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Leader (1850-1860), 4th October 1856, Edition 2 of 2, Page 10, . . ¦ .. • ¦¦¦ ¦ : ¦ — "V ] . Leader Off...

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    • 'I'AlTWf P*f Pfitt jJciUA'4-AJil-i'jLll* ' \
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      ¦M'Lsce-L Ianeolia The Couut.:—The Duche...

      Reform Association has published the first of lts . promised statistical papers , in the form of a letter addressed by Mr John P . Gassiot to Mr . Roebuck , and containing an analysis of votes given by metropolitan , members . During last session , there were 198 divisions ; and the following table shows the attendance of members generally in connexion with them : — " 8 Members did not record their votes in any of the 198 divisions ^ 86 „ were absent 180 times and up-wards . 22 L v , „ 150 >» not exceeding 180 244 „ „ 100 „ „ 150 75 „ „ 50 „ „ 100 18 ¦ ¦ „ •¦ „ 10 „ „ 50 1 J » . 5 > 1 5 ) 1 Speaker

      654 In -the largest division , 508 memters voted ; in the least , 58 » 230 members who represent county constituencies , ana 329 representing boroughs , were absent from 100 and upwards of the 198 divisions during the last session ; and this shows how necessary it is that constituencies should enforce the attendance of their representatives , for even a single vote may determine the most important question . " Mr . Gassiot then proceeds to consider the votes of the metropolitan members , and observes : — " It is clear that a constituency having two members is : not fully represented when only one of them , votes in a

      division ; still less can it be said to be practically represented when they vote in opposite lobbies ; consequently , one of the results at which / we arrive by an examination is , that , in the 198 divisions of last session , ^ London was represented fully on onl y three occasions ; "Westminster , six ; Finsbury , eight ; Tower Hainlets , thirteen ; Greenwich , sixteen ; Blarylebone , nineteen ; / whilst Lambeth was represented by both members voting together seventy-five , and Souttwark , from a similar cause , seventy-three times . " . A table having reference to the attendance of the metropolitan members is then appended , and Mr . Gassiot continues : —¦ " For the City of London , only one member attended in 4 = 3 , two in 29 , and three in 3 divisions . Out of 29 times that two

      members voted , they opposed eacfai other on 14 occasions . London was neutralized by absences 123 , by opposition 14 ( total , 137 > times , out of the 198 divisions . " Further en , we read : — ' * The localities enumerated in the preceding table contain a population of 2 , 132 , 812 , repfeseated by 132 , 776 electors , of trfiom 58 , 048 did not vote at the last general election . Many of those lave hitherto , from mere apathy , neglected to record their votes . " Speaking of election expenses , 5 £ r . G-assiot writes : — "It is a disgraceful fact , that , in contesting for the honour of representing independent constituencies , such as Lambeth , the Tower Hamlets , and Marylebone , an expense of upwards of 60007 . has been sometimes inourred . "

      A Glimpse at Algeria . —la vain does the French Government offer sixty acres of fruitful land to every husbandman who can show that he has 3 OOf . to expend npon it ; in vain does it give a free deck , passage to all who will come over ; in vain does it prove by the pen of Bf . Carette that Algeria is nino times less populous than France , and sixteen times less populous than England ; there are still less than 100 , 000 acres allotted , and the number of allottees , which in 1848 was but 3333 , is but very gradually increasing . Th « candidates for the unappropriated 90 , 000 , 000 acres arrive very slowly . The Caire , which is now coming into port , brings ten families . They do not appear to be people whom an emigration agent Would exactly choose . They nearly all consist of a-worn-out , middle-aged man with a toothless wife , several young children , and a patriarchal female who

      has attained to an age and a state of mummyism . which only French women dry to , However , twenty years hence , if the fevers do not kill or the dysentery does not destroy , or if the rains do not -vraah them away , perhaps the young children may grow wheat for the Marseilles market . As M . Carette philosophically remarks , " II est plus facile , quand on part do la cote do Prance , d'allor en Afriquo quo d ' en Tevenir . " Let us admit , however , that tho work . of colonization , -or rathor of conquest , has been bravely done , Algiers 5 s a French city . It is lit with gas and peopled "b y Parisians . The roads are as safe as our road 3 over Hounslow-heatli ; and a circular letter from the authorities in Algiers will protect a traveller among all the wild tribes ^ which tond their eheep ami oxen in the Tel ortlic Sahara . —Correspondent of the Times .

