The Express. — London, England, 1847-01-16 00:00:00

NEW NAVAL SONG.—" A HEALTH to QUEEN VICTORIA." The Words and Mash) by the RIMS. 111.. or MILItCIi AMC Price One Shitho. se• St. Bri•te's Arebue Pabliehod at the °See of the Music Book, NI, Meet-street - _ ADAMS'S ELEVENTH ANNUAL BALL, at W11.i.1 CS IttsollS, James s.—Mr. Thomas Allan. has C; h aiior amounie ta 111 , ine:LLou patrons that his BENEFIT B ILL will take place at the shave Itoosis., on TUES DAY, the 2n4 of rebroar, next, when hie, celebrated Band, patrealmed tri ... the Royal F - amily , will be in attendance. Gentian. Tickets, I 6d. ; Eddies', inclaillnk Refre.hineuta ;to be had of Mr. Adam.. 77, John-greet, Otsroy-squire ; of Mr. N. Henderson, KC, 71, Newman...Usti, Oifordatreet ; end at the MOMS. Mors open at Nine o'cloek. CALEDONIAN sower Y'S BAL L.—Chin ANNUAL FULL DRESS and FANCY COSTUME ASSEMBLY take place at the lIANOVEIL-,SQUARE ARE-ROOMS, on THURADAY, Pcb. lI.—T ckets tan only be had of the Stewards, a list of whom may be obtained on application at the rooms. 41, Abehurch-hoer, City. W. SHAND LOW, Han. Seeretare. SAORED HARMONIC SOCIETY, EXETER ILALL—On TVE4DAY EVENING NEXT, Jan. 19, WO, will be performed HAYDN% ORATORIO. TILE CREATION. Principal Vocal Performers —Mies Birch, Mr. Lackey, and Mr. U. Phillips. The Band and Chorus will eonie,t of abase 500 Perfumers. 3a. each; Reserved Scots, be., may be &noised of the prin. sipal Mtaiicasellera; of Mr. Rowley, b 3, Charing-cress Mr. Rawl ltd, Strand; or of Mr. Mitchell, 39. Charine-crass, THOMAS BREWER, Hoe. Bea. rjNG LISII MUSIC, EXETER-HALT.. The Committee of the , Mullah Testimonial Fund beg le ive to sum canoe a Series of FOUR CONCERTS, illustrative of the History of Enititah Vocal 11u.. e. A New Organ will be erected by Mr. Robson azpreeely for Bow. concerts; an etlicient Orchestra will also be pro. vklevl for the Second, Third, and Fourth o:swerta The FIRST CON. cERT will be leek( on MONDAY EVENING NEXT, January IS. Prim pit Vocal Performers:—'lie Rainforth, Miss DAV, Mr. Madsen', an 1 Mr. ladles . . Ticket.—lnn, for the writs, ; western gallery. 3e. Gd., for the wri.-s, Ida Cd.; referred seam 7s„ for the series. 31s. —may be hod of Mr. Porter, publisher, 145, West sitrond, and of the principal rEATIIE ROYAL, ADELPHI. Glorious AIIIEWITCIIt —Decided hit of the new splendid Romantic of "Columba, the Corsican Sfster." laid week of the wonder afl the ape, the celebrated " Entortilationists." and the magnificent Fry Spetexle of the " Phantom Dancers.".—Duriag the week the maccensful tiro Remount Drama of COLOWIIA, TUE CORSICAN OUTER. With the extraordinary I:ntortilationists in their Im/sier ra JEUX GTtINt.TIQUFS. To conclude with the PHANTOM DANCERS, or the Wilia Bride. prto.o. MAILS. The mans for \lgo. Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, Calle, and Gibraltar, will be outle it'd on the reaming of Orr. 18th January. 'Abe west tali.. mats, excluding .bone for ',lexica Honduras, and the Ifavannah, will In' mae up on the morning of the lath Jams,. Th- overland trails, for Gibraltar, Greeee, the lonian fiends, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, Hoag-Kong, and China, vire Souttiamptou, will be made up 01 the evening of the fath January. The overlie.' closed mails, rim Marseilles, to the 'Mediterranean, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, Hong Kong, will be made up on the evenina of the 25th January. The mails for New 'loath Walt's, Can Di 011114 1 •0 Lind, and New Zealand will he made up on the evening of the (let January. The mails for 'Pita* North .tmenea, Bermuda, rind the United States, will be made up on the evening at the ord February. The mails for me Brazils, the River Plate, Monte Val.°, Pernam buco, Bahia. Ma lr.ra, and ltuerew Ayres, will be dlepatrhed on the evening of the 4th February. TO CORRESPONDENTS. a. intended for The gepre3e, Landon erring paper, 3hice by Tiro o'clock on the der of publication. • Adeertfretuel =YU be at the the wit to comprehend it. The feed may still rage between the followers of Lord GEORGE and those of Sir Roam., but that feud will never go through a septennial, nor even a triennial period. And the elec tors of England must take care, lest, in trustill their interests for certain purposes to a specious and ambiguous partisan, they may not forget and pre:lude all chance of reform and of a general policy, more vital and important, in the future. Mall WATER AT LONDON.BRIrKIE. Tom Der. —Mormon, 11 run. put 1; Afternoon, 243 min. put 1. Toaloanow—Morning, 59 min. pert 1; Afternoon, 23 min. put 2. THERE is no official body of which England has more just reason to be proud than of the judges of her superior courts. Few circumstances better in dicate the improvement in our administration of justice, than a comparison of the bench and the bar wider Ettzserrn or CHARLES 11., and the same func tionaries under Vic - roma. We cannot even conceive at this day a BACON accepting a bribe, a JEFFREYS cracking his obscure jokes and perverting law and justice from the bench, or a COKE, as counsel for the crown, browbeating a state criminal from the bar. Tne grounds of con fidence in our judges are as sound, as the feeling itself is important to the cause of order and justice amongst us. While so much of the law of England is judge-made, we have in the occupants of the bench not only administrators, but fountains of for mal justice. They may furnish, besides, the cor rection, up to a certain point, of a most com plex, antique, and cumbrous legal system. They may check the petulance, and guard the dignity of the bar, over which they preside. Temper, prudence, and acuteness, have enabled them, on the whole, to fulfil these high duties with credit. Tho performance of them has, it is true,- been endan gered from time to time by petty personal pique, or inveterate habits of advocacy. We have no wish to revive either the reality or the recollection of the scenes between a BROUGHAM and a SUDDEN; or even the extrajudicial warmth of an ABINOER. We are the more surprised to find in the Court of Exchequer a trace of what we hoped had disappeared with its last Chief Baron. In a cause which came on for a new trial, Sir FREDERICK POLLOCK stated, in the presence of the jury who were to try the issue, that the defendant had no chance of success, and that it would be " insanity " to call witnesses in his behalf. Mr. COCKBL'RN, counsel fur the defendant, after protesting against the use of such ex pressions by a judge in the hearing of the jury, withdrew from the court, leaving his client unrepre sented. His witnesses of course were not examined, and the result was a verdict against him, with ht avier damages than in the former trial. In common, we believe, with all who have taken part in, or watched the proceedings of the court over which he presides, we have the highest respect for Sir FREDERICK POLLOCK. But we cannot allow this feeling to stand in the way of an expression of regret and astonishment that the Chief Baron should have so far forgotten himself on this occasion. His defence that "the remark was made, not upon the merits of the case, but with reference to all actions of the same description," is insufficient; there can be no doubt that to the minds of the jurors it implied a conviction that the defendant is this par ticular action " had not a leg to stand upon." It was a prejudgment of the case to their apprehensions, whatever the Chief Baron might have meant by it. At best, and taking his owe explanation, he prejudged, not thin case alone, but all of the same character. Under these