The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-03 00:00:00

IHE NAVY.

None of the ships belonging to the Channel fleet
have left Plymouth during the last week, and there
is no present prospect of a combined movement by
Admiral Fremantle, who is Commander-in-Chief of
the port during the temporary absence of Vice-Ad- I
miral Sir Barrington Reynolds, K.C.B. In the I
meantime indications which would pass unnoticed
under other circumstances, are now observed with
interest both on board and on shore; the officers
know, if possible, less than the townsmen. The
flag ship, Royal Albert, 121, Capt. B. Rice, went
from the Sound on Wednesday into Hamoaze, and,
_with all her armament on board, was placed in dock
at Devonport. The copper was stripped off near
the aperture of her shaft, and that part of the ship
was caulked and recoppered ; her bends were also
caulked. She was undocked on Saturday. The
corners of her fans will probably be reduced. Her
crew of 1,000 men are good considered. Some
are absent on leave until the 7th inst. Strong gales
from the southward, accompanied by heavy rains,
have recently prevailed, and have compelled the
fleet in the Sound to strike top-gallant-masts and
make all snug. The state of the weather has most
likely prevented the departure of the screw steam-
ship Caesar, 90, Capt. T. H. Mason ; for some days
the davits have been ready to get up her anchors,
and she has been otherwise prepared. The blue
Peter was flying on Saturday, and 10 or 12 officers
and about 60 men, for various ships in the Mediter-
ranean, have embarked. The officers of the Caesar
are requesting to have their letters addressed in the
first instance to Gibraltar. According to present in-
formation she will remain two years on the station;
she was commissioned in June, 1858. The Caesar
sailed yesterday (Sunday) morning at 10 o'clock.
It will he recollected that, sonic 10 days since, the
Lords of the Admiralty issued orders to prepare for
foreign service the James Watt, 91, Capt. Edward
Codd, and the Agamemnon, 91, Capt. T. Hope.
These ships continue ready. The James Watt is
bound for the Mediterranean, and has received stores
for the Orion and other ships there. The destina-
tion of the Agamemnon is uncertain ; it is not
thought now that she will follow the James Watt ;
some of her officers have just received leave of ab-
sence for a week. The Nile, 90, Capt. A. B. Wil-
mot, C. 8., has a good crew of 850 men, many of
whom are from Liverpool ; five months since she
supplied 80 to the Doris, and shortly after 90 to the
Algiers. It is expected that the Nile will return to
Queenstown, where her crew will probably be re-
duced to 350. The screw steam frigate Emerald,
50, Capt. A. Cuming, has a crew of 550, which is
less than her complement ; it is supposed that she
will winter at Sheerness. The Mersey, 40, Captain
Caldwell, C. 8., has a complement of 560, chiefly
" young fellows," who hope to be paid down at
Portsmouth, and to pass the winter there. No pre-
parations for sea are making on board the Diadem,
32. Capt. W. Moorsom, C.B. The screw steam gun
vessel Flying Fish, 6, Com. Hope, went outside the
harbour on Thursday to try her machinery, which
has been recently repaired at Keyham steam yard.
The Aboukir, Hero, Melpomene, Topaze, and Virago
complete the Channel fleet. Very few men have
volunteered for the expedition to China.
Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir It. S. Dundas, K.C.8.,

Capt. C. Fredrick, Mr. S. Whitbread, M.P., and
Rear-Admiral Lord C. Paget, M.P. (secretary), re-
turned to town on Saturday from an official visit of
inspgitiou. to Pembroke dockyard. The Duke of
Sotigniq the Frrst 'Lord, who accompanied the
Board, has gone to his seat, Maiden Bradley.
The Locust, 3, paddle, Lieut.-Commander J. B.
Field, arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from the
eastward with supernumeraries, &c.
The Biter, gunboat (tender to the Blenheim),
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Portland.
The Osborne paddle-yacht, Master Commander
G. K. Bower, arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from
Pembroke, where she has been in attendance on the
Lords of the Admiralty.

Forty-eight men belonging to the Royal Artillery
at Plymouth, volunteers for China, left by the South
Devon Railway on Friday.

THE BUILDERS' STRIKE.

In the course of last week the great Strike in the
Building Trades passed through certain phases of
considerable importance, though, unhappily, with-
out any improvement in the general aspect of the
struggle. It should be understood that this con-
test, though nominally confined to a single depart-
ment of business, does in reality embrace several
different trades. The employers are all of one class
—master builders, but the employed belong to vari-
ous classes, comprising masons, bricklayers, joiners,
plasterers, plumbers, and so forth, all which trades,
though engaged in the same Strike, are organised
in separate unions or societies, and are distinguished
by some varieties of ppinion. Another circumstance
necessary to be remembered is, that the Strike is
confined to Londcn, that is to say, to the metropo-
litan postal district, and affects only the workmen
employed within those limits.
The first step towards a treaty or compromise
was taken by the masons separately. The opera-
tives of this class, a strong and intelligent body,
detached themselves from the Conference of the
United Trades, and summoned to,London the chief
officers of their own Society from its central seat
at Bristol. This proceedinr, was calculated to
cut two ways. If it produced a reconciliation
between the master builders and the masons
the secession of so influential a class from the
other trades would go far to terminate the Strike,
and bring about a general agreement. If, on the

