The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-15 00:00:00

A PROBABLE CHANGE OF FRONT.

According to the Pall Mall Gazette various indications
confirm the suspicion that some at least of the Conserva-
tives meditate a change of front in regard to the Irish
Church similar to that they so daringly effected in re-
gard to Reform. Mr. Earle Welby, for example, in his
address to the electors of South Lancashire, says :
"I should view with the utmost regret, and, so long as I
can do so with reasonable prospect of success, should op-
pose any measure having for its object the severance, in
either country, of the connection between Church
and State ; but I cannot conceal from myself that cir-
cumstances may arise under which to prolong such resistance
would be not merely useless, but mischievous. I must,
therefore, if elected as your member, reserve the right of
acting in such a case to the best of my judgment, which
will he guided solely by an earnest desire to uphold
the interests of the Church and the integrity of
the Protestant faith." Recollecting Mr. Wolby's
succession to Lord Kesteven (Sir John Trollop) in
the representation of the county and the new
peer's confidential relations with the Premier, this
hedging about the Irish Church is certainly signi-
ficant. Sir Stafford Northcote, too, in a speech on
Saturday, frankly admitted that he regretted the change
in the franchise, and would have preferred to see it
maintained at the old figure. The arguments by which
he attempted to justify his acquiescence in the Reform
Act would equally apply to a similar face-about regard to
the Irish Church, and are perhaps intended to prepare the
'Way for some such movement.

ELECTION COM2IIIITEES AT PUBLIC-
HOUSES.

The connection of public-houses with elections has,
perhaps, been one of the main causes of immoral practices
at elections, and now that a general feeling prevails in
favour of greater purity at elections, the first step in
many places has been to remove the committees from
public-heusos. This was done at Manchester
when Mr. Jacob Bright was returned for that city last
year ; the same was the case at Stoke when Mr. Melly
was elected. The reports of the election proceedings in
these places notice the remarkable contrast on these
occasions in the order, sobriety, and decency which
prevailed as compared with the riot and de-
bauchery of former elections. A very general
desire prevailed in Liverpool that the forthcoming
elections should be conducted on both sides in a manner
similar to the last elections at Manchester and Stoke, and
memorial was accordingly got up, of which the following
is a copy:—" To the Councils of the Liberal and the Con-
servative Associations in Liverpool.—lmpressed with the
manifold evils attending the holding of election committees
in public-houses, the undersigned would respectfully urge
upon the associations that direct election committees in
Liverpool the desirability of not holding the committees fo'r
the forthcoming election in public-houses." This me-
morial received from 200 to 300 signatures •in
the Exchange Newsrooms in a few days, and
many of the merchants expressed their delight that
such a movement had been inaugurated, and
their hope that the object aimed at might be accom-
plished. On Thursday last, by appointment, the
memorial was presented to the Liberal committee by
an influential deputation, and on Friday the
same deputation waited upon the Conservative committee.
It was explained that the object of the deputation was
entirely to promote morality and sobriety in the conduct
of the election, and not in any way to favour on the one
hand or to embarrass on the other either of the two
parties. The committees of both the Liberal and the
Conservative Associations received the deputation cour-
teously, stating that they were fully alive to the evils
attending public-house committees ; that they would as
far as possible carry out the wishes of the memorialists ;
and that, in fact, they had already taken steps with that
object in view.

Mr. Gladstone, who has been suffering from an
attack of English cholera, is now reported to be much
better.

One enterprising tailor, desirous of combining with
his admiration for the house of Bute a stroke of business,
exhibited a novel transparency, on which was paiuted
pair of " inexpressibles," with the motto "Long live the
marquis to wear -'s sixteen shilling trousers."
The committee appointed by the Chester Board of
Guardians to demand the children who are retained in St.
John's Orphanage, in that city, under circumstances already
reported, have made an application to the persons in charge
of the institution for a restitution of the children, but they
declined to accede to it.

The death has been announced of the Dowager
Baroness Bloomfield at tho age of ninety-two. Her lady-
ship, who was a daughter of Mr. John Douglas, of Gran-
tham, was married to Lord Bloomfield in 1797. His lord-
ship died in 1846, and was succeeded. by his son, the present
peer, British Ambassador at the Court of Vienna.
The Daily News publishes a second paper on two
comets of the year. The special point of interest attaching
to these bodies—Brorsen's and a new one—is the remarkable
discovery that both comets are gaseous and self-luminous,
and that the latter consists of volatilised carbon.
PARRICIDE.—A labourer, named Dugoguez, 19
years of age, has just been arrested at Behagnies, near
Arras (Pas de Calais), for murdering his father by striking
him on the left temple with a stake. Marks of violence
on the body lead to the conclusion that strangulation had
also been attempted. When taken before the commissary
of police the prisoner avowed his crime with the utmost
coolness. Conducted by the gendarmes in presence of the
corpse, he manifested no emotion, but commenced smoking
his pipe. lie has been committed for trial.
A poor Irish cripple sat begging at a bridge,
urging his appeal to the charity of the passengers. A
gentleman and lady—young, gay, handsome, with that
peculiar look of gratified and complacent consciousness
which indicates the first few weeks of married life— crossed
the bridge. They regarded not the petition of the beggar ;
so, just as they passed him, he exclaimed, " May the
blessing of the Lord, which brings love, and joy, and
wealth, and a fine family, follow you all the days of your
life "—a pause ; the couple passed heedlessly on, and the
beggar, with a fine touch of caustic humour, added, " and
never overtake you."

At Birmingham, on Sunday evening, a number
of persons miraculously escaped death by the fall of
a house in Park-street. At the time of the occur-
rence there were ten persons in the house. A loud
crash was suddenly heard, and the whole of the front
and side of the house gave way, and fell forward. Two
persons in the attic escaped injury, but the occupants of the
second floor were carried away with it, and precipitated
below, and buried beneath the falling debris. The ceiling of
the lower floor did not entirely give way, hut became formed
in the shape of an arch, affording protection to the three in-
mates, who would but for this undoubtedly have suffered seri-
ous injury from the full weight of the falling materials. A
number of willing volunteers immediately set to work to
remove the debris and rescue the inmates. In a very short
space of time the whole of the inmates were got from be-
neath the debris, and it was then found that none had re-
ceived fatal injuries.

A very important meeting on the subject of
"Scientific instruction" was held on Saturday ie the Leeds
Town Hall, under the rresidency of the Mayor. The principal
object of the gatherkg, which the Yorkshire Board of Educa-
tion had convened, was to communicate to the schoolmasters
of the district the advantages bold out by the Science and
Art Department to those who qualify themselves as teachers
of science. Mr. J. F. Iselin, the Chief Government In-
spector for Science, gave some valuable information regard-
ing the scheme of the department ; and Mr. W. H. J. Traice
explained, by means of interesting statistics to what
extent science classes and examinations have been carried
on in the neighbouring counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.
With the view of giving a practical termination to the pro-
ceeding, Mr. G. Jarmain (who has been for some years
labouring almost alone in this district as a science teacher,
and to whose capabilities the Government inspector bore
high testimony), intimated his readiness at 9oco to men
• If
classes for instruction in chemistry.

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