The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-04 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENIN33 AUGUST 4, 1857.

EAST INDIA HOUSE, IsT Ana , 1857.
THE COURT of DIRECTORS of the EAST
INDIA COMPANY do hereby give Notice, that the Rate of
Exchange at which they will receive Cash for Bills on Bengal and
Madras will, from the present date, and until further notice, he 2s. ld
Vic Company's Rupee, and for Bills on BOmbay 28. lid. the Coin.
p iny's Rupee.

JAMES C. MELVILL, Secretary.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE RAILWAY
COMPANY.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That the next HALF-
YEARLY MEETING of the Proprietors in the Buckingham-hire
Railway Company will be NM at the Euston Station, London, on
FRIDAY, the 14th Aug , 1857,' at 11 o'clock a.m.
By order of the Board.
HARRY VERNEY, Chairman.
The Books kept for the Registration of Transfers of Stock will be
Closed on Saturday, the let August, and will remain so until after
the modiste.
Offices of the Company, Easton-station, London,
July, 1857. •

Fares :-35a. first class ; 255. second class ; and 15s. Bd. third class.
DAY TICKETS, available for Seven Days, are issued by any train
from King's Cross to Manchester at 52s fid. first class, and 375. I'd.
second class.

Commencing the Bth of August—EXCURSION TRAINS will
leave King's Cross every WEDNKSDA.Y and SATURDAY at 1140
morning, for Manchester; and Manchester every Wednesday and
Saturday, at 11.0 morning, for King's Cross, by which tickets avail-
able for four or seven days will be issued at

21s. first class,
12s. 6d. covered carriages.-

And EXCURSION TICKETS, available Rir 29 days, returning on
Wednesdays and Saturdays, will be issued at

- 375. first class,
17s. covered carriages.

Tickets for the above excursions can be obtained at the King's
Cross Station; and at the Great Northern Company's Offices, 32,
Regent-circus,Ticcadilly ; 264, Holborn; and 16, Fish-street-hill.
For further particulars see the time tables of the Company, and
the excursion handbills. Care must be taken at Manchester to ask
for tickets by the Great Northern route.
SEYMOUR CLARKE, general Manager.
King's Cross Station, July 31, 1857.

THE ACCIDENT TO MISS GILBERT IN
HYDE PARK.

We have much pleasure in stating that this ac-
complished professional horsewoman is not seriously
injured by her horse falling over the rails upon her
in Rotten-row last week, as we were informed was
the case. That she was carried into St. George's
Hospital insensible and apparently killed is quite
true, but upon examination both Mr. Hooper and
Dr. Tatum (who as well as Dr. Sutton and the
other gentlement of the establishment showed her
every attention) found that there was no serious
injury beyond slight concussion of the brain, and
she was removed to her own house the same even-

ing. She felt CO well the next day that she
ordered the same horse to be saddled, but Dr.
Hawkesley, her medical attendant, would not
allow her to run such a risk as to get on horse-
back for a few days, but she will be on horseback
again today. The real cause of the accident was
very singular. The horse was a high-couraged
hunter, ridden for the first time by a lady. He
went very quietly, but on being cantered down
c'ose to the rails on the left side of Rotten-row, he
started with the wrong foot. Miss Gilbert wishing
him to change his leg, tauched the near side rein
lightly. The horse evidently thought he was to
jump the rails, at which he rose in his stride side-
ways, but being too near to clean them caught the
iron bar above the knees, turned completely over,
and fell on the other side of the rails on Miss
Gilbert. It was one of the most frightful falls ever
seen ; and her escape, to those who witnessed it,
still appears incredible, but was owing to two
causes—her fine riding and nerve—for she never
moved her hands or moved from her seat until she
struck the ground. The horse had turned so com-
pletely overihat the pommel of the saddle was the
first point of contact ; this was broken to pieces,
but appears to have thrown the horse beyond Miss
Gilbert, and thus saved her life. She begs us to
thank the numerous unknown ladies and gentlemen
who tendered their assistance at the time and have
sitioe called to inquire about her at the Hospital,
and at her house.

ELECTION INTELLICPINCE.

BIRMINGHAM.
MONIIY EVENING.