other hand, it failed to do so, the operative masons
of the metropolis might procure the adoption of
their cause by the -whole body of the trade, and
thus obtain a great increase of support. Unfortu-
nately, the latter in the result now most probable.
The proposition of the masons was to the effect
that the men should give up the Nine Hours Move-
ment and the masters withdraw the Declaration,
work being then resumed- as before. This, it is
evident, was simply a return to the status quo ;
but there appears to have been a misgiving on the
part of the masons that the masters had certain
other matters before their eyes, and accordingly
they added to their proposal a general assurance
that if the masters "had any grievance to com-
plain of" they would at any time be "happy to
meet the:n" upon the points at issue. It turned
out that these collateral questions involved the
very differences on which the negotiations broke
off. The Nine Hours agitation was absolutely sur-
rendered, as well it might be, and, though the
masters talked about "insuperable difficulties"' in
the way of a withdrawal of the Declaration, it.
seems as if these obstacles might possibly have
been eluded except for the failure of ulterior at-
tempts. It was required on behalf of the masters
tha: such rules, by-laws, and practices of the Ma-
sons' Society "as should be declared by the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade, or any retired Judge
of her Majesty's Courts at Westminster, to be con-
trary to the spirit of the law of the land," should,
in so far as they affected employers and operatives
within the metropolitan limits, be revised or dis-
continued. This proposal the masons evaded. The
masters then suggested a reference on the points
in question to " some eminent impartial authority,"
adding this time that, in particular, all rules and
practices should be removed which interfere with
the freedom of workmen, or prevent members of
Trades' Unions from working with other work-
men." This proposition also the Masons, by formal
resolution, declined to entertain.
Pending these separate negotiations, the Confer-
ence of the United Trades had not been inactive.
Treaties and compromises being the order of the
day, the Committee of the Paviours' Arms had
also prepared its proposition for the consideration
of the masters, the terms whereof went to this
effect,—that the men should resume work upon the
withdrawal of the Declaration, leaving the previ-
ous question—i e., the Nine Hours Movement—to
be discussed by a sub-committee chosen from the
masters and men together. This overture, however,
was curtly rejected, the masters refusing to recog-
nise the authority of the Conference, or to admit
any such medium of communication between their
workmen and themselves. At this the Conference
was naturally indignant, and convened its con-
stituents on Friday evening to obtain a ratification
of its powers, which, as a matter of course, was
promptly accorded.
We may now make our deductions from this
batch of miscarriages. The Nine Hours question,
it will be seen—the origin of the whole dispute—
was fairly given up by the Masons, and thrown
into abeyance by the other trades. Nor was this
a point extorted from them by violence, in despite
of their genuine convictions, for it is plain enough
that they have the means of continuing the Strike.
It was a tacit confession that in this preposterous
demand the mark had been overshot,—in fact, the
Secretary of the Masons' Committee acknowledged
in plain words that " the Nine Hours question had,
never taken well with the working classes in the
country." So much for the original ground of
agitation,—for that demand which the Conference
enforced by a Strike, and which the masters, in
self-defence, were compelled to meet by a lock-out.
The next point is the Declaration, and here also
the negotiations of the week enable. us to collect
something of what the masters really want and the
Unions refuse. It is a natural inference from the
course taken by the arguments that the Declaration
as a sine qua non might possibly have been waived,
if certain of its essential effects could have been
otherwise secured ; and these effects, it is equally
obvious, pointed rather to the protection of the
men than the advantage of the masters. The first.
question of all, fel- instance, concerned the position
of those men, some 8,000 in number, who had ac-
cepted the Declaration, and gone to work under its
terms. How were they to stand if the 6,000 or
7,000 still on Strike were admitted without this
guarantee? Would the latter set of hands even
consent to work with the former ? It appears that
this primary condition was extremely doubtful, for
one of the Masons' Deputation stated at a public
meeting that when the question was put to them on
the masters' behalf they answered that " that was
for them (the Society men) to decide after the
Declaration had been withdrawn." The first con-
sequence, therefore, of the unconditional withdrawal
of the Declaration by the masters might easily have
been the loss of all the 8,000 hands already obtained
on eligible conditions, for the sake of obtaining
7,000 others on conditions less eligible—a bargain
which few would venture to recommend.

The floating battery.' Trusty passed Sheerness on
Saturday, in tow of two steamvessels, to return to
her moorings in Upnor Reach, near Chatham, after
the experiments against her side-plates with 56 cwt.
gun and conical shots. The firing ranged from 400
to 200 yards. The result has been that the broad-
side plates have been broken to pieces ; the shots
have often penetrated through her broadside. Shots
with the greatest accuracy of firing (the gun being
laid by a gunner from the Excellent) were sent into
an open port, which went through the timber ma-
terials on the other side, driving off and breaking
the plates to pieces.
The officers and crew of the Minotaur, at Sheer-
ness, have changed over to the Cumberland, all the
officers receiving their new commissions to the
latter-named ship.
The new screw steam frigate Forte was taken
into No. 3 dry dock at Sheerness on Saturday.
Her Majesty's iron paddlewheel steamvessel
Antelope, Lieut. -Commander John W. Pike, arrived
at Woolwich on Saturday at 3.30 p.m. from service
on the 'West Coast of Africa. She was found to be
in a disabled state from one of her plates being de-
cap d, and, having been temporarily repaired, she
was sent home by the Admiral to be docked.
The steam storeship Dee, Thomas C. Pullen
master in command, sailEd from Woolwich on Sa-
turday, at 3.15 p.m., with supernumerary seamen
and lads for Sheerness and steam machinery for
Ph-mouth.

