The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-02 00:00:00

JOURNALS,

IT QF

The privilege of voting by proxy, so long defended ail a
venerable outwork of the Constitution, has at last, the
Times points out, been surrendered by the House of Lords
on the report of a select committee. For the present, in-
deed, the change rests on no higher authority than a new
standing order--" That the practice of calling for proxies
on a division shall be discontinued, and that two days'
notice be given of any motion for the suspension of this
order." Lord Malmesbury, however, pledged himself to
introduce resolutions embodying the same rule in a more
permanent form, and the general tone of Tuesday night's
debate shews that no effective opposition will be
offered to them. Our contemporary, therefore, con-
gratulates the Upper House on having sacrificed
a right which, though seldom exercised, has ever
been regarded with natural jealousy by the people.
Making this its text, the leading journal presents its
readers with what it considers to be the real danger of the
If ouse of Lords. The real danger of the House of Lords
in our days, it says, does not arise from without, but from
within ; and its loss of influence is due to causes almost
entirely within its own control. It is not merely the
emptiness of its benches except on a great field-day of
party warfare which diminishes its legitimate influence,
but the shortness of its sittings and the listless tone of its
debates on subjects of imperial interest. All these visible
shortcomings proceed from one source, and that source Is
an inadequate recognition of the responsibilities which
devolve upon a privileged order invested with the func-
' tions of a Second Chamber, and which in ancient times
were cheerfully discharged. The rare advantages of our
House of Lords over all other assemblies of the same
kind are freely acknowledged by political writers of
every school, but neither wealth nor traditional influence,
nor leisure, nor independence will compensate for a want
of industry. The one thing the English nation will never
respect in its rulers is self-indulgent idleness, and it is this,
after all, which cripples the action of the House of Lords.
That House, probably, contains at least as large a propor-
tion of ability as the House of Commons, and a larger
proportion of available energy. The average age of its
members is greater, but comparatively few are engaged in
laborious avocations, and most have acquired, by virtue
of their social position, a certain training for public life.
There are men among them not only capable but am-
bitious of taking an active part in the great work of
legislation, but the highest aspirations of a speaker are
damped by the spectacle of a thin or impassive
audience, and the knowledge that the debate, however
important it may be, will be certainly cut short by the
dinner hour. It is not only a great misfortune, it is a
great disgrace, that a power which, if lost, it would be
impossible to revive, should be imperilled, not by obsti-
nate resistance to the popular will, but simply by the
apathy of its possessors. Political vigour, like physical
vigour, is maintained by exertion, and, if too much hus-
banded, gradually wastes away. The House of Lords is
still far from having reached this stage, but, if it would
recover constitutional strength, it must follow up such
reforms as the abolition of proxies with a more earnest
devotion to legislative duties.

Men, says the Telegraph, are said to remember the events,
pleasures, and companions of their childhood with a vivid
keenness of recollection not accorded to the incidents of
later life. If that i 4 true, there must be numbers of staid,
middle-aged gentlemen who feel a pang of regret at learn-
ing the death of Mr. Edward Jesse. In the old days
when children's books were neither so plentiful nor so well
written as they are now, the number of works which
formal the Boys' Own Library was comparatively limited.
There is a phase in boyhood when fairy tales have ceased
to enthral, and novels have not yet begun to interest ; and
to that phase works like the "Gleanings of Natural
History " are eminently adapted. Fashion prevails in
literature as well as in costume, and possibly the rising
generation may have other and newer favourites than the
late Mr. Jesse ; but certainly it can have none more
worthy. It was not only that his works on natural
history were charmingly written and really instructive,
even to maturer students than lads at school, but that they
inspired a love of quiet study, a tenderness for all animated
things, an appreciation of the beauties of nature, in which
the general education our boys receive from teachers and
schoolfellows is wont to be sadly deficient. Amongst the
many literary successes of Mr. Jesse's life, there is none to
our estimation higher than the fact that for many a long
day he ranked in childish estimation with the authors whom
boys most delight to honour.

