The Sun.
London, England, 1868-12-21 00:00:00

DECEMBER 21, 1868.

NEWSPAPER DISTRIBUTION.

The Daily Naas, in an interesting and somewhat lengthy
article, describes how the London papers are circulated in
4 country—how they are sent away, in fact. The house
describe'doubtless that of Mr. W. IL Smith, who
defeated Mr. NM at Westminster. "It is Saturday
morning, a little` after four o'clock, and we are at one of
the headquarters-of newspaper distribution. One hundred
and fifty thousand morning journals are sent out from
here every day, and the processes of folding, sorting, and
addressing are in full progress now. A large building, like
a gigantic bank, long counters and tables intersecting
it, and galleries running round it to its roof ; strong men
and active youths all busy, some with the papers at the
folding tables, others with brown paper parcels like bales
of calico, and others again rushing out laden to the red
carts iu waiting ; monotonous cries of the various journals'
titles, and ever and anon a stimulating or encouraging
word from an active little man who acts as general—such
was the scene. The great thing,' we are assured, is 'to
get the work done in time.' From five to six
is our greatest rush, and it's only by watching
and care that we don't miss one or other of
the early trains. These are nearly all about six a.m.
There's one of the London and Chatham's goes at 5.50—
that's the earliest of all ; but the great bulk of the news-
papers even by that line leave by a train at 6.15 ; and be-
tween 6, which is the time of the London and Brighton,
to 6.30 the South Eastern's, and 6.35 Waterloo, the trains
of all the great London lines go out. We've got a new
plan now at the Great Western. They've given us a room
on the platform, and we've eighteen men there who do all
the folding, addressing, and checking you see going on for
the other lines here now—close to the train. The papers
are taken down direct from the various offices just as they
leave the press, and don't come near this central depart-
ment, Then, the North Western Company accommodates
us in another way. On their line we have a special double
carriage fitted up as a newspaper room, and in this four of
our men go down by the early train and fold, and dis-
tribute papers all over the North-Western Railwsty
district. Their journey ends at Stafford, and they come
back again every day by the twoo'clock train. Uursystem
is a very simple one. These large sheets of stout brown
paper have printed labels, you'll observe, pasted on each
side. Ona of these is the agent's or customer's
address ; the other is a list of the different newspapers we
send out, with blanks for the number to be supplied.
These are filled in the day before by clerks, who copy the
particulars from the order-book, so that, as you see, when
morning comes, and the brown covers are sorted into
districts in this room, the packers have but to call out so
many of the Times, or Daily News, and so many of the
other journals in rotation, according to the list before
them. The parcel is not tied up until its contents are
counted by another man, so that there may be no
mistake."

THE ELECTION PETITIONS IN THE

COMMON PLEAS.

Mr. Justice Willes, one of the election petition judges,
attended at Chambers, Rolls-gardens, Chancery-lane, on
Saturday, for the purpose of hearing arguments of counsel
why a number of election petitions " should not forthwith
be removed from the records of the court, and not further
Proceeded with, on the grounds that the bond purporting
to be a recognisance, filed in the matter of each petition,
was not a recognisance within the provisions of the Par-
liamentary Election Act, 1868, that it was wholly null
and void, and that no recognisance had been given within
the meaning of the said Act."
The little room in which his lordship sat was densely
crowded by counsel and election agents, and the greatest
interest prevailed.
The first petition brought under the notice of the judge
was that of the city of Hereford, in which the return of
Messrs. Clive and Wylie is impugned, a petition having
been presented against both on the same ground, with the
addition in the case of the latter gentleman that he was a
member of the Indian Civil Service. A recognisance
has been entered into pursuant to the Gth
section of the Act, in the sum of £l,OOO only,
in the form prescribed by the rules made by the judges.
The objection taken to this was that it was insufficient,
because the 22nd section provided that "two or more
candidates may be made respondents to the same petition,
and their case, for the sake of convenience, be tried at the
same time, but for all the purposes of the Act such
petition shall be deemed to be a separate petition against
each respondent."
Mr. H. James, for one of the sitting members, argued
that all proceedings upon the petition ought to be stayed,
on the ground that the provision of the 6th section, was
not complete, by reason of a recognisance only in £l,OOO,
instead of £2,000, having been entered into. The cases of
the two candidates, he said, might be materially different,
and under these circumstances the security might be wholly
insufficient, especially as that in some cases the petitioners
who would be primarily liable for the costs might be
insolvent.

