The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-16 00:00:00

THE SUN: LONDON, FRIDAY EVRNING., AUGUST 16, 1861.

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE, ASSOCIATIOA:

DUBLIN, THURSDAY.

The Social Science Congress has opened as satis-
fiActorily as the most sanguine friends of the asso-
ciation could have wished. Failure in such cases
is in this country often laid to the charge of the
weather, and the plea might well have availed yes-
terday, for the rain poured incessantly from morn-
ing till night. But if it had any effect on the attend-
ance at the Mansion-house it was only to prevent
excessive overcrowding. The office of the associa-
tion was besieged the whole day up to the hour of
meeting, with persons seeking tickets. The num-
ber issued was for members at a guinea each, 285 ;
for associates, at 10s, 1,386 ; total, 1,671.
A large proportion of the latter were ladies'
tickets. Allowing a margin for life members of the
society and for those who had received invitations,
the attendance may be set down at about 1,800;
some of the reports say 2,000. The platform, which
extended in the shape of a crescent at each side of
the chair, was crowded with peers, judges, church
dignitaries, public functionaries, and the leading
gentry of the metropolis.
At a quarter-past 8 o'clock the Lord Lieutenant
arrived, accompanied by Lord Brougham and Vaux,
President of the Association ; the Lord Mayor, the
Duke of Wellington, Viscount Annesley, Lady
Caroline Lascelles, Miss E. Lascelles, Lady Geor-
gina Russell, the Earl of Bessborough, Lord Talbot
de Malahide, and Lord Curriehill, and attended by
Major-General Sir Thomas Larcom, K.C.8., Mr.
Haschell, Capt. Everard, and Capt. Gore. They
were conducted to the platform by the local secre-
taries, Mr. John Lentaigne, Dr. Neilson Hancock,

and Dr. Waller. The whole meeting rose and
' cheered Lord Brougham very warmly when he
appeared.
Mr. G. W. Hastings, the general secretary,
having announced the number of tickets sold, and
some necessary changes in the programme, the Pre-
sident rose and delivered his address (a copy of
which we published yesterday), at the conclusion
of which he was loudly applauded.
When the cheering ceased the LORD •LIEUTENANT
rose and said—My Lord Brougham, ladies, and
O' o..ntlemen—l have not risen with the presumptu-
ous intention of pointing out or portraying the
varied merits of that full, able, and eloquent address
to which we have just had the pleasure and privi-
lege of listening. (Cheers.) Its rich copiousness of
topics belongs to the several departments of inquiry
now about to be opened in this present meeting.
The eminent and enlightened men who constitute
the sections will bring to that address all the dis-
criminating attention which its importance so am-
ply deserves. But about the author of that address,
the renowned president of our Social Congress—
(loud applause)—though he has himself given me
a warning that panegyrics are never popular, yet I
must be permitted to say what shall nevertheless be
a very few words. Those words indeed might be
many if they endeavoured to follow the brilliant
track of his lengthened career, or to sum up the
diversified list of his powers, or the great amount
of his achievements. I will not rekindle the ashes
of any ancient controversies, nor run the risk of
awakening the sparks of new ones ; I will not utter
even one of those breathing and burning words
which have formed the battle cries of contending
parties; but I will only ask, what great cause has
triumphed within the memory of the present cen-
tury which is not associated with the name, the
labours, and the triumphs of Harry Brougham and
Lord Brougham? (Great cheering.) Without
trenching too much upon what is merely personal,
may mention the delight it has been to me to
bring to a meeting like this as my honoured guest
that person who, more than 30 years ago, was my
own colleague in the representation of what was
then by far the largest constituency in the United
Kingdom. Often have I heard him—as was said of
a great orator of old, whom he has been one of the
foremost to appreciate and approach—
" Torrentem et pleni moderantem frena theatri."