The gunboat Hind. tender to the Russell, 60, at
Falmouth, arri red at Plymouth on Wednesday with
supernumeraries.
The Narcissus, 51, is to be launched at Devonport
on the 26th inst., and the. Jason, 21, about the 10th
November.

The following oppointrnents were made on Sa-
turday at the Admiralty :—Lieut. A. H. Alston, to
the Excellent ; Lieut. IL Davis, to the Encounter ;
Lieut. C. A. J. Heysham, to the Imperieuse; Lieut.
3. Berkeley, to the Wellington ; Lieut. IL Hilton,
to the Sitnoom ; H. B. Hamersley, mate, to the
Imperieuse ; P. B. N nd, midshipman, to the Mer-
sey; D. D. Fremantle, midshipman, to the
Odin ; Thos. D. Chown, second master, to the Snap ;
Wiliam Ilaydon, second moster, to the Bouncer ;
Silas Vicary, second master, to the Grasshopper; and
George D. Rickards, second master, to the Flamer.

The subjoined letter was on Satui day received
at Woolwich from Mr. Thomas Brown, command-
ing the troopship John Duncan, now lying in the
East India Docks, in reply to an official demand
requiring a detail of the specific advantages actually
derivable from the use of Clifford's boat-lowering
gear, as fitted on board that ship by command of
the Lords of the Admiralty preparatory to her late
outward voyage to India with troops in June,lBsl3,
and which is now compulsory in all troopships be-
fore proceeding to sea. _

"East India Docks, Sept. 30.
" Sir,—ln reply to your inquiries as to the efficiency of
our boat-lowering apparatus, fitted by order of Government
on board. the troopship John Duncan, on her voyage to
Calcutta, I have to state that in latitude 32 deg. south, and
longitude 79 deg. 30 rain. east, when the ship was going 81
knots per hour, with a disagreeable cross sea, the starboard
lifeboat was lowered, with au officer and six men to pick up
one of the soldiers, who had fallen overboard from the fore-
castle deck. lam happy to say that the man was picked
up, and in 15 minutes the boat was at the davit and the man
was in his cot. I would further wish to state that while
on our passage from Calcutta towards Trinidad with coolies,
and when in let. 1 deg. 17 rain, north, and long. 89 deg. 22
min. east, at 4.30 a.m. one of the coolies fell overboard.
One of the lifeboats fitted with Clifford's Patent was imme-
diately lowered and the man picked up in 10 Minutes,
although the ship was going at the rate of nine knots per
hour at the time. Again, when in let. 24 deg. 14 min.
south and long. 3 deg. 27 rain. cast, while the ship was
going 51 knots an hour, another of tho coolies fell over-
board, and in six minutes after he was picked np by the
lifeboat.—l have the honour to be, sir, your obedient
servant,

"Thos. BnowN,
Commander Ship John Duncan."

TILE A_RMY.

Orders were on Saturday received at Chatham
garrison from the Horse Guards, directing the
depot companies of_ the 29th (Worcestershire) Re-
giment to vacate the tents at the Spur Battery,
and proceed to-morrow morning to Devonport,
where the depot is ordered to be quartered. The
following officers of the 29th will leave Chatham
with that regiment :—Lieut. T. P. Wood, Ensigns
11. W. Kindersley, F. C. Rumton, and W. C. Ar-
nold. Capt. J. M. Lyle, who commands the depot,
will remain at Chatham, as instructor of musketry
to the 2d battalion. It is understood that the
depot of the 99th Regiment, now at Cork, will be
attached to the 2d battalion at Chatham, and oc-
cupy the quarters vacated by the 29th depot.
Major Rupert Deering, from the 18th depot bat•
talion at Fermov, has been appointed to the :3d
battalion at Chatham. vice Major H. Rowlands
(V.C.), who has retiredfrom the service on half-pay.
The detachment of the 10th (North Lincoln)
Foot and the remainder of the detachment of the
9th (Queen's) Light Dragoons disembarked on
Saturday morning, end proceeded by special train
Bxeter,
at eightand Plymouth. a.m. from Portsmouth for Ta unton,
The Adelaide screw steamer will embark at
Portsmouth, about the Bth inst., the 4th battalion
of the 60th Rifles from Aldershott Camp for e-n-
-veyanee to Waterford, returning thence to Pert,-
mouth with the 2d battalion of the 18th (Itoyal
Irish) Foot, who will occupy the ground vaeatel
by the 60th at Aldershott.

