English Intelligence.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 362, 29 March 1866, Page 1

English Intelligence.

- . (Troa UioilomeKcWs, '26th January.) ' *• { i -jhe'Temple,26thJanuary. ' : Th*' prominent and TOelaneholy ifeatupe In this month’s Home News needs no illpstration heryi The London, bound for Melbourne, foundered hj thfi Bay,,ofjßis<?aj on Wedaesgaji, the tenth day) ’of January; and 220 persons p’erishsd—aii.ihfacti except a handful of-resoluto rPcn>'who hoped against hope, embarked in a boat, and were saved almost : miraculously. The hppaling neWssent a shudder,and left sadness in every household, and the touching details of the disaster are still the melan.■.chply theme of conversation., I. wiljnot enter at any length into se mournful a topic, as the‘fullest ? particulars are given iff an - accompanying supp’.e- . TOent. , Mrjlropke, .the actor, is among the-lost, ” and pis namp is the only one in the fatal list which “Is generally known-to the public here, but we learn that mapy;private individuals of most estimable s character, ah([ greatly respected in Australia, have 1 also perished. May I never have again to coin-. ; rnenoe *ny letter; with a; reference to an event of so fearful a, ItiiicX, Yet.l cannot dismiss the subject '’without one word of tribute to tiro memory ol the • brave Captain Martin, who. refused,-to Jake his chance in the boat, , but declared that ho would ' go down with the passengers?* His name should vein.our.naval annals. • , ~

v The meeting of Parliament is now vsry near, but the Ministry by no means seems to hare closed its ranks. the last vacancy is not filled up while I write, for Earl Russell,' Who has seen in -'MhMSoschen—at first appointed to the place repeated by Mr Hult—talonts of a remarkable prderj lias elevated the former* gentleman, at the age of .thirty-four; to the post of Cabinet Minister.- Mr ; d3qscUen is Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a sinecure, pfficei but on? in which a man may dis-i tinguish himself, if he likes. ’ The smaller place - fejnains ppm*- This, however, is a slight matter. t The real difficulty is the Reform Bill, to .which ' Earl Russell has pledged himself. Mr Bright ' when: giving in his adhesion to the 1 new Government,. os rather, ! should say, when promising his patronage to it, authoritatively announced’ that . the Reform Rill, would: pnly extend the suffrage, ,apd that it wopld hu T for,..another Parliament, elected’ by the fresh constituencies, to deal' with abolitions, re constructions, arid all the other grand changes which a certain class desires. 'Whatever jptay have been,thought of tfye policy thus promulgated, there cbulcf be rib doubt that warning was ■fairly and franklygiven. The Radical party state -that they: merely.wish to insert Jhe levcr by the ; firstact of legislation, the, wprk of pyeithrow to , bp Igfr to the stturiier hands .then fb.be spmmoned the task.. The CJonscryative party accept the declination, arid propose to resist ariy such policy. A hill for extending t he franchise laterally as well as downward, and lbr providing balances, eo thit »the ieducated minority might not be placed entirely at the mercy of the igporant majority, might meet with no great disfavor, although the mass br. the ■middle, class are. notorioasly uuwilling to disturb . arrangements that have-worked so. well., Bnt between Radicals and ConservativeSjthere is another' class, which is understood to cinharrass lho‘Miius- : ;i7ra mprp than all the rest, and this is composed' •f the moderate men of his own side, and also the; ■ representatives of (he great Whig families.;Many of these-hare signified that they will not suppprt him in a scheme avowedly intended to throw; . power into.the hands of men tsjio-boldly declare' ■ that they want it- as a means to an end. Therefore, t jt is known that!here are grave dissensions in the! Cabinet. ' Mr Bright’sstat em eut as to the cliarac-: ter of the new bill may have been (rue, atlho time Jt'wos madej or it xnay have been premature. But f Within the last few days Earl Bussell has received, -SI deputation from the ultra, or manhood suffrage party, and has told them that .the Cabinet', will stand or fall by a Reform Bill, but (bat he has not! as jet made up his mind whether., the bill shall’ aitnply extend the suffrage, or shall also deal wilhj ether' Questions. Arid this is the state of affairs within about a -week- from the meeting of Parlia-; - meat. ;.i .1 hare; said enough to. intimate. that • thoughtful persons decline prophecying upon, the ti|K3ge§la ewiurig tniwaow.' . ;• ]