(Applause.) And is now, indeed, a rare and re-
freghing spectacle to see him, at the period of life
which he has reached, with a milder and a mellower
wisdom, filling up the large outline of his past
career, and crowning his life-long work of public
spirit and benevolence. (Renewed applause.) A
few words more I feel to he due to the occasion of
our being here assembled, and I may, from the cir-
cumstance of the post which I now have the honour
to fill in this country, avail myself of a somewhat
representative capacity in bidding welcome to the
Association for the Promotion of Social Science
within the ancient capital of Ireland. (Applause.)
It has been my lot to serve in the ranks of this as-
sociation when it held one of its meetings upon
English soil, in the great town of Liverpool, and I
have formed a high estimate of its capacity for use-
fulness. (Hear.) Besides the amount of actual
knowledge imparted and of ideas interchanged, the
main advantage gained from the concourse of so
much intelligence and benevolence is the stimulus
and guidance which it affords to private effort; and
it may well happen that statesmen and legislatures
may derive some of their happiest and most preg-
nant inspirations from the hints thrown out and
picked up in the quiet and earnest gatherings of the
sections of this association. The association, ladies
and gentlemen, has, for two or three successive
years, held its meetings in England and in Scotland. i
It now opens this evening its beneficent mission
among a quick witted, an impulsive, and a generous
people, and I firmly trust that the results of it, be-
ing gathered, in Dublin and in Irelandeill be mu-
tually satisfactory and salutary. (Applause.) I now
be leave to move—" That this association offers to
Lord Brougham, the President, its warm thanks for
the eloquent address now delivered, and for his un-
wearied exertions in its support." (Loud applause.)
. The Right Hon. Mr. Justice FITZGERALD
seconded the
proposition. He said—Ladies, my
lords, and gentlemen I have the distinguished
honour of being permitted to second this vote of
thanks to the noble lord, our venerated President—
(hear)—and I may at once say that even if I had
the power of any of the great men around about
me, I could not add anything to the impressive
and classic address which we have just heard upon
this resolution from our noble ViteroY,—an address
giving a due meed of praise to our noble president,
and which comes with peculiar force,—which comes
with weighty authority from the Earl of Carlisle--
(hear)—because he is one who has himself fought in
the same ranks,—fought with Henry Lord Broug_
ham in the first rank—(applause)—and has with
him contended from the earliest portion of his
career in the same cause of social science, and the
advancement of the best interests of his fellow-crea-
tures. (Hear, hear.) But, though my voice may
be feeble, and may carry with it no authority, there
is one portion of the career of Lord Brougham, in
reference to which, with your permission, I would
give expression to a single sentence. It is not my
intention, as you may guess, to speak of him as an
orator, much less as a politician, nor yet as a writer,
whose pen has thrown a light upon the page of
science, and illustrated the history of his country
—(hear)---but I may speak with more appropriate-
ness, and, perhaps, with some little authority upon
his career as a law reformer. (Hear.) Let us not
treat lightly this subject, for it is one of the most
important branches of social science. (Hear.) It
comes home to every one, whether he is high or

_ .
low—the improvement of the administration of
justice—the rendering of that administration eco-
nomic, speedy, and pure. And for 50 years of his
life Henry Brougham and Lord Brougham has lent
111,
abilities, and the aid of his great station and of
1114 great mind to the advancement of social science.
(iler') If there
were one among us who was un-
aela'intseud. 7e7ith the e7ctent of the debt we owe him
011 thil
„der to subject,
Band the‘ obligations which we are
speech delivered
r.ougaam, we might refer to his
mop ins foriva
p.odyani I S 28--now 33 years ago—in
CO/omission, the result of which
has laid the fequadati
fro:we have had of every law reform that
that day to the pre-
sent. (Hear, hear.) I
ar
sure this meeting
will pardon a membc
ce
rnakori:the Association, him-
self a lawyer, for )
ano observation or
two on this subject. A •s Ihilyesctid
' w
over-
estimate its importan ee—it
comes home
cannot
to every
one—the speedy and 1 rare administration
its
importance,of justice.
And if I wanted anti r.crity upon
might refer to the • well-known and oft_rep_4Le_l
u•