It will have been noticed, again, that in the ex-
planatory propssition made by the masters to the
INlasens the requisitions of the former are directed
especially to the " freedom" of the men—to their
release, in fact, from that thraldom in which the
Unions would fain retain them. Men are at

----------
liberty to combine among themselves according to
law, but they are not at liberty, either in law or
in justice, to exert their combined powers against
the freedom of others. That, in reality, is the point
now at issue. It is not whether workmen may form
Trades' Unions, but whether these Trades' Unions
are to tyrannise over workmen unconnected with
their body, and to drive them by intimidation and
persecution into the observance of such rules and
usages as they think fit to prescribe. It will not
be overlooked that the masons, on this point, shirked
even the test of law, and were evidently unwilling
to submit their rules and practices to the revision
of iwpartial authority. They pretended that they

✓The 3:1 battalion of Grenadier Guards, compris-
ing 17 officers and 800 men, arrived in Liverpoal
on Thursday afternoon last from the metropolis
and embarked the same day on board two of the
City of Dublin Con.pany's steamer.? for Dublin,
where they supply the place of the Scot, 3 Fusilier
Guards, who passed through Liverpool the same
day en route for London.
_

'he second division of the 13th Light Dragoons
at_ the North-wall, Dublin, on Saturday

morning. at eight o'clock, to join the rest of the re- had no power as a section to touch the regulations
_
giment in Scotland. sanctioned by their entire body, but this power
It was stated some months since in The Sun that they might have applied for, as they are now ap-
the local authorities of Great Yarmouth had called plying for other powers, and it is clear that,this
the attention of the War-office to the defenceless was the critical point at which the negotiation broke
state of the coast at that point. A reply was re- off. Such, however, is now the position of affairs.
ceived to the effect that the erection of a work at The masons have separated from the Conference,
Gorleston was "under consideration ;" but this did but have connected themselves with their main
not satisfy the Mayor, who replied that such a pro- body, and will, it is anticipated, receive the support
mise had been made for years without any result. of the Society's funds. The Conference continues
This remonstrance has elicited a second letter from the fight as before, and the masters, also as before,
the Earl of Ripon, Under Secretary at War, who are resolutely holding their ground. We regret as
states that the erection of the work will be pro- much as anybody can that the attempts at agree-
ceeded with as soon as terms can be come to with ment should have so completely miscarried, but,
the proprietor of the site required. His lordship with one exception, we do not see that the masters
adds : can be blamed for their resolution. We think they
"In consideration of the importance of the roadstead to might,as well have recognised the Paviours' Arms
the general trade of the country in the North Sea, two bat- '4 Conference," which though, perhaps, an irregular
teries, powerful armed, have recently been provided at species of convention, was probably es " respon-
Yarmouth, north and south of the anchorage, the centre or
Bible "as their own. Save for this, however, their
town battery being postponed as of less pressing import-
once than other places in the United Kingdom at present conditions were reasonable, for it is clearly in the
totally unprotected. lam to add that the construction of interests of the public, and the working man also,
the Gorleston battery at the mouth of the harbour will take that every operative should be effectually protected
precedence of that on the vacant site at the centre of the in the disposal of his own labour.—Times.
anchorage."
In addition to draughts forwarded during the
week, 100 able and well-disciplined young men,
forming a portion of the Woolwich division of
Royal Marine Light Infantry, were despatched to
Portsmouth on Saturday for service in the gun-
boats fitting out at that port for China. Notwith-
standing the many heavy calls which have been
recently made on the division the vacancies have
been rapidly filled by recruits and volunteers, and
in most instances they have yielded with alacrity
to the hard course of drills to which they are sub-
jected, in order to attain their present state of effi-
ciency, to which the Lords of the Admiralty made
particular allusion in their late inspection of the
corps. The drills commence daily at six, and con-
tinue, with slight intermission, until five.
Major-General Eden, Commander of the Forces
in the Western District, whose period of service
has expired, inspected the troops attached to tho
Plymouth garrison at Mount Wise, on Friday last,
and bade them farewell. During his residence
Gen. Eden secured the esteem of the inhabitants
Major-General Hutchinson is now in command o
the Western District.

THE BELL OF WESTMINSTER.

