The Express. — London, England, 1847-01-23 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 23, 1847. step in the right direction ; an additional acknow ledgment of a sound principle. To a certain extent it blots an indefensible restriction from the statute book. Bat it might have blotted it entirely and with out entailir.g on the country a " drawback." Not doing this, it belongs to the numerous class of acts which arc pa , sed iu one session to be mended every succeeding session, till they are entirely altered. It mar be feared that in attempting to innovate just so far . as to excite the minimum of opposition, the CHAN cELLoa of the EXCHEQUER will find that he has inno vated enough to rouse the resistance of the land owners ; not enough to gain the support of brewers, distillers, West Indiana, and consumers. TRULY is it said that coming events cast their sha dows before. Now, during the debate in the Lords on Tuesday evening upon the address, there appeared one of such shadows which indicates events of great importance to the British community. We refer to the I remark made by Lord II senteeroe as to the necessity of some changes in our real property laws, and the com ments of Lords Se seem' and Buotertrem upon that remark. And it is especially significant that such observations occurred in that branch of the legislature which may be emphatically designated the house of landlords. Lord IiATIIERTON said, " I refer to ar rangements fur facilitating the transfer of real property ; I hope a commission will be appoi: ted for the purpose of forwarding that object, a n d that the rumour is well founded which stated that at the head of that commission will appear the name of a noble and learned lard, who is at the head of one of the courts of justice, and who is eminently qualified to take a lead in the im portant change to which I refer. I sincerely hope that the change will go on. Ido not me how you are entitled to call upon the landlords largely to incumber their estates without enabling them to sell portions of their land for the relief of the remainder. Setting aside the •ildfashioned notions about entails, I do not see how you can do otherwise, and I confess I shall be greatly disappointed if the commission be not issued." And the noble lord went on to speak of other alterations required in the law of real pro perty. These, as we shall presently show, involve questions far more e xtensive, and of import much deeper, than mere facility in the transfer of real property, and such was obviously Lord STANLEY'S opinion, who, in allusion to Lord liernewroe's remark, said —" I hope her Majesty's government will consider well how to benefit the people of Ireland: not by venturing on any measures which may be calculated, according to my noble friend's phrase, to brush away the antiquated notions of old lawyers, with respect to the law of entail My noble friend alluded, in language which rather alarmed me, to that which I believe to be a most innocent and useful measure, and which was recommended by the committee which sat last session on the burdens on land, with the object of facilitating the transfer of property, by lessening the enormous legal expenses attending it. I hope that what my noble friend said, with respect to facilitating the transfer of property, had no relation to those antiquated notions of old lawyers, that he spoke of with respect to entails." It is plain that Lord STANLEY perceives the issue to which this question must come. So, Lord BROUGHAM, who has now become a steady opponent of progress, said, " Although he admitted that improvements in conveyancing were required, yet he would by no means make such sweeping changes as his noble friend the mover of the address seemed to recommend. He had no objection to allow life-tenants to possess a leasing power, an i in certain peculiar cases he should be willing to allow such tenants to burden the estates for their improve ment, but net so as to injure the parties who had rights in remainder—those rights were as much entitled to protection, as the rights of the parties in possession." Here, also, wo find a clear apprehension of the real question. That ques tion is, whether considerations of national policy do not lead to the conclusion that the legal power of entailing property ought to be more narrowly con fined than at present. For it must be remembered that this involves no new principles; it is simply a question of degree. On former occasions, when com menting on controversial letters published by some conveyancers, we took occasion to say that all attempts to facilitate the conveyance of real property must be perfectly illusory until the law of real property itself shall have undergone considerable change. And the important part of that change must be abrogation of the power to Entail property. So lon g as property may be subject to all the intricate limitations of settlements and entails now common, it must be in quired on every transfer of all property, that no such . fetters ex ist. This is the source of the expense so often complained of. This is the evil to be removed. That in fact, tenants for lire in possession shell have all the powers and be subject to all the liabilities which at present belong to tenants in tail. The effect would be, that life-tenants would have the power to sell or mortgage their estates, and be liable to have them taken by creditors under corn- pulsory processes for enforcing payment of their debts. 'the immediate consequence of such a change upon existing owners of land would be, that they must pay offtheir incumbrances, and to do so, must generally sell portions, of the estates of which they are now the nominal and apparent owners. This might possibly curtail the extent of many estates, but it would add to the respectability, and increase the real wealth of the proprietors. The reduced estates would be their own. They would not be, as too often they are at present, mire receivers without salaries!, paying most dearly fur the poor pride of apparent ownership. But, it may be asked, why not leave these matters, in which the landowners are so deeply interested, to be dealt with by themselves according to the promptings of their own will ? If they prefer possessions appa rently large to real wealth, and pride to independence, why not leave them to their own devices ? The answer is short and simple ; the prevalence of such nominal ownership is seriously injurious to the com munity. Such a system is an abuse of the right of property, to the detriment of the public weal. The land thus owned is virtually kept out of cultivation, or in a state which can varcely be called half cultivation. For some purposes, and those not the most useful, such nominal owners possess the powers of real owners of landed property. They have much of the political influence write)) the power of displacing and selecting tenants gives ; they can reserve and preserve game ; and having comparatively small beneficial end pecu niary interest in their estates, they invariably attach great importance to what may be termed the illegi timate influences of property. A dependent yearly tenantry, always a poor tenantry, and a rigid pre servation of game, arc almost universally found to exist on deeelv;mortgaged estates. And it is these illegitimate influences alone which would be lost to landowners by such an alteration of the law of real property as would reduce their estates to their true dimensions. Another effect of entails is, that the life tenant, being . in the apparent ownership, has the opportunity of borrowing money and in curring debts which he has no means of paying, and upon his death the settled estate passes into the hands of the next heir, leaving the creditors nothing to look to except the personal estate of the lifelenant, in general totally inadequate to the payment of his debts. The late Duke of BUCKINGHAM and the lute Duke of Menerioaotem, who enjoyed the appa rent ownership of enormous estates, may be men tioned as striking instances of this state of things. Persons who are acquainted with the actual condi tion of mw teeged estates will readily assent to these views. That the daily growing demands of our in creasing population for constantly increased supplies of feed render it imperative upon the legislature to remove all artiti'ial restraints on the means of obtain ing such supplies will not be denied. The recent repeal of the corn-laws is a compliance with such demand in one direction which has fast been enforced epee our landed legislators . And the people have quite as com plete a right to demand the abrogation of laws which I artificially Ernst the production of human food in this "Wry, as tie v had to require the removal of reetric iiens on t' , importation of food from abroad. And it will be f urd ,lint the scarcity or abundance of food, Yost by yciee is far more dependent upon home than upon foreign produce. Importation may, and will, limit the extent of fluctuations in the cost of food, Rod correct inequalities of supply, hut the measure of permanent abundance in this country will mainly depend al on the state of culture which the law of real Property ad :he customs of landed proprietors may permit. At min moment the art of husbandry in Eng head is impeded by the law of the landlords, as culti ration is limited by the despotism of Turkey or Egypt. Ile a' Property, then, must be unfettered. 