NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 4009, 31 December 1875, Page 2 (Supplement)

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

THE CHINESE DIFFICULTY.

. The announcement that it was the intention of the British Government to strengthen the squadron in the Coin* so seas, coupled with reports of diplomatic dfficu I ties, led t-» the apprehension that a rupture with the Chinese was probable. The demand for satisfaction for the murder of Mr Margary was not .cordially met by the authorities at Pekin, and, according to the ‘Daily News,’ ever since t rince Kang’s influence ceased to be paramount, his successors, in the haughty and excluaiue spirit of past years, not only practically shielded the perpetrators of outrages on British subjects but exhibited our countrymen in aspects calculated to lead to the idea that they were helpless objects of contempt. J nopen defiance of treaty obligations, Chinese officers exac ed duties in the settlement of shanghai, and native merchants who bought sugar from foreigners were made to pay a discriminating tax of ■4O per cent. The adjustment of the differences between the two Governments was entrusted to Mr Wade, who being comparatively unknown as a diplomatist, was regarded with distrust by a portion of the English Press. Ho appears, however, to have performed his difficult duties with talent and success. Telegrams from Shanghai indicated that he was to leave Pekin on the 13th of October, if the differences between the two governments were not previously adjusted. It was therefore with gratification that news Was received from Shanghai, under date October 4, that Mr Wade had signified to the other Foreign Legations that his negociations with the Chinese Government had averted immediate war. Lord Derby took occasion to express his opinions on our relations with that Empire in a speech at Liverpool; which were favorably commented on by the English Press. He said, in effect, that a war with such a Stare must be distasteful to any nation possessing stlf-'espeot. >o honor could be gained by a contest with a country equally weak and vain, nor was it desirable to risk having to replace a government that might be ; displaced by the war. At the same time, as the lives and tights of our countrymen must be secured at any cost, should the Chinese Government refuse to comply with just and moderate demands, it must take, the consequence of its infatuation. The exact terms of the arrangement were not known when the mail left England, but they w re understood to be satisfactory, an impression tha- hag been confirmed by subsequent telegrams, FUGITIVE SLAVES. Without apparent reason the Admiralty issued a circular addressed to the commanders of her Majesty’s ships on the subject of fugitive slaves. The circular provided for three cases—where a slave comes on hoaro a Queen’s ship within the territorial water of the power under whose laws he is enslaved, where a slave comes on board a Qaeen’s ship on the high seas, and where a person comes on board a Queen’s ship nd claims protection on the ground that he has been detained in a state of slavery on shore contrary to treaties. Should the ship again come within the territorial waters of the country in which he has been a slave, he will be liable to be surrendered on demand being made, supported by the necessary proofs. If a person claims protection on the ground that he has been detained in slavery contrary to treaty, the commanding effioei* ia to satisfy himself as to the truth of this statement, and to be guided by the result of his inquiries. The*e instructions we r e rightly ..-r wrong’y construed by thpeople into direct reversals of what had hitherto been considered J the law and practice of England in regard to States, and never was greater indignation aroused even before the abolition of slavery than manifested itself on the public tion of tie rmlar. There needed neither a Clarkson, a Wilberforce, nor a George Thompson to explain the matter. Hitherto it has been held that a British-man-of-war was equally a place of refuge with Great Britain itself, and that in fact it is to be considered a floating part of the British dominions This being the case, all fugitives, not being criminals, areentit e i to equal protection on board one of Her Majesty’s ships that they would receive had they landed in Great Britain. Since, therefore, the United Kingdom extended its pro- . tectfon to all refugees fugitive slaves were to be considered as coming under that class. The Admiralty justified themselves on what they considered legal grounds, the principal argumenr being that, while on the high seas a British man-of-war was to be considered as part of the British dominions; bat when she entered the waters of a foreign country, her distinctive nationality ceased, and the laws of that country, in relation t-> its own subjects, must be respected and observed. 8o greatly was the national feeling outraged by the instructions given, as they were popularly considered to re versa Lord Mansford’s decision in Somersett’s case, about the close of last century, that the Government found it necessary to withdraw, or at least, to suspend them. The correspondent of the “Australasian says :