On Saturday the great bell of Westminster
sounded for the last time, and while in the very act
of striking Big Ben became dumb for ever. At
the present moment the bell is even more hope-
lessly cracked than its ill-fated predecessor, and
like him, too, must be broken up and recast before
the great block of the metropolis can again record
the flight of time. Recasting is a word which is
soon said ; but such a weary deal has to be done
before Ben's mutilated fragments find their way to
the melting pot, and still more before the renovated
mass is again restored to its lofty dwelling, that,
even taking a sanguine view of things, we think at
the least a clear twelvemonth must elapse before the
voice of the great bell can again be heard booming
over the great province of houses in which it is to
regulate the laws of time. The first bell was cast by
the Messrs. Warner, and on trial proved so much
heavier than was expected that a clapper of nearly
double the weight than originally intended had to
be used to elicit the sound. tinder the infliction
of repeated trials the bell broke in Palace-yard,
and most fortunately before it had been raised
to its resting-place amid the iron beams and
girders of the bell-chamber in the summit of
the clock-tower. It was accordingly broken
up and recast, showing, during the first-named
process, that the first casting had been a failure.
To Messrs. Mears of Whitechapel the recasting of
ti.;,4 second bell was entrusted, Messrs. Warner de-
cliniag to undertake-it on the terms offered by
.the
Board of Works. The second bell which has just
cracked wag a magnificent casting. Its weight,
size, and tone a-Fere exactly what was required, and
Mr. Denison mosi Properly certified to the com-
pleteness of the largest and finest bell ever cast in
England. This was, as usual, tested, and at last
after considerable delay and trouble hoisted to its
place above the clock-room. The peculiar iron
framework from which Big Ben and the quarter
chimes were to hang has been so repeatedly de-
scribed in these columns that a repetition now
would be almost useless. It will suffice to say,
therefore, that it was amply strong enough for bells
hung as they usually are hung, that is, swinging to
Ia certain extent free and yielding to the stroke of
the hammer. This 'mode, however, was not the
one adopted, and, contrary to the experience of all
bell-hangers from time immemorial, Big Ben was
firmly bolted to the beam from which he hung and
made as rigid as the walls of the tower itself. Thus
fixed, his tone was tried; the clapper was swung
to its full extent. The result, as may easily be an-
ticipated, was that the rigid bell acted like a gigan-
tic lever upon the bell frame, which worked danger-
ously, while it was evident that the tone of the bell
itself was seriously impaired by the rigidity of its
fastenings, which of course prevented much of the
vibration. Both these facts were clearly pointed out
in the account of the trial of the bell which ap-
peared in this journal. So matters dragged on, the
clock was not going, the bell-frame was not fastened.
Public attention was directed to the delay, but with
very little result, beyond eliciting the usual amount
of denial, complaint, and fiat contradiction from all
concerned in the matter in any way or form. Par-
liamentary papers were moved for awl produced, in
the interest of all the great contending parties, but
they only made bad worse, as none contained the
whole truth, while some contained no truth at al!.
At last, when it is not too much to say the pub-
lic were disgusted with the whole affair, and weary
of the mismanagement and waste of money which
each fresh inquiry disclosed, the clock at length
was fixed, and Big Ben began to number hours,
though his own, as it seems, were of the shortest.
With the first notes of the great bell's voice the
public were much disappointed, and blamed the
bell. This was unjust. The bell was as fine a bell
as was ever cast, and its jarring tone was entirely
due to the way it was hung and the way it was
struck. Of its rigidity, which was one fault, we
have already spoken. The mechanism of the clock,
it is said, was not strong enough to raise the ham-
mer a sufficient height to draw forth the full tone.
Another reason was that to assist the rebound of
the hammer from the bell, in order not to check
vibration, and to catch it instantly for the next
stroke, the hammer was filled with a pad of india-
rubber or some such elastic substance, which, of
course, muffled the sound completely. Neither of
these two latter courses, however, had anything to
do with cracking the bell, which those least versed
in the art of bell-hanging will see at once is mainly
due to Big Ben having been rigidly bolted down or
up without a possibility of yielding the fraction of
an inch under the ponderous blows of the hammer.
So at length he brake. The only remedy now left
is to remove the clock, get down the bell, break it
up and recast it for the third time, prove it, get it
up the tower again, and refix the clock under it as
soon as may be. If these six operations average,
on the whole, less than three months to each, why
the work will be very quickly done. An old adage
tells us the fate of the best broth With too many
cooks to prepare it. In the name of common pru-
dence let the contract for the next bell be given to
some of our most eminent bell founders who have
passed their lives and realised fortunes in the ma-
nufacture of bells of all kinds. Let such a man be
told what is wanted, and let him be responsible
that it is forthcoming. We may then hope to have
a bell which will be a pride instead of a grievance
to the public mind.

FE3I,ILE EMIGRATION TO NBTV

ZEALAND.

The following extract- from an official letter,
dated Auckland, June 24, 1859, and addressed to
Mr. A. F. Ridgway, as agent for the island, will
be read with interest :
" You will be advised in a separate communica-
tion en the subject of sending out a number of female
domestic servants, who will be willing to undertake
the repayment of the cost of their passages respec-
tively within two years after their arrival. This is
an experiment the success of which will depend
wholly upon the moral character and fitness of the
young women sent out; and I need scarcely urge
upon you the necessity for exercising the utmost
discretion and caution in their selection.
"On this side the Government will take the
charge of receiving and providing them with ac-
commodation until they shall have found employ-
ment, which they will speedily do at wages from
£2O to £3O a year. The disproportion in number
between the sexes of our population isso considerable
that for every well-conducted young woman there is
a certain prospect of a comfortable settlement in
life, as soon as she shall, by her conduct here, have
proved herself worthy."
Extract from another letter, dated Auckland,
June 24, 1859 :

" I have the honour to inform you that, in con-
sequence of the scarcity of female domestic servants
here, it has been resolved to authorise you to send
out at the expense of this Govcr3tnent about 50
emigrants of that class. You will, therefore, be so
good as to take the necessary steps for that purpose
as soon as possible.
"The persons to be sent out must be young
women of good character, who have actually been
trained and employed as houschold servants. They
should be generally selected from the country, and
not from London, as servants accustomed to a great
city do not easily accommodate themselves to colo-
nial life, and if some of them are acquainted with
dairy work so mach the better.

" You are authorised to appoint a matron to take
charge of them, who will be allowed the gratuity
usual in similar cases, and I am sure you will take
every possible care to select a fit person for this im-
portant charge, and also to ascertain that they are
sent by a ship the character of whose officer: will
be a guarantee that nothing improper will be
permitted on board.

