The Express. — London, England, 1851-12-16 00:00:00

throw a chain across the mouth of the Canton river again. Ili• wife died in Canton on the tith inst.; her sickness y rus reported several weeks ago, but it was supposed to b e a ruse pot op as a plea for enabling him to re turn. Sett a still continually sending to Canton for. _ tur ,. troo ps. About the middle of this month from 1,500 1' 0 . 2.0 00 me n were despatched front the Tungliwan dis trict, but they would nut move from their anchorages off the Few creek and the entrance of the Macao passage until they received large advances of pay, which was given to thou on the ltith, and they sailed uu the 21st, in coin pay with • force of 900 regulars and 1,000 volunteers, to gether with twenty field guns. Directly these reinforce ments reach him , despite his non -fighting propensities, Seu a n i , it is , tuarth rapidly torward, laud endeavour to o btain a general engagement. CIIkNA MARKETS. c.tinon, Ocr. 27.—Business during the month has been —., t urd generally, but n o t en brisk ag in the month pr. thous The r;' of loner prima foe COll/01/ eswed a considerable check , gi ecte; but to the p•eent dote ehlonents of tees from all ports .„. ba t ..a miaow , in Cam I. of ehiptavats at same period last year. ~14•4.1106. OCT. '://. conniquence 4.f the inintenee number of herowt.nK ~ vori. hevering &hoot tea mouth of the Tangles Kiting, t ue ba fur tee northern orovinees ewe kern amid to proceed, and es M., reftuowd from purchartim Englieh frond., and the ' ,Ai I.w them tune. Int report bas hid a downward to .rang; Po a. n^wirol., geode, toot grey shirting, Anne pe▪ nd tri Canton. eh, mol e at reswinsige prier. cin b, reedel br wee talent. The Augur. news hid borne effect on the tea market, b u t cat tely great, as entire In the yummy of tee etpurted during the math. &ww, tat. 19.—Biseinees at th's port since last report ha. been aciatusly dull. Ivrit.itue.—Ointon.—Bank of England post bill. at right, none; Mental Wok at Mx month.' eight, not drawing; Scotch and other ballwreardila. at 6. .Wye' sight, at 4,101. to Is. I Id. liaringe, ppsl,ll*. and whet eredite at 6 months right. M. 10td. to sa. ; Private 111 •r, numthe fogey 4.. lied. to 3. ; E..st India Comp tny'e Bala on fr.vtinsent, accented, 221tre. ; ditto. unaccepted, :tom; orient ti runt bras on Bowel 3 d. 5.,210r5. ; ditto Bombay, sd„ ; 114 eum. at 13 is on indl. at rod. a, 232ra. n.,.,v Neva tic oyoee lon 1011tk ;gel. 93 per Ns'. premium; pit 100 town 10 per tael ; Mexican dollars at 6 per cent. I a. n o.ut h ie. pee On Ued 6 month.' sight ander credit il t o. to ie. pee ; Ori-stal Bank, *ie. I Id.; Beak 4. 1001. ; dirmannts, is Chd. to se. Id, ; 1.... InCe Coup.ey'a Mae Incepted, 230 to 231 rupee. per 100 dote. ; ant's:cult , at ten dap' sight, 23; to 234 rupees; [Matta on t pa cent. premium; tlyere, 14318ui5.,20 per lOU Cwt.; Gold, s :Outs. In .00 dole. per et. 70.. k.; spa, Army, 3 per cent. 0%1111WD...17 1421114, ...IT% Common. - ILm fallen about 10e. • ton ; ircedebt are now o.a I.lf at Imam 4. .1. tot!. Matingese To England, 3/. to 31.55. L., tea. I. to 31 If.. for 5.18. 'I mama plevtifuL To New York, I. doh.. to lb per 10 feet of tea, an.l 36 dote. lug oak. lee John Puny an, &relent in 103,1 days from land to land, engaged et 11. t r It.. and 41. Bak for elle. Tee Vancowier Wading toe • York, at fur .tat tam 12 dole. per ton of 40 coos Bch SINGAPORE. The Orertausd /Ve• Press, dated Singapore, Tues day, Nov. I, aye:—" Amongst the news this month from Singapore is an amount ut an outbreak of the Malay sailors on board the British barque Fawn, while on her Toy an, up the Straits from this to Calcutta, resulting in the mord, r id the whole of the European officers and passen prs. y,d the destruction of the vessel by fire:* COLONIAL. NEW SOUTH WALES. Sydney ]journals to the middle of August arc filled with details of the progress of the gold diggings. The laindnsl-weight of gold, noticed by us on arri val of the last India and China Overland Mail, was sired by government under the pretence of a royalty being due upon it. Against this step Messrs. Thacker and Co., the holders, protested. Subsequently government communicated with Messrs. Thacker and Co., and informed them that the gold seized by Commissioner Hardy would be given up on their into a bond to pay th e Queen a royalty (4 1° ;sr cent., should the home government, on a repo. 4 mat ion of the facts of the case, demand it. lo the, conditions Messrs. Thacker and Co. had no alternative but to submit, although they were the Moment purchasers, there being not a semblance of collusion by passing it into third hands to avoid the royalty as claimed. discoveries of gold had been made on the property of Mr. Wentworth, at Frederick's Valley. Another large piece of gold had been found at Ophir, which weighed 31 ounces 13 dwts. ; it was purchased either by w tor Captain Erskine, of her Majesty's ship Havannah. '1 he intelliviice from the diggings generally was favourable. The summer was 'linked forward to with the confidence of a large produc thoi. Mr. It. Campbell has tendered for the pur chase of all the gold which the government might reetive during the ensuing two months, at 31. Bs. 4d. per ounce. A number of female emigrants sent out by Mr. Sidney Herbert's committee had arrived, and had kin eagerly welcomed. The candidates for the representation of Sydney in the new Legislative Council were Messrs. Cowper, Lamb, Linguitire, and Wentworth. Sydney is to have three npresentatives. A monster league meeting had been held, at which was carried a petition to her Majesty for the removal or Earl Grey lrom her council. 'rids tlrm and une quivocal exhibition of the colonists' feelings must speak volumes. Referring to the document, the Nytlotty Press says : " One thing at least cannot be said by her minions as an objection to it, that it was Hr. Lung and his agitation that did it ;" the truth being, as the colonists aver, Earl Grey and Sir Charles Fitzroy have done it,and they are denounced as the real enemies of her Majesty's Australian cob. airs. It is not expected that the petition will reach her Majesty ; and the l'ress says: " We doubt who- ther the petition will reach her Majesty. The un worthy etiquette of Downing-street forbitsit—unleas a deputation were sent to present it. But it does not much matter. Let it be published to the world. The right, the dignified, the honourable way to the throne, if it cannot be direct, is through the press." The ship Bondicar, now on her way to England, has on board gold from the diggings, valued at 2 , 4,;8.1/. 