The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY' EVENING, MARCH 29, 1861.

organisation. "During the same period" (that is
between 1829 and 1859), the estimate goes on to
remark, " the total number of changes in those who
have managed [mismanaged ?] the affairs of the
Navy as members of the Board and Secre-
taries of the Admiralty, amounted to-
-103!" And it is asked, later on in the
same impressive argument, " Suppose it should hap-
pen by the chronic neglect of some important ele-
ment of naval strength that any serious calamity oc-
curred, who of the 103 gentlemen who have shared
in the management of naval affairs would
be held responsible ?" Why it would be
precisely the counterpart in our maritime
system of that appalling breakdown in our mili-
tary system which carried dismay and anguish dur-
ing the Crimean war to all England, and shook by the
mere force of those " horrible and heartrending"
revelations, the whole fabric of her MAJESTY'S
Government. It would be recognised here again
by sea, as it was then recognised by land, that while
practically almost Everybody was in fault—offi-
cially, Nobody was in fault. Only a calamity like
the one here alluded to as just possible in
the event of our maritime system being put
to as severe a test as our military system
was during that dreadful contest before Sebas-
topol—would beyond all comparison be more
perillous, however, jeopardising what is absolutely
essential for the vindication of our national inde-
pendence, the maintenance, namely, of our mari-
time supremacy. All this is so obvious in itself
that it has only to be expressed in
plain terms to be instantaneously recog-
nised. Recognised as it is now, we re-
joice to think, far and wide through all England,
but particularly within the walls of the Legislature,
we are beginning to look forward at last with
something like confident expectation to the early
reconstruction of the Admiralty Department, and
to its rapid and permanent reorganisation.

If it be no easy task to put "the right man in
the right place," when the place is some civilised
capital, or trading port, with the language and
customs of whose inhabitants, hundreds, perhaps
thousands of our fellow countrymen are wet ac-
quainted—how great must the difficulty be, when
the place is tfie far East, and the inhabitants have
nothing in common with us, but the primary in-
stincts of our nature and what springs from them.
In Paris, or Vienna, or Washington, it is frequently
difficult to place a representative who shall be at
once a thorough Englishman, and yet acceptable to
and trusted by Frenchmen, Austrians, or Yankees.
With Oriental peoples the difficulty mast be yet
greater. We have there no generally understood
international code to which appeal can be made ;
the broadest principles of justice can alone be ap-
pealed to; for the details of meum and tuum differ
widely ; and reason, if it attain at all the same
results in both peoples, seems to do as different
climbing plants do, some of which wind up their
support by convolutions contrary to the course of
the sun, and others by following the path he daily
travels. Lord STRATFORD DE REDCLIFFE, through
long experience, and Mr. LAYARD chiefly through
natural tact, made themselves masters of the fear,
the respect, and the confidence of the nearer Orien-
tals ; and some of our more successful and vigorous
administrators and warriors in India have done
the same—occasionally, like NAPIER, in the shortest
time, by a kind of intuition of native character.
But a costly experience has taught us that the man
to deal ably and successfully with half civilised
people of different race, religion, society, ideas, laws,
and customs, from ourselves is not to be found