" You will please to obtain from all the girls so
sent out promissory notes for the cost of tl • ien pas-
sage, payable to the superintendent, at the provin-
cial treasury, by two equal instalments, 12 and 24
months after their arrival. They must, of course,
be of such an ego as to make their obligatiots
binding, and their signatures should be witnessed
by the person who is to accompany them as matron.
"I have no doubt tint you will, with your usual
zeal for the interest of this province, do everything
in your power to insure that only proper persons
are sent out."

[AITTE aTISEMENT.] —E PPS'S (Homoeopathic Chemist)
COCOA.—This esteemed prepai'ation is sold by the prin-
cipal grocers at Is. Cd. per lb., in 11b., 41b., and Vb.
packets. Each packet is labelled " James Epps, Homcoo',
pathic chemist, London."

CT R C UIT REMINISCENCES AND TRIAL
BY JURY.

Sir John Coleridge delivered a lecture to the
members of the literary society at the Athenmum,
Exeter, on Wednesday evening, entitled " Circuit
Reminiscences." Mr. Sillifant presided. The
audience was numerous and influential. After some
introductory remarks on the advantage of judges
itinerating throughout the land, the lecturer said
that going the circuit in his younger days was a
very different thing to what it had been since the
introduction of railways. It was then much more
expensive and formal ; indeed, it was not untruly
considered that the whole body going circuit ex-
pended more than it carried away. The judges did
not post, but went in sober state, four-in-hand.
Barristers posted, as it was considered irregular to
travel in a public conveyance. The mess was then
rather expensive ; the bar had their own cellar of
wine, under the care of their own officers, who went
the circuit. The leader of the circuit was expected
to be frequent in his attendance at mess, for to him
they appealed to decide disputed points of profes-
sional etiquette. Those were days when gentle-
men in common life wore clothes of every colour,
but the barrister was always expected to dine in
black. He remembered, on one occasion, going out
for a walk with other members of the Western Cir-
cuit in a town in Somerset, and they met the judges.
One of the party wore a black neckerchief, and a
blue cap with a gold band round it. It chanced
that a recruiting party, with drum and fife, passed
at the time, and when they were afterwards sitting
down at luncheon the judges' butler waited upon
them with their lordships' compliments, and to say
that there was a recruiting party in the town, and
if any of them had a military turn of mind, there
was a fine opportunity for them to indulge them-
selves to their hearts' content. (Laughter.) In his
early career, although the law did not allow him to
languish in idleness, still he had many idle days.
He was fond of employing them in note-taking,
whenever cases of an interesting character pre-
sented themselves, and he had found great benefit
therefrom, especially at times when the facility of
taking a rapid and accurate note became of great
importance to him. He found that he had a note
of a remarkable case which he had heard while on
circuit in Cornwall. The story was this :—ln the
county of. Cornwall there lived a highly respec-
. able family named Robinson, consisting of two sons,
William and Nicholas, and two daughters. The
property was settled on the two sons aLd their male
issue, and in case of death on the two daughters.
William was to be the 'squire, and Nicholas was
placed with an eminent attorney at St. Austell, as
his clerk, but with a prospect of one day being ad-
mitted into partnership. The young man conducted
himself well and respectably, and the attorney be-
came much attached.to him. The harmony, however,
between the two and between the family was broken,
for Nicholas had fallen in love with a young woman
at St. Austell, who was a milliner or a milliner's
apprentice. The result was that in November,
1782, the young man was sent to London to qualify
himself as an attorney, and thence he wrote un•
happy letters to his old master and others, but he
was ultimately admitted au attorney of the Courts
of Queen's Bench and Common Pleas. Thencefor-
ward he was never seen by any member of his
family or former friends, and all search for him
proved fruitless. In the course of time the old
Robinson died. William, the eldest son, succeeded
to the property. He never married, and died in
May, 1802. As nothing was heard of Nicholas,
' the two sisters became entitled to the property, and
they held possession of it for 20 years, no claim
being made to disturb their enjoyment of it. In 1783
a young man, whose looks and manners were above
his means and station, had made his appearance as
a stranger at Liverpool. He called himself Nathaniel
Richardson—the same initials as Nicholas Robin-
son. lie bought a cab and horse, and plied for hire
in the streets of Liverpool, Being a civil, sober,
and prudent man, he soon became prosperous, and
drove a coach between London and Liverpool. He
married, had children, and gradually acquired
considerable property. Having gone to Wales to
purchase horses in 1802, he was Ir an accident
drowned in the Mersey. In the year 1821 it was
said that this Nathaniel Richardson was no other
than Nicholas Robinson, and his eldest son
claimed the property which was then inherited
by the,two daughters, and the action was tried in
Cornwall. Nearly 40 years had elapsed since any
one had seen Nicholas Robinson, but it was made
out conclusively, in a most remarkable way, and
by a variety of small circumstances, all pointing to
one conclusion, that Nathaniel Richardson was the
identical Nicholas Robinson. The Cornish wit-
nesses and the Liverpool witnesses agreed in the
description of his person, his height, the colour ef
his his general appearance, and more partcu-
larly it was mentioned that he had a peculiar habit
of biting his nails, and that he had a great fondness
fcr horses. In addition to other circumstances,
there was this most remarkable one—that Natha-
niel's widow married again, and the furniture and

