22 SEPTEMBER 1849, Page 4

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The British Association for the Advancement of Science continued its sittings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday; the proceedings terminated on Wednesday. The published reports of each day's discussions have been uninteresting: there were no lions to behold, or scientific discoveries or paradoxes to hear of ; so that the meeting has occupied less public at- tention than any former one. In point of numbers, however, it is said to have been only twice exceeded by any meeting held since the assembly in Birmingham ten years ago; and its transactions to have been eminently successful.

A public dinner was given to Sir George Grey, on Monday, by his North Northumberland constituents, at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Lord Frederick Fitzclarence was to have presided, but was unable to leave his command at Portsmouth; Mr. Donaldson Selby of Cheswick was therefore to take the chair; but he was prevented by illness at the last moment, and Mr. Prideaux John Selby filled the office at the sudden call. The Ho- nourable Captain Grey, Captain Weatherly, Mayor of Newcastle, and the Reverend Dr. Gilly, Prebendary of Durham, were among the more eminent guests. The health of Sir George Grey was proposed with complimentary reference to his administrative abilities, during the last two years, so cha- racterized by external commotion and internal peril.

Sir George declined the praise, and attributed the merit of England's tranquillity to the character of Englishmen- " The merit, under Providence, is due to the good sense, to the good sound sense, of Englishmen, and to their attachment—an attachment which has been formed and tried by experience—their attachment to those institutions which were won for them by their ancestors, and which shall be handed down by us, amended as they have been in our own time by the general consent of the people—and it is only by the general consent of the people that amendments ought to be made ; in- stitutions which may still be susceptible of amendment, and of rational improve- ment, but yet institutions which Englishmen have learned to love, and are deter- mined to stand by against all the attacks of despotism on the one hand and anarchy on the other."

Reference having been made to the Queen's visit to Ireland, Sir George spoke of the high privilege be himself had enjoyed in accompanying her Majesty; and declared with what delight he had witnessed the enthusiastic loyalty of the great body of his fellow subjects in the sister kingdom. "I trust with my honourable friend, that this gracious visit of our Sovereign will not be unfruitful, or prove barren of benefits and advantages to Ieehtnd and to the United Kingdom. I trust that a kindly feeling between England and Ire- land will be generated and produced ; that a spirit of hope has been produced and sustained, which cannot fail Mining the highest benefits and advantages—for after all it is only by our own exertions that prosperity can be secured; and that we shall see brighter days for Ireland, and consequently for the country at large, arising out of the occurrence of the Sovereign's visit to that country,—a Sove- reign equally beloved by all, and the more beloved the more she is seen."

The Reverend Dr. Gilly returned thanks for the toast of "The Bishop and the Clergy of the Diocese." He declared that Sir George Grey's uni- form kindness and admirable temper in the House of Commons had con- ciliated men of all parties, and in fact introduced a new tone into our Par- liamentary debates.

"I do not profess," said Dr. Gilly, "to think alike with the right honourable gentleman on every question of policy and of government ; and indeed, I believe that statesmen and clergymen many times look through different spectacles. The one sweeps the horizon with his telescope, and takes a wider range and sees farther. The other's view is limited to objects that are near. The one, as he sees more, knows more; and though they may have different opinions respecting measures, they may be perfectly agreed respecting principles. I feel that that is the case between my right honourable friend and myself. We have at times come to different conclusions; but I am sure that on all the higher principles we are agreed; and I avow to the world that I do not know the living statesman on whose talents and consistency and Christian motives I would more confidently rely when some great and difficult question is to be deliberated upon, and the scales are to be held nicely which weigh the important interests of agriculture and commerce, or education, or the ecclesiastical institutions of the country."

