The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-10 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 10,

METROPOLITAN SALOON OMNIBUS.

COMPANY.

Yesterday the first instalment of .the omnibuses
projected by the Saloon Omnibus Company was
produced before the public, and submitted to the
inspection of the police authorities in Scotland-
yard. The present series, which is to be followed
by others in the course of the ensuing month, and
so on as the public manifest a desire for improved
omnibus conveyance, consisted of six omnibuses,
and as they emerged from the yard of Mr. Aysh-
ford, the builder, in Drury-lane, their comfortable-
looking insides and bright exteriors of yellow and
blue excited no little alention and speculation
along the sty eets. Omnibus reform has been for a
long time befoie the public, and although it has
not been so much a subject of discussion as other
topics of reform, there are few points in which the
Lon donpublic, judging from the interest and excite-
ment caused by yesterday's display, take more con-
cern. The narrowness of the present omnibuses ; the
inevitable jamming and dove-tailing which takes
place in consequence ; the disputes, if you are fond
of the London atmosphere, such as it is, which arise
with yeur next neighbour, who prefers any amount
of fcetid vapour to a " thorough draft ;" the uni-
versal aversion to a dripping umbrella, and the ill-
concealed titter when a lidy of 14 stone comes to
take the last unoccupied seat beside a gentleman of
16 stone, are mat era of every-day omnibus experi-
ence. The wonder is that this state of things, has
been endured BO long ; bat when it is recollected
that the monopoly price is the highest price which
.theltorst article will fetch', and that the competi-
tion price is the lowest for which the best article
can be sold, the wonder ceases altogether ; for
heretofore there has been no competition whatever
in omnibus conveyance. The improvements in the
patent saloon omnibus are—better ventilation.,
(though in this respect there is room for improve-
ment, of which the directors themselves seem to
be cognisant) ; greatly increased accommodation
inside ; umbrella stands ; bells for communicating
with the driver and conductor ; double doors, which
facilitate egress and ingress and promote ventilation;
a more easy mode of ascending to the top of the
omnibus, and greater comfort when you get there,
and several minor improvements.. Sir IL Mayne,
Col. Pasco,- and Mr. Yardley inspected the new
omnibus in Scotland-yard, and whilst they suggested
slight improvements here and there, they fully re-
cognised the general superiority of accommodation
afforded by them. One of the recommendations
suggested by Sir R. Mayne was that the new com-
pany should not permit advertisements to be placed
in the omnibuses, to the expediency of which the
directors present entirely assented. After the in-
spection in Scotland-yard, the six vehicles drove
along the Strand, Fleet-street, and Cheapside, and
drew up before the Mansion-House, where they
were inspected by the Lord Mayor and the Lady
Mayoress, who expressed themselves in terms of
entire satisfaction with the new conveyance. As
might be expected, the " innovation" was matter
of keen comment amongst the omnibus and cab driv-
ing confrateinity. The former class seemed to be quite
divided in opinion. However worthless their opi-
nions on great specific questions, each driver or con-
ductor seemed to be "aliquis in omnibus ;" and as
the new vehicles drove by, he no doubt voted aye
or nay on the mighty question. As to " Cabby,"
there was a pretty general contempt at the attempt
to "sell arm-chairs at 4d. a drive ; " and to him
anything but a one-horse carriage and a shilling
fare seemed. to be the curse of London at this par-
ticular moment, and the thin end of the wedge
which was to bring about the lamentations of the
New Zealander from London-bridge.
The new omnibuses are to commence running on
Easter Monday, and will ply on the following
roads :—Notting-hill and .Bayswater to the West-
end and City ; Highgate and Holloway to ditto ;.
Ralston to ditto ; and Stoke Newington to ditto.
In the afternoon the directors and officers of the
company assembled at the Albion, Covent-garden,
and drank "Success to the new company."
It should be mentioned that the new vehicle has
been designed by Mr. Lyall, and that it is not
heavier in weight or broader in the wheel track
than the present. omnibus, although the accommo
dation insiders much more ample.

RETIREMENT OF MR. BRIGHT.

(From the Times.)