anecdote that the great Napoleon himself said he
would not go down to posterity as the hero of Ma-
rengo or the victor of Austerlitz ; he preferred de-
scending to posterity with the Code Napoleon in
his hand. (Applause,) Upon this subject Henry
Brougham, the enlightened senator, and Lord
Brougham, the great and enlightened judge, has
ever been foremost to lend his great aid to every
measure of law reform. He was the associate of
Romilly, he was the friend of Mackintosh ; at a
later period, possibly in a less degree, he aided the
lamented Sir Robert Peel in the carrying out of
those great reforms which have so purified and im-
proved our law. (Hear.) And in reviewing his
career on this single subject I may use, with your
permission, language of his own—language intended
for a Royal ear, and to invite the then holder of the
sceptre of Great Britain to lend his aid to this great
branch of social reform. Pointing out that crown
which even royalty might hope to win, he made use
of language, a sentence of which I will presume
to read for you, because it appears to me in pro-
phetic language, looking back over half a century,
to have described the career of Lord Brougham him-
self. His language was this :—" He found the law
dear ; he made it cheap. He found it a sealed book ;
he left it a living letter. He found it the patrimony
of the rich ; he left it the inheritance of the poor.
He found it the two-edged sword of craft and op-
pression; he left it the staff of honesty and the shield
of innocence." (Loud applause.) That eloquent lan-
guage describes most accurately the career of Lord
Brougham himself. (Hear.) I join most heartily
in seconding the resolution, which has been pro-
posed by our noble Viceroy, r.of warm thanks to
Lord Brougham for the eloquent address now de-
livered ; but in thanking Lord Brougham for that
eloquent—l may call it that wonderful address—
in greeting with the "hundred thousand welcomes"
—(hear, hear, and applause)—the arrival of Lord
Brougham among us, and while we rejoice that the
hand of time has pressed so lightly upon him, it is
meet that we also—the Irish members of this great
asssociation—should resolve to emulate his example,
and, though at a great distance, to follow in his
footsteps—to endeavour with him, as members of
this association, to promote and advance the cause
of Social Science, and to believe that in advancing
that cause we use our best efforts to promote the
happiness and increase the welfare of mankind.
(Loud applause.)
The Duke of WELLINGTON, on rising to support
the resolution, was received with enthusiastic and
prolonged plaudits, which were again and again
renewed. He said :—My Lord Brougham, my
lords, ladies, and gentlemen—l trust that I shall
not be deemed presumptuous if I humbly echo the
congratulation which is contained in the resolution
that you have heard. Lord Brougham has justly
remarked that it is right and proper this meeting
should be held in Dublin, for where better can
there be a meeting of the advocates of social im-
provement than in Ireland, where social develop-
ment has advanced with such rapid and such ex-
traordinary strides ? (Hear, hear, and cheers.)
Whatever may be the success of the delibera-
tions of eminent men during the ensuing week,
all must feel that it cannot but be attended with
great public advantage that those who
have given illustrations .of their principles
through themselves and their countries should
meet, not for selfish objects, but for the advantage
of mankind in general. (Hear, hear.) And I can
hardly help alluding to Lord Brougham himself, for
in him we see one who through a long career has
never fox a moment relaxed in his earnest desire to
give the world the benefit of his great ability.
While no subject has been above his philosophy.
nothing that is human has been beneath his hu-
manity. (Applause.)
The motion was carried by acclamation.
Lord BROUGHAM, on rising to return thanks, was
again warmly received. He said—l assure you,
ladies and gentlemen, I feel most sensibly the great
kindness with which you have received the propo-
sition of my noble friend the Lord Lieutenant, and
my right hon. and learned friend, and my noble
friend the Duke, who has supported it. I must say
that I am deeply indebted to the people of Dublin
for the kind and affectionate reception which they
have given me on this occasion.
Lord CURRIEHILL begged to ask the concurrence
of the meeting to the following resolution :—"That
the cordial thanks of this association be given to the
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Dublin for placing
the Round-room at their disposal for the meeting
this evening." It had been remarked by the noble
chairman that this science, like all other sciences,
was a progressive one, and its history verified that
remark. Nothing was accelerating its progress more
than the annual meetings which were being held in
different provinces of the empire by the present
association. (Hear, hear.) His Excellency the Lord
Lieutenant had borne testimony to the great success
which attended one of its meetings—that held in
Liverpool. (Hear, hear.) He (Lord Curriehill) could
bear testimony to similar success having attended
its last meeting held in Scotland. (Hear, hear.)
The noble chairman had alluded to one example of
its effects in reference to education, and had
stated with truth that on that subject, which had
agitated Scotland for a great number of years,
meetings had been held, and though the discus-
sion commenced with great keenness, it ended
in a most amicable- spirit, and the re-
sult now had been that the matter was brought be-
fore Parliament, and the royal assent had been given
to an act giving satisfaction to all parties. He
looked forward to results still more important from
the present meeting of the association, and he did
so on this ground, that the subject of their delibe-
rations was "science," and though people were apt
to attach to that name something that implied hard
exercise of the intellect, yet social science appealed
also to the sensibilities of the heart, and he knew
that he was now speaking in a country which was
distinguished above everything else by the warmth
of heart of its inhabitants—(hear) ; and therefore he
expected this science would find in Ireland fitting
soil for its growth. (Hear, hear.) The learned
speaker observed that it was now 20 years since he
had been Ireland, and, comparing its condition then
with its appearance now, he could hardly identify
it as the same country. He concluded by proposing
the vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor.
Mr. M. D. HILL, Recorder of Birmingham, said
at that late hour he would not intrude further on
the attention of the meeting than simply to second
the proposition.

llle
lkorbea, with IeaPRESIDENT—You have heard the
which,re-
solution I am sure, we must all
concur.
(Hear.) I may ask those who are not of
that
opinion
to(haoelndeuwptheir hands. (Laughter.) I
don't see one,
said
e) d Thehim
great resolutionsa.
sa-
tisfaction that, in the
is carried unanimously,
position
l
The LORD MAYORMAYORpportunityooff paying
re-
spect andty tio
Lord Mayor of
to the very valuable association
occasion,
that thisci, haetthenadann o
which had favoured this city on h
(Hear.) It afforded him great gratification to see
that it was taken up by so many ladies and gentle-
men of the first influence in Dublin, which Was a
high compliment to the association and to Lord
Brougham, the President of it. (Hear.) He (the
Lord Mayor) was sure that in giving the Mansion
House for the accommodation of the present meet-
ing of the association it could not be in any better
manner occupied (hear)---ard he did not know any
former meeting ever held there which had a more
patriotic object than the present. (Hear.) It was
delightful to see it taken up with such earnestness
by ladies, because when they took up anything it
was sure to succeed. (Hear, and laughter.) The
proceedings then terminated.

