The Aberdare Times

MR. GLADSTONE'S ADDRESS. The following is Mr. Gladstone's address to the electors of Greenwich :— Gentlemen,—Her Majesty has been advised by Her Ministers, and has graciously accepted the advice, to dissolve the present Parliament and immediately to summon a new one, for the transaction of the regular business of the year. In that new Parliament I respectfully solicit the honour of representing you. "I am too well aware that In the choice of a person charged as I am with official duty, you forego for the public good many special claims which you would otherwise justly make on the time and attention of your representative. This sacrince, so freely and honourably incurred Ave years ago, I once again presume to ask at your hands, under the cir- cumstances and for the special purposes which I shall now proceed to describe. Of the House of Commons now about to be dissolved, no one will deny the remarkable amount of its labours, and of those legislative results which, but for untoward and chiefly recent circumstances, would have been greater still. I take upon me to affirm that those great labours have likewise been great services, and that ttoey will give to the Parliament of 1868 a distinguished place in the annals of our country. It is not to be wondered at if, after five years of anions and varied ellort, the strength both of the Bouse of Commons and of the administration for the concurrent discharge of their arduous duties has been Impaired. The welfare of the country can never be effectually pro. moted by a Government which is not invested with adequate authority. That authority, which was In 1SCS amply confided by the nation to the Liberal Party and its leaders, if it has now sunk below the point necessary for the due defence and prosecu- tion of the public interests, can In no way be so legitimately and effectually restored as by an appeal to the people, who, by their reply to such an appeal, may place beyond all chal lenge two great questions—the first, what they think of the manner in which the commission granted In 1868 has been executed; the second, what further commission they now thliik fit to give to their representative?, and to what bands its fulfilment and the administration of the Government are to be intrusted. I will not attempt to set out in full the causes which have convinced the Government that the time has now come for thus appealing to the country, but I will refer to mch of them as embrace matters of fact rather than of opinion. "In the month of March last the Government were d feated in their effort to settle upon just and enlarged prin- ciples the long-disputed question of the higher education in Ireland, if not by a combined, yet by a concnrrent, effort of the leader of the Opposition and of the R man Catholic Prelacy of Ireland. Upon suffering this defeat. the Government, according to the practice of our Constitution, placed their resignation In the hands of the Sovere'ga. Her Majesty, in the just and wise exercise of her high office, applied to the leader of the Opposition. He, however, declaring that he was not prepared with a policy, and could not govern in the existing Parliament, declined to fill the void which he had made. Und; these circumstances, we thought ourselves bound by loyally to the Queen not to decline the resumption of our offices. But this step we took with an avowed reluctance. We felt that. In consequence of what had happened, both iihe Crown and country were placed at a disadvantage, as it was established that, during the existence of the present Parliament, one Party only could govern, and must, there- fore, govern without appeal. We also felt that a precedent had been set, which both diminished our s retgth and weakened the general guarantees for the responsibility and integrity of Parliamentary opposition. "Of this diminution of strength we were painfully and sensibly reminded during the Session by the summary and rapid dismissal, in the House of Lord?, of measures which had cost much time and labour to the House of Commons. Bat we remembered that in the yexrs 1868 and 1870, when the mind of the country was unambiguously expressed, the House of Lords had, much to its honour, deferred to th",t expression upon matters of great moment; and I cannot doubt that It would have continued in this course, bad the isolated and less certain, but still frequent and fresh, indi- cations of public opinion at single elections continued to be in harmony with the powerful and authentic, but now more remote Judgment of 1868. "This state of things, which was not satisfactory at the close of the last Sasslon, and which has not admitted of remedy by the method of resignation and a change of Government, has not Improved during the recess, especially the latter part of the recess and the time has now arrived when the Administration, able to anticipate and survey the principal parts and the general character of the work which awaits it, has been called on to consider whether it could reasonably undertake such work without a fresh access of strength, and to frame its advice to Her Majesty ac- cordingly. "The question whether Ministers ought to retain or to abandon office ihould be decided by a general election, with the opportunity which it affords for broad declarations of policy and issues truly national, and cannot be satisfactorily solved by Isolated contests, of which the issue is in a greater degree dependent on close discipline and finished and con- centrated organization. "From a state of things thus fitful and casual, we desira to pass to one In which the nation will have had full oppor- tunity of expressing will and choice as between the polit cil parties. The Government of the day, whatever It be. will be armed with its just means of authority botii within and without the Legislature. The Opposition will enjoy the power, and doubtless will not shrink from the duty ot tiking office. The House of Commons will be reinstated in its full possession of constitutional authority, and when it shall see cause to withdraw its confldence from an Administration it will not leave the Sovereign without resource. Such will be the general objects, then, with which anew Parliament will be summoned. I proceed to speak of the work which it will have to do. I need not dwell on the elementary and ever-abiding duties of the Ministry, such as the maintenance of the country's honour, of the general peace, of the rights of all classes, of our Insular security; but I will state that we desire to found the credit and Influence of our foreign policy upon a resolution to ask from foreign Powers nothing but what in like circumstances we should give ourselves, and as steadily to respect their rights as we would tenaciously uphold our own. With regard to the unhappy war on the Gold Coast, our object has been to prosecute it with vigour, subject to a due regard to the exigencies of climate and the value of human llle, and only within the limits wh!ch justice and future security prescribe. We shall aim at the establishment, not only of peace, but of friendship with the Ashantees, and we shall, I hope, seek to draw from what has happened a lesson on the duty ol avoiding in future the first entrance into equivocal and entangling engagements. Meantime, we repose the utmost confl ience in the British General, officers and soldiers and we cherish the hope that we are about to emerge at an early date, and on good terms, from the con- flict When I turn to the general subjects of internal legisla- latlon, I have to speak rather as a member of a party than as a member of a Cabinet. For it is not the duty of a Cabinet to bind itself, or to mature Its collective views on all subjects of public Interest, but only upon such as are to form the early subjects of practical treatment, I fear that the time has not yet come when you can an- ticipate a diminution in the calls for legislative labour. Per- manent and solid as is the Union ot the three Kingdoms, they present varieties of circumitance, of organisation, and even of law. These varieties, combined with the vast de- velopment of Imperial Interests, add seriouly to the duties of Parliament, which, indeed, have reached a point where they feem, for the present, to defy al1 efforts to overtake them. I think we ought not only to admit, but to welcome, every improvement in the organisation of local and subordi- nate authority, which, under the unquestioned control of Parliament, would tend to lighten its labours and to expedite the public business. As regards the important Act rf 1870 for the promotion of tducation, I am one of those who had no preference for the later over the earlier adjustments of the Bill. But they were adjustments adapted to the state of public opinion at the time; and It appears to me that no main provision of the measure can advantageously be teconsidered without the aid of an experience such as we have not yet acquired. With regard to one or two points, calculated to create an amount of uneasiness out of proportien to their real im- portance or difficulty, I do not douot th>»t the wisdom of the renovated Legislature will discover the means of their accommodation. Both in Scotland and in Ireland there are many questions requiring the attention of Parliament. Among such, how- ever, as are peculiar to them, I will only now mention the completion 01 the weighty legitlation of last year by the re- construction of their judicial establishments, and by admitting them to the advantages, not yet measured by ex- perience, of the new Court of Appeal. "It is more appIOprhte to the nature of an address such as this that I should touch upon subjects which are, In the main, of a common Interest to all the three ciuntries. I will, however, say with special relation to England that it seems almost a reproach to cur Parliaments toat, down to the present time, we should have been unable to deal effectively with the local Government and institutions of this great metropolis; and I must also express my hope that the Inquiries of the Commlesion appointed to examine into the property and income of the Universities and Colleges of Oxford and Cambridge may lead to a great further extension of the benefits conferred by those great and powerful bodies "The