The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-14 00:00:00

A CIIINESE ADDRESS.

Daring his visit to Castlemaine (Australia), the Duke
of Edinburgh received the following address from the
Chinese population of the district :—" From the Chinese
residents at Castlemaine.—We of the hundred sing (people)
of the great clear nation (China), from the province of
Canton and the neighbouring districts, have anxiously
waited, royal sir, your arrival at Castlemaine to come
forth and welcome you, great England's lesser lord,
1,000 years second in the temple below. We bow our
heads to the ground and let our hands hang down as a
token of reverence. We maintain that posture, and in
great swelling words give utterance. - At this propitious
time the subtile influences are efficacious in the ground,
increasing its fertility, and men are becoming eminent
for virtue and talent, The earth yields more
largely her golden treasures. We acknowledge with
thankfulness the gracious love of the reigning dynasty of
England, which permits our merchants and all others to
follow their occupations here. We have a feeling of pro-
found veneration and respect, which leads us to obey and
induce obedience to the royal laws. With serious atten-
tion we have endeavoured to act in accordance with them.
When her Majesty your sacred mother commenced her
reign, like the time when the three holy sages, Wong 1.,
Yaou, and Shun, hung the upper and inferior garments on
their persons, so the whole empire was forthwith subjected
to order and decorum. Royal prince, you have gone out
to examine the distant part of the empire, and all the
people skip for joy in welcoming you. To look upon the
dragon (royal) countenance may be compared to beholding
the dark clouds and the sun immediately bursting forth.
We have followed you to the tiger-skin-covered seat (the
levee) with beat of drum, vibrating stringed instruments,
and blowing the cheerful reed, mingling with every voice
singing your virtue, which is as high as the vault of
heaven. Your benign love is liberally diffused, and
extends to all things. The blessings and happiness you
confer are as the ocean. They mollify and enrich us who
are of another country, although the subjects of this. The
people love you as the Kaum Hong tree which shaded
Chao Hong, the brother of the Emperor Moon, when he
stayed his horse to rest during his tour of inspection of the
empire. Following in your track sweet rains fall, making
no noise. All kindreds and people are improved by your
example, and thus military operations cease, and
literary pursuits are cultivated. We desire earnestly
that your royal house shall, through all ages,
remain unmoved, and reign continually over a
nation as rich and powerful as England is at
present. Prolong your stay with us until the customs
of the people in every nook of our shores are inquired
into and known by you ; then all will be exhilarated with
delight. When you return to the royal court and take the
corner place, we hope you will sit down in joy with uni-
versal peace prevailing. Oh ! how excellent and admi-
rable, how worthy of praise is he to whom, with venera-
tion, awe, and humility, we present our address. In the
sixth year, eleventh month, of the reign of the Emperor
Hong Che, of the dynasty of Tsin—English calculation of
time, 1867 year, twelfth month—at Castlemaine, by the
Flowery Nation (Chinese), this address was humbly pre-
sented."

There is now a prisoner in Taunton Gaol who has

just had a legacy left him of £16,000.
Sir John Lubbock is still a candidate for the represents.
Lion of the University of London. His committee solicit
support for the hon. baronet on the grounds of his close
connection with the university, of his distinguished lite-

rary and scientific attainments, of his ability as a public
speaker and man of business, and, above all, on account
of his thorough identification with the educational views
and general politics of the great majority of the graduates.
Amongst other notices of motion there is one by Lord
Eustace Cecil, the younger brother of Lord Cranborne,
who will press the Secretary for War to e> end the Con-

tagious Diseases Act to every camp, garrison, and seaport
town in the United Kingdom. Mr. Headlam promises to
move for a committee to inquire into the expediency of
altering the internal arrangements of the House, with a

•?iew to the better accommodation of the members. Mr.
Seely intends to renew his indictments against the Admi•

ralty by moving for a select committee to inquire into the
application of moneys voted by Parliament for the use of

the Admiralty, and into the system of keeping accounts
by that much-abused department. Major O'Reilly will
move for leave to introduce a bill for further regulating
the sale of fermented and distilled liquors in Ireland.
Mr. Norwood will bring forward a measure conferring
Admiralty jurisdiction on the county courts.
Mr. Bicknell, who has been so actively engaged, in en-

deavouriug to demonstrate the value of horseflesh as an
article of diet in this country, has been lecturing at the
Crystal Palace on the subject. There were, he said, six-
teen countries in which the use of this newmeat was legally
recognised as a wholesome and nourishing edible. In fact,

the only important country in the civilised globe where a
prejudice still existed against horseflesh was England. The
lecturer then proceeded to answer the objections urged
against hippophagy. It was contended that the people
would only have the opportunity of eating old and
diseased animals ; that the flesh was hard, unwholesome,
and nasty; that the use of it was forbidden by the Mosaic
law ; that the horse was the faithful servant of man, and
therefore it was cruel to kill him and eat him ; and there
was the strongest objection of all—prejudice. He denied
that all horses were diseased. But, to obviate any diffi-
culty, he would have ,a rigid Government inspection.
Experiment had shewn that the flesh was neither unwhole-
some nor nasty. The religious argument was set aside by
the doctrine of St. Paul. The sentimental objection
was so weak that it would be far better to sacrifice it than
to deprive the people of an important food. After his
address Mr. Bicknell invited his audience into an adjoin-
ing room, where there were prepared the plain joints,
soups, sausages, &c., from an animal alleged to be 23 years
old. The ladies and gentlemen seemed to appreciate the
new meat.
- -

........ _______
A parliamentary agent has been gravely intimating the
probability that the general election will be deferred until
1871. He reckons that the Irish and the Scotch Reform
Bills will not be passed this year, and that if they are
passed next year too late for the electors to be included in
the register of Ism the election will be postponed till the
year following. This ingenious and highly self-denying
person, who certainly can have no personal reason for
wishing to put the election off, forgets that in this matter
Parliament is omnipotent, and that even supposing the
Scotch and Irish bills were not passed till 1869, there is
nothing to prevent them from taking effect immediately
by means of a special Registration Act, such as that
which was passed in August 1832, and was followed
by a general election in the following December. It is,
moreover, extremely improbable that either the country or
the Liberal party would consent to so long a postpone-
ment as the agent suggests. There is a further difficulty.
Under the Reform Act of last year a large number of new
electors will come upon the register on next New Year's
Day. They will certainly not be content to wait for
other two years before exercising their newly-acquired
privilege. Lastly, we believe that the Government do not
really desire delay. There are several' questions, notably
the Irish Church, with which they feel themselves unable
to deal until the country has spoken, out clearly and given
them the necessary impetus for a strong measure, fiu c h as
Ithe Con*rvative party would not now be prepared to
pass.

The report of the Metropolitan Board of Works contains I
some very interesting statements with reference to the use
of sewage as manure. The board have constructed eighty-
two miles of sewers in order to purify the Thames. The
sewage is sent to a point where it will be harmless, until
the works of the Essex Reclamation Company are con-
cluded. This company have made some . experiments
lately with considerable success. They proved that
the sewage was most valuable as manure in the
growth of mangolds, potatoes, cabbages, flax, celery, and
strawberries. It was tried in a wheat field, and those
parts of the field in which the sewage had been laid down
could be distinguished from the other by the strength and
length of the stalk and size of the ear. With regard to
the other improvements on the Thames, it is stated that
between Waterloo Bridge and the Temple considerable
progress has been made : the river wall has been constructed
to its full height, and the subways and sewers are com-
pleted. Below this, however, to Blackfriars Bridge the
works have not been as much as commenced, owing to the
delay occasioned by the Metropolitan District and Gas
Companies.