The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-11 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE ii, 1857

wishes. Even the discussion by the popular re-
presentatives of any measure calculated to
improve the national representation is re-
garded as a species of lese inajeste—a petty
treason against the Ministerial prerogative.
Mr. LOCKE KING, however, yesterday achieved
sufficient to convince all parties, that the matter
which he brought under the consideration of the
House, must be included in the new Reform Bill,
and that the property qualification is to ail intents
and purposes doomed.

The contemplated change is, as the member for
East Surrey truly remarked, "no innovation."
It is only the restoration of the ancien regime.
The necessity for a real estate qualification was
but an ingenious device to bolster up the landed
interest, and, for a time, it achieved the intended
purpose ! To it, the country is partially, if not
altogether indebted for the incubus by which it
was so long oppressed. The bread-tax was
its legitimate fruit, and as that has
been unequivocally condemned, as even
the ghost of " Protection" has been " hid," and
there is no prospect of the resuscitation of the
unseemly monster, there is no longer any reason
why the farce should still be enacted. The property
qualification is now a mere bugbear. It is noto-
rious that almost any person can obtain the neces-
sary qualification at a very trifling cost. There
is in fact a fixed tariff. An aspiring knight of
the shire can obtain his passport for 1001. ; a
citizen or burgess for half that amount. What,
then, can be the utility of an enactment which
can so easily be evaded ? What the advantage of
compelling even a few of the law makers to be-
come law breakers before they enter on their legis-
lative career? There is no qualification required
for Scotland or for the universities ! Is it for a
moment supposed that the representatives from
"The Land o' Cakes" or "The Seats of Learning"
are less eligible than those from other parts of the
United Kingdom ? Certainly not. The best and
only qualification is the possession of a majority
of votes fairly and honestly obtained, and when
that majority decides in favour of any man there
should be no further obstacle to his taking the
seat to which he is justly entitled.
Surely the privilege is that of the electors, not
of the elected. Every constituency possesses a
constitutional right to select the person whom
they consider best calculated to represent their
wants and wishes in Parliament. It does not
follow that the wealthy man must necessarily be
the most independent and straightforward mem-
ber. A man may be largely assessed to the in-
come tax—may be earning many thousands per
annum—and thus, to all intents and purposes, as
independent of Ministerial favour as any person
in the House ; and it would be an absurdity to
depri►e him of the opportunity of serving these
who had afforded the most flattering proof of their
confidence, unless he should consent to evade a
law that should never have been passed. !

The chief grounds, then, whereon the principle
advocated by Mr. LocKE KING should be carried
out to the full extent, are-Ist, That it is unwise
and impclitic to maintain a law which can be
easily evaded, through which "a coach-and-six"
can be drawn at any moment, and the only effect
whereof is to put some trifling costs into lawyers
pockets.
2dly. That constituencies should not be de-
prived of the services of any person whom they
may think proper b elect ! Let every
possible precaution be adopted to ensure the
most perfect freedom of election, to be certain
that no corrupt influences have succeeded in put-
ting " the wrong man iu the wrong place." Let
there be a cousideraLle extension of the franchise,
so that every man, fairly entitled, may be enabled
to record his vote—that the number of political
cyphers may be greatly reduced. Let the
smal:er electoral districts be greatly enlarged.
Above and beyond all, let " the Ballot" be
adopted in its integrity, and bribery aad inti-
midation, with all their various phases, be com-
pletely got rid of. When these objects have been
attained, as we hope and believe they will be,
no further security is wanting, and the property
qualification may safely ba set aside without a
single mourner deploring its well-merited doom
It has lung since become a mere jest, and the
sooner it is consigned to oblivion the better for
the honour of Parliament and the best interests of
the nation.