laws respecting the iran«f?r, the descent, and the occupation of land; the lawl respecting game; the laws reo specting the sale of spirituous llquora, the laws affecting the relations between employer and employed, the laws of rating and 01 lecal government, are among the sujects likely to come in turn under the notice of the new Parliament. In some of these matters there is, in my judgment, room for extensive Improvement and they all, I trust, will be dealt with in a spirit of impartial justice. O! all the changes marking the present day, there Is none which I view with more heartfelt satisfaction than the pro- gressive rise of wages in the agricultural districts. I view this rbe as the natural and proper, though long delated result of economic laws as the removal ef something like a national discredit; as carrying with It a great addition to the stock, never too abundant, of human happiness; and as a new guarantee for the stability of the Throne and institutions of the country. "I have never concealed my opinion that those Institu- tions will be further strengthened by granting 10 the counties generally that extended franchise which has been conceded with general satisfaction to the towns and to the populations of a number of rural dis- tricts with a central village, which may perhaps be called peasant-boroughs. I earnestly desire to witness the formation of a mature public opinion on a sub- ject which has hardly yet obtained all the attention which it deserves. I, for one, will say nothing upon it that could tend to arouse tbe jealousies of class or of party and I cherish the hope that at no distant day our loyal, patient-, ard, as I hold, intelligent, peasantry may, to- gether with the other Important classes now unenfranchised, for nD other reason than that they resIde beyond tbe boundaries of boroughs, receive this boon at the hands of the Legislature, without conflict, without Intrigue, and by general consent. I come now to questions of expenditure and finance. "It may be stated with truth that next to the great Irish questions of C lurch and Land, now happily disposed of, the elections of lt63 turned, in no small degree, upon expendi- ture. I do not deny that we charged our predecessors with improvidence in the stewardship of the public funds. It has been shown by my friend Mr. Chllders, in his place in Parliament, conclusively and without reply, that we have not forgotten the declarations of 1868, nor receded from tnem. itl the ettimates of our first two years for the defen- Vl6.098 01 arrQy and navy we were able to propose !!?* amountln8ln round numbers to £ 4,000,000 In the c arge of our peace estaMishments. It is true that we are in mmll moment to place such a sum to our credit lUe^mpwlng oar egtimate. with those of the last Govern! reason to be s!usnii°mu5aying that we have P«*fect the results cf them i » .*our own £ ffjrts or with special and necessary acts'oVnnii^be considered, first, by what secondly, whatthe7e^^ hindered the effec: of such calls as that for the »hnim™an» er.c?pe which was, I thick, well described as the redfimn« £ ^CHle' army, or for the augmentation of the educational^ thA great and unquestioned benefit ol the country. "But, notwithstanding these demands notwm1«t«r„n„ the calls arising at the period of the great C oKt withstanding the serious burden of the rise of prices soml thing not wholly insignificant has been achieved. Setting aside the Debt, and founding the comparison on the basis of what may be called the optional expenditure, derived from taxes and forming the proper test of the disposition of a Government, it was shown that a saving had been effected at the close of the very last financial year amounting to jE2,350,000, and this, as we contend, with no diminution, but with a great increase of our defensive force, both naval and military. "Upon a review ef the finance of the last five years, we are enabled to state that, notwithstanding the purchase ot the telegraphs for a sum exceeding £ 9,COO,000, the aggregate amount of the national debt has been reduced by more than £20,(.00,000; that taxes have been lowered or abolished I (over and above any amount imposed) to the extent of £12,500,000; that during the present year the Alabama Indemnity baa been paid, and the charge of tbe Ashantee j War will be met out of revenue; and that In estimating, as we can now venture to do, the income of the coming year (and, for the moment, assuming the general scale of charge to continue as It was fixed during the last Sasslon), we do not fear to anticipate as the probaole balance a surplus exceeding rather than falling short of £5,000,000. Tae existence of such a surplus will offer, In our Judg- ment; a great opportunity of affording relief to the com- munity, and an opportunity which ought to be turned to the very best account. "I havjKiccepted with much reluctance the charge of the finances of the cquntry ln addition to my other duties. But as this is now the tenth occasion on which I am called, as the Minister Immediately responsible, to consider the financial arrangements of the coming year, you may be will- ing to believe that I am not speaking lightly when I proceed to indicate an outline of the boons wh.ch, in the absence of some gravely unfavourable and unforeseen incident, it will be In the power of the new Parliament at once to confer. In the first place, there Is a very general desire that some new assistance should be afforded to the ratepayers of the country from fundi at present under the command of the State. The Government have been unable to meet the views of those who appear to have thought I hat, provided only a large amount of public money could be had In any form to relieve the rates, no great heed need be paid to anything else. But they have never felt themselves compelled to deny the wish of such as think that a further portion of che charges hitherto borne by real and Immovable property should, with judicious accompanying arrangements, be placed upon property geBe- rally. Their endeavour has been, and their resolution is to have a thorough and comprehensive, not a partial, handling of the question, and In our future proceedings we shall, I trust, exert ourselves to keep In view all that It Involves to strengthen the Invaluable traditions and to Improve the organs of Local Government, to keep central control within the limits of sound policy, to maintain, and If possible to enhance, the guarantees for provident administration, to avoid the repetition of unseemly contests, and the danger which would arise if Parliament were gradually to lay upon labour a portion of the burdens hitherto borne by property ip a word, to reform as well as enlarge the aid granted by the State to local expenditure. The first Item, then, which I have to set down In the financial arrangements proper for the year Is relief, but relief coupled with rtform of local taxation. What I have said refers properly to England, but It would be Impossible to exclude from view the case of Scotland, which Is very closely analogous, or that of Ireland, which presents larger variations. I now turn to a suhject of a less complex character, but of even greater importance I mean the Income Tax. "According to the older financial tradition, the Income Tax was a war tax. For such a purpose It Is Invaluable. Men are willing to sacrifice much, not only of their means, but of their privacy, time, and comfort, at the call of patriot- Ism. In 1842, the Income Tax was employed by Sir Robert Peel, partly to cover a serious deficit In the revenue, but princi- pally to allow of important advances In the direction of Free Trade. I need not dwell on the great work of liberation which has been accomplished by its air'. Maldy perhaps on this account, It has been borne with an exemplary pa'ience. But no Government has ever been ablo to make it perpetual, like our taxes In general, or even to obtain its renewal for any very long term of years. Since 1860 it has been granted by an annual Act. During a long time, for reasons on which it Is not necessary for me here to dwell, the country cherished, together with the desire, the expectation or hope of its extinction. But the sum annually drawn from It formed so heavy an item In the accounts from year to year that it appeared to have grown unmanageable. It has, how- ever, been the happy fortune of Mr. Lowe to brirg It down, first from 6d. to 4d., and then from 4d. to 3d., In the pound. The proceeds of the Income Tax for the present year are expected to be between £ 5,000,000 and £ 6,000,000, and at a sacrifice for the financial year of something less than £ 4,500,060 the country may euj >y the advantage and relief of its iotil repeal. I do not hesitate to affirm that an effort should now be made to attain this advantage, nor to declare tbat, according to my judgment, it Is In present circumstances practicable. 