It was Lord Derby himself who at last anpouned the suspension of the circular. I have already referred to his appearance at Liverpool. He concluded bis speech on that occasion by Stating that the Government had decided to withdraw the instructions, though not admitting the constiuctions popularly put upon them, and still less contemplati g any change of policy. “The statement of law contained jn the document,” said Lord Derby, “ whether or not it embraces the popular view of our rights and obligations, is simply that which wo have received on the highest legal authority. But looking at the construction placed npon it, feeling the extreme inexpediency of exciting popular passion on a matter which requires care ul handling, and considering that the question dealt with is not one requiring urgent haste, we think it better to cancel what as been done, so that the whole question may be considered dc novo, and that any future discussion upon it may not be prejudiced,” These cautious words, however, have not entirely satisfied public opinion. The subj ct is still discussed with some energy, especially in its legal aspect 3. For example, Sir Henry Tatts, addressing his constituents at Taunton this week, spoke at great length on this point, showing the far-re iching character of the principles at issue. He said—“l fancy, if you search your records through, no state paper th »t his ever been issued oy a department of the English Government has ever contained so many errors and the abandonment of so many principles which are alike valued and cherished by the" English people. The mistakes, we are now told, result from the opinion of the highest legal authority in_ this country. For th« sake of the national interests this matter must be determined. Mere suspension is useless, for the declaration of tfie law remains. What will be our position if, in some future rime, the Foreign Secretary put forward as against America or France the ,duim tjb.B|t our ships of war are in their waters still English territory ? Why, we shall be stopped by this declaration and high legal opinion. We shall be told, ‘ Why, your claim was deemed unsupportable by your own adviser speaking through the mouth of Lord Derby.’ It wi I be too late then to say ‘lt was a wrong opinion.” We must tfay it now, or not at al. The Government must have the courage to correct the error which the department bail made.”

Apart from legal principles the lay sentiment has something more to say. For instance, at a meeting m the Town Hall, Manchester, a con servative elector carried unanimously a resolution requesting the immediate withdraw 1 of the circular, and a steady perseverance in the old policy. But this did not exhaust the feel' ing of the assemblage. Another elector mrived % recotatioto asking for tbs immediate did*

mieual of any Minister who was alike so ignorant of his duty to his country and so un faithful to his Sovereign as to have issued it ; and the Mayor declining to put "this to the meeting, another chairman stepped into his place, and it was adopted by acclamation. Other meetings have spoken strongly. The I Union Congress, sitting at Glasgow, and which, by the way, had little to do this year but congratulate itself on the legislative r» suits of last Parliamentary session, passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the circular, and also the Congregational .Union of England and Wales, composed of ministers and lay delegates, which happens to be meeting in London.

