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Aft 49nr fattorn Cfrapifintl

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Aft 49nr fattorn Cfrapifintl doem it right to state that we do not at all times Identity '■arselves with our correspondent's opinions. J When Sir Robert Preston, the wealthy Scotch mer- chant and member of Parliament, invited "old George Rose," the Secretary to the Treasury, to a day's fishing and a fish dinner at Dagenham Reach, he little thought that out of that friendly invitation would arise the much-talked-of Ministerial fish dinner. But so it has been, and the friendly annual gathering of a few parliamentary notabilities, when George the Third was King, has expanded into a settled political institu- tion, as significant of the end of the session as any- thing can be. It would be interesting, perhaps, to know what is the conversation at these ministerial fish dinners-and perhaps it would not. I should say it is not the time for Cabinet secrets to ooze out, nor is it the occasion for any arrangement as to ministerial policy. The latest war news, the last message through the Atlantic cable, the last breach of promise of mar- riage, or the performances of Blind Tom," are far more likely topics, mingled with congratulations at the close of the session. And it must be a great relief to many that the session is virtually over. A most im- portant one it has been. A continental war, a war between English authority and Irish rebellion, a war between the constituted authorities and the populace, and a war between the two great political parties in the country-all these have marked the session which is now dying out; and England generally may congratu- late itself that the session dies so calmly as it does. For many weeks—nay, for many months past- there have been warning words uttered by tongue and pen, relative to the coming cholera; but, un- happily, the warning was scarcely heeded till the fell disease was actually amongst us. The thing which was most heeded was the black flag, so to speak, which was hung out by the Registrar-General, when, in his weekly return of mortality, he announced that there had been in London 904 deaths by cholera, and 329 by diarrhsea—1,253 deaths from the two forms of the same disease. Immediately on this report making ts appearance, the whole of London appears to have been aroused. There was no panic, but everywhere there has been a determination to use the utmost efforts to cope with the disease. Medical men still differ as to how far the cholera [is contagious, but there is no difference of opinion in one thing-that dirt, overcrowding, impure water, bad vegetables, in- sufficient food, and want of ventilation, are predis- posing causes of cholera; and perhaps of all these causes the most powerful is impure water. The Registrar-General has shown that the greater part of this slaughter in seven days of 1,253 people of all ages took place within a limited portion of the London area." But there is another most destructive cause of cholera, and that is the carrying on of noxious trades. A deputation has waited on the Duke of Buckingham to point out to him that in a poor district in Black. friars there is a disease-nest of bone-boiling, catgut- making, and horse slaughtering establishments. For years past I have in various newspapers pointed out the existence of these places, round which the cholera hovered during its last visitation. Any one who has had occasion to pass through the neighbourhood, or has had to stop at the Borough-road station of the London, Chatham, and Dover railway, must have had painful evidence of something very wrong, though he may not have known what it was. Now such facts as those which the Registrar-General and the depu- tation to the Lord President of the council have made known ought to be taken to heart all over the country. Similar causes produce similar effects, it matters not where, and the sad lessons that we are now learning In London are of universal application. There has been nothing more interesting to read in the papers lately than the views of the successful laying of the chain of electric communication between the Old and the New World, and subsequently those messages of peace and good-will which have been flashed along the-bed of the ocean from the Queen to the President, from the President to the Queen, and be- tween the municipal chiefs of London and New York. God grant that these may be the forerunners of con- tinual messages of amity and national good-will. In gpite of the Continental war which has not yet wholly ceased, in spite of the preparations that the French government are said to be making for war, it is im- possible to avoid the conviction that there is throughout the world a growing distaste for war. The time may yet be far distant when men shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning-hooks, and shall have war no more," but far though it be, it is pleasant to indulge the hope that there is a good time coming." i And is the goal so far away 1 Far, how far, no man can say. Let us have our dream to-day. Yes, we will dream of the happy future, if we cannot realise it, and meanwhile We'll try the rivalry