The British Charge d'Affaires at Hamburg, Mr.
Ward, arrived at Berlin a few days since. According to the
Hamburg Correspondent, Mr. Ward is charged by the Eng-
lish government to carry on the negociutions respecting
the commercial relations between England and the Zoll-
verein.

[ADVERTISEMENT.]—Holloway's Pills.—Excursions
Unattainable.—There are multitudes in this metropolis
who cannot conveniently absent themselves from their
occupation to enjoy that change of air and scene so neces-
sary to good health. Such persons will find that, next to
country air, the best purifiers of the blood are Holloway's
Pills. They improve the action of every human organ by
expelling impurities and all other noxious matters which
have gained admission either into the solid or fluid mate-
rials of which the body is composed. These Pills usually
. act as *mild aperients. Holloway's Pills have long been
regarded as t
i the safest antidotes for disease both in cold
and warm climates, and the surest opponent to all com-
plaints incidental to men, women, and children.

EAST INDIA IRRIGATION AND CANAL

C01111),111TY.
- 4- -

The first ordinary general meeting of the share-
holders in this company was held at the London
Tavern yesterday—James Thompson, Esq., in the
chair.
The report having been taken as read,
The CHAIRMAN said the prospectus of this
company, which was issued after a lengthened
negociation with the Secretary of State for India,
was based on terms which had been agreed upon
with him, and they did not anticipate that they
should experience any serious difficulty in coming
to a practical understanding with the supreme
Government of India. They were in the first in-
stance most desirous to come to a settlement with
the home authorities, as had been done in all other
cases where companies had been established in this
country for the carrying out of public works in
India. They were not aware of any sufficient ob-
jection to this course on the part of the Government,
and they still thought that with an honest desire on
both sides to come to a satisfactory conclusion, this
would have been the most expedient and certainly
by far the promptest course of procedure. The
Secretary of State, however, ruled otherwise, and
they accepted a refer ence to Bengal, on the faith
that thenceforth they would have to do only with
the supreme Government of India, and that the
Governor-General would feel himself competent to
make an arrangement with them on the basis of the
terms which had been agreed upon. They accord-
ingly communicated with the supreme Government
on the Ist of September last, and they at the same
time availed themselves of the opportunity of for-
warding to the Governor-General a draft contract
for consideration. His repl-7 was dated the sth
Decembr, showing that it met his immediate atten-
tion ; but having been forwarded to the Secretary of
State, though it was due in the middle of January,
it did not reach them till the middle of March.
(Hear, hear.) This reply was in all respects satis-
factory. The Governor-General understood the
terms they proposed to Sir C. Wood as they
understood them, and as it appeared to him they
would be understood by any ordinary unsophisti-
cated mind, and the suggestions that he made and
spirit in which he met their propositions were such
as to assure them that from his Government they
should receive every consideration. In forwarding
this despatch the Secretary of State took the op-
portunity to tell them that they and the Governor-
General had in one essential point entirely miscon-
ceived his intentions. It was stipulated in the
original basis of agreement that the whole profit of
their works should be theirs ; that the price of the
water sold to the Government should be fixed by
legislative enactment before the works were com-
menced ; and that such water should be sold only to
the Government with the view, as they understood,
of preventing any difficulty, and saving the neces-
sity of their coming into contact with the cultiva-
tors. The Secretary of State now intimated, how-
ever, that by such whole profits he merely meant
the sale price altogether, irrespective of the profit
that was the effect of their irrigation of the land ;
that this price, moreover, was to he altered from
time to time ; and that, in fact, the Government was
to be at perfect liberty to charge what rates they
chose to the cultivator, in the shape of land tax,
altogether without reference to the value of the ir-
rigation to the cultivator, and without reference to
the sale price to them. In order to understand this
completely it was necessary to bear in mind that
in no part of India that he was aware of was the
water rate—that was, the intrinsic value of the
water—kept entirely distinct from the land tax,
except in two cases, Rajamundry and the Ganges
Canal, where the land tax was separate from the
water rate ; but in both those cases the distinction
was more nominal than real. That being the case,
if the Government reserved to themselves the right
of altering the price of water from time to time, and
Of increasing the land tax of the lands irrigated by
the company on the ground of improved value con-
sequent on irrigation, this was nothing more nor
less than indirectly appropriating to themselves a
portion of the profits. The company did not desire
to interfere with the discretion of the Government
in dealing with the proper land-tax of the country
in any way they might deem expedient, but the
company understood their profit to be the value of
the irrigation as between themselves and the culti-
vator, and they contended that if the Government
assumed to themselves either directly or indirectly
the charging of rates for water other than they paid
to them, this would not be carrying out the spirit
of their agreement that the whole profits should be-
long to the company. He thought this would be
generally admitted, and it seemed strange that it
should be disputed by the Secretary of State. The
Governor-General had no doubt on the subject, and
if he had been left to conclude the arrangement on
the basis of the terms which had been agreed upon
with Sir C. Wood—and what other object was there
in referring it to the supreme Government ?—the
whole matter would have been arranged. To this

