The New York Herald Newspaper, January 30, 1874, Page 4

4 THE BRITISH ELEC CTIONS. Hopes and Fears ef Liberals and Conservatives. PROSPECTS OF PARTIES, —_-—— The Home Rulers—The Ballot and the Suffrage— The Working Classes—The Commons as a Transcendent Power—Gladstone’s De- feat at the Last General Election. ‘The general election in Great Britain and Ireland opens to-day for the cholce of 396 borough mem- bers, and will continue auring the ensuing week. ‘The elections for tue 256 county representatives will begin on Monday and go on for a jortnight. It is believed the result will be known on the 15th prox. It is very evident that great excitement obiains wmrougnout the country, and that immense efforts | will be made by each of the two great political par- ties to achieve @ working majority in the next | House of Commons, The scattering elections that _ took place in 1873 were uniformly unfavorable to Mr. Gladstone’s ministry, and as iate as six weeks | go, when a choice had to be made by the voters of Exeter to fill the vacancy occasioned by the ac- ceptance of the orice of Chief Justice of the Com- mon Pieas by sir John Duke Coleridge, Sir Edward Watkins was defeatea and one of Mr. Disraeil’s | supporters came in a long way at the head of the | poll, It seems that tue present general election | ts deemed tobe of higher importance than any Other that nas taken place since the pas- | sage of the Keiorm Dill of 1831, not ex- cepting that of 1868, when the franchise had been largely augmented by conferring the | right of voting on lodgers, on hoiders of small tene- } ments, and on a great many others who pay poor tax. The hopes built upon the conservative suc- cesses referred to and the recent waning strength of Mr, Gladstone in the ranks of his old supporters, which was particularly shown in the defeat of the Irish University bill, have infused great confidence ‘and boldness among the adherents o/ Mr. Disraell. The sudden and unexpected dissolution must have taken the latter unawares, but a statesman Of such resources can rapidiy recover himself and rally to his side the numbers, intelligence, wealth | and influence of the conservative party. Secret | Voting is now to be brought into use for the first | time in Parliamentary elections. The contrivance | got up in 1872 tor this purpose is exceedingly cum- bersome. A description is given of it further on, and It 18 safe to predict that when the voters come to handle it, during the early February days, they will find 1% dificult to understand and dificult to manige. ‘Time can only prove which party will be served by the introduction ot the ballot. THE ISSUES BEFORE THE COUNTRY. ‘The liberal party go betore the people princi- pally ou questions of finance, questions concerning which ali classes have the deepest interest, Mr. Gladstone promises a reduction of taxation and shows a healthy exchequer, but lis administration, during the past five years, has proposed many un- | popular measures, wiich had to be abandoned; and it aiso committed some serious offences, The | proposition to tax iucifer matches caused great | discontent; the matter of changing the distribua- tion of local taxes called forth tue opposition of the | Middle classes; the attempt to regulate the liquor traillc, always a delicate suoject in England, | turned (he powerful organization of liceused vic- | tualiers in many places against the liberals; there | were some irregularities in reference to postal and | telegraph affairs and in the Zanzibar mail contract. | Tue working classes, like the Insh Home Ruiers, will have their candidates, who will not attach themselves, iu elected, to whig or tory. fhe enlargement of the franchise in 1868, | | while it certainly imereased the induence and political power of the working classes, was unsatisfactory in that it did not go far enough, | They attempted in 1868 to put some oftheirown | men in Varliament, but though they made strong | 18 appeals to the sense of fairness and justice of the liberal party the workingmen were always thwarted because the leaders, with a few excep- tions, preferred to retain in the hands of the aris- tocracy and middle classes all places of power, honor and emolument, and really cared little for the working classes except as means of tneir own advancement. These sons of toil will be heard oi during the next few weeks, und their success at the polls will ve practically a defeat of both the | great parties, LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE STRENGTH. Looking back at the general election of 1868 it | Wiil be seen that the results faisified the expecta- tions of ail parties, in the Englisn boroughs, with few exceptions, there were large liberal gains, In | ‘the counties, alike in those where the manufactur- ing and those where the agricultural interests pre- @omimated, the conservatives obtained many signal triumphs. jn Scotland the conserva- tive candidates suffered extensive reverses; in the boroughs they could do nothing, and even in the Scotch counties, where they had been uniformly successiul and where they had the influence of the wealthy land owners in their iavor, strangers came forward in the liberal interest and were victorious over mem- bers of influential resident families who were can- didates on the unpopuiar side. Even Mr. Gilad- stone, whocontested South Lancashire, was beaten in consequence of the weighty influence brought against him, in which Protestant clergymen largely figured. The latter stood up for the sacred cause of the Irish Church Establishment, which was for centuries the greatest scandal, as a gov- ernment machine, in Europe, and which Mr. Glad- stone had denounced as a relic of ancient wrong and tyranny. It was fortunate, nowever, for the 1 | | Ubera! leader that the contingency of his defeat | ‘Was anticipated and provided tor by his friends. His revurn for the borough of Greenwich had been previously secured, so that his election to the House of Commons was made certain. An Irish Home Ruler is now to contest the seat with him. In North Lancashire, always regarded as the strong- hoid of liberalism, the Marguis of Hartington, a Uberal, was defeated by a son of Lora Derby. THE ELECTION IN IRELAND. ‘The election in Ireiand will turn almost entirely upon the question of home rule. That issue will be made in nearly every borough and county in the island. Both the liberal and conservative champions have emphatically declared against conceding the national demand as leading to the disintegration of the kmpire. The home ralers, therefore, are determined to stand aloof from both parties and act as separate wing or section in the House of Commons. There can ve no doubt as to the great mass of Irish voters being in favor of local self-government, and at @ iate conterence, attended by representatives from ali parts of the country, they agreed to pledge themseives to guarantee the rights of property as they now exist, and to the most and solewn protec- tion to ali classes of Irishmen in the exercise of their religious privileges a8 now established. The Lome rulers have so far succeeded as to exact {rom the leading organs of public opinion in Eng- land the admittance that