The supporters of Mr. Bright continue to be re-
markably active; and, so far as tativard appear-
ances go, the late member for Muchester is the
popular candidate. A• meeting ofhis friends was
held at the Hen and Chickens Hotl this morning,
and independent of t►he public assmblage of elec

tors appointed for the Town-hatl b-morrow even-
ing, a committee was nominated with a view to
secure his retain. it would appar that a corre-
spondence took place between Mr Blight and cer-
tain "friends" in Birmingham previous to the
death of Mr. Muntz, -and that h€ is willing to sit
for Birmingham should the cousttuenly please to
elect him. In the meantime tle Conservatives
are understood not to be asleep. A considerable
section of the electors are opposd to a non-resi-
dent candidate, while others are antagonistic to
the claimi of Mr. Bright on accotrit of his pecu-
liar peace and temperance sent.meits. Advantage
will in all probability be taken of these discordant
opinions, and the issue, should anopposition arise,
will mainly depend upon the character and local
influence of the gentleman wh ) nay be selected as
op-
ponent has not appeared, but An idea prevails
Mr. Bright's opponent. At present such an
that, besides Mr. Whsteley, who has already
been named, it is not unlikely that Mr. Ratcliffe,
the present mayor, may offer himself. He is what
is termed a Liberal Conserva•ive a great patron of
the charities of the town, highly popular among
all classes, and would, it is thought, prove a formi
dable opponent to any stranger, however deservedly
well qualified, who mi2;lit present himself for elec-
tion. As a Wesleyan Method st it is also considered
that he would conciliate a large portion of the Dis-
senting interest, while he might rely upon the sup-
port generally of members of the establishment.
Another rumour is that Sir Robert Peel, a neigh-
bour, is not reluctant to enter the field, and thus
make way for his brother Frederick for the borough
of Tamwortb. -These are the on dits of the day,
but until after to-morrow evening's meeting no-
thing can be spoken of with certainty.
Since writing the above we learn that Sir Stam-
ford Northeote, late, M.P. for the neighbouring
borough of Dudley is likely to be proposed by the
Liberal Conservative section of the constituency.

GREAT YARMMOOUNTDH.
AY EvBNING.

The representation of this borough is likely to
be hotly contested. Sir Edmund Lacon has issued
an address in the Conservative interest, and it is
expected that another gentleman of the same
politics will stand with him. Sir James Hogg has
retired. Two Liberal candidates, Mr. Adolphus
William Young and Mr. John Mellor, Q.C., of the
midland circuit, have issued a joint address, and
appeared before the electors this evening.

PARLIAMENTARY OATHS BILL.

