Vroziutts.

I.ord John Russell was further entertained at Bristol, last week, at -a grand banquet given by the Corporation. The Merchants' Hall, glow- ing with colours arranged by the hand of Owen Jones, was decked ant after old civic fashions. "The two principal tables for the banquet were laid in the centre hall, but the number of the oompauy compelled a third table to be spread in the small room adjoining. Four aide-tables were 'filled with noble vases, cups, and bowls in the precious metals, while on one of them shone the quaint but splendid old gold flagons, salvers, and grace-cups of-the Cor- poration. The swords of state and the various insignia of office were sus- pended against the wails"; dazzling the imagination and rousing the en- thusiasm of "reporters."

The company was pretty much the same as that which had gathered at the other fetes—the principal addition being Lord Raglan's relative, the Duke.of Beaufort. The oratory of the evening was, of course, proluse; but the speech of Lord John Russell, turnInn as it did upon the war, eclipsed all the others : and it was so received. The tenons of this speech was a vindication of the campaign, from the Government point of view,—giving a compressed history of the period between the declaration of war and the landing of the Allies in the Crimea.

" Gentlemen, you will agree with me, that I should scarcely discharge -my I duty of thanking you for your kindness, were I to do so without alluding to that leading topic of the day which engages all minds, which keeps us all in continued and increasing anxiety, and which, I am constrained to add, while it has brought fresh glory on our arms, has filled many hearts with sorrow nd affliction. lily lords and gentlemen, those who may have hitherto thought lightly of the calamities of war must now be convinced that we, who have now embarked in it, urged to it by cruel necessity, were not wrong in pausing long—in exhausting all the means of preserving peace ere we entered upon war. Yet I trust that we shall prove, as we,have proved,.hoth as a Government and a nation, that if we have been slow to enter into a quarrel, we shall yet bear ourselves in that quarrel so that the opposer may beware of us.' It is now three-quarters of a year since we entered into hos• tilities with a power which boasted of some six hundred thousand men, and which proclaimed that, with its allies, in the course of the last winter, those six hundred thousand men would be raised to a million—with a power which had twenty-seven ships of the line in the Baltic and eighteen in the Black Sea. This was a foe worthy to be met by the forces ef England and of that ally who has stood by us with the greatest constancy, who has taken counsel with us, and has stood by us in the field as in the cabinet. I allude to the Government of the French empire. Well, gentlemen, since that time we have seen with regard to the naval part of the operations, that, whereas in former wars we contended with enemies who came out at least to endeavour to win naval renown, in this we have shut up the enemy in his ports and prevented any operations against us. Among the first considerations which came be- fore us was what steps should be taken to prevent the march of a great army which was in progress against an enemy despised by the chiefs among the Russians, despised by her statesmen and her generals—I mean Turkey. It was said and boasted, that the Turkish empire could never do anything against the Russian armies. For us, seeing at least that the army of Turkey was not equal to the Russian army, not amounting to one-fourth of it, and that her finances were disarranged, we had to consider how best to assist her. Constantinople could not have been saved by fleets, for fleets would not have prevented the march of the Russian legions. After much consideration, and much communication with the French generals and statesmen, it was de- termined to land an army—a considerable army—on those shores ; and the question arose who should be placed at the head of it." That question was soon decided, because there was one man, Lord Raglan, who had been con- stantly by the side of the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular war, who was beloved and admired by the army, and who had justified every re- liance and answered every expectation.