effects were taken to the second husband's house.
Among the articles was an old trunk which she had
never seen opened, but it happened one day that
this old trunk was, through curiosity, examined,
and among other letters 'end papers the two certi-
ficates of Nicholas Robinson's adhission as attorney
to the Courts of Queen's Bench and Common Pleas
were found. On the trial the old master of Nicho-
las Robinson, alias Nathaniel Richardson, swore to
his handwriting, and so the property was recovered.
The right hon. gentleman, in referring to the trials
of Feargus O'Connor and O'Brien, at which he pre-
sided as judge, observed that the Chartist body at
that time interested him a good deal. For the most
part its members appeared to have been honest,
but misguided persons. He had no doubt if the
movement had not been suppressed that it would
havo led on to plunder and havoc, and that blood
would have flowed like water, for the occupation
and habits of these men made them a hard-handed
and stern race. The way in which some of them
defended themselves was remarkable ; although
speaking with a Lancashire pronunciation, which
was very difficult to understand, they neverthless
spoke pure English, and quoted—not the works of
Tom Paine and other infidel writers, but such
writers as Algernon Sidney, Sir William Jones,
John Locke, and John Milton. There were men
among them who, after working 10 or 12 hours
a-day, had been diligent readers, and were better
English scholars than many of the jurymen who
tried them. After passing a glowing eulogium on
the legal and forensic abilities of two of his con-
temporaries—Erskine
.and Follett—Sir John Cole-
ridge concluded by warmly advocating the system
of trial by jury. There were some, lie said, who
laboured to depreciate trial by jury, or, as it was
more correctly termed, "trial by judge and jury."
He did not mean to:say that this mode of trial was
perfect, or that it was .appropriate .in deciding all
matters of fact. He was far . from saying that it
would not admit of some improvement; but, speak-
ing from long experience and. from much conside-
ration, in nothing Was he more confident than in
thinking that to -trial jury, they were more in-
debted, as members of society, as citizens, in respect
to their property, their character, their safety, and
their liberty, than to any other single institution in
the country. (Cheers.) He had been a judge for
an unusally long period, and he should ever regard.
with
.admiration the manner in which juries dis-
charged their duties. Again and again he had
reason to marvel at their patience, and again and
again he had observed questions put by a jury
which had been omitted by counsel and judge, the
answer to which had thrown a light that had
guided them to the truth of the whole matter.
(Cheers.) As it regarded the judge and society
generally, the institution of trial by jury was most
important. Take it away from the merchant, the
tradesman, and the farmer, and he ventured to say
that they would take away one of the most im-
portant institutions which distinguished this coun-
try from every other nation. (Cheers.) It was one,
and not the least important, part of their system of
self-government. (Hear.) It was also a material
part of a citizen's education. He had often thought
if he had the appointment of the magistrates in the
country that he would appoint those gentlemen
who had served on petty juries on the Crown side
for two assizes at least; for he was sure that a
more practical knowledge of criminal law was
learnt in that way than could be acquired by
several months of careful reading. (Laughter.)
Earnestly did he hope that -in their laudable
desire to improve their institutions they would
never fancy themselves more wise than their ances-
tors and dispense with trial by jury. (Cheers.) Let,
them be true to its principle, if they improved
it in some of its details. Let them cherish it as an
inestimable treasure, and guard it as they did their
Ilabeas Corpus, their Bill of Rights, and their

. •
Magna, Charta (cheers), for it was not less essential
than any one of these to their liberties and to their
well-bunt;—civil, social, and national. (Cheers.)
One thing should always be remembered, that
stupid verdicts were no arguments against the in-
stitution, for no human institution, however wise

in itself, could be expected to work perfectly. Let
them improve their jurymen by raising the cha-
racter of their national education ; let them intro-
duce into their panels all classes who by law were
liable to serve; and when they had done that, and
not till then, if they found it to fail, let them con-
demn the institatien. (Cheers.) They lived under
a law which, though far from perfect, was framed
in a wise and just, spirit. They could not possiby
overrate the blessing which they possessed, yet it
was so ninch a matter of course that they were apt
to think as little of it 1;5 they 4id of the sun that
shone upon them from Heaven. Such was human
nature, and he should not consider that he had
spoken so Jong that eveniu4. in vain, and they would

not have listened so patiently for nothing, if what
had been said to them should rouse them to a sense
of the blessings they enjoyed, and to an earnest
resolution that as far as it was in their power they
would hand down this institution of trial by jury
pure and undiminished to their latest posterity.
(Protracted cheering.)