their demands, if really tnd truly expressing the national sentiment, are entitied to an early and fuli consideration; but the Ministry, though ready to discuss the question, (ail lo reat it in such a manner a8 @ similar de- mand would be considered in the United States. ‘The whole matter lies in a nutshell. They afraid to trast the Irish with any modicum, Bo Matter how small, of jocal self-government. POS|TION OF TUR HOME RULERS. Te ener! election, bowever, brings this ques- 186 he in @ vital manner to Mr. Gladstone, rhe noi Tulers confidently expect to elect elgnty out of Sug 198 repr yantetives to which Ire- jand ‘is entitiea if the Housé 6? Commons, and they aiso expect to obtain some recruits tu their ranks from English constituenci: ‘This section or wing purpose to act as @ distinct party, dis- avowing all allegiance to liberais or conservatives except 80 far as either are willing to yield to their demands. All English parties are she same to the home rulers, as the jatter claim t! none of them are Willing to do Ireland substantial justice. The Jrish nationalists in the next Parliament cannot, therefore, be “{ a# supporters of Mr. Giad- stone, who has jailen greatly into disfavor with vhem in consequence of his turning a persistently deaf ear to the oft-repeated appeals for clemency to the namerous prisoners now heid in peuai ser- vitude for participation in the Fenian Ne (NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 187 slaw sk A body of y five or cignty sevent: act in concert, must notd the balance of yer in tne wer in of th parties ve auything div ided th rimet will determine the ry, of the Empire of all questions that involve the ite or death of the Ministry ion power. The position of the home rulers will be, therefore, a strouger one than ever. {IRAMSORNDENY AUTHORITY OF THB COMMON. in order Lo give some in were seased by Parliament, thor qualifications of tem. bers and voters and the tanner of exercising sul- fry under the law as it now exists in Great Bri! and Ireland, the appended particulars are given :—For the Commons aud Lords were one assembly, but the date of tucir separation ts not known. Parliament has almost uniimited author- ity According to Sir Richard Coke its power is so tr ndent and absolute that it cannot be con- fin8d tor cause or favor within any bounds, Tt has changed the religion of the country aud has gl- tered the succession to the throne. The Premier, who is the oracle of the House of Commons and who can only retain office so tong as he represents the dominant majority of its members, ig actually the ruler of the Kingdom. a ug @ wajority on his side in the popular branch of the legislatare, his power and theirs are well nigh absolute, over- Tiding the opposition of the House of Lords and compelling them, even against their wills, to as- sent to his measures, A member of the House, to be qualified, must be @ Ratural born subject over twenty-one years old. A naturalized subject is not qvaiided, unless a special law is passed jor the pur- Dose. Members are entitied to a guinea ($5) a day for their services, but the allowance has not been drawn for two Centuries, DURATION OF PARLIAMENTS. There was originally no limit to the duration of | @ Vartiament except the will of the sovereign. the reign of Wilham and Mary the continuance of Parliament ‘was limited to three years, a term alterwards extended, in the reign of George I., to | seven years, at which figure it remains. The same act of William and Mary enacted that Parliament | shail assemble once in three years at the least, but | | the practice of granting the budget and passing | the Meeting act, by which only the army i Kept in | existence tor but ayear at a time, makes it neces- | sary that the sessions shoula be annual. The | ae. duration of a Parliament is three years | an alf—its natural term is seven years.” Par- lament comes to an end by dissolution, which is its civil death. ‘This dissolution may be at the will Of the sovereign, as in the recent instance, with- out any reference tothe septenuial term. At com- mon law Pariiament is ipso facw dissolved at the demise of the Crown, but by an act passed in the reign of Queen Anne it 18 continued six months | alter the demise unless sooner dissolved by tue | successor to the throne. The same act requires it to assemble tunmediately on the demise of the Crown, and it provides that im case no varliament 1s in being ac that time the last preceding one shall meet and be a Parliament. The Parliament chosen at every general election has a lease of seven years, and no longer, but is liable to be diasolved at any tume be/ore the expiration o1 that period, THR LAW-MAKING POWER. The “yar power tn the United Kingdom consists of the hing or Queen, the lords spiritual and temporal, and tie Knights, citizens and bur- esses in Parliament assembled. The House of vords humbers 415 members, and is made of 2 archbishops, 24 bishops, 21 dukes, 113 earls, 211 barons, 28 Irish representative peers and 16 Scotch representative peers. Irisa Prot- estant bishops are excluded from the House of Lords since ‘be passage of the Church Disestaplish- ment bil, The Dumber of members of the House of Commons has been, since 1817, 658, and has varied very little from that pumber during the present century. England and Wales, 500 repre- sentatives—l51 knights of the shire aud 341 citl- zens and burgesses; Ireiand, 105 members—64 knights of the snire and 41 citizens and bur; BS deotl , 53 members, about equally divided be- tween knights and citizens. In the three king- doms 2566 geptiemen represent counties and 396 | boroughs. The universities have six members. PERSONS DISQUALIFIED 43 MEMBERS. No menuber of the House oi Lurds is eligible to a seat in the House of Commons. ‘The representative peers of Ireland and Scotland are, of course, ex- cluded, but other rs of Ireland are qualified. No peer of Scotland can, however, be elected, and it may be said that a Scottish peer, not one of the representatives in the House of Lords, belongs to | the only class of men in the British Empire who are inel to tie House of Commons, Their heirs were iormerly excluded, but this disqualifi- cation was removed in 1833. The clergy of the Church of Engiand are exciuded in a body. By the Emancipation act of 1829 no Roman Catholic priest 1s capable of being elected a member. The exclu- jon does DOT appiy to Methodist, Baptist or other jonconiormist clergymen. There is, however, a kind of traditional doctrine that the clergy are exciuded from Parliament as the lay council of the monarch. No person officially employed about duties or taxes created since 1692; no oflicer of ex- cise, custom or stamps; mo pensioner of the Crown or contractor with the goverument; no judge of a bigner Court. Ofcourse minors and persons convicted of crime are excluded. Any member of the Commons who may accept any office of profit under the Crown wiile he is a mem- ber must vacate bis seat, but he may again ve elected during the same session. ‘The Jewish dis- abilities were not removed unul 1858. THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE. The passage of the Reiorm bill ot 1867 made it necessary that an appeal should