'the existing principles of nue law must be carried out to the ex tent of abraoating the power of entailing property. must be the rule by which the power of future disposition shall be limited. For it must be reniem- ' tiered that "future disposition," a destination of pro perty to endure after the death of persons now living, beneficial interests given to persons not now in being, are implied in the term entail. To materially lessen the cost of conveyancing without limiting the period during which properly may be rendered inalienable is impossible, for it is the possibility of every real estate tieing the object of settlement which creates the expense of conveyancing. Nor is there anything new in the principle of restricting the power of future limitation of property. The law already declares that property shall not be settled for a longer period than during the lives of persons in existence and twenty-one years afterwards; that an estate may be settled on the unborn child of a designated person, which child can, of course, do no act to dispose of its interest, which must be an absolute one, until twenty-one years of age. Originally there was no limit to the power of entailing land ; it might have been made to descend from generation to generation, each successive taker having no power to dispose of more than his own life in terest. This was consistent with the policv of the feudal law, which had the object of upholding a dominant class of landed proprietors. The power of enjoyment of land by an individual proprie tor was made subservient to the maintenance of the class. And the same sentiment instigates such politi cians as Lords STANLEY and BROUGHAM at this day. At a very early period of our history, the judges, alive to the interests of the community, so interpreted the law—often in direct contradiction to the intended objects of acts of parliament —as to enable tenants in tail to dispose of their lands absolutely. And in the reign of ELIZABETH a rule of law was laid down, still known as the rule in Su el.f.r.x's case, which went far to abrogate entails in the form then usually adopted. That rule was this, that where an estate is limited to one for life, with remainder either immediately, or atter any number of intermediate limitations, to his heirs, or the heirs of his body, the ancestor—the life tenant—will take an absolute estate, either in fee, where the remainder is to his heirs, or in tail where the remainder is to the heirs of his b-dy. As a tenant in tail can immediately convert his estate into a fee simple, the person intended by the settlement to be only tenant for life, became, by this juilitisl rule, absolute owner. This completely abolished entails in their then usual forms. The modern form of settle ment escapes this rule by limiting the remainder, not to the " heirs," but to the " children"' of the tenant for life, who take as persons designated. Now, a simple application of the rule in SHELLEY'S case, would effect that which it has always been the policy of our law to effect—namely, to put an end to entails. For instance, let it be declared that when ever an estate has been limited to any person for life, with remainder, whether metliately or immediately, to his unborn children, the tenant for life shall be I deemed absolute owner. This would at once set free the great mass of landed property. Prudent and un incumbered tenants for life could, of course, transmit their estates to their children, while the owners of ineumbered estates would be compelled to square accounts with their ineumbrencers and creditors, and with the surplus of their property might become more substantial, if less showy, members of society. It is impossible for any one not infected with the peculiar prejudices of our landed aristocracy, to doubt that such a change would be in every way I beneficial to the community. Much land would come into the market, and form the object of large invest ments of capital ; the new owners being free front antiquated prejudices, would either cultivate it them selves, or permit others to cultivate, in a manner con sistent with the best plans of modern husbandry. So long as the land remained in the hands of the mort gaged owners, that was out of the question. And here it is worthy of remark, that Lord HATuenTox, who indicated such rational views in relation to the law of real property, is himself a first rate practical farmer and improver of land. GERMANY.—Bent.tx, Lug. 17.—0 n the hith inst., the &rectors of the new Prussian Bank hcl 1 their first conference t is year, under the direction of Herr R gher, a member of the government. It was decided that the bank ehould for the future advanee money to a much greater ex tent than heretofore on shares of Prussian radways, whether the interest on those char.• be guaranteed by the govern meet ur nut —Cologne Gazette, Jan. 21. snatches were sent off last evening from the Colonial-oface, for the Governor of the Mauritius, The Right Hon. the Speaker of the Howie of Com mons commences his parliamentary entertainments on Saturday next. His Excellency, M. Lomonosoff, the Russian Minister at the Brant", is on the eve of resigning his diplo matic functions, and may he expected to arrive here in March from Rio Jaaciro. en mule to St. Petershurgh. We learn that M. Lrimonosoff is destined to fill a higher diplo matic appointment. (From loot Gwyn...) FOREIGN OFFICE, JAN. 21.—The Queen has approved of Mr. W. W. Alexander, u Consul for Bristol, Cardiff, and Newport, fur the Republic of Chili. DOWNING-STREET, JAN. 22.—The Queen has appointed 11. Landor, Esq., to be Col.-Surs. fur her Dia jest)'s forts and settlements on the Gold Coast. WAR-OFFICE he. 22. and Llte Oda—). G. C. Hamilton, to be ow. and subaieuL, by pnr, vine sir ht. It. S. inewart, Bart-, who ret. Ilth L. Diagn—loop Serj.-Major W. Battle to be adjt. (o.th the rank of me.), met Sutton, app. to Royal Bee. H. Gda. Mots Pm:ller Gds.—Brer. Col. R. P. M. Browne, from h -p. matt., to be eartt and lieut.-col., rice lion. C. IL Priipp..., who each. ; Bree. -Major, Lieut. and Quit e% Itmoilly to be capt. and lieut.-oot., by pur., Mee Browne, who mt. ; Ens. and Lieut. lino. 11. 11. 11. Duncan to be Brut. 61 eapt- by pur. ; tine. W. Marbled to berm. and lieut , by pur. 24th F.—Lieut. B. Thornhill, from 79th F„ to be Lieut., rim Payne, whoexch.; Lieut. F. Clark, from filet F., to be lieut., rice Ilandoock, who each. Seth le —Lieut.). 11. Archer, from Seth F., lobe lieut., vice W who exch. . • -- 33rd V.—C. C. Barrett to be no., by put, vice Bottom, prow. to 36th F. — ;:titE.—Ene. J. Rotton, 13rd F., to be lieut, by pur., eke Poetun. who ret. 1711;F.721,Wul 11. It. White, from 29th F., to be lieuL, vice Archer, who exch. ; Lieut. J. S. Puree, from 24th F., to he lieut., vice Thorn hill, who each. 4lst Y.—Ueot. lion. R. Handcock, from 24th F., to be lieut., vice Clark. who exch. 43th F.—Lieut. S. B. Gordon, to be all., vice Smith, prom. ; Lieut. J. ll . Crea to be adjt. 47th Y.—Major.livo. Sir 11. G. W. Smith, Bart., G.C.8., to he col., vice Gen. Sir W. Alive, IGet., E.C.8., dee. 320 d F.—A. StancrAl to be ens., without par., vice Brooke, dec. Stith F.--(ape P. A. Iremonger, from 3rd West India Reg., to be MO., sire Waddell. who exch. 37th F.—Psymaster M. Matthews, from lot West India neg. ; to be p. ter, vice Potter, dm. 67th F.