circumstances Mr. COCKBURN seems to us to have acted with propriety in withdrawing from the conduct of the cause. The Chief Baron declares that his intention was to give a piece of personal advice to the bar. Mr. COCKBURN suggests with propriety "that personal advice to members of the Bar should be given pri vately, and not publicly." Mr. Baron ALDERSON does not approve of Mr. COCKBURN'S pointed rebuke of his learned chief. lie asks the counsel " why he did not good-humouredly inquire of the learned judge whether he meant to pronounce any opinion upon the merits of the defend ants' case, instead of retiring from the court?" Now it is all very easy to recommend good humour under the strongest provocation, but not so easy to follow the prescription. Here is a counsel charged with what is tantamount to "insanity." He is repre sented to the jury as either one of those desperate defenders, unscrupulous about the merits of his case, or us a blind buzzard, who cannot see when it is hopeless. Ile may take his choice of fool or knave. Neither imputation is pleasant ; and we cannot see why counsel are to be blamed, if; instead of " good humouredly asking for an explanation," they act as Mr. COCKBURN acted on this occasion. If they did so oftener it might impose a check on that " cacoethes loquendi," which is the besetting sin of more than one of the judges. We can conceive salutary effects fol lowing such a practice, occasionally, in any of the Vice-Chancellors' courts, and in others besides the Exchequer. It must be remembered that the affront is not only personal to the counsel. If it were,dignity us well as duty would recommend silence, or one of those stinging retorts which atop further altercation, and no more. But here the client is assailed as well as the counsel. The cause is prejudiced before hearing by the man who sits to hear it. This is something more than bad taste in the judge. It is dereliction of duty. It is not the meaning of the Chief Baron, but the effects of his expressions that Mr. COCK BURN acted upon. They produced upon him an impression of the Chief Baron's opinion which can hardly fail to have extended to the jury. The importance of the lesson justifies its pointedness. It has forced from Sir F. POLLOCK an acknowledgment of indiscretion ample as it is no doubt sincere. It would have been in better taste had it omitted the final fling, that "he was far from thinking any indiscretion of a judge should bar a party of his rights, even though that indiscretion appeared to have been followed by another on the part of that party's counsel." Mr. COCKBURN'S reply is to the point. " If, my. lord, I committed an indiscretion, I can only plead that I was accessory to a principal It is to be hoped that more than the Chief will take home the lesson contained in this curious and not altogether dignified disCussion. LONDON, SATURDAY, JAN. 16. THE position of the practical Tories, as we may call Sir Holier:Y. PEEL and his friends, is very favour able to frankness - and to the enunciation of truth. It resembles that of Lord Ltscotx before the electors of Manchester, fully aware that he could not expect a majority of votes, and, therefore, addressing himself to making a good speech to go before the great public of the empire, ra ther than one peculiarly adapted for the audience and the atmosphere in which he appeared. We arc not sorry for the circumstance of able and experienced politicians being flung into this anomalous position, separated from the trammels of clique-necessities and prejudices, and forced, in order to compensate for their insignificance as party men, to appeal to the public, to instruct it, and keep themselves in its eye. In some respects the position is not very dignified or dis interested. Some might consider effusions of this general kind as a kind of advertisement from political servants of all work, anxious to get a place, no matter in what family, at what wages, or with how much to do. There is an impatience of idle ness, an anxiety to be employed, and an ambi tion to show forth qualities and proficiencies, not very compatible with those old English ideas, which con sider statemanship as the incident and corollary of a gentleman's life, not the trade. It is all fair to come in with one's party, and follow the tide which occa sions the ebb and flow of public questions, the rise and fall of public men. But the taking a position, and dis playing a readiness to be independentof these, to swim between two currents, and float upon either, as oppor tunities may offer, is quite another thing. Such asystem has frequently been adopted by men of more industry than superior abilities, by statesmen strong in family connection rather in aptitude for a political lead. It is now, however, adopted by men who had held, and been proved worthy to hold, the first rank; bat who, from the bigotry and impracticability of their own party, in the midst of the pressing necessities of the times, were unable to keep their original positions at the head of Toryism. We have now three parties in the state, Tories, Liberals, and Sir ROBERT PEEL. The objection which we have to the _Pen party is, that it is far too convenient, its principles too elastic, its basis too large, and for these reasons offering a very great temptation to young men entering political life to enlist in a band which does not require the taking any engagements, in which political service is but annual, or perhaps quarterly, and where the whole wide future of political opinion is' left open to the adventurers to grasp at all contingencies, and be bound by no precedents. The exigence of such a party on the eve of a general election is a very remarkable and a very ominous occurrence. Towards the close of a parlia ment, confusion of parties and principles is not of such importance, and liberal ideas after all gain generally by a scramble such as has taken place in the last session of the present parliament. But a regularly got-up system of throwing dust in the eyes of the people previous to a general election, such as was perpetrated at the last election, and which is now to be practised after another fashion—this dazzling and perplexing of constituencies with the prospect of having men who combine the qualities of being safe and liberal, steady and innovating, with great influence still over the conservative classes, and, therefore, able to bring that influence to bear, and so overcome the prejudices and surrender the undue pri vileges of those classes—these are temptations which must have effect in winning constituencies as well as proselytes, and might produce a large majority in parliament, beyond all control of either priuciple or opinion. The breaking up of the landmarks of party might thus lead to breaking up the landmarks of the constitution. • Lord LlNCOLN'Sppeech, and TRRRE can be few educated persons, we presume, who are uninformed of the late Mr. ENDERBY'S great cervices to commercial enterprise and Antarctic dis covery. He was the first promoter of, and continued to be during his life the most extensive participator in, the Southern whale fishery. In fact, that daring and once most valuable trade dates, as carried on from England, from its establishment by him in 1775. Mr. ENDERBY had previously been extensively en gaged in whaling operations carried on through agents in our revolted colonies. In its successful prose cution he opened the Pacific Ocean fishery, in 1788 ; the Japan fishery, in 1819 ; the Seychelles fishery, in 1823 ; as also the common whale fishery, in the bays on the eastern coast of Africa ; and whilst his vessels were thus enlarging the bounds of legitimate commerce, they were also adding to the maritime dis coveries which so honourably distinuish this country. Wherever, however, Mr. ENDERBY a commer cial spirit or scientific courage sent his whalers, they were quickly followed, and, we believe, gradually supplanted, by his old American colleagues ; until now the whale fisheries arc substantially in the hands of our transatlantic brethren and rivals. There seems to be' ho deficiency, either in the quantity of oil obtained in these fisheries, + or in the number of whales to be taken. The effect of the fishery has not been to diminish the supply of whales, bat merely to drive than, to more distant haunts. There the Americana follow them as successfully as we Once did at lea distances from home ; and there, when we do follow the oetaoecas tribe; we are less successful competitors . in the noble sport. In this state of things there is not onlyjoa of profit but loss of national character; turd several leading firms in the city of London, feeling the discredit, have resolved to make an , effort to reinstate this country in_ the position in which the late Mr: ENDERBY Steed it. They have ' naturally and pit Perly sought the assistance of that gentla 'sou, who, from his earliest youth, was aawda.ed Pith his? father in the trade ; and he, in the beat spirit of a British merchant, has most wire iiervedly Fared forth 'llht •information, experience,' sad views to them, lan pamphlet which we propose to oonsider:' Without, wasting a word on the past statistic& and present plight of the trade, or on the de eirahilitt of its we 'r we proceed to its contents. Mr. Umtata§ 'Ett'nERBY'S• Remedial suggestions are simply thesed that htaceffirth the trade shall be carried on through the medium of &chartered company. Government, in ackraiviedgment of the efforts of the Mesas. ENDERBY to promote discovery, and in the opening of new channels of trade, have conferred on them the exclusive property of the Auckland Islands, Yet we have praised . - - do so. It is satisfactory , on almost all the questions for the moment before the public. But hew Lord LINCOLN would treat any future question that might arise,—to that, one has no clue, trecause Lord Li rreerLs has no party. All that can be gathered of the Mare spirit of the policy of Lord LINCOLN. and his patrog, is that it would be what the French call yourernemen tal, that is, destined, in all esse 4 s, to strengthen the hands, the influence, and the action of government. In education, in Banitory regulations, in payinithe Irish clergy, in !very subject upon which :Lord IN-. coLN touched, his views went towards augmenting the power and influence .of the government. admit that in many of those instances the increasing the power of the government would best effect refOrm,' further liberal ideas, and provide for liberal vipts. The action and interference of government should, however, we think, on moat of these question, be temporary. The people should be taught and made to do, in the first instance, what is requisite, but they should be afterwasds le ft , if possible, to do it of them selves, instead of there being formed a permanent and universal system of centralisation, which would never harmonise with our free institutions. , We would make use of the practical Tories in aiding and bringing about reforrns, but we should, be sorry to trust them with the working of them. The practical Tories may have been anxious to let down their old aristocratic followers from positions, which, however commanding in appearance, were in reality untenable and dangerous. But their attachment to this old party is still strong. 'And if they nois_ declare their determination to follow out liberal ideas in free • - other questions, it is that they feel that w has been dealt the landed aristocracy tree trade, and that to extend it boon to that party which has not THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 16, 1847. south of New Zealand. Mr. C. ENDERBY offers to place them at the disposal of any whalery that may be formed on a proper basis, as a whaling station, and the site of a colony of whalers. These are certainly practical and practicable suggestions. No doubt it would be better to carry on the trade from Farts near the whaling ground in vessels of the size just required, than from a country 6,000 miles off, and in ships large enough to contain four years' outfit and a store for the oil ob tained during that period; though we cannot overlook the consideration that, as the greater part of the stores required must be carried somehow from Europe or America to the scene of action, and that the difference of cost in sending them in whalers or in freight ships cannot be very considerable. No doubt a chartered company, by diminishing individual responsibility, possesses some advantages over private enterprise for reviving, or attempting to revive, the prosperity of the whale fishery ; though American experience testifies that it is not indispensable. There ' are as few doubts that the Auckland Islands are a good situation whence to carry on the trade ; though not, as American experience again proves, abso lutely necessary to its profitable conduct. Still, granting Mr. CHARLES ENDERBY the high value of these suggestions, they do not in themselves alone appear to us to have the elements of reviving ' our superiority in the fishery. The great secret of our inferiority . is in our protective system ; 1 it lies concealed in our navigation laws. The fishery is an open field in which protection avails not : how can the protected hope to compete with those whom, in other trades, they are protected against? Either the navigation laws are not required any ' where, or we cannot, do what we will, compete with ' the Americans in the Southern whale fishery. Our navigation laws, by giving to British shipping a monopoly, have encouraged inefficient seamanship and expensive management; our ships are over manned, and badly commanded. The navigation laws have, especially, given us a race of most incom petent master manners; and it is to their incompe tency, and to the cost involved in our protective sys tem generally, that the decline of the Southern fishery is immediately attributable. Until these causes of its adversity are removed, we despair of the revival of this trade. IN comparing two documents which have been published in England about the same time, there is some difficulty in deciding whether Prince METTER- Nimes despatches on the annexation of Cracow, or Mr. POLK'S message on the seizure of New Mexico, display, in the greatest perfection, the quality of un blushing assurance. On consideration, however, we are decidedly of opinion, that in coolness, the Presi dent excels the Minister. The Cracow despatches belong to a class of state papers which has long been understood as a conventional fiction— a tribute, or rather, quit-rent, paid by violence and selfishness to honesty. It is usual for the perpetrator of any great offence against public justice and international law to accompany the avowal of the act by such statements, in the form of reasons and excuses, as may enable other powers to wink at the transaction, if they think proper, without too flagrant a dereliction of duty. The more plausible the arguments, the more ingenious the sophistry used, the greater is the compliment paid to those who arc addressed. It is not intended that they should be convinced, bat that facilities should be given them for pretending to be convinced. Prince IdErrEftsiteu has, it must