of Arts, Of Science, Learning, Freedom, Fame; We'll try who first shall light the world With charity's divinest flame- Who best shall elevate the poor, And teach the wealthy to be true: We want no rivalry of arms, We want no boasts of Waterloo. Apropos of telegraphy, I hear complaints of the made. quate pay of clerks, male and female, employed by the telegraphic companies. If what I hear be true it is high time that some advance in paying be made, considering the delicate and important character of the work; but I expect there is another side to the question. I know at all events that I have received some hundreds of telegraphic messages, both intended for print and for private information, and that I have scores of times been struck by the inaccuracy of the messages. They are frequently badly spelt, and always marked by absence of punctuation, which sometimes renders their meaning quite doubtful. A paragraph ha.s.,Sone the rounds of the papers that Lord James Butler, who is State Steward in Dublin Castle, is also a "retail dairyman." This is rather curious, certainly; but there is nothing discreditable in it, and I suspect that could we find out the number of noblemen who are virtually in trade we should be rather surprised. It must be remembered," says a writer in the Illustrated Times, that the line between trade and rank has of late been well-nigh obliterated. Thus, is not my Lord Topknot a banker in the city ? Does not the Marquis of Coketown deal in coals, and make out his invoices in due trader's form-Mr. So- and-So, Dr. to the Marquis of Coketown, so many tons of coal? And does not a noble family in the west draw the largest portion of its wealth from the chief manufacture of Ireland ? Not to mention the host of lords, baronets, &c., who began as chairmen or direc- tors of trading companies. The heir of a peerage is chairman of a company for the manufacture of an article for domestic use; the inheritor of an ancient name is the director of a dozen companies; and we have lately come to know that no less than three noble lords have been speculating in shares, and made great gains, but alas! subsequently greater losses." To which I may add that it is well known in commercial eircles that many a nobleman is a sleeping partner in houses of commerce, and even in great trading estab- lishments. A fact of this kind came out only lately in examining into the position of a large commercial house which had failed. It was found that the heir of a noble house-a name as honoured as it is celebrated- was a partner. And why not? it may be asked. Commerce is honourable, and the merchant princes of England are in social position very little below even "our old nobility." It is said that a lady performer on the trapeze is about to appear here. I hope the rumour will not be verified. It is bad enough to see men risk their lives as Ethardo and Eurardo do daily and nightly, but there is something revolting in seeing a woman go through such performances. It would be well for the lady who is about to appear, if the rumour be true, to study the fate of the female Blondin heroine of the Thames," whom I happened to see the other day, and who is injured seriously for life. I fancy the taste for these dangerous performances in England is declining. Certain it is that mere acrobats and tumblers-men who can twist their bodies into all sorts of knota, find it difficult to procure an engagement, and even the performance of Ethardo at the Crystal Palace is voted very tedious. There are some people who take a malicious delight in forging the alleged letters of public men. Some time ago The Times was hoaxed by a pretended letter from Lord Clarendon, announcing that the Prussian ambassador had been withdrawn from Vienna. I do not think that the forger has ever been discovered, and he has been able to chuckle over the money he perhapa made by the fall of stocks. Two other forgeries have just transpired. One letter purports to come from the son of Mr. Gladstone, and was sent to Mr. Beales. eminent statesman, writing to the Globe, 0g>yB, Mr. Beales obligingly requested to see me, and placed the following letter in my hands. It is forged." The letter stated that if a Reform meeting were held on Primrose Hill, Mr. Gladstone and other influen- tial friends of the people would address the meeting. Strangely enough, this letter a forgery sent to Mr. Beales-wail succeeded by another forgery purporting to" have been written by him. It was addressed to the Secretary of the Athenasum Club expressing re. Set that the windows of the club had been broW owing to the crowd having mistaken that club for the Carlton, and asking the secretary to rond m his bill to the council of the Reform League. Really, I can see nothing funny in all this; it is cheap and easy mis- chief, not at all clever, and is always discovered in £ few hours. By the way, I .suppose there is some law to reach a forger of this kind, supposing he is dis- covered if not, there ought to lie; and the penalty should be a very heavy one.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.I

A BITE OF A DOG-A NICE POINT…

MR. MASON JONES ON REFORM.

[No title]

Iltisttllimmts Intelligence,

EPITOME OF NEWS.