11 And yet, while rocking this recommendation and avowal, I have m .re to add. I; will have been observed that the proposals I have mentioned contemplate principally the relief of rateable and other property, although there ard many among the payers of Income T,x the associa'i--n cf whom with thai term seems almost to mock tham. But it Is mani- fest that we ought not to aid the rates, and remove the Income Tax, without gtvinj to the general consumer, and giving him sitmitaneoualy, some marked relief in the class of articles ot popular consumption. IS may be observed that tho changes I have Indicated would dttpose of more, Indeed considerably more, than the surplus I have named and that I am not entitled to antici- pate any larger balauce of available revenue during the com- ing financial year from the present sources as they are fixed by law. But I have sdd notnlng to preclude the Government from asking Parliament to consider, In conjunction with those great remissions, what moderate»iiSslstanca could he had from judicious acquitments of existing taxes. And It Is icarceJy necessary tor me to aid that, admitting, as I do ad- mit, the declarations ot 1838,1 for one could not belong to a Government wh'ch did not on every occasion seek to enlarge It rt scui ces by a wise economy. But these, I admit, are general declarations. The'r whole value depends noon their futuco and proc:ical development. On this subject. I will frsnkly allow that the question Is for the moment one of confidence. The policy of the Government for the last five years in particular, tne character and opinions of my col- leagut s, and the financial and commercial legislation with which I may say that, sines 1842,1 have been associated, are before you. I can only aad that I have not spoken llgutly, but deliberately, and with lull persuasion. "I have now, Gentlemen, endeavoured to supply to 1611 the meansof estimating generally, but with, Ihope, sufficient accuracy, the views and Intentions of the Government wlkh respect to policy and immediate legislation, but mare especially with reference to the financial work which they respect to policy and immediate legislation, but mare especially with reference to the financial work which they now offrrthemselves to undertake and to pei form. Undertaken and performed I tiust it will be, whether by us or by others. Ic is for you to say by whom. As for all that lies beyond, in the region of the many and arduous questions to some of which I have referred, I can give no unlimited pledge ot persoiial aid or service In the forty-second year of a laborious public life, and with the desire which I feel both entitled and bound to cherish for repose. But for the present Issue I am at your service, and so I trust are the colleagues who have performed the work and made the character of the present Government, and to whom I owe a lively and un- ending gratitude. It is sometimes said, Gentlemen, that we of the Liberal Government and Party have endangered the institution* and worried all the interests of the country. As to the interests, I am aware of no one of them that we have injured. If we have unhapPlly offended any, it has been neituer our inten- tion nor our wish, but the consequence of our anxiety to con- sult the highest interest of all, in which all others are involved-thb intei e3t of the nation. "As to the institutions of the country, gentlemen, the charge is the very same that you have been accustomed to hear urged against Liberal Governments in general for the last 40 years. It is time to test by a general survey of the past this trite and vague allegation. Now, there has elapsed a period of 40, or more exactly 43 years since the Liberal Party acquired the main direction of public affairs. This followed another period of about 40 years, beginning with the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, during which there had been an almost unbroken rule of their opponents, who claimed and were reputed to be the great preservers of the institutions of the country. But I ask you to judge the men by the general results. I fear we must admit that the term of 40 yeari 01 Tory rule. which closed in 1830, and to wh.ch you are invited to return, left the Institutions of the country weaker, are, even In Its peace and order less secure, than at the commencement of the period It had found them. I am confident that If now the present Government be dismissed from the service of their Gracious Mistress and of the country, the Liberal party, which they represent, may at least challenge contradiction when they say that their term of forty years leaves the Throne, the laws, and the institu- tions of the country not weaker, but stronger, than it found them. Such, Gentlemen, is theisrae placed before you, and be- fore the nation, tor your decision, if the trust of this Ad- ministration be by the effect of the present elections vir- tually renewed, I, for one, will serve you, for what remains of my time, faithfully; if the contldence of the country he taken from us and handed <;ver to others whom you may judge more worthy, I, for one, shall accept cheerlully my dismissal. I have the honour to be, Gentlemen, your most obliged and most faithful servant, "W. E. GLADSTONE. 11, Carlton House-terrace, Jan. 23, 1874."

MR. DISRAELI'S ADDRESS. • Mr. Disraeli has issued the following address to the electors of Buckinghamshire Gentlemen—Mr. Gladstone has Informed the electors of Greenwich th,t her M^josty has rean advised by her Minister to diasolve the present Parliament. Whether this step has been taken as a means of avoiding the humbling confession by the Prime Minister that he has, in a fresh violation of Constitutional law, persisted in re- taining for several months a seat to which he was no longer entitled, or has been resorted to by his Government in order to postpone or evade the day of reckoning for a war carried on without communication with Parliament, and the expenditure for which Parlia- ment has not sanctioned, It Is unnecessary at prisons to consider. It Is sufficient to point out that if, under any cir- cumstances, the course altogetha unprdceGented of calling together Parliament by special summons for the despatch of business, and then dissolving it before its meeting, could be Justified, there is in the present case no reason whatever suggested why this was not done six weeks ago, and why the period of the year usually devoted to bujioess before Eastsr, which must now be wasted, should not thus have been saved. Gentlemen, I appeal to you again for the continuance of that confidence which jou have extended to me on nine different occasions, running over a period longer than a generation of mt-n. The Prime Minister has addressed to his constituents a prolix narrative, In which he mentions many of the questions that htiv.) occupied or may occupy public attention, but in which I find nothing definite as to the policy he would puriue, exiept this, that having the prospect of a large sur- plus, he wi;l, if retained in pjwer, devote that surplus to the remission of taxation, which would be the course of any party or any Ministry, But what is re- markable in his proposals is that, on the cne band, they are accompanied by the dnquie ing information that the surplus, In order to make it adequate, must be enlarged by an ad- justment," which must mean an increase, of existing taxei and tha", on the other hand, his principal measures of relief will be the diminution of local taxation and the abolition of the Income- tax-meaaures which the Conservative party have always favoured, and which the Prime Minister and his friends have always opposed. Gentlemen, I have ever endeavoured, and if returned to Parliament, I shall, whether in or out of office, continue the endeavour, to preftage or support all measures calculated to Improve the ccncfttlcn of the people of this kingdom. But I do not think this great end is advanced by lncesmnt and harrassing legislation. The Eugllsh people are governed by their customs as much as by their laws, and there is nothing they more dislike than unnecessary restraint and meddlicg Interference In their affairs. Get orally speaking, I should say of the Administration of the last five yean that it would have been better for us all if tiiere had been a little more energy in our foreign policy and a little less in our domestic energy in our foreign policy and a little less in our domestic legislation. By an art of folly or of Ignorance rarely equalled, the present Ministry relinquished a treaty which secured us the freedom of the straits of Malacca for our trade with Goina and Japan, and they at the same time entering, on the West Coast of Africa, Into those equivocal and entangling engagements" which the Prime Minister now deprecates, involved us in the Ashantee war. Tne honour of the country now requires that we should prosecute that war with the vigour necessary to ensure success but, when that honour is vindicated, It will be the duty of Parliament to inquire by what means we were led into a costly and destructive con- test, which neither Parliament nor the country have ever sanctioned, and of the necessity or justice of which, in its origin, they have not been made aware. The question of a further ri form of the House of Commons is again suggested by the Minister. I think unwisely. The argument for extending to the counties the household fran- chise of the towns, on the ground of the existing system being anomalous, is itself fallacious. Therehas always been a difference between the franchises of the two divisions of the country, and no one has argued more strongly thau the present Prime Minister against the contemplated lde itity of suffrage. The Conserva!iva party view this question without prejudice. They have proved that tney are not afraid of popular rights. But the late Reform Act was a large measure, which, in conjunction with the ballot, has scarcely been tested by experience, and they will hesitate before they sanction further legislation, which will Inevitably Involve, among ether considerable changes, the disfranchisement of at least all boroughs in the kingdom comprising less than forty thousand inhabitants. Gentlemen, the impending general election Is one of no mean Importance for the future character ot this ali gdom. There is reason to hope from the address of tiie Prime Minister, putting aside some ominous suggestions which it contains as to the expediency of, a local and subordinate Legislature, that he is Mot certainly at present opposed to our r.? USDS' or to the maintenance of the Integrity ,?VK" T,?at» unfortunately, among his adherents the Monarchy others Impugn the independence 01 the Houae of Lords; while there are those who would relieve Parliament altogether from any share in the govern. ment of one portion Of the Uulted Kingdom. Others, again, urge him to pursue his peculiar policy by disestablishing the Anglican, as he has despoiled the Irlsb, Church while trusted colleagues in his Cabinet openly con- cur with them in their desire altogether to thrust religion from the place which it ought to occupy in national education. These, gentlemen, are solemn Issues, and the Impending general election must decide them. Their solution must be arrived at when Europe Is more deeply stirred than at any period since the Reformation, and when the cause of civil liberty and religious freedom mainly depends upon the strength and stability of England. I a-k you to return me to the House of Commons, to resist every proposal which may Impair that strength, and to support by every mean3 her Imperial sway. B. DISRAELI, Hughenden Manor, Jan. 24,1874.