'the following is a list of the shippers : It. Campbell, tertius; Thacker and Co., Union Bank, ]). Davies, Smith, Campbell, and Co., L. and S. Spyer, Benjamin and Moses, L. and S. Samuel, Itossiter and Lazarus, G. A. Lloyd, Lyall, Scott, and Co., Crawley and Smith. Other and regular ship ments would follow, and the Sydney -Morning Herald aseerts, and vouches for its correctness, the great fact that gold exceeding 10,0001. in value to :OM. reaches Sydney from the gold fields each day. Re ports from the Bathurst country note that the dig gings at the Turon continued remunerative. The average for each man was about U. daily. The Ophir diggine were still frequented, but were not equal to the furon diggings. Fresh discoveries of gold ware of daily occurrence. rilE ARTIC SEARCIIIINO EXPEDITIONS. Advice, from California mention the arrival of her Mai,,ty's ship Daedalus, Capt. G. 0. Wellesley, at San raneiven, on the Sind Oct. from Port Clarence, Behring'e S:rsits, which she left on the Ist of that month. She brought as passengers. Lieut. Cooper and Dr. Simpson, of bet Majeety's ship l'lover, which vessel bad returned to Port Clarence from her summer expedition, having been huhle to penetrate further north than 71 degrees, being 3 decrees short of their excursion last year. The Plover's eonsurt had not returned to her winter quarters at the sail ine id the boletus. No vestige of the expedition of Sir J. Frank:in was discovered ; and it was the opinion of the two edict n from the l'luver who came passengers in the Medu lla, that all further attempts to find traces leading to the discovery of the Arctic voyagers would prove utterly fruit. km. The following is the report of the Dedalue :—" Her Britannic Id..jesty's ship Daedalus, Captain G. G. Welles.. I , Y. from l'ort Clarence, Dehring's Straits, October 1, ar med in oar harbour yesterday, and anchored at Sancilito. The ba , laless was despatched from Valparaiso last spring to ',sit Ow provision which. is kept at Port Clarence as a depot and point of succour in case either Sir John Franklin's ex polition or the other vessels in search of him should be 0 -4 , u,d to quit their ship and take to their boats. The Iva aslto arrived at the edge of the ice (which was then close t o St Lawrence Island) in the middle of June, when she fell 4 a with a loge fleet of whalers, principally Americana, * 4 otuie ter an opening to proceed northward. There had a, a but little done iu taking whales this NUM. eltheach 'aril , numbers of them had been seen in the Ames seas La the ' , Ay part of the season. Most of the ships had you *tillh. Captain Wellesley thinks that all the vessels bad toted the Straits for the south before the Daedalus sailed. •urniner season is later than usual, the Oat mew having en the tat of October, the day the Medals, ss from Fort Clarence." Captain Wellesley retenlo large Yu ies o f see i u t h e S tra i ts, which were, in fact, almost 1 " 6 " up. The Daedalus had several narrow escapee, and was at use tine in imminent danger of foundering. FURTHER SEARCH FOR SIR JOUN FRANKLIN.— 'be public will learn with great satisfaction that the next "aeditoun to the Arctic regions in 1842, in search of Sir Jo!1.1 Yr s kli n and the missing officers and crews of the iron,. and Terror discovery ships, will be made aa efficient and that, in addition to the Piosver and Intrepid wren stramen employed in the recent expedition, the l'ho.ois, a much Luger screw steamer of 280-horse power, * "'ll was taken up f rom W oo l w i c h to Deptfoed snout • r a "k see, h ordered to be fitted and streagtheaed at the tlcc dockyard fee service in the Polar Kee. THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 16, 1851. far deeper sense at that time of the degradation of the system than they have since exhibited either in their principle or practice. Now, my lord, between the general election of 1835, land that which followed the death of King William, In 1837, two memorable incidents occurred which, in my opinion, have had much effect upon electoral corruption. The first matter I refer to was the cele brated exhortation of Sir Robert Peel, first enun ciated, if I remember right, at Merchant Tailors' Hall, in the well-remembered words, " Register, Register, Register? I give Sir Robert Peel every possible credit for using these words in what', he believed to be a constitutional sense ; but their effects were fatal to the independence of the constituencies. According to the interpretation ,of his party, this exhortation to " Register, was was an exhortation to organise, to contest, to spend, to suc ceed at any price. They did organic •, they did con test, they did expend. There were 172 contests in Great Britain at the general election of 1832; there were 191 contests at the general election of 1833 ; its 1837, though the political excitement was far less, and though the preceding parliament had sat less than two years, the number of contests was increased to 207. In the interval, Conservative Registration As sociations had been formed ; and, to oppose them ' Liberal Registration Associations had been alsO formed--an attorney, of course, the prime mover of each. These attorneys became, ex necessitate, agents at the general election. 'they were interested in making contests interested, also, in obtaining wealthy candidates, and interested in making those I candidates spend their money-, in order both Ito serve the party, and to keep up their own reputation in the boroughs. Hence there arose extraordinary expenses to the can didates ; expenses of agents and of their staff of retainers, expenses incurred under the agents authority, expenses of the registration courts in which the agents practised, besides a thousand things which the agent would do that the candidate himself would avoid. All this cost of organisatiou had a most prejudicial effect upon the election. But this was not the only circumstance that affected them. Your lordship will doubtless recollect the ce:ebmted Spottiswoode subscription, a fund which was raised by a committee under the chair manship of the Queen's printer, for the purpose of defraying the cost of petitions against the returns of liberal candidates. A more flagitious at tempt to destroy the liberty of election never was made. Happily it recoiled on its promoters in its direct effects. But, my lord, what were its indirect effects ? They were, I am sorry to say, the es tablishment of the system of election agency in London, of which we saw sonic of the effects lately revealed in the St. Albans case, and to which I shall reserve further reference, except to say that I believe half the existing corruption at elections springs from this abominable source. Thew things occurred between the general elections of 1833 and 1837, and it is not to be wondered at, in conse quence, that there were seven cases—viz., Bridge north, Evesham, (lull, Ipswich, Peterstield, Shaftes bury, and Tynemouth —in which bribery was held to be prove d against members returned in 1837 ; besides some other cases in which the party com mittees of that day acquitted individuals who were probably as guilty. Thus we see, my lord, some of the causes of the rise and progress of the corruption which has suc ceeded the Reform Act. It began with the struggle of the great whig and tory factions; it grew with that struggle; and whilst parties were engaged in the intensity of their contest, parliament winked at the parliamentary offence. Between 1837 and 1841 there was scarcely an elec tion which was pure. In 1832 many men of compara tively small means found their way into the House of Commons. In 1810, only eight years after, so totally were the constituencies changed, that the best qualification of a candidate was length of purse. Three elections, which took place in the first days of January, 1841, were three of the most corrupt elections, probably, that ever took place in England. They were the celebrated contests for Canterbury, St. Albans, and Walsall. In each case petitions were presented against the re turn ; but only one of those petitions went to trial. At St. Albans a whig had been returned ; at Canterbury a tory ' • and the petitions in those eases were compromi sed one against the other. Such was the sacrifice, my lord, of principle to party. The generalelection of 1841 was conducted on the system which had thus become so general. The result was a crowd of petitions against returns. A very large number were tried, and no less than 17 members lost their scats for bribery. In 1837 there had been 207 contests, and only 7 members had lost their seats. In 1841 there