be confessed, in his instructions to M. de Tarim, reduced the form of apologising for breaches of treaties to a minimum. He scarcely "gives colour," as an analo gous fiction is called in legal phrase: he barely ad mits that his conduct ie guided by any law but the will of the stronger. His arguments, from the events of 1830 and 1845, could hardly give any government an excuse for pretending to be diverted by them from the real point at issue. Still the Austrian minister does not in language insult those whom he addresses. By addressing to each several pages of words, he ad mits that England and France have some claim to be I addressed. The best excuse for the irrelevancy of his excuses, is, that he had no better to give. The case was indefensible, and it would not have been civil to say so in express terms. The superiority which we attribute to Mr. POLK in brssenneas of face is founded on the nature of the document, which we have compared to the Cracow despatches. A communication by the executive government of a free country to the sovereign legisla ture, even though it may relate to foreign trans actions, is hardly entitled to the immunities of a diplomatic despatch. If Prince Merninxicies statement had been a confidential report to his own government, instead of a communication to the French ministry, and if Cracow had been occupied in direct violation of the law of Austria, as well as of international rights, the comparison would have been more exact. The permanent annexation of Mexican provinces, in which the American invaders have met with no resistance, would be a flagrant injustice, and a gross abuse of superior force. For this, however, Mr. Polar has not as yet to answer, though the tone of his message leaves little doubt of his willingness to accomplish it. What ho was forced to state to Congress was the view which he took of the conduct of General KEARNEY and Commodore STOCKTON in effecting the annexation on their own responsibility. Among the documents, says the president, accompany ing the report of the Secretary at War, wiU be found " a form of government established and organised" by the military commander who conquered and occupied New Mexico. This document was received at the war dewt ment in the latter part of the last month, and, as will be perceived by the report of the Secretary at War, was not, for the reasons stated by that officer, brought to my notice until after my annual message of the Bth inst. was communi cated to congress. It is declared on its face to be a " temporary government of said territory," but there are portions of it which purport to " establish and organise" a permanent territorial govern ment of the Milted States over the territory, and to impart to its inhabitants politicel rights which, under the consti- I tution of the United States, can beenjoyed permanently only by the citizens of the United States. These have not been approved and recognised by me. The President omits to state that his " approbation and recognition" would have been, for all legal par czazither more nor less valuable than the original 'on of the brigadier and the commodore, Mr. POLE having no more power than any officer in the army, or any private individual, to extend the terri tories of the Union without the authority of Congress. His apology, however, for the trifling excess of power assumed by his subordinates is not unamusing. It will be apparent, from the reports of the officers who have been required by the success that has crowned their arm., to exercise the power of temporary goverment I over the conquered territories, that if any excess of power has been exercised, the depa rture has been the offspring of a patriotic desire to give to the inhabitants the privileges and immunities so cherished by the people of our own.coun.. try, and which they (who ?) believed calculated to improve their condition, and promote their prosperity. Any such excess has resulted in no practical injury, but can and will be early corrected is a manner to alienate as little as possible the good feelings of the inhabitants of the I conquered territories. Let our readers, by way of estimating the excess of l lpower thus delicately alluded to, auppose—we wW not say that some brigadier at the head of two or ' three regiments, or commodore with a squadron of sloops and frigates—bat that a great commander at the head of a veteran army, which he had led to victory, ventured similarly to compromise the honour and policy of England. Suppose that Lord CASTLEREAGH, in 1814, had informed parlia ment that the Duke of WELLINGTON had attached the department of the Basses Pyrenees to England, and given the inhabitants the rights ofEngl ish subjects, with the pririlege perhaps of half a dozen members to parliament. CASTLEREAGH was neither timid nor bashful; but even on so wild a supposition we cannot further imagine an English minister excusing the dismember ment of a hos6k state, and the exercise by a general of the right to confer the franchise of his own country on foreigners, by " his patriotic desire to give to the inhabitants the privileges and immunities so elm. riahed" by their conquerors. Prince WORONZOW is, no doubt, equally anxious to give to the Circassian' the " privilege" of being governed at the will of the Czar. A paragraph in the New York Courier and Is quirer throws an edifying light oa the working of the constitution so benevolently conferred on the con quered provinces: We have the account of an election held at Monterey, California, according to the American forms, and wWi resulted in the choice of the Rev. Mr. Colton, chaplain of the United States ship Congress (the flag-ship of Commodore Stockton), as alcaMe or chief magistrate of that town. We wonder what forms the American constitution prescribes for the election of an akaide, an officer, we ehoold have supposed, scarcely contemplated in at .-sst its earlier provisions—that they are at any rate effective in locums a free and judicious elect= is to-de and in other tne worst blow ha in the matter of would be a evident by the choice which the Californians have made in this first exercise of their " privileges and immunities." The liberality with which the good Catholics of Monterey have preferred a foreign heretic padre to their own countrymen and co-religionists is beyond all praise. That the Stockton was lying in the bay with her broadside to the town we are too well acquainted with American" privileges and immu nities" to suppose. The peaceful, good-natured inha bitants of the pleasant old city no doubt left their cigars and their waltzes, which for 200 years have served them and their fathers instead of a constitu tion, and " rushed to the poll to vote for Cotros," under the influence of his merits alone. And perhaps they were not far wrong. The mayoralty of a town on the coast of the pacific, held in commenilain with the chaplaincy of an American frigate, is a kind of plurality which suggests to the must summary observer that one or the other benefice, the Congress or Mbntercy, must be contented with a non-resident incumbent. Perhaps the free citizens, looking back to the days when they had no immunities, and thinking of their plea sant walks by their beautiful bay, yet unhaunted by frigates, may have dreamed of a future time, when American patriots should have returned to a more congenial climate, and STOCKTON, the Liberator, and ' COLTON, the Alcaldc, "be both far away ou the billow." We should be glad to know whether the Franciscan convent of Monterey has elected the flag-lieutenant of the Congress as prior, "according