- The Eoyal Commissioners have sailed for Ja” maica. Society has pretty well made tip its mind, however, that Governor Eyre and the colonial au*horltiesdid'their best in what appeared to them a crisis of great peril, and when Englishmen have, arrived at that decision they are not apt to be sevvere upon irregularities, which have yet to'he .shown to have been practised. The negro party, of course, continue their frantic clamour, and have appointed a committee which sends Ofit envoys of its own, with what sort of instructions may easily be surmised. But their vulgarity imd injustice have already defeated their object, and assuredly it is upon no grounds to be suggested by the negrophites that the public will allows valued servant of the Queen to be persecuted. We shall have other things to think of for sometimeto come, but when we recur to the doings of the black rebels, and their suppression by Governor Eyre, it will scarcely be to the disadvantage of that energetic officer. That he will have to pass through a severe ordeal in his defence is, however, quite certain. What is stated to be a report of the court-martial of G. W. Gordon has just been published, and we are bound to say that if this report be correct, and contains the whole of the evidence, Gordon was found guilty on wholly insufficient grounds. But we must hear Governor Eyre before' wo venture to form >u opinion. Many more Fenians have been convicted, and have received sentences of penal servitude. Some of them have availed themselves of the last chance of vithpCteting “England and her institutions,'but tliU.dock-elQguehde has ‘produced a llidieffect than otherwise, except in so far as it excited pity for idiots who Could talk such rampant nonsense. Searches 'far arms diava been made, - and many weapons have been found, while the exam{lies which the courts have mhde of the prisoners iave induced various spmpathisers, at the shortest nOticd, to fling arms and ammunition into ditches, for fejar df the vengeance of the law. That there is much disaffection among' the most ignorant class, and that it is fostered by the Bohemians of Irish literature, it would be absurd to deny; but as absurd would'be any apprehension that the hand of the Government is not strong enough to deal with Fenianisoi. The American Fenians are quarrelling in the most furious fashion, the leaders. accusing each other; and one pacificatorisimplor-’ ing both sides to forget animosities, and, if better may net be, to make separate’ invasions of the common enemy, England. The advice has, however,‘ not yet been taken. While 'mentioning America, 1 may as well add that the President’s Message, to which I made allusion in my last as being reasonably, pacific, has not created much discussion 7*l the. States, which are at present occupied with the .question between themselves and Prance on the subject of Mexico.

A brief interval of peace is thus allowed us, and there is little to diversify it, but before another mail is despatched, we shall, of course, be in the heat of Battle of some kind. It may be permitted, at this.** lull,” to note that wo have had extremely disagreeable weather this Christmas, and since. The warmth of. the atmosphere, except on a day or two, has been most depressing, and tbe medical ’world is growing rich out of the ailments of those who have nothing the matter with them,'but who are very uncomfortable. It,is not to be wondered at when the thermometer darts up in a night from 42 io 54 degrees, and then tctmbles down again to 45 degrees in a few hours. Then, to complete our discomfort, came the* snow. This is always' a downright affliction for London, for the authorities have, or exercise no control on such occasions, the streets are knee deep in mud, the public “conveyanpes are withdrawn. Or ply only; at extortionate fares, and business- and social, intercourse are 'seriously interrupted. We had all these-nuisances in an exaggerated form for some days after the 11th, and bad Parliament been sitting, 1 believe that' any measure for doing away with corporations,'vestriesj’ and boards, andcreating the" most despotic Centralisation, would have been carried by all the voices that were not cricked by‘sore throats.' The*' affair mSy seem rib greatorieiyet ■.|he actual wretchednessi of a million of people, if only for a few days, is not a small thing, and our system! is'a disgrace to a civilised city. But the snow melts, and at last the streets cjoan themselves, and we forget the crimes of Bumbledom. A curious sensation has been caused by an ad-' veuturvus act, involving the necessity of both Courage and endurance, on the part of a literary gentleman, Mr. James Greenwood, brother of one' of the editors of the' Pall Mall. Gazette. He disguised himself as a pauper, and sought night relief at the,Lambeth Workhouse, in order to see for fiiiriself wbat tho ” casual ” is’ like, arid how he is treated. ' Mr Greenwood went through such'a night as few, men would endure for the sake of a Very large reward." His account of what he saw and heard has been published at considerable length, and a more extraordinary revelation has! seldom been made. Some of it recals De Foe, and Captain Jack, but much of it has a viler fla-, vor, and.we are let, unscrupulously, into the secrets of the most depraved of our lower classes. It is fearful to think—and' yefc no one ought to have been surprised to read—bow horribly debased a population we have among us, skulking arid stealing by day, and giving itself up to brutality arid blasphemy at night. But wa are no.nearer a solution of the problem what is to be dona with the; pestilence.' It is Well, howeveiythst some one has had the courage to see for himself and to de-! moiish the sentimental view which many persons have been too i hapjfl v» taka about ths-.lbVest- '.* v v.iaoiw V.J i

