The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-12 00:00:00

SPIRIT OP THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

The Times observes that the Registration. Bill brought
in by Mr. Hardy is a satisfactory redemption of the
pledge given by the Government to expedite the election
of a new Parliament. If it pass, as it doubtless will pass,
with little alteration, the great questions by what hands
the nation shall be guided, and what policy shall direct
the national progress, may be decided before Christmas.
There will, indeed, be no time to spare to accomplish this
according to the most favourable computation, but it
is of much more importance than is at first sight
apparent, that the fate of the Ministy and of
the Irish Establishment should be determined this
year ; and there has been some ground for appre-
hension during the last week that the decision would
somehow he postponed. If the issues were left untried
until February—if it remained uncertain till then whether
the present Government would continue in office or be
ejected--it would be impossible to prepare such a neces-
sary matter as the estimates till a later date, and the
elaboration of measures dealing with many questions
which urgently require legislative settlement would be
hopeless. Another lost session would be added to the
session now approaching its close, and it would not be
before 1870 that a responsible Mitkistry would be enabled
to discharge their most appropriate functions. If
the Government proposal for accelerating the dissolution
be adopted, the new Parliament may meet on the Bth
or 9th December. It will be seen at once that the
holiday season is as good as gone. Members will have to
make the most of a few brief days at the end of August or
the first week in September ; but even then their joys will
be marred, and many in Scotland a among the stubble
will be found, like Mr. Clough's member, who

" Started, remembering sadly the, yof the coming
election."

But it is evident that the Bth or 9th of December is nearly
tht last day to Ivhich the meeting of Parliament could be
deferred. After it has meet, a week will be consumed in
sweating in members and electing a Speaker before the
Royal Speech can. be delivered. This brings us to the
15th or 16th of the month. The object of the extra-
ordinary session would be lost if an issue were not at once
taken in the form of an amendment to the Address.
Allow the necessary number of nights for debating so im-
portant a matter, and it is plain that members will be
very hard-pressed to get to their homes again before
Christmas. Mr. Hibbert may, perhaps, succeed in se•
airing he quiet domestic festit3.l he so feelingly described
a few days sit, and we hope he may enjoy it ; but
Irish members- may be caught in mid-channel as a
reward for their zeal in attacking or defending the
peculiar establishment of their island. Scotchmen,
we believe, do not know what Christmas is ; so we
need not waste any sympathy on Mr. Bouverie's distant
colleagues. The prospect of a debate which is to deter-
mine the course of Irish policy crowded together on the
very eve of Christmas makes us, however, ask whether it
is impossible to speed the opening of Parliament even
7,nore than Mr. Hardy, on behalf of the Government
contemplates as possible. The idea which has animated
the deliberations of the Cabinet is undoubtedly just. The!
have made it their object to curtail as little as possible
the time allowed for duly-qualtr4d persons to make their
claims and get placed on the register, so as to secure to
electols the opportunity of exercising the rights Parlia-
ment has conceded to them ; but they have proposed to
abridge the period of revision, and in this way complete
the register in time for an election in November. This is
a proper policy, and it is almost made necessary by the
further circumstance that Parliament is in arrear with the
Scotch Reform Bill and the Boundary Bill.

The .Post remarks that in one respect this bill will be
received with a feeling of satisfaction. It will put an end
to the condition of suspense to which the llouse of Com,
mons and the public have been so long condemned. For
some time both before and after the vote on Mr. Glad-
stone's Church Resolutions no one could say whether the
Government might not have recourse to the vexatious
expedient of a dissolution before the Irish and Scotch Re-
form Bills were passed. The Prime Minister was so
guarded and so oracular in his statement after his in-
terview with the Queen at Osborne, that no one could say
whether he meant to hold office until those bills were
passed, or make an immediate appeal to the country:
The Opposition became impatient, and on the eve of the
Whitsuntide recess a question was put, which was praoti-
cally answered last night by the introduction of Mr.
Hardy's bill. Without giving his assent to that measure,
the leader of the Opposition virtually accepted it as a
substantial and bond fide attempt to put an end as soon as
possible to the present anomalous condition of things. One
thing is quite cle4:tr, namely, that the Liberal party have
made up their minds to leave the Government undisturbed
until the meeting of the new Parliament, and henceforth
during the present session their efforts will be mainly
directed towards bringing about that event as soon as
possible.