" When Lord Raglan placed himself at the head of the army near Constantinople, he immediately had an interview with Omar Pasha with re- spect to the steps which it would be necessary to take. It was determined not to risk the Turkish army in the field against the organized troupe of Russia, which would have given those troops considerable advantage. The interview took place at Varna. It has been stated that Omar Pasha had asked for assistance from the Allied armies to relieve Silistria, and I have seen a statement in the public papers that it would have been only necessary to have sent ten thou- sand men for that purpose : but, my lords and gentlemen, men accustomed to military duty, men of great experience, caution, and judgment, do not concur in that opinion ; neither Marshal St. Arnaud, Lord Raglan, nor Omar Pasha so judged of the matter. Although Omar Pasha had succeeded in re- pelling the Russians, and might have succeeded without the presence of the Allied army, still I believe that Russia would have renewed her aggressive attacks again and again, and might have in the end proved successful, had it not been for the neighbourhood of the English and French armies, which, together with the position which Austria had then assumed, made the case so entirely hopeless that the foe was compelled to retire across the Danube. Here, then, we have the blocking up of the ships of Russia in their ports, and we have the failure in their operations of the Russian army.

"Immediately after the siege of Silistria was raised, it became a question both with the Governments at home and with the generals, what should be done on the shores of the Black Sea. The Government at home thought the time was come to occupy the Crimea and to capture Sebastopol. The in- structions of the Governments of England and France were received at Varna about the middle of July ; a meeting of the generals of the Allied forces took place, and the expedition was resolved upon. It may seem to some that a long period elapsed before the operations had taken, place ; but we at home do not kcow—we cannot know—all the various obstacles which had to be combated and overcome. Before any landing took place, Lord Raglan, with General Canrobert, General Burgoyne, and two French officers, went and per- sonally examined the whole of the coast, and fixed upon the place for the land- ing, where it ultimately took place. That landing took place without any resist- ance on the part of the enemy, and without the shedding of any blood ; and the two armies marched to Alma, where they gained a glorious victory. That victory was clouded by the death of a Marshal of France, who had shown in his last days a vigour and energy which could not be surpassed by a man in the first energy of life. We have also had to lament, both among rich and poor, high and low,

i members of our families who fell in that great battle, and more who have fallen from disease, and who were not less worthy, who have as much semi- I ficed their lives for their country as those who have fallen by the sword of the enemy and in the front of battle. While we celebrate those who have fallen by the sword, we should render all honour to those who, when called upon by their country, have consented to take their share in defending an i ally and opposing the insatiable ambition of Russia.

"As it yet remains to be decided by the fate of war, I will not say what the result may be: all I can venture to say here is, that, having prepared all these means, having sent out such an army and such an artillery, and seeing also that our allies are acting in the same spirit with us,—having en- deavoured to provide all these means, and it being the opinion of all that there never was a cause more just than that in which we are embarked, as was admitted the other day by Sir John Trollops—one to whom I am poli- tically opposed, but who holds the same views with reference to this matter, —with these arms, and this opinion with respect to the justice of the cause in which we are engaged, and having such an ally as we have, I trust we shall bring matters to such a termination as that we shall be able to insure a peace which will be just and honourable, and a peace which will be put upon a lasting foundation. I am sure, on the contrary, that if a Russian triumph should follow in the war' Europe would come under Cossack domi- nation. The people of England dread, and justly dread, the ruler of mil- lions half-civilized and half-barbarous. The result of this'war will be to put a check upon that power and circumscribe that ambition. It is no use at present to speak of peace, until in the course of war we have the means of a peace which will be lasting and safe. However long we may have hesi- tated, and however we may have been anxious to avoid the dreadful evils of war, It is on account of those very evils that we must so prosecute the war as to make it conducive to a peace that shall endure."

There is a Labourers' Encouragement Society at Romsey, Hampshire. Once a year labourers compete for prizes, ranging from 10s. to 2L, awarded to the most skilful, to those who keep their cottages cleanly, and to those who have remained a long time in one service. Afterwards the friends of the Society dine together and make speeches. This year Lord Palmerston made an oration to the labourers, on their condition and duties. He told them that wealth and poverty are the condition of the world in which we live ; but that Providence, who made rich and poor, has dispersed all the good qualities of human nature broadcast over the human race, as abundantly among the humblest as the highest. " You will find," he said, "that all children are born good ; it is bad edu- cation and bad associations in early life that corrupt the minds of men. It is true that there are now.and then exceptions to general principles. As there are men who have been born with club-feet, born blind, or with other personal defects, so also it will happen that children will be born with de- fective -dispositions ; but these are rare exceptions. Be persuaded that the

