selves, and the traffic was diverted to another cha.n"
nel. We are glad to hear that the loss of life:
though to be regretted, was not greater than -1,,v
turned out to be. Under other circumstances, an,
on another day, a hecatomb of human beings might
have been sacrificed in a manner dreadful even le
think of ; and if all carriages are locked, as
generally are on most lines, the strongest efforts
men and women to get out of them, would, in
probability, have proved fruitless. This accident
a tunnel is somewhat unusual, but very alarnneg'
especially when it is borne in mind that hums,
beings might have been roasted and burn;
instead of Scotch meat and the debris °c.i
carriages. So many terrible events have hapPelle,
of late years on railways, not only in this count 4
but also in America, that we cannot wonder if tun
public should insist upon Parliament imposing eve.tt
more strict regulations than those at present„
existence, in order to guard against loss of 01,..!1
Serious accidents seldom happen on continent
railways, because trains there proceed at a eenle
paratively moderate rate of speed. Our lines half
been constructed at an enormous expense ; sole °
them are not very profitable to the shareholders!
though they rank favourably with collapsed btleks
of
but it may be doubted whether the salaries
drivers, firemen, guards, pointsmen, and others are
sufficiently liberal to secure the services of the D'o;.,.
men. Many of them work long hours. On the nth a
hand, familiarity with danger breeds contempt, ant
often leads to disasters. Tunnels are not pleas s'd
subterranean apertures to pass through. The stre.irs
man breathes freely when he is projected into to'es
open air ; nervous Iv omen endure agonies of
rushing through a confined aperture at the raffer
fifty miles an hour ; yet we have heard of an e.' s
of marriage having been made and accepted 1e °t
train going through the Box Tunnel. The pret.se„°o
catastrophe on the Great Northern line might ilit; be.
been more terrible than it has turned out to ft;
Many experienced persons are of opinion that.'b
rate of speed of express trains is extravagantly blgoi
and consequently dangerous. The anxiety te,P of
dividends,. though praiseworthy on the Paru;og
directors, leads in some instances to the P°...:01,
down of salaries, and to the employment of a 11" of
ber of men hardly sufficient to the performane.heio
the duties imposed upon them. It is impoSSl
or
certainly, to prevent accidents either by land,her
sea but railway officials are bound, above all e',„st
men, to use the utmost vigilance and the grebuie
precautions, in order to ensure, as far as possl 0.1;
the public safety, for they possess a virtual monop
of the chief means of locomotion in this country'