Mr. Dowdes,,vell, Q.C., appeared in support of the peti-
tion, and contended that only one recognisance was provided
for by the Gth section, and that was to be a security to the
amount of £1,000; that no.provision was made for any further
security whatever ; that the petitioners would be primarily
liable for the whole of the costs, and that this was merely
by way of guarantee. Mr. Dowdeswell also argued that
although the 22nd section provil. d that for all the pur-
poses of the Act such petition should be deemed to be a
separate petition against each member, it did not mean
there should be two petitions, and that £l,OOO upon the
joint petition was sufficient ; and further, that any objec-
tion made to the security given did not apply simply to
recognisances, and therefore it was competent fur the judges
to direct the objection to be removed in manner prescribed
by the 9th section of the Act.
Mr. Finlay, on behalf of Mr. Clive, submitted that no
recognisance had been given within the terms of the act.
After a lengthy argument, his lordship deferred judg-
ment.

The summonses in the Penryn and Falmouth petitions
were next taken.

Mr. Serjeant Sleigh and Mr. Straight appeared for the
two members, Messrs. Fowler and Eastwick, and Mr. Will
for the petitioners.
The question raised in this case was that the Q,OOO
deposited was not a sufficient security, as required by the
Act 31st and 32nd Viet., c. 121 sec. 6, which provided that
at the time of the presentation of the petition, or within
three days afterwards, security for the payment of all costs,
charges, and the expenses that might become payable by
the petitioner (to the member whose election or return is
complained of) shall be given on behalf of the petitioner,
either by the deposit as security of £l,OOO in money, or by
recognisances by any number of sureties not exceeding
four. Mr. Serj cant Sleigh contended, further, that inasmuch
as only £l,OOO had been deposited in this case, and that
there were two members petitioned against, the proceed-
ings ought to be void ; that within the letter and spirit of
the Act of Parliament there ought to be security given in
respect of 21,000 for each memberpetitioned against to abide
costs which might be awarded to each one separately. It was
obviously the intention of the Legislature that provisim
should be made for the protection and reimbursement of
each member separately ; whilst the 22nd section enacted
that although two or more candidates might be made
respondents to the same petition, and their case, for the
sake of convenience, be tried at the same time, yet, for all
the purposes of the Act, such petition should be deemed
to be a separate petition against each respondent, and
that there should be a security of at least £l,OOO to cover
the costs of each one petitioned against.
After hearing Mr. Will, judgment in this case also was
deferred.

In the case of the Hull petition a question was raised as
to whether the petitioners could be sureties, and the
learned judge expressed his opinion that they could not,
but intimated his intention of considering as to whether or
not the Act gave him power to amend, so that there might
be time to lodge their recognisances.

It is reported that Mr. Shaw Lefevre has a scheme
;n preparaticn for settling the Irish Church question, which
he hopes to bo able to submit to the house.

There is a prospect of another Anglo-American
yacht race, to be contested in England. It will be
remembered that the New York Yacht Club won the
great international match in 1851, with the America, and
the forthcoming contest, if it can be definitely arranged,
will be looked forward to with great interest.
The general elections in France cast their shadows
before. The Opposition is founding papers right and loft;
and in many places, notably at Valence, Dijon, and Angou-
leme, tho Liberal spirit is such that tho old Prefectural
organs will scarcely, with all tho aid of official advertise-
ments and subventions, find means to retain oven their pre-
sent mediocre staffs.

THE BISHOP OF LINCOLN, BISHOP ELECT OF
LONDON.—The rumours about the Bishop of Lincoln's
refusal of the see of London have already been very em-
phatically contradicted, but they have made their way
notwithstanding. The Times is now enabled to state on
authority that there is no truth whatever in the rumours
which have been reported in various newspapers as to the
unsatisfactory state of the Bishop of Lincoln's health.

At the Yorkshire Winter Gaol Delivery for the
West Riding, another serious case of incendiarism
was tried. John Farlee, a labourer, aged 44, was charged
with having set fire to a large number of stacks belonging
to his former employer, Mr. Leo, at Thorne, causing damage
to the amount of £1,300. The prisoner was discharged from
Leo's service, and it appears that he committed this crime
from motives of revenge. He was found guilty, and recoived
the heavy sentence of 15 years' penal servitude. The other
cases tried were of leo gravity.