The enforced retirement of Mr. Bright from
public life, upon which he 'addresses his late consti-
tuents in the letter we publish to-day, is an event
in our modern Parliamentary history which we can-
net pass over without notice. Let men agree or
disagree with his political opinions as they will,
upon one point there can be no doubt whatsoever,
that a well-graced actor has left the scene. There
was a vigour and fire in the man which we seek in
vain elsewhere among • candidatesfor the orator's
Chaplet in the House of Commons. We remember
well when the Reform Bill was passed, it was antici-
pated that a number of rough untameable speakers
would be sent up by the new-born constituencies
to the House of Commons—men who would deal
with *the good old Parliamentary rhetoric and the
good old quotations from the classical authors, and
all the received elegances of the place, in no very
reverential spirit, and who would yet earn for
themselves a great name, and for their consti-
tuents greater influence and greater power in the
political system. The late Sir Robert Peel is re-
ported to have said when Mr. Bright made his first
effective appearance in the House—" Ah I here at
last is one of those terrible men of '32 ! " Mr.
Bright and Mr. Cobden are the only two inhtapces
which, occur to us of men who have realised the an:-
ticipaion, and of the two there is no doubt that
Mr. Bright is the one who had earned for himself
by far the higher position in the House. Mr. Cob-
den's name is associated imperishably with one
great que.tion, but out of that, it would be admit-
ted, we presume, even by his immediate admirers,.
that he had not attained the same general reputa-
tion for high oratorical power as Mr. Bright.
It is needless to say that the views of Mr.
Bright on many political subjects, and, we believe,
upon all questions connected with the foreign
and military policy of the Country, have ever been
essentially different from those which we have ad-
vocated. We cannot, however, in the hour of his
trial and affliction, consent to turn upon a man
who had attained so eminent a position. 'Wird
among those who rail most loudly at John Bright
will ever do one tithe of what he has done, even
with all the adventitious circumstances of birth
and wealth upon their side ? We are always
ready and eager to give our tribute of admiration
to any person connected with the upper ranks of
English society who displays any extraordinary
amount of ability, any great degree of courage,
any peculiar aptitude for the public service ; but
why should we of the middle classes be ever
affiliated to a huge secret conspiracy for keeping
down our own peers ? That Mr. Bright was hot-
headed at times and impracticable in his views,
we admit, but then it should be remembered that
the questions which have mainly occupied the
attention of the house for the last five or six years
have just been of that sort which would try his im-
practicability to the quick, without giving scope for
the display of his more effective qualities. The man
was in a false position. Had there been the remotest
chance that his views Could have been carried out
in practice, he himself would no doubt have started
back in amazement and disgust when he saw their
'consequences upon the eve of fulfilment. When
half-a-dozen prophets find themselves opposed to a
majority of 600 it- is astonishing with what vigour
they will maintain their protest against the wicked-
ness of the times. Put a prophet, however, at the
head of the Board of Trade, and, if he were a man
of real ability, he would at once descend from his
altitudes and transact the business of his depart-
ment in a satisfactory manner. That we believe
would have been Mr. Bright's ease.
When the late election for Manchester was as yet
undecided we ventured to offer a few suggestions
in Mr. Bright's favour, which have, as we have
been informed, drawn upon its the displeasure of
Many of, our friends in that city. ~.It would, we
still think, have been in better taste—more grace-
ful, and more generous—had they allowed the
necessary rupture, if rupture there was to be, to
come from Mr. Bright, instead of from them. Of
his great abilities and great services there could be

no doubt, and as little that the affliction which
has lately fallen upon him was the result of over-
exertion in public life. It was, however, compe-
tent to them to say that the interests of the

borough and of the house could not be reconciled
with tile continuous absence of one of their mem-

- -
bers from his Parliamentary duties. This appears
to have been their view in par`, and in part their

resolution has depended upon their strong desire
to free the Borough from the ele3toral tyranny of
the League. We know not if tLere be any more
private and personal causes, but at any rate the
blow has fallen, and Mr. Bright, as far as Man-
chester is concerned, is banished from the House

of Commons. We foresee a time when even Man-
chester may desire once more the services of that
eloquent tongue and that resoluta heart. Surely,
the present House of Commons is aristocratic
enough and "territorial" enough for all useful pur-
poses, and we might have found our advantage
in the presence of the bold Tribune who might
even at times be over-fervid in attack. We believe

Mr. Bright to have been conscientious in his views
—no man could have produced the effect he pro-
duced upon his fellows without a great amount of

earnestness and real conviction.

