English E[?]tracts.

Colonist, Issue 43, 19 March 1858, Page 3

English E[?]tracts.

On December 7th, the first detachment of sick and wounded troops from China arrived at Fort Pitt, Chatham, having disembarked from the Northfleet at Plymouth. The Northfleet sailed from Hongkong on the Bth of August, having <n board 72 non-commissioned officers and invalid troops of the 59th regiment, in charge of Captain M. Pennefather Lloyd, of that corps, besides a large party of sailors and marines who were left at the Cape. During the voyage, which was very protracted, six deaths occurred on board. On disembarking at Plymouth, the invalids were1 forwarded to Chatham. Another large party of sick and wounded troops from China aud Persia will shortly arrive at Chat-

nam

Distress ix the Manufacturing Districts. —It appears to be the aim of certain of our contemporaries to ignore as far 5n them lies the sail reality of prevalent distress in our manufacturing districts. For our part, we believe it to be our duty soberly and faithfully to place before the public, day by day, the whole truth in this most important matter. We cannot reconcile it to our sense' of right that great and general t-uffering should go unheeded ; that admirable endurance should pass unappreciated ; that the exemplary observance of order and law, under cii cumstatices,; the most trying, shou!d be noted as only police reports to the Home Office, and treated as deserving of no other recognition. We have not been silent on the subject, and we cannot be. We are sorry to learn that throughout Lancashire the ominous prelude to distress is heard in the closing clang of the factory gites and the low.murmurs of the discharged operatives as they troop dejectedly on to their homes. At Bl -okburn one of the largest hives of cot'onspinnrng toil, many hundred-hands "are out" tliis week. Eleven mills stopped on Saturday last; and it is not certain that others may not follow. At the meeting of guardians last week, 3378 persons were relieved at a ;cost of £162 15s. 4J., being an increase on the corresponding week of 1856 of 508 individuals, and of £24 Bs. Id. The increase of able bodied ia stated at 205, and of children under 16 years of age, 298. This out of a population" of 46,000 may not be considered, under the circums'auces, extraordinary; but it must be recollected that \te are only at the beginning of bad times. We cannot conceal from ourselves that the prospects of trade in the locality in question are heavily overcast. Of the mills which have recently stopped it is publicly stated that the machinery of no less than four hasbeen already sold; and five of themj with their ,costly contents, are said to be for sale. Out of the entire number situate in the town and its vicinity, but four are reported to be working full time; some,are eraploj-ed from three to four days a week; and in others many looms and spindles, we far, are standing still. It cannot be que tioned that the 'high price of the raw mate;ial has contribute! in a great degree to these results; nor can we doubt that the old evil of over-produc'.ii.'n has had its share in aggravating the loss an I suffering now endured But looking at the condition in which Liverpool and Glasgow- were a fortnight ago, and comparing it with-that which has gradually set in ever {•ince the salutary, interposition,of gov ; ernm;'nt -to liber,a.'e W.n's minds from fictitious fear,and Parliament-made pressure, we cannot' refrain. from expressing hopes that the dark.el aid of suspended industry- now hanging. over us may ere long il; ar away.. .At Preston, four-days, or forty hours a week,. is said to be the average time for which.the cotton mills are .working. Two or threa.have clojelaltogether! and others are. named; as likely to follow the example. The establishmente once so r pi osperous and busy at Rawtenstall an I Orawshawbooth are smitten with the prevailing langour, and no longer seem to lie up to the mark of full work, as they were wont to be. There are those who say that5 they require an infusion of a new supply of the invigo:ating impulse that puts all indus'ry in action. Fre-h bloo.l, we are told, miy be introduced ■ safely and successfully into the^ human veins when the life 7 tide .'runs too low, and the savian efficacy nfsimil.ir operations on the commercial system cannot be,too highly prized. Change of proprietary, 6i% in other words, the introduction of, fresh capital, may rf-as nably be looked forward to, provided in the interval •general disorganisationdoes not take place, and j the operative class, whose weal depends so much wpon its realisation, be not. Jed into paroxysms of anger or impatience, at.' the first mention of which capital in quest of manufacturing investment is' too apt to be scared away. , We have no wish, God knows, to hark back at any time upon past folliesi; still less would we be supposed capable.-of.insiriuatinii a reproach for past [ errois amid a .season of distress. -But in all kindliness and cor-side'ratioH for ;our doprr ssed '