      Suicinffi . —Mr . George Thitehead , a gentleman of Beccles , Suffolk , has committed suicide at the lien and Chickens Hotel , Suffolk . Ho had been a builder , and " *****> last Bix months had exhibited great nervousness , ow w supposed , to a contemplated dissolution of f *?^ ' ^ be twee n himself and his brother . He arrived at tno j » otei already named on tho rooming of Tuesday HrH ¦*•? £ '• if OT-JTCBi

      Mr . whitehead had not appeared , Mr . Smith , the proprietor of the hotel , knocked at the chamber door , but received no answer . He then placed a ladder against the bedroom window , and looked into the apartment , when , seeing a pistol lying on a book upon the table , he directed the ' boots' to enter the chamber through the window and unlock the room door . This was done , and , on entering the room , Mr . Smith beheld Mr . Whitehead lying on the floor , face downwards , in a pool of blood . His face was too much covered with clotted gore for any wound to be observable . He was quite dead , cold , and stiff , and his right hand firmly grasped a discharged pistol . On searching the pockets , a pocketbook and various other articles were found . In the book , which contained for the most part memoranda relating to Mr . Whitehead's business , the following entry was made : —

      " Mr . Smith , landlord , —Have the goodness to forward this melancholy intelligence to Mr . W . "Wright , bookbinder , of Beccles , Suffolk . He will break it to my dear wife . I scarcely know what I write . " On the following leaf was written : — "My eveT dear wife , —Ere you receive this melancholy intelligence , I shall be no more . "What must have been your anxious hours since I left my house ! I know that you have nothing to support yourself ; only you have been too kind . God Almighty protect and support you , and forgive my worst ' enemies . Your affectionate , though wtetched husband , —George Whitehead . " An inquest was commenced on Friday week and concluded the following day , when , as it appeared that three or four of the suicide's relatives had been mentally deranged , a verdict of " Insanity ' was returned . \ '

      Sir Charles Napier and Cronstadt . —Mr . Russell , writing to the Times from Moscow , says : — " Sir Charles Napier , in the account of his extraordinary experiences of Cronstadt , forgot one important fact—he talked much of the difficulties , and insinuated the impossibilities of an attack on the place , andmentioned especially the impediments created by the genius of Todtleben in the passage at the north of the forts , but Sir Charles did not tell his countrymen what the Grand Duke is at no pains to conceal- —that the passage was quite practicable when the Allied fleet first came off Cronstadt , and that the impediments to the passage of large ships were not formed till the winter of the second year of the war . The Russians were perfectly aware that the northern side could be forced , and that It was quite possible for a

      determined enemy to run past the forts , most of -which are constructed on arcs of spheres , have their maximum amount of fire directed in front , and have only part of their guns available for an enemy passing their right flank . They had ever such a casualty in view , and the most desperate resolves were spoken of in case the fleets forced the Neva and St . Petersburg were at their mercy . The opportunity was lost , and the Grand Duke and Todtleben took care it never should occur again . The moment the' Allies retired before the grip of winter , thousands of men were set to -work , who sank stones all alongthe northern channel , or leaped piles of hundreds of tons

      of blocks of granite on the ice , which went through to the bottom as it melted and formed a line of artificial rocks across the passage . On some of these rocks , batteries were erected , guns wero . placed to cover the ' approach , and the place was indeed rendered unassailable by large vessels . Why did not Sir Charles ISTapier tell us when this was done ? Surely nothing of the kind took place till after his abortive demonstration in the summer of 1854 . " - —Sir Charles Napier has published an answer to the foregoing , in wlriclv he denies the truth of the Russian statements , and repeats his old complaint that without gunboats ( with which he was not provided ) it was impossible for him to force the channels .

      Destructive Gax . es and Floods . —A violent hurricane has occurred in the west of England , devastating tho town of Glastonbury and its environs . The galowas heralded by a few faint flashes of lightning and distant peals of thunder , accompanied by heavy rain , which immediately drove everybody indoors , and thus saved several lives , which would otherwise , in all probability , have been lost , in addition to the destruction of a considerable amount of property . Very shortly after tho rain had begun to fall , n storm of wind arose from the south-we 3 t , which exceeded in violence anything that had hitherto been experienced in tbnt paTt of tho country . The tempest was confined within a very narrow sphere of action , as the extent of country over which it raged did not exceed two or three hundred yards in diameter ; still , its violence was tremendous , tho wind blowing with the fury of a tornado , and

      causing great havoc wherever it extended . Chimneypots out of number were blown down , windows driven into tho houses , and tiles dislodged from the roots in large quantities . A pair of hosivy gates was forcibly wrenched off tho hinges , and carried away some distance . In one part of tho town , the entire * roof of a house was lifted off tho walls nnd replaced almost immediately , occasioning great terror to the inhabitants , who escaped unhurt , while in another place the roof of an out-houso adjoining one of tho town inna waa completely blown off and hurled into tho yard below , without injuring any person . Tho galb elsewhere ragod with destructive violence , nnd tho whole of a largo nnd fchickly-plnntod orclmrd , and several fine timber trees , as well as the weather-vano and flag-stuff of the church tower , were sucrinccd to its fury . A wheat-stack < m < l a stack of pea-haulm vcro also blown awny and whirled

