The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENINU-, NOVE VIBE g 20, 18M.

sentation in the House of Commons, as well as the
protection of veters by the Ballot, and the distribu-
tion of the right to return members of Parliament
more in accordance with population and property;'

If the working men do not now open a formidable
campaign in their own favour, it will not be the
fault of the conference. Petitions are recommended
from every town, village, and workshop, the kind
of reform petitioned for being left to the petitioners ;
at the same time advising that friendly support
should be given to every honest measure which may
be proposed for the extension of the suffrage to the
working classes, as well as for the protection of the
voters by the ballot, and for a more equitable dis-
tribution of seats. And not only petitions, they
also recommend the formation of reform associations
on a broad basis, with a view to public meet-
ings, petitions, memorials, deputations, and all
other constitutional means, including action in the
registration and at elections.
Here, at least, is work enough; to give concen-
tration and harmony to it, it is also proposed to
hold a meeting of delegates in London soon after the
meeting of Parliament, to confer and decide on a
measure to be brought before the House ; and it is
suggested that meetings should also be convened in
the other great towns before the meeting of Par-

stands, it is almost sufficient to bear in mind such
facts, for example, as that the capital required by
the new company is as moderate as merely
£lOO,OOO, and that the shares are only £2
each—the Limited Liability Act defining, of course,
clearly enough the proportionate responsibility
devolving upon each individual shareholder. As to
the very moderate capital required by the Govern-
ment for the new Company—a capital expressed by
a plum—it is encouraging to learn that two-thirds
of it were subscribed within a few days from its
first announcement. All things considered, we are
not surprised to see Sir MACDONALD STEPHENSON
asserting very confidently that " The prospects of
success were considered satisfactory by the highest
authorities, that the result of success would be to
impart a high value to the shares, and that the
result of failure would be to recover the money laid
out from the sale of the property of the old com-
pany now madeover absolutely to the new com-
pany. It was," he said, " a one-sided speculation
with great contingent advantages, and without
risk of losing the capital under any circumstances."
Altogether certainly a most alluring enterprise !
Heartily do we wish it the success that we rest per-
fectly confident now is reserved for it. And
we are all the more sanguine, of course, of the
happy issue of the undertaking from our knowledge
of the fact that there is now in daily use an un-
broken cable one thousand four hundred miles in
length—namely, the great submarine electric cable
of the Malta and Alexandria Telegraph !

liament.
The last resolution is, however, the one on which
Lord PALMERSTON will look at first most gravely.
The disappointment with the past he will smile at,
past politics with him are but an old song—but what
will he say to the latter half of the resolution—
" And that unless the present Cabinet introduces a
Reform Bill immediately on the opening of Par-
liament they must forfeit the confidence of the
people." A no confidence vote! he might exclaim at
first sight, but a second glance would put all
right ; he would forfeit the confidence of the
people, " Oh, yes," he will whisper, " that is
quite another thing. I don't know that, on this
question at least, I ever had it; sufficient to have

the confidence of the Parliament, which confided in
me enough to get rid of our last Reform Bill
for me. May its confidence in that way last as
long as I last in office."

If the Government have acted in nothing else
latisfactorily, they have unquestionably done so at

.ast in regard to the affairs of the Red Sea and

India Telegraph. The liberality of the proposal
recently sent in to the old Company by the Lords

.
m
Commisoters of the Treasury with a view to the

effecting of a transference of the line and property
of the Company to her MAJESTY'S Government, has
been recognized and very heartily acknowleged by

Sir MACDONALD STEPHENSON and the great ma,

iority of the shareholders. At a meeting of those

shareholders, presided over but a very short time
since by Mr. MARSHMAN—the proceedings at which
meeting we reported upon the following day in our
columns—the proposition of the Treasury Commis-
sioners was deemed, in point of fact, altogether so
satisfactory, that it was promptly acceded to : and

LA T E N E Vt,

PARIS, Nov. 20.

The 41onigetir of to-day says :

;his almost without a dissentient voice.
It will be remembered, of course, that previously
to this the Directors of the old Company had been—

as in duty bound—" Endeavouring to obtain from
the Government some arrangement for the repair of
the line, but that the Lords Commissioners of her

MAJESTY'S Treasury had not deemed it expedient
to grant any further guarantee" to that end. Again,
it can hardly as yet be forgotten that—immediately
upon this decision becoming known—it was pro-
posed " to form a new company for the purpose of

" Tho foreign press speak of certain incidents
alleged to have accompanied the return of M.
Fould to office. These rumours have no foundation

whatever."

raising sufficient capital to repair the whole of the
line," and to render it of service to the public at
large. Thereupon a communication explanatory
of this scheme was addressed to the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Treasury—that communication re-

BERLIN, Nov. 20.