: The. .subject hot Unnaturally connects itself with the report of the Commission on Capital: PunishmeUts. This, has appeared since I.wrote.! rtt is not necessary to analyst it hero, farther, than i to say that the commission recommend the dividing thC crime of imurder into two degrees. For the first, where the jury expressly find malice, it is recommended to retain the death penalty. .For the second, penal servitude, never for less than seven years, but for longer terms, and even life; if thought necessary, is recommended. An easier mode of convicting for infanticide, than the present, is suggested, and it is hoped that by abolishing capital punishment for (his offence, juries will bo made more ready to convict. It is thought that executions should bo private, of course with the attendance of witnesses who will place beyond a doubt the fact that justice has been satisfied. Wo may assume that this report, which has been prepared with great care, will engage the early attention of Parliament. Dr Colenso,'Bishop. of Natal, returned to his African diocese, and was welcomed by a strong party, while another set themselves in vigorous Opposition to the “ heretic.” ’ It was intended to exclude litm from his cathedral, but the menaces of hi# lordship’s lawyers prevented this, and the Dean's'party only locked up the music and the euchariatic plate. The undaunted bishop went to the cathedral, led the singing, and preached a sermon which, though'in perfect temper aud good taste, recapitulated all the doctrines which: have given offence to the orthodox. In this undesirable attitude parties were left, but a letter from no less a personage than the Archbishop of Canterbury has been published, in which his Grace tells the colonists that ho does not sea how they can recognise Dr Colenso as their bishop, and asserts tho independence of the colonial •church. The Primate beseems to encourage the Bishop of Capa Town to appoint another Bishop of Natal, and the former is not thought to be loath to exercise such authority. Should Dr Gray do so, it is impossible to foresee the end of the new church scandal.

That other scandal, which affected the legal and not the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and which ended in the resignation of Lord Westbury, and the acquittal of Lord Brougham, had been wellnigh forgotten, as such things easily are in England. But it has just been revived by an application to the Court of Chancery. The man, Edmunds, who was mixed up with so many more noteworthy persons in the business, has complained to. the court, Lord Brougham, in the answer which ho has filed in reference to the accounts in the case, has been guilty of what is called in Chancery language “impertinence.” Lord Brougham could not resist the opportunity of patting on record his view of the conduct of Edmunds, and haring paid into court a certain £SOOO found to be due, has given a piquant little sketch of Edmunds’s history, mentioning that he, Lord Brougham, had always been the man's friend and benefactor, but had at. length to turn him out of the house, for reasons referred to. Edmunds is sufficiently ill-advised to resent this, and in consequence of the discussion of Lord Brougham’s slight biographical sketch, of which, had' its Bubiect beeu silent, hot twenty people would have heard, is now reproduced by the press for circulation all over the world, and as memo- 1 randa for any future annalists. His Lordship is at Cannes, and time lias been given him to consider whether he will remove the detail in question, or abide the Vice-Chancellor’s decision on; the Subject.’ It' matters very little, as alt the 1 world now knows, what Brougham thinks of Edmunds, I know nothing of tho latter except’ what is in record, but the Times says that’ho can 1 never again bold up iris head in society. He was described to tno; by one who knew him when he was in Lord Brougham’s favor as “ah empty and rather arrogant dandy."