were only 167 contests— & reduction of one.fifth—and 17 members lost their seats! This shows, I think, itself how corrup tion had spread. But even this does not present a full view of the case. By the general election of 1841, one of the great parties of the state obtained the ascendancy. That being so the great party interest which had pre viously been felt in every election contest ceased. Subscriptions to defray expenses were no longer need at the Carlton and Reform : Messrs. Croucher and Coppock were no longer sent down, with their gangs of myrmidons, to pollute the atmosphere of every borough town ; representatives were ripe for a measure that would cheapen those expenses of elec tions, that had just fallen so heavily upon their pockets: and the first thing done was to probe the evil. Well,a man was found independent enough and resolute enough to drive this matter home. Certain compromises of petitions had notoriously been made, the object being to avoid publicity ; to prevent that investigation which it wan the duty of the house to institute; to save the reputation of the corrupting agents; and either to give the electorates another op portunity of profiting by their practices, or else to hand over their representation to some one of opposite opinions to the man they had elected. But Mr. Roebuck stood forward in the House of Commons, and demanded "enquiry" into these compromises. It was granted him. A committee was appointed. It Sad an Invidious, a painful, a delicate, a difficult duty to perform. It performed it thoroughly and well ; and the result was such an exposure of cor ruption in the boroughs of Bridport, Lewes, Not tingham, Falmouth, Harwich, and Reading—so complete a conviction of all the agents as well as the principals therein—that Sir Robert Peel found it necessary to refuse to allow the members for those boroughs to take advantage of the ordinary mom of retiring from parliament, by which they proposed to effect the compromises they had entered into. To the list, therefore, of 17 members who were Strewn out for corrupt practices by the Parliamen tary Committees of 1842, your lordship must be good lecough to add nine or ten others who were con victed before Mr. Roebuck's committee, and who would too willingly have unseated themselves. Let us take a glance at the figures. Two boroughs' were convicted in 1833, 7in 1837, 14 in 1841. A fair progressive increase. I now come to the last general election—the election of 1847. It occurred at a period of no great political excitement : your lordship was in office, and.as Prime Minister, incul cated, no doubt, the principles of the Reform Act, and preached purity and morality to your treasury subordinates. 1817 was the election nearest to our own time. It is, therefore, interesting to sec what was the state of things then. I have contented myself with merely stating the results of previous inquiries : in the case of this election, however, I will give particulars. Here is a list of the towns from which petitions were presented in 1847, together with a statement of the results. ARINODON.-A most corrupt election bad taken place in this town ; the facts were to bad on both sides, that it was found necessary to compromise the petition to avoid dis- ANnovra.—A corrupt election. Petition withdrawn. AVLESBURY.—The sitting member, Mr. Deering, un seated (or wholesale treating. Brwui.ir.—Sitting member, Mr. Ireland, unseated for bribery. Bountm.—Petition tried, and the sitting member de clared to be duly elected. BOLTON. — Pet ition withdrawn. CoLcitusrza.—The petition in this case was compro mised against another that had been presented against the return of Sir John Tyrell for Essex. CAILLIIILII.—Both the sitting members unseated. CHILTSNRAW —The sitting member, Sir W. Jones, un seated, for wholesale bribery ; and his opponent afterwards unseated for the same offence. Draur.—Both the sitting members unseated for corrupt practices. Ensax, ?foam.—Petition compromised against that from Colchester. Otorcustru, Writ.—A diswraceful contest between two relatives. Vide proceedings in the House of Commons thereupon. HAIWICH.—The sitting member, Mr. Attwood, unseated for direct bribery. THE NEW REFORM BILL. (Prom the Daily Nam) TO LORD JOHN RUSSELL Lama 11. MY LorD, Having acquired cheap bread and cheap law, the people of England now seek cheap elections. Some! old whig, I dare say, will OSK himself , " Arc cheap! elections advantageous ?" I reply to that by an other question " Are electoral corrupti ons a d van t a - I geous ?" Be cause, my lord, be it always borne lin mind that expensive elections are corrupt elec tions; and as expensive elections can be borne only by the few, it follows that corrupt elections are always elections in which the choice of the electors is narrowed and restricted. What I deduce from this is, that although expensive elections may answer the purposes of party; though they may serve occasionally the objects of wealthy individuals; they are in all their effects the most disadvantageous to the liberties and independence of the people. It so, it it not to be wondered at either that an old whig should rejoice in them, or that the people should demand that you prevent them? My lord, in 1831, you told the people that you were about to introduce a bill which would put a check on the expenses of elections. That promise was a great inducement to the people to accept the measure you proposed for the Reform of Parliament. Because, my lord, at that time the expense of elec tions in a certain class of boroughs was something quite enormous. There were towns in those days in which the right of voting was possessed by a number of non-resident freemen, scattered over all parts of the country; and it was the practice to bring those freemen from every quarter of the empire to vote in the town of which they were free, entirely at the expense of the unfortunate candidate who re quired their support! The corruption which was occasioned by this system, the tricks that were played off at the candidate's expense, the enormous cost which was entailed upon him in bring ing down these voters, maintaining them during their stay, and sending them all back again ; the injustice done to the resident elector, whose voice was swamped by some one who perhaps had not been near the place for thirty years preceding these abuses, coupled with the consideration that the system placed a serious re striction upon the choice of the electorates, induced your lordship to endeavour to reform the practice altogether, even at the great and scarcely con stitutional sacrifice of every non-resident freeman's franchise. Wel', my lord, what I now propose to make the subject of inquiry is, how far the operation of the Reform Act has limited and restricted the expenses of elections? So universally concurrent is the opinion that so fur from limiting. the Itelbrm Act has abso lutely increased the expenses of elections, that a num ber of persons will think this inquiry unnecessary. I rather hope, however, before I conclude, to be able to throw some light upon the causes and consequences of these expenses, and if I do that, I shall be better able hereafter to show by what process they may best be avoided and prevented. My lord, the first fruits of the Reform Act were decidedly satisfactory, so far as regarded the expenses of elections. The general election of 1832 was, beyond all doubt, the cheapest election known in Enghind since 1688. There were no fewer than 172 contests; but if you examine the polls, you will find that, except in the counties and a certain class of old