be made to the country by the conservative party, with Mr. Dis- raelt at its head, which was in power. Mr. Giad- ‘one had carried in the Commons beiore the dis- solution the frst tmportant measure toward the disestyblishment of the Irish Church. The tories, who fiercely Opposed disestablishment, had brought the Abyssinian war to a satisfactory con- clusion, and were confident that they would obtain | 4 working majority at the general election in 1569, They had carried the Reform bill, and they thought Ubal they could reasonably count upon the con- fidence of the lately enfranchised voters. In this they were disappointed, for Gladstone on tne assembling of Parliament had a majority of 112. The ministry, however, soon after the result of the elections was known, resigned, which was the first time since the days of Lord ‘Kenyon that a similar occurrence had taken place—that ia, a ministry that had advised the Crown to dissolve Varliament tefusing to remain in office untu the newly elected members had organize FRANCHISE IN ENGLISH BOROUGHS. ‘The Reform bill of 1867 added, as tndicated, very extensively to the vott Population of the counties and borou %s. e franchise nas not since been extended, and the elections now ta progress are conducted under its provisions, to- gether with the privilege mentioned elsewhere of yoting by ballot, The act conferred on every man {n beroughs the rignt to be a voter, and when regiatered to Vote for a member or members of Parliament, with thé qualification that he must be of full age, and tuat on the last day of July in any year and during the whole of the tWelye months have been an inbabitaut occupier as an owner or tenant of a dwelling house, add have during the | time of such occupation been rated as an ordinary occupier in respect to the premises 80 occupied by him within fig law to all rates (if amy) made for | tue relief of tut poor in respect to such premises, | 4nd have on or betore the 20th of July in the same | Year paid an equal amount in the pound to that paid by other ordinary occupiers in respect to all poor rates. No man is entitled to be registered as a voter by reason of is being @ jot occupant of any dwelling house. The lodger in boroughs must be of full age, and as lodger | mast have occupied in the same borough separate and a8 sole tenant, for twelve months preceding the same lodgings, such lodgings being part o! one and the same dwelling house. and of a clear value, if iet unfurnisned, of £10 ($50) or upwards and a | residence oi tweive months, FRANCHISE IN COUNTIES. The man must be seized in law or in equity of land or tenure of treehold for his own life or or the lite of another of aclear yearly value of Bot less than £5 ($25), over and above all rents and charges. As to occupation franchise, the man must occupy, a8 owner or tenant, lands or tene- ments within the county ,at a ratadle value of £12 ($60) or upwards, and pay poor rates. SCOTCH AND IRISH FRANCHISE. The reform acts tor Scotiand and Ireland, passea in the session of 1868, differed in some important respects, The borough franchise in Scotiand was conferred upon every male person of full age and subject to no legal incapacity who had been for tweive months occupier or owner or tenant of any awellings unless that at any time during that period he shall have been exempt irom poor rates on the ground of poverty, or who shall have failed to pay his poor rates or shall have been in receipt of parochial relief. The lodger frapcnise in Scot- land consists in the right of any person to vote who has occupied in the same buildu and as sole tenant for twelve months a lodging of the clear annual value, uniurnished, of £10. In counties the qualifications are £5 annual rental, clear of any deduction, with a resffence of not less than six months. The Irian Reform act, which was not passed until Joly, 146%, made no alteration in the county francuise, but reduced that of boroughs to a £4 rating, accompanied with the same qualifica- tions as in England. For measures framed and urged wie) oe, ree! the agate ene = yon | { yoting upon those who long been eae thy phitneee use be regarded rather fair concessions. But there is yet one step farther— manhood suffrage—which may become a party meagure before the year 1874 expires, with either Glaastone or Disraeli in office. There is a large party in England in favor of manhood sut » and there is no doubt representatives and supporters of the principies will present themselves as candi- dates for election to Pariiament in various parts of Great britain. THE BALLOT, The ballot under which the general election ts heid for the first tume in the Unitea Kingdom ! a4 intimated, a clumsy contrivance, and it is some- thing sur] that with the experience of a cen- tury of ile working in the United States a bettre measure was not perfected. jHowever, it is a very great step in advance, and, with the extended lodger and property qualifications of voters, affora a far better opportunity than ever before of getting at the voice oF the people. The bill was debated in 1872 at great length, and finally passed the House a mi to ll separate 8 Dy rity of filty-eight, its dura- fon is lit the probability being that many im 1 necessary amendments will be- come &p| nt by that téme. The law enacts that the ballot paper must show the names o! the candi- date or candidates for election, with @ number rinted on its back, with @ counterfoll attached Eaving the same number, and that atthe time of tion ts limi voting the ballot paper both sides with an official matk and de! to the voter within the polling place, and the number ot such voter on the register of votes shall BR MARKED ON THR OOUNTERFOIL, marked his vote on and the voter, ha’ secretly ey r and folded it up 80 as to conceal his vote, al tt im a closed box in presence of the om. Cre pronidpg OF Wye DOLD weatiow. after AVIDg shown to him the oMmicial mark atthe back. This complicated system of voting will, no doubt, be sim- biited by the nex anment, (he present occa- sion affording a good opportanity of judging of tts inerits. As it 1s now it must lead to delay, confu- Sion, and to voters suffering injustice in numerous in All that can be said in its favor 1s that it t# @ long step toward the establishment of a safe and expeditious system of vote by vallot. ZaT10N OF TAR COMMONS. ment when it meets on the Sth of March, as dis- tinguished irom the opening of a new session of an existing Parliament, is the choice of a Speaker of the House of Commons. A committee, with the Lord Chancellor at its head, announces that the Sovereign will state the cause of the calling of the assembiage when the members are sworn in, and request thas the gentlemen of the Commons Will proceed to the appointment of some proper person as 5 ker and ot him tor the royal approval ‘The Speaker elect goes to the House of Lords, where he receives the royal approval, making pro- fessions of his unworthiness and stating that the House of Commons is ready to make another choice if he is not approved of by the Crown, Alter this ceremony the Monarch, either in person or by commission, Sends an address to Parliament giving @ brief history of tue foreign and aomestic