Nobody who reads the Act of Parliament brought
before the notice of the Commons last night can
deny that Lord John Russell's question as to its
bearing on the Jews is at least a very reasonable
one. It may indeed be a matter of surprise that
its possible application to the Jews was not
noticed at the time, or that the House of Com-
mons from that day to this :las not observed the
application, even when carefully collecting and
scrutinizing all the. Acts that might apply to the
Jews ; but this surprise will only be felt by the
Unsophisticated pot tion_of the public, who imagine
Parliament a perfectly reasonable, methodical, con-
sistent, and businesslike body. The contrary is
the fact. Parliament is always blundering,—some-
times blundering into error, sometimes into truth ;
sometimes in small things, sometimes in great. By
way of a small blander—great enough, however,
to require a special Act of Parliament to correct it
—it appears that the mea.ure cited on this occa-
sion, substituting an affirmation for an oath, was
first passed to come into force on the Ist of June,
and in that shape figures in the Statute-book as the
Act sth of William IV., cap. 8. As, however, the
Act did not receive the Royal assent till June 12,
it becatre necessary to pass another Act, professedly
amending it, but really the same act, arid entitled,
" 5 William IV., cap. 62," which is the act now
under consideration. ,This, it may be said, is a
small blunder, and does not lead us to expect such
a serious error as unwittingly and reluctantly ad-
mitting an obnoxious and suipected class into
Parliament ; still less does it justify the attempt
to act on that error, and take advantage of the
Parliamentary lathes. Lawyers, however, and
everybody who have frequently had recourse
to that profession, tell another story. There is
hardly a Bi!l of any importance or with any num-
ber of provisions, upon a subject already compli-
cated, which does not call for the vigilance or
subtlety of lawyers to ascertain its meaning
and application from the very day on which it
receives the Royal assent. From the day it leaves
the floor of Parliament it is thrown on the floors
of the Courts, and if it underwent some struggles
in its construction, it undergoes still more in
its interpretation. Nor does a week pass with-
out some act of Parliament several years, or
many years old, receiving some new meaning and
force, simply on a scrutiny of its
text, without
much respect for the possible intention of the ma-
jority that passed it or of its particular promoters,
The Act is treated as written law, as a document
binding upon those concerned, without any refer-
ence to the probable intentions of the framers, un-
less indeed, the words be really ambiguous, when,
it being necessary to put some meaning upon them,
we admit the evident intention of the Legislature
as a clue to that meaning. But, over and over
again, even with a very fair presumption as to the
design cf the Legislature, the Courts have declared
an Act to be nonsense, and therefore, so far, of
no value.
But, it may be slid, people are not yet prepared
to find a great constitutional question settled by a
sort of mischance. They do not expect the Jews
to be admitted by mere lea. keg° and oversight.
We are not yet so bound by the letter as to sell
what we may please to think a part of our souls by
a slip of the pen or a momentary forget. In this
instance, however, this argument cuts both ways.
The Jews being accidentally excluded by one Act,
may they not be accidentally admitted by another ?
It is only quibble versus quibble, and the real quib-
blers are those who argue for their exclusion from
the terms of an Act which certainly was intended
to exclude a very different class of persons. But
the truth is, Lord John Russeq's question is no
quibble, and if the Committee of lawyers proposed
to consider the meaning of this Act should report
on the admissibility of the Jews under its provi-
sions, that will only be one of the most ordinary
occurrences of legislation, and one which we believe
to be necessary to its fair and equable development.
Parliament may, now and then, disgrace itself by
some gross unfairness or persecution ; but it also, in
its calmer and more reasonable moods, does its best
to begenerous, candid, and just. For the discrepancy
certain to mark the results of its legislation, there
must be some remedy, and that is for the Courts
to provide. The appeal is from Philip drunk to
Philip sober ; from doubtful, unaccountable, and
fortuitous expressions to those that are comprehen-
sive, deliberate, and clear. Not to anticipate the
report of the proposed committee, a subordination
of the words " on the true faith of a Christian" to
the enactment dispensing with all oaths whatever,
withoathst
and allowing an affirmation instead, would be an
appeal just of this character.
Whatrelievingat were
disagreeable all
classes
disagreeable for one reason or another—perhaps
ih i f
turn,it shouldand
dispensinga pea r
that
even a little carried away in its zeal for the eman-
cipation of messengers, tidewaiters, beadles, and
even 11 .eskers, very often of the religion now in
question,—Parliament should have gone rather
further than it intended ? If so, certainly it would
be a most ungraceful act to insist on the letter of
the bond against tl,e Jew, and tear the bond to
shreds when it was found unexpectly in his favour.
It has often been observed, with regret, that the
only instance in which Shakspeare has used his
transcendent powers of impersonation against a
whole class is in the episode of Shylock, and stories
have been repeatedly written with the avowed pur-
pose of undoing the mischief of that not very pro-
bable scene. The House of Commons; in our opi-
nion, could not possibly do worse than by itself
committing in an aggravated form the malignity
thus charged on the Jew. Here it is rigorously
exacting its pound of flesh under one law ;—what
if it should turn a deaf ear to the more merciful and
liberal enactment now cited to qualify the letter of
that bond ? The Parliamentary, Shylock will be
found the more grinding, quibbling, pettifogging,
and malignant of the two. That, we are convinced,
is the impression which will be produced by an ob-
stinate enforcement of the terms of a particular oath
in the face of a general enactment dispensing with
oaths altogether. The public will ask Parliament
to be consistent, and that on the side of its own
continual professions of liberality and justice.—
Tintes,

Naval and Military Inteiligeuce.