boroughs, they were for the most part hollow elections, the constituencies having made their choice either from among their own leading men, or under the influence of the strong political feelings of the time, and hat big stood by the candidates of their selection with a great amount of firmness and integrity. Let me recall to mind what were the character of the returns in the larger boroughs in 1832. Birmingham returned without woeition Mr. Thomas Attwood and Mr. Joshua lieholefield, two of the most influential ma nufacturers of the borough, and leaders of the reform movement there during the crisis pending the passing of the bill. Manches ter returned Mr. Mark Phillips, by a majo rity, and with him Mr. Poulctt 'Thompson, afterwards so distinguished as Lord Sydenham. Glasgow selected two of its own merchants, out of a list of six who presented themselves, and the two elected were returned by very great majorities. Brighton sent two of its residents. Edinburgh, which had previously been a close borough, sent to parlia ment Mr. Jeffrey and Mr. Abercrombie, two of the most distinguished men ever united in one repre sentation, and they came in with only so much oppo sition as provedthefutilityofopposing them. Finsbury returned Mr. Grant by a majority of 2,000, and sent Serjeant Spankie with him. Lambeth sent Mr. 'Tenn y son and Mr. Hawes, the first a useful, an the second a consistent politician in those days, though, now, alas, neither can answer to the character. Ilarylebone sent Mr. Portman, an ardent reformer and its greatest proprietor, and returned with him your then Attorney-General, Sir Wm. Horne, who soon ceased to be remembered. At Oldham Mr. Feilden and Mr. Cobbctt were returned, two men whose opinions were coincident, and shared by the constituency, who selected them unani mously. Stoke-upon-Trent sent its two leading manufacturers, Mr. Wedgwood and Mr. Davenport. Walsall sent its leading banker, Mr. Forster ; Wake field its most esteemed citizen, Mr. Gasket' ; Wol verhampton, a neighbouring landowner, and that ex cellent man and sound political economist, Mr. Fryer, who though almost forgotten now, may be truly called the father of corn law repeal. All these were returned without opposition, and whatever prejudice may have surmised or circulated at the time, looking back upon the records of the past with perfect freedom from party spirit, the conclusion must be arrived at that better, or purer, and in most cases sounder, selections rarely have been made. What were the exceptional cases in 1832 ? In the counties there were several severe struggles for ascendancy between the landed aristocracy of the two great parties. Mr. Western and Sir John Tyrell fought hand in hand for their respective partite in North Essex; the Grosvenor family were assailed by the tories in South Cheshire; your lordship was a party to a struggle not unattended with difficulty in South Devon; the great county families disputed hotly both divisions of Gloucestershire, and there was even a "county gentleman" opposed to the united forces of the Lambtons and the Williamson, in Durham. But the only election of this period that was spoken of as attended with remarkable expense was the contest in Berkshire, in which Mr. Walter, avowedly as one of the promoters of reform, succeeded in establishing himself as member for the county, against all the county interest arrayed for Mr. Pusey. That, no doubt, was an expensive con test; but as for the rest of the contests at that gene ral election, whether they were for counties or for those old boroughs in which the out-freemen being disfranchised the electorates were of consequence contracted and parties more equally divided—as for these, there were only about half-a-dozen in which corruption was alleged, and it is most observable that there were only two of them that were suc cessfully impugned before the House of Commons. I say, my lord, that this is a very remarkable cir cumstance. But allow me to proceed. In 183.1 there was a Scree struggle for ascendancy between the two great parties in the state. It was necessary that the conservative party in their endeavour to hold power, should contest every seat there was the remotest probability of obtaining. At this election boroughs were invaded which, for an entire century preceding, bad returned some member of one family without a semblance of opposi tion. Well, my lord, tho election of 1832 had produced two successful petitions against candidates guilty of corruption : how many did the election of 1833 produce? There was the case of Ipswich, a case rendered very scandalous by the conduct of certain parties engaged in it ; and there was the case of Canterbury, in which one of the Ling members was unseated for corruption. The ear turn for Windsor was impugned, but it was on odor grounds. This is the entire list of ewes de cided upon unfavourably by the Hesse ef Oar mons, and arising: out of the general election of 1835. Now, my lord, I am far Prom saying that that else. lion was a pure one ; compared with 1832 it was exceedingly corrupt. But what Ido say is this, that there was at that time far less corruption than has since become the regular attendant at elections, and that the parliament of England—as was shown In the cases of Stafford and of Ipawich--entertained a iliTliE.—A very corrupt election Mon the p art the loring candidate, Baron M. de Bothachill. P eti tion b. drawn. HORSIIAII.—The sitting member, Mr. J. Jervis, ion of vour own late Attorney-General, unseated; his opponent elected in his stead, and also unseated for wholesale bribery at this election. LONDON.—Flagrant bribery alleged against the agents of your lordship, and the Baron L. de Rothschild. A peti tion presented against the latter, which was compromised. Lira ILEUlS.—Petition tried, and very flagrant facts eli cited, especially as they regarded the losing candidate. I shall have on another occasion to refer to the report of the Committee on this entr. LANCASTelt.—Sitting member unseated for corruption. LUCE-STEIL—Both the sitting members unseated. Ltxtui,r. Sitting member unseated for personal bribery I believe on strange evidence, and that he was "sold." MALDON.—A moat infamous election. The losing candi date, Mr. Q. Dick, by several degrees the worst. Petiti o n withdrawn. NARLOW.—AIto a cry infamous election. Petition withdrawn. MONTOONIERY.—A double return. One of the members resigned, and the petition was not proceeded with. MoNswurlisitine.—Warmly contested by twu relatives Petition withdrawn NOTTINGIIAIL—retition presented, but not proceeded with. NEWCASTLE.I7NDER-LYWlL—Petition not proceeded with, the losing candidate, Lord Draekley, having obtained his election for the county. STAFFORD.—Rather better than usual, but Ptill a corrupt election on the part of the Pitting members. I'etition with drawn. STOCCPORT.—Petition presented alleging bribery and treating. Withdrawn. W•taALL—Petition presented and withdrawn, the losing candidate not bein - .; at that time in a position, thiancially, to proceed with it. WESTBURT.—A very corrupt election; one candidate as bad as the other. The sitting member one of your lord ship's government. Petition withdrawn. W Mint: TH.—Eight thousand pounds spent on each side. One of the sitting members, Mr. Christie, obliged to resign before presentation of the petition, and let in his adversary, in order to avoid exposure and says his party. Received compensation from your lordship's government in the shape of a colonial appointment. YAIMOUTH.