every day.
1 The reply, which we published yesterday, of 31r.
ALCOCK, our chief Consul in Japan, to the remon-
strance of the British merchants shows him to be a
man fully capable of comprehending what is fair to
natives, as well as what is due to our own country.
men abroad. Lord ELGIN had taught our mer-
chants the same general lesson of respect for native
laws and prejudices, but it must be the resident
British authorities who alone can enforce it. Eng-
lishmen, especially young Englishmen, have, as we
all know, a peculiar pleasure in perpetrating some
violation of school rules or local restrictions, in a
sort of " devil may-care" style, and almost purely
for the pleasure of the extravagance. " Boxing a
Charley," transposing signboards, wrenching off
knockers, a ride, or a drive, or carrying a gun
where no one is allowed to go, are the most pleasant
of amusements to lots of our lads ; and climbing
the Alps, shooting lions, tigers, or rhinoceroses,
and yacht-trips to " high latitudes," and shooting
walruses in Spitzbergen, follow a little later. They
are all, in their better aspect, a cropping out of
that love of adventure for adventure's sake which,
turned into its more regular commercial, political,
and military channels, has made us what we are
as a nation. Mr. ALCOCK, we are confident, appre-
ciates this characteristic of his countrymen
as much as any of us; but he also
understands that it must have its limits.
With schoolmasters and policemen at home, our
young " sowers of wild oats" may settle as they
best can. The birch or a fine may, at the worst,
square the matter; they do not get us into inter-
national trouble. And as to icebound shores and
mountains, or the dangerous game of the desert
or the jungle, the worst is the occasionally pain-
ful loss of the too daring lover of adventure. Bad
enough that. Still it does not put fleets and armies
in motion. Mr. ALCOCK, however, thinks the case
is altogether different if young Englishmen, or
older Englishmen, either offend wantonly the pre-
judices of semi-barbarians, or excuse and defend
such offence when given.

That Mr. Moss, the offender respecting whom
the dispute arose, was really guilty of violating a
known law of the country in which he resided, is
beyond dispute. He carried firearms in the day-
time without a license, and shot a goose ; a wild
one, his apologists say, but there is much more
reason to fear it was the property of some Japanese.
The local police it.terfere. He cocks his gun to
resist them, instead of quietly going with
them to the Consul; the gun goes off, he
says, in the scuffle, which we may well believe ;
though the Japanese think otherwise, and a Ja-
panese is killed. The case eventually comes before
Mr. ALCOCK, who sentences him to three months'
imprisonment at Hong Kong, from which sentence
he gets off, through some technieal informality.
As the homicide was committed in defending him•
self, to say the best, from the consequences of an
act, illegal on the soil on which he stood, it would
seem perhaps, to ali of us in this country, that he
vs as leniently dealt with. For homicide of an
Englishman at home, under parallel circumstances,
his sentence would have been far more severe.

But, say the merchants who remonstrate, the
offender was by treaty not amenable to Japanese,
but to English jurisdiction, from which they deduce
two conclusions-Ist, that the Japanese have no
right to arrest an English offender ; 2d, that he
is responsible to our own authorities only for such
acts as would be offences by our laws. Mr. ALCOCK
denies both conclusions, and does so on broad and
international grounds. He denies that anything
but the humiliation of the most complete defeat
would ever induce any nation to make a treaty
which permitted foreigners to violate all their

laws daily in the face of their own subjects, thus
degrading their Government in the eyes of the
people; and as the foreigners could have no police
there, it is evident that such outrages, if stopped
at all, must be prevented by the native police
arresting the offender, however temporarily.

He observes that treaties such as we have with
China and Japan, which place Englishmen under
the jurisdiction of their own countrymen, give to
them really a position almost equal to that of foreign
Ambassadors in England. But would the police of
this country tolerate the open violation of our laws
by the Ambassador or by any of his servants ?
Would they not stay the delinquents in their out-
rages, and, if persisted in, would not the result be,
at least, their speedy deportation from the country ?
He warns them that—
"lf conflicts should unfortunately result from any
want of due consideration for the national peculiarities of
an Eastern race, and a wilful violation of laws or customs,
which do not interfere with the full enjoyment of all the
treaty rights necessary to the prosecution of peaceful
and commercial objects, you will be disowned, alike by
the people and the Government of your own country,
neither of which will consent to be dragged into a
long and doubtful war for the sake of supporting a few in-
dividuals in overriding the laws, customs, or even the pre-
judices of a whale nation, in matters indifferent and con-
trary to the best interests of both parties."