point, however, they had now got, after a lengthened
negotiation, an arduous struggle, and a considerable
delay. They had received the assurance of the
Secretary for India that the matter was left entirely
in the hands of Lord Canning, and that what-
ever he did would be confirmed by the Government
at home. The Government had suggested to them
to send out an agent to negotiate with the supreme
Government but they had thought it not desirable
to do that till the contract laying down the general
principles on which they were to proceed was
signed, and as he had mentioned they some time
ago sent out a draft contract, in which Lord Can-
ning had made some alterations. These they had
mainly concurred in, and there was now nothing
to interfere with the satisfactory settlement of that
contract. When the contract had been signed they
would appoint an engineer with a sufficient staff,
to survey the country and to plan the works, and
no further expense would be incurred till this sur-
vey and plans had been completed, and the nature
and extent of the works had been satisfactorily
ascertained. The territory of Orissa had for some
years forced itself upon the attention of Govern-
ment. There were many parts of England which
had been equally neglected, but nowhere, perhaps,
had the result of mismanagement and neglect been
so apparant and attended with such direful conse-
quences as in this unfortunate province of Orissa.
This province might be taken as consisting of
three tracts. The first skirted the sea coast, was
low and swampy, and was turned to little account,
its chief product being salt, of which a large quan-
tity was produced, and which yielded a large re-
venue. This district was intersected with a great
many small streams, which contained in them a
subsoil of fine mud, calculated to act as a good
manure, and there was no doubt that under good
treatment this part of the country admitted
to a very great extent of profitable culti-
vation. It had, however, been turned to very little
account, mainly from the vicissitudes of the sea-
sons and the great risk that attended its cultivation.
It produced some of the staple articles of commerce
which were grown there in different patches, but
only to a very small extent, though there was no
doubt that under a different system of management,
if there were means of irrigation and transport to the
sea-board, they would be produced to a large ex-
tent. Inland of this district was the second dis-
trict, densely wooded, and also said to be rich in
mineral wealth. The district had been recently
surveyed, and the engineer said the upper region
of the Mahanuddy certainly admitted of very great
improvement. The floods in the river rose seven
feet above the level of the country, and the
natural result followed, that the whole country
was periodically submerged. Mr. Shore, a Go-
vernment officer, speaking of this, said :—" It is
not right that the people should every year be
kept on the qui vice for two or three days and
nights, waiting for a signal to fly to the highest
attainable ground, and see their houses crushing
around them." This occurred not once in a century
but every year, and sometimes twice a year. In
addition to this the town of Cuttack was annually
in the greatest danger of being destroyed by the
floods. The engineer reported that on the last oc-
casion, if the water had risen only three inches
higher nothing could have saved the town ; that a
breach was made, and it was only by the greatest
exertions that they filled it up with bags of sand.
He was sure there was not one present who would
not respond to the observation of Sir Arthur Cotton,
who, speaking of this district, said :—" Think of a
tract held for 50 years by a civilised, energetic,
Christian
passed from country,
the
without
hands of asemi-civilised
en e nd icat n o t i
heathen its
having
government, excepting in its being much
worse
and e
proteectrieedeefroevmil
thefl governmentbefore."oodsthanhad been
This
great
attempting
on
no
there ms
side e
remedy
the thevacroinesuteruecbtainonneloef
and
em-
bankmentsif this had been done when the main river' was
making openings through the delta it might have
been done at a comparatively moderate outlay, but
as usual the matter was neglected, and it was only
after the dangerous results of such neglect became
apparent that the means had been taken to provide
a remedy. But the only object and effect of the
embankments would be to restore the river to its
conuontltiriyugwatos
the country
po rriogviindael
forc otnbdei
droughtstion; th they
ww tile!
hd
liable to be visited. As he had said, there was at
present no irrigation, though this was a country
which seemed by nature to have been intended for
irrigation,and by:irrigation these large rivers which
hitherto had been a curse might he made a blessing.
At present the whole revenue of Cuttack, a district
as large as Wales, was only 16 lees, or £160,000,
but which it was stated by -Capt. Beadle, a govern-
ment officer, might, by a little attention to irriga-
tion, be increased to £400,000. Capt Shortsaid of the
southern portion of the Cuttack district, the Poore©