Sir Charles Eastlake, the late President of the Royal Academy, who died in Pisa, was not finally interred away from his native land. His remains were removed to England, and were laid' in Kensal-green Cemetery, nearly all the Acado-; micians, and many other painters, attending the funeral, which thus became a very interesting one. It is some months ago since, in alluding to' the infirm condition of Sir Charles’s health, I mentioned that speculations as to his successor wete unavoidable, and of course for some weeks the topic has been much discussed in educated society. The outside world saw but little choice for the Academicians. Sir Edvaiu Landseer and' Mr Macliso aire both men of genius; the former is the older, but the latter has devoted himself to subjects of the grander character. The Acadeiny has many clever and amiable members, but it ! was felt that the representative of English art’ be something more. Nevertheless the ■supposed claims' of several * gentlemen were ad- ; vanced, in some cases as ninen to their own surprise as that of the world. There is one con-; sideratiOn which no one who was informed on the ’ subject could forget, namely, that a rich man was required, for the Academy pays its chief but £3OO, a-year, and demands of him duties which, if, properly performed, occupy at least one half of hi* time.. Mr Maoliso was understood to have signified, long since, that he would- not; bo induced to accept the office. It is satisfactory to be able to add that on Wednesday night last, the choice of the Academy hill Sir Edwin, Landseer, hy a majority of ttvo-thirds in ameeting ’ of thirty-four Academicians. &t.'Rd#uvhow7, ever, at once declined to - servo, members would notacoeptlu# mfiisal, dia-

cussion, it was agreed to -giro hint a week to reconsider his decision. Should Sir 'Edwin!still persist in declining to serve, the choice •of the Academy is expected to fall on Mr Maolise, ■ Atidbleman, sometimes called; from his family name and a certain farce Jones the Avenger, but named in the peerage as Lord Ranelagh, has been making a gallant attempt to procure smoking accommodation on railways, for those who .lova the “ weed.” _ Ho-attended before a magistrate, and was fined for persevering in smoking. CHa had obtained the consent of his fellow passengers. His lordship pleaded that 70 per cent, of travellers smoke ;the magistrate, amiably debating the percentage, thought that 30 was the figure. A strong appeal was made to the companies, to supply carriages for.smokers, and there wo thought was an end of the affair. But there is a DrEpps (if I say that he is the least doctor in the world I mean no harm; Louis Blanc is small, Jerrold was small, Du Ciiailiu is small) who takes another view, and writes to affirm that a man has no right to ask fellow travellers whethey they object, for that he buys bis ticket, pledged to the observance of all railway laws, one of which is anti-nicotian. He therefore asks, you whether ho may commit a crime,-and- you are not bound to give’him a civil answer.;: This is stern in Dr Epps. , ;

It is not often that I introduce into this letter any allusion to criminal trials, but having re* fejrred'in August last to the most atrocious aeries of 'murders with winch a single individual, has stained our history since the days of the Ratcliffs* highway tragedies of which our fathers have: told us, and having since intimated that there.was a chance that 'dhe babble of “road doctors’? might be brought into available play in behalf of, tho miscreant perpetrator, I will add, and I do so with satisfaction, that Forward, or Southey, baker and billiard-marker, was duly hanged at Maidstone for the slaughter of bis four children and wife. He talked “Eugene Aram” trash to tho last, and I am sorry to say that a gaoh chaplain was -weak enough to allow him to finish' his - career by, a bit of theatrical religion on the scaffold. The-doc-tors were, of course, brought in as part of tho defence, but on this occasion the paly ones that could,be procured were such “duffers” that they wereiaughod at, and—a singular thing in a court of justice, when the fatal verdict was given,* tho audience broke into plaudit.

Australia has supplied us with an apteris, and though we can never'see it, for it refuses to appear in the day, wo know that it is enshrined A a the heap of straw in the corner of tho last cage of the aviary near the giraffe house in our Zoological Gardens. But if you could only send us a Dodo, there is no amount of gratitude that would not be manifested by a thankful- mother‘country. : For the Dodo has coroe up again. He has been for a long time slowly edging towards the myths, ; and the curious old picture of him which Sir Hans Sloalie placed in the Museum has been treated as the result of some attempt like that by which a German who had never seen, a camel evolved the idea of one out of his own self-consciousness. But tho Bishop of Mauritius was interested by Professor Owen in the history of the creature, and somebody in that'isle has seat over a set of bancs which have rehabilitated the Dodo. Professor Owen, who is a judge from whose court there ii no appeal, has been enabled to re-construct tha bird, who was a pigeon, and moreover I am sorry to say a fool, and we are now informed that- our old notion of the Dodo was tho right one, and that the Museum picture is a vera effigies. Only, tho animal is believed to be extinct. If, in the course of Australian exploration, this should'.be shown not to be the ease, let' the fortunate naturalist immediately charter a swift ship, and come over, and ho and his Dodo shall be the Ilona of the coming season.