Another " Testimonial" has this day to be
chronicled. The presentation of it tJok place
on the 23d ultimo, in the theatre of the Institu-
tion of Civil Engineers. T;l3 recipient was no
other than Mr. CHARLES MANDY, the Gentleman
who, during the last eighteen, years, has discharged
the onerous and delicate duties of Secretary to
that Institution. So discharged those duties as
to win for himself at last the tribute of this really
noble and eminently well-deserved Testimonial.
A. Testimonial consisting of an e xci uisitely-
fabricated and costly Timepiece and Can-
delabra, together with a sum of 2,0001.—
the former bearing the subjoined inscrip:
Lion "Presented by the members of the
Institution of Civil Engineers and a few personal
friends, with the sum of two thousand pounds, to
Charles Manby, as a token of esteem, and in re-
cognition of his valuable services, during a period
of eighteen years, as secretary of the institution"
—together, of course, with "May, 1857," the
simple date of the presentation. The manner of
that Presentation, it should be observed, was
hardly less gratifying in its way than the Testi-
monial itself. The proceedings were presided over
on the 23d ult. by perhaps the most illustrious, by
certainly one of the most illustrious, engineers
of this day—the name will have sprung to the
lips of almost every one before reading it—ROBERT
STEPHENSON. And ROBERT STEPHENSON, On the
part and in the name of his brother engineers
generally, spoke of the object of this MANBY Tes-
timonial in terms constituting of themselves an
additional and an enviable recompense. Mr.
STEPHENSON alluded to the fact of Mr. MANBY'S
sphere of usefulness as the Eighteen Years' Secre-
tary of the institution of Civil Engineers not being
restricted to the discharge of his official duties,
onerousas they were in themselves. Beyond all that
observed the Great Engineer, he (the recipient of
the Testimonial), "was ever ready to give advice
to the younger members, and to afford aid to the
senior members, from his well-st)red mind, in
reference to every department of engineering, as
well as in a variety of ways, rendered more pleas-
ing by the alacrity and cheerfulness with which
the friendly offices were performed." Adding
(and the words ring with a golden sound in the
ears of engineers, falling as they do from the lips
of STEPHENSON)—" The value of the information
afforded was enhanced by its accuracy, which was
to some extent to be attributed to the practical
foundation of his professional education, the early
portion of his life havinc, been spent in the work-
shop as a mechanical engineer, at the period when
the profession was beginning to assume its present
importance. In some degree, therefore, Mr.
MANGY lost the official character of secretary, and
became the friend and companion. of the ma-
jority of the members of the engineering
panegyric so complete in itsell
profession." A panegy

that it were little less than an impertinence to
append to them one syllable in addition.

Sufficient for us after this to observe in con-
clusion, that these interesting proceedings on the
morning of the 23d were adjourned to the even-
ing of the same day, from the theatre of the in-
stitution to a convivial apartment in the old
banquetting hostel of The Ship at Greenwich.
Where Mr. MANBY was feasted and toasted by a
joyous party of appreciators, the Chair again
being occupied by the gifted President of
the Institution. Everything appears to
have gone SD entirely upon the occa-
sion, " merry as a marriage bell," that
towards the close of the evening we find Mr.
STEPHENSON genially regretting the absence of
his friend, Mr. BRUNEL (another " man of mark"
among Engineers), with whom he said he had
maintained arduous struggles, which he oould
now look back upon. with such pleasure as almost
to desire to fight again " The Battle of the
Gauges." Fighting was not, however, the order
of that kindly day—a day for the honoured horo
of it only one of cordial, deserved, and enviable
gratulation.

Yesterday our hopes were most happily realised.
Mr. HARDY'S Beer Bill was politely shown the
door in a House of 393-180 voting " for," and
213 " against" the second reading of that ridicu-
lous measure. Altogether, then, we may at last
say—A. good riddance of it—and we do say that
cordially. The pertinacity of our pseudo-philan-
thropists was becoming intolerable. Only a session
or to back the metropolis, it will be remembered,
was frightened from its propriety, Sunday after
Sunday, in consequence of one of the pet moral
panaceas of these fanatical Religionists. Persons
whose principal endeavour appears to be that of
cramming their notions down the throats of their
fellow-creatures by sheer brute force—not by per-
suasion, but by the strong arm of the law.
As though Christianity itself had been origin-
ally established after the same fashion as
Mahommedanism—not by the inspired lips of
twelve poor Fishermen, but by the keen sword,
and the resolute geniug, and the daring ambition
of a great military Conqueror. It appears to be
the aim of these latter-day saints—to bully the
masses into sobriety, to bludgeon them into good
behaviour. Happily, a very considerable majority
of the popular representatives appear to be hardly
less determined than the great bulk of the com-
munity out of doors to have nothing whatever to
say to it—to the blundering phantasy pursued
with so much fanatical ardour by these carica-
turists of Christianity. And so—Lord ROBERT
GROSVENOR'S Sabbatarian movement is abruptly
and summarily reversed in the Old Parliament.
And so Mr. HARDY'S Beer Bill receives its
eonge or quietus, or exequatur, or whatever we
may like to call it, in the new. Parliament. That
new Parliament has in this particular realised
to the full—we had almost said surpassed—our
expectations.