—Buth the sitting members unseated for bribery. An extremely bad case. Here are 32 eases of petitions presented, alleging corrupt practices. There were eight other eases in which this corruption was notorious—the cases, namely of &vertex, 1) ever, llastings, Pontefract, Shrewsbury, St. Albans, Totneas, and Wallingford. In all these cases, however, the losing candidates had been equallyguilty or several degrees worse than the sitting members. There were also at this eke. tion eight Irish, and one Scotch petition, but these I have left out of the calculation. Adding all these to gether, I should produce a total of nearly fifty in stances of corruption. But I take merely those cases in which petitions were presented. They show, my lord, that the progress of corruption has been suffici ently In 183.3 In 1837 In 1841 In 1847 With these figures before you, I leave your lord ship to determine how far the second declared object of the Reform Bill has been effected—namely, the diminution of the expenses of elections, and the pre vention of corruption among our constituencies. I am, my lord, your obedient servant, RUNNY MEDE. •tje Court. OSBORNE, MONDAY. Her Majesty, Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the Princess Royal, attended by the Wks and gentle men of the household, were present at divine service at Whiniiingliarn Church, yesterday morning. The Env. T. Protherue otlici4ted. A deputation from the trustees of Essex Turnpike Trusts, consisting of Sir John Wood, Messrs. Tower, Cox, Dixon, Fisher, Hobbs, Brewster, Tobor, and Codd (clerk to the trustees), bud an interview with Sir George Grey, yester day, at the llome•cittice. Sir Gaspard Le Murchant had an interview with Earl Grey, at the Colonial-oftice, yesterday. Mr. Currie, M.P., had also nn interview with the noble earl. The Oxford University Commission had a meeting yes terday at the official residence of the First Lord of the Treasury, in Downing -street. Present : the Bishop of Nor wich, the Dean of Carlisle, the Muster of Pembroke, the Rev. 13. J. Liddell, J L. Dampier, Esq., the Pro fessor Powell, the Rev. G. if. S. Johnson, and the Rev. A. P. Stanley (secretary). Lord Monteaglo transacted business, yesterday, at the Railway Department of the Board of Trade. Despatches were sent off, yesterday, from the Colonial office, to the Governors of the Cape of Good Hope and Sierra Leone. THE WI PLAY. Last night the great event of the year in West minster School came off by the performance of the " Eunuchus "of Terence. To it the students look forward with the greatest interest and anxiety, and no inconsiderable amount of training has to be gone through in order that "the actors" may acquit themselves creditably of the parts assigned to them. Tuere are not wanting many persons— rationalists in education—who object that too much of the students' time is lust in the endeavour to master a single , author ; but, on the other hand, there have been most suc cessful teachers, who maintain that the very best means of acquiring a precise and ready knowledge of a language is to become perfectly familiar with some one of its best authors. A more serious objection is, perhaps, the selection of Terence for such a purpose, who though acknowledged on all hands to be a writer of the purest Latin, abounds in situations and passages of which modern taste does not approve. However, if in obedience to a time honoured custom the Westminster alumni must wear the sock and buskin fur a few nights previous to the Christmas holidays, the limited range of the Greco-Roman drama leaves the authorities very little choice in the matter. The language of Plautus is too antiquated and impure, and his raillery is too coarse, to be made the object of modern representation, although his roughorude, Itoman style is unquestionably more true to the character of the people before whom his plays were to be acted than that of his successor. Terence, on the other hand, lived on terms of easy familiarity with some of the first patrician families of Rome, and his pieces are adapted from the period of the New Comedy, in which the domestic life of the Athenians was represented with less exaggeration and less personality than in that of the Middle Comedy, which Plautus for tho most part imitated. It should always be remembered, in witnessing a play of Terence, that, although we hear the Roman tongue, we ale never brought face to face with Roman ideas, Roman mariners, or ROM= character. Everything—the inner spirit and the outward form, even to costume and locality —is Grecian, and for the most part Athenian ; and it is unde niable that not a single new character was added by the Roman playwrights to those they found already existing. The " Eunuchus," for instance, is a mere copy of Monan der's play of the same name, the two principal characters, Guatho and Tiaras°, being dovetailed in from tho Kolas of the same author. The characters were distributed last night as follows : Phredria Mr. G. de L. Lacy; l'arnuno, Mr. G. B. Macilwain ; Thais, Mr. F. H. Hodgson; Guatho, Mr. 8. Joyce; Chorea, Mr. W. G. Armitstead (captain of the school) ; Pythias, Mr. Q. W. F. Twigs; Chretnes,Mr. V. T. Green; Dorian, Mr. H. Lipscomb; Duras, Mr. C. W. Fendall; Sonya, Mr. A. F. A. Slade; Sophrona, Mr. F. H. It. Hewitt; lathes, Mr. B. Somerville. Mutm Per sona: l'anspAila, Mr. E. Wodehouse ; &walk), Mr. J. G. Edwards; Loma, Mr. H. Salwcy ; Syriscus, Mr. A. L. °allow ; AnciUa "Ethinps, Mr. R. f. Waters; Ancilla, Mr. H. W. Harrison. We have only to add that the acting was in the usual style of excellence manifested by the " Westminster Boys," although the play does not afford as many salient points u the " Andria," which was the play of the pre ceding year. The Guatho of Mr. Joyce was a rich and unctuous personation, and the CAserea of Mr. Armitstead had all the order and vehemence required in the delinea tion of that character. The l'yelsias of Mr. Twins nested much laughter, and the whole performance amply merited the plaudite with which the play concludes. ST. CROSS HOSPITAL—In consequence of the de fect in Lord Guilford's title to the legal Mastership of St. Cross Hospital, to which we recently called public atten tion, a memorial has been presented to Sir A. Cockburn, the Attorney-General, praying him to take immediate steps for compelling Lord Guilford to refund the lay profits and immense Sties he has for the last 42 years so unjatly appro priated to himself, and also for the appointment of a re ceiver under the Court of Chancery for the purpose of stop- ping the existing maladministration and abuses of the . . hospital until the new scheme is prepared and confirmed by the court. REPRESENTATION OP NORTH DURUAM.—Mr. R. D. Studio, one of the members fur the northers division of the county of Durham, having intimated his intention of retiring from parliament, whenever a dissolution takes Elam, • requisition has been presented to G. H. Russell, Esq., that he will allow himself to be put nomination. Mr. Russell is son of the Hon. Hainaut Russell, of Brancepeth, near Durham, and is a liberal in politics. • REPRESENTATION OF GREENWICH.