EAST INDIA AND CHINA NAILS'.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's screw
steamer Pera, Capt., Jamieson, bringing the Calcutta
and China mails in charge of Mr. Douglass, of the
General Post-office, arrived yesterday morning at
Southampton. She left Alexandria on the 19th
ult., Malta the 23d, and Gibraltar the 27th. As
far as Cape Finisterre she had light breezes and gne
weather ; across the Bay fresh breezes, with heavy
westerly swell ; up Channel moderate breezes and
fine weather:

The steamer brought 93 passengers, including
Col. Taylor, Col. Lemon, R.M.8., Col. Wynn, Cap-'
tains Despard, Stansbury, Cox, and Slaughter,
Lieutenants Prior, Bolger, Bingham, Stewart, God-
frey, Smith, R.N., Peard, R.N., and Malleh, R.N.,
Dr. Smart, RN., from India, China, &c.; Major
Macdonald, from Egypt ; Major Bayley, Captains
Ellison and Couch, Ensign Oliver, from Malta;
Lieutenant Adcock, from Gibraltar, The cargo
of the Pera consisted of 1,287 bales of silk, 3,107
cases of fruit, 8 packages of elephants' tusks, and
131 packages of miscellaneous merchandise.
In the Straits of Gibraltar the Pera spoke the
brig Jessie Thorns, of Liverpool, and the Prussian
brig Pius IX. _ _

Theusual Egyptian fleet was lying at Alexandria.
Her Majesty's ships Renown, Argus, Banshee,
and Caradoc were at Malta; also, the Peninsular
and Oriental steamer Alhambra.

Her Majesty's screw frigate Doris, Capt. Heath-
cote, from Malta, arrived at Gibraltar on the 21st,
and left for Tangier on the afternoon of the 22d.
On the 24th ult. her Majesty's steamship Edgar,
91, Capt. James E. Katon, bearing the flag of Rear
Admiral John E. Erskine ; and the Neptune, 91,
Capt. Sir W. Hoste, Bart., arrived at Gibraltar
from Torbay. At the same time six steam line-of-
battle ships arrived from Malta—viz., the Marl-
borough, 131, Capt. Lord Kerr, with the flag
of Vice-Admiral Fanshawe ; the Centurion, 80,
Captain Patey ; the Conqueror, 101, Captain
Griffiths ; the Princess Royal, 91, Capt. Baillie ; the
Victor Emmanuel, 91, Capt. Willcox; and the
Orion, 91, Capt. Frere ; also the steam gunboat
Lapwing, Commander O'Reilly. When the Edgar
and Neptune came up with Admiral Fanshawe's
fleet to the eastward of the rock, the Edgar saluted
the Marlborough with 15 guds, which compliment
was immediately returned by the Vice-Admiral's
ship firing 11. The ships then formed in line and
steamed slowly into the bay, headed by the Marl-
borough. On arrival the garrison saluted Admiral
Fanshawe's flag with 15 guns, the three-decker re-
turning a like number shortly afterwards. The
whole of these ships, together with the Vulture,
were lying in the bay when the Pera left on the
27th.

A French squ a dron, composed of three two-deckers
passed the rock from cast to west at 6 p.m. on the
23d ; one of aem bore a Rear-Admiral's flag.
The British Charge d'Affaires at Morocco, Mr.
Drummond Hay, arrived at Gibraltar at noon on
the 26th, in her Majesty's steamer Redpole, and,
after paying a visit to Admiral Fanshawe, on board
the Marlborough, Mr. Hay left in the same steamer
for Tetuan.

The Peninsular and. Oriental Company's steam•
ship Vcctis, from Southampton for Marseilles, ar•
rived at Gibraltar on the 20th.

The following British merchant steamers had
arrived at Gibraltar :—Sept. 20, the Frankfort,
Capt. Joy, six days from Liverpool, wiih general
cargo for Genoa and Leghorn; 22d, the Pactolus,
Capt. C. Mill, five days four hours from Liverpool,
with general cargo for Malta and Alexandria ; 23d,
the Amity, Capt. G. Ifaig, seven days from Lon-
don, with general cargo for Genoa and Leghorn.
The Russian steamship Alexander IL, Captain
Fisher, from Leith, arrived at Gibraltar on the 22d;
and the Bong, Capt. Smith, from London, on the
23d.

During the passage of the Spanish steamer Pen-
samiento, from Cadiz to Gibraltar on the 25th ult.,
one of the crew, who was in the act of fastening
the steamer's awning, fell overboard and was
drowned, opposite the coast of Conil: Every exer-
tion was made by the captain and passengers to
save the poor fellow, but all their efforts proved un-
availing, owing to the strong current.
Exchanges at Gibraltar were quoted as follows
on the 24th :

London, 90 days' date, 51 ; Paris, ditto, sf. 31c.;
Marseilles, ditto, sf. 32c. ; Genoa, ditto, sf. 34c. ;
Madrid, eight days' sight, M dis. ; Cadiz, ditto,
dis. ; Malaga, ditto, par. ; Seville, ditto, dis. ;
Alicante, ditto, dis. ; Valencia, ditto, dis.; Bar-
celona, ditto, par. ; Spanish Pillared Dollars, 3 per
cent. premium—none, and no demand.

The Portuguese screw steamsleop Argos, 2 guns,
Commander Neves, put into Cadiz on the 20th from
Tangier, with dispatches, and left for Lisbon on the
22d. The French war steamer Tisiphone, Captain
Benic, also put into Cadiz from Tangier on the
20th; and the Albatross 4 guns, Commander La
Pierre, from Toulon, on the 23d. The Russian
steam frigate Svetlana, 38 guns, Capt. Pousime, ar-
rived at Cadiz on the 20th, in flye days from Ports-
mouth.