affairs of the nation, to which both houses reply. A ministry ia formed out of the ranks of the party having a majority in the Commons, and the work ol legisiation begins, TIME CONSUMED AT GENERAL ELECTIONS. Among the reasons that must have weicht for opening: the polls on different days at different | Pisces at the time of @ general election, msteac of aving the voting occur on one and the sane day all over the country, may be mentioned that if a | candidate whom it is found desirable to have in the House of Commons be rejected by one con- stituency he can have time to fly to another more appreciative. The plan works with equal advan- tage botu to liberals and conservatives, It was sound particularly serviceable In the case of Mr. Gladstone in 1868, as stated, when he found Soutn = ORGANI A The first important business of the new Parlia- Lancashire unwilling to accept him as a repre- sentative. It happened sometimes, however, that ugly developments attecting tite purity of elections were brought to light, and several boroughs have been disiranchised in consequence. The total number of members of the House of Commons (658) was not lessened thereby, for county representation was increased to the ex- tent of the towns that had forfeited the right of having a voice in the Imperial Parliament. But it must not be supposed that the remarks just preceding apply in the most distant manner to | Rreenwich, for which the Premier lately held his | seat. It is announced that one ol the contestants | willbe a Mr. Nolan, in the Home Rule interest. ‘there will be, of courge, @ conservative candidate, and, as there is a considerable Irsn element in that part of London, a triangular fight may be | within the range of possibility, and prove disas- | trous to “sweet William,” as he ig affectionately | and sincerely styled by millions of his fellow coun- trymen. BONAPARTISM. The Anniversary of the Death of Napoleon III. RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES. Panis, Jan. 14, 1874. “Le bon homme vit encore,” said Prince Bismarck, dryty, to some one who spoke to him slightinily of Napoleon Ifl., then @ captive at Wilhelmahthe ; and Prince Bismarck is a wise man, by no means | apt to take romantic and imaginary views of things. The truth is that the Napoleonic idea nas | @ very real existence in the minds of a large num- ber of the French people. Perhaps in many cases it goes deeper still and is profoundly rooted in their hearts, It is doabtfui whether any of the Napo!eon fam- fly would have risen to eminence either in America- or in England. We should nave looked upon them as dangerous enthusiasts, and they might possibly have lived the best part of their days as actors ina suburban theatre. But their melodramatic ways. their grandiose language and the government which they established were all things which rec, ommend themselves In a special and peculiar manner to the French people. SORROW AMONG THE BONAPATISTS. It is not surprising, therefore, that upon the first anniversary of the Emperor's death there were many who mourned for him. It is all very well fora Frenchman to throw up his cap for a republic when he has nothing to lose, bat the sorrow felt for the overthrow and death of Napoleon IU. repre- | sented a serious regret ior substaptial losses. The Republic will not, as a matter of fact, work smoothly in France. It frightens away that crowd of | wealthy foreigners who made Paris their head- quarters; it impoverishes trade; it discourages ambition, France has at present no Court, no s0- ciety, no public festivals, and it is given over to a | narrow-minded bureaucracy too insignificant to be huried from power during the rapid political | changes which are constantly succeeding each other. The public service no longer offers a career worthy the attention of able and aspiring men, for the higher places in it are ail insecure, and neither prefect nor ambassador knows how to act or to speak in such @ manner as will not render him liable to be disavowed and cashiered at a day’s notice. Capital and enterprise are both paralyzed, for no sane person will venture upon any undertaking of magnitade while the funda- mental laws and government of the country are Still unsettied, and a civil war. which there is no power in the State adequate to suppress, may break out at any moment. When Frenchmen think of these things they Jorget that they threw up their caps for a Republic, and look back with @ glance, half startled, halfhopeful, for the government they have lost, and they speculate upon its possibie return. So to-day, at the Charches of St. Augustin, St. Germain I’ Auxerrois, Ste. Clotilde, St. Eustache, St. Ambroise-Popincourt, St. Bernard and Notre Dame de Plaisance, a sober crowd assembied to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of the deceased sovereign who gave to France twenty years of almost uninterrupted prosperity. It was at the Church of St. Augustin that the adherents of the fallen dynasty appeared in the targest number. About 10,000 Bonapartists flocked to that place of worship, crowding every nook and corner of it, and overflowed on to the streets around. In the nave of the church it was impossible to move band or foot for the multitude, and the heat was suffocating. It was clearly a political manifestation which had brought that crowd together, but it was one singularly peaceful and orderly, and the strong detachment of police which represented the republican gov- ernment had no cause for interference from first to last. THE IMPERIALISTS are not noisy people. They are generally an opu- lent class, who have too much to risk for them to be willing to mixin any dangerous proceedings. No one had forbidden them to go to church; they went there. Possibly they would not so readily have gone anywhere eise; and the Bonapartist Manifestations since the overturn of the Empire have been few and cautious. Only one incident worthy of note occurred throughout the day. ‘When the ex-Queen Isabella of Spain, attendea by the Princess Girgenti and the Prince General Joachim Murat, arrived there arose a cry of “Vive la Reine!" and it was angwered by a cry of “Vive DEmpereur ! which spread into the enurch. Then all was silent, M. Rouher jooking very grave and somewhat alarmed at this untimely exclamation. Also /M. Paul de Cassagnac, one of the stanchest friends of the imperial cause, having receivea something tke an ovation from the crowd, called @ acre and hurriedly drove away to avoid it. THB CEREMONY AT THE CHURCH OF ST. GERMAIN LAUXRRROIS was almost oficial in its character, and the old imperial courtiers who were present declared thas they felt as though they were in the chapel of the Tuileries in the piping times that are gone. In the choir there were reserved places for the impe- rial Jamily, represented by His Highness Prince Napoleon, the Princess Clotilde, the Princess Ma- thilde. Around them were the great oficers of the bygone Court, that splendid pageant which has passed away. They were all in deep mourning. The chotr was hung With black. The stalls of the priests were covered with mourning drapery. ‘There was no manifesiation here, not a cry, not sound but the thunder of the