MR. LOWE'S ADDRESS. Mr. Lowe has sent the following address to the Chairman of his Committee at the London University "After five busy and eventful years of public life, I solicit again the high honour of being returned to Parliament as the representative of the University of London. "Those years have been spent by me In giving such aid as my official position enabled and allowed me to afford towards the accomplishment of the objects to which In 1863 I ventured to direct attention. The task which we undertook then has, with a single exception, been completely fulfilled. That single failure Is made less Important by the fact that the University of London is here ready and able to perform the duties which were destined for a similar institution in Ireland. I especially invite attention to the complete redemption ot the pledges of 1868, not only because we look back upon It with no unreasonable pride, but because it affords to you and to the country a solid guarantee that, if honoured with a renewal of confidence, we shall redeem our new pledges with the same fidelity, and presumably with the sime success. We have been able to carry the country through the crisis of a great European war without offending either party, without compromising the dignity of England, and without any Injury to her allies. Had Government been In other and 'more energetic' hands, we might have found ourselves carrying on active hostilities against France, in order to avert the possibility of a French invasion of the guaranteed Saxon provinces of Prussia. We have, we trust and believe, established per- manent relations of friendship and good-will between England and the United States of America, and have given a powerful impulse to the cause of peace by showing that great nations may, without dishonour, submit their disputes to impartial tribunals instead of to the blind and bloody arbitramtnt of war. The West African war was not of our own seeking. The King of Ashantee treacherously attacked our forts, without warning and without provocation, and left us no choice but basely to fly or firmly to resist. We have neither the wish nor the power to avoid discussion on this subject. Mr. Disraeli tells us that the Conservative party has always favoured the remieslon of the Income tax. That he should have disliked it from the very first Is quite natural, for it was the means of bringing about that free trade which he so bitterly opposed. It Ï3 only to be regretted that the great lLcrease of expenditure which we have learnt frcm long experience to cr islder as Inseparable from the advent to power of a Tory Ministry, has prevented the party from sooner giving effect or even utterance to these associations. Never having inaulged, so far as I know, In the luxury of a considerable surplus of his own, Mr. Disraeli is perfectly welcime to an Imaginary appropriation of the accumulations of others. When Mr. Disraeli objects that there has always been a difference between the town and country franchise, he surely forgets that he himself has Introduced the household franchise into cjuntic-s, and so made the distinction one between a £10 and simple household franchise and that he has, by thu same measure of 1867, made the precedent of reducing the former te the latter. Mr. Disraeli tells us that he does not think that the con. dition of the United Kingdom is improved by incessant and h&rrsssing legislation. This m' ans that It is beat not to legis- late at all, and, if you do legislate, to take care to offend no one. Compare the state of England with her state forty years ago. To what do we owe tae change ? To laws which harassed the owners of boroughs, the corrupt corporations, the protected trades and industries, and the Universities-in short, all persona and institutions which held privileges ad- verse to the general welfare. "The man who prefers custom to law announces a prin- ciple which woulA stereotype every abuse, and substitute the blind guesses of barbarism for the clear and well-considered conclusions of a civilised age. I have little fear that the graduates of a University which is itself the product of harassing legislation, and which has had to fight so hard a battle against obstruction; custom, ani prejudice or that the people of England, who feel bvery day what wise and liberal legislation has done for them, will give sny sanction to these inert and slugghh principles. "The night comes upon all, but we will not draw the curtain while It is yet day.—I remain, Sir, your obliged and faithfullervant, "EGBERT LOWE,"

THE DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT. The Eighth Parliament of Qaeen Victoria waa dis. solved on Monday by Royal Proclamation under the Great Seal, aad the Lord Chancellor a of Great Britain and Ireland respectively were instructed to issue out writs for new elections of knight3, citizens, and bur- gesses to serve in a Parliament to assemble at West- minster on the 5th of Marsh. The Parliament which is now no more met on the 10th December, 1868, and has therefore had an exist- ence of five years and forty-seven days. It has had more than an average life of the Parliaments of the present reign. "The first Parliament since the acces- sion of her Majesty was dissolved on the 22nd of June, 1841, by Lord Melbourne; the second on the 23rd of July, 1847, by Lord Russell; the third on the 1st of July, 1852, by Lord Derby the fourth on the 21st of Marcb, 1857, by Lord Palmerston; the fifth on ths 23rd of April, 1859, by Lord Derby; the sixth on the 6ch of July, 1865, by Lord Palmerston; the seventh on the 11th November, 1868, by Mr. Disraeli; and the eigh;h on the 26ch January, 1874, by Mr. Gladstone. It will thus be seen that no Minister, during the reign of Queen Victoria, has dissolved a Parliament called by himself.

AN APPEAL AGAINST A DECISION UNDER THE LICENSING ACT. In the Court of Queen's Bench, before Justices Blackburn, Quain, and Archibald, the cause of Mullins v. Collins" has been heard, and was an appeal from the decision of a bench of magistrates, on an information laid by the superintendent of police against the appellant, William Mullins, under section 16 of the Licensing Act of 1872, charging him with having supplied a glass of brandy to a police-constable, Robert George Boynt, while the latter was on duty. As the house was as a rule very respectably conducted, and the magistrates were somewhat inclined to think that the offence complained of had been committed without the knowledge of the landlord himself, they at firBt determined to inflict only a nominal fine of 6d., but afterwards finding that they could not inflict a less sum than 20s., they accordingly decreed the appellant to pay that amount. Mr. Poland, for the appellant, now argued that before the appellant could be convicted it must be proved that the offence complained of had been com- mitted by him personally, or within his knowledge he must be present at the time the brandy was supplied and when the constable drank it, or have knowledge that it was so supplied and drauk. Secondly, it must be proved that he knew that the constable was on duty when he got the drink. Thirdly, it was contended by appellant that the officer deserted his duty by en. tering this tavern, and could not, therefore, be said to be on duty. It should be remembered that the justices themselves found that the appellant himself was not a party to the sale.. Mr. Justice Blackburn But is he not liable for the acts of his servants ? Mr. Poland thought not. Mr. Justice Blackburn Ihen every constable could get drunk in a public-house and the landlord would be exempt from the consequences, because the intoxicating drink was supplied by his servants, with or without his knowledge. Mr. Poland said the question was a very important one. For instance, a constable in pbin clothes might go into the house and be served with drink, and how was the landlord, or his barmaid, or whoever supplied the drink over the counter to know that the man was on duty or not ? u Mr. Justice Blackburn replied that nrgbt be so, but in the present instance the constable WAS in uniform.. Mr. Poland admitted that the officer was in his policeman's clothes, but how were the publican's ser- vants to know that he was on duty. He urged that there was no evidence to show knowledge on the part of the barmaid that she was aware the constable was in the execution of his duty when he Wus tupplied with the drink. Therefore, the landlord, who might be away from his house for a temporary purpose ought not to be convicted for an act done by his servant, the offcnce being one which involved a guilty mind on the part of the person who did it. Mr. Justice Blackburn It may have been done in ignorance of the law. Mr. Poland But as your lordship knows ignorance of the law won't excuse him. I contend, however, what has been done has been done in ignorance of the fact as to the man bein^ on auty £ ot. My argument is that it must be proved that the landlord knew that this man was a constable, and that if he were such, that he was on duty at the time. Mr. Justice Blackburn So that according to your theory all the landlord has to do is to get out of the way to evade the Act, and, in his absence, his servants by conduct similar to that pursued in this case, may get the police into as much blame and as much trouble as possible. 1 Mr. Poland again urged it wou d be a great hard. ship on licensed victuallers in cases where their houses might be entered by constables in plain clothes. It often happened that these officers, who were unknown to the publican, visited his house in search of suspected characters (which certamly was part of their dutj) and if they were suppled with drink would it be juat to hold the landlord liable for this? Mr. Justice Blackburn But no such case occurred here. The barmaid muat and did know thoroughly well that she was serving a policeman on ouiy with drink. The point you now advance was not rassed at the trial before the magistrates. The contention then was that the offcnce must have been committed by the landlord himself or with his knowledge. Whereas here it was shown that the act complained of had been done by his servant. Aftsr further argument, The Court unanimously held that the conviction must be affirmed. The barmaid served the liquor over the counter in the ordinary pertormance of her duty to a police. constable without questioning him whether he was on duty at the time or not. If.he had tricked her into doing so by any misrepresentation as to his calling or dury at the time, tiiat would have been a different thing, and in reason the Pu' £ an c°uld not be held liable. 'Here however, she had the exercise of her own viaioD, and no attempt was made to deceive her. She knew the man was a constable and on duty, and her njaster ana-, bear the consequences of her act. Conviction therefore upheld.