The action of the Government in this matter has tended to weaken it. This is the second time within the last that the Ministry has cmfessediy yielded to popu’ar passion. In the first instance, Mr Disraeli professed himself thankful for the outbreak of feeling which enabled him to carry at least in substan je a measure he had been reluctant to abandon, but there is no such excuse for the Cabinet now. A few more such blunders and the great .Liberal reaction will begin. TURKEY. The state of Turkey, although perhaps never politically worse, has ceased to create apprehension at Heme. --"unrounded by re bullions or discontented politicians, over which, althongb ruling nominally, it is with difficulty that even an outward show of Sovereignty is maintained, its financial difficult! s have reached a climax, and were there a bankruptcy court for whitewashing nations of their obligations, Turkey would just now be figuring in it as an insolvent debtor. A circular was issued by the Turkish Government early in October ordering that for five years to come only half the interest and drawings on its loans is to be paid in cash. The remainder is to be paid in bonds bearing 6 per cent interest, apparently at par, “but,” ssys the ‘Economist,’ “the price being hardly material, as no issue of paper under such circumstances can be the equivalent of cash.” The ‘ Economist’ points out that this bankruptcy is the natural outcome of the Turkish system of finance; the practice having been to borrow money to pay interest on old debts. Turkey is said to have been paying 18 per cent, per annum for “the last short advance to meet the October dividends. ” • This is no new difficulty with the Turkish Government, as much as 22 and 24 per o nt. be'ng paid in 1873 and 1874. The catastrophe can scarcely surprise anyone, when it is said that the annual deficit of the revenue is over five millions This is rrobab'y correct, as the ‘.Statesman’s Book’ estimated it at 1.4,62 .000. The deficits date back as far as 1850 Efforts were made by the holders of Turkish bnnd-i to induce the British Government to interfere on their behalf ; hut this was refused, as it was considered advances had been made sptculat vely, with the full knowledge ot the financial , difficulties of the country. The ‘ Economist’ draws attention to the “ cynical indifference of the • nrkish Government to the interests of the financial class who have bolstered up its credit,” now that no more money is to be had, and draws a comparison with the course pursued by the Spanish Government in 1872 which called the bondholders together and obtained their assent to a reduction of interest. Had such a course been followed by Turkey, possibly its fresh bonds might have found buyers, but it is considered now borrowing ia impossible. J en years ago Turkish affairs wonld have created a profound sensation at Home. > f appearances may be credited, the dissolution of the Empire of the Gieseent is much more probable now than when the Crimean war was undertaken in its deforce. In his spegch at Liver, 00l Lord Derby alluded to existing treaties between Great Britain aod her old ally, but Hie idea was co dly received The English have become somewhat sceptical as to the necessity for bolstering up an Empire, at treat cost of money and life, which no longer- serves the purpose for which the treaties were entered into For a century past Turkey was supposed to be the impassable barrier lay in the way of Russia attacking our Judean Empire. It is more than probable such a design was never entertained, even .after British jealousy had pointed it out as probable. Modern science has demonstrated the folly of treaties based on such phantoms. Husaia has found her way to the East by another route, and will have as much to do as she can afford in maintaining the possessions gained by the process, while England has virtua ly obtained the first instalment of her share of the Turkish Empire by purchasing the interest of the Khedive of Egypt in the Suez Canal. '(his virtually bands over Egypt to the British Government, and gives to it the command of the highway between Great Britain and India. Thus once more has the art of peac > proved more powerful than the sword. All the blood shed in the < Timea, and the tens of millions wasted by England and France to sustain a tottering empire have proved powerless to prevent its fall; in about twelve years the treaty safeguards cramping the civilising action of Russia were found useless and were removed by mutual consent. The very proposal by Nicholas, to award to* England Egypt as its portion of the sick man’s dominions, h's been found the best arrangement; and although nominally the Khedive retains bis position, and Turkey retains its dominion over Egypt, it must henceforth be a British dependency. THE P jOR LAW. The laws of settlement, which form the foundation of the English system of Poor Laws, are traceable in the far past of English history. Having self defence for fhejr pri mary object, through the ncc ssity for acquiring the protection pf the law through attachment tp the service of a large landed proprietor or earl they have assumed a variety of phases according to the changing purposes to be an«wered for the time being, but throughout all the one principle has been maintained that a human being acquired a right to be supported in the parish where he was born or had resided a specified number of years. Latterly it js to the best means of supporting the poor and destitute that attention has been directed. When out-door relief was compulsory before the year 1834. not only were the poor but the and vicious supported out of the poor rates. Labor tests were applied where possible, but they w re of no avail. We have seen an able-bodied man made to earn relief by carrying a wisp *->f straw, one straw at a time, from the street down a right-of-way to a stake. The fellow thought it easy work at first, but could not stand the ridicule of a crowd of boys who cheered and booted him, and after half-a-day’s experience he took to hone-t labor for a livelihood The more restricted system of indoor relief which came into operation in 1834 worked a change for the better, and now a movement is on foot having for its object the removal of the last traces of feudalism, by compelling friends and relatives to bear the expense of maintaining the aged and infirm poor. The present move is on the part of those who are in no danger of suffering from the change, and who° as a class will be rather gainers than losi-rs .by it. Whether or not it will find acceptance among the vast masses of the people whose lot is but little removed from pauperism remains to be seen. Ultimately—that is, - after two or three generations had passed through lives of poverty and distress—the change rmght work beneficially, for spefety. wages, and habits would have accommodated themselves to Iho change The beginning of it is proposed to bo by confining all relief to the work-ltfaft itself,