to the American forms of election." We have received oar Paris express of Thursday. The Journal des DP,ats of Monday, as organ of the French government, states the case of that govern ment in the matter of the Spanish marriages, and does so, singular to say, in precisely the same lan guage as the Times. The arguments urged, the attacks on Lord Palmerston, the laudation of M. Guizot, are completely identical in the court journal of France and the Tines. These vagaries of our contemporary do not surprise us ; although it does startle us to see it take the place of Lord Brougham and of the poor Herald, which, we think, had every claim to be and to remain the especial organ of the French court and government. As we do not want to copy the servile article in which the Times takes the part of France against England on this question of the Spanish marriages, whereon it has thundered fifty times on the part of injured England against perfidious France, we can not give the twin article from the Debuts. In a day or two we shall have M. Guizot's own statement, which, if not more authentic, must at least be more worthy of respect than any expression of his senti ments or arguments distilled through the columns of his French and English organs. The sole addition which the Mats makes to the Times is, to accuse M. Bulwer of abetting a Saxe- Coburg marriage. Of this story we told the true version yesterday, and therefore need not dwell on the little bit of malicious scandal which has oozed from the ministerial journal of Paris. The opposition journals are, however, by no means satisfied with the collection of documents produced by M. Guizot; and especially they complain of the garbled manner in which the despatches and memo randa of Lord Palmerston have been presented. Thus the most important despatch of all, that of the 19th July last, in which occurs the paragraph on which M. Guizot rests his defence, is suppressed. The isolated paragraph alone being given, deprived of all the light which the context would have thrown on his meaning and intent. The Chambers will, it is expected, demand the pro duction of the complete document. But this is not all. Lord Palmerston communicated through Lord Normanby on Sunday last to M. Guizot, a reply to the last note of the latter, which is understood to b e ono of the most important documents in those nego i tiations. This has not yet been produced , but will certainly be called for. The point insisted on with most force by the oppo sition journals, is, that, granting all the facts and cir cumstances stated by M. Guizot, and admitting the logical validity of all his arguments, there is not the shadow of defence for the marriage of the infanta with the Duke of Montpensicr. Accepting's, says Le National, in its full extent, the reso lution of M. Gana respecting the marriage of the queen ; approving fully the policy which prevented England from the securing the success of a Coburg, we cannot discover a word, a despatch, or an appreciable motive, showing the necessity of uniting the son of Louis Philippe to the infanta, or proving that such a step was pressing or indis pensable. Is it not apparent how much more effectually the Prince of Coburg could be repulsed, if the court of the Tails. ries had shown as much disinterestedness towards the hand of the infanta as towards that of the queen i The more we read these despatches, the more we are convinced that they do not include a single reason which would justify the Mont pensier marriage. The Cracow documents have not yet undergone much discussion in the Paris journals. A despatch was received at the Hotel of Foreign Affairs, on Monday, from Prince Metternich, which will be called for. The meeting of the party of the left at the house of M. Billault, mentioned in our correspondence yester day, is noticed in the Paris journals of Thursday, which corroborate in substance what we have already stated. MM. Billault and Dufanre are, it appears, in perfect accord, and M. Thiers is left alone to lead the Centre-Gauche. Another meeting of the Dufaure and Billault party will be held after the address has been proposed. The King and Queen of the Belgians left Paris for Brussels on Thursday. At the Paris Bourse on Thursday there was a slight improvement in securities of every kind. Bank Shares rose SO francs, and the Three per Cents. 10 centimes. A meeting of the council of the bank was held late in the afternoon, and had not termi nated when our correspondent closed his despatches. The announcement in the Commerce of an increase in the rate of discount is, at least, premature. The Chamber of Deputies assembled on Thursday in the bureaux to proceed to the nomination of the nine commissioners to draw up the address in reply to the royal speech. The government obtained a complete success. The members are—MM. d'Hamsonville, Muret de Bord, De Bussieres, Somme, De Came, De Peraymont, Vitet, et Desmousseux de Givry ; all ministerial except the last. The discussion in several of the bureaux has been important, being the first time in this legislature that the members had an opportunity of examining the policy of the ministry. The paragraph of the speech respecting the marriages was especially the object of dehheration; but a large majority seemed to approve the conduct of the cabinet. In the bureaux of M. 'Milers the commission was named before the arrival Cl that deputy, who mine in at the very moment of She scrutiny. To the seventh bureau M. Mounier de h Tizeranne declared, in the name of the party led by MM. Dufaure and Billault, that he approved of the proceedings of government in respect to the marriages ; expressing a fear, however, that government would in future show less deci- I mon. On the Cracow question ho strongly con demned the act of spoliation by which the treaties had been violated, and reserved the right to prove dots simple protestations were far from being suffi- Aimt. M. Berryer demanded -of the ministers the Maim of the inconceivable blank observable between the receipt df the first oommunioation of the occupa tion of Cracow and the protestation made by govern ment. In the ninth bureau M. de Beaumont demanded the Neal of the French ministers from Berlin and Vienna, in consequence of their failing to apvize the government of the measure to be directed against Cracow. M. Vatry further demanded the meal of the Ambassador at St. Petersburg. M. Ouizot being asked why he did not communicate to the Chambers the last note of Lord Palmerston, answered that that note was only received on the eve of the session, and that it is not yet answered, but when that takes place he will communicate it. The committee of the Chamber of Peers assemble. on Thursday, at the Luxemburg, all the members, with the exception of M. Martin du Nord, being present. They were sitting at five P.M. and were discussing, with the ministers, the projected address. The discussion seemed to be animated and important on the Spanish marriages and the entente cordiak with England. On the same day M. Martin du Nord left Paris for Belgium. Further advicee continue to be received from the scat of insurrection in Switzerland. Private letters from Berne, of the 10th instant, say that federal commissioners were sent by the Vorort to Friburg, who had met a cordial reception from the cantonal government, and had receive? assurances that the victorious party were diapowd to proclaim a liberal amnesty, from which the chiefs of the revolt alone would be ex , luded, and that no severe measures would be taken ag tinst the insurgent districts. Letters, however, of