—Lieut. J. Graham to he adjt., Moe Banbury, prom. Slot F.—Ens. C. E. Goodwin to be neut., with.ot par., vice F. E. Sorrell, app. adjt. ; Ens. 11. Austen to be neut., by par., vice Goodwin, whose prom., by pitr., has been annoelksl; Serp.-Major T. Miguel) to be ens., without par. ; Lieut. F. Si. Sorrell to be adjt., rice H. E. Sorrell, prom. nth F.—J. C. Vaughan to be ens., without par., vice Butler, prom. In Ceylon Ride }leg. Blot F.—thurt.onas. J. Cordon to be adjt., with the rank Mom. 3rd West India Reg.- -Capt. J. Waddell, from 39th P., to be capt., vim ',mounter, who exch. Cupe Mounted —Dm. J. F. Boyce to be lieut., without par., vice Ilsrvey, app. Op. To be Ensigns, without par.: E. L. Green, vice Boyce, prom. • G. S. Whitmore, vice Armstratg, whose app. has been towelled. pram. ; he Adjutant Lieut. W. Harvey, vice Somerset, Mrsioassont.—TheChristiin tomes of Staff.Audst.-Surg.Tweddell arc Fenwick Martin, not Vtainiek Martin, as Previously stated. DISTRESS IN IRELAND.—A meeting of ratepayers was held on Thursday evening, at the parish church of St. Luke's, to take in'o consideration the distress now prevail. ing in Ireland and the highlands of Scotland, and to carry out a subscription through the parish towards its relit f. Forty-five guineas ware handed in as a commencement of the subscription, which is to be made from house to house throughout the parish. THE LONDON COFFEE-HOUSE AND EATING-HOUSE K REFERS' BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION.—The twentieth half.yearly general meeting of the London Coffee-house keepers' Benevolent Associatron was held yesterday, at An dertun's Hotel, Fleet-street, for the purpose of rece iving the report of the committee, and the statement of the accounts for the past half-year. The choir wets taken by the presi. dent, Mr. Connybeer, who opened the business of the meet ing by congratulating the members present on the steady progress which the association had made, and the success which had attended its operations. The funded property at present amounted to 1,7921. its. 9d., and the balance in hand to 491. Ile, 111. The income fur the year ending July, 1646, amounted to 2751. 7s. Rd., and the disburse ments to 2621. do. 64., leaving a balance upon the year of 131. 2a. 2d. _ _ ADMISSION OF MISSIONARIES INTO THE RE FRAcToity WARDS OF WoHlLHOren.—Mr. Peter Laurie, at the meeting of the directors and guardians of St. Marylc bone, yesterday. brought forward a motion, of which he had given natice on the previous Friday, " That the misoionaries of the London City Mission be permittei to visit the retr tc tory wards of the !louse and Nightly Asylums, for the pur pose of affording instruction and exhortation to the inmates, under regulations to be made by the board." Mr. Laurie cited the opinion of Mr. Lee, the master of St.Pancras work house, as to the beneficial effects resulting from the introduc tion of miraionariee into the refractory wards of that estab lishment. The motion having been seconded, Mr. Walpole Eyre opposed it, on the ground that the proceeding would interfere with the &vies of the chaplain ; and, after a very warm discussion, a division took place. Majority for the motion, 3. " THE DAILY News."—We feel it a duty to the proprict:rs of this journal and to Mr. Wheeler, the enter prising news agent of Manchester, to scknow.selge thankfully the courtesy exhibited, no Wednesday. by the dropping of a copy of the Daily News for us, at the railway station, whereby we were put into possession of tile whole debate on the Addrm, in reply to the Queen's Speech, as early ae half. pant ten o'clock in the forenoon, which was "expressed" by Mr. Wheeler, at en enormous expense, for the gratification of the public. - Sew-epee( Adrereiser. (Protectioniq paper. ) SOUTH-WESTERN TELEGRAPH.—The extension of the electric telegraph from the Nine Elm terminus, Vaux hall, to the telegraph offices in the Strand, is now nearly completed, the prrtion over Waterloo-bridge being almost finished yesterday, so that nothing remain, to be done except in Welliugton.strcet, and across the Strand, to the office, where the requisPe apparatus is already . fitted up. Sr itING AssizEs, 1817.—The judges of the dif ferent courts met in the Exchequer Chamber on Thursday morning, and chose their reepective circuits at the ensuing Spring Assizes. The following is the arrangement :—llome Circuit.—Lord Chief Justice Denman end Lord Chief Jus tice Wilde. Norfolk..—Chief Baron Pollock and Mr. Justice Coleridge. Midland.—Mr. Baron l'arke mid Mr. Justice Patterson. Western.—Mr. Justice Creasnell and Mr. Jus tice Williams. Oxford.—Mr. Justice Mettle and Mr. Baron Platt. Northern.—Mr. Baron Alderson and Mr. Baron Rolfe. North Wales.—Mr. Justice Coltman. South Wales. —Mr. Justice Wightman. Mr. Justice Eric will remain in town, and attend business at chambers. I)ESECRATION OF THE CHURCHYARD OF Sr. ANN'S, WicaTMINSTER.—In September last, much excitement was crcatid in the parish of St. Ann's, Soho, in conse quence of tke continued acts of desecration of the graves, and revolting scenes of di-turbing the remains of the dead in the churchyard of that parish, arising from the crowded state of the ground. A public meeting was held and • committee appointed to report on the subject : that report has just been made and ordered to be printed. Itstates, that the complaints of the inhabitants of houses adjacent to the ground, with re ga ril to injury to health, and the respect due to the dead, is borne out by am ple evidence ; that in future no coffin he allowed to approach nearer the surface than five feet ; that no interment shall be made except at the lowest depth in each grave, and the depth of every interment be correctly enteYed in a book kept for the purpose. A standing committee has been appointed to inspect and carry into effect these resolutions. THE WELLINGTON STATUE.—NOW that parliament have met, it is to be hoped that the western entrance to Lon don will no longer be disfigured, but that the statue will be immediately taken away, and that the architect of the arch will be commissioned to make that structure complete, in ac cordance with the original design.—The Builder. THE BoND TIMBER QUESTION. —A statement ' having been circulated to the effect that an accident had occurred to the walls of Covent Garden Theatre, and that another architect had been called in to examine the extent of in'schief and remedy it—a confirmation or denial of the as sertion was asked for from us by correspondents, and we were led to inquire into the circumstances and look through the building. The result of this is, that we can canfident'y pro nounee the report • fabrication without the least foundation. —The Budder. SUICIDE.—On Thursday evening, in the neighbour hood of Tarling-street, Commercial-road East, a Mrs. Howard, of No. 34, in the obese-named-street, committed suicide by poison, as was supposed, in a fit of jealousy. CONVERTING A PRISON INTO A RAILWAY Tea m:qrs.—By the proposed extension of the Eastern Counties Railway to Guildford-street, Gray's-inn-road from Totten ham, the Middlesex House of Correction will be converted into • railway terminus. THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' SOCIETY..—At a meeting held in Nottingham, this bodydetermince to open a subscription in aid of the funds now raising throughout the country for the mitigation of the sufferings of the destitute populations of Ireland and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. MONSTER reeve, CHEAP NEWSPAPER.—There is at present a rage, extending ever the whole circle of the pro vincial preen, fur an enlargement of space, sad the walls are being " (righted from their propriety" b huge placard., an nouncing, e ith ecleeninplacency resemb ling that of Frederic of Prussia in speaking of his tall guards, the number of columns, which too often form an additional tax upon the reader's patience. Still, with all the puffing about the lati tude and longitude of newspapers, the public are rarely, if ever, deceived. The largest newspapers are not necessarily, or even commonly, the best, any more than the garrulity of an old woman is more entertaining than the pithiness of a shrewd and observant companiou. It is by their contents that newspapers will be known and tried.—Cheltenhans IJournal. DitAINAOX Act.