district, that it comprised an area of 1,732,000
acres, or 2,706 square miles, of which only 566,000
were aultiva fed, the remainder bein e• waste, and even
this cultivation was impertee:, and there was no
irrigation ; that it yielded a reN enue of less than half
a rupee an acre, and that the greater part of this
had been of late years subject to great vicissitudes;
and under these circumstances they would be pre-
pared to learn that the condition of the people was
most wretched. Again, Sir Arthur Cotton said—
" You cannot imagine anything more melancholy or
disgraceful than all you see and hear of this delta ;
the people are steeped in poverty, their means of
cultivation are miserable, and the cultivation the
most wretched I ever saw. There is not one single
rood in the district that is practicable in the mon-
soons, by the floods washing across the country
almost without control." That was the present
condition of this district of Orissa, poor, miserable,
and wretched in the midst of the materials of wealth
and prosperity, with a soil that was capable of pro-
ducing the richest products. It suffered from two
evils, inundation and drought ; it was impossible to
conceive of two greater extremes, but one was an
antidote to the other, and all they had to do was to
apply the one to the cure of the other. It was im-
possible to conceive an enterprise more encouraging
than that in which this company was engaged; it
commended itself to all their feelings of philan-
thropy, and what was perhaps of far more conse-
quence in this money-making age, it commended
itself to their pockets. He believed that it con-
tained within itself the elements of great commer-
cial success, and that there were no works either
in India or elsewhere that promised to pay better.
They were told that if the remedy was applied the
productiveness of the soil would be six times mul-
tiplied. He need not remind them of Tanjore, and
how that district had improved under irrigation,
nor of its effects in the Raja Mundy. But to show
them the results of irrigation he might point to
the remarkable instance mentioned by Mr. Smith,
an executive officer of Bengal, who stated that Mr.
Grose, at a cost of £230, made a dam across the
Damoodah nearly a quarter of a mile long, by which
he successfully turned the whole of its water into
another channel, from which he afforded irrigation
to 11,666 acres of rice cultivation, moderately
valued at £5,250. What this gentleman had done
in one locality they proposed to do with the Orissa
district at large, and there was no reason to doubt
that the profit, though it might not be so great as
that reaped by Mr. Grose, would be wonderfully
large. There was one point he might mention, and
that was the facility which the Mahanuddy gave
for navigation. The river was navigated by the
natives 200 or 300 miles above Cuttack, and during
floods much higher. When they had completed
their works the navigation would be extended up
to the Hooghly ; and by the Godavery on the one
hand, and the Mahanuddy on the other, one in the
west and the other in the south, they would open
up the Berar district, and give the means of con-
veying the important produce of that district to the
seashore. He did not consider that what they con-
templated doing was attended with any great diffi-
culty. It was a law of nature that no great
work was without difficulty, but the result in
this case would entirely compensate for the diffi-
culties to be encountered and overcome. It had
been said that this work should he left to Go-
vernment; but what had Government done
already? The ancient works were neglected, and
it even suffered the main road from Madras
to Calcutta to be impassable during several
months of the year. He thought this company de-
served better treatment than it had received at the
hands of the Secretary for India. This, however,
was matter of the past. A great field had been
opened up to British capitalists, and he should be
greatly deceived in his estimation of British enter-
prise if that field were not well worked, and he was
convinced that the result would be a large return
for the capital invested, and the gratitude of a suf-
fering but deserving people. He would only add
that the company had since succeeded in obtaining
their charter of incorporation and also in raising
more capital, They would find from the statement
of accounts that the amount received in deposits was
£45,000. The proposed capital was one million
sterling, but they had , reserved 5,000 shares for
allotment in India, but they did not of course ex-
ptct to allot these shares till the contract was com-
pleted, and they were in a position to tell the people
there that they could commence operations. In
conclusion, he moved that the report be received
and adopted.
General Sir G. POLLOCK seconded, and the mo-
tion was carried nevi. clis.

Alderman Finnis and Mr. Bonar, jun., were then
appointed auditors.
Mr. ATKIN moved that the sum of £l,OOO be the
annual remuneration divisible among the directors
for their services. He said the manner in which
the directors had conducted their affairs showed
that they were every way worthy of the confidence
of the shareholders. They were entitled to the
gratitude of the people of India, and to the grati-
tude of Sir C. Wood, who had through them been
prevented from being handed down to posterity as
the slayer of private enterprise throughout India.
Colonel MANN seconded, and the motion passed
unanimously, as did also another, proposed by the
chairman, fixing the salary of Mr. Westwood, the
secretary, at £l,OOO a-year. The salary of the
auditors was fixed at £2O.
The CHAIRMAN then moved that the annual ordi-
nary general meeting be fixed to be held sometime
in the month of April or May, and the half-yearly
meeting in October or November, the first of such
last-mentioned meetings to be held in 1862.
The motion was agreed to, and after a vote of
thanks to the chairman the meeting separated.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT-CROYDON, Aug. 15.

(Before Mr. Justice Blackburn and a Common Jury.)

MIDDLF.TON V. DRAGE.