Mr. ALCOCK'S particular applications of these re-
marks, in conformity to a notification he had already
issued, and an examination of each case in this
latter, are as follows:
" You may not shoot because the law of Japan forbids it,
and your own laws bear out the prohibition which the Go-
vernment refuses to license. You may not carry revol-
vers at your belt between sunrise and sunset, while
engaged in the peaceful occupation of a merchant, buy-
ing or selling—because, while it fails to give the protec-
tion you seek to secure, there is reason to believe
it tends directly to provoke a breach of the peace in many
cases and the very danger you apprehend. And, lastly,
Chinese servants under the protection of the British flag
must not be allowed to ride down Japanese in the streets,
and therefore must not ride at all ; because it is in the first
place an unnecessary and motiveless violation of the laws
and customs of the country, and in the second place be-
cause by such absolute prohibition alone the danger is to be
effectually averted."

We are sorry for our frisky countrymen abroad ;
we almost sympathise with their love of "a spree ;"
but really, if they want one, they must not seek it
amongst those who do not understand them, and
who feel themselves insulted by it. We can assure
them that English income-tax payers do not like
the cost of Chinese wars, and would judge seriously,
indeed, any persons who forced them into a Japanese
war. Indeed, it is very doubtful whether Lord
PALMERSTON himself could persuade us to sanction
a war with such a people, merely to obtain com-
mercial intercourse for men who had not self-con-
trol enough to respect, in their amusements and
habits, the prejudices, if so we chose to think them,
of the Japanese. Men like Mr. ALCOCK are at the
same time just the men to be firm, when requisite,
with natives as well as with their fellow-country-
men.

LOSS OF THE 8111 P MIDDLESEX.

(From the Cork Examiner.)
DINGLE, SATURDAY NIGHT.

In a former communication I mentioned to you
the fact that a boat with a singal of distress flying
had been towed into the Blasket Island. The rescued

men have just arrived from the Blaskets,eight mils
away, some absolutely crippled from the hardships
they endured while tossing five days and nights in
an open boat upon the Atlantic. The narrative
which I have been able to gather from these
wretched men is this :

The Middlesex, of New York, a full-rigged ship
of about 2,500 tons burden, Harmer B. Parmerlee,
master (one of Tapscott's New York and Liverpool
liners), sailed from Liverpool for New York on the
18th of February, having on board a crew of 26
hands before the mast, seven officers, and about 35
passeagers—in all, 68 souls—and a cargo of coal
and crate. When about 21 days out, in a gale of
wind, while lying to, under a close-reefed maintop-
sail, she sprung a leak, the cargo shifted, and she
was thrown on her beam ends. Signals of distress
were hoisted, but unfortunately no vessel was to be
seexehn du i
bit
erdi nh . g
Shet ethree
the days
then began
that
to slit
make had
wat
etrh efassitg, na
and
d
all hands were employed at the pumps during three
days and nights successively. The main and mizen
masts were cut away, but all to no use, as she
began to sink fast. When the master saw that
there was no chance of saving her, as the water
was almost up to the main deck, he ordered the two
lifeboats to be launched, but unfortunately they
ware both smashed alongside.
After one of the lifeboats had been launched,
the cook and a seaman got into her, but a sea came
and capsized her; bottom upwards. The cook get
on the keel, and clung to her until they were out
of sight—as the rope had been cut and she was
let adrift through the confusion that then existed
on board. The longboat was then launched, and by
hard exertions the captain and 14 men, including
four passengers, got into her (one of them, named
Donovan, jumped a distance of about 30 feet from
the ship down to the boat, and was near breaking
his limbs), and abandoned the ship about,s p.m. on
Tuesday, the 12th inst., having to leave the rest of
the crew and passengers to their fate. As they
were entering or going on board the boat a very sad
incident took place. A fine young fellow, named
Elford Thorpe, a native of Carlow, was courting a
ycung Scotchwoman, a passenger. They were to be
united as soon as they should arrive in New York.
When the boat was being manned this Thorpe got
into her. She rose on the top of a sea. The young
woman jumped in order to reach her, but did not
succeed, and she fell between the ship and boat and
began to sink. Poor Thorpe leaped overboard, dived,
and brought her to the surface, but the rope bad been
cut, the boat had drifted to leeward, and could not
pull up to them, and the unhappy pair perished
locked in each other's arms.