With this introduction the reverend speaker proceeded to a wider and more important topic—the general subject of Church Reform. "As a clergyman, I may venture to say that no class of men are more indebted to the right honourable gentleman than the clergy of the Established Church; for it is to such moderate, tolerant, and kindly counsels as his—it is to such views as he takes upon the great questions of national education, of a more equitable adjustment ot ecclesiastical property for the benefit of the Church, of a subdi- vision of parishes and other kindred subjects, that we must look if we have any hope for the stability and prosperity of the Church Establishment. In these days of intelligence, and sometimes of movement and change, it is impossible that any institution can stand unless it rest upon the opinions and affections of the people. I believe that my right honourable friend wishes the ministers of religion to ground their claims to respect, not upon their station and prescriptive rights, but on their character, on their efficiency, on their perseverance in doing good, and on their faithful and diligent discharge of their duties. I believe that he wishes to see the prizes of the Church awarded to superior excellence, and distri- buted, not as two or three prizes have sometimes been, to one fortunate holder, hut in proportion to the number of deserving candidates. I believe he wishes to see a system by which some great inequalities could be reduced, and which would lead to a better adjustment of clerical labour and clerical remuneration; and I heartily hope and pray that I may live to see the time when the Church will press upon the right honourable Baronet and his colleagues, either to sanction or to initiate some great legislative measure for the adoption of these improvements. Such a measure would be strictly in conformity with the spirit of our canons; SOT tasapy to say that the Established Church contains within itself our own minds. Until the clergy shall- m regula- tions mid! r1_,.iciples which are utterly repugnant to those abuses which create so much murb

, .e.'ng and discontent within agree to a plan by which we may return to this principle, I for one, who am for-

preferments—in order for- tunate enough to hold high preferment, would cheerfully consent to a well-di- gested plan of voluntary taxation—a taxation of the hiller that the smaller livings may be increased, and that t us our ill-paid brethren may be raised to the level of those who are better endowed. I feel quite sure that if we were to take a step of this kind, the laymen who hold tithes would very gladly follow our example. I was staying with a friend the other day, to whom I mentioned this idea of mine; and what was his answer?—' I declare, said he, if anything of that sort is done, I for one will give up ten per cent out of my ley impropriated tithes, to increase the poor livings in my neighbourhood.' Now I ain sure you will receive this intimation with equal good-humour, when I tell you that my friend is a good Tory and Conservative. I have the honour to belong to an ecclesiastical corporation which within the last twenty years has given away the interest of property to the amount of 200,0001. in order to promote general educe_ tioo, and to improve small livings ; and therefore, I think I may fairly look for equal liberality from those of my brethren who are said to have the good things of the Church in their possession. I look with confidence to the good which will proceed from similar examples—similar exertions."

One of the toasts was " Prosperity to the Irish Agricultural Society ": Mr. Bullen, the Secretary, acknowledged the toast; and gave his testimony to the good effects already springing from the Queen's visit.

"He could speak from his own experience, that the most salutary effects had already been produced by her gracious demeanour, her suavity of manner' and her popular address, as well as by the judicious tone which was given to her visit from the outset by her responsible advisers. Nothing could have been more judi- cious than the tone which was then assumed; and he spoke advisedly when he said that the spirit of hope was raised—a spirit which was invaluable to any country—by all the incidents connected with that auspicious visit, from which he augured the happiest results, and which he hoped her Majesty's advisers would use every exertion to foster and sustain." Sir George Grey proposed "Prosperity to the Agricultural Interest"; and took the opportunity to inform the ,company of the noble works in improvement of farms performed by the Duke of Bedford; which he intro- duced with a quotation from an admirable letter lately addressed by the Duke to the President of the Agricultural Society.

"His Grace says= To improve the dwellings of the labouring class, and afford them the means of greater cleanliness, health, and comfort, in their own homes—to extend education, and thus raise the social and moral habits of those most valuable members of the community—are among the first duties, and ought to be among the truest pleasures of every landlord. I don't believe," said Sir George Grey, "that the landlord can look for any immediate pecuniary return for this outlay of his capital; but that is not the return which he ought to look for— he ought to be content with improving the comforts of the labouring classes. I cannot quit this subject without saying how gratified I have been to witness, on the ample and extensive estates of the Duke of Northumberland, the number of improvements that are going on. His Grace was a guest at the Duke of Bedford's last summer; he came expressly to look at the Duke's cottages; and he then de- clared that he was determined to spend 20,000/. in improving old and building new cottages. I have not seen other counties so much as I have seen North. Northumberland; but if all the others are doing as much, there must be a marked improvement throughout the country, and the most beneficial improvements may be expected to flow from them." Mr. Carr, of Dunstan Hill, returned thanks, and corroborated the remarks of Sir George respecting the great improvement in cottages and farm-build- ings which is now taking place throughout the district.