The moral effect is expected to be produced through the r eeliug of honest pride that will •feel disgraced oy a relative being supported by public charity The * Daily Telegraph ’ savs—“ When the heartless Mr Steerforth wishes to crush the poor, meek usher, Mr Mali, he can think of nothing more effective than ‘His mother lives in an almshouse ’ The blow stung.” Cue by one the aristocracy of Great Britain have shaken off their peculiar burthens and placed them on the people’s shoulders, they once were bound to find armies for the defence of the kingdom—the people pay for them now ; once they paid tithes to the church, and they are commuted now to very advantageoue terms. Once they had to support the poor—they contrived to share the burden with others, and are looking forward to the lightening, if not utter extinction of the tax. Lord K'mberly, a liberal, and Mr Beading, a conservative, are the chief movers in the matter. THE GUIBORD CASE IN' CANADA.

Very few people in other parts of the world are aware of che singular ca e of Joseph Guibord, late of Montreal, who died in 1859 During life he was a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church, and a member of a literary soo ety, known as the Canadian In stitute. According to the 1 vew York Times’ of September sth, from which we derive most of our information, this a-sociation owns a library, “some books in which incurred the disapproval of the Bishop of Montreal, who commanded their removal. The Institute refused to obey, the Bishou appealed to Rome, and a Papal decree against such works, especially a certain annual of the Institute, was fulminated, ihe Institute remained contumacious and recusant, and the Bishop pronounced a ban upon its members, forbidding them the last offices of the Roman Church in the article of death.” The censequences fell upon Joseph Guibord. “Smitten with death, as was supposed, bis relatives seat for the cums of the parish for administration of the usual sacrament. The priest ref med, giving as a reason the Bishop’s previous orders. Guibord got well, and lived to argue the matter with the curd, who adhered to his o ( inion in spite of a:.y friendliness for his parishioner. Tn due time Guibord actually died, but in such haste, being struck with paralysis, that no time was given to discover whether. Curd Routaclot was still obdurate The widow applied for ecc’asiastioal burial for her husband. She was refused ; and the • m y place permitted her bus-land’s remains was that part of the C me ery of Notre L»ame( Cote des Neiges) allotted to malefac tors, suicides, excommuaieauts, and unoaptised infants. The case was taken into the Courts, the guardians of the graveyards being recogni-ed as civil trustees of his pr >- perty,” The widow died during the trial, and the Institute, as her “universal legatee, carried on the j-uit. The Canadian Court d-cided against the cure and the trustees of the cemetery, and held that Guibord was not an excommr.nicant. “ but the priest remained o: durate,” and held that the decision of the Court was nothing to him ; “ the authority of his bishop was paramount.” The Privy Council was appealed to, and a Royal decree was issued “ commanding the and trustees of the cemetery Cote des Neiges to inter the remains of Joseph Guibord in consecrated ground.” The priest, in reply, said, “he rspected the Queen very much, and would be glad, under other circumstances, to obey her gracious mandates ; but he oould nos bury Joseph Guibord in consecrated ground as long as his bishop forbade him ” Mr Drury, representing the Canadian Institute, agreed that the ceremony should be quiet and unostentatious ; but in vain. Nothing would move Curd ftousaelot. An order under the decree ot the Privy Council was duly served on the priest, and the funeral was appointed for Thursday, September 9th,but the cu d stayed away from the cemetery. Had the priest performed his duty most prooably all would have been done decently and well; but as soon as the pr* cession, with the coffin, approached the cemetery, “a mob of French Canadian roughs, cursing Guiboid and the Society, made a rush for the hearse, swearing the ‘cursed bones’ should not rest in consecrated ground. A mob collected ; no communication came from the curd or trustees, and the civil authorities were not able at short notice to send relief. The bones of Guibord, followed by volleys of stones and curses, were taken from the ground, and the mob, by this time numbering 2.000, were left in possession. They filled up the grave prepared for the remains of Guibord, tore down the cross near by, and generally displayed a zeal and heartim ss in defence of the ecclesiastical authority of the Bishop of Montreal which must have rejoiced the heart of that prelate.” The ‘N. Y. Times’ considers that the Bishop and curd have committed a grievous error. We think so, too The ‘New York Herald ’ says :—“ It is certain that if the Privy Council of the realm, the highest tribunal kno*n to the law, decided a case against the Catholic Church, its decision will be enforced if it r, quires all the military and naval power of England.” The ‘ Montreal Herald ’ very pertinently pu a it, “ ihe matter of most consequence to be determined is whether the Queen’s law or mob law is to prevail.” The American papers indulge in very strong expressions of condemnation of the stand the ecclesiastics have taken. We leave our readers to manufacture their own.

