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Leader (1850-1860), 26th January 1856, Edition 2 of 2, Page 2, 74 T H ff Ik'E ADER. , | No. 305, Saturd...

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      Ftlue Sound Of Peace Is No Sooner Heard ...

      successor . More than one name has been mentioned . For some time there has "been a talk of liord John RussEL . L ., whose . tenure ofaJLondon seat has become very ; fpeoaofrust 13 i ^ i 8 ««« irite candidate known is Mr . A * x & M Black * th ( remi-Bent bookseller , who is thoroughly identified , with ^ Edinburgh , in conviction , "feeling , interests > and liabits .

      Death , too , has withdrawn Henry Goulbttrn , and Cambridge University has to provide a successor for Peel ' s Chancellor of the Exchequer . Here , again , more than one name has been mentioned . There was , for the moment , an apparent chance of placing in the seat for Cambridge one of ¦ the finest thinkers of the daj % whose writing has lad a powerful influence on influential minds , Arthur Helps ; but while many of the electors

      were getting up a requisition to invite him , more imrried agitators had prepared to "bring forward Sir . Denman , who is well known in Cambridge , though less known to the public ; and Mr . Helps cLeclin . es to oppose his friend . Mr . Denman is the ( candidate who would represent the philosophy , science , and liberal feeling of Cambridge . Mr . WaIiPOLe is put forward to represent the opposites—and he accepts the mission !

      His translation to the University seat would ¦ vacate Midhurst , and Mr . Samuel Waheen , the Recorder of Hull , the novelist of " Ten Thousand a Year , " the poet of the " Lily and the Bee / ' the lecturer on the working classes , aspires to sit for Midhurst j and although he is ea ? professo that untoward being " a ^ remarkable man , " his address to the electors is remarkable for nothing but a total abstinence of opinions . One of the first subjects pressing upon Parliament will be a revision of the railway system The contests within the Eastern Counties

      Company continue ; chairman , and shareholders are pleading against each other in pamphlet and public meeting ; and Parliamentary intervention is imperatively needed . Another subject probably must "be the ticket-ofleave system and reformatories . Reformatory institutions have multiplied in the English counties during the recess , while the enormities committed

      by ticket-of-leave men have rendered a continuance of the present system , unaltered , impossible . The highest and most active minds have . bent themselves to consider a fitting reform . A sort of preliminary debate has been worked off in this manner ; and we may expect cogent and practical discussions in Parliament , probably with measures to amend the ticket-of-leave system and to enlarge the powers for establishing reformatories .

      Another portion of our penal system will also challenge revision—that part whicli relates to cases like that of Palmer , and which involves abuse of insurance . Some are anticipating a change in the law of insurance * :, so as to prevent the frauds and crimes to which the present practice of insurance offices has given encouragement , but the change wiU take place probably in the practice rather than in tlte law .

      The R-ugeley tragedy has given us new scenes . Another verdict of " Wilful murder" has been returned in the case of Walter Palmer 3 a druggist ' s assistant having given evidence whicli corroborates the suspicion that prussic acid Assisted the narcotic effects of excessive drinking , and that "W 1 L 1 . IAM Pa . ijmkr administered the poison with his own . hand , Palmer has also appeared as a ¦ witnesa for the defence in an action brought against his , niother on a bul of exchange for $ 2 , 000 , written wjth his own hand , "i'he bill purported to rbtftrt ! his mother ' s acceptance , and her aig-.- nature " Sarah Palmer . " In the Court of Queen ' s Bench Palmkr admitted that the biH

      was in hissihandwrituag , but the signature , he said , had beenvforgecl by his wife , Anne Palmer , who is "«( liteeL" Accordinggto this confession , there - for © , ; Anns * Palmes * is added to the number of harshusbana ' s accomplices ; but PALM & R ' Srrfriends complain tiiat the press has * prejudged Ms case , and ' they are-about tovremove ^ his trial by oettiorari to a London court . In the meanwhile , the example has not been unioiitated ; or rather , if we may believe the story , Palmer had a rival . Thomas Bull Holland

      a surgeon at Salford , has told before the magistnefe-ft-strange- story , how two Tnen came to him as a medical referee to pass the life of the father of one of the men , Monoch an ; how , while the men were with him * he was mixing some acetate of lead with water , and the younger Monogham asked him if the same poison could not be so mixed as to avoid the milky colour ; how , on that question , lie instructed them to mix the poison with whisky , which remains limpid ; and how Monoghan , the father , has since died , the son claiming the suna insured—iD 300 . And this story are the Manchester magistrates examining , while Rugeley unfolds its moral for the edification of a . censorious world .