This was an action brought by the plaintiff,
Emily Middleton, against the defendant, Edmund
Drage, to recover damages for the breach of his
promise to marry her, and the damages were laid at
£5OO. The defendant pleaded that he did not make
the promise alleged in the declaration.
Sergeant Shee and Mr. Woollett were for the
plaintiff; Mr. Penman, Q.C., and Mr. Needham,
were for the defendant.

Sergeant Shee, in opening the case to the jury,
said the plaintiff was a young woman 24 years of
age, who resided with her mother at Lynn, in Nor-
folk, and although they were not wealthy, the
family were in a respectable position, her father
having been an architect and surveyor, and upon
his death, which took place in the year 1852, the
plaintiff resided with her mother, and if his instruc-
tions were correct, the defendant had been guilty
of a most heartless act of seduction towards her
under a solemn promise of marriage. The defendant
was about 35 years of age, and resided at a place
called East Rudham, a few miles from Lynn, and he
farmed land at that place,carried on the business of a
corn dealer, and from his establishment, and the way
in which he lived, exhibited all the appearance of a
man of property. The defendant and the plaintiff, it
appeared, had first met at a bazaar that was held at
Lynn, about two years ago, and he continued to pay
attention to the plaintiff wherever he met her, and
about the month of Feb., 1859, he was introduced
to her mother, and very shortly after that time it
appeared that he announced his intention to marry
her, and was received upon that footing in the
family. The circumstances of the family did not
admit of their keeping a servant, and shortly after
the introduction of the defendant to the mother of
the plaintiff; it appeared that she left home upon a
visit to a relation, the plaintiff remaining at home in
charge of the house. The defendant was in the habit
of paying constant visits, and upon one occasion
while the mother was absent upon this visit, he
went into the plaintiff's bedroom and succeeded in
obtaining possession of her person. After this had
taken place the defendant gradually absented him-
self from the house, and although the plaintiff
wrote no less than 20 letters to him imploring him
to keep the solemn promise he had made to her, he
did not condescend to reply to any of them, and it
was not until several months afterwards that the
mother was informed of the painful position in
which her daughter was placed. She then, it ap-
peared, wrote to the defendant, entreating him to
keep his promise, but to this letter he also sent no
reply, and the mother of the plaintiff then sought an
interview with the defendant and asked him whe-
ther he intended to marry her daughter, and also
why he had not answered her letters. In reply to
the last question the defendant said it was no busi-
ness of hers, and to the other he said he had been
informed that the plaintiff nad misconducted herself
with other men, and he should have nothing more
to do with her. The learned sergeant said that
under these circumstances the plaintiff had no alter-
native but to bring thepresent action,and he observed
that, although the defendant had ventured to in-
sinuate to the mother that her daughter's character
was not pure, he had not dared to put a plea to that
effect upon the record as an answer to the action,
and he called upon the jury to giv,e the plaintiff
exemplary damages for the injury she had sustained
at his hands.

Mrs. Elizabeth Middleton, the mother of the
plaintiff, was then examined. She stated that she
and her family had resided at Lynn for many years,
and her husband had carried on the business of an
architect and surveyor at that place. He died in
1852, and after that time the plaintiff continued to
reside with her. The defendant resided at East
Rudham, about 16 miles from Lynn, and he described
himself as a farmer and merchant, and he was in
the habit of coming to market at Lynn every Tues-
day. In February, 1859, she was walking in the
town with her daughter, and they met the defendant
and he spoke to her daughter, and on the same day
she brought him to the house and introduced him to
her, and said that he was the gentleman they had
seen so frequently bowing to her. The defendant
stayed a short time, and when he left he promised to
come on the following Monday and take her daugh-
ter for a ride. After this the defendant paid them
constant visits, and upon one occasion witness heard
him say to her daughter, " Never mind my friends.
They cannot chobse a wife for me ; if I was as rich as
a Jew, and you had not a penny in the world, I
would have you for my wife." Witness heard the
defendant say that he should not make any presents
to her daughter, because he thought it was not right
for any man to do so to a woman when he intended to
make her his wife, and that he wished her to take him
fir himself alone. After she had been on a visit to
her sister the defendant ceased to visit at her house,
and her daughter, in consequence, appeared very
unhappy ; but she did not know all that had taken
place until several months afterwards, when the
plaintiff informed her of the conduct of the defendant
and said that she had written twenty letters to him
and he had not answered one of them. Upon receiv-
ing this information she wrote to the defendant, en-
treating him to do justice to her daughter, and to
keep the promise he had made, but he sent her no
reply. In September last she determined to see the
defendant, and found him at an inn in Lynn, and
she asked him why he had not answered her daugh-
ter's letters ? He replied that this was no business
of hers, and upon her asking him whether or not
he intended to marry her daughter, he said he
would not take notice of any girl who took notice
of other men. Witness asked him what he meant
by this statement, and the defendant replied, She
knows." Witness was very angry with him at this,
and said she would take that cloak of religion off
him if possible.
Serjeant S hec—l believe the defendant did always
profess to be very religious, and used to talk about
the solemnity of marriPge.
Witness—Yes, he always professed to be a very
religious man, and said that hvand his family en-
tertained very high church principles, and that he
was in the habit of expounding the Scriptures to
the boys in his parish once a week. (A laugh.)
The witness added that she told the defendant at
the same interview that she was determined to ap
peal to the law if she could do so.