When abandoning the ship the scene on beard the
boat, crowded as she was, was frightful. They were
then from Tuesday, the 12th, running before the
wind, it being very stormy, and continually pouring
showers of hail. At one time, the sea running
mountains high, they had to " grudge" her—which
means, to lash all the oars and loose spars together,
throw them overboard, and make them fast with a
line or rope, in order to keep her head to windward
for safety—then all had to lie down and give her
her chance. Last Saturday morning they saw the
Blasket Islands, on the coast of Kerry. She came,
as one of the islanders iufortned me, from seaward,
between Tearcacht and the Foze, and then ran
south through the Big Sound. The wretched
crew were so exhausted that when the island boat
threw cut a tow-rope they could not pull a
stroke to help her. Four of the islanders
got into her, and by the most strenuous exertions or
all they were just able to get to the landing-place.
On their arrival a bucketful of water had to be
brought to the famished and thirsty creatures, but
two of the passengers dropped dead from the sheer
fatigue and hardship they had undergone.
The survivors were taken to the houses of the
islanders, and, with what poor means they had,
most hospitably treated.
I have endeavoured to coleet the names of the
survivors, which are as followi :—Harmer B. Par-
merlee, master, native of New York ; Charles Bow-
lings, chief mate, ditto ; Thonas Morton, second
mate, Liverpool ; James Haulm, third mate, Bos-
ton ; Richard Williams, boatswain, New Orleans;
Samuel Deen, carpenter, New York (originally from
Kinsale, county Cork); William Beverland, A. 8.,
Londonderry, Ireland; Danel Donovan, A. 8.,
New York (originally from aueenstown) ; Alex-
ander O'Hara, A. 8., Dublin . John Winn, A. 8.;
Liverpool ; and the steward, a Frenchman.
Passengers saved—George Porter and John
Murphy, both of Liverpool. Passengers buried in
the Blasket Island.—Quin, Killarney; and a
Sc Atish lad.

RUMOURS OF lfrAR.

The Paris correspondent of the Times, in a letter
dated yesterday, says :—" The rumours in circula-
tion are warlike, and have produced a certain im-
pression on the public. If these rumours are well
founded hostiiities would appear not merely pro-
bable, but imminent, between the Austrians and
Piedmontese. In spite of the assurances given on
behalf of Austria that no aggression should be com-
mitted by her armies, the massing of troops goes on ;
and, to be ready against all emergencies, it is said
that Cialdini has received orders to form a fourth
corps d'armee on the Po. The Austrians have de-
clared they would not be the first to attack ; the
Piedmontese, I suppose, have said the same ; but, as
there is bad blood on both sides, any pretext will
serve for either party to begin. The Austrians,
doubtless, feel irritated at being bearded by an
enemy towards whom hatred is probably mingled
with another feeling ; and the Piedmontese, per-
haps, count on assistance from their great protector,
notwithstanding his warnings; or it may be that
both• Austrians and Piedmontese are inspired by
mutual apprehension, and exaggerate the danger.
Among other reports, Victor Emmanuel is said to
have written to his son-in-law, Prince Napoleon,
that he was in daily expectation of an attack, and
urging him to represent matters to the Emperor in
their true light. In the latter part of the slay a
belief gained ground that a collision between some
detachments of Austrian and Piedmontese troops
had actually taken place."

HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION AND DISEASES Or
TIE CHEST, BROMPTON.—On Sunday last, a sermon in
aid of the funds of this admirable charity was preached at
Fulham Church, by the Rev. J. Galloway Cowan, incum-
bent of Archbishop Tenison's Chapel, Regent•street. The
rev-. gentleman in an able discourse illustrated the Saviour's
infinite sympathy and love for mankind ; and at the con-
clusion referred to the fearful prevalence of consumption
amongst all classes. He then drew a touching picture of
the pitiable condition of the poor artisan, needlewoman,
domestic servant, &c., with exhausted means, perhaps
destitute almost of the commonest necessaries, and besides,
afflicted with this sad malady, so lingering in its nature as
usually to cause the doors of our ordinary hospitals to be
closed against its victims. The preacher then urged his
hearers to go and visit the noble building at Brompton,
where they would see nearly 200 of these poor invalids in
lofty, cheerful, and admirably ventilated rooms, surrounded
with every possible comfort and appliance that could mini-
ster to the recovery of their health, or alleviate their suf-
fering. He concluded by an eloquent appeal for help, the
more urgently needed as the assured income of the charity
—namely, that arising from annual subscriptions, was far
less than half the amount of the necessary yearly expendi-
ture. The collection at the close of the sermon amounted
to £34 15s. sd.

EXPLORATION OF THE RED SEA.—A report was
presented last week to the Academy of Sciences, on a paper
sent in some time ago by M. Courbon, on the results ob-
tained by him during an expedition sent to the Red Sea for
scientific purposes by the Emperor of the French. M. St.
Claire Deville, who was the reporter for the geological part,
stated that M. Courbon had minutely examined many parts
of both coasts of the Red Sea, had also crossed the Egyptian
desert between Cosseir and the ruins of Thebes, and even
penetrated to the neighbourhood of the town of Haley, in
Abyssinia. Of this country M. Courbon has made a highly
interesting geological map, and moreover given a minute de-
scription of the configuration of the soil at Jeddah, the
island of Disseh and the bay of Adulis, the island of Doo •
mairah, &c. At Edd, he found an immense basaltic wall
built by nature, the whole country being of volcanic forma •
tion. The island of Perim is trachytic ; the culminating
points of the island reach an elevation of 228 ft., and prove
that the island itself is the result of a volcanic eruption
under the sea. The lava had first raised up the large bank
of madreporas which covered the bottom, and had then
forced its way through the interstices, and become visible
over the water. This volcano, the vast crater of which
embraced the bay of Perim, in course of time covered
the new island with mud, ashes, trachytic blocks, &c., and
then became extinguished. M. Valenciennes, who reported
on the zoological part, noticed among the specimens brought
by M. Courbon, a new species of the genus gymnodactylus.
It is a Saurian, to which M. Valenciennes has given the
name of gymnocephalus. There were also two species of
fish, the cyprinondon lunatus and C. dispar, which M.
Courbon had fished in a lake near Massuah, the waters of
which marked as much as 111 deg. Fahr. ! This was the
first instance on record of cyprinondons living in such warm
water. A third kind of fish inhabiting the rivers of Abys-
sinia, quite unknown, and belonging to a genus on which
a single species only has as yet been met with in
Valenciennes has called balitora pusilla. 111. Brogniart, the
reporter on the botanical part, stated that M. Courbon had
presented his valuable herbarium to the Museum of Na-
tural History, and mentioned several new species or varie-
ties of plants brought home by the enterprising traveller.
A STORY OF TIIE PRINCE OF WALES.—The other
day his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was taking
a walk between Cambridge and Madingley, when a
shower of rain coming on, he solicited shelter in one of
the cottages by the roadside. The good woman of the
house very courteously dusted a chair with her apron, and
requested the Prince to take a seat, which he did, and en-
tered into a comfortable chat with the hostess on the wea-
ther and various kindred topics. As the rain made no signs
of leaving off, the Prince requested the loan of an umbrella,
and the old lady, who, of course, was in ignorance of the
name and rank of her guest, at once conveyed the intelli
gence that she possessed two umbrellas—a silk one and a
cotton one. The silk one she made it a rule never to lend,
but if the gentleman did net mind the cotton one, he was
welcome to that ; ho need not trouble himself to send it all
the way from Cambridge, but if he would leave it at a certain
stall in the market on Saturday, it would do just as well.
The Prince accepted the offer, and, regardless of the " Sairey
Gamp" appearance of the shelter, made his way beneath its
shade to Madingley. In the afternoon the umbrella was
sent back by one of the servants, with an intimation that
"his Royal Highness" was much obliged for the favour, and
requesting the lender's acceptance of a gold medallion, con-
taining his Royal mother's portrait. Ever since then the
old lady has been unceasing in self reproaches that she did
not lend the Prince the " silk un."—Court Journal.