The undermentioned companies of the 14th bat-
talion Royal Artillery, at head-quarters, Woolwich,
were last night ordered to be in readiness to parade
this morning, at 8 a.m., and to proceed to the
Royal Arsenal pier to embark for Bombay,—viz.,
Capt. Ommaney and Captain Paget in command;
Captain and Brevet-Major Colton, Capt. French,
Lzeutenants Lowry, De Cetto, Moresby, Burn,
Hobart, and Guille ; Assistant-Surgeon Orton,
two sergeants, conductors Martin and Lindsay, and
300 non-commissioned officers and privates. Lieut.
Maxwell and Veterinary-Surgeon. Harpley, and
24 non-commissioned offic•-rs and mon of the E
troop Royal Horse Artillery, were also ordered to
proceed from Woolwich to-day to embark on bond
the Lady Jocelyn at Gravesend, about to sail for
Bombay. The remaining four battalion companies
aro to follow without delay. The three companies
of Royal Marines, 300 strong, under orders to pro-
ceed from Woolwich to China, have been inspected
by Major-General Wesley. and have been ordered
an addition of one sergeant, one corporal, and 48
privates. • A mounted despatch was on Saturday
fo warded to Colonel Baeernfield,.commanding the
garrison at Woolwich, onecting an increased force
of 1,000 rank and file of the Royal Artillery to be
withdrawn from the home stations, and to be pre-
pared for the earliest possible departure fer
Ia addition to the numerous recruiting detach-
ments which have been issued from the Artillery
quarters, Woolwich, an enlistment of a limited
number of. men, sft. 4in. in height, is ordered to
take place, to serve as drivers for the battery coin-
pan'. Volunteers are also permitted to present
themselves for enrolment in the Riding-house es-
tatTstinnent, 'required height being fift. Bin.,
with three years' service, and good conduct certifi-
cate.
The paddle-wheel screw transport Rhadaman-
thus' Master Commander Brown, arrived at Wool-
wich ou Saturday evening, and has been admitted
into basin to ship steam machinery for ships under
construction at Devonport.
A squadron of the 7th Hussars will leave Alder-
shott for Canterbury to' day—the other portion of
the regiment will follow day by day.
The Admiralty yacht, with the Lords of the Ad-
miralty on board, was off Plymouth yesterday,
morning at a quarter past 4 o'clock. After inspect-
ing the coastguard ship Eagle, 50, Captain H. Sto-
rey, and the coastguard men at Falmouth, their
lordships return to Plymouth, and this morning
commence their annual examination of the naval
departments at Devonport, Keyham, Stonehouse,
&c.
The James Baines, 2,515 tons, Capt. M‘Donnell,
and Champion of the Seas, 2,470 tons, Captain
M'Kirdy, clipper ships of the Liverpool and Aus-
tralian Black Ball line, belonging to Messrs. James
Baines and Co., arrived at Port-mouth yesterday
morning from Liverpool, in tow of the Resolute
and Blazer steam-tugs, which of themselves are fit-
ting attendants upon such vessels. The Resolute
is the most powerful and largest tug boat ever built
in the British empire. She is 160 feet by 24 feet 6
inches beam, and 14 feet deep. Her engines are a
pair of disconnected side levers of about 200-horse
power, with four-tubular boilers of very large di-
mensions, and capacity in her bunkers for over 200
tons of coal. She was got ready specially to attend
on the James Baines, and it may give some idea of
the businesslike determination shown to get her
ready when it is stated she was launched only on
the 22d and the trial trip fixed for the 29th ult.,
but on the morning of the 24th a telegraphic mes-
sage requested her builders (Messrs. Hoby and Co.)
to have her ready to tow the James Baines to
Portsmouth on the 28th, and within 48 hours after
that she was ready for the work. No ships that
ever entered Portsmouth harbour created so much
curiosity among men-of-war's men, as these great
merchantmen. High and low have been on board
to visit them, and the Port Admiral, Sir G. Sey-
mour, expressed his unqualified astonishment at
examining the speed logged by these mercantile
clippers. Both ships went direct into Portsmouth
harbour, and moored alongside the jetty. The
James Baine's will take in nearly 1,000 of the 97th
and other troops, and the Champion of the Seas
the like number of the 20th Foot and other re-
giments, on Thursday, for India. They are
equipped with the latest modern improvements,
and the Champion of the Seas has, in addition, the
patent self-reefing topsails of Mr. Cunningham,
R.N., of Gosport. They are each of about 2,500
tons burden, 34 feet in breadth, and 285 feet in
length, and very handsome. We have never had
any ships in this harbour (says our Portsmouth
correspondent) which have created such interest as
these, for they have been visited by the best sailing
and gunnery officers of the navy, and all have ex-
pressed their admiration and astonishment at their
capacious stowage, airy and ample accommodations,
and the -unprecedented [speed chronicled in their

