The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-30 00:00:00

LONDON,

k OSBORNE NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS.
`4' • begged to ask the Hon. Member
df th-rleoster (Mr. Greene) whether it was the intention
Defileorarnissioners of the New Houses of Parliament
q)—and
that gallery—(pointing to the reporters'
't?....(tr"-end the strangers' gallery immediately above
„Itt.'„atighter.)
'QM IiCREENE said the Commissioners were anxious
titer embers should have a trial of the House before any
that "ions vc
lions ere made in it ; and now that they had had
"bat cola they would be able to form a judgment as to
urso it would be best to adopt.
ktett; It OSBORNE asked if he was to understand if
(Jo th 're were to be allowed to make th,Bir suggestions
Greee matter Y—(Laughter, in the midst of which Mr.
kriac' us reply was lost.)
test th. uIUNTZ thought one day was not sufficient to
, e House; but it would be quite impossible to hear
titt4et- ? house if every Member were allowed to be eon-
til'7 talking to his neighbour.—(Hear, hear.)
elitliri;,•Cl'REENE said it was not possible for him to de-
-11%4 elw many sittings it would require to test the
of the House. It was for the House itself.
Ilea: G• GREY was understood to say that there would
to ~-1.43 cal day sittings, but the sittings would be confined
titivate business.
41)1rLIPORE did not think Hon. Members would be
v'ere Vidge of the merits of the House if the sittings
"11,3" to extend to private business.—(Hear, hear.)
o art,. ; .t.,,REVirEN wished to put a question to the Speaker
me of order. In former sessions when the Home
the atn 12 o'clock there was no formal adjournment, but
4,tiin-Pe.Aker merely vacated the chair and resumed it
4110,- at five o'clock.—(Hear, hear.) Now he wished to
thi4"„A whether that course would be followed on
jeurn—ellsiou, or whether it would be necessary to ad-
-6; and count again when they met in the old House
'4°o'e„lcck.—(Hear.)
kdje, 'ix-BAKER said it would be necessary to formally
Aircn and count again in the old House.
tf th: ...1-4LIOT, who spoke from the gallery at the end
wht.th House facing the Speaker, said he did not know
that vser the Speaker could hear him, but this he knew,
toer':e could not hear what was passing on the floor
r`c) the chair.—(Hear, and a laugh.)
t(4,te;tfiti the liE thought it would be necessary, in order
b
House, to have an examination at the
he knew of no better party to examine than
ri„.!"arry himself.—(Hear, hear.)
'4e subject then dropped.
(LEFT sITTING.)

Pon `ERIIATIONAL PEACE AND UNIVERSAL PENNY
i
th, day at the Hall of Commerce, Threadneedle-street. The
appear the opening of the doors presented a very imposing
With r,sante, being fitted up on, either side and in the cent re
tuethuiWs of stall., on which were to be fotmd ladle,, 9rna-
and work, foreign curiosities, shells, paintings both in oil
to colours colours, and every other article calculated to
epee . Purchaser. The object of the bazaar was to. wel-
140v Elihu Burritt on his return to this country and tc, aid the
ova. event for the promotion of peace and the establishment
Ilunierniversal ocean penny postage. The bazaar was most
As °IIBIY and fashionably attended.
tttrr ,ft proof of their enjoyment of the pleasures of
t''Ve" society, the Princes of Nepaul have taken a box for
thoil,Liht'a performance at her Majesty's Theatre during
.."41'41Ce in London.