THE CHILDREN OF MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER. On Monday the Lord Chancellor and t ie Lords Justices pave jadgmeiit in the appeal from a ot cittou of tbe late Vicr-thanceller Wi k-tis as to a .'eyesi to a cti-d who w.«« the issue of a mr.rriage between a man and a s;ster of his deceased wile. The facts were these James Occleston, on August 13, 1862, went through the ceremony of a marriage at Nmfchatd with Margaret Lewis, his deceased wife's sister, ByMaigiret Lewis he had two children—one Catherine, and another Edith, born respectively in 1863 and 1866. By his will, dated July 9, 186S, he bequeathed the income of a portion of his estate to trustees in trust for his I sister-in-law, Margaret Lewis, for her life, and on her death "for his r3puted children, Catherine Occleston and Edith Occleston, and all other the children which he might have, or be reputed to have, by the said Margaret Lewis, then born, or thereafter to be born, a tenants in common." At the date of the testator's will, Margaret Lewis was encicnte, and on January 6, 1869, she had a child, which the chief clerk of the late Vice-Chancellor certified was named Margaret Vice-Chancellor certified was named Margaret Occleiton, otherwise Lewis, Margaret Lewis, the pother, died on January 17, 1869. The testator died in 1870. The question was whether Margaret Occle- ston, otherwise Lewis, was en'itled to share with her sisters in the abrve-stated bequest. The late Vice- Chancellor decided that question in the negative. Mr. E. K Karslake and Mr. W. W. Kart lake were coun- sel for Margaret Occleston. ottierwife Lewis Mr. Dickinson and Mr. Dixon for the plaintiffs in the suit Mr. Osborne Morgan and Mr. Macnaghten for the trustees of the will; and Mr. Hemming for Catherine and Edith Occleston. The Lord Chancellor, in expressing his concurrence in the judgment of the late Vice-Chancellor, said that, according to cases hitherto decided, Margaret Occleston not having obtained the reputation of being a natural child of the testator when the will was made, was not entitled to participate in the bequest to his reputed children. The Lords Justices, however, were of opinion that she was entitled to share equally with her sisters in the bequest because between the date of the will and his death a child was born, in the knowledge of the testator, of the body of Margaret Lewis, the mother, and he designated that child Margaret Occleston in the registration of births. The result of this difference of opinion was that the decision of the late Vice-Chancellor was reversed.

CANCELLING OF STAMPS. 10 reference to this subject, the law of which does not seem to be generally known, "Ex-Conveyancer" writes to The Times:- I am very glad that Conveyancer," whose letter appears in The Times of Thursday, has called attention to the fact that the safety of commercial transactions is constantly endangered by the imperfect cancellation of stamps. By the law as it now stands, an adaesive stamp is not properly cancelled unless the person required by law to cancel such adhesive stamp cancels the same by writing on or across the stamp his name or initials, or the name or initials of his firm, together with the true date of his so writing." The process thus described is very simple and easy, yet comparatively few men of business will take the trouble to master the rule and put it in practice. As an experiment I looked over 50 stamped receipts taken at random from my receipt drawer some months ago, and I found that out of this number only 16 were properly cancelled. Thus 34 penalties of B10 had been incurred, and a sum of £ 64 at the least had been paid without my having any le?al evidence to produce,

A RUSSIAN MARSHAL'S FUNERAL. The Special Correspondent of the Daily News, writing from St. Petersburg, the 20th Inst., thus describes the funeral of Marshal Berg :— They buried old Marshal Berg this morning. Ibe veteran ex-Governor had done tne State some seivice, and the State followed his remains to his tomb. The Marshal a few weeks since traveiled in the train which brought me to St. Petersburg, and I often noticed, at the Russian stations when he got out to take a turn on the platform, how the peasants and railway officials tried to get a peep beneath the abundant furs in which so noted a personage was muffled. The unnatural weather at last killed him, and he died quite suddenly. Yesterday he lay in state in the Lutheran Church of St. Peter's, in the N evsk;. Throughout the entire day the Psalter was said, and at intervals there were special prayers, at which h's relatives and immediate friends were expected to ba present. The coffin re- mained open. The withered face of the aged soldier wore a touchinely peaceful, almost child-lise, expres- sion. There he lay in his uniform, covered with deco- rations and smothered with choicest flowers, his white, bony hand IJiug outside the coverlet to that his friends might imprint upon it a farewell kiss. On my way to the church at ten o'clock this morning I passed several Russian funeral processions, the high, rcof-ehaped coffins in each case partially ex- posed. Tho poorer passeis-by took off their hats, and crossed themselves devoutly. Sledge-driver or peasant wending his slow journey to market, it was all the same; each paid a tribute of respect to the low bier. The traffic was stopped near the church of St. Peter's, for the streets were filled with troops. There were four batteries of capitally horsed artillery, the guns, long brass breech-loaders of light calibre. Ex tending right and left in front of the church was a double line of the Emperor's Body Guard, big, tall fellows, in tbe loog. brownish-grey overcoats which you may see in any Crimean war picture, brightly burnished cuirasses, eagle-topped helmets, and a portion — Laneers presumably — carrying a pennon somewhat like that of our Lancers. While the burial service, or rather a portion of it, was being read inside the church, these Guards, at least a thousand strong, remained like statues at their post. The six horses drawing the Marshal's bier were hidden to the hoofs in black trappings, according to the invariable custom in Russia. The coffin, now closed, was brought from the church, and placed upon the bier, like the humbler ones I had previously seen, partly exposed, and heaped up with wreaths and immortelles. The Em. peror, pale and aad looking, was there as chief mourner. His own sons and brothers were there, and our Eng lish Princes, all, of course, in uniform. The Royal mourners mounted their horses, and took their places in the procession. The Emperor rode a magnificent black charger, one of the favourites in his immense stables. Tne Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Prince Arthur were mounted upon smaller animals, almost pure-bred white Arabs. The band of the Guards, playing a funeral march, led the van up the Nevski; tne batteries came next, and then the military, the mourners, and the rear-guard. All traffic was stopped, not by compulsion, but by sympathy. It was another proof of that out- ward devoutness which so pre-eminently characterises the Russian. Bareheaded, in mute, reverent obeisance, all sorts and conditions of men stood, while the dead Marshal and the living Princes filed slowly on through the heaving mire. The destination of the proceesion was the Warsaw StatioD, from which place the de- ceased Marshal was removed into the country to be buried amongst his own people.

TORPEDO EXPLOSION AT WOOLWICH ARSENAL. An extraordinary disaster occurred at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, last Saturday, owing to the ex- plosion of a fish torpedo. The torpedo is about 12 feet long, and 18 inches in diameter in the middle, tapering off to a point at each end. The torpedoes are manu- factured in the Royal Laboratory, and each one, as soon as it is completed, is sent down to the canal to be tried. Two were being tried on Saturday morning, when one exploded. The men were oiling the bearings and turning a screw to make the machinery work freely, when the air chamber exploded. A young man named Edward Baker was killed, his body being thrown 20 yards, and bia left leg severed from the trunk by the sharp blades of the rudder, and carried, with the after part of the torpedo, into the timber field 80 yards away, where the flight was stopped by a stack of wood. A man named Fishenden, aged 31, who is not expected to live, had hia right arm completely crushed, and a serious injury to the chest; Clement M 'Loan, 32, the foreman in charge of the psrty, sustained a compound fracture of the left arm, and a like injury to the left leg James Dimott, 21, had his lef; hand severely lacerated, necessitating amputation^ of a finger; and James Vaughan, 21, suffered an inj ary to the loins and other contusions. The pressure of air at the moment of explosion was 1,000 lbs. to the square inch, hut the chamber had been tested up to 1,200 lb?.,]and the same torpedo had made two ruus the day before with 1,0001b. pressure each time. It had on Saturday morniug made one run only, with 800 lb. pressure.