      up in the air to a great height . No one , however , was killed or seriously injured . The gale has likewise been very violent at Dover , Brighton , Shields , and other marine places , where the sea has done great damage to property . A large number of vessels have been wrecked and some lives lost , on various parts of the coast . Scotland also has been visited by very high winds , and heavy floods , which have thrown- down portions of buildings trees , & c , and carried away animals . —A violent storm ' of wind and rain has taken place in Dublin , which continued with unabated fury a vrhole night . The o-aje lessened at eleven o ' clock the following morning , buuhe rain continue ! to pour in torrents . While the storm

      lasted , it -was of almost unexampled violence . In the neighbourhood of the Irish metropolis , a large amount of agricultural produce has been swept away ; trees were torn up by the roots , and many animals were carried off by the wind and floods . Several vessels which were moored in the harbour broke from their fastenings , and running on . shore , went to pieces . Some lives have been lost , and it is feared tliat many ships at sea have suffered ¦ wreck . On the northern coast , near Laytown , a vessel vras wrecked , and , although within sight of shore , it was found impossible to rescue the crew at the time ; but it was hoped they would be able to hold on . Ten fishermen's boats have greatly suffered .

      An Aldermanic Opinion os thk Half-Holiday Movement . — -Mr . Alderman Rose having , at a meeting on Monday of the Court of Aldermen , moved that the meetings of committees should be held on Fridavs instead of on Saturdays , as an aid to the Saturday halfholiday tnovement , Alderman Copeland and Alderman Sidney said it would be quite impossible for them to attend to the duties of committees on Fridays , and took occasion to express their disapprobation of the movement now rapidly in advance as pregnant with mischief , and calculated to injure both employers and ' employed . The motion then fell to the ground .

      9*6 The Le^Jdeb. [Ko. 341, Saot^At

      9 * 6 THE LE ^ jDEB . [ Ko . 341 , Saot ^ at

      'I'Altwf P*F Pfitt Jjciua'4-Ajil-I'Jlll* ' \

      ¦ ^ Mteript .

      . . ¦ .. • ¦¦¦ ¦ : ¦ — "V ] . Leader Off...

      . . ¦ .. ¦¦¦ ¦ : ¦ — "V ] . Leader Office , Saturday , October < fc . THE NEAPOLITAN QUESTION . The arrival of the Allied squadrons at'JTaples is expected daily . The English fleet has arrived at Ajaccio , the appointed rendezvous . The preparation of the batteries and defences goes on . The Government has offered a pardon'to . Poerio and Settembriiii , if they will solicit it . They have refused to do so .

      "A telegraphic despatch from Ajaccio , of tho 30 th September , " says tbe Times of this day , " announces the arrival of two English ' ships of war from Malta , and another despatch from Toulon informs us that the French fleet was still there . M . de Kisselef is escpected soon in Paris with a letter from the Czar to the Emperor .

      Latest From America. Dates From New York...

      LATEST FROM AMERICA . Dates from New York to the 20 th ult . have been received by the last mail . Private advices from Mexico , vid Havannah and Philadelphia , mention reports of a serious difficulty between the Mexican Government and the British Minister , and the latter has demanded his passports . The commander of the British steamer , Tartar , at Havannah , is collecting a naval force , and will sail immediately . The disturbance in Kansas may be considered at an end . Governor Geary's inaugural address , delivered at Lecompton on the 11 th inst ., was brief and pointed . A proclamation was issued on tlie same 'day , ordering that the volunteer militia be discharged , and comiiiinuling that all armed bodies of men disband or emit the tcrritor } --.

      With respect to the Presidential elections , we loam from tlio Buchanan organs that " it is arranged to call the legislatures of Tirginia , South Carolina , and Georgia ? to concert measnros to withdraw from the Union before Fremont can get possession of the army and nnv } ' and tho purse-strings of Government . Governor Wise is actively at work already in the matter . The South can roly on the President in tho emergency contemplated , "

      Tmc French. Empkkor And Emrrisss Returne...

      Tmc French . Empkkor and EMrRisss returned from Biarritz on Thursday night . Coi ^ i ery Accidknt . — A partition , dividing somo old from somo new workings in tho Bryn Mfllly mines , near Wrcxham , has been forced in by a weight of flccumulated water , and it is feared that upwards of twonty lives ha . vo been sacrificed . Murder at Oidbuky . —A shocking murder lias boon comitted at Oldbury . Some bickering- and ' sparring ' had taken place between Allmark , a collior , and Dunn , a blacksmith . Tlio former told tho latter he would " lay him straight before tho day was out ; " nnd subsequentl y ho took up a henvy iron instrument , nnd struck Allmark violently on the bond , remarking , " There ! 1 told you I'd lay you straight . " The man died in a fow hours . The culprit has escaped .

      Anotiikk Cash of Poisoxino nY Mistake nns occurred nonr Doncnster , whero a child has been killed )> y a doec of laudanum sold at a small village shop i" miatuko for paregoric . Ckyktal , Palack . —Return of admissions for six days ending ; Friday , October 8 rcl , 185 « , including season ticket holders , 28 , 176 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 4, 1856, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_04101856/page/10/