the same date, from Friburg, say, that the actual p: oceedings of the government were not in keeping wit't these magnificent promises. The grand council had . , ithorised the executive to adopt prompt and certain measures t> smother the insurrection. No amnesty wee spoken of. On the 9th, the preen retingeneml, Froelicher, and Dr. Schaller, were im prisoned. Oa the same day, fifteen prisoners from the district cF Morat were led into Fnburg in fetters, among whom were M. Couraint, who had formerly served with distinction in the British army ; and M. Cottier, an eminent merchant. Emigrations were proceeding cn every side. The Nladi id mails, bringing letters and journals of the Bth inst., were received in Paris on Thursday. Their contents are entin ly destitute of interest. The Cortes con•inued engaged in the verification of powers. I'l. Olozaga had arrived at Pampeluna, where hew as still detained a close prisoner. A pri vate letter, addressed to the Courtier Francais, said that he had declined accepting permission to return to France, and demanded his unqualified liberation from what he regarded an illegal imprisonment, but this has pi oved incorrect. M. Cortina had arrived, and taken his seat in the Cortes. It was expected that the Chambers would be constituted the following week. The Opposition journals continued to assert that the ministerial crisis still subsisted, and M. De Casa Irn;o, it was said, was entrusted with the formation of a new ministry. Private letters from Barcelona of the 10th an nounce that several hundred soldiers of the militia who had t.tken refuge in the mountains of Catalonia, to join the Carlist bands, had made their submission to govern, lent, and obtained permission to return to their hom s. FRANCE.—BitEAn RIOTS IN FRANCE.—The high price of corn has given rise to disturbances in different parts of France. The anxiety of the populations seems to increase. A severe sentence has been pronounced against the persons arrested in the riot at Tours, and nevertheless a few days aftereards the town of Haunts was the scene of similar dis turbances. The riot took a more serious turn even than at Tours. It reread to the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, and different districts rose against the authorities. The procurcur du roi of Hennes received severe bruises; orders were given to the troops to fire; one man was killed, and another wounded. The I'rogn4 de Rennes gives the following account:—Saturday evening a considerable crowd was formed before the shop of one of the bakers of the town. The mayor called out au armed force and soon dispersed the crowd. But the crowd soon gathered again round a art-load of corn, and some sacks were carried away. The night passed quietly enough. On the following morning placards were posted up, exciting the population to meet again ; at seven in the morning some individuals, provided with sacks, pro ceeded to a barge laden with corn, and began to pillage it. Their number soon increased, and then, only, the authorities sent a dozen geudarmea and soldiers. The inefficiency of this force only encouraged the riotors, and the pillage conti nued in presence of the police. It was only at hall-past 10 that the authuritiee arrived with a more considerable force. The populace received them with a shower of stones, and the pro curette du roi and one of the mayor's assistants were wounded. Meanwhile, the pilleme of another barge had commenced. About thirty eatks had been carried away when the troops arrived. It was then evident that it was necessary to call out • large body of troops to put a stop to the evil. Numerous pickets of infantry and cavalry occupied the town, and order was re-eateldished. his event," says the Peogri , s, "gave evidence of a most deplorable fact : the entire falling off of the national guard. Twice during the day the drums beat t 1 arm. ' and not more than 60 0.11 answered the call." It was iu the commune of Amaulie that the man was shot in a struggle with • body of artillerymen, who were compelled to fire in their own defence. At Breal two waggon loads of corn were also pillaged. At Ize a body of more than 300 men compelled a corn dealer to sell his grain at a fixed price. Dis turbances also broke out at St. Servan. The Indeperaclaht de I' °nest, a journal of La Mayenne, states that riots had taken place at Laval. A collision between the people and the military is said to hare taken place at that town. EXTRADITION.—A case of extradition between France and Artistica has just occurred in France Ger man, having good credit, established himself in Paris some five or six months ago as a merchant, and profiting by the good introductions he had procured, he gave orders for mer chandise of various descnptions to the amount of 150,000 francs. Shortly after the execution of the order the person who had given it disappeared. An inquiry was set on foot as to his whereabouts, and it was soon discovered that both merchant and merchandise were .hipped on board a vested at Havre, bound for New York. Before the necessary steps could be taken for the arrest of the chevalier d'industrie, the ship had sailed. An intimation of the circumstances glove alluded to was &metaled to the French consulate in the United States, cid the Liverpool steamer, which reached New York before the Havre ship. In pursuance of instruc tions received by the French consul, the consular seal was placed upon the goods on their arrival, and they will be returned to Franco to the right owners, or sold for their advantage in America. The ' , arty who was guilty of this grow fraud is permitted at present to go at large, but an application has been made on the part of the French go vernment to have him given up under the Extradition Act. SPAIN.—Senor :Martinez de la Rosa, Minister Plenipotentiary from the Queen of Spain to the King of the French, passed through Bayonne, Jan. 10, at 2 o'clock, p.m., en route to Madrid, and seemed very anxious to proceed as fast as possible. A large amount of specie, amounting to no less than 6,000,0001 in gold and silver, has been expedited from Bayonne to different parts of Spain within the host ten days. TURKEY.—A letter from Constantinople of the 26th ult. states that the greatest anxiety still prevails, owing to the incorporation of Cracow. It is hoped that France and England will come to the aid of Turkey, the policy of Austria beiug entirely swallowed up in that of Rusina. M. de Bourqueney is very busy, but Russian diplomacy seeks to obstruct all his steps. A Itussian agent, Waszenko, directs from Adrianople all the movements of Bulgaria. A young man, Minsyes, has been arrested in Servia, and papers found in his possession set Russian connivance beyond a doubt ; but the Divan, in its fear of Russia, has not as yet dared to demand, the prisoner or his papers, and the Serena government will not dare to make their contents public. Letters received at Constantinople from Trebisonde istate,that skirmishes had taken place daily on the shores of the Black Sea, and deeceibe the position of the Russians in Daghestan as being malt:critical. They deny that &deem= Effendi had joined the Russians, and assert that he still fights by the side of Schamyl. COLONIAL NEWFOUNDLAND.—THE SUFFERER% BY TITS STORY or SEPUMMER 19.