logs.
The Lady Jocelyn steam freightahip, Capt. Bird,
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Southamp-
ton, and will to-day embark the 34th Regiment for
India.
Major-General the Hon. Sir James Yorke Scar-
lett, K. C. 8., the newly appointed Lieutenant-Go-
vernor of Portsmouth Garrison, and Commander-
in-Chief of the South-West District, arrived at
Portsmouth yesterday and assumed the command
of the fortress, relieving Major-General Henry Bre-
ton, who goes to the Mauritius as Major-General
on the Staff of the Governor and Commander-in-
Chief of the Mauritius.
Her Majesty's ship Gorgon was paid off at Wool-
wich on Saturday last. This ship has been in com-
mission since February, 1854, and is the last of the
late war steamers. She was employed in the Baltic
under Adm.ra's Napier and Dundas, and in the
Black Sea under Admiral Lyons. Both medals
and Sebastopol clasp have been awarded to her
officers and crew. The Gorgon took a most active
part in the Baltic, being present at the reduction of
13 omarsund, twice engaged with 'the forts at Riga,
in which gulf alone she destroyed 44 Russian ves-
sels, landed part of her crew on the coast of Cour-
land, destroyed Government property, and repuls-
ed a large body of the enemy. In. October, 1856,
the Gorgon left for Asia Minor, whence, as we have
before noticed, she brings home the famous Gorgon
marbles, which have created so much excitement
among the learned in Greek antiquities. The state
in which she was paid off reflects the highest credit
on her captain and officers.

ORDNANCE SURVEY.

Last week was issued the report of Lieutenant•
Colonel James, to the Inspector-General of Forti.
cations, of the progress of the Ordnance Survey o
the United Kingdom up to December last, to
which are added some remarks upon the different
branches of the work, and the methods of conduct-
ing the operations of the survey. This is the first
detailed report on the survey which has been pre-
sented to Parliament. The head quarters of the
survey of the United Kingdom are at South-
ampton, and from thence all orders connected with
the administration and conduct of the survey are
issued, and all the plans and maps of Great Britain
are there engraved and printed : the plans and
maps of Ireland are engraved and published at the
Survey Office, in the Phoenix-park, Dublin. Bub
it is in contemplation to remove the headquarters
of the survey to London, still keeping at South-
ampton the engraving and publication in the
same way as is'now done in Dublin. The number
of persons employed on the survey on the 31st
March last, was :-1 lieutenant-colonel superin-
tending, 16 captains, 2 lieutenants, 1 quarter-
master, and 480 non-commissioned officers and
sappers of the corps of Royal Engineers, 960
civil assistants, and 609 labourers, making a total
of 2,069 persons ; but, in consequence of the reduc-
tion in the amount of the grants for the survey, this
number is now reduced to 1,282. " The survey as it
is nowproceeding," writes Colonel Jame, "is admi-
rably suited to meet the wants of the community at
I largo. The plans of the towns are on a sufficiently
large scale to admit of admeasurements in feet, and
the insertion of every detail, the plans of the culti-
vated districts, with the areas of every enclosure
given, and on the scale of one square inch to one
acre, is remarkably well suited for every public or
private purpose connected with land ; whilst the
6-inch map of counties and the 1-inch map of the
kingdom are equally well suited for the engineer,
the hydrographer, and the geologist. These plans
will enable the Government to carry into effect
measures for facilitating the transfer of loaded pro-
perty, for the valuation of property, and many
other important measures for which an accurate
detailed survey is the necessary basis. I have asked
for additions to the grants for the survey to expe-
dite it as much as possible. We already have a
large number of people (1,282) employed, but
there will he no difficulty in gradually augmen ing
the number in proportion to the extent to whist•
Parliament may be pleased to augment the gralies-
and it will be the truest economy iu the,
end to
complete the survey as soon as possible
The great
drawback to the survey has been
frequent change
of orders relative to it.
believe those under
which we are now aP''
au most judicious ; and