The proceedings of the East Cumberland Agricultural Society, on turday, were graced by Lord Broligliem's presence end enlivening oratory.

The Earl of Lonsdale presided; Colonel Lowther P., Mr. Philip Howard, M.P., Mr. Charles Howard, M.P., and Mr. Hod M.P., M.P., were present, with "a large number of the most respectable squirearchy and tenantry of the Border."

Lord Brougham proposed the health of Lord Lonsdale, with compli- ments on his reform of the Post-office, his improvement of the highways under the Macadam system of roadmaking, and his assiduous application to agriculture since he succeeded to his ample estates. In returning thanks, Lord Lonsdale accepted the compliments regarding agriculture, and pro- ceeded to dilate practically on the mutual dependence of agriculture and manufactures—

Carlisle, he said, was not inappropriately chosen for an agricultural meeting, though certainly famed rather as a manufacturing than as an agricultural town; for nothing could be better than that manufacturers and agriculturists should unite. They were each other's best customers. If the one felt distress the other must be sickly. Bat, more than that, the neighbourhood of a large town was most beneficial to agriculture. They all knew as a principle, that for what was taken from the land something must be returned. For example, a great quantity of manure was necessarily collected in large towns. This created an intolerable nuisance, which, in many places at the present moment, increased, if it did not create, some of those fearful maladies that prevailed in different parts of the country. Bat its removal to the adjoining districts would improve and fertilize their fields.

The High Sheriff, in acknowledging the drinking of his health, cons: pared himself to Moolraj, as the "victim of circumstances," in being brought prominently before the public; and, like that unhappy chief, he craved indulgent consideration, especially for a joke on which he ven- tured—

He did not look for unbounded prosperity, or anticipate the reign of universal peace throughout the world; but, to repeat the observation of his noble and learned friend Lord Brougham at Penrith, if they might not see the day when the lion would lie down with the lamb, they had at least the satisfaction of seeing upon that occasion the blue and yellow boar feed together.

This reference brought Lord Brougham on his feet in reply— "Oar High Sheriff, Moolraj, as he calls himself, reminds me of an excellent joke he made, and which succeeded perfectly at Penrith, about the blue and yel- low boar lying down like the lion and the lamb together. He has repeated his joke. I must add my joke in answer to his. His Joke was at my expense; mine was not at his expense. I return good for evil; for what I said was this—'It was no wonder the blue and yellow should be together, because, as optical philosophers tell us blue and yellow combined make green; and the blue and yellow DOW had joined to make the earth more green than it was before.' (Cheers and kaighter.) I was rather discouraged at seeing a French newspaper mention, with reference to this matter, that there was a Joke they could not comprehend,—though they are very apt to comprehend jokes, and often to make good ones, in Paris. They said, they could very well understand the optician's doctrine that blue and yellow made green, but they could not see what blue and yellow had to do with Brougham and Lowther. (Much laughter.) So ignorant were these poor People in France, they did not know that the one meant Blue and the other Yellow; which explained the whole matter." Lord Brougham then took the opportunity to clear up a mistake of the reporters, and to administer consolation to an absent friend, who might think be had competed with him unfairly in a point of gallantry. "j am most delighted to find that there is a good chance of these remarks, spa the still more valuable observations which fell from my noble friend in the chair, going forth to the world. I am sure they will do so, for I know through whose hands they will pass ; they will go out with most extraordinary accuracy --mach greater accuracy than, I am sorry to say, belonged to the local report that my noble friend and I had been at a small dance together. It was stated that at Brougham I had danced with the country lasses for two or three hours together. I wish to God it were true; no one would have been more delighted than myself. But the truth was, I had gone to bed. I am particularly glad such was the case, for the sake of a most worthy, noble, and learned friend of mind, my predecessor and successor in office, Lord Lyndhurst, who must have been extremely jealous if any such thing had occurred. Ten or twelve years ago, I well remember, he made me dance because he did ; and as he did I thought I might as well try. I al- ways maintained I beat him that night, while he thought he beat me; but if he bad seen the statement to which I allude, when he, from his unfortunate lame- ness, cannot dance at all, his jealousy would pass all bounds. (Much laughter.) As one of the greatest men and lawyers of the present day—as one of my oldest and dearest friends—it gives me the greatest delight to administer this consola- tion to Lord Lyndhurst, that his reputation is in no danger; for I have not passed him behind his back." (Loud cheers.)