The bishop of Montreal, feeling that it would be useless for him to attempt to enter into a contest with the Privy Council of Great Bntaiu, has resolved to terminate the controversy by the perpetration of a splendid joke. The Canadian prelate has come to the decision of unconsecralin'g the small allotment of ground in’the cemetery in which the body is to belaid. On the 12th of *eptember, the vicar-general of the diocese read from tbe pulpit of the cathedral in that city a pastoral letter, in which the congregation were informed that by virtue of a Divine power heid in the name “of the Lord of Lords, the place where the body of this rebellious child of the Church shall be buried, will be not only cut off from the consecrated cemetery, but shall be for the prisent accursed, ’ hut there is one very serious oversight in this comical document. It omits to state how many feet deep the malediction extends At tbe bottom of the grave lie the remains of Madame Guikord, who died in fail communion with tbe church ; and, of course, the bishop never intended the mouldering away of her ashes should be accelerated or retarded—as the case may be—by the operation of the episcopal curse. After the fuuoral of the contumacious printer, and when the malediction shall have bad sufficient time allowed it to thoroughly pc elrate the soil, wc believe it is the intention of the Canadian Institute to submit a shovelful of the consecrated and another of the accursed mould to a careful chemical analysis, with a view to ascertain if there is any appreciable difference between the two THE J£Ff£RSON BORDBN MUTINY. The trial of three of the crew of the Jefferson Borden, who were taken over the stlantic under the Extradition Act to be tried for mutiny and murder at sea, concluded at Boston on October 1, Uho jury found William Smith and George Miller guilty, and John Clew not guilty, of the murder of Coridon Trask Patterson. Clew is the man who came into conspiracy at the eleventh hour, under threat of the others that they would kill him if he did not. He did uot do the actual killing of tho mates,

but stood ready with the dapstan bar to render wh’at aid was necessary. He was also terribly wounded by bullets from the captain’s pistol when he was imprisoned in the forecastle, and will probably be a cripple for life. He cannot now stand without crutches There are still indictments against Clear for the murder of the second mate, Charles A. Patterson, who was actually killed by Smith, by being knocked from the j hboom, aud another for mutiny on board the schooner. He will probably be tried for the latter offence. Sentence had not been pronounced when the mail left New York.

