The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 23, 1868.

cy against the members of the Govern-
ment , instead of keeping to the point of import-
ance„ and defending himself from the many attacks
ru: ide; upon him for precipitancy on the other. Mr.
Li DDELL'S advice about the House of Lords was
no t -wanting, because he believed that
thAt assembly would pass the bill ; but Mr.
GY,..A;OSTONE, however, must suddenly become much
prE sanguine than he generally is to arrive at
such a conclusion. As for Mr. HARDY's spirited
invc 'cation to the Opposition to move a vote of want
of -confidence, that he declined to do, because it
was of much more importance to settle these mea-
sure s first. In the face of all these assertions, we
believe that Mr. GLADSTONE is in reality disap-
pointed—annoyed at some of his friends going too
far in their recriminations against the Government,
and vexel at the want of uuity in the work he has
accomplished, with so much struggle and vexatious
obstruction. A more unnecessarily wasted S.ssion
is not on record, and there would be more reliance
placed in Mr. GLADSTONE'S rambling assertions of
yesterday were not the affair of the amendment of
Mr. BOUVERIE fresh in our minds. The "managed"
majority of that night accords ill with the remarks
of the leader of the Opposition that it is better that
they should remain as they are until the Irish
Church question is settled. Against infatuation, such
as it is, it is useless to argue, but those who follow
him through thick and thin at all hazards must be
surprised to be told hereafter that they have mono-
polised the time of the session in arriving at con-
clusions that the next Parliament may gainsay the
justice of, and are not by any means bound to
abide by them.

It is no matter of surprise that the renewed at-
tack upon ex-Governor EYRE should have called
forth the strongest expressions of indignation in
many luarters ; and in the House of Commons,
yesterday-, some observations were made on the
subject. In the absence of Mr. DISRAELI, Cap-
tain ARCHDALL said he would repeat his ques-
tion another day. Major JERVIS also an-
nounced his intention of asking, on Monday,
a reply from the right honourable gentleman at the
head of the Government as to whether a man,
" who undertook the defence of a colony rendered
himself liable to be put in the felon's dock without
receiving the slightest assistance from the Govern-
ment that should stand by him." Major KNox
also addressed some remarks to the lion. member
for Westminster on the subject, but these
not being strictly in accordance with Parlia-
mentary rules, he was not able to answer
them. Altogether it is evident that a
general feeling of impatience is springing up at the
continued persecution of Mr. EYRE, and those who
now pride themselves upon their hostility may soon
bitterly regret having entered upon so factious and
oppressive a scheme as that which the Jamaica
Committee upholds. It will, under these circum-
stances, be seen with satisfaction that the
EYRE Defence Fund is likely to receive consider-
able additions. Sir RODERICK MURCHISON has
forwarded a letter from Lord OVERSTONE on the
subject, which is most satisfactory. The noble lord
sends ten hundred pounds to the fund, of which Sir
R. MURCHISON is president, and observes in so
doing that he discharges thereby his share of a
public duty, " which, be doubts not, will be
widely recognised, and if recognised will
be cheerfully fulfilled." His lordship has
hitherto abstained from taking part or expressing
opinion respecting the legal proceedings against
Governor EYRE ; but he thinks, very justly, that a
point has now been reached at which the latter is
entitled to look for the sympathy and support of
the public.
The appeal which Mr. EYRE made the other
day, in the stirring words he addressed to the
magistrate, appear, adds he, "to have excited
a spontaneous outburst of approval from the
bystanders, even in a court of justice.
I shall be mistaken if they do not elicit a warm
response from every British heart." In the pre-
fatory remarks of Sir R. MuncuisoN he mentions
the important fact that the heavy expenses attendant
on the new trial of his distinguished friend at the
Court of Queen's Bench will soon be likely to
exhaust the funds already subscribed, and this,
we trust, will be noticed by those who have

the means to aid their wishes. We con-
fidently believe that by the titne this trial

takes place the Eyre Defence Fund will have been
so largely recruited that it will have more than
sufficient to meet any demands that may be made
upon it, and in so doing the contributors will, as
Lord OVERSTONE says, exhibit those virtues of

instice and generosity which it is to be

trusted are not yet " obliterated from the
national character." That Mr. EYRE should
sustain pecuniary ruin as one of the consequences
of the disgraceful persecution to which he is being
subjected will never do, and it is only necessary to
in.tke known that he stands the chance of such a
casualty for a ready response to be made, and the
Fund for his defence to be put in a position to cope
with the "persevering assailants" of this brave man
now subjected to such uncalled-for annoyance.