Lord Brougham discoursed with his characteristic vivacity on agricultural topics; repeating much of the matter he popularly urged at the Penrith meeting.

Upon the subject of "liquid or solid" manure he and Lord Lonsdale were at amicable variance: he for his part was at present for "liquid"; but the subject was one for consideration, and until the matter was further tested by experiment, he couldn't say whether he should abide by " liquid or solid." But there was one subject on which there could be no sort of doubt or hesitation of opinion. "There can be no doubt of the great importance of improving agricultural machinery. I adverted on a former occasion to the application of steam for this purpose. I think it of the highest possible moment; and I have no doubt whatever that be- ige twelve months pass over we shall have attempts made—they may fail at first, as the steam-engine itself failed at first—but which must afterwards succeed. What I desire is to see steam-engines—not too large, but on a convenient and in- expensive scale, somewhat between the larger sort and the small tea-kettle shape in which such engines have been found practicable in Glasgow for various opera- tions—applied not merely to thrashing, sifting, and chopping-machines under cover, but I expect to see them applied in the field itself. (Cheers.) And if any one should say that this is a chimerical and visionary expectation, I would as how long is it since you had the expectation that steam-carriages would be brought into use? Yet they are now supplanting horses and carriages of every other de- scription. Why then should I not be permitted to hope that the application of steam should not supplant but aid the horse and ploughman." (Cheers.)

In proposing the toast of the evening, "The East Cumberland Agricul- tural Association," Lord Lonsdale made some further remarks of practical interest, suggested, as before, by his experience as a Metropolitan road im- prover, some twenty years ago. Some portion of the county of Middlesex was low and flat, with a strong clay soil. He found that the shallow system of draining took a little water off the surface without strengthening the foundation ; and after various consultations, he determined on draining a great part of the Metropolitan roads five or six feet deep. From that time he found that their maintenance did not exceed half the cost. He remembered on one occasion driving a drain through a gentleman's garden, which was necessary to the particular locality. The owner, of course, was of- fended; lustily protested against their interference, appealed to the Legislature, and in every way opposed their measures. They persevered in their drainage; and, two years afterwards, the same gentleman said, "I cannot think what has come to my garden, for the vegetables come a month earlier, and all the other produce remains a mouth later." . . . . On his own estate of Whitehaven, one farmer who had looked with dismay at his land being cut and hacked about, ad- mitted this year, that while the adjoining farms had formerly always reaped before him, he now reaped before any of them; and his harvest this year had come three weeks earlier than usual. (Cheers.) It is, we believe, in contemplation to erect at Birkenhead, with the high- est sanction in Church and State, an extensive range of buildings as a col- legiate establishment, similar in character to, possessed of the same amount of talent in literature, theology, &e., and devoted to the same high and holy purposes, as the time-honoured Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It is stated that the want of such an institution in the North of England has long been felt, and that the heads of the Church consider this locality pe- culiarly adapted to promote the success of the project. It is further stated, that the Reverend Joseph Baylee is the originator or furtherer, or both, of the excellent design. Rumour informs us, in addition, that the precise locus in quo will be a tract of land, about ten acres in extent, situate between the New Park and Mr. Jackson's mansion, the property of Mr. Brassey, and which it is hoped that enterprising and benevolent gentleman will present for the purpose. It is added that the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Mar- quis of Westminster, and Lord Robert Grosvenor, have each contributed 1,0001. for this magnificent scheme.—Liverpool Standard.