We know him to

have been one of the most eloquent men in the
House of Commons, and as a man of high ability
we regret his loss. We are not to be reckoned
among Mr. Bright's political friends ; but let him
feel satisfied that there are thousands of his poli-
tical opponents who would rejoice equally with his
friends at his full restoration to health and to his
public career.

MR. BRIGHT'S FAREWELL ADDRESS.
To THE ELECTORS OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER.

"Gentlemen,—l have received a telegraphic de-
spatch informing me of the result of the election
contest in which you have just been engaged.
That result has not greatly surprised me ; and so
far as I am personally concerned, inasmuch as it
liberates me from public life in a manner which in-
volves on my part no shrinking from my duty, I
cannot seriously regret it. I lament it on public
grounds, because it tells the world that many
among you have abandoned the opinions you pro-
fessed to hold in the year 1847, and even so re-
cently as in the year 1852. I believe that slander
itself has not dared to charge me with having for-
saken any of the principles on the honest support of
which I offered myself twice, and was twice ac-
cepted as your representative. The charge against
me has rather been that I have too warmly and too
faithfully defended the political views which found
so much favour with you at the two previous
elect ions.

" If the change in your opinion of me has arisen
from my course on the question of the War with
Russia, I can only say that, on a calm review of all
the circumstances of the case—and during the past
12 months I have had ample time for such a review
—I would not unsay or retract any one of the
speeches I have spoken, or erase from the records
of Parliament any of the votes I have given upon
it, if I could thereby reverse the decision to which
you have come, or secure any other distinction
which it is in the power of my countrymen to con-
fer. lam free, and will remain free, from any
share in the needless and guilty bloodshed of that
melancholy chapter in the annals of my country.
I cannot, however, forget that the leaders of the
Opposition in the recent contest have not been in-
fluenced by my conduct on this question. They
were less successful, but not less bitter, in their
hostility in 1852, and even in 1847, when my only
*public merit or demerit consisted in my labours in
the cause of free trade. On each occasion, calling
eindgwith their candidates
the Lt
also,ebmersaellsves they
co
alceaslcl
Conserva-
tives, while now, doubtless, they have assailed Mr.
Gibson and myself on the ground of a pretended
coalition with the Conservatives in the House of
Commons ! _ _ _

" I have esteemed it a high honour to be one of
your representatives, and have given more of men
tal and physical labour to your service than was
just to myself. I feel it scarcely less an honour to
suffer in the cause of peace, and on behalf of what
I believe to be the true interests of my country,
though I 'could have wished that the blow had
come from other hands, at a time when I could
have been present to meet face to face those who
dealt it. •

In taking my leave of you, and of public life,
"
let me assure you that I can never forget the many,
the innumerable, kindnesses I have received from
my friends amen°. you. No one will rejoice more
thanr; and a alli shall
ntoltia
withoutt
brings you prosperity and
a hope that when a
calmer hour shall come you will say of Mr. Gibson
and of me that, as colleagues in your representa-
ton for ten years, we have not sacrificed our prin-
ciples to gain popularity, or bartered our independ-
ence for the emoluments of office or the favours of
the groat. I feel that we have stood for the rights,
and interests, and freedom of theipeople, aid that

we have not tarnished the honour or lessened the
renown of your eminent city.
"I am now, as I have hitherto been, very faith-
fully yours, " JOHN BRIGHT.
" Florence, March 31."

ME NEW SPEAKER.

(Front the Daily News.)