The Chicago Republican Convention has been
making itself very busy in providing the country
with rulers and a policy. Chicago is a city of no
slight importance, and is, in fact, the capital of the
district in which it lies. It is a stronghold of com-
mercial and mercantile enterprise, and the rapidity
of its growth and progress affords no unfavourable
specimen of American energy. The nominations of
the Chicago Convention are never therefore matters
of indifference in political circles, though it may
well be doubted, in the present state of parties, how
far the decision of any Republican assembly can be
relied upon as expressing popular convictions. The
news of yesterday brought by the cable tells us that
the Convention has nominated Mr. SCHUYLER
COLFAX, the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, for the Vice-Presidency. The nomination of
the day before was more important. The Conven-
tion on the 21st unanimously nominated General
GRANT for the next Presidency, and as unani-
mously passed resolutions denouncing any repudia-
tion of the public debt, and approving the Im-
peachment of President JOHNSON. These resolu-
tions arc significant. They show that GRANT and
JOHNSON are regarded as antagonistic by the Repub.
lican party ; also that the General's hcstitation and
vacillation have not prevented him from gaining his
object. He has succeeded in keeping his hold on
the affections of the Radical party. In fact to that
desire he sacrificed his objections to Mr. JOHNSON,
and he behaved with an inconsistency and want of
straightforwardness which reflected anything but
credit on his reputation. However he has gained
his point, and 11 i ving to choose between the two
parties, with both of which he had contrived to keep
on terms, he went over to the Radical side, and is
accordingly rewarded by his nomination for the
Presidency. As for Speaker COLFAX he will be a
thoroughly Radical Vice-President if lie ever gtts
elected, which is more than doubtful. His career
in the House of Representatives has not been
such as to win him the confidence of men
who look to the public interests rather
than to party triumph or personal aggran-
disement. The resolution respecting the re-
pudiation of the national debt is as good as the

nominations are bad, and we are glad to find an
influential assembly recording their verdict against
so unworthy and impolitic a resource. Americans
are, we should hope, too shrewd and sharpsighted
to be misled by the temporary relief to be gained
by repudiation into a course so fatal to the national
credit, so derogatory to the national honour, and
so destructive to the national interests. When
once the excitement of political contention has
subsided, and the Radic.►ls have lost their mis-
chievous ascendancy in the Legislature, we may
hope to see internal tranquillity restore:, the South
revive, and the trade and industry of the United
States once more flourishing. When these desirable
results are attained.the national debt will be but a
comparatively slight burden and can be dealt with
vigorously, but as matters now stand no amount of
repudiation nor of taxation will set the Exchequer
right.