"TITE BARNACLE" AT WASHINGTON. A new story of President Lincoln Is given in a book recently published in America, Air. Maunsell Field's Memories of Many Men. Tiie writer saya :— "There uaed to be a clerk in the register's office, who belonged to one of those Washington families which, ever since the foundation of the Government, have considered themselves, by prescriptive right, en- titled to be provided for by it. At the same time, his father was chief of one of the bureaus in the War Department, and he had a brother who was employed in the Interior Department. He had also another brother who had been in the army, but, becoming dis- abled by illness, had been honourably discharge d. For this brother, too, he was determined to secure a place ia the Civil Service. With this object he weut from department to department, but without success. Finally be determined to go directly to the President himself, and to appeal to him to intervene in behalf of the discharged soldier. Mr. Lincoln, it would seem, had heard of the case before the Treasury clerk secured the audience with him which he sought. When the in- terview had terminated the disappointed clerk rushed back to our department and into my office. and commenced in the most indiscreet and intem- perate manner to express his disgust with the President. 'It ia a disgrace to tie country,' he aid, 'th'\t such a boor should ba President of he United States I' I drew fNm him tho utory of what h d occurred between the President and hiius-lf, and it was something like this :—Mr. Lincoln received him kindly and listened to his request. Why don't you go directly to the Secretaries ? he asked. 'I have b 'fn to them all, and failed with all,' was the answer, Hasn't your brother sufficiently recovered his health to enable him to return to the army ?' inquired the President. 'No, Sir, he has not,' was the reply.' 'Let mesee.'contiNU dMr. Liocoln, 'I believe that yoii yourself are a clerk in one of the departments—which one is it?' 'The Treasury Department, Sir.' 'I thought so. Ha-s your brother as good clerical capacity as you possess?' Yea Sir.' I thilk I have some- where met your father. Doesn't he hold an office in Washington?' Y {S, Sir; lie is chief of the- Bureau in the War Department.' Ob, yes I now recollect him perfectly well, Has your brother good reference as to character?' Yes. Sir; the very best.' 'Istnere any otherofyour family holdiugeiffjennder the Government ?' Yes, Sir I have a younger brother in the Interior Department.' Well, theo, ail I have to say to you, Mr. 13 that there are too many hogs, and too lit LIe fodder 1'

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS. Mr. Bailey, of Danbury, eays-" I co not lecture myself; I lUll mairied." Sixty-seven female teachers in Cincinnati have petitioned for the same silary as males, rn tha groin:d that they find no reduction In board bll's on account ot cex. A pack of wolves in Sherbune county, chase<i a couple of lawyers five miles, and tbe Sew Orleans Republican thinks it showed alack of profession; courtesy A political orator, speaking of a cortiia general whom he professed to admire, said that ou the n^lo. ol b waa always fouiid whero fchQ bullets thickest. YeI, in the ammunition WAggon/'$oilocl one 01 hw heaters, Economy is said to be carried to such an extent in a I town In Michigan that the paper mills have been compelled I to suspend operations for want of rags. £ An eccpntric old fellow who lived beside a graveyard I was aaktd If It was not an unpleasant location. "No," said he, I never jlned plicea in my life wish a set or neighbours that minded their own business so stitidy a they do. Kansas judges are either very generous, or else they hava little dignity. Ona of them was called old sklilet- legs by a lawjer, and he only imposed a fine ot ieven shil- lings for contempt of court. The spiritualist lecturer who noticed a lady clad in deep mourninz taking her d'pTture from the hall, pro- phesied better than he knew when he told lie? that the spirit of her husband desired to communic.iteVlth her. Iknow tt," said she "he is waiting at the door." 'A steamboat captain was recently feeling his way al",ng In the dark when the look-out ahead sang out, "Scnoomr without a ll^i t." It was a close shave, and as the steamer passed the schooner the Ce-ptvlil tang out, What are you doiug with your infsrnal schooner here In the dark without alight?" To his dlimay the sk'pper, who was a Frenchman, amwcreé1, Vat ze dlabla you do herd vis your ole steamboat In three feet water, eh?" and just theD the steamer landed high and dry on a sandbank. Wild geese in Ohio seem not to be such geese as they look they have nearly eaten up all the wheat of many localities thereabout. They come down in great droves on the field at about eight or nine o'clock a.m., Bet a guard to watch, and then go to work. A peculiar Instinct teaches just how far the average shot gun will carry, and it Is next to an impossibility to shoot them. THE AVERAGE TALK OF A WOMAN.—A man of average talkativeness speaks three hours a day, and at the rate of one hundred words a minute; that is to say, enough words to fill about twenty-nine octavo pagel in moderate print every hour, six hundred pages in a week, and in one year fifty-two pretty large volumes. The American author who got up these statistics, says, that If you multiply these numbers by ten you arrive at about the average talk of a woman. Let us sae, that is ten times three hours a day they have, therefore, apparently thirty hours a day in Ame- rica. Very go-a-head people, very.

Itlistelkuicurs Jntdligeira, SOME J'OEEIGN, AN D COLONIST DEATH FROM HYDROPHOBIA.—The Sheffield Daily lelegraph reports the death of John Eil-s, a mason of that town, from hydrophobia. On the 26th of December the deceased was bitten by a cat in the thumb and hand. Toe wounds soon healed, leaving only some slight scars, which gave him no incon- venience. On the 19.;h inst. he complained of a numb- ing pain ia the arm, attributing it to rheumatism. Next day he went to work as usual, but in the after- noon the pain became so acute that he was obliged to go home. The same night the dreadful symptoms of hydrophobia dbveloped themselves. He showed great self-control and, when spoken to soothingly, made strenuous effortB to calm himself during the horrible paroxysms which came over him. Death relieved him from his sufferings on Thursday night. DKAR BREAD AND CHEAP FIOUR.—The in- crease which has recently been made by the Liverpool bakers in the retail pcice of bread has aroused consider able attention, from the fact that there has been no corresponding increase in the price of flour, which would justify such a course (says the IAverpool Albion), It is found that bread sold at 2,tl. per lb. is equivalent to flour at 14,. lid. per barrel of 196ib?., and that sold at 2^d. per lb. is equal to 50s, 4d. per barrel. An ex- amiuation of the ruling prices shows that barrel flour of first.clasB quality can now be purchased on the Liverpool Corn Exchange at 363. per barrel, and the millers all through the country are complaining of the low pricts they are making for flour, and are not in- clined to increase their stocks. In addition to this great difference in the cost and selling prices, the bakers can realise about one shilling each for the empty barrels, thus further reducing the cost, as these barrels, when full, are not weighed as so much flour, a tare of 201bs. being allowed on each. ALL TITLES ABOLISHED !—At the beginning of the French Revolution a marquis, about to quit Paris, was required to give up his name up at the barriers. "I ana a Monsieur le Marquis de Saint Cyr," he paid. Oh, oh, we have no Monsieurs now objected the official of the sovereign people." Put me down as the Marquis de Saint Cyr, then." "All titles of nobility are abolished," opposed the stolid Republican. "Call me De Saicfc Cyr, only," suggetted the nobleman. "No person is allowed to have De' before his came in these days of equality," explained the servant of the one and indivisible'" < Write Saint Cyr." That won't do either—all the saints are struck out of the calendar." Then let my ?,ar??e o? cried the marquin, in desperation. "Sire!" exclaimed tha Republican ("Cyr"i s so pro nounced)- that is worse than all. Sites, thank goeiL- ness, are quite done away with I' A COMPARISON.—Judge 13-, now 811. the Supreme Bench of California, was recently trying a case where a farmer claimed damages against a mining company for blowing "vailings" cn to the farmer's land. A witness tea; Hied as to the effect of a stick lying in the stream of water carrying the vailings and obstructing the same. Judge B- (to witness): How large was the sdck you speak of ?