THE DIVORCE BILL.

it was voted by a Constituent Assembly sucrimoLed
ad hoc.

ALEGERIA.

The Moniteur Algerian publishes the following
tJlegraghic despatch

" The Governor General to General de Cissey, at
Algiers.

Souk el Arba, June 4.
" The whole of the Beni Mahmaud have now
made their submission. The road h open from
Sik on Meddour to Souk el Arba. The works of
Fort Napoleon are about to be commenced. The
health of the troops is excellent." " The expedi-
tionary corps," says the same journal, " hag had in
all 509 men put hors de combat, viz., Ist division,
33 killed and 177 wounded ; 2d, 34 killed and 230
wounded ; and 3d, 3 killed and 35 wounded. As
to the enemy, it is impossible to ascertain their
exact loss but it has been very severe ; and it is
principally owing to that circumstance that may be
attributed their prompt submission. According to
accounts which appear to be entitled to credit, they
had 400 killed and 800 wounded. Most of the
wounded of the French have been sent to Algiers."

cent., but the stock closel ab 139 i ; Michigan
Southern Old Deferred Stock hung very heavy in
the neigh!), urhood of 60 per cent. ; Cleveland and
Toledo was quite buoyant, awl sold freely at the
advance ; it opened at 66 and closed at 66i per
cent., with sales of nearly 4,000 shires. At the
second Board the market for some btocks was
pretty well sustained with pretty active sales ;
Cleveland an l Pittsburg advanced 2 per cent., .
closing at 49, seller, three days. Cleveland and
Toledo opened at 66 cash, and closed at 66, buyer
60 days. A sale, seller 60 days, was, made at 64k
per cent.; after the Board it was offered in stacks
at 65k per cent. cash. Michigan Southern De-
ferred sold at the Board at 60 per cents., but after-
wards st,ld at 58i cash, and was offered freely at
that price ; the Guaranteed Preferred was heavy at
88 per cent.; with small sales ; Erie was tolerably
steady, and closed with an upward tendency ; of
Ohio, life and trust was made at 101 per cent cash.

NEW ORLEANS, MAY 28.
Cotton unchanged. Sales to-dap 1,000 bale 3 ; re-
ceipts 900. Corn 1 dol. Flour firm. Pork firm.
Lard, in kegs, 16c. Other articles generally un-
changed.

MAY 29,

Cotton market generally unchanged. Sales
only 300 bales at 14c. for middling. Sales
of the week, 11,750 bales the receipts of the
week, 4,000 bales ; stock, 119,500 bales. The
receipts at this port up to the present time
fall short, as compared with those of last year,
230,000 bales. The receipts at all the southern
ports, less than those of last year, are 524,000
bales. Sugar firm, 11f cents. Flour clos2d
with an advancing tendency : sales at 7 dols. 62ic.
to 7 dole. 80e. Corn excited, white, I.dol. 10c. ;
yellow, 1 dol. sc. Mess pork, 24 dole. 50c. Western
hay, 32 dole. to 33 dols. • Coffee quiet ; sales of the
week, 5,000 bags ; stock, 132,000 bags ; prime,
lOic. to Ile. Freights stagnant. bterling
change, 10 percent. premium.; and on New York,
to per cont.

OSWEGO, MAY 29, 6 P.M.
Flour dull ; sales of Canadian at 7 dols. 25c.
Wheat firm ; sales, 12,000 bushels, at 1 dol. sdc.
for Canadian Club, and 1 dol. 80c. for Canadian
white, afloat. Corn unchanged ; sales, 6,300
bushels, at 95c. Canal freights to New York—
flour, 35c., and wheat, 10c. Lake imports to-day,
24,000 bushels wheat;, and 13,500 bushels corn.
Canal exports 3,500 barrels flour, 10,000 bushels
wheat, 4,000 bushels corn.

LIVERPOOL, THURSDAY MORNING.
The screw steam ship City of Maucheiter has
arrived, with advices from New York to the 28th
ult. She has brought 10,000 dols. specie ou
freight.