—Last evening Mr. Montagu Chambers, Q.C. addressed a numerous body of the liberal electors at the Lecture Hall, Greenwich, upon the principles on which he proposes to ask their suffrages at the expected election consequent upon the acceptance by Admiral Dundss of the command of the Mediterranean beet. 11;... -- as --- fo;aboiiti;n of property qualifications of members, the equalisation of eleetorel districts, household suffrage, the ballot, and short parliaments. The meeting resolved that Mr. Chambers was a proper person for elec• tion to parliament. EAST INDIA COLLEGE, lIAILEYI3URY. Yesterday the half-yearly examination of the stu dents of this college took piece before the directors of the East India Company. Mr. the chairman of the company, presided. There were present—Sir J. W. Hogg, Bart. M.P., deputy-chairman, and the following directors: dr. William Wigram, Lieutenant-Geueral Sir James L. Lushington, (LC 8., Sir Henry Willock, Mr. W. 11. C. Plowdcn, M.P., Mr. E. Macnaghten, Mr. W. J. Eastwick, Major-General Caulfeild, C. 11., Mr. Wil liam Dent, Mr. J. 11. Astell, Sir Richard Jenkins, Major J. A. Moore. Visitors—Sir John Herschel. Bart., Lieutc naut-tienerel Barr, Right Huu. Dr. Lushingtou, Rev. ChM. Lane, Mr. George l'almer, Rev. Moore Brabazon, Mr. T. N. Waterilcld, Mr. J. ACrawford, Colonel Sim. Major Chase, Lieutenant-Colonel Abbott, C. 8., Rev. W. Lock wood, Rev. William Baxter, Peer Ibraheem Khan, Syed Abdoollah, Lieutenant Cook, ILA.. Senior Professor of Fortification, Addiscombe, and Mr. T. It. Clarke, of the cadet department, East India House, who was warmly con gratulated by his numerous friends upon the distinguished position achieved by his son, Mr. H. It. Clarke; Sir John Herschel also received many congratulations upon the bril liant success attained by his son, now in his second term at the college. The following civilians at Rome were also present : Mr. N. Cust, Mr. C. T. Le WC Mr. A. J. Bellaeis, Mr. George Cooper, and Mr. Bransby Cooper. On arriving at the college the directors were received by the Hie. Henry Melvin, the principal, whose report is sub joined : " The principal has much satisfaction in being able to report to the hon. the Finance and Home Committer, that all the 20 students constituting the fourth term have been found duly qualified for quitting the college. 19 of these have displayed an amount of proficiency exceeding that which is demanded by the statutes, and many of the num ber deserve very high commendation far the attainments shown in various departments. At an early stage of the examination two students, being detected iu unfairness, were immediately punished with loss of term, so that only 61 are to be considered as having gone through the exami nation ; of these only two base failed to present the amount of proficiency required for keeping the term. The remain ing 62 have peeved with various degrees of merit, but a very large proportion have displayed a greater than the ne cessary proheieuey, 43 being returned as highly distinguished, audit as having passed with great credit. It is satisfactory to observe that, though some students have laden themselves with prizes, there has been a great amount of competition for these rewards, no fewer than 11l having obtained the honourable distinction of prizemen. The important subject of English composition continues to receive a very marked attention •, aS essays were sent in by competitors for the prize, so that more than two thirds of the students volun tarily undertook a great additional labour. Many of these exercises were highly creditable to the authors, and evince both ability and industry. With regard more particularly to the Oriental classes, the visitor remarks that they do not call fur any special notice ou the present occasion. The two senior terms have maintained the character which they have hitherto deserved ; and the two junior, although not distinguished by many instance a of more than usual ability, have exhibited a very creditable amiunt of steady applica tion. !The fourth term offers, in all the languages studied, a few cases of great proficiency ; and it may be observed that, of the five students who have that mark in Sanscrit, four have the same mark in two other languages also; one has the medal awarded to him fur Sanscrit and Tilougo, another for Hindustani. In the third term there is a similar accumulation of honours. Of the live students who stand first in Sanscrit, four have also the mark of great proficiency in Persian and Hindustani. All the senior students of this term have distinguished themselves by the very great amount of their extra reading voluntarily added to the amount required fur pass ing the statutory examination. Two have also added to their studies very respectable proficiency in Ilindi ; and one of these has further added to his acquirements a creditable knowledge of Bengali. At the same time it cannot be dented that both the senior terms have a considerable pro-1 portion of students whose attainments only just secure them' against absolute failure. With at most two exceptions, the students of the second term have not displayed auy great aptitude fur the acquirement of languages, time being but one instance of great proficiency in Sauserit, and two in , Persian. The student who is at the head of both these ' classes has added to his attainments a knowledge of a third language, Arabic, very respectable for the time during which lie has been able to prosecute the study. The stu dents of the first term have all mode considerable progress in the elements of Sar,scrit, their only subject of Oriental study. The principal has great satishiction in being able to report to the committee that the term lies, on the whole, been passed in remarkable quietness and good order. The great body of the students have conformed themselves, in a most praiseworthy manner, to the rules and regulations of the place; and no occasion has arisen which has caller. for any severe exercise of authority. (Signed) Itemise MEL. VILL. P.C.-I)ce. . _ Alter teceiving the above report, and the reports of the professors, the directors proceeded to the hall of the college, where the visitors and students had previously as sembled. Mr. HOPE read his English prize essay on the ques tion, " How far is it dtoirable for governments to leave works of national utility to private enterprise ?" Mr. lionmas then read translations iuto Teloogoo and Sanserit. Mr. OuFELET read a translation into Persian, and Mr. Moore into liindustani. Mr. HOOPER, of the College Department, read the follow ing hat of— MEDALS, PRIZES, AND OTHER HONOURABLE DISTINC TIONS OP STUDENTS LEAP/NO COLLEGE, DECEM BER, 1851. Norman, highly distinguished with medals in classics ; ditto Sanscrit ; ditto Teloogoo. Moore, highly distinguished with medal in Political Economy and History ; ditto, Hin dustani ; prize, Sanscrit ; ditto, Hindi. Lane, highly dis tinguished with medal in law. Master, highly distin guished with prize in Teloogoo. Johnston, highly distin guished with medal in Mathematics. Lawrence, highly distinguished with prize in Classics ; ditto, Persian. Ouseley, highly distinguished with medal in Persian. Duff, highly distinguished with prize in Hindustani. Stack, Clarke, IVeeding, Lindsay, 11. E. Cockerell, Sandwith, Davidson, Warden, Chase, highly distin guished. Hon. A. Eden, Sherwood—passed with great credit. PRIZES AND OTHER HONOURABLE DISTINCTIONS OP STUDENTS ItERAININO IN COLLEGE. ..... Third Term.—Lushington, highly distinguished with prize in Law; ditto, Sanscrit. Waterfield, highly distin guished, with prize in ChilohiCY ; ditto, Mathematics • ditto, Bengali. Hope, highly distinguished with prize in Classics ; ditto, Political Economy and History; ditto, Mohmtta ; ditto, for the best English E.say. Chapman, highly distin guished with prize in Persian, Jenkins, highly distin• guished with prize in Mathematics. CunlitTe, highly dis tinguished with prize in Hindustani. Grant, Plowden, Ravenshaw, Simeon, Tod, Thornhill, Macnaghten—highly distinguished. Sim, Money, Hinny, Melvide, Pasley—passed with great credit. Second Tenn.