—Applications for Loans under thin Act, which appear lathe London Gn.:etle of last evening App'lost. Lands in Pariah of (lonely of I Amnon. lin. John Heishora Cagle ~ o 4rerby Cumberland I i 200 0 lin. John Jackson C."rottlin Do. 420 0 R. Ir em. 6a7s Broaticlid Devon 240 0 LA.' gum Woodehorch Chaster 250 0 Wiinsa written! Camber Land • ISO 0 Mary Wafts Lot hoar York L MOO 0 IRELAND. DUBLIN, Jam. 21. The reproductive oommittee meet to -day to discuss a matter of the most grave importance. The subject of discussion laid before them, or rather " thrown out" by Mr. O'Connell for their instant consideration is whether the entire responsibility of providing for the safety of the people should not be transferred to the government—investing it with plenary and abso lute power to adopt all or anv measures to accom plish this important object. This is to be done by a very short bill, involving the principle of the ancient dictatorship, that the executive power should look to the preservation of the commonwealth, and their au thority be increased in proportion to the responsibility of the office, and the fearful extent of the danger. 'fhis would be a very serious duty. lam inclined to be lieve that Mr. O'Connell's extraordinary suggestion will be adopted by the committee. The members of the committee arc also preparing information for the Irish representatives on the per manent measures for the improvement of the country. Among these a well-conducted scheme of emigration occupies a prominent place, for reasons which land lords best understan d, including also Mr. l'oulett Scrape. Mr. Foster, son of the late Baron Foster, who has spent several years in the Australian colonies, ' has addressed a sensible letter to the committee, of which he is a member, containing many suggestions of ;Tactical value. His views as to the uses of emi gration are sound and clear : It is important to remember that emigration should not be ngardiol so much a* a means of presenting the increase of the Irish population, which, if accompanied by a corrc *reeding increase of wealth in the body of the people, is a benefit and not an evil, as to afford a local remedy for the mis chiefs (from whatever cause resulting) which press on any! particular district beyond what a development of its resources I may be able to accomplish. If we give to the Irish peasant his options to become a prosperous colonist, this should este'. bli-h also a standard of cointOrtable living among the penpu• lation at home, below which, if any one might sink, he would emigrate: and as to the cost, this would in part be thrown on his landlord, who would be given a direct in terest in the well-being of the peasant. Thisis, perhaps, the most important of all the considerations connected with this subject. He demonstrates that without subjecting the court try to any considerable taxation, and to the great advantage of the colonies, a great field of enterprise and industry might be opened up to our population. Some of the colonies are seeking to borrow mosey on the security of the fund raised by the sale of the pub lic lands, for the purpose of promoting free emigra tion. Mr. Foster thinks that the home country should co-operate with the colonies, and contribute to the expense by supplying the emigrant with, at least a moderate outfit to be defrayed at the cost of the locality from which he might emigrate. Mr. Foster would empower the poor-law guardians to raise funds for this purpose by taxation ; the money so raised to constitute a charge exclusively on the property on which the emigrant had resided. "In this manner," says Mr. Foster, " there is s simple and unobjectiona ble way of taxing the careless proprietor, and, gene rally speaking, the absentee. One effect of thin must be that landlords must endeavour from a regard for their own pockets to keep their tenantry in the country' and out of the poor-house, which could be best accomplished by developing to the utmost the resources of each locality." Mr. Forster's sugges tions are numerous, display a practical acquaintance with the subject, and many of them are not unworthy of entering into any future legislation. The central relief committee having acquired a liberal fund, have commenced its distribution. On Friday allocations were made, amounting to 1,000/., to the counties of Clare, Cork, Donegal, Mayo, Tippe rary, and Westmeath. Mayo obtained the largest sum, 330/. ; and Cork, 2201. On Saturday 1,300!. were allocated to thirteen counties, of which Galway obtained 400!., Tipperary 230/., and Cork 260/. The British and Irish Steam Packet Company have declared a dividend of 6 per cent on the half-year ending the 31st of December. Londonderry is attracting a fair portion of the northern commerce, while Belfast exhibits a slight decline on the receipts of the past, compared with the preceding year. Londonderry presents a different condition: its commercial prosperity is on the in crease. The customs' receipts for the year ending the sth of January, 1846, were 100,3391. ; Sth of January, 1847, 125,7841.; showing an increase on the year of 16,446/. Very influential meetings of landed proprietors have been held in the counties of Wexford and Roscommon. Resolutions were passed and memorials adopted soli citing the attention of parliament to the future pros pects of the country ; increased burdens on the land with an universal blank in cultivation. Seed and tilling is now the great necessity. A new trade is about to originate in Galway, which, if well worked, would afford employment to great numbers♦ of the poor. The new enterprise consists in supplying broken granite for the formation of roads in and about London. The granite procured from Guernsey at present costs Its. 3d. a ton, which covers all charges including the actual freight of a vessel for the special purpose. Now the Galway people believe they could undersell Guernsey by at least the differ ence of freight, as numbers of vessels sail from that port to London in ballast. There have been very considerable arrivals of Indian corn flour and meal at Limerick. The Limerick Chronicle enumerates not fewer than eighteen vessels discharging cargoes at the port on yesterday morning. Notwithstanding this, however, the export of corn has not ceased, for the same paper states that a cargo of oats was being shipped for the London market. Several vessels are reported in the Lower Shannon, also laden with corn. The prospects of a harvest this year brighten, so far as the county of Limerick is con cerned, for the farmers are, it is stated, busily engagad in the setting of wheat and other grain—wheat being not unusually set in that county at this season. A writer, in the King'B County Chronicle, enume rates the famines by which Ireland has unhappily been devastated between the years 897 and 1798. He founds this enumeration upon well-known histo rical records. From this statement it appears that Ireland, during the above period, has been ravaged by famine not less than sixteen times. Many of those devastations flowed from the operations of na ture, such as that of the present year, while many others were caused by the horrible ravages of the wars waged for many centuries between the English and Irish parties in this country. The fine arts are being brought in aid of the general distress. The committee of the Royal Irish Art-Union propose an exhibition of pictures by the ancient masters, and solicit the owners for their tem porary use. Music also contributes its portion. A grand concert of all the music societies in Dublin is being organised, which will add largely to the funds of the central committee. The drama offers the last contribution to the cause of charity, Miss Helen Faueett. notwithstanding the delicate state of her health, has volunteered her services in combina tion with Mr. Calcraft, the lessee of the Theatre Royal. For some reason, however, which cannot be reconciled with the (esthetic or the charitable, the central relief committee have declined the offer. Mayo, habitually a peaceful county, is now in a state of thorough social disintegration. Famine, liti gation, and crime are the marked characteristics of its unhappy condition. The peasantry will soon be hopelessly bankrupt, or worse. At the sessions at • Ballinrobe there were 1,300 civil bills, 60 ejeetmenta, I and 40 indictments. In Castlebar there were 1,0001 civil bills, 52 ejectments, and 64 indictments ; and inl Hallina, another division, nearly six thousand pro- ceases, 