mind and heart of man are naturally good; it depends upon training and education whether that goodness implanted at birth shall continue to display itself, or whether, by bad associations, it shall be corrupted and de- stroyed. Therefore, the first thing you would infer from this truth is, that it is the duty of all parents to see that their children are well and properly educated ; that they are early instructed, not merely in book learning, in reading and writing, and acquirements of that kind, but instructed in the precepts which indicate the difference between right and wrong, and that they are taught the principles of religion and their duty towards God and man. Now, the way in which that can be done is by the father and mother building up their household upon that which is the foundation of all excel- lence in social life—I mean a happy home. Now, no home can be happy if the husband be not a kind and affectionate husband, and a good father to his children. Bearing this in mind, lie must avoid two great rocks on which' too many men in the humbler ranks make shipwreck—the tobacco- shop and the beer-shop. The tobacco-shop ruins his health and leads to all kinds of diseases."

Warning them still against the beer-shop and tobacco-shop, he dex- terously explained, that he did not do so because he thought they, the good people present, needed it, but because it was good advice, and they were entitled to give good advice to others not so fortunate.

At the dinner in the evening, Lord Palmerston made a " patriotic " speech, on the cessation of party strife in Parliament, leaving Govern- ments free to look after the welfare of the people ; on the wonderful unanimity with which the nation had engaged in a just war ; and the happiness of the alliance with France.

The Farrington Gurney Agricultural Association held its annual meet- ing at Old Down, near Wells, on Tuesday. There was a ploughing- match, and a dinner with speeches to follow. Mr. 'William Miles M.P. made some remarks on the war; a solemn subject, he said, which keeps all others in abeyance except education.

Mr. Miles vindicated the course taken by the Government, in staving of war as long as possible : they were bound to try and preserve peace, and people must not bear too hard on what had been tardily done. Whatever might have been the bickerings in Parliament in the last session relative to the war, the case is altered now, for the country is actually engaged in pro- secuting a terrible war, in which the nation has heartily embarked ; and to bring it to a successful issue, the strings of the public purse must not be closed, but means for a free expenditure must be provided. He warned his hearers against impatience; told them to trust to the commanders; and vin- dicated the Baltic campaign against complaints of insufficient results. At the close of his speech he touched on another subject which he hoped would come before Parliament next session—education. " There is a large body of representatives who are determined to assist any Government, or any men, who will bring forward a sound practical measure of general education."

The Bishop of Oxford held a triennial visitation of his diocese, at Ban- bury, on Tuesday. In the course of his charge, he adverted to the ques- tion of the revival of Convocation ; and elaborately argued that Convoca- tion should be revived, not only because it is an institution of great antiquity, but because there are a multitude of questions to be settled which endanger the position of the Church. Parliament is unfit to under- take the work of settling them ; Royal Commissions are arbitrary and opposed to the spirit of our institutions ; and he believed that the only means of placing the internal policy of the Church upon a fi-ni basis is to be found in her own Councils.

The efforts of the Reverend Robert Whiston to reform the administra- tion of the Cathedral trusts at Rochester and other places involved him in legal proceedings, and much sympathy was felt for him both at home and in sonic of the Colonies. The idea of presenting him with testimonials was set on foot, and 2245I. was collected, mainly in Lancashire, Derby, Kent, London, and Hobart Town. This sum was invested in plate ; and last week deputations from all the places named waited upon Mr. Whiston at Rochester, and with complimentary speeches placed the testimonial in its hands.

Coventry has lost one of its Members—Mr. Charles Geach, who died on Wednesday : he had returned from Scotland a month ago in un- usually good health. Mr. Geach was formerly a clerk in the Birming- ham branch of the Bank of England : selected thence as manager of the Birmingham and Midland Joint Stock Bank, he subsequently entered. largely into commercial operations, and acquired wealth and position.