The election of the persons qualified to vote for
the return of members to the Prussian Chamber of
Depnties took place yesterday throughout the
kingdom.

The result of the elections in Berlin is decidedly
n favour of the Liberals.

Telegrams received here announce that similar
results have been obtained in the provinces.

MADRID, Nov. 20.

The Queen is enciente.
Senor Ros de Olano has been sent on an extra-
ordinary mission to Portugal.
Marshal O'Donnell is convalescent.

suiting in the proposition which has now been
frankly accepted by the shareholders. And that
proposition ? It can hardly be regarded as very
surprising that it should have been thus at once
welcomed very cordially, seeing that it relieves
the company from the responsibilities of the
line upon the condition that the whole of the capi-
tal shall be repaid by her MAJESTY'S Government
to the shareholders.
How this is now about to be effected to the advan-
tage at once of the Company, of the Public, and of
the Government—cannot be better explained than
in the very words of the proposal as expressed in
the official letter written from the Treasury Cham-

FLORENCE, Nov. 19.

A box of gunpowder exploded to-day on the
railway works near Orbitello, killing seven persons
and wounding five others.

NAPLES, Nov. 19.
Vaglio, in the Basilicata, has been occupied by
,he brigands.

A band of brigands has been put to flight near
Pietragalla, in the same province, with the loss of
thirty-three killed and several wounded.

General Della Marmona has held a review of the
National Guard of Naples, at which he addressee

;hem in a speech.

BRESLAU, NOV. 19.

The Administrator of the Archbishopric of War•
saw was arrested in pursuance of Orders from St

'etersburg.

The Prelate, wLo is ill, has been conducted to
the citadel, and will be tried before a court-martial.
The Government demands from the Chapter the
election of another Administrator. The Chapter,
however, refused to comply with this demand, and
has appealed to Rome.

bers by Mr. HAMILTON. The terms as there put
o❑ behalf of her MAJESTY'S Government are defined
under three succinct clauses. The Treasury Com-

BOMBAY, OCT. 28.
Lord Canning has published resolutions permii

missioners proposing First—" To divest the existing
company of all farther responsibility in respect to
the affairs of the Red Sea and India Telegraph with
a view to transferring the entire concern to the
hands of a new company, on suitable terms and
conditions, should any such company be :formed
with an amount of capital sufficient to justify a
reasonable hope of the success of its object."
Secondly—" To convert the present guarantee into a
Government annuity of like amount, payable at the
Bank of England, as in the case of other Govern-
ment annuities." And thirdly—" To reserve
power to the Government to redeem this annuity
at any time hereafter, on payment of a capital sum
in proportion to the unexpired period which the
annuity may then have to run." Whatever am-
biguity there might be in that third and concluding
clause of the Government proposition was effec-
tually obviated by a very ingenious resolution
passed at the meeting of shareholders already
referred to. A Resolution setting forth with the
sufficiently explicit declaration—" Resolved, that
the proposition mentioned in the letter addressed
by the Secretary of the Treasury to the directors of
the Red Sea Telegraph Company on Oct. loth last
be and is hereby accepted,"—adding no less ex-
plicitly this very comprehensible condition— on
the understanding that it be made clear in the
agreement with the Government that the
intention of clause 3 in the proposal is that, in
the event of the Government deciding to re-
deem the annuity, they shall pay a capital sum
which will be sufficient to purchase a Government
annuity of £4 10s. per cent. per annum on each
£lOO of the stock or capital of the company for the
unexpired residue of the term," And so the matter
has been decided. Who shall say otherwise than
most satisfactorily to the original shareholders, to
the public at large, and we believe it will be found
eventually to the advantage in every way no
less than to the honour and credit of her
Britannic MAJESTY'S Government ? As was sen-
tentiously remarked by one of the directors, in
reference to the interpretation put upon the third
clause, the only vague or ambiguous clause in the
Government proposal—" nothing but a Govern-
ment annuity would be equal to a Government
annuity." In other words—
"None but itself could be its parallel 1"

As to the advantages likely—nay, we will not con-
tent ourselves with saying likely, but—absolutely
certain to accrue from the completion of the parti-
cular line of electric telegraph. Who shall venture
to depreciate them ? Remember the instance of
Sir MACDONALD STEPHENSON, when he stated the
other day that one merchant had assured him of the
fact that he should have saved £50,000 sterling
could he recently but have transmitted one single

message !
As to the feasibility of this scheme as it now

ting the absolute sale of waste lands and the re-
demption of the land revenue on conditions of
clearance and cultivation. The price of unassessed
lands is not to exceed five shillings an acre, and
that of cleared lands is not to be above ten shillings
per acre. These rates are to rule for five years.
The Governor of Madras has refused to annex
North Canara to Bombay.

Colonel Baird (?), in his final report on the
gamine, recommends the permanent settlement of
the land and water revenue in the North-West