34 ejectment., and 120 bills of indictment. This is dreadful. The business of only one•fourth of the year, including nearly ten thousand actions in one of the most miserable counties in Ireland! The ma jority of the civil bills appear to have been wretched peasant against peasant, and the provision dealer against both. I alluded some days past to the deliberations of the I3enchers. The result, in one most important particular, has transpired. The dinner deform is nearly perfect—an excellent dinner and half pint of real wine, only eighteen pence! Your inns of court ought to follow so liberal an example. DI/111MM IN CLOTNE—Bir,--I write to thank you again for publish/1w my letter, and to request you to acknowledge 10/., re ceived from I. N. Bond, E-q.. It Bitterne...place. Plymouth, wh•ch I sorely owe to you. We arc in • fearful state at present, and P•rior stricken for what we fear is to come. Through the dona tions I hove received I was able to give, on Saturday. two days maintenance to 160 families, and to-morrow von be able to relieve them again, and as many mac. I lose about one-third by median at under-price, and donative. to the destitute. The princurd maintenance of the population to Swedish turnips ; If they have suffloient of them for one evening meld for the family, and • pieoe of bread for the man to breakfast on and turnip for bis dinner, they are well off. Hitherto they have subsisted by pawn ing everything, even to /Mertz and shifts. The turnips are now wiling .t It. 10a. • ton, and they will he moss eshansted. All previous system lo st as end. No employment for tradesmen or wtilloers; tailor% shoemakers, and carpenters are working with spade and Moreton the rondo, and vet Ime matter but good temper. I never see • roawling look, nor hear one word of reproach to thole who might be expected to come forwent tn their aid: but, invariably, blessings on those who do. I trust, sir, with your powerful pen you will advocate the eau. of this famishing tunine-strieken people, and that contributions will be sent to the clergymen of the church of England, when there can be DO MD. TORDIILNO, lector of Aithadda, Cloyne, on. Cork. SCOTLAND. EDINBURGH, JAL 21. The following extracts from the proceedings of a meeting of the unemployed and others, held in Pandey, on Monday last, " to take into consideration the inadequate allowance given by . the relief eons inittce," will exemplify in what spirit some of the destitute expect that their distress is to be relieved : A speaker name Cochran asked where were the clergy that they were not here ? (A voice, " They are at home, praying for us.") lie held that it was their bounden' duty, as Christian mil:list:re, to come forward to a meeting of this kind, and give their support to obtain adequate relief for their starving brethren. The amount of relief xiven wan calculated to promote disease and vice in the community, nod he (Mr. Cochran) looked upon it as a wholesale murder of the working classes. Ile would move "that the allowances now given to the unem ploeed is totally inadequate to sustain nature, and that from the painful experience of the past, we have every reason to fear that fever and other maladh s will doubtless t Blow this mercies, treatment."—A Mr. Wilson seconded the resolu tion. He had computed that a family of eight persons would require 14a. a week ; and when he stated that to the sunply committee, they were surprised that any person could mo pose such a thing. The middle class a and the clergy may I stand aside and not assist, but we may expect that fever will follow such ded it u tion,and th en theta parties cannot expect to I escape. There was plenty of money in Paisley for other pur- poses: £ l,OllO could be raised at the opening of a church, and if the clergy only gave their advice tt would be attended to. 1). INLAY moved, "That in the depression of ISI2-1, a penny a-day Wall deemed inadequate to sustain healthful 11:e, while oatmeal was then at Is 4d. per stone; how de plorable now must be their condition when the price of oat meal is upward of 3s. per stone, with an allowance of suds scarcely lid, in a day. Wu deeply lament that men pre ttying Christian principles should be so utterly void of humanity as attempt to feed the industrious inhabitants of this community ou leas than lid. per day." Mr. M'K., related at considerable length the particiears of the ease of a labourer's family in the S ud lon, including a daughter with a child. The mother had applied to the relief committee, and was sent to the parochial board. At the expiry of a fortnight It. 6d. a-week was allowed; Ind so reduced through want had the mother become, that she was laid up, and died on Friday last. J. Odf dne moved "That the reason given by the relief committee to the deputation appointed at the last public meeting of the inhabitants, that they had not funds to in crease the allowance of t hose persons suffering destitution 1 from want of employment, is unjustitia le, a. they have not called a meeting of the county gentlemen, neither have they made an appeal to the goy dament, or the country at large on behoof of the sufferers." Ultimately, it was agreed that a deputation be appointed to wait upon the supply commit tee and the corn mittee of presbytery, to aak them to call a meeting of the county gentlemen. Almost every provincial paper contains accounts of the institution of soup kitchens in new localities, or an augmentation of their number where previously in operation. EDINBURGH INFIRMARY,—Pmfesser Syme has been re stored to office, on the understanding that he and his brother medical officers are not to si,rn ease books, but in order that cases may be accurately recorded, the managers have decreed that no physician's clerk or surgeon's clerk shall receive a certificate at the termination of his services, unless he shall have produced monthly, during the whole period of his services, an attestation by the medical officer under whom he has acted, signed on the last day of every month, in a hook to be kept fur the purpose, that the duties of the office, in eluding the keeping of the case books, have been discharged to his (the superior medical officer's) satisfaction, and to the credit of the hospital. MAIL ACCELLBATION.—The employment of the railway between Lancaster and Carlisle will give Scotland the ad vantage of four boars' earlier communication with London. RAILWAYS ANY CANALS LIABLE TO POOR'S RATE This has been established by the second division of the Court of Session, in the case of Sr. Cuthhert's Parish r. the Union Canal Company. The decision runs:—lot. That the company were liable for the assessment both as heritors and oecup nits, the same as other parties. 2nd. That the hoes' property occupied by etc company is liable to be assessed separately from the canal. 3d. As to the amount of dedue. tion to be made on account of capital embarked in the car rying trade, the court remitted to a person of skill to inquire into and report on that point. AN ESTENsIVE FIRE broke out in Deanfleld, near Meigle early on Sunday morning last, hut how it origina.ed is not known. It appears the workers had teen employ, d till • late hour in the packing house, on the Saturday night pre cedi-g, packing cloths; but when they left all seemed to be right. A woman residing in the neighbourhood, and whose window faced the works, happened to awake about two o'clock nn the Sabbath morning, and, observing the light of the flames on her window, immediately gave the alarm. The kirk bell in this place was rung on the occasion, and in a very short time a large concourse of people assembled round the scene of destruction ; but by this time the flames had gained such an ascendancy that the beetling-mills, dye-houses, lap ping, and packing-houses, were in one Teat volume of fire, and in a short period burned to the ground. The damage at present cannot be correctly estimated ; but it must be great, for, beside* the buildings and machinery, a large quantity of cloth has been consumed, which has only been partially in sured. This unfortunat.: occurrence w:11 throw about 150 hands out of employment. THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Had Sir John Franklin been able to accomplish the north-west passage in the course of last summer, we should, ere this, have received intelligence of his ..ecess from the Sandwich Island, rhi Mexico. There