The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-03 00:00:00

M►ZR. MILL ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

Mr. J. S. Mill, in addressing the electors of Westminster
on Monday, said the issue which was presented to them at
this general election was as simple a one as ever came
before an electoral body. In Westminster they had not
to decide between one Liberal and another, or between one
school or shade of Liberalism and another. There
were constituencies which had this choice to make ;
and he conceived 'that under such circumstances there
might be difficulties, and ground for much discussion and
difference of opinion. He hoped that those constituences
which found themselves in this position would come to
some agreement and understanding before they went to the
poll, such as bad been come to in the borough of Chelsea.
What had been done in Chelsea was well worthy of the
serious consideration of all great Liberal constituencies,
He said this in the most disinterested spirit, for Mr.
Odger, the candidate who bad retired, bad all his
sympathy, and he regretted that he had been called
upon to resign. It now behoved them to all unite in keeping
out a Tory ; and in the city of Westminster, especially,
he hoped they would not let a Tory candidate creep in.
The gentleman who was now before them as a sup-
porter of the present Government did not base his
claims upon anything other than the fact that he would
vote with Mr. Disraeli, and it was well known that no
measures of progress were proposed by that right hon.
gentleman of his own free will. On the other hand, the
Liberals of the country had before them one of the ablest
leaders which they had had for centuries, and he hoped
they would support him. Mr. Gladstone was a man
who, possessing the confidence of the people, spent the
whole of his time and ability in devising measures for
the good of his country, and it was now for England to
say whether they desired see that statesman in power
or not. There were some people whose Liberalism was
rather easy, who flattered themselves with the extremely
false notion that it was not of much matter what
Minister was in power, and that in fact there was some
advantage in having the Tories in place, because, when
they were, they could be forced to pass those measures
which if out of office they would oppose. The best reply
to this was, that the constituencies should send Mr. Glad-
stone so many supporters and Mr. Disraeli so many
opponents, that the former would be able to carry what the
latter would be powerless to prevent. In answer
to questions put to him, Mr. Mill (with Captain Grosve-
nor) refused to vote for the Permissive Bill. With
regard to the funds of the Irish Church, Mr.
Mill said, without precisely pledging himself as to the
manner in which the funds were to be dealt with, he
would say that he thought, under any circum-
stances, they ought to be devoted to Irish purposes..
The funds came from Irish land and produce, and they
ought to be devoted to Irish uses. They must not be
given to the endowment of any religious body whatever,
nor to any exclusively denominational system of educa-
tion. They should be applied to whatever were the most
pressing social wants of Ireland, and to an unsectarian and
undenominational system of education.

The new suspension bridge at Niagara Falls, com-
menced over a year ago, will be completed about the end of
November. The bridge extends from a point just below the
American Falls to a point on the Canadian side just below
the Clifton Bouse. The span is 1,264 feet 4 inches, and the
two cables are 1,900 feet long. In each cable there areseven
wire ropes, each two and a Lail inches in diameter. The
span is said to be longer than that of any other suspeneiou
bridge in the world.

The New York 7imes states that negotiations are
being carried on with the American Atlantic Cable Tele-
graph Company, of that city (who have by act of Congress
the exclusive right of landing a cable on the coast Of the
United States, except the coast of Florida) and some foreign
capitalists, to join them in laying a cable direct to Bel-
gium— arrangements having been perfected for securing a
most liberal concession from tho Government of that coun-
try. It is said responsible pal tics have signified their
readiness to enter into a contract to put down a cable for
£500,000.

A singular variation on the 1, Enoch .Arden" ro-
mance is narrated as an incident of last week in a country
town of Cork. The heroine of the adventure, married ten
years ago, was shortly afterwards forsaken by her hus-
band, who emigrated to America. At the end of nine years
she married again, the second husband, like the first, belong-
ing to the labouring class. Soon after this the return of the
first husband was reported; whereupon the woman, who
had kept the fact of her first marriage a profound secret,
immediately disappeared, and the most diligent search by
both husbands has failed to discover her retreat.

A MISHAP.—An amusing incident occurred on
Sunday last in a church at Peckham. A reverend gen-
tleman, to the great surprise of his congregation, sud-
denly paused for some minutes' duration, during which he
appeared to be struggling with his manuscript notes, and
it was feared that his sermon would come to an abrupt
termination. In a few minutes, however, the countenance
of the previously agitated divine assumed its usual im-
posing solemnity, and the discourse proceeded, but not
until he had informed his hearers that he- had found out
where he had left off. —South London Press.

THE AMERICAN MINISTER.—The first day of
Michaelmas Term his Excellency the Minister of the
United States, the Hon. E. Reverdy Johnson, honoured
the Lord Chancellor with his presence at his lordship's
official reception of the judges, Queen's Counsel, and others
connected with the administration of the law. His Excel-
lency arrived about half•past 12 at Cromwell House, the
residence of the Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chief Justice
of England, the Master of the Rolls, the Lords Justices of
Appeal in Chancery, with the other members of the judicial
bench, had the honour of being presented to his Excellency.

ADVICE TO PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES. —There
is only one way of dealing with a cantankerous con-
stituent or a riotous meeting, and that is by keeping up
a sort of good-humoured audacity. Resent an interrup-
tion, lose your temper, or go off into an explanation and
get prosy, put in a good word for hares or rabbits,
sneer at the ballot-box, or mutter a syllable against the
Permissive Bill, and it is all up with you. You may as
well finish off your speech at once, for when once you have
raised the demon of democracy in an English mob you
may try all the incantations of sophistry and eloquence in
vain to lay the spirit you have called from its lair.—
Gentleman's Magazine.

PURITY or ELECTION.—A Liberal association
having been recently established for the county of Berks,
it was proposed to hold an inaugural banquet on a large
scale, and a suggestion was made that some friends of the
Liberal cause might purchase tickets to be given to humble
members of the association; on hearing which the Hon.
Auberon 'Herbert, one of the Liberal candidates for the
county, expressed his strong disapproval of the proposal,
and intimated to the committee of the association that he
must be excused from attending the banquet if these sug-
gestions were carried out, as in his judgment it would
have the appearance of treating, and assist in perpetuating
I system which he utterly abhorred, and be a considerable
_
*grace to the country,,