We are told that the choice of .Ministers has
fallen on Mr. Evelyn Denison as the person best
qualified to occupy the position of Speaker of the
new House of Commons. Other n,mes have, in-
deed, besn mentioned as likely to divide the suf-
frages of the Liberal party; and more than one mem-
ber of the Opposition has been spoken of as pos-
eessing claims of more or less validity t 3 the vacant
chair. We willingly abstain from the invidious
task of comparison : in the present case we believe
it to be unnecessary, and therefore worse than nee-
less. It is not likely that a trial of party strength
will take place onthe first day of the session.
between Liberals and Conservatives the disparity
of force is too great, the preponderance t.to over-
whelming, to admit of any reasonable doubt as to
the issue of such a contest ; and having regard to
the permanent strength and stability of the popu-
lar party itself, we confess that we have no desire
to see a conflict of personal pretensions for the
Chairmanship of the, Commons between men who
sit upon the same side of the' House. Assuming,
then, that Mr. Denison will in all pi obability he
chosen without opposition; it becomes our duty to
ask, what manner of man is he on whom a trust
so notable and so important is likely to devolve ?
The family of which Mr. Denison is the head
owes its origin, like that of so many of our leading
gentry, to successful mercantile enterprise. It-,
founder made a fortune in trade—we believe at Leeds
—more than a century ago; and more than one of its
members have honourably distinguished themselves
in the law and in other walks of life. The present
proprietor of Ossington was born in the first year
of the century, and succeeded at a very early age to
the position he has since occupied. If we are not
much mistaken his first experience as. a man of
business was derived from the pystemetic pursuit
of agricultural improvement on an extensive scale,
and the application of means at the time
.regarded
generally as almost empirical to the reclamation and
development of the resources of the toil. But while
thus engaged in works of local usefulness Mr.
Denison was not insensible to the attractions of
political life. After quitting Oiford he had, in
company with the present Lord 33erhy and Mr.
Labouchere, made a protracted tour through the
United States of America. Soon after their return
each of the three friends entered Parliament ; and
all of them took an early interest in the struggle of
parties then for the most part concentrated on the
great question of Catholic Emancipation. On the
accession of Mr. Canning to the Premiership in
1827, Mr. Stanley and Mr.' Denison were both
called upon to Ml subordinate office, the former as
Under-Secretary for the Colonies, the latter as one
of the Lords of the Admiralty. By his marriage
with the daughter of the late Duke of Portland,
Mr. Denison had become closelyconnected with the
family of Mr. Ganning, and it is probable that had
that gifted statesmen lived, his young friend would
have speedily filled a position of greater official
prominence. Whether owing to Mr. Canning's
premature decease, or to some other cause of which
we are unaware, it does not appear that the mem-
ber for Nottinghamshire formed a part in any of
the Liberal administrations subsequently formed.
We have some recollection of a criticism passed by
him on the composition of the Government of
1846, of which Lord John Russell was the head—
the gist of which, if we remember aright, lay in
pointing out the absence of territorial influence as
represented in the Cabinet then formed. We ap-
prehend that the sympathies of the Speaker elect
have always been emphatically, though we are far
from saying exclusively, identified with the landed
interest ; and it is a somewhat curious coincidence
that his elevation to the chair of the Lower House
should come at a moment signalised by the extru-
sion from Parliament of the more conspicuous
leaders of the Manchester party, and by the return
of a good -number of country magnates to the
Liberal banner.

But there is another coincidence not unworthy of
note, and illustrative of a truth of deeper import.
The party of Mr. Canning, containing though it
did many of the best and ablest men of the time,
seemed to have been scattered to the winds.by his
premature decease. That of Sir Robert Peel, after
seven long years of varied struggle, has now like-
wise vanished from the scene. it is a strange and
significant fact that the three greatest posts in the
empire are at this moment filled by three of the
individuals most closely allied with Mr. Canning's
fame and fortunes. His son is Governor-General
of India ; the nephew of his wife may already be
said to be Speaker of the House of Commons ; and
his trusty friend and adherent, whom he firstraised
in 1827 to the dignity of a Cabinet Minister, is
Premier of England. Are thee all accidents?
We think not. Are they evidences of some can
ning design ? Assuredly no. But we are not un-
willing to ascribe such a concurrence of circum-
stances to that silent but sure working of compen-
satory justice which in the long run sways the
judgment of a free and reflecting people. Mr.
Canning was the victim whom in their despair the
Tory party sacrificed without shame or scruple, on
the threshold of power. Sir Robert Peel, whose
band no penitent ablutions could cleanse from the
stain of participation in that dastardly deed, was
twenty years later driven from the same door where
his great rival had perished. And now that both
have passed away, and all trace of those who ad-
hered to them as political parties has vanished from
the scene, it is not uninstructive to find that in the
national remembrance a place is still kept for those
whom Canning loved to honour, and that a gene-
rous preference is given to them over Peelites of.
every degree.
We entertain no doubt that Mr. Evelyn Denison
will discharge with dignity, fidelity, and consis-
tency the duties of the station he is about to occupy.
He is a man of a punctilious sense of honour ; a
man of stainless life ; a man of more than thirty
yeaia' experience in the business of Parliament ; a
man of sound enlightened views ; and, in the best
sense of the term, an English gentleman. We do
not know that we agree with Mr. Denison in all
his political opinions ; but we are free to say that
we do not think a better man could have been
selected for Speaker of the House of Commons.