is no cause for &pre hension or disappointment in the non-arrival of such intelli gence, for all who are familiar with the earratives of earlier voyages in the region he has to traverse know how impro bable that, even with all Sir Jc hn'r local knowledge and acquaintance with the reasons, he will be able to effect. the passage in one or two summers. The expedition under Sir John Franklin's command, consisting, our readers will re collect, of the Erebus, commanded by hims,ll, and the Terrer, under Capt. Crozier, was to proceed through Lan caster Sound and Barrow's Strait, by the southern coast of Melsille Isl rod. to the furthest point reached by Parry in his first voyage in 1819. Having proceeded no far, Sir John is instructed to put his ships into the drift ice, and trust to its earning hint along the channel. In connection with this naval expedition, is the overland one, organised by the Hudson's Bay Company, under the command of Dr. Rae, and destined to complete by a shore survey in boats, the dis coveries so intelligently and daringly prosecuted by Messrs. Dear and Simpson. Comparatively few dangers attend on Dr. R ie's expedition the success of Sir John Frank- Bees, though, as yet, there is no came for despondency, is mote problematical. Even assuming the existence of a passage by Melvfile's Island and Behring's Straits, the probability of Sir John's being able to navigate it with the vessels under his command may fairly be ques tioned. To commit any vessels to the embrace of two fields of ice, and allow them to bo carried along as a past of the frozen mans, in utter helplessness. anhject to the action of changeful currents, in seas where flocsand bergs are often harrie together with frightful collision, and the soundings of which arc en tirely unknown, is at best a dangerous experiment; but the peril in much me re imminent in the case of such ships as the Erebus and Terror, than with vessels of less burden. They are not d. festive in point of construction, for the great blun der of ISIS, choosing wall-rid wl whalers instead of vessels with conical bottoms. has been avoided. But another mis take equagy great, exposed by Sir John Ross in the introduc tion to the narrative of his second voyage, has been persisted in : the Erebus and Terror have too great a draught of water. The visible are by no means the only or most serious perils that a ship has to encounter in the Arctic seas. The vessel beset behind, drifting rapidly onwards, moving with the mass, and incapable of either arresting or changing her roams, is often swept over s..nken rocks and unseen shoals. If when this happens the imprisoned vessel draws more water than the he which enclosas her, the ship's bottom is the first p .rt of the moving moss to receive a shock from reefs, ov; r which a vessel drawing no more water than the field or pack of ice would be carried with comparatively little danger of receiving serious injury. Each of the vessels under the command of Sir John Franklin is of 430 tons burden, drawing 18 feet water; while the average thickness of the field ice amongst which he has to sail is but 10 feet, and of this only eight fret would be below the water. The depth of the vessel below the ice must therefore be about 10 feet. The fate of the Fury in Parry's third voyage allows that the danger here suggested is not merely speculative. That vessel being suddenly %met with ice, was carried irre sistably along, until atrikinz several times against the ground. and subsequently on the grounded ice beneath, it received so much injury from the collision as to be incapable of repair. Yet neither the Heels nor the Fury was of so great burden so the Erebus and Terror; the former was of 377, the latter of 375 tons. Bylet and Baffin, the most sue cewful Arctic navigators prior to 1818, circumnavigate.; Baffin's Bay in a vessel of only 30 tons burden. We are anxious nut to be misunderstood. The dangers we apprehend imply only the frustrating of the passage, not the necessary lose of the gallant men engaged in the enter prise. Immediate and inevitable destruction is not to lie apprehended. If Sir John Franklin had adopted a suggestion made to him previous to his de parture—that h. should at apecified places leave depots of stores and provision., his crews may, in case of misadventure, su rvive till some vessel arrives to an, them home. :tin =Tour,. WlNnsort, FRIDAY. I The unfavourable state of the weather prevented her Majesty, H.R.H. Prince Albert, or the Royal Family, :olving the Castle this morning. The Queen and H.R.H. Prince Albert visited H.lt H. the Duchess of Kent at her residence, Frcgrnore-house, this afternoon. 11cr Majesty and Prince Albert have presented Professor Brasaeur, of King's College, with a beautiful sapphire and diamond riot, en token of the gratification they derived from his wading of " Athalie," at Windsor castle, at the beginning of the present month. A deputation on the subject of the malt duty, headed by the Duke of Richmond. had an interview w it h LorJ J. l tus'cll yesterday, at his official rPsidence in Dawn inir-strret. Mr. J. J. de Mora had an interview with the Earl of Clarendon yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trade. The Earl of Zetland had an interview with Sir G. Grey yesterday, at the Home-office. Dr. Bnwring, M.P., had also an interview with the Right Hon. Bart. yesterday. M r.. 1. Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had interviews yes terday with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, at his official T. in Downing-street, and with the Right Hon. T. M. Gibson, at the office of the Board of Trade. Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial oilier, from the Governor of the Ga-nbia settlement. De- PROVINCIAL. ..... Too SALFORD 1111URDRR.—The examination of Susannah Johnson, ehaiged with poisoning her husband, T. H. John son, has been brought to a close, the bench fully committing her for trial at the next assizes. The inquiry bas occupied several days during the last three weeks. It appe irs that the deceased. who was a carter, wax seized with sudden ill ness whilst eating a .me food which had been prepared by his wife. An inquest was held on the body, and the jury re turned a verdict that the deceased died from inflammation of the bowels, but how caused there was no evidence to show. The b ody was buried, and the subject had almost been forgotten, when the police were made acquainted with such facts as to warrant the apprehension of the prisoner, and the disinterment of the ho.ly. At her examination afe male, named Hardman, deposed that the prisoner purchased three pennyworth of arsenic at her shop • day or two be fore the death of the deceased. Mr. J. Leigh, surgeon, stated that in thepost modem examination he observed a me tallic deposit which he believed to have been arsenic. Tha prisoner is now in Kirkdale gaol. LIVERPOOL SAILORS' HONIE.—A contract fur the erection of this fine edifice hu just been completed ; and the work will be proceeded with as soon as the weather may permit. Prince Albert, it will be remembered, laid the foundation atone. ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.—As the nine o'clock train yesterday morning was proceeding from Liverpo4l to Manchester, owing, we he. lieve, to the accumulated snow, it ran off the line ebaut Rainhill. In the last carriage was Mr. Jack, of the Com mercial Bank of Liverpool, and several gentlemen going as a deputation on the affairs of the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln Railway. This carriage was to Town into collision with another eta, ding by, and caused a Levers fracture of one of Mr. Jack's legs. Mr. Jack was immediately hronght hack to Liverpool, where he received prompt surgical assist ance, and we understand he is doing well.