—Witness I don't recollect..—Judge B-: Can't you approximate to the size?—Witness Well, no I didn't measure it.— Judge B- (growing impatient): Well, sir, was it as thick as my wrist?—Witness: Well, yes, something bigger from my recollection now, I should judge it to have been about as thick as your head.—A jocular ex- pression seemed to play upon the features of the audience, the size of the stick having been fairly approximated." MR. BEILCHER'S AUCTION.—The annual Bale of pews was held on the 6th of January at Plymouth Church, Brooklyn. Previous to the opening of the sale, Mr. Beecher said he had been invited to vitit England to preach the missionary sermon of the London Missionary Society. He regarded the invita- tion as an honour as well as a great courtesy. He had not yet sent a reply, but he was greatly disinclined to go. He did not, indeed, expect to go, except the pew- holders actually forced him to do so. He then intro- duced the auctioneer, Mr. Hoyt, of New York, who commenced the sale of pews. The first n-as sold at a premium of 400 dols. to Mr. ObingSon, The total amount realized was 59,430 dols., 47,000 dols. being for premiums alone. The receipts exceeded those of last year by 120 dola. Mr. Beecher expressed himself highly satisfied and grateful at tho resalt. A YEARNS EMIGRATION FROM LIVERPOOL-— According to the statistics of emigration compiled by the Government emigration officials at this port, it appears that during the past year there left Liverpool, in 457 shipisaiJicg under the provisions of the Govern- ment Emigration Act, 18,523 cabin and 160,963 steerage passengers, or a total of 179 486 emigrants. Of these 89,031 were English, 3203 Scotch, 26.638 Irish, and 60,564 foreigners. The following were the destinations of the emigrants d United States, 154,506 Canada, 23,659 Victoria, 985 and South America, 336. The number of ships in 1872 was 450, and the number of emigrants 185,743, showing a decrease last year of 6,257 emigrants. Toe nation- alities of the emigrants in 1872 were as follows:— English, 90,253; Irish, 24,838; foreigners, 67,926; and Scotch, 2,726. The principal destinations of the emigrants were:—United States, 163,578; Canada, 19,857; South America, 1,933; and Victoria, 388. The emigration last year, as compared with that of 1872 stows a Gccrease of 75362 foreigners, a decrease of 922 English, an increase of 1,750 Irish, and an increase of 477 Scotch. A WARNING NOTE '.—The Times, in A leader on Tuesday said— It is but three days since Mr. Gladstone's Manifesto as- tonished tha couucy, bat the leading facts ot our novel portion and the pOlftR which should be steidily kept in view by the electors of the Kingdom are fast becoming better understood. It is already recognised as an object cf the highest importance that constituencies should intrust their power as far as possible to men of independent and honest judgment. The next Parliament will assuredly exhibit a strange assortment of Parties, and the only security we can have that It will not be drawn into strange con elusions Is to be found In the careful selection at the be- ginning of men whose opinions are self formed and solf- maintained. Thli was not of so much Importance in 1838. The House of Commons was then elected to pro- mote the accomplishment of cert-dn definite schemes of legblation; but., apart from this, it Wis soon seen that the House sa) sinRulady detl;tent in Independent elements which could be tiusted to make their influence felt by rival chiefs af:er the first enthusiasm was over. So groat was the dfatth that, a single man capable of forming an honest opinion and of standing by it whan formed, became at once a nucleus of power. The eminenco to which Mr. Fawcett so rapidly attains:1 was not so much due to the range of his political abili y as to the force and steadiness of his convictions. He was speedily detached from among the c oud of members ab0ut him fiS a man who k;ie w what he was about and adhered to It; end one amone; mavy results was that the Mettlem>n", of the Irish Unlversi y qnestlon came from his hmo's. But the new Parliament will b?, it la not too t),uch to say, disorganized from the begia- Din;. It Is admitted that there will be no clear predominance of Parties in lo. It ia more than possible that the balance of power may rest In the h'èl1.!a of a comparatively snail sec- tion, in whose minds the interests of the nation will be subordinate to the promotion of objects the overwhelming majority of the nation would repudiate. Let UJ, then, be caroful to select, as far ai v^e can, men who will not consent to be led, whether upon the invitation of Mr. Gladetone or of Mr. Disraeli, to give vote upon vote whtch tn the hidden corn:.r¡ of their he ir's they auspect-nay, confess-to be prejudicial to the national welfare. In looking forward, as we fear we must, to a period of incoherent and floating mxj ,rtlles. it will be a satisfaction if we are able to discern on both tides a sprinkling of men of clear principles, war. r"ntect not to givo way under the mere force of the current about them. A NOVEL RAILROAD.— There has just been completed at the machine shop of Lalferty and Brothers, Gloucester City, N. J., a four-ton locomotive designed to run on one rail. It is buUt for a street railroad company in Georgia, This engine cau with propriety be called a steam velocipcde, as it rest3upon two wheela, one follo wing the other. The rail or track up or which ir, is to run is styled a "Prismoid, or one track railway," and is composed of several thickcesses of plank, built up in the style of an inverted keel of a vessel, with a fhkt rail upon the apex. Upon a trial a L'peed of about twelve miles an hour was attained, and the inventor and patente e claims that the speed can be almost doubled on a lengthened track. THB IRISH P-BISRAGB.—Lord Rathdonnel reo mmds m (The Times) with reference to the view that Mr. Gladstone cun recommend Her Majesty to create a new Irish peerage, that by tho terms of the Act of Union twelve months must elapse from the date of the laat of the three required extinctions before a new Iri h peerage can be made. Consequently there can be no such creation before the 18th of January, 1875. Lor.l 11 itldonnell is of opinion that 'Westmeath and H .wilea do not count. Westmeatn still -x.^ta as an Irish earldom, and Ilowden, being a Union creation, ii r.ot available. The three extinctions tha1; can be used at the expiration of a year are Strangford, Moira, andBiayney." IMPORTANT SDCCESSIOK GASE.The Scotch C mrt of Session gave its decision on Friday in tbe case oi Mr. Henry Pidwick against Sir William Stewart, Bart., of Murthly and Gracdtuily, Perthshire. It may ba renumbered that in 1871 an agrHement wa^ tn "cred into between Mr. Padwi k and Sir Wil iam Stewart, v/ho was then proprietor of Murthly, to sell the estates at Sir William's death to Mr. Padwiek f,\r £ 350,000. Sir William died in April, 1871 ard M- Padwiek brought this action t ) have it found that tne agreement for the sale of the estates was an effectual one. Sir Archibald Douglas, Sir William's brother, who was t ie next htir of entail, maiut^iced that the Bntail of estates w&8 a Valid odp, aud barred atiy sale. The court decided against Mr. Padwiek, and the case will now in all probability be carried to the House of Lords. THE WELSH IN THE UNITED STATES.—Welsh emigrants in the United States appear to be all tenacious of t,eirancient language and literature as Welshmen at home. On the 7th of last December a great Eisteddfod was held at Pittsburg, with all the proper forms and ceremonies, and is said to have been the largest and most successful ever seen ia Americas On Christmas-day another was held at Lucerne, in Pennsylvania, and others, about the same time, took place at Plymouth and Hyde Park, in the same State, and at Cincinnati, in Ohio. There are four societies esta blished in New York for benevolent purposes and for the encouragement of the study of Welsh language and literature, and no fewer than six newspapers are regularly published in the Welsh language in six different towns. Yet more gratifying to Welshmen must be the statement that in Nuw York no Welsh paupers and no Welsh criminals are known to the authorities; and. what H suggested as being equally creditable, no Welsh office-seekers. The Welsh are most numerous in Pennsylvania. One of the mining: districts in that State is known as Little Wales; Altogether they appear to make admirable emigrants* and to prosper all the better fot holding well to each other and to the customs and traditioiis of home.