The Daily News notes that A fr. Hardy appears to have had
two objects before him in the framing of his measures : to
hasten the dates at which a general election can take
place and a new Parliament can be summoned, and to do
so without detriment to the rights of the newly-enfrax-
chised voters. Full opportunity and abundant time must,
be given to claimants and objectors. If justice is to be
done them, the steps preliminary to the revision of the lists
of voters do not admit of beingshortened. But by increasing
the number of revising banisters the revision itself may
be got over in a less time than is now occupied by it. By
a change in the manner of printing the list, and by
shortening the period between the royal proclamation and
the return of the writs from thirty-five to twenty-eight
days, Mr. Hardy holds that the new Parliament may
assemble about the end of the first week in December,
and proceed to business by the 14th or 15th of that month.
Of course their first business will be to try the strength of
parties, either on a direct vote of confidence or by some
motion relative to the great issue on which the election
will have turned. One great debate and one decisive
&vision will be enough for this purpose ; and the victors
:%nd vanquished will be able to go home for Christmas.

As was to have been anticipated, the Herald says, the
House of Commons has thrown over the Boundary Com-
mission, and adopted the recommendations of the Gam-
mittee. The report of. the committee gave the Radicals
all they wanted ; and they naturally would be content,
after such a decision in their favour, with nothing less.
It is idle now to discuss. the question upon its merits.
Mr. Hibbert's r.mendment, substituting for the recom-
mendations of the commission, embodied in the bill
as proposed by the Government, the recommenda-
tions of the select committee, was adopted by the
House, or rather by the committee, and the bill passed
through that stage practically as altered by the select
committee. Of the consequences of this decision, so
insulting and so unjust to the able and honourable gen-
tlemen in whose appointment as commissioners the
House concurred, so unworthy of any representative
assembly making the slightest pretence to honesty and
straightforwardness,we will not now trust ourselves to speak.
it is enough_to gay that, with all respect for the predic-
tion of Mr. Lowe, who seems, however, to have reconciled
himself to all that he most abominated, we can hardly
believe in the election of a House of Commons which
will lend itself to such a contemptible breach of good
faith as the unreformed House of .Commons committed
•
last night.

The Telegraph comments on the victory of the English
volunteers in Scotland. Twenty English marksmen,
selected to contend for the International Trophy, have
defeated their rivals on the Edinburgh range. The result
is gratifying to the Southrons, not only because the
match was fought out on Scottish ground, but because it re•
verses the verdict of last year, when the Northerners
were victorious at Wimbledon. The contest was very close
—the English twenty scoring 1,068, the Scotch 1,057,
the Irish 980. The weakness of the Irish team may
be attributed, in some degree, to the working of that rule
which caused the match to be shot off at Edinburgh. A
balance of reasons gives a preference to Wimbledon as the
scene of these friendly battles, because nearly everymarks-
man likely to be chosen visits Wimbledon, whereas many
good riflemen are excluded from the list by the mere fact
that the shooting range is beyond the Tweed. It would
be fairer to all parties were Wimbledon fixed on as the
ground for the international matches. Although theEnglial
scored the largest total, the highest single score (GG) was made
by Capt. Armstrong, who flied with the Irish twenty ; the
next highest by the Scotch marksman, Plenderleith of
Peebles, who made 64. Besides these there were only sbi
whose total exceeded 59—Corporal Hepplestone, Sergeant
Bingham, Private Snelus, and Sergeant Barnes of the
English ; Private Grant, Scotch ; and Sergeant Knox,
Irish. The lowest score, 40, was registered by an Irish
and by a l':eoteh competitor. The lowest English scum
wa.3 46. On the whole the shooting was good, and may 1.7
taken as an indication that, weather permitting, the d'4.-
I.!ays of :J1:ill at Wimbledon will be unusually fine.

An International Congress of History and Arch-
nology will assemble at Bunn between the 13th and 20th
&lite/7.11,er. An exhibition of works of art and antiqui
ties is to talo place there at the same time.

TILE REV. DR. VAUGHAN. —Our readers will al.
learn with the deepest regret that the Rev. Dr. Robert
Vaughan is seriously ill. He had been suffering for
several days past from congestion of the brain, and is now
lying, at his new residence in Torquay, in a comatose con.
dition. The gravest fears are entertained by his friends,
but there is still room to hope that this much-honoured
minister and veteran Nonconformist may be spared for
some further service to his denomination and the Church
at large.—Englith Independent. -

ALARMING ACCIDENT AT GATESHEAD.