—Liverpool Journal. Too RIGRT 110 IS. LORD ASHLEY visited Manchester last evening, and addressed a crowded meeting ofoperatiyea, at the Town-hall, in favour of the Ten Hours Factory Bill. The chair was taken by the Rev. Canon Wray, and a num ber of resolutions affirming the principle of a restriction on the hours of Isboor were moved by working men, and passed unanimously. The nob e lord, in supporting one of these resolutions, spoke for about half-an-hour, and called upon the working men, by every sentiment of justice and humanity, to persevere till their cause was crowned with MCC( SS. In Spain, a fa:her who had maintained a gameof chess till the end of bin life ' bequeathed the legacy of fighting it out to his son and grandson after him; and it for such a simple game an inferior race of people could diapiav such perseverance, how much more en: ray and determination ought the aupporteri of a right:ire canoe like this throw into their exertions. Let them look by way of encourage ment at what they had already accompliahel within the last ten or fifteen yean. What gave them the bill of 1833, and that 1844? He was told when he com menced this agitation that his views were theoretical and fanciful, and that he should make no progress, but he was happy to say that the measure which was flouted at first, had received the approbation of a large proportion of the mill-owners themselves—had been beaten only by ten in the House of Common*, and had obtained such a footiost, that one half of her Majesty's ministers were prepared to gave the relaxation demanded. He counselled the working men to accept what private arrangements they could for the ad vancement of their object; but he cautioned them to he tempted by no sophism or conaideration to turn aside from their object till they had thcrcurity of the law to maintain their de mands. He felt assured that the measure, if not passed this year, would be successful next, and contended, now that the corn law had been repealed, they had more than ever a claim to it. How often had he been told, that by opposing the repeal of the corn law he stood in the way of shortening the hours of labour: and he called upon those who had so taunted him now to come forward and support this meaanre. The old objection of a restriction on the hours of labour had been revived, but he contended that that objection was act aside by the bills of 1833 and 1844. It was pretended by some, and within the last ten days in Manchester, that they opposed it out of regard to the inte rests of the working men, but the working men had con sented to take it by instalments; and if the first proved injurious, how easy to stop short and retrace their steps. But he had no fears of that, and he called upon the friends of the measure to strengthen with all the energy they had the hands of their present leader, Mr. John lielden, and not connect the question with himself. The noble lord was frequently interrupted by loud cheers. It is understood that he is to address a number of other meetings in the manufacturing diseticts on the question. Livestroot.—Tis s Wearnam—The mow continued fell ing up till 12 o'clock on Thursdaynig t, end has been sumer ded by a rapid thaw. Intelligence from Holyhead, at 4 o'clock on Thur-day, stated, that the wind at that time was S.S.W., and that there was a heavy rain. A eItIMNSY. Lio feet high, fell yesterday across the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, at Wigan, FATAL ACCIDENT ON TiiiLIERDA ♦YD BRADFORD RAI LE- Ai . —OR Thursday last an inquest was held at Idle, to ascertain the cause of the death of John Shelton, aged .57, a labourer ow the Leeds and Bradford Railway. Deceased was engaged in the Thackley Tunnel on the afternoon o Monday last, when the up and down trains were palming through the tunnel at the same time. It is the retulati•n that when trains pass through the tunnel, of which no•ire is given by the wbistic, that the lahourtra should lay down in the six fret apace between the rails ; and it is supposed that after one train bad passed, deceased had got up and walked between the other rails, when he was knocked down by the engine. He was shockingly mutilated, and dii illlfEldiately. A verdict of" Accidental death " was THE Ltra ACCIDENT OX TDB BRADYOIII. Rs* Test. inlay (Friday) the adjourned inquest 0.1 tio. David Anderson, who was killed by a railway ergis toga goods train, coming in contact with his bore whibt crossing the Leeds and Bradford Rai:way, at bides, on the morning of the kith inst., was at the (curt-house in Leeds. Two eart.drivtrs, names of Smithson and Parker, were examilvd, from evidence it appeared that they left Rawden, which is a mile from the railway, at a little before five o'clock morning, the we.ther being dull, foggy. auk dark, Gildersome for coals. Smithson went firot with - each drawn by one horse, Parker following with • team, and then Anders 'n with only one horse an The railway on the Rawden aide is approached short descent to the Calverlyobridge r!ation, o crossed on the level; and this morning, who son, who was first, had well nigh got over the he saw an engine approaching from Leeds, upon wl• called out to Parker, and Parker moiled to Anderson, mode no answer. Parker's carts had just cleared the - which the engine was moving, when it approached t ing, and Andenam being iminedistely in the rear s horse and cart, the engine struck the hone and prop. and portions of the cart for a considerable distance. the train was 'topped the body of the dee :teed w., about seventeen yards from the crowing, in a state of . sihility, and he never spoke. A post ',torten. examinso however, disclosed an extensive Ingenue ~l the Dale skull, and an effusi on on the broth, but the surge..r opinion that the death was caused by concussion of ' Evidence having been given to prove till eiro ot and the cause 01 the death, the coroner wished some evidence es to the rules and regulations of the, and Mr. M. Crabtree, Mr. Pepper. Mr. Adcock, Yo..ng were esamined.—John liattersley, the gas train, said that the train was going shout twelve or , miles an hour at the time of the accident; and that the duty of the engine -driver to whistle before alert the Crlverley-bridge-station, but that he did so on this morning, though he had done so Kirkstall Forge and Newlay, about two miles The jury retired to consider their verdict at pest too o'clock in the afternoon, and remain , .1 ration till a quarter before three, when our de-) sent off. Yd Vahan OP MR. RI LEY, AT SHETTIELD.—TIIC inquest on the b sly of Mr. John Riley, who was in Sheffield last week (the perticutan of which appeal this paper on Tuesday last) was resumed on Thued following additional • vidence was adduced Taylor, wife of Robert Taylor, of Burgin'esardans. tion.road ' said, I was at home on Monday night ant' . iatirnaut, of the rohbrry and murder; my house read. all but a shed being between it, in ourgardea of the shed ie on a keel with the road; the cottage 12 yards front the road ; I was up till 12 o'clock on night, and came down stain twice after that hour, drying clothes; I never heard any diturbance of a 'from 12 till 2 o'clock ; we have a dog, but he neve. after 12 o'clock, that I know of ; I heard of n thing happened t . Mr. Ititcy until Tuesday morning.. a policeman came about the forenoon ; I have never.ind etsethat I heard the dog bark between 12 and 1 fit n; illendaY; there was blood on each side of our sate ; it was pointed out by the police; I saw blood yard on this (the Sheffield) side of the gate, and about three yards from the gate on the Grime-the of the same gate ; have seen nothing of • hat or rA. police have been aetrching our garden; I was not before two o'clock ; when we hear a none, we general', to the window to see what it is ; the blood woe on t' and on the ground, and on the causeway—a gem the Oriinesthorpe side. My husband came home in heal soon after nine o'clock. We have only tut in the house besides. My married son comes at egin he lives opposite to the quarry in Mr. Burgin's oilier —Wm. Hudson, No. 3, Bright'slane, Wicker, joiner I work for Mr. Cundell, in Howard-street, j ann builder; Cundell had to make a coffin for the late Mr and on Sunda we put the body into the coffin, I a Cundell and R. Smith; on Monday morning I halt the coffin board from Mr. Riley's house, and On returnin the house with the hoard, I found the watch ono with three or four pine in a piece of black Loth ball, about five or six yards from the front gate, inside of the garden. the watch product.' i. which I found ; the watch glass is broken and 11 from the top ; the hand is ..ent ; them was no all, and no broken glass in the wrapper; I bolt Mr. Beauvoitin at the house; he was at Mr. Riley' on the hankside, on the left-hand aide, as if at his. down ; that is all that I know about it ; I culled police-office, and Mr. Rayner sent me up to Mr. 1 house for it ; I fetched it, and gave it to Mr. Raynor ceived it again from Mr. Beauvoisin ; it was betwe and eight o'clock, about helf-past seven, when I watch; if it had been there ou the Sunday serfie have found it ; the number of the watch is 3,21;6. quiry was again adjourned. CHESHIRE. THE SITE OF THE NEW COLLEGE On 1:41,1 has been fixed upon. It is to he in Slaty.] illl , . it ton, about midway between Oxtun New Church kenhead New Park, where there are, fronting the I, in one lofty block of stuccoed buildings, five large called " Renyon-place." These will form the Ilea logical College of Birkenhead. The bishop of the s takes it under his own particular charge, and hie, nomit to the office of principal, the Rev. J. Bavlee, the ineunal of Holy Trinity Church, Birkenhead. This is to I. Early a the 'logical college —a sr rt of minkerial . school. Its students will be the agents for the l'arechl Association, lately organised for birkenhrad and its ' &swell as for Liverpool and the suburbs. LINCOLNSHIRE. FATAL ACCIDENT.