EPITOME OF NEW 8\1 BRITISH AND F&SEISBL France counts 7,000 individuals in her populatio who are filicted with stammering. A man has been arrested in New Albany, Ind., fc? stealing an umbrella. The world moves ? Throughout his recent illness the Emperor William has not taken a drop or grain of physic. "A contempoi ary says, 'Some of our fatare poets may be foued among our street boys.' We hope Hot. BtiW* boys are bad enougu now." Roman advices represent the health of tlio Pope td have so far improved that he was able to take a ghois wsll* in the gardens of the Vatican. The Gaulois states that all th? European Sovereigns, with the exception of the German Emperor, addressed letters of condolence to the Empress Eugenie on the anni- versary of her husband's death. In a letter to the editor of the Union the Count de Chambord thanks him for the zoal and ability with which his paper has advocated the Legitimist cauie for sixty years. It co eludes with a he pa that he may live to witness Its triumph. Apropos of the death of Lord Blayney, ii is not a little curious that, although the peerage wa3 created 250 years ago, and the deceased Lord was the twelfth holder of it, there ahotUl not be a single male descendant left cf the first baron, ami the title becomes extinct. Rabbit breeding promises to be profitable in point of fur as well as in flesh. France consumes 300 m'ldons of rabbits annually, whesa fur is valued at ten SOUl per skin. The grey-blue rabbit is at present much sought after for IW fur-a good skin selling as high as two francs. A great sensation has been created in Paris bv the arrival at the Jardin des PIantea of a dromedary which 11 perfectly white. This animal is rarer than a while elephant and, it is to be hoped, not quite so costly. A London beadle sent his card to the members of the congregation he administered to, praying that they would leave their New Year's gratuity for him on the cushion of their seat."—Court Journal. The world surely is moving at last. The Chinese Government has selected 140 boj s from the best families 1P China and sent them to the United States for further educ tion. Sixty of the boys hare arrived. f I wish a decoration, a foreign order of knighthood!' said a gentleman to a Paris shopkeeper. "\VhIchf" to' quired the shopkeeper. "No matter, any one will do, as I desire to go into society," answered the purchaser. Daring the past quarter eight vessels b added to her Majesty's Navy, and at the present are 27 others in course of construction at the varic ment yards or by private firms. A telegram from Berlin says that the medical advisers have recommended his Majes complete recovery of his health, to travel for a weeks in Icaly A Times' telegram from Calcutta states has been six hours' soaking rain there. The A assigned £ 50,COO for emigration to Burnnh. The: and recruiters send the starving people In steamers. There is distress in portions of Goru Bustee. The congregation of Union Chapel, London, on Saturday presented to the Rev. Dr. A containing £1,206, as a testimonial of their hlg] tiou of his labours as their pastor during thirty y A fire took place on Monday morning at of the 11th Hussars at Sbor^clifle, by which fou horses were burned to d-ath. A fifteenth anim down the slope end broke its neck. Many of the broke loose ran away to Folkestone and Hythe, I safely recovered. The official St Petersburg Gazette briefly r fact of the Royal marriage under the heading of The other journals reprint this statement, but a all comment. It appears that the regulation wl all authorized mention of evtnts [in the Imperl being strictly enforced. The correspondent of the New York J Havannah wrltes, that although the fate of the 1 siill fresh in everybody's mind, it Is generally sui the example will not hinder the Cubans from 11 similar enterprises. There was a great demonstration at Bla Saturday, in favour of the nine hours movement, the influential person? who gave the weight of thi attendance and remarks were Mr. Mundella, Starkie, M P., and Mr. Hargraves, of Accrington. The Maori King, who recently took the ci surprise by sudd nly withdrawing himself from tl in which he has so long lived, and manifesting mlxagitn with the Europeans, has pMd another of the settlements of the whites. lhis change by the colonists as an evidence of pacific intentii a recent native meeting, King Tawhaio declari visits meant p-ace. A communication from Sydney should mal and men In the iron trade pause before allowln question to Interfere with the results of their uui It 1" ellid, upcn what appears to be reliable autl within the last few months discoveries have be New South Wales which will shortly enable tha supply Iron of superior quality cheaper tbaa any of the world. Tho grocers of Greenock have adopted course with respect to the Food Adulteration have resolved to ask Government to introciucs at ments into it that, while providing for the de punishment of the guilty, tt will secure protect: innocent dealer. A story ia current ia Paris that a gentle the other morning to pay a visit to one of the h Radical party. Is your master In 1" he enqul servant. He is engaged, air." Oh, I'll call a hour." "He will be engaged all day, sir." Yes, sir, he Is going out this evening." Well please, sir, he's-washing. A London Sunday is usually quoted by P the acme of diilness and ennui. Tht-y do no always find their own capital perfect in this respei by the following letter by a recent suicide, eiplan reason for ending his life by a pan of charcoa myself because I cannot stand Sunday. Kindly lei know of this." A Geneva physician has observed that am lations dwelling at a high elevation above the leve cases of consumption are very Tare, while on the cases of pneumonia are very frequent. Having bl tuition also upon the thsr^pautic effect;d of a ctn tude he comes to the conclusion that a given incr tude produces always the same effect, whatever t of the starting-point. On Saturday afternoon a conference, chiefly of representatives of the trade and wc organisation of the metropolis, and presided < Sibbsld D Scott, took place at theetudtoof Capta near Albert-gate, to consider the propriety of esti HosplUl Saturday for London," in order to ena dustrial classes to contribute towards the sUPI metropoli an 1:031,it318. Captain Mercier stated t pital Saturday was established in Glasgow thirty and that the total of the subscriptions had lncr jeg40 till last year it amounted to £ 7,357. A re favour of the object was passed, and a general appointed to car. y It out. The Saturday fund is quite distinct from the Sunday one. Prince Kismarck's organ, the North Germa contradicts the statement that the Univers was In consequence of a specific demand to that el German Government. It professes to know that Government was guided solely by a sense of its c and a regard for FreDch interest?. Allusion Is ma power which Prince Bt-marck holds in reserve of against the French bishops. M. J hn Lemoinne devotes an article in t: to Lord Ilii33cll, apropos of the meetings of sym the Emperor of Germany in the clerical quea writer's views may be sammed up in ona bri Lord Itusse l is an English Liberal, but not a re Count Wengitrski, a Pole, well-known a< and In other parta of England as an active a member of various religious and benevolent instit undertaken, in conjunction with several cf his c of different religion* in the kingdom cf Poland, a lation of tee iour Gospela and the Acts of the A] the Polish ianguage from thd original Greek. Th Just been published by the Trinitarian Bible London. The following advertisement, which appe: Hessian journal, shows the condition of Protestan in some parts of G.-rmany "A minister's wife, two years. the daughter of one of the superior sires, having previously obtained her buarat.d ] to obtain employment aq a cook, In consequence c sure 01 circumstances. She has so far brought n and two daughters that they are Independent of h lieves her greater experience will command be than those of which either of her daughters-coi T'le nRille of this unfortunate person Is knoi edttor." Sinct) the first week in January the Lc market has been tuprlied with numbers of flue s produce of some Irish rivers, on which fishing ope allowed to commence In the first month of the fish forwarded ti is January to Liiidon have, gene la excellent coniitlon, and, owlnj to the su] numerous, the price asked, although high, Is consir thwi Londoners have been accustomed I late ye at this early seaton. Irish salmon are highly pr! London fishmonger, who, as a rule, prefers then English or Sc Itch fish. Probably for the last time-inasmuch as th turo Act. shortly comes Into operation-the anciti ties ol initiation to the depree of the cdf were or observed In vha Court of Common Piea. The co Amphlett, Q.C., who wan ordered to take upon 1 Etato and dtgrec of serjeant-at-law, under the pi thousand pound?. Hwlr g le9.rI a count 10 dor.-er, Amptilott was called with:a the bar, shook band gentlemen iu the front rank, and retired. At Liverpool, in the case of a person who i the inrtance of a supervisor of excise f a d: g without a llc^iice, a question arose as to the the strvice ct the summons. It vaa stated that it put beneath ti. a door of the defendant's shop, i closed at the time, and (he defendant did not no It was sub mitted by the Bupervisor that under th a;-d Ii.land Revenue Act the summons had been s rVdd. In reply to this, it was remarked that ws said to have been closed, and the summons that time be Ipur.( where the offl jer left it. Tho casi dl-miised, the Bench observing that the Excise a c uld, it they thought proper, issue another asmii The Court of Exchequer was crowded on auernoon to witness the "faiewtlt" of Biroi B..iioes the Lord Chid Biron and BarcnsPigct "iill Pollock there were present the Lod Chief Eicliud, Mr. Justice Mellor, and Mr. Justice Lush, o Qii'jen's Bench haviog adjourned an hour ea 11 up., to enable thtir lordshtps to alteud Tha Ge.itr.il, in delivering the valedictory address, obsi lio Judg3 waa ever iuore respested by the profet Samuel Msriiii, who was deeply alfecisd, thatk* for their kind eiuretalon of feelina after