Cross-examined—The first time she saw the de-
fendant at her house was in 1859, but she had
heard before that that he had been in the habit of
paying her daughter attention when he met her, and
he used to leave any company he was with to go
up to her and shake hands whenever he met her.

Matthew Middleton, the brother of the plaintiff,
proved that upon one occasion, after the defendant
had been introduced to the faniily in February,
1859, they were smoking a pipe together, when the
defendant said to him, " I suppose you know upon
what terms lam come here upon ?" Witness told
him he did not know, but he had an idea, and he
should know when he told him. The defendant
then said, " I have been seeking your sister a length
of time, and we have agreed to be married as soon
as the arrangements can be made ;" and witness
replied that he was glad of it, and hoped they
would bp happy.
This was the plaintiff's case.

Sedeant Shee then briefly, and in most eloquent
terms, summed up the evidence, and said that it was
clear that the defendant was unable to adduce one
tittle of evidence to support the insinuation he had
made against the character of the plaintiff, and there
was not the slighest doubt that he had been guilty
of a most heartless act of seduction, which called for
exemplary damages.

Mr. Denman then made a most able address to the
jury for the defendant. He said that as the law at
present stood in regard to cases of this description,
there was this anomaly, that a plaintiff or defendant
could not be examined to show the jury under what
circumstances the promise was made, and he could
not therefore place the defendant before them to give
his version of the transaction. He then proceeded
to remark upon the slight evidence there was that
any promise had been given, or as to
.the position
of the defendant, and he asked the jury for both
these reasons not to give any more than a moderate
amount of damages.
Mr. Justice Blackburn, in summing up, observed
upon the absence of any information being afforded
on either side whether or not a child had been born.
Sergeant Shee said it would be admitted that no
child was born. _

The learned judge then proceeded with his sum-
ming up, and said that he hoped the jury would
take this and all the other circumstances of the case
into their consideration, and give such an amount
of damages as they considered reasonable.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—
damages 250.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—LIVERPOOL, Aug. 15.
CHARGE AGAINST A MATE OF SHOOTING A SEAMAN.
At the Liverpool assizes yesterday, William
Crosby, 25, and Matthew Gibney, 32, were arraigned,
the former for shooting a coloured seaman, named
Henry Johnson, on board the ship Panama, on
the 16th May last, and the latter for concealing
and harbouring Crosby after he had committed
the offence. At the time mentioned the vessel
was lying in the Mersey prepared to sail for San
Francisco. The prisoner Crosby was the mate of the
Panama, and the prosecutor was one of a number
of coloured seamen who had shipped at Liverpool
on board the Panama. It appeared that some dis-
putes had arisen between the black men and the
officers of the ship, and the former having com-
plained that the provisions were unfit for food, they
were ordered by the officers to leave the ship: The
men declared their willingness to do:eo, but insist-

ed on going below first to collect their clothes.
Some white seamen having in the meantime arrived
alongside, the black men were peremptorily re-
quired to get into the boats, the officers telling
them that their clothes would be sent after them.
As the men resisted this order• an encounter took
place; and while the prosecutor was lowering him-
self into one of the boats, and was suspended by
one hand which grasped a rope, the prisoner shot
him with a pistol. Johnson loosed his hold im-
mediately and fell into the water, but was imme-
diately rescued and conveyed on shore. The
defence was that the complaints as to the provision-
ing of the ship were groundless ; that the Hack
sailors outnumbered the whites; that their conduct
was very violent, and that from their being armed
with knives the prisoner was led to extreme
measures in self-defence. The refusal to allow the
men to take away their clothes arose, it was con-
tended, from the fact that the coloured men had
each received £5 in advance on going on board, and
that the detention of the luggage was merely a
device to secure at least, part of that money.
The prisoner Crosby was found guilty of unlawful
wounding, and was sentenced to one month's im-
prisonment.
The other was discharged.
THE ROYAL EXCHANGE INSURANCE FORGERIES.

Edward Williamson (late agent in Manchester of
the Royal Exchange Insurance Company) was
arraigned at the Liverpool assizes yesterday upon
four indictments charging him with defrauding
that company of very large sums of money by means
of forged documents representing fictitious claims.
He appeared much dejected, and in a low and
almost inaudible voice pleaded guilty to all the
indictments.
Sentence deferred.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.