—Herschel, highly distinguished with priac in Mathematics ; ditto, l'olitical Economy and History ; ditto, Law ; ditto, Sanscrit ; ditto, Persian ; ditto, Arabic. Doyle, highly distinguished with prize in Classics. Grey, lirskia, R. L. Mangles, Wigram, l'Amer—highly distinguished. Hay, H. A. Cockerell, White, Tayler—passed with great credit. Fist Term.—Barr, highly distinguished with prize in Law. H. A. Mangles, highly iLstinguished with prize in Classics; ditto, Mathematics. Hardingc, highly distin guished with prize in &merit. Molony, Malcolmson, Gold- Ingham, highly distinguished. Macnabb, Daniell, Clifford, passed with great credit. BANE OP STUDENTS LEAVING COLLEGE, LICENSEE, 1851. BENGAL. First Class.-I.William Richard Moore ; 2. Thomu Bruce Lane; 3. William Johnston; 4. George Henry Lawrence; 6. Joseph David Ousrley. Second Class.-6. Henry Edmund Cockerel'; 7. Henry Robert Clarke; 8. Henry Minchin Chase; 9. William Christopher Sherwood ; 10. The lion Ashley Eden. No third class. MADRAS. First Class.-1. Martin Norman; 2. John Henry Master. Second Clau.-3. Robert Davidson; 4. George Vans Alg ow. o third class. BONBAT._ Fint Class.—l. John Wi lliam Stack; 2. Thomas Weed ing; 3. Ilugh B.rlow Lindsay; 4. James Adam Gordon Duff. Second Class.-5. John Lodwick Warden ; 6. William Sandwith. No third class. The CHAIRMAN then addressed the students as follows : Gentlemen Students—lt is very gratifying to me that on this, the last occasion of m addressing you, I am enabled to congratulate you, and al l interested in this college, on the satisfactory termination of the present term. I sea glad to find that the whole number of the fourth term have been found duly qualified to quit college ; that out of 20 (the number of the term) no fewer than 17 are returned " highly distinguished," and that two oat of the remaining three have passed with great credit. I find also the same fa vourable proportion of merit both in the third and first terms, and only • slight diminution of that proportion in the second. Were it not therefore for the circumstance of four students having lost their terms, my duty this day would have been one of unalloyed pleasure. The forfeiture of the term on the part of two, I understand, to have been caused by their using unfair means for endeavouring to pass the prescribed examinations. I must say I can feel no sympathy for those individuals. Such conduct—such a want of that proper self respect and high mindedness which ought to characterise students at this college richly deserves the exposure and punishment which it has met with. But, gentlemen, I will not dwell on this untoward i event. The report upon the whole is highly satisfactory. 43 students out of 61 have been retu rn ed as highly distinguished, and 14 of the remaining number have passed with great credit. Moreover, we are assured that the term has passed 1 in remarkable quietness and good order ; that the great body of the stud= s have conformed themselves in a most praiseworthy manlier to the rules and regulations of 1 the college; and that r.o occasion has arisen which has called for any severe exercise of authority. Such a report, I repeat, ts highly satisfactory to all interested in our success, and creditable to this institution; and I beg to tender the best thanks of the Court of Directors to the reverend principal, the dean, and professors, for their zealous and successful labours in furtherance of the great objects we have in view. When I speak of those interested in this college, it is impossible to limit or confine our thoughts to those of our friends in this country. In teresting as the occasion hoc been to us al—thrioe interest- I log as it has been to the parents and friends of those who have distinguished themselves—yet we must admit that these examinations are still more vitally interesting in their effects to the people of India, whose welfare anti happiness, under Gal's providence, are so deeply involved in the suc cess of the, establishment ; indeed, I may r ay in the success and character of each of jtou individually. %Viten we think of the vast population of British India, exceeding in num ber 120,000,000 soul'., we cannot resist feelings of intense anxiety and hope on every occasion on which we meet here for the purpose of sending forth those to whom are to be confided such extended and important trusts. That the various duties of the civilian in India are such as may lie truly said to involve in every act of their perform ance the happiness of the people is, I hope, obvious and intelligible to you all. It was this grave and important truth that induced the Emit India Company to raise this structure and to appoint the teamed of the land for the in struction of the civilian. It is our thorough conviction of this fact which induces our continuous and anxious desire that those whom we send forth fur such important purposes should he men eminent, not only for their talents and en larged views, but for their sound and substantial virtues, and, above all, that they should be men animated with • sincere desire to promote the great objects of our govern meat, the prosperity of India, and the happiness of its people. The chairman concluded some further lengthy observations as follows I must not forget to mention that one very necessary accessory to prompt and efficient dis charge of public business is care and circumspection in the management of your own private affairs. Nothing is more hazardous to the prospects of a young civilian than any em barrassment in pecuniary affairs. If once tolerated, even fur a few months at the commencenient of his career, the probability is that it will go on increasing, till at last it becomes a serious ohstaele to his preferment. Debts will paralyse your energies, destroy your feelings of indepen dence, and create towards you, in the mind of others, that mistrust and want of confidence which will prove a fatal barrier to your employment in any position uf responsibility and importance. With what propriety can government en trust the management of the important lanes of others to those who cannot manage their own? Resolve, therefore, that nothing shall induce you to incur expenses greater than your income will afford. Treat with scorn that absurd notion which sometimes takes possession of weak minds, I that young men in your position will he respected in proportion to the amount of your disbursements. The fact is exactly the reverse. Remember that the honour of your country and the good of the people) of India are the great objects of your mission, and that in forwarding them, you adopt the surest method of establishing your own finite and future reputation. Re member that the strength and security of our government in India rest upon the attachment of the people to our rule; that this attachment must be retained by a strict adherence to principles of honour, justice, and goal faith; and that each of you, in your several stations, will he expected to exhibit and develop those principles in your daily walk, and more particularly in the discharge of your public duties. These objects will be effectually attained, if, under the blessing of Clod, you earn. etly desire to accomplish them. I nay "under the blessing of Clod" not merely as words of course; I believe most earnestly that on all occa sions—in matters of great importance or of small import ance—in questions of public duty or of a private nature— you should anxiously seek that the blessing of God should attend you. It is the highest test by which you van try the propriety and pewity of your actions aril motives. Truitt not, therefore, to your own strength, but seek