Captain M'Clure was,entertained at a public dinner on Monday, by the inhabitants of Hastings, among whom he has for some years esta- blished his home.

Probably one of the most barbarous robberies ever committed has been perpetrated this week near Powderham in Devonshire. A soldier's wife, six months advanced in pregnancy, was on her way to her friends at Sakombe, walking at night towards Starcross. In a lonely spot, two men and three women fell upon her, robbed her of 21., and then proceeded to strip her naked ! Her piteous shrieks induced them to give her back her shift. She was left on the banks of the Elie; the night bitter cold. About an hour after midnight some fishermen heard her moans, and found her almost in- sensible. She was taken to a house and surgical aid procured, and she is recovering ; but had she remained exposed a few hours longer, in all pro- " bability she would have perished.

Lord Palmerston sent Professor Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, to Gateshead to investigate the cause of the explosion there. After an elaborate inquiry, Professor Taylor has laid his views before the Coroner's Jury. His theory to account for the explosion is a new one, and his explanation is ingenious. After carefully examining the evidences, he comes to the conclusion that gunpowder was not the cause : besides the absence of a number of marks which gunpowder would have left, he could find no traces of potash. As to the theory of Mr. Pattinson, that an accumulation of water had been sud- denly converted into steam, Mr. Taylor notes that none of the sufferers was scalded ; that steam waa not seen ; that there was no probability of a large accumulation of water, and no " boiler" to hold it till the steam tore it to pieces. His own theory is this : in a vault, many tons of nitrate of soda were piled over an equally large amount of sulphur ; the vault was nearly full; its walls were a yard thick ; the only vent was a door towards the Tyne. When the sulphur and nitrate ignited, there was an immense evulu-

tion of sulphurous acid gas and nitrogen ; a ton only of each material would produce an enormous volume of gas, with a great expansive force ; but when this gas was heated to a high temperature by the fire all around, the force would be quite sufficient to produce the explosion : the vault served to create a loaded mortar, of which Hillgate was the breech and the doorway the muzzle ; and the fiery discharge was in the direction of Newcastle, with a tremendous " kick" in the direction of Gateshead.

A very erroneous notion has got abroad that the subscriptions for the suf- ferers at Gateshead have been more than ample : on the contrary, they are insufficient. There have been no fewer than 400 applications for relief from persons who have suffered in some way by the fire and explosion.

Five more of the persons wounded by the explosion have died at New- castle. -

A singular accident, unfortunately attended with loss of life, occurred on Saturday morning on the North-Western Railway near Tring. A goods- train had entered a siding to allow a down express-train to pass ; the goods- train driver wished to pump water into his boiler from his reservoir ; to effect this, he moved his engine to and fro on the siding. As the express- train approached, the goods-engine was allowed to run too far, it went over the junction, and came into contact with the passing train ; several carriages were forced from the rails, creating much alarm and confusion among the passengers, but none seems to have been hurt. Clark, the fireman of the express, saw that a collision would occur, and in his terror, it is supposed that he tried to leap from the engine—he fell beneath the wheels, the tram passed over him, and he died in a few minutes.

An inquest was held at Hemel-Hempstead on Monday. From the evi- dence it appears that Perrin, the driver of the goods-engine, had incautiously allowed his engine to run too far, so that it projected on to the main line ; he saw the express coming, and he tried to " reverse " his engine so as to move back into the siding, but the machinery would not act ; he then whistled, and the speed of the express was reduced, but there was not time to avoid a violent collision. Clark might have been thrown off by the shock ; but most probably he perished by attempting to leap oft. The Jury pronounced a verdict of " Accidental death," but added an opinion, " that death was caused in this case and may be caused in other cases, by a practice of moving engines up and down sidings in order to pump water from the ten- der into the engine-boiler ; such engines, unless very carefully driven, being liable to foul the main line."