—The officer administering the government has, by message, called the attention of the House of Assembly to a report of a committee of the council on the distress .occasioned by the tempest of September 19. The report 'fates (" from our personal knowledge") that many of the petitioners for relief have been reduced by that calamity from a state of comfort to one of great privation. They can, however, do little more than recommend such an amount of assistance from the funds of the colony as will en able the applicants to provide themselves with provisions for the winter, so that they may be enabled to devote their time to the restoriiion of their damaged property. They deem "immediate and" essential. In the following estimate of the amount of damage, and the sum required to relieve it, the committee say they have confined themselves solely to ' documents laid before them ; but that they believe many more applications will be made, for which it is desirable to make some provision. The estimate referred to is as follows : At QM& Vitli,.the destreetket et Mai estableAroents has bete very ezMealre end es M thet Nettieeeset the people Mm the 1, the! eamegent sieleleg is each as to apes I=l T: ii to • Metal At Tuley eel Pouch Coo. with the in unmade mai drnew hos esommed is Yew Moe sol i = i l i ed. mho ‘lell he tom Ames hos eased the L_ -0 west lb Trepolory, et. Nary% presider hoe hese_ seek while Is the three 1 = 11 4. 4 . Iwo Walt hese musk Imanalinn cif pr 1 .7..b , the hider, tles vele* dills Wend heels lest 1 omosol to toeses. On the reds ekes St ttse syden Nay, prey hes been de stroyed to Ma esporend et Pei. so dines la rarrenehA lareserded to en Ts M I PINN. al WI doom reboil: wi t% Irovfidres sent Attar enashbeteg lim &Mg to enr hest ate n dion. se saw led wt a conclu lea iime is neeledlsois them thirteen handeed weeds win be sain ting to nine the neendske at ths yesisne apolassats; sad this , ems me weld seggeetshoadd be divided in the hollowing manner, !lA: , _.. Th Belyeeel ardee elalle Aare, Ooneeption Bay to *lltlgrews 1 • ...Abe smpegel ethos being I,S4St. t2s £275 E x ... -atiii: . : ....................... --- Tirryllat loss, MU "r 4OO I; Ver ß i gd eVeC irdWaes4 pbelle-mogregate loos, 6501......:: ....... ~. lOO . TI - . . . ." • • . --' Zbe Court. WINDSOSIDAY. Her Majesty and H.R.H. Prince Albert Walked this morning in the grounds adjacent to the Castle. ' H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by H.B,H. Prince Frederick of Hesse, and attended by Baron Knesebsek, returned to Kew yesterday evening from Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire. The Duke of Cambridge visited H.R.H. the Duchess of Gloucester yesterday, at Gloucester -house. The Arehbiahop of Canterbury had an interview with Lad J. Itnasell yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-street. The Bev. E. Coleridge had en interview with Earl Grey yesterday, at the Colonial-office. Mr. Ricardo had pa interview with the Right Ron. T. M. Gib son yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trade. The Right Hon. E. Strutt left town yesterday for his seat neer Derby. THE CONDE TIE MoNrEmottN.—The Conde de Montemolin and suite visited, on Thursday, the library of the British Museum, end felt so highly interested with the different valuable ancient works put into his hands that he spent the major part of the day there. Ono of the things that struck the illustrious prince most was the vast and pre , cious collection of Spanish manuscripts he saw, among which was the original codicil to the will of Charles V., and often expressed his astonishment how persons could be timid ca pable of selling such national treasure. DEATH OY GENLKAL SIR WILLIAM ANSON.— This officer died near Weedon on Wednesday. lie was a baronet, and held the colonelcy of the 47th Foot since March, 1837. He commenced his military career ix June, 1789, as Ensign in the Ist Foot Guards. He served in Sicily from July 1606 till Jenuary 1603, as Captain, with the istik of Lieut.-Colonel. In September, 1808, he en:barked for Spain, end was present at the battle of Col unna. lie was also in the expedition to Zealand in 1800. In June, 1811, he re ceived the brevet of Major-General in the army, and served on the staff in Ireland and the Peninsula. lie was present at the battles of Salamanca, the Pyrennees, °stiles, Vittoria, Nivelle, and Toulouse. He will be succeeded by his son, John William Hamilton. (From last night's Gazette.) WHITEHALL, JAN. 13.—11 e Queen has presented the Rev. H. Cotcsworth. M.A., to the rectory of Temp,.lord, in the ~ .ounty t.t betitord and &CCM! of Ely, void by the cleat' of th: Pe. E Tan , uet Or CROWN OFFICE, JAN. 15.—Member returned to serve in Parliament —County of Lincoln ; parts of Lindsey. Sir M. J. Cholmeley, of Norton-place, Bart., in the room of C. A. W. Pelham, commonly called Lord Worsley, now Earl of Yarborough, called up to the House of l'ects. - • OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.—AII peeresses, on announcing their intention of lasing present on the occasion of the opening of parliament, on Tuesday the 19th instant, will have places reserved for them in the House of Lords, if the announcement be made at this office before five o'clock on Monday the 18th instant. No lady can In admitted into the body of the house except in full dress. No strangers will be admitted, except by a ticket from the Lord Great Cham berlain. The doors will be opened at twelve o'clock .—• WILLOUGHBY Do EILY.I3BY, K.o.—Garctte. WAR-OFFICE, Jut.. 15. Royal Regt.of Hone Cals.—Cur. and Adjt. W. G. Sutton, from the 11th Light Drag., to be adjt., with the rank of lieut., rice Brunt, pro f th Light Drag.--Lieut. Sir A. Chichester, Bart., to be eapt., by pur., vice Preston, who ret. ; Cur. W. R. C. Coate to be lieut., by par.; the Ilan. C. Harbord to be we., by par. let RegL of F.—Boa, It J. Aytoun to be lieut., without pur., vile Commie, prom. in the Ceylon Rifle Regt. ; W. U. M. Kennedy to be ens. 2nd F.—Airent.-Sorg. E. S. Docker, from 66th F., to be sexist. Burg., 'lee Jopp, prom. in the Stith F. 9th P.—F.n.. It. W. J. A. Mahan to be lieut., without par., vice O'Connor, dec. ; F. N. Turner to be en.. 18th F.—To be Erusio., without purchase J. E. Swindler., vice Panne, prom. in the Ceylon Rifle Reit. ; J. Caravan. vice Irwin, prom. in the Ceylon Rifle Regt. ; A. Minter, rice M`Donnell, prom. ID the Ceylon Rifle Rogt. 214 F.—See. Lieut. W. 11. Itillingaß to be find Heat, without par., vice Firetrace, dec. ; T. F. liabbs to be see. lieut. 28th F.—Capt. T. Deacon, froni b.-p. watt., to be eapt., vice Tr:S ling, app. to the 74th F. 3ifth F.- -thug' maat.*Serjt. T. Morris to be ens., without pur., visa Gray, prom. In Ceylon Rifle Regt. ; J. St. C. Ilotwon, to be ens., with out pur., vice Sharpe, prom. in Ceylon Ride }tent 55th F.—W. Shiell, to be env, by pur., vice Shipley, prom. 60th F.—Copt. W. J. Yonge, from rain., to he copt., vice Love, app. to Sl t F. 74t11 P.—Brew. Maier C. 11. L. Tinting, from 29th F., to be apt, vice P. W. L. Hawker, who red. upon h..p. nag. 914 F.—(hpr. E. M. Love, from 60th F., to be capL, rica Keane, app. to Rifle Brig. 99th F.—Serjt..Major J. Grime to be erg., without pur., Tice 817110.1414 pr. m. In Ceylon Rifle Rept. Rifle Brig.—Caps the lion. J. A. Keane, from 91st F., to be opt., vice 11. O. Bowles, who ret. upon. 12.-p. ti nett. Snd West India It:mt.—Eno. G. J. Ivey to be tient, without par., vice Smith, app. to Ceylon Rifle Rept.; T. Gibbing. to be ern, Ceylon Rifle Rcgt.—Sec. Lieut. G. it Dwyer to be Aral lieut., with out par., vice Deane, dec. Royal Canadian Rife Regt.—En.. S. P. Jarvis to be limit., without pur., vice Gray, prom. in Ceylon Ride Regt.; W. J. Britton to be eft*. Barerr.—Copt. T. Deacon. of 25th F., to be major in the army. The name of the following °Meer was omitted in the list of those pro moted by Brevet in the I:a:wile of Nov. 10 Capt. It. P. Bourehier, on h..p. of 19th Light Drag., Town Major of Kingston, Cantata, to be major in the army. Meroassuen.