There has been serious insubordination among the prisoners in Newcastle Gaol. While a number of them were breaking stones in an open yard, a packet of to- bacco was thrown over the wall from the street; Ross, a prisoner, picked it up ; and when the gaoler in charge attempted to take it away, Ross struck him on the head with a hammer: the gaoler got out of the yard, but no attempt was made to seize Ross, from a fear that the other men would rise. At night, the prisoners retired to their cells, and were turned into the yards again the following morning; but Ross was kept separate in an airing-yard. However, he scaled a wall and rejoined his comrades; who immediately grew insubordinate, threatening any one who interfered with them. "In this state of suspense matters continued till the dinner-hour; when the Magistrates, deeming it prudent to adopt conciliatory rather than coercive measures, directed the dinners of the prisoners to be sent as usual into the mess-rooms in the airing-yards. This, however, had no effect in subduing the turbulent spirits who had determined to set all law and order at defiance, but rather increased it." Some fifty policemen, armed with cutlasses, Fere now ordered into the prison by the Magistrates. Matters looked threaten- Fig, as the policemen would have to emerge singly through gates into the yards in the face of a mob armed with stones and hammers. These iron grates the Prisoners had locked inside. A smith was sent for and one gate was forced; the police rushed in, and the whole of the prisoners in that yard were secured: ham- mers and stones were found concealed upon them, but the sudden onset of the officers had prevented the use of the weapons. The other gates were forced in the same way, and all the prisoners were seized by detachments. The ringleaders Were examined by the Magistrates; and Ross was committed for trial, while the Others were remanded. No sooner had quiet been restored and the policemen with- drawn, than the prisoners broke out afresh, smashing windows and furniture, and forcing doors. A few policemen returned, and summarily chastised some of the rioters; and this quelled the disturbance. The Newcastle Journal states that the discipline of the prison has been lax: the prisoners have been in the habit of throwing stones over the walls as signals to confederates outside, and missiles have frequently fallen on passengers or broken windows. Mr. Craven the reputed father of the young woman who is undersood to have been delivered a dead child at Horbury, has surrendered himself to the Wakefield authorities. He has been privately examined, and committed for trial; but bail was accepted. According to what has transpired, the hideous surmise that he was the father of the child had been anything but borne out by the evidence.

Wilson, the fourfold murderer, was hanged as Kirkdale on Saturday. The public excitement and feeling against hint continued to the last. It had been rumoured that the mob was to be baulked by the execution a week before the time announced ; and on the 8th, thousands of persons were on the ground to defeat the pretended scheme: they remained till twelve o'clock, and then dispersed. On the following Saturday, a vast concourse surrounded the gallows ; the Liverpool Chronicle says the lowest estimate was 100,000. Cheap trains brought crowds by the railway. "Madame Tussaud had a representative present to possess at the earliest moment the clothes of the wretch, for exhibition in the Metropolis. Mr. Bally, the eminent phrenologist, was also present to take a cast of the murderer's head." Wilson died impenitent. During the Friday, he walked carelessly about his cell, whistling. No fewer than six Roman Catholic priests had access to him ; but they could not induce him to make a confession. In the evening, he con- versed on divers subjects with his gaolers, taking frequent opportunities to pro- test his innocence. Ile had a few hours' disturbed sleep; and whin aroused in the morning, he said, half-facetiously, "Well, this is the last morning I shall ever see." As the fatal moment arrived, he appeared perfectly unconcerned, and went through the preparations for death calmly, without a struggle or a sigh." When the drop fell, there was stillness in the immediate vicinity of the scaffold; hut a slight cheer was heard in the distance.