support daily and habitually of Him who will prover the I . :detaill exer tions of those who put their trust in hint. (Applause.) At the dejetiner which immediately followed the examina tion, the chairman proposed, as the sole toast, t. The Rev. the Principal, the Dean, and the Professors of the College, and success to their labours." The Rev. Principal hexing returned thank!, . . Th, company broke up, and at about ihrec o'clock the company lett Haileybury to return to Linden by special train. CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT. THIS DAY. OLD COURT. lirroan TM. Itvcom.a. CHAVLOE OF PRUJUItY. The case of Harriet Anne Newman. was resumed this morning. Evidence was adduced to show that in the morning of the Ist of April the prisoner was found by a police-constable in the street in a state of stupor and insensibility, and sh e was removed by him to the Royal Free hospital in Gray's-inn-lane, where she remaised for several days before she was sufficiently recovered to be removed to her own home. Avronling to the tee timony of the nurse who had charge of her, the prisoner appeased to be at first utterly incompetent to answer any questions that were put to her ; but at length s'ie did make a statement confirmatory of the charte she had originally made. According to the evidence of this witness, however, it appeared that an impression at first prevailed that the prisoner was labouring under the elkets of exec Wier drink ing, and there did not appear to be any suspicion that she had been drugged; and on cross-exatuistatiou sho said that when the person of the prisoner was examined no appearances were discovered to show that she had had any assault committed upon tier. A witness named Dewey, stated that on the night of the Ist of April be saw Day and the young man Roberts in the gallery of the Standard Theatre, and he heard Day say to Roberts that he had had a fine lark with u gill on the previous night, and that he had driven her about to different places in a cab. Mrs. Roberts, the mother of the prisoner's husband, stated that Day also made a similar admission to her. George Allen, a police-constable, who took Day into cus tody, proved that the prisoner identified him the moment she saw him, and declared that he was the man who had committed the outrage upon ber. The prisoner, it appeared, asserted his innocence at the time, and said that those who were right would nut have to suffix, but those were wrong would do so. Remy Redmond, formerly a police sergeant, deposed that he had known the witness Woodfield for In coral years, and from what be had seen of her he would clot be lieve her on her oath. This was the case for the prisoner. .. • Mr. Rohl!lwa replied. The Recorder having summed up, the jury after deli berating about half an hour, returned a verdict of Guilty. BANK OF ACsritALASlA.—Yesterdity the half yearly meeting of this company was held ut the ottiees in Austin-friars, to receive a statement from the directors. 0. Ferrer, Esq., took the chair. —The report, after briefly adverting to the gold discoveries in New South Wales, stated that the affairs of the bank continue steadily to im prove, and informed the proprietors that, unless twee 'meted information of on untoward character front the colonies should require them to alter their resolution, it is the intention of the directors in April next to increase the yearly dividend upon the capital stock of the corporation from four to five per cent. The chairman alluded to the improved state of their affairs, and considered that the hank was never in a better position than at present. They had gone through very much suf fering and extraordinary trials, during which time, how ever, the directors haul not lost the confidence of the great body of proprietor'. He concluded by moving the adoption of the report, which was seconded by Mr. Josiah Wilson, and after a few remarks from Mr. Soren% Gaselee, carried unanimously. The meeting then adjourned. DEATH OF MAJOR J. D. BROWN, UNATTACHED.— Major Brown, late of the 79th Regiment, died in Scotland on the Bth instant. Ile served with the list Regiment in Holland in ISM and was present at the storming of Bergem op-Zoom. The late Major Brown's commission, were dated as follows: Ensign in 1813, lieutenant in 181.1, cap tain in 1894, and major in 1832, in which year he was placed on the unattached half-pay list. FATAL SCAFFOLD ACClDENT.—Yesterday Mr. W. Payne, the coroner, received information of the following fatal accident :—Several men were employed on a lofty scaffold, erected iu front of some new houses at Croydon, when one orthem, Philip Phillips, aged 51, by some means, lost hie equilibrium, and fell to the basement of the build ing. Surgical and other assistance was immediately ren dered to the unfortunate man, who had received very seri ous and extensive injury to the spine. He was subsequently taken to St. Thomaa's Hospital, where he died jesterday, from the effects of the injuries. The body awaits an in quest. The deceased has left a wife and family. TILE LATE FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION AT SOUND WELL, NEAR Bunco/L.—The coroner's inquest on the body of Thomas Waller, who died in consequence of the injuries he received by the explosion of a steam-boiler, at the Sound well Lower Colliery, near Bristol, was commenced yester da at the Tennie-court Tavern, Warmley, before W. J. Ellis, Esq., coroner fur the lower district of the county. The body basing been viewed, as also the scene of the ex plosion, endemic evidence taken as to the identity, the in quiry was adjourned, in order to afford time to receive a reply from the Secretary of State to the communication which had been addressed to that functionary by the coroner. UNIVERSITY POLlCE.—According to an annual statement issued by the Vice-Chancellor, the expenses of this establishment amounted to 1,400'.-0.1/iird Hera d. SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY--Groaa Traffic Receipts for week ending 'December 13, 1851 10,2331. 4 , ‘. ltd.; ditto December 14, 18-50, 9,3141.05. 3d. Increase in 1851, 919 L 4s. 6d. DERBYSHIRE, STAFFORDSHIRE, AND WORCESTER NOR! RAILWAY.—This company have just made a call of 11. per share, making 41. 10s. called up, with no railway yet commenced. - STATISTICS OF CONVICTS IN VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. —Yesterday some interesting returns were given in a parlia mentary paper, respecting the condition of convicts in Van Diemen's Land. Since July 1850 , 1.64t9 convicts arrived in the colony. On the Ist of January, 1815, there were 29,191 convict. in Van Diemen 's Lana, of which 9,392 were holders of tickets of leave. In April, 1847, the number was 30,701. Is the following year the number was 26,614, and in De cember, 1848, the number was further reducto to 25,469; whilst in December, 1849, the number was 22,487, and on the 31st of December last the number was 21,437. On the 10th of December, 1849, there were 10,744 persons who h, Id tickets of leave ; and on the 30th of June last year 10,937, of whom 10,578 were not maintained by government, in which number there were 9,415 males and 1.163 females. In 1844-5 the expense of the convict service in Van Die men's Land was 175,4661. 2e. 94., and the cunvicts' labour and sale of old stores, 20,2151. 14s. 7d. ; leaving the ex pense 155,2501. Bs. 2d. Last year the gross expense was 133,1801. Is. 65. ; and the convict labour, etc. produced 13,9361. 18s. 6d, leaving the net expense 119,2444.65. lir he • Is sul Oa 4 as 7 - ass tie Ma had ipag Isms rely is 6.- mid ear i ii . i be Is to be IM