A HJROTC MINER, Some of the most heroic deeds have been performed in the humblest walks of life, and they have too frequently gone unrecorded ; but this is no reason why we (‘London Echo ’) should neglect to express our admiration for such heroes as Hallam, a collier at the Derbyshire Colliery, He has just achieved a feat which puts to tbe blush our carpet knights. It appears that iu consequence of the failure of one of the “conductors” at the collinry, the descending and ascending cages met and oolided a hundred yards down the shaft, and the descending cage, in which were six men, was crushed. The descending cage hung in the shaft, and the men were almost suffocated by the sulphurous fumes of the ventilating furnace beneath them. In these straits Hallam nobly volunteered to go down and rescue the men. He was accordingly lowered down the yawning chasm to a depth of 300 feet, time after time, until, in the end, he had rescued the whole of the men. Only one man expired afterwaids, whereas the whole would undoubtedly have perished if they had remained suspended in the pit. The time occupied in achieving the task was an hour and a half. In other words, on six separate occasions, extending over the long period of ninety minutes, did this brave miner expose himself to imminent peril in obedience to the instincts of humanity which animated his hr-ait. How many boast-d aits of heroism pale into insignificance beside this incident of rare bravery 1 As the Coroner told Halam at the inquest, his deed will be an honor to him through life. The Victoria Cross has been awarded for daring services on the battlefield, but surely this story from Derbyshire suggests a wider bestowal of this or some oth* r much-prized honor. There are acts which should not be allowed to die—amangst these is the one '“■hich has shown the heroism and nobility of the nature of Elij-.h Hallam. A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY. A singular tragedy, the culmination of a family quarrel, occurred iu the village of Rosedale, Pennsylvania,. recently. About jive years ago William Russell, a farmer, living a few miles from the village, was left a widower with one daughter, Harriet, aged sixteen, by the accidental death of his wife and a second child, so Harriet and a girl about her own age, named Mary Stokes, whom 1-. ussell employed, were given the earn of the house. Harriet soon discovered that too close an intimacy existed between the father and the girl Stokes, and, shocked and indignant, she dismissed the latter. Russell brought hj r back, and his daughter left home. After a time Stokes returned to her home, and Miss Russell resumed her old position in her father’s house. Meanwhile, Harriet had become engaged to a young fellow named Horton Hurst, whose father’s farm adjoined Russell’s, but because, years before, Hurst had defeated Hassell in a lawsuit about some division line of their farms, on discovering the intimacy between his daughter and young Hurst, he throatenrd to disown her if she did not renounce her lover. She obeyed her father, and all went peaceful till about three months ago, when Russell astounded his daughter by telling her that he intended to soon marry r l Mary Stokes, aud bring her back to the farmhouse. Harriet assured him that when he brought his wife home he would fin! his daughter gone never to return. Eventually he told his daughter he was to be married shortly. She made no reply, but at at once perfected arrangements pend ng between heiself and Hurst for some weeks in view of tbe marriage of her father. On the day fixed lor the welding, Rue sell drove towards the house of Mary Stokes, and bis daughter, after placing the house iu readiness for his return, started for Roseville, leaving behind a note explaining that his proposed action was more than she could bear, and that she herself svould be married in a few hours. During the afternoon she aud young Hurst were married, and, with a few friends, had nearly finished dinner at toe village tavern, when Rursell came in, pale with rage, and a singular glitter in his eye. His daughter ran towards him with outstretched arms, but he throw her aside, and sprang upon her husband, and began stabbing him with a knife he had seized from the table. Hurst received the thrust in hjs arm, and, seeing that the old man was bent on murder, drew a revolver and warned him to stand back. Russell did not heed the warn ing, and continued to make deadly lunges with his knife, Hurst received many of these in his a m and shoulder. Hurst’s sister escaped from the room during the inelde, and the young men present seemed to be paralysed with terror. At last Hurst pushed his assailant back from him and levelled the pistol at him. Hia wife at this instant sprang between the men just a$ her husband’s pistol was discharged. The ball, entered her brain, B he fell to the floor and expired without saying a word. The report of the pistol brought a number of persona into the room. Hurst had fallen on his knees beside his wife’s body, and, after frantically appealing to her by name to look up and speak to him, he rose to hia feet, and before a hand could be extended to prevent him, shot himself through the head, and he feH dead by the tile of his wife. Rursell seemed stricken dumb by the fearful scene, and was Jed fr->m tne room like a child In the e ening an inquest was hold. Russell was arrested, and held iu 2 OOddol, to await the action of the grand jury. A verdict that Mrs Harriet R Hurst met her death by the accidental discharge of a pistol, and that Horton Hurst came to his death by hia own hand while temporarily insane, was rendered.