ALLOWANCES TO WITNESSES.—On Tuesday, at
the Norfolk Assizes, the grand jury made the following
presentment :—" We, the grand jury of the county of Nor-
folk, desire to express to her Majesty's judges of assize our
opinion that the present scale of allowances to witnesses at
assizes and quarter sessions is such as may produce in
many cases a failure of public justice. We think, there-
fore, that the scale requires revision, and hope that yonr
lordship will represent this matter to the proper authorities,
that attention may be directed to the cause of complaint
which now exists." Mr. Justice Williams intimated that
every attention should the pain to the presentment.

WHAT ATHENS HAS DONE FOR THE WORLD'S
LITERATURE.—From hence have sprung, directly or indi-
rectly, all the noblest creations of the human intellect;
from hence were the vast accomplishments and the bril-
liant fancy of Cicero; the withering fire of Juvenal ; the
plastic imagination of Dante ; the humour of Cervantes ;
the comprehension of Bacon; the wit of Butler; the su-
preme and universal excellence of Shakspeare. All the
triumphs of truth and genius over prejudice and power, in
every cuautiy and in every age, have been the triumphs of
Atli ens. —Lord Macaulay.

BRUTAL INDIFFERENCE UNDER SENTENCE OF
DEATll—During the delivery of the awful sentence on the
Dundry murderers, the prisoners were apparently the most
unconcerned persons in court. Charles stood quite upright
in one corner of the dock, without the slightest expression
of care—nay, even with an air of light-heartedness upon
his features. Mathew positively received sentence of death
leaning coolly on his arm. When the statement of this
felon was read, the other was heard swearing at him for a
d— lying b ! And we hear on good authority, that
when they were being taken to gaol, one of them asked the
officer where the men were hung, and on the place being
pointed out, said, "That's where I shall have my neck
stretched !"—Sherborne Journal.

ALARMING ACCIDENT.—About 20 minutes past
six, on Wednesday evening, the 8.50 goods train with a
number of empty cattle-trucks attached from Birmingham,
One at Camden Station at 6.55, was nearing the Kilburn
Station, Willesden, when one of the empty cattle-trucks
suddenly became detached, causing thereby a separation of
three trucks and a goods van. The engine-driver, per-
ceiving the mishap, increased the speed of his engine, and
in consequence got clear of the inevitable catastrophe that
ensue 1. The truck that became detached got entangled
with the three others, composing the hind part of the train,
got off the rail, dragging the rest with it, and the whole
came into Violent collision with the station buildings,
knocking down the corner of a brick wall 15 inches thick,
end completely des tr.)ying that part of the station called the
porter's lodge, the passengers' covered waiting platform,

40ft. long, part of the massive iron railing surrounding the
station ,platform, entirely demolishing the van, and the
three trucks, and presenting a scene of groat confusion.
While the work of destruction was going on the engine-
driver, with the remaining portion of the train, made the
best of his way to Camden for assistance, and Mr. Ander-
son, the foreman of the locomotive department, with 3d or
40 workmen, promptly arrived at the scene, and by mid-
night the line was again clear for traffic. The passenger
traffic was in no way impeded, inasmuch as the line on
which the accident occurred is a-elusively for the goods
traffic between this point and the West London Junction,
and can be blocked up, as was done in this instance, until

no longer necessary, without any important interference
with the erdintry traffic of the road. Fortunately, no loss
or injury to life was sustained,