New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-29
BRITISH NOTES.

TO propose two prizes of $1,000 and $500 each
for the two best essays on the question, " In
what way ought an international assembly 10
be constituted for the formation of code OF
International Law, and what ought TO be the lead
ing principles on which such a code should be
formed" The money was offered to the Social
Science Association, which accepted IT, and caused
the offer to be made known in different countries OF
Europe and America. Essays were TO be sent in at
the option of the writers in English, French or Ger
man, and committee was appointed TO decide on
their merits, consisting of Mr. Westlake, Q. C., and
two other London barristers Mr.. II. u. Jencken and
Mr.. T.. Wendt. Twenty-nine essays were received
At the Congress now sitting in Brighton the
result of tho competition was announced
Saturday last The first prize was awarded
to Mr.. Abram Pulling Sprague of Sew-ioTk,
and the second to NJ Paul LacOmbe, an advocate OF
the French Bar. Mr.. Sprague, who has done his
country so much honoT.is briefly described "a hay
ING been a student az Madison University of New
York, and of the editors of The Albany Lac Jour
nal Lord Aberdare, President of the Congress- de-
hyered the prizes. each accompanied by ali illiml-
mated certificate, and proposed that the thanks OF
the Association should be given both TO the donor OF
the prizes and to the gentlemen who had won them.
His speech assured that though Senior dc
Marcoastu is no visionary enthusiast, he Lord
Aberdare is of opinion that il IL time for interna-
tonal law to begin its triumphs. and that the war
like period should be closed. Nations said Lord
Aberdare-not perhaps without some thought Of
compliment to Mr. spragues nationality-"will
only be secure when by universal opinion the moral
greatness of Washington is set above the ntellec-
tual superiority of Napoleon In congratulating
the winners, Lord Aberdare expressed. gracefully
enough, natural chagrin that neither of them
should be English. But there had been fair play,
which the great thing, and if prizes were 10
be by strangers shall all feel satisfaction IN
the fact that the first prize has been accorded to
native of the great country closely allied to us III
blood and language, and that TIE second has fallen
to a citizen of that nation which IL our nearest
neghbOr, and which, so long regarded a. a natural
enemy, is now bound to us by ties of the closest
amity and community of interests" Which the
audience duly cheered. The Americans success has
not attracted much comment, but what there is has
all been of a good-natured kind, so far as | have
seen. The English, however, have 4 considerable
talent for silence on such occasions.
For the first time within the memory of man
the American mails, leaving New-lorS on
Saturday, were delivered in London on the
morning of the next Monday but ore. The
City of Berlin, of the Inman line, which
sailed from New-YOrk Saturday, oct. ., II
the ship which performed this unprecedented feat.
She reached Queenstown at $50 a M. Sunday morn
ing Oct. TO- and her passage said to have been of
DAYS u hours, and the fastest record, beating
her own time to New-lOrk Oh her last voyage OF
DAYS 3 hours minutes. till then asserted to be the
fastest. Her mails, in fact, distributed IN Lon
don simultaneously with those of the sueyia of
the Hamburg American line. which had left
New-York two days before. and with those of the
Algeria "a Cunarder). which mad left Newiork three
4, hoe
due in part to the wretched ARRANGEMENTS of the
British Pos,-O Office for the dispatch of mails from
Queenstown 10 London. These arrangements are SO
ingenic usly bad that a delay of ve minutes N the
arrival of mail steamship AT Queenstown may. ana
very frequently does cause a delay of Is hours III
the receipt of her mails by business houses in Lon
don. The statement sounds admit, incredible, but
il is literally true. 1t has been made repeatedly,
it has never been cOntradicted, and 1t can be
verified by anybody who will look at the
railway tables in Bradshaw The day express
from Cork to London leaves Cork at 1880. The
train FROM Queenstown TO catch it leaves AT 1915.
If vessel with mails from the United States reaches
Queenstown on Friday in season 70 put her mails on
board that train they are delivered IN London early
Saturday morning. II she is five minutes late her
mails wait all day in Cork. go forward by the night
express reach London Saturday evening, long after
business hours. and not received by business
houses till Monday morning. There is no Sunday
delivery in London. Part of the mails never ALI
may be distributed on Saturday evening but not Ill
every counting house is closed and the distribution
useless Nor is this the worst. If those mails had
been received. as they should have been, Saturday
morning they could have been answered that day.
The answers being postponed till next week, the
round trip for letters out and home if practically ex
tended from three weeks to four weeks. In other
words il takes four weeks instead of three for an
answer from London to reach the writer OF letter
in New-YOrk. So that 1t is your grievance | am
stating as well as ours. The blame Is to be borne
partly by the Cunard Company, which for cconCny's
sake has added about a day 10 the average length
of its passages. The other part rests on the
parsimony of the British Post-Oiiice, which after
squandering the enormous sum of more than fouI
millions of dollars in eight years a useless and
profigate contract with the Cunard and Inman Com
paes for the outward mails 10 NewYOrk, refuses to
spend few thousands for proper service between
Queenstown and London. This is well known to
our Postmaster General. He has, | believe, made
such demonstrations as he could to induce change,
but without effect. The existing system for the
calriace of the nails from Ncw-lOrk 10 Queenstown
Oy the fastest ship sailing on given dag IS the best
we ever had. Since lis adoption. and thanks
largely 10 the White Star line, the Saturday mails
have been delivered an average, day sooner
than before and this il true though day Is often
lost between Queenstown and London. But the full
value of this system will never he seen hil the
British authorities do their duty. What is wanted
is a special train between Queenstown and London
for tine conveyance of the American mails imIne-
diatey on their arrival. special train i no novelty
The mails landed at Plymouth are frequently so
sent But the Department is said to stand aghast at
the cost of a special steamer fromkinGStownto Holy
head The expense would be lndicrously small III
proportion to what is paid for other parts OF the ser
vice. But it answers as well any other the pur-
po,e of officials no want preext for doing nothing
e. W. s.