organ, the voices of the clergy and the. tinkiing of a little bell. The Church of St. Clotilde is in the midat of the Faubourg St. Germain, near many of phe public offices, Here might be scen many ot the bearers of historic names tn France, with ladies exquimtely dressed and some few superannuated clerks and shepe AMR Tho Cawe to eder Uayit lsat homage L of honor to the government which had given them @ projession and a livelthood. IN THE CHURCH OF st. BUSTACHR, which ts situated in the busiest commercial part of Paris, there was no fine company but the traders of the neighborhood, and the market women, wearing violets in their breasts and bon- nets, aud workmen and workwomen came there im hundreds. The ceremony here was even more touching and sotemn than in the other churches, ‘The people who were,present came to pray, and not to show themselves. About 600 persona filled the little church of St. Ambroise-Popincourt. They were nearly all work People. Some of the foremen of the neighboring manufactories marched imto cpurch with all the hands employed in their establisiments following them. Most of them carried bunches of violets, and one of them bore a large nosegay of the same flowers hoisted upon a pole and tied with tri-color ribbons bannerwise. He was thé son of a mer- chant, and had taken his first communion the same day as the Prince Imperial. To the very outskirts of Paris, in the Faubourg St. Demis and at Notre Dame de Plaisance, the same unieigned honors were paid to the dead Em- peror. He was truly a man greatly beloved. Among the thousands who regretted him were these whose names I take by chance from two whole columns of published lists. There was Francis II., King of Napiea, who hoped much in Na- poleon III., fanoying, perhaps, that he might have become a tributary of his, and knowing that he was really: hostile to the present state of things in Italy, although he had done so much to pring it about. Then there was the great Hungarian Count Ap- drassy, who was one of the Emperor's tamiliars, and had been sorry to lose a personal friend who was a horseman and a gallant cavalier like himself and his countrymen. There was the charming Viscountess Aguado and the beautiful Mile. a’Abrantes, both with many foliowers, The grave face of Albert Bazaine, brother of the disgraced Marshal, who represents the civil engineering interests and who bad so much to do with public works during the Emperor’s reign, might be seen near the 4¢bonnaare figures of the Princes Bibesco, who are among the greatest gentiemen in the Danubian Principalities, Here, too, was Marshal Canrobert, now the first soldier of France; Admiral Choppart, one of her most famous sailors; the Count de Coss¢-Brissac, the glass of fashion; Madame Cambacérés, a very fine lady; the Prince de Chimay, the Count de Choiseul, both stately lords, and Jules Cohen, one of the kings of French finance. Durny, thé scholar and ex-Min- ister, Camille Doucet and Delaunay, one of the best actors of the French Theatre, come under the letter D. Then ‘ollow the great names of Eschassérieux, the Princess d’Essling, General Fleury, the Emperor’s right hand; General Frossard, his trusty friend; Octave Feuillet, the court novelist; Fould, the banker; De la Guéronnitre, the diplo- matist; Grandperret, the lawyer; the Duc de Gram- ont, Minister; the beautiful Marchioness of Gallitfet, who made rain and sunshine at the Tuileries; Emile de Girardin, one of the first journalists in France; Arstne Houssaye, the famous romance writer; Baron Haussmann, the Prefect; the Duchess D’Isly, come over irom the Orleanist camp; the Princess Jablonowska, the reigning toast of Austrian Poland; *Lachaud, the most eloquent ad- vocate at the French Bar; Charles Lafitte, the rich vanker; the bigh-born sodier, Duke de Lesparre; Lévy, the financier; the Count de Montebello, the Duchesses de Montmorency and de Malakoff and Mme. Magne, the Minister’s wife; Henry de Péne, the brilliant writer; General Palikao, hero of. the Chinese war; Prince Popiatowski, the Polish leader; the Duke and Duchess of Padua; Jales Richard, the political essayist; the Duc de Rivoli; Maurice Richard; Victorten Sardou, the frst playwright in France; the Bishop of Saigon, one o1 the lights of the French Church; the representative of the warrior-line of Turenne; kdmond Tarbé, editor of the Gaulois: the Duchess of Tarento; Duke Tascher; Count Walewski; Augustus Vitu, representing the first newspaper in France; the Duc de Vicence and Juan de Woestine. TRULY A POWERFUL PARTY, Dot to be ignored in the flerce strife which is now going on for power in France, and surely the multi- tudes which assembied to show honor to the late Emperor under the very eyes of a hostile and domi- nant authority show at least this, that the Bona- partes, though overthrown, are not uprooted, and that the deceased Emperor had at least many claims to personal affection, nowever impartial history may judge his public acts hereaiter. ICE PROSPECTS. Despondency of Ice Dealers in Connecti- cut by Reason of Continued Dilldness and Fog. Norwa cs, Conn., Jan. 28, 1874, For the third time this winter a fair covering of snow, which everybudy hoped would remain through the season, has taken unceremonious de- parture, leaving the ground bare and expectant sleighers despondent. For the third time our rivers, with few exceptions, are clear of ice, and navigation is free and uninterrupted. The fresh water ponds, the sources from which dealers expect to secure their supplies of ice, are not, asa class, in condition to afford any degree of encouragement. It dealers succeed in housing one-half the quantity they usually put in they will count themselves fortunate. A glance aiong the line of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, at the rivers which empty into the Sound, gives indication of the dark prospect which ice dealers have before them. The cold ter which set in on Saturday, and which continued till Monday night, forming ice to the thickness of three and, in some instances, five inches, has given place to mildness, fog and rain, and the 28th of January is furnishéng the materials which may blast the fondest hopes of the ice gathering fraternity. The river at Cos-Cob is open below the bridge, and above the ice is moving out with each successive tide and will wholly disap- pear in another twenty-four hours. Five Mile River is also tree. Norwalk harbor has no ice that vessels of any draught need fear, and there is but one pondin town where ice thicker than three inches can be obtained. The Messrs. Ells, ice men, are making strenuous efforts to harvest this thin- nest of crops, fearing to trust the treachery of February and March for ice of greater thickness, Below the railroad bridge, and for a mile above at biog opi none but floating ice appears and ves- sels find no hinderance to enter or depart. In Southport harbor there is no ice whatever, and but an apology on Sasco pond. At Briage port the same state of affairs exists, with pros- pects continually darkening. Dealers in that city have no special fear but that they may obtain all they need by car shipment from the north over the Nangatuck gnd Housatonic railroads, If the mildness