PROVIDENT CLERKS MUTUAL
LIFE ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION AND BE-
NEVOLENT FUND.
The managers of this laulable and prosperous in-
stitution met yesterday at the London Tavern, for
the purpose of electing three annuitants, in addition
to those already dependent on the bounty of the
society. John Abel Smith, Esq., M.P., occupied the
chair.
Mr. P. H. BYItNE, the Secretary, having, at the
request of the Chairman, read the advertisement con-
vening the meeting,
Mr. JONES said, in accordance with a resolution
passed at their last general meeting, they were now
assembled for the purpose of carrying out the object
for which it was passed. He would just mention that
the statements of the candidates had been all fully
inquired into by the Board—personally as regarded
London cases, and by the local committees as re-
garded country cases—and they were satisfied
that they were all most deserving persons; but
there must necessarily be three of them unsuc-
cessful. That was, of course, a matter of great regret
to the board, but the unsuccessful now must look for-
ward for success on a future occasion. This was one of
the pleasing opportunities which the managers had of
carrying out the objects of the association, and it was
most gratifying to them to be now engaged in this
good work.— (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said he could only express that
feeling of sympathy which everybody must have with
those who were compelled to seek the •assistance of
the institution ; and he believed it only remained for
him to declare the poll open, and that the managers
would proceed to take the votes.
The manager, then proceeded to register the votes,
a process which lasted until three o'clock, when the
poll closed.
Mr. R. H. JONES, who occupied the chair in the
absence of Mr. John Abel Smith, M.P., thew said—
Gentlemen, as the proceedings of theday have now been
brought to a close, it is my duty to state to you the
result of the ballot. When we commenced the busi-
ness of the day, you will remember I alluded to the
regret which we all in common felt, that some of the
candidates must be disappointed ; I now repeat the
observation which I then made, and beg to add that
this circumstance is one of great regret to us ; but, in
order to relieve all anxiety upon this point, I will state
at once the result of the poll, and reserve any further
observation which I may have to make until after the
announcement. The number of votes, then, which
have been polled for the different candidates are as
follows :
IV. B. 1,057
G. T. ••• 513
A. B. .. ... .. ... 1,421
A. W. R. ... 2,696
11. K. ... •.• ... 992
J. W. ... ••• .. 327
I, therefore, declare that the election has fallen on
W. B. for an annuity of 251. per annum, and on A.
W. R. and A. B. to yearly annuities of 151. each.—
(Cheers.) I have, in connexion with this election, to
announce, that since we came into the room, we have
had a further donation to the benevolent department
of ten guineas from James Clark, Esq.—(Cheers)—
and I wish very much that I could be enabled to in-
duce many others to look favourably upon the institu-
tion, and to show their interest in its welfare in a
similar manner.—(Cheers.) Nothing would give the
managers of the institution greater pleasure than to
have the power and means at their disposal
to give assistance to every party requiring it—
(Hear, hear)—and Ido hope that though same
have been disappointed, they will, on a future
occasion, meet with that success which they per-
haps had reason to expect to-day. When we
declared the vacancies we had no idea that the
number of candidates would be so numerous. I will
take this opportunity of stating that as regards the
business of the association we continue to make a
very satisfactory progress.iDuring the present year we
have had about 45 new members to the benevolent
department ; and therefore the appeal which we made
at the last annual meeting has not been altogether in
vain. I hope that number will be greatly increased
during the , year, especially as every one who has
paid the least attention to the working of the association
sees the amount of good which it has been the means
of accomplishing. Then, as regards the assurance
department, I find, on a comparison of the present
period with the corresponding period of last year,
that there is an increase of about 6,0001. in the amount
assured, which of course is very satisfactory to every
one connected with the association. I am not
aware that I have any further observations to make,
except to say, with reference to the unsuccessful can-
didates, that it is the intention of the board to present
them with a donation of five guineas each, as some
little recompense for the expense they may have in-
curred— (Hear)—but it must be apparent to all that
we must husband our funds, and act according to
the means at our disposal, and not according to our
wishes and feelings. I would say with regard
to this election, that the managers have endeavoured
to act in the fairest and most impartial manner to-
wards all parties. They have shown every desire
to act with the strictest impartiality, and I think—at
least I may say for a certainty—that no one can bring
any charge against them of pursuing a different line
of conduct. It has always been their custom to act
straightforwardly and honestly, and though they
observe a certain amount of secrecy in their
proceedings, they do so with the intention of
sparing the feelings of those who become re-
cipients of the society's bounty.—(Cheers.) The
Chairman concluded by intimating that he should be
happy to answer any inquiries which might be put to
him with respect to the association.
Mr. COLEMAN said be had great pleasure in moving
a vote of thanks to John Abel Smith, E-q.,
ALP., for his kindness in taking the chair on
that occasion ; and, in support of the motion,
he would simply say that the uniform kindness which
ho had shown to the association ever since its forma-
tion deserved the warmest thanks of every member of
their body. They were now presided over by the
worthy chairman of the board, Mr. R. H. Jones,
Mr. John Abel Smith having been pre vent ed return-
ing again to the meeting ; but, though the latter was
not present in person, he was glad to see that he was
so by deputy ; for every one would agree with him
that the portrait which was suspended in the room
was a most excellent likeness of Mr. John Abel
Smith, to whose valuable and disinterested aid the
society was so much indebted.—(Cheera.) But, al-
though he felt be had a right and title to speak in
such praiseworthy terms of that illustrious friend of
the association, he could not place second, in
point of usefulness end importance, the board of
management, at the head of which was the Hon. Gen-
tleman who now occupied the chair.—(Hear.) He
entirely responded to the sentiment uttered by Mr.
Jones, as he had no doubt the other members would,
that it was very desirable that all the candidates who
applied for assistance from the association in the shape
of annuities should be successful, and he hoped
and trusted that their future prospects were such as
to leave no doubt that those who had been disap-
pointed would ere long long be placed on the list of
annuitants.—(Hear.) He had great pleasure in
coupling with the vote of thanks to Mr. J ohn Abel
Smith the names of Mr. Jones and the rest of the
board of management.—(Cheers.)
Mr. NISSEN seconded the motion, and said he
would present the benevolent department of the asso-
ciation with a donation of ten guineas as a humble
token of his appreciation of the great benefits it
the means of conferring upon the members.—(Hear.,
Mr. J. G. NEELD returned thanks to the members
for the votes which they had given to Mrs. A. W. R.
who had been one of the successful candidates.
s). The vote of thanks to Mr. John Abel Smith and
the Board of Management having been put arid car-
ried unanimously,
The CHAIRMAN regretted that Mr. John Abel
Smith was not present to answer for himself,
because he was much better able to do so, but
be might say that he had uniformly devoted con-
siderable attention to the association, and might be
at that very moment doing more, perhaps, on its
behalf than he could venture to mention.—(Hear,
hear.) As regarded himself and colleagues, he could
only refer to their past exertions as a proof of what
they had done, and hope that for the future they should
continue to meet with the approbation of the members
but, at any rate, he could assure the meeting, that if
they failed in doing so, it would not be from any w ant
of desire on their part.