A special edition of the Northern Evening Express reports
an appalling accident which occurred on Thursday after.
noon at Gateshead, 'on the occasion of laying the foundation•
stone of the proposed new Town Hall. For the accommo-
dation of spectators several platforms had been erected,
and, as it turned out, but little care seems to have been
exercised in putting them up. A platform next to West-
street was set apart for ladies, and one adjoining
Bwinburne-place was for the holders of gentlemen's tickets.
There were other smaller platforms, but it was in connec-
tion with the one next Swinburne -place that the catastrophe
happened. It was composed of wood, and would be
capable of holding some five or six hundred persons.
In height it would be about five-and-twenty feet at the
back, and twenty at the front part. Now, the ceremony
hnd been all but completed when the rejoicing and the
cheering were converted into screams and shouts for
help. Archdeacon Prest had offered up a prayer, the
Mayor of Gateshead (Mr. H. S. Newall), had laid the
stone, the trowel with which to perform the ceremony
having been presented by Alderman Bigger, on behalf of
the Town Hall Committee), the band of the 22nd Regi-
ment had played the National Anthem, the crowd had
given three hearty cheers, and Alderman Hunter had pro-
posed a vote of thanks to the Town Hall Committee.
All this had been done without anything oecurring to
cause alarm or arouse fears of the impending catastrophe,
except that a lad had, without being Seriously hurt, fallen
over the back of the gentlemen's platform ; but just as
Alderman Hunter stepped from the stone, a fearful
crash, screams, and yells told that an tintoward event had
happened to mar the happiness which had been shewn
on all sides. The centre of the platform adjoining
Swinburne-place went down momentarily, with a
loud, sharp, and distinct crash. Its hundreds of
occupants sent forth a hollow wail, while from the
ladies' platform went up a keen and bitter yell, and
from the other parts of the grounds came forth screams
and shouts. The two ends of the platform remained firm,
but this only made matters worse, as all its occupants fell
into one heap in the centre. As soon as the momentary
consternation was over, the gentlemen who occupied
other parts of the ground rushed to the assistance
of their less fortunate brethren. At first great danger
seemed likely to result from struggling on the part of
those who have thus been thrown into a living heap. Cries
were therefore raised for them to " Keep quiet," " Don't
struggle too much," and the wisdom of these really well-
timed counsels was afterwards abunilantly manifested.
Numerous volunteers were quickly at work rescuing the
people from their perilous positions. By laying hold
of umbrellas and walking - sticks stretched out to
them, those on the top were speedily saved. The
work of rescue afterwards went on more speedily until all
were brought out of the place. Many seemed to have got
srms and legs more or less injured ; (Me man got his jaw
broken, large numbeg had received bruises, two or three
women had sustained severe cuts on the head and
face ; but, so far as could be ascertained, no lives were
lost.

FATAL EFFECTS OF A PRACTICAL JOKE.

A coroner's jury has had to inquire into the circum-
stances attendant upon one of those dreadful occurrences
which so often are the result of practical joking with
loaded firearms. In the par;sh of Whitchurch Canoni-
corum stands Ilevelshay Farm, which is in the
occupation of a Mr. Honeyburn, a farmer, in whose
-employ up till Tuesday last there was a little servant-
maid of 16, named Ann Lacey, and a lad named
Job Hussey, On that clay the poor girl lost her life by
the foolish, and in this instance reprehensible conduct of
the boy. About three o'clock in the afternoon, Hussey,
who had been out to work on the farm, returned to the
house for his dinner, and afterwards took up a gun
which was standing in the kitchen against the clock, and
although the granddaughter of Mr. Honeyburn kept
telling him— to use her words—that it was loaded, he per-
sisted in saying it was not, and put a cap on. He snapped
the cap, but the gun did not go off, and then, according to
the dying statement of the girl, he put on another, which
he also snapped, and which likewise did not expldde the
charge in the gun. A third time he put on a cap, and
then, pointing the gun at the girl, said, "Ann, I'll shoot
you." He pulled the trigger, and the charge entered the
deceased's shoulder. She immediately said, " Oh, dear !"
and the boy, when he saw what he had done, put his
hand to her shoulder, and withdrawing it, covered with
blood, started off. She lingered till about nine at night,
when she died. The jury returned a verdict of man-
slaughter against the boy, and he was committed for trial
at the next assizes. The granddaughter of Mr. Honey-
burn stated that the boy was on very good terms with the
girl, and that they had not had an angry word.