cOntinues those sources must be- come their only dependence. The Housa- tonic River, below the bridges, three in number, has been open all winter, and a current, which always sets seaward, will keep it so unless met by continued coldness. The Milfora peopie were on Monday taking advantage of the three- inch Ice which nature bad vouchsafed, Dr. Smeet being among the enthusiasts who contended that “a little was better than none,” erplexing the dealers The question of supply 1s of the city of New Haven, where a 60,000 popula- tion have long since settled to the belief that they ew cannot exist without ice the year round. a in Vermont and New Hampshire, an for shipment by sea from Maine, tend to make the prospects for a supply, leaving out the question of rice, leas doubtiul than it otherwise would be. The condision of the Connecticut River is so well known that not a word need be said further than that it Is open for a long distance from the Sound, In tne northern portions of the State the ponds and brooklets are more or less bound in ice; but, for the most part, they are far from railroads, and dealers would a8 soon call on the extreme north by railroad as to negotiate in those direc- tions, Taken all in all the show for ice is slim indeed. But rarely do we have a winter such as this bad been. Our rivers generally close in December, from the 10th to the oth, and remain closed till March. Snow visits us about the same period, and, except im rare in- stances, holds its own till Iate in the winter. Now all is chi | No ice! no snow! but bare gre nd green blades of grass appearing, and Clear water running a8 if spring had actuaily ar- rived. The winter Of 1865 and 1866 is the only one @ince 1853 (until the present) that we have had gach continued mildness—such decided uncer- tainty about ice. “BIG PIPE” MEN. The “big pipe’ men complain of not being paid their wages for the last four weeks, and they say if wal are not paid soon their wives agd cuildreg wul Lave to alarye 4.—TRIPLE SHEET. MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. Meeting of the Board of Aldermen. THE BURIAL {N POTTER'S FIELD. Defeat of the City Manufactur- ing Relief Plan. ‘The regular atated session of the Board of Alder- men took place yesterday afternoon, Mr, Samuel B. H. Vance, President, in the chair, and a quorum present. A The minutes of (he previous meeting were read and adopted. A message was received from the Mayor, cnclos- ing & request from the Police Commissioners, ask- ing that the Common Council transfer the Town Hall at Morrisania to them jor the use of the force of the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth precincts. ‘The message was received and ordered printed im the minutes, Alderman Joun J. Morris offered a resolution assigning the Town Jali at Morrisania (or the pur- pose demanded, tn order that the Commissioners may have better control over the patrol of tue new precincts, which was adopted. On motion of Alderman BILLINGS the premises on the northeast corner of Southern Boulevard and Third avenue were designated as the court rooms for the Tenth Judictal district temporarily, until others could be procured. Alderman FaLconsr remarked sotto voce that the premises were over a liquor store. Alderman VAN SGHAICK asked Alderman Billings the question, to which the latter repued that ti was “not exactly @ liquor store, but @ place of re- freshments,"” Alderman EDWARD GiLon offered the followin: preamble and reaoiations, which were unank mously adopted :— Whereas it has been ascertained that Nathante! French. 4 prominent planter in the Bahama Istands of the West Indies, died on August 2, 1873, in the Charity Hospital on Blackwell's Island; and withstanding. the fuct that when the sald Nathaniel French passed from Bellevue Hospital to the Charity Hospital the authorities of the tormer institution held valuable property belong- ing to said French (aid pro} being now iu the pos- session of the Commissioners of Charities aud Correc- Won), yet the body of said french buried in a trench with over 60 of his triends cannot obtain tho remains for decent inter- ment; and whereas such occurrences are likely to the credit of our charitable institutions into disrepute abroad and cause a terrivie Chon crepe to rest upon the city of New York; therefore, be Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to investigate the circumstances connected with the burial ot Natnaniel Freach and report the same to this Board, and, if necessary, report an ordinance to prevent such an outrage again occarring. Alderman GILon explained his motion by the statement that the ocourrence was @ most sad and lamentable one. ‘That a gentleman coming to this city en route to Europe should be picked up in our strects in an Insensible condition, with a large amount of property on his person, carried to a public hospital, there die and be buried in a trench ‘with 500 or 600 other bodies, is a circumstance which calls for @ strmgent examination. The triends of Mr, French bave made every effort to re- cover hls re: but have been unable to do su. For the vindication of the fair fame of our city he hoped that the resolution would be adopted. THE PREVAILING DISTRESS. The committee to whom was reierred a resolu- tion introduced by Alderman Peter Kehr, on the 26th inst., to inquire into the feasibility of reliev- ing the distress among the laboring classes by ap- propriating several millions of dollars to have oods manufactured and export tue same to pe 80 as not to interfere with the industry vu! the city, made the following report :— The special committee of the woard of Aldermen ap- ointed to examine and inquire into the plan submiticd yy Alderman Kehr “torelieve the distress among tue laboring classes and to turnish work for the unemployed, and to report at the next meeting of this Board how tar it would be practicable to set the same in operation,” beg leave to report— That the age referred to the consideration of your comiuitiee {s, substantially, to authorize the city ‘gov- ernment to purchase trom manutacturers with the puvlic moneys salable articles, and, In order to prevent the “blockade of our home market" with goods tor which there is no or but a limited demane, said articles to be sold at foreign ports or exchanged for such goods as are Dot man tured here. ‘lo conduct this business itis proposed to appoint a commission, to consist of six or eight of our prominent business men, who shail be einpowered to designate competent and trustworthy persons to act as “commission merchants" to export those articles, to sell or exchange them, and turn the pro- ceeds over to the city government, ‘This scheme 13 not so mach a pian for the relief of the distress among the working classes as it is for the benedit of certain manutacturers, whom the city would liave to supply with customers for articles for which there may not be sufficient demand to enable them to keep their es- {ablishments in qperation, and the municipality to take tae risk tor au attempt “to make water run up uill.’