The importance of a rapid and efficient system
of telegraphic communication is now everywhere
recognised. All European nations, as well many
'Asiatic and American States, are sensible of its
value, but to no country is it of so vital a matter
as to England. Her possessions and dependencies
are so widely scattered, her commerce so im-
mense and so extended in its area, and her
traffic in all parts of the habitable globe so
constant and so increasing, that uncertain and de-
fective means of communication become to English-
men the source of serious loss. More especially is
this the case with regard to our telegraphic com-
munication with the East, which, we are sorry to
say, is at present extremely defective. There are
two lines from England to India the line
through Germany and the lino through
Constantinople—but neither of them works
well. Moreover, the manner in which
the messages are transmitted, is often so very faulty
and negligent that they are quite as likely to be
sent in direct contradiction to the intentions of the
sender as in compliance with then. In commercial
transactions the consequence of such inaccuracy is
often extremely damaging, and firms who have
branches in India or agencies in China and Japan
have good reason to doubt in. transmitting orders to
their coadjutors what will be the effect on their credit.
Delay alone is often sufficiently injurious to mer-
chants and manufacturers, and also the grievances
which our trading community have to complain
are very practical and substantial in their nature.
Under these circumstances, seeing the wonderful
progress which telegraphic science has made during
the last few years, it is not surprising that men
of enterprise should have sat to work to
discover some means of relief. It has been sug-
gested that a new line should be laid down from
England to Gibraltar, thence to Malta, Alexandria,
the Red Sea, and Bombay. It will be observed
that this line would be almost entirely independent
of Foreign Powers. With the exception of the
short distance from Alexandria to Suez,
which lies through Egypt, a country where
there is very little risk of any inter-
ference, the whole line would be perfectly free
of any interference, whereas now the existing
means of communication are at the mercy of poli-
tical complications.lt is true, as Sir STAFFORD
NORTUCOTE remarked when speaking yesterday on
the subject, one line might be involved in political
disputes which would leave the other free. Still,
it is a position hardly worthy of England with
all her wealth, her enterprise, and her engineering
skill to be dependent on the favour of foreign na-
tions in so important a matter as her communica-
tions with the East. While the trading community
of all the chief centres of industry in Great Britain
therefore are very desirous of seeing this new line
constructed, they naturally feel that they have
a right to look for some assistance from the Go-
vernment which wants to profit so largely by their
labours. A deputation, representing the large com-
mercial interests of London, Liverpool, Manchester,
and the other great commercial centres of the king-
dom, waited yesterday upen Sir STAFFORD NORTH-
COTE to present to him a memorial signed by the
C bombers of Commerce of Glasgow, Hull, Bristol,
and Liverpool, and copies of memorials presented by
the commercial bodies of Bombay and Calcutta to the
Governor-General, all complaining of the un-
satisfactory state of the telegraphic system between
England and the East. Mr. CRAWFORD, M.P.,
who was the principal spokesman, mentioned two
instances which had come to his own know-
ledge, in which serious loss had been occa-
sioned by the careless manner in which mes-
sages were forwarded. A bank having an
agency in China received a telegraphic message
from its branch asking permission to buy large bills
on this country ; whereas, as afterwards appeared,
the permission asked was to draw largely on this
country. Another case was that of an order sent
to Bombay to buy cotton at sid, but the message
delivered in India was to buy cotton at 5d.,
so as the market price was between the two
the cotton was not bought. It is really
too bad that our merchants and traders
should be liable to the heavy losses which
such mistakes entail from sheer carelessness and
mismanagement, apart from the ordinary and ine-
vitable fluctuations of trade. There is really no
reason for it. If our telegraphists have been able
successfully to cross the Atlantic, surely there can
be no reason why the direct route proposed to India
should not be carried out. We should like to see
telegraphic enterprise carried still further, and a
line running from Alexandria down the African
coast to the Cape of Good Hope—the great centre
of civilisation in that part of the world. We have
no stations all down the coast, so that the
matter would be virtually in our own
hands, and would do much to forward
the cause of African progress and civilisation.
With regard to the Indian line,
a careful survey
of the route gives us the satisfactory information
that there are no formidable
natural obstacles.
The depth of the Arabian Sea is in no case greater
than that of the North Atlantic where it is tra-
versed by the cables, the temperature of the
water at the bottom being
cooler by seve-
ral degrees than that of the Atlantic, and
the bottom is uniform, consisting of soft mud
or ooze. Competent judges pronounce that the
risk of successfully submerging
a cable would be 50
per cent. less in the Indian Ocean than in the At-
lantic. There is therefore no great risk in under-
taking an enterprise which is certain when com-
pleted to be self-supporting; and we are sorry to find
official economy, as usual, being practised in the
wrong place, and the Government shrinking from
assisting in the work. We hope, however, that
both the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Sec-
retary for India will think better of the matter,
since the value of a direct and independent line of
communication between England and the East would
to this country be simply incalculable.

MUSICAL ITEMS.— A new school of music has
been opened at Basle, the direction of which has been given
to M. Seltnar Bagge, lately the chief editor of the Leipsic
Gazette Musicale. A posthumous opera by Gustave Fay,
entitled " fiesko," has been given at Pesth ; its want of
success would apparently render the amended designation
of "Fiasco" more appropriate. At St. Paul's, New York,
Mozart's " Twelfth Mass" was performed on Easter Sunday
by a volunteer choir assisted by a powerful band. For a
finale, the orchestra performed the first movement of the
grand symphony in 0 (" Jupiter").—Alwica/ Standard.

LATEST INTELLLGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, May 22, Evening.

The New Free Press alleges that a declaration is
being prepared by England to which all the Powers
aro to give their adhesion, and to declare their firm
desire to maintain peace, and also their conviction
of the possibility of its maintenance.
As soon as the English Government shall hare
received satisfactory replies to the confidential com-
munications on the subject which it has addressed
to the various Powers the formal opening of nego-
tiations will take place.
The same paper also asserts that England has
already informed the Vienna Cabinet of its views,
and counts upon its ready co-operation.

AUSTRALIA.

LIVERPOOL, May 23.

The screw steamer Great Britain, Captain Gray,
from Melbourne on the 15th ult., passed Holyhead
at 7 a.m. to-day. She brings 79,317 ounces of
gold.