fellow countrymen at Preston, we would earnestly, implore of them to consider well before they are induced to listen to hasty counsels, whether as regards short time or reduced wages. They cannot afford-"to trifle again with the rriairistays on which- the prosperity, if not the very existence of their town as a manufacturing centre rests. If they look around them, they will perceive that the same inexorable causes are upon every side producing the same results. At Carlisle, W9 le.arn that the large mills are at work but four r daysa week, and that their proprietors have deemed it right to give their people notice that if it becomes necessary to reduce the working hours still fiirflier, they will either do so or close them altogether. In the West Riding there have beth hitherto fewer indications of slackened toil. Yet Bradford Has already begun to feel the pinching hand of want, and buoyant Sheffield feels its spiiits less light than it used to do. Turning southward, there are signs of a much more disheartening, sort at Derby, where the silk w.orkei's are without eml'l>yment, and public subscriptions to provide food, especially for the women, have been opened undur the auspices of the Mayor.— Daily News, December 15. . . : Peosecutionofthe British Bank.— tt,is almost impossible for any man, however high--minded arid conscientious^ iii his general principles, to play the great game of trial at law without overstepping the strict bounds of right in the attempt; to ensure success. The excitement of the gaining table is scarcely superior to that of the issue -of the great trial; At the present mYment the eyes of" the British public are intently fixed on the, result of the Crown prosecution of the directors of the British Bank. Twenty-four counsel are employed on each side]; and amougst them the most eminent names at the .bar. Now, if there is one trial rather than another at which it is desirable that perfect fid: ness should be observed, it is this same trial of the directors of the .Royal British Bank., The result will be a precedent of vast importance in future case?, and it is therefore doubly necessary that there should be no doubt about the means by which it is obtained. The case itself involves relations of commerce" and monetary dealing, and principles of action between customers and Iraders of very great delicacy— and which require to be very carefully handled. The great constitution—as we may now call it —of public companies has been so very recently developed that its giounda of proceedings are not yet fixed, and all th;it tends to fix. them shuiid be \v\ighed and examined with the nicest care.; In another point of view, the sympathies of the pub ie are now with the prosecution ; anil, considering the inju.y inflicted by the bank on individuals, .in one cou'd wish that it should be otherwise. But if the correct s hse of justice, which is one of the great characteristics of the n-tion, is violate 1, we know enough of our country to feel that their sympathies will be sooner or later enlisted in lavor of the directors. This we should, be most sorry to see, and yet if theatteinpt which was tried on the part of the prosecution on Saturday had succeeded, it could -not/well have been otherwise. The indictment, as framed, consists of several general counts, followed by one special count—an arrangement, in itself, much out of the ordinary course of things. Naturally the defendants required information as to the particulars of the chai'ges which would be brought agai.st them inthe general counts, and th;s the counsel for the Crown refused to do. The persons accused wil'j therefore, autualy have to go to trial without.precifie'ytknoWiiig the .nature of tl,e accusations they vvil have to rebut. ; Could anything be: more certain to viliate morally the result of the trial than this?. Would not the directors' always be able to say—would not the public always be liable to think—-that : the accusations might have been met, if commonly fair chances hal been allowed to the accused of meeiing them? Even charges most certain to be e&tablished would be called into doubt under such circumstances; and yet it was with sonic difficulty that tl-e Court of Queen's Bench couM prevent the whole of the twenty-four counsel representing, the Crown from addressing it on this head. It was urged that if the particulars were given to the defendants, they might take an unfair use of them in preparing their defence. Iv other words, they, might sub >m false evideuce, for that is about the only bad; use which they can make of the information. Now, of course this is the objection which might be made in all cases to communicating the particulars of his accusation to an accused, But the, .immutable principles of justice demand, notwithstanding, that no man should, be taken by suip.ise, or be exposed to be condemned unjustly because he does not know what he has to answer. It is better that ten guilty should esc.ipe than one innocent suffer, according to the old saying, how much better is it that a great pjinciple, ■? inherent in justice itself, aiid red >g"nised by the con'sci^nce •of every honest man,; should le abused in some cases than that it should be abandoned in all. It is not the Government, but its agents, anxi'us at all events to play their own game in this business—who are thus running the risk of vitiating the whole proceedings, exciting public indignation against themselves,, and public sympathy in favor of men who so little deserve it. The bench.'iadig-; nantly refused to listen to any such argument, and ordered full' 1 particulars to be furnished to! the acou?e.l.. We could expect nothing else from a British tribunal, always ready'to''quell, the.fallacies of its subordinates; who are never more ram] aujfc than jn Crown:prosecutions.--CfyronicleX, . ■> .

Mr. Bright has wii ten, to l»is constituents fiom Rochdale, apologising for his non-appear-ance in Parliament, and reminding thorn that when they elected him, it was on the understanding, that for six months he should be excuse I from public labours. On India he makes these remarks :—" On the question of India, indeed, I feel tl.at it is almost ra^hne^s to utter a "decided opinion; and I know not whether one ought to regard with admiration or with pity many of these who have written and spoken 30 cunfiden ly upon it since the occurrence of the insurrection. Judging from the writings of the newspapers, and from the speeches of public men, I fear the com.try is by no means suffi. cienrly fa ware of tie crisis which has arisen, whether we regard,the difficulty of restoring order in India, or the obsfae'es. which oppose themselves to the future G>vernment (f that country. Five yeava ago, when the Indian Bill was about to come under discussion, [ thought L kaew something of India, and felt that I could g've advice on the subject. But the Fcene has tut.tlly changed, and that which was easy to bo done in fair weather may be impossible or of little avail when the storm rages. I presume, however, that the days of the Leadrnhall-street rulers of In<Ua are numbered. Without character and without power, it requires but a vote of Parliament to give legal effect to that which, I believe, the public opinion of England h^3 already decreed;."