? ‘The fact that neither the Common Council nor the ex- ecutive branch singly or conjointly, @ shadow of authori squander the money raised by taxation ot the w people for the special benefit ot one or the other porti of the business community, that the State Le jJature—although It has at ti evinced an inclination to favor corrupt schemes for the city ot New York—has as yet given no grounds for suspicion that it would abuse its power by legalizing such an attempt to rob the many in the interest of the few, is sufficient to denounce this whole project as absurd and wholly impracticable, and therefore not entitled to earnest cousideration. Since, however, during the labor agitation of the past | few months many propositions have been advanced, characterized by the same apprehensions of the rights and duties ot our go though having the appearance of more plausibillty—it may not be im- Proper in tis connection to-call attention to the ausurd- ity and pernicious effect of such agitation. The legiti- mate rights, duties and tunctions of our city government consist in protecting the lute, hand property of its citizens, to afford full scope and opportunity tor the pro- motion and development of their general taculties. and tu inaugurate and complete such public improvements as net ral well has £9 was on Au ft bodies. 90, that or our municipal government, either to re. it expends on the one m' the People with the other: and, therelore, to apply the pab- lic moneys to the partial benefit of one portion of our business community must assured]: as rob- bing all the other portions, and this would tinue to “grow by what it feeds on,” giving rise to a war of “all against all,” resulting in general ruin and anarchy. unemployed workingmen thrown into distress by acrisis, which they have not caused and could seither revent nor mitigate, ought not to be so much censured it ay aeek to relieve tieir embarrassment by asking Tegisiative aid ot doubttul propriety. But if men, who are in a position to better inform themseives of the leyl- timate powers and vernment, put forth ropositions chimeric: contrary to pubiic policy. which must result in caumng detritnent and injury to those who seek to be benetited—it generally results in impressing the workingmen with the belief that all claims pretending to assist them are just and practic. able without regard tw right and laws, or to their ulti- mate influence on the community and society, and, when to repress disorders occasioned by such agitation strong and severe measure: found necessary, the poor mis- guided ones generally become victiins instead ot the those who have sown the wind and should reap the whirl- wind. Itis to be hoped that the apparent symp'oms of a revival of business activity will soon remove the causes which have developed 4 sort of erroneou# public sentiment during the past few months, Our citizens will Percetve the anomaious and humiliating povition in which they would be placed if the government should e thé superintendence and control ot their indus. tries and of their social and domestic lite. Such ite of aftairs would be incompatible with the preservation of republican institutions and could only result in an early -destruction of all that constitutes the pride of the Ameri- can people. fhe chief requisite for a revival of busi- ness activity by which remunerative work for the un- employed could be secured is that plant ot proverbially slow growth—confidence. Such propositi however, sitions, as have been referred to the consideration of your com: mittee must create mistrust, paralyze the eneryy of our and vitally stife the progress towards a 01 n. jommon Council of the city of New York did not indignantly reject a scheme by which one portion of our citizens are to be pillaged to enable others to manutac- ture goods for which there 1s no home demand and which, therefore, would have to be sacrificed and squandered at foreign ports, then indeed it would not be surprising it sensible and prudent business men seek other p! an fields for thelr enterprize, instead of remaining in a city whose Common Council entertains the ridiculous opinion that it can repeal the laws of nature and set everything oPy OE WALD OTTENDORFER, JOHN FALCONER, } Special Committee, Alderman Kener, after hearing the report read, Tose and. said that “ne moved to lay the report on the ie, a8 he held that thus farthe plan for fur- nishing employment he nad proposed was yet the best, inasmuch as nothing better had been offered. He was not arguing tn the interest of the Com- manists or Internationalists, but solely for the | benefit of the honest laborers, and hoped that the Feport would not be adopted.” ‘he motion on the adoption was sustained by the vote of 10 in the aftirmative tolin the negative— Alderman Koch being excused from voting, Alderman VAN SCHAICK offered a resoiution to the effect that all the resolations requiring infor- mation from the Comptroller by this Board during the past year and remaining unanswered be col- lected and laid betore the Board, which was laid on the table, to be called a some future time. President V appointed Aidermen Gilon, Koch and Cooper the committee to investigate the circumstances of the death and burial in Pot- ter’s Field of Mr. Nathaniel French, aiter which the Board adjourned. BOARD OF ESTIMATE AND APPORTIONMENT. On the request of the Comptroller the Mayor yesterday called a meeting of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. Present—Mayor Havemeyer, Chairman; Tax Commissioner Wheeler, President Vance and the Comptroiler. ‘The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. A communication was received from oo et a ropriation to Ce a eg Be Tan varius olice Courts, whicn was laid over. Mr. Salem H. Wales, President of the Park Com- mission, forwarded @ request to the ptt gh 4 chgionorag, akon ae north ond of the island, ting that unless this money ts received the work: ro wilt have to be suspended. The com- laid over. mquthorter was given to the Comptroller to issue Of “additions! new Croton Aqueduct stock city of New York" to meet the requirements Commissioner of Public Works, a8 #140 te tasue $150,000 worth of assessinent bonds ior ex- Denses incurrea in work ou the The Comptroller offered the Board as a Committee seems to court officers and the city and county. issioners made a requisition om for street cleaning, which ‘Two thousand dollars was then appropriated for the mamtenance Cg joverament’ of Parks and tr auptopriagoa for extra contingencies, for i ia Pe mag ie Cones 2 60 lor contin- ler's. o} adopted, after which the Board ae THE DEPARTMENT OF DoOKS, The Dock Commissioners met yesterday after- noon and transacted the following business :— A report (rom the {nspector. of Bulkneads wae received in reference to the bulkhead lines of piers Nos, 43 and 54 East River. The contracts for supplying the departmens with spikes, iron plates, &c., for six months, were awarded to Adolph Starks, G, Collmeyer ana Charles ¥. Dambmann, , A communication requesting the lease of the Canal Street Dock was received from the Narra- nsett Steamboat Company and referred to the ixecutive Committee. A communication trom the Cheap Transportavon Association, embodying a resoluuon that had been Passed by that organization, was received, thank- Ing the department tor their surveys of New York's