      Ftlue Sound Of Peace Is No Sooner Heard ...

      The Westminsteb Improvembi ? t Commission . — Some extraordinary revelations have come forth with respect to this corporate body , which was created by Act of Parliament ten yeara ago for the purpose of building Victoria-street , Westminster . The "body had almost the character of a Government corporation , | br it was endowed with , an unrestricted power of borrowing money , coupled with grants out of the London Bridge Approaches Fund and the improved rates of the p & rishes * in " Westminster . The accounts were to be examined "by the Commissioners of "Woods and Forests . The corporation at length became involved :

      bonds were issued to builders , "who advertised them for Bale upo-n the lowest terms ; and in January , 1855 , the commission became totally insolvent . A meeting of the bondholders was called ; a committee of investigation was appointed ; and a petition has been presented to the House of Lords , and a bill of complaint filed in Chancery . It is asserted that the commissioners have incurred a deficiency of . £ 100 , 082 . They have since , as far as can be ascertained , put forth bonds to the amount of 4 > l , 030 , 570 , of which they say £ 8 9 , 700 have / beencancelled , leaving £ 977 , 050 as the amount in circulation on the 31 st of December ,

      1854 , when they stopped payment . Besides the means thus raised , the commissioners are alleged to have mortgaged the freehold property of the undertaking for £ 271 , 500 . The present value is only £ 167 , 200 ; but it is thought that about £ 140 , 000 worth of the mortgages would be ignored by the Court of Equity , and it is calculated that the value of the street will be greater when it is completed . The commisioners are also accused of issuing bonds to a large amount ¦ wi thout proper security ; of issuing £ 58 , 000 worth within a few days of their insolvency ; of making an undue charge for interest ; and of executing

      preferential mortgages almost at tho very moment of the stoppage . They are now selling bonds at the rate of about eight per cent . —a proceeding which will ruin many of the present holders ; but it does not seem that the commissioners are amenable to any punishment . Health of London . —Eleven hundred and twontyone deaths were registered in London in tho w « ek that endod on Saturday , January 19 . Tho averago number of deaths , corrected for increase of population , " is 1 , SS 2 in # ie third wook . of January , which is tho coldest week of the year , iu tho ordinary course of the seasons . The deaths were 211 below the

      average , 495 of the dead were children and young persons : 150 were of the ago 20-40 ; 211 of tho ago 40 ' 60 ; 217 of tho age 00-80 ; and ' so fow attain ripe old ago in the prosont imperfect stato of tho public health that 42 only were of the age of 80 and upwards . 264 porsons of all ages died of small-pox , measles , scarlatina , hooping-covgh , typhus , and other zymotio diseases . Hooping-cough an < l typhus nro epidemic . 182 persons died of consumption , oluefly of tho age of 20 and under 00 ; 26 of apoplexy , and 34 of paralysis ; 191 of inflammation of tuo lungs and

      air tubes . 12 women died of « hildbirt 1 i . <—Last week , the births of 817 l > oys and 827 giri » , in all 1 , < J 44 children , were registered in London . In the ten corresponding woolcs of tho yearH 184 ( 5-55 , tho overage number was 1 , 494 . — From tho Itot / iatrar-CfonernVa Weekly Return . Tub JRicuit Hon . SriUNonn Horatio Wai . poi . ei has acooptod tho office of ArohbSahop's Church BstatoH Commissioner , vacated by tho decease of tho llight Hon . H « mry Goulburn . Tho inoomo attached to tho office in £ 1 , 000 a ,-yeftr .

      74 T H Ff Ik'e Ader. , | No. 305, Saturd...

      74 T H ff Ik'E ADER . , | No . 305 , Saturday , . — — - —— ——^— ^^ m ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ m ^^^^^^^^^^ _ ^^ ^

      Thejae. Pbaxjb Prospects Have Almost Ext...