w as

Mr. TA,PLINT complained that the candidates for
annuities, in direct opposition to the fundamental
principle of the association, bad given publicity to
their names, and thus made it look more like a cha-
ritable society than the benevolent department of an
assurance office. He was quite aware that the board
of management was not responsible for the conduct of
the applicants, they having adhered to the original
plan of simply giving the initials ; but he thought the
matter was one which should not be allowed to pass
by without some allusion being made to it.—(Elear.)
The CUAIRMAIS said, so far as the individual feelings
of the board went, they were opposed to publicity
being given to the names of the applicants, and they
bad shown their opinion of the matter lgy simply ad-
hering to the initials, but he did not think it would
be advisable to interfere with the course which the
candidates themselves might think it advisable to
pursue. —(Hear.)
The meeting then separated.
A very fine full length portrait in oil of John Abel
Smith, Esq., M.P., the treasurer of the institution,
by the celebrated painter Saye, was exhibited in the
room during the proceedings. The likeness is the
most faithfully accurate we remember to have seen in
any case, and seemed to strike everybody who en-
tered the room. This painting is the result of a
subscription among the members, and is destined to
ornament the Board-room of the society.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR AND
LORD JOHN RUSSELL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sts,—l observe in your paper of last evening a
declaration made by Lord John Russell which surely
ought not to go unnoticed. It embodies a fact and
encourages a sentiment which I often see advanced
by our aristocratic legislators with the greatest ap-
parent innocency, but which if made, even in our
nurseries, would justly stand condemned and corrected
as selfish, low, and derogatory to all right ideas and
feelings of duty and honour. It was said by his
Lordship that he would " resist the reduction of the
present pension to such an amount as that the highest
talent could not be procured to fill the office of Lord
Chancellor."

Sir, is Mammon for everlasting to be held up as a
fit object for worship? Shall pelf be thus calmly and
continually extolled as the all-glorious result at which
the highest talents aim"? I ask, Sir, seriously, if it
be a fact—if it be a fact that our best high-minded
and gifted men are looking chiefly to money ? If so,
it surely ought only to be mentioned with deep re-
gret, and alluded to as an evil, a low debasing evil, to
which we must bow, though reluctantly. But his
Lordship made his declaration (as I often see made
in the House) as if the motive of money was,
as a matter of course, the great object of am-
bition among our learned, pious, patriotic and
highly gifted men. To me who have long
been accustomed, in humbler life, to see purer,
higher, and nobler motives instilled and acted from,
such gross ideas and aims do seem nothing less than
diabolical corruption. Sir, when we look to the in-
comes of the men to whom such declaration has refe-
rence—incomes where it is no longer a question of
can we live upon so little ? can we be comfortable
with such a sum ? nor even, can we not be very
luxurious ? but incomes far exceeding any rightful
and reasonable requirement—l do say, under such
effluent circumstances, to hold up an additional thou-
sand or two as the high motive which is essential to
secure great, good, and talented men, is a libel, a
gross libel, on the Christianity, the genius, and talent
of the age ; or a horrid fact, which ought only to be
spoken of with disgust or sorrow.
If it be a fact, it requires immediately the pruning
knife, or the hatchet itself, of our religious and moral
teachers ; if it be not a fact, our political guides ought
not to let one set of pensioners lead the public blind-
fold on behalf of other pensioners. A high-minded
talented aspirant for honour will mount the pedestal
of fame if you give him 9,000, but will refuse and
creep into shame, obscurity, and nothing, sooner
than take 8,0001! ! Is this the doctrine noblemen and
statesmen preach in the ears of a moral and religious
people ? If such wickedness is to be encouraged by
the State, why pay the Church our millions to preach
against covetousness and sin ? A half•starving
cottager with a question of nine loaves or eight
loaves, honour or shame, would act a higher part.
Yours truly,
DALETH.

Cheltenham, May 29, 1850.
P.S. We must remember that these men pretend
to think it an honour and a duty to stand high and be
useful in a state ; then I wish to know wherein money
makes it a duty or no duty.