wate: front. A petion from Hoelt, Freken & Co. to station a public bath at pier 55 Kast River was referred to the Executive Committee. Another petition from Commissioner Laimbeer requesting the enlargement oi the wharf! at Belle- vue Hospital. Reierred, as the above, A letter was received, and ordered on file, from W. H. Pendleton, accepting the lease of the pier between piers 1 and 2 Kast River, for a term of ten years, at an annual rental of $10,000, tae prem- ises to be used for ferry purposes. OLEABING THE SIDEWALKS, The Bureau of Street Encumbrances served Notices on the occupants of premises on Oherry street, where obstructions or encumbrances are placed upon the sidewalks outside of une stoop line, that the same must be removed witnim twenty-four hours after service of the notice, Yea- terday afternoon a survey of the street was made, and encumbrances that had not been removed by the owners were loaded on carts and carried away to the Corporation Yard at the foot of Gansevoort street, there to be disposed of as the ordinance directs, A survey was made of Ei avenue, from Abingdon square to Pifty-fiftm street. The inspectors reported nearly 260 houses and stores where sidewalks were obstructed. The nature of the encumbrances is as varied as the occupations of the inmates of the premises com- plained of, and embraces stands, lurniture, clothes, wooden and hardware, meats, grocerics, signs, bedding, trunks, showcases, &c. Notices were served upon the parties, and if areform does not take piace in the pext twenty-four hours the tn- spectors will gather a force sufficient to meet aay Opposition and make a ciean and merciless sweep. In case the sidewalks iu front of the premises be again obstructed, the goods or property will be removed to the Corporation Yard without any notification. The action taken will be followed up by a survey of Hudson street, and Seventh, Sixth, Fourth and Third avenues, the Bowery, Chatham street and other streets in the lower part of the city, where sidewalk obstructions have been a terrible nuisance for years. It is the intention of the department to make travel through the city unobstructed in the streets and on the sidewalks outside of the stoop line. Colonel Shafer, Supér- intendent of Encumorances, has received instruc tions to carry out the work of reform to the letter of the notilication, CITY AND COUNTY TREASURY, Comptroller Green reports the following disburse- ments and receipts of the treasury yesterday :— ENTS. Claims paid (number of warrants seventeen), amounting t......, tbs REcKirns. From taxes of 1873 and interest. From arrears of taxes, assessments and interes From collection of assessients and interest. From market rents and te From water rents. From water permi From vault permiis. From permits, Mayor's offic Fromm licenses, Mayor's office. Total....... esate np NOTES. HORSE The National Trotting Convention, which meeta on Monday next, at the Everett House, corner of Seventeenth street and Fourth avenue, must not forget to aecide by a new rule when a trotting race begins—whether at the time the drivers or riders are weighed in, when assigned their places, when the scoring commences or when the word “Go!” is given. A good plan would be to begin at the beginning and make the race ‘‘on"’ at the com- pletion of the weighing. It was decided at Feet- wood last fall that a race did not commence until the “Go!” was given, and the consequence was that a large amount of money was uniairly won by the “rig” of one of the horses being changed from saddle to harness alter a dozen or more scorings had taken place, The race was between bay geld- ing Charley Green and gray gelding Tanner Boy, and every one who Knew anything about the for- mer knew that the saddle was not his forte, but that he had trotted in 2:26% twice in harness, and they laid their money on Tanner Boy very freely, knowing that the saddle was the best thing for him. During the scoring Charley Green broke up and foundered about badly, and, under the belief that no change could be made from saddle to harness alter coming on the track, heavy offers were made onthe gray, which were quickly taken by those wuo could look into the future, and, as a matter of course, they won all the money. The delegates of the various associations throughout the country must use their best efforw to make rulesto stop swindling, or close thetr gates and plough up their tracks for the future, as honest men are quite tired of patronizing the trotting turfas itis now conducted. Anew deal for officers of the Court of Appeais would not be an unpopular move in the way of reiorm, as the moat intelligent of the present members seldom or never attend the meetings of the Board. “Horse breeding of late,” truthfully remarks the Rochester Evening Express, “has assumed great proportions in this country, and year by year tt affords increased revenues to those who success- fully understand and prosecute it. Among the many noted sales of horse stock that have taken place during the past year we present the foliow- ing as evidence of the remunerative prices that well-bred stock will command :—At the head of the list stands the trotting horse Jim Irving, which was sold to E.Z. Simmons for $60,000. At the auction sale of Charies Backman, at Stonylord, October 28, $1,900 was paid for the stallion Director, and four other stallions sold at an aver- age of $777 50. The trotting mare Flora Belle, owned in dt. Louis, was sold to Alexander Louis for $22,500. Smuggler, the famous Kansas horse which trotted at a private trial in 2:19%, sold for $40,000, Edwin Thorne, of Thorndale, N. ¥., sold to David Jones, of New York, Mollie Quick, by Rysdy«’s Hambietonian, for $1,030. Prospero, the property of Mr. Backman, netted him the hand- some sum of $25,000, as a three-year-old, Mr. Will- jam M. Parks, of Brooklyn, being the purchaser. Nettie Morris, owned in Boston, breught $7,600 lately from a New York gentleman. Colonel H. 3. Russell, of Milton, Mass, netted $13,780 for six- teen yearling colts and fillies, sired by Fearnaugnt, an average of over $850 per head. Lady Blake cost Mr. A. Leach, of Erle, Pa., $7,000. West Wind, a chestnut stallion, by Edsall’s Hambletonian (Alex- ander’s Abdallah), was disposed of at Georgetown, Ky., for $3,000, Charles Backman received $2,000 for the bay stallion Dauntiess, six years old, sired by the “Uid Hero of Chester,” the purchaser also paying $1,000 for a weanling by Idol, dam by Secley'’s Abdailan Chief. Five thousand five hundred dollars was the amount paiG for Pilot Temple, by Alexander's * Pilot, Jr., at the pudfc auction at St. Louis, the dam of Rattler being also purchased by the same party for $1,200, In addition to the above, the three-year-old colt Meteor, by Asteroid, sold for $2,000; the trotter Jerome brought $3,000; Lady Eleanor, by Abdallah Pilot, was purchased tor $1,500; a three-year-old colt, by imported Leaming- ton, sold for $3,500; also a two-year-old, by Leam- ington, for the same price. These ate, compara tively speaking, only a handfal of the important sales that have taken place during the past year, and only go to prove chat judicious breeding ts aa highly lucrative as it ts beneficial,