—The Liticaln Mercury i<tri—' other has been added to the number of victims , lives have been sacrificed to the negligence on those duty it is to fence the Witham from the High-Iva Bravford.hridge. Lest Friday evening the people neighbourhood were alarmed by a cry that a person ha , into the river; instant aid being obtained, a lad ter . down, but the person in the water being unable to • Mr. Willson, butcher, at the peril of his own life, into the river, and attempted, hut unfortunately in • save the drownin; man; after being in the water for a quarter of an hour, Mr. W. was compelled to shout bystanders to drag him a tit, and be was drawn from the bridge, almost stiffened with cold and nearly ea The person who had fallen in had sunk; bows w, cured, and the body was speedily rescued, but too restore animation, though long-continued attempts made. Tire name of the unfortunare per.on L. Parkinson, of Clayworth, who being on a his friends at Washinboroagh, had gone to market, and had been with two of his relatives bridge foot; all were leaving the house together. deceased fell into the water, and it is conjectured , must either have stumbled over a heap of ashes ineaut placed near the edge of the bank, or that, teeing a stet and perceiving the lamp on the opposite side of the a without noticing the water, be walked on, and stepped the edge of the steep hank into the river. lit the dusk of evening, to persons unacquainted with the spot, it prew the appearance of a street, the water not bei.rg pereepti escepL to very narrow scrutiny ; and a person just I‘.i the gaslight of a house would net, of course, see ea if he had been out fur some time. By the calamity, derstand, seven children are bereft of that sopport was derived solely through the earnings of their Stately this accident will be sufficient to cause the on, the few pounds required to render the short distance river perfectly oafs. DESTRUCTION OY SKIRRECY RECTORY RV Fl Saturday evening last, the extensive and handsome of the Rev. W. Roy, D.D., the Rectory. Skirlieek, tally destroyed by fire. One of the young lash..., r fag her room, perceived flames issuing trum above the bed, and evidently haring their origin in ney situated between the old house and the Itnudsome floc made to the building within the last few year*. S gave an alarm, and a messenger was tent to anr.ounce th. calamity to the rev. gentleman, who was performing divine service in the chapel on the Spilsby-road. Roy briefly stated the melancholy intelligence to his s gation, and dismissed them, a course almost unneces every one immediately quitted the chapel to rend, ance on the occasion. The engines from Boston t'o late In be serviceable, and all hopes of saving th lag being at an end, the engines were employed venting the fire from communicating with the oellars, they fortunaicly succeeded in doinr. The ground/ seated a scene of almost unequalled devastation; of handsome farniture, valuable books and t were stuttered indiscriminately about the lawn, i.... costly articles showing signs of their hasty removal tastily laid oat shrubberies and parterres were tea' seder foot by the multitude of persons 046m:steal at ' who had poured out of Boston from curiosity, or Sarailslidy, to render assistance. Fortunately there wind excepting that created by the disturbance of the themselves; or the stables, several adjoining premise., even the old church itself, would not have been safe• . spite of temptation and opportunity, we have not of a single instance of that heartless pilferii property which so frequently accompanies these of melancholy confusion. It is at present imp to estimate the amount of the damage done ; the hou• prettifies., which may probably be valued at from 3,1 4,000!., were only insured to the amount of 1,0001. ; t altars-, wine, and plate were partially insured. were lo,t. So extensive and destructive a fire has . eurred in Boston for many years ; the sudden alarm crested has again directed public attention to the ne , of outlining more efficient engines, and of instituting lady orgastoed fire-brigade. THR WRATHER.—Our Birmingham correspondent, ing last evening, says—" The fall of snow which took in this town and neighbourhood on Wednesday nig' Thursday, has been succeeded to-day by showers but it is still extremely cold, the snow remains ground, lied a few miles out it is at least two I Several of the Shrewsbury and other coaches have run and all the tr dns have arrived long pot the time. To night the town presents a most union uprct ; the fug is of the most dense desmnr inn, , whole place seems enveloped in one dull leailen-es garment almost Lie difficult of penetration as the hide rhinoceros, and as stagnant as the trade has been 14; new ytar set in. Nisther past or present atpisrane cote that the gloom which the last visitation bluetit e denizens of the greatest manufacturing mart in'" will soon pass away." WORCESTERSHIRE. TRI RICHMOND ASYLVM TERTIMONI. will collected that some agriculturism dpiQf I sense of the service, of the I) Primed their intention of presenting Lintel . * 4 • y .• are 3 lied &lune returned. L• body of• tine, draw- c and cart, t Coirerly- • I ristamt•d Lew, of the Tom wk..° 11 is shout lock in the ▪ to go to two carts, a simiLiu• and cat. led by a m, which Ca Smith- e railway, which he • rson, who • the line on the crus- t with his Top : lled it e. Wh^n wan found P of ieumn- amination, sse of the nn was of 'the lonia. :resistances, . a to have P company, , cud /dr. 70 lard of the or fourteen that it wee arriving at el no: do between • ditrant a nutter in delilm- • -patch we adjourned murderid ppeared in doe. The -Nlizabeth is. Occupa- nt Tuesday ; joins the ; the roof ee is 10 or n Nfonday , Y I we any kind ter barked ing having Ig, when a raid to any t night, on Nr f:Vit a I a I n, ore blood tune side 'Tick ; two not asleep onerally go .n the wad eat deal on ne and was Vol children ht o'clock ; set garden. iner, said: liner and Mr. Riley, I and Mr. Mt to fetch ruing from pinned up mth Ike a .te, on the • ohs one the swivel o 'lase at kit up to ; it was had rolled .fled at the . fr. Riley', nor ; I re- Preen F-ven found the ore mutt The in- tICENHEAD in Cough- -1 and Dir- t eastward, MC holism, new Taco- the diocese nominated incumbent to be p: cu- d trs tut ag rochiol Aid its vicinity, Lys—" An- us whose hose whose a-hridge te plc in the Iliad fallen Cr was put o reach it, Life, I aped in vain, to for nearly lout to the Tom under ezbau.ted, were pro- too late to opts were in is Mr. t yirit to 3 Lincoln tea at the when the that he • weauti•aly • a stranger, the river, mud over lush of the • it presents perceptible amt having so well as ty, we on- sort a h ich sir parent. outi.iy of nee 01 the • rt14.11.00e it, was to- , On eater- the wall, is a click- some addi- ears. She ounce the Terforming road. Dr. his or gre.. matey, as :di r a.sist- na arrived the budd- ed in pre- en, which ponds pre- ion; piles bo doling , the most aoval ; the trampled at 10,000) or, more re war no the flames miser, and Bali.. In • not heard ferin T of vc sire Impe.wole lou•••• and 3,er'ol. to ; the fur- No lives has not oc- term it hen e nett mil ing a regtt- lent, writ- took place night and era .1 rain, s upon the feet deep. re tensed to he regular :oinfortable in, and the tn.eoloured hide of the ea store the ram s indi- rut over the a the world will be re- ppreßaed .g their ,attajneat te ' l • /II V. • •