THE FORTHCOMING FENIAN TRIALS

About ten or twelve days hence, if not earlier, the seven
prisoners now confined in Newgate on the charge of
murder in connection with the Fenian attempt to blow up
the Clerkenwell House of Detention will, in all proba-
bility, be put upon their trial at the Central Criminal
Court, as will also Burke, Casey, and Shaw, charged with
treason-felony, and who are likewise imprisoned in New.
gate, they having been removed there by certiorari, as
will be remembered, from the county of Warwick, the
scene of the alleged crime, and the grand jury of which
had found true bills against them at the recent assizes held
there. The next sessions of the Central Criminal Court
will be opened at the Court House in the Old
Bailey, on Monday next, but it is understood
that the trial of the Fenian prisoners will not
begin until early in the following week. The
ordinary business of the sessions will be of greater
magnitude as to the number of prisoners than usual.
From all that can be learnt, having regard to the attend.
ant circumstances now so familiar, and without any
attempt being made to invest it with undue significance,
the trial will have all the dignity and solemnity attaching
to a great State prosecution. The judges on the rota are
Mr. Baron Bramwell, Mr. Baron Pigott, and Mr. Justice
Keating, and two of those will probably preside at the
trial of the Fenian prisoners, unless, indeed, which is pos-
sible, the principal part of the duty devolve upon the
Lord Chief Justice of England. The case on the part of
the Crown will be conducted by both the Attorney and
Solicitor-General, aided by Mr. Hardinge Giffard, Q.C.,
Mr. Poland, and Mr. Archibald. By whom the defence
will be undertaken remains to be seen, for at present little
is known upon that point. It is understood that a
solicitor engaged for some of the prisoners has recently
applied, on the ground of their poverty, for assistance
to the Sheriffs of London, stating that at least £2OO would
be required for the proper conduct of their defence. In con-
sequence of that appeal the sheriffs, with others of the
managing committee of the Sheriff; Fund, established
about sixty years ago, held a special meeting on Monday,
and arrived at the conclusion that they could not con-
scientiously extend the required aid, having regard to the
purposes for which the fund was set on foot, which were
—the temporary relief of the distressed families of pri-
soners ; to afford temporary provision for persons who, on
being discharged from prison, have no means of present
subsistence ; to purchase tools, implements, and mate-
rials for prisoners upon their discharge, to enable
them to earn a living ; and, lastly, the pecuniary aid
of other objects of distress who come under the official
cognisance of the sheriffs. Besides the two present
sheriffs, the members of the committee present at the
meeting included some of the aldermen and other gentle.
men who have served the office of sheriff, and some who
have filled that of under-sheriff. Meanwhile, as an act of
gr►ce, the Crown solicitors, on a respectful representation
being made to them as to the want of means of the seven
prisoners charged with the Clerkenwell murder, have
transmitted to each of them, through Mr. Jonas, the
governor of Newgate, a printed copy of the whole of the
depositions taken before the committing magistrate, and
which, as may be imagined, are very voluminous. On the
other hand, the three men charged with treason-felony do
not appear to want either friends or assistance, solicitors—
one being Mr. Roberts, of Manchester— being now en-
gaged in preparing their defence, and they will, doubtless,
be represented by counsel

Major-General Sir George Buller, commanding
the South-Western Military Division, will review the
volunteers on Easter Monday.

PETITIONS ON THE IRISH CHURCH QUESTION.-
From the twelfth report of the Public Petitions Committee it
appears that already (chiefly from Ireland) 110 petitions
have been presented against the disendowment of the Irish
Church, with 13,741 signatures ; 52 have been presented,
with 1,580 signatures, praying the House of Commons to
adopt such measures as may be necessary to disendow the
Established Church in Ireland.

REVENUE OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER.— A
return just published relating to the revenue of the Duchy
of Lancaster, shews that the receipts and disbursements
during the year 1867 amounted to £48,796. The latter
includes a payment for her Majesty's use to the Lord
Keeper of the Privy Seal of £'29,000, a sum of £1,245 de-
voted to the restoration and decoration of the Savoy
Chapel, and cash at the bankers' amounting to £5,163.
The capital account shews a balance of stock on the 21st
of December, 1807, of £34,350.
•

The Fenian prisoners, Thompson and Mullady,
who were sentenced to death at the late assizes at Man-
chester for the murder of Sergeant Brett, have been re-
moved to London and lodged in Millbank prison. As
soon as the removal was accomplished the military garrison
was withdrawn from the gaol, Detachments of troops,
contributed in turn from each regiment stationed in Man-
chester and Salford, have been on duty since the prisoners
were committed for trial, and the outside of the gaol has
been patrolled by a small force of the county ccinstabulary.
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