      THEJAE . Pbaxjb prospects have almost extinguished war facts . Russia has ordered an armistice ; France has . provisionally suspended the exportation of shot and shelly vwintechas countermanded active operations ?; and * diplomatists are doing their best to stop the threatened Contest in the spring . According to the latest accounts , however , the firing continued on both sides of Sebastopol , though to — ^^^^^^^

      but little effect . The blowing up of the docks is still prosecuted with vigour . The Allies , according to the Journal de , Constantinople , have now 180 , 000 troops in the Crimea , besides 13 , 000 persons not belonging to the army ; so that Russia has some reason to { . desire an avoidance of the murderous struggle 'that must ensue in the spring unless peace be concluded . The cold in the Crimea has considerably diminished .

      The French General of artillery , Le Boeuf , has arrived at Kinburn . He has visited the fortifications and means of defence afforded by the flotilla , and has pronounced the place to be strong enough to resist any attack . An attack was apprehended about the 6 th inst . ; but none has been made These apprehensionsarose fromits'being-stated that th"e Russians had 30 , 000 men iu echelon betweea

      Petrosska and Otchakoffi . The garrison of Kinburn has been reihfoiced > by French troops . The flotilla is frozen in , but , it is said , would aid the defence , should the Russians attack . General Vivian , is apprehensive of an attack on Kertch , and has therefore called for officers of infantry and artillery to be sent to him from Constantinople . The Russian armistice will render these precautions unnecessary for the time . .

      A few items of news from Asia are supplied by a despatch from Constantinople , which says : —• " ** General Mburavieff , after having destroyed the advanced works of Kara , has left a force in that place , and directed his inarch upon Gumri with the main body of his army . There were at Trebizond 15 , 000 Turks and Egyptians , the greater part of whom are on their way to the succour of Erzeroum . These troops endure all soiiis of privations , and suffer extremely from the bad state of the roads , which are encumbered with snow . "

      Another despatch says that Omar Pacha is to take up his winter quarters at Erzeroum . He has been reinforced by the Egyptian division , and the Porte is constantl y sending fresh troops into Asia , particularly Albanians . Should hostilities continue , it is stated that the spring will see a corps of the allied army operating in Georgia under the command of Sir Colin Campbell . But these projects must for the present be held in abeyance till we know the results of the grand diplomatic " palaver . "

      THE FAIX GE KAJaS . General Vivian , according to the statements of the Times Constantinople Correspondent , was applied to by Lord Stratford to go the relief of Kars with his contingent . He agreod to this , but , from inquiries which he cauaed to be made by General Smith , he found that ho should want an addition of 2 , 000 meu to the 8 , 000 he then possessed . The Turkish Government consented to place 35 , 000 or 40 , 000 men under General Vivian , who , together -with Lord Stratford , expressed great willingness to attempt a diversion . The proposal waa then sent home , and ropeadly urged ; but the answer of the English Government was to stop all proceedings .

      Another obstacle to the efficiency of the Turkish army has arisen from the working of tho Loan Commisiioa . Some of tho conditions proposed by tho commission did not suit the Tui'kiah Government ; and great delay was tho consequence . In spito ot those difficulties , whioh . are still ponding , tho commission has taken upon itself , without any material guarantee in its hands , to pay tho Turkish . Government nearly a million of money , bo that , with tho £ 600 , 000 which the Bothschilda advanced , they lw got £ 1 . 600 . 000 .

      War Miscellanea. Tub Niahtinoalm Fund.—T...

      WAR MISCELLANEA . Tub NiaHTiNOALm Fund . —The results of tho vooont mooting in London in aid of tho Nightingiuo I'Vuul huvo been communicated to tho army in tho UriniWi tho mombers of which , of all rankB , havo boon invited toauBlst . The commander of tho forcaa Iimh give " ono day'a pay . All the contributions iu * o to bo voluntary . Thm Ska oir Azof . — RiiB » ian offioiul iiaoount * >' " proBont tho Sea of A « of an being froaon for u 0011-eidomblo di » tnnoo from tho uhovo on tbo 2 fltU ult . HOW THEY MANA 0 B 1 MATTimft AT Ell / . HnOUM . — - Tuo wholo system of adiAinifltration horo ( li iv . ovo \» n iti ooiwupt beyond lueaauro . It na « n routiuo , too , whioh ridoH it like a uightmaro , and , forcing ono h wuv

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 26, 1856, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_26011856/page/2/