—The christian names of See. Lieut. Rutherford, of Ceylon Rite Real., are Alexander Maxwell. WESTMINSTER COURT or SEWERS.—A general Court of the Commissioners of Sewers for the city and liberty of Westminster was held yesterday at the Sewers Court, Greek street, Soho-square, ('apt. George Hague, R.N., in the chair. There was a very full attendance of commis sionen. THE METROPOLITAN CHEMICAL SEWAGE MANURE COMPANY.—Mr. Higgs, the promoter of the above company, accompanied by Mr. Walmisley, the parliamentary agent, attended the court yesterday, for the purpose of detailing the objects of the company with the view of obtaining the assent of the commissioners thereto. Mr. Higgs stated that the . . .... • company would take the refuse in ib moet recent state, which being subjected to chemical agency, the purified water would pass into the Thames, and the reserved matter be removed within twelve hours after its collection. Colonel Wood, a member of the House of Commons committee, had riven his opinion that it was a very valuable plan, and he hoped to see it adopted in the next session of Parliament. Mr. Higgs, in conclusion, strongly asserted that the public health would be served by the works of the company, and reiterated his statement that it was not in any way intended to interfere with the powers of the commissioners of sewers. Several hon. commissioners having expressed their views upon the plan, a written statement was put in from the solicitor to the court, taking several objections to its adop tion, and eventually a petition to piirliament against it was agreed to, but without pledging the court as to any future course, if some of the principal objectilins were removed. METROPOLITAN SEWAGE COMPANY. —fir. Smith, the solicitor to the court, reported that this company were about to bring forward a new bill as an amendment to the bill of last session, giving them the power to carry their tun nels under streets and existing sewers, and suggesting the adoption of two clauses to secure the powers of the commis sioners of sewers, in the event of the breaking up of the streets and thoroughfares. ROYAL JENNERIAN INSTITUTION. The annual meeting of the governors and subscribers to this institution was held yesterday at the George and Vulture, Lombard sti eel, for the purpose of receiving the yearly report, and filling up some vacancies in the board of management. Mr. D. Wire in the chair. It appeared by the report which was read by the secretary, that upwards of 6,000 children had been vaccinated by the officers of the institution in the last year, and that large supplies of the vaccine virus had been sent to the East and West Indies, to Scotland, and to Ire land, to meet extensively increased demands from those countries—especially from Ireland—which showed that the prejudices against its use among the lower dawn there were fast fading away. With all this amount of good, and the great benefits which the institution had conferred on the human race since its first formation, it was to be regretted that it did not appear to receive a corresponding degree of public support ; its finances being at present in a very dila pidated condition. The receipts in the last year of subscrip tions amounted to only 3401., and after paying current expenses there only remained in the bankers' hands 151., ' while the institution was in debt nearly 3001. It was hoped, however, that in the year ensuing, when the public came to know the condition of so valuable an institution, the sub scriptions would be such as to relieve it from its embar rassments, and place it on a footing in point of funds, cor responding with its usefulness. footing report having been agreed to, was ordered to be printed and circulated, and the proceedings advertised; alter which the vacancies in the board-room were filled up, and thanks having been voted to them for their services, the meeting separated. _ - - MR. \VARLET, M.P.—Letters have been received from the hon. member for Finsbury, stating that his health has been so far recruited that he will be enabled to reach town this dsy, and assume his public duties. ELECTRICAL EXCITABILITY 07 GUN COTTON.—Sir, —I believe it has not been yet noticed, that the new mate rial, gun cotton, is electrically excitable by friction in an eminent degree. Having prepared several pieces, which I bad kept in the form of a thin web or sheet, during the whole operation (as that ensures a superior quality), I was fraying out the more close portions of a piece about six inches square, previous to completely drying it, when I found it become highly electric. After drying this before the fire for some minutes, I found its electric condition had rather increased. On attempting to lay it flat upon another web on the table, it rose up spontaneously, and a t P t12 3 1771 d t oated, by repubion, at a height of three clear inches above it. It remained in this state for many minutes, and ea being ocersionally'preeleddown upon the piece below, the eisetele skidiatnes were quite audible. Lest these pheno mena ibeald be due to other circumstances than the cotton itself, I treated a similar piece of unprepared cotton in pre cisely the eve manner but could observe no particular electric manihetatiims. It is excited to en extraordinary degree by fr with glass or shellac, but more so, appa rently, by the skin of the hand. ThiS quality may possibly be turned to account. It may arise either from the chemical seentitution of the substance (xuloidine), or from the tasehanical harshness of its fibre ; probably from both sasses. Believing this remarkable fact may be deemed worthy of a place in your columns. WILLIRX PETRIE. --lan. 12. . q NARROW ESCAPE OF • CONVICT FROM BEING . . POZOONBD.—A few days since, a convict on board the Unite, hospital ship, lying off the Royal Arsenal, Woolwieh, had a ss narrow escape from being destroyed by a dose of crotou oil, • which was administered to him by mistake. The prisoner, whose name is Sims, was promptly attended by Mr. Myth, the assietant•surgeon, who administered the usual remedied* successfully, though the man continued in great pain for three or Pour days. The accident arose from the practice of allowing a convict named Styles to make up the medicines. SUPPOSED MURDER OF A FEMALE.—Yesterday, the body of a young woman—who, from =irks of injury on her person, is supposed St. O t eo ha r tt v e% e been murdered — was rd li red ywdaso oundltin thap pears that, about ten o'clock in the morning, a dredgerman pawed Taylor was plying his dredger at the river side, near the above place, when it struck against some substance, which on being got to the shore proved to be the body of a female about thirty years of age. The body was placed in a shell and carried to the vestry hall, where Mr. Miskin, sur eon, was sent for, who discovered the skull to be dreadfully fractured, there being no lees than fire different wounds, each of which was sufficient to cause death. The dress of deceased, which had partly rotted away, consisted of a mousselio-delaine blue patent gown and three petticoats, one bearing the initials E. R., but she had on neither since nor bonnet. Her skin had pealed completely off, and the head was entirely divested of hair, which is attributed to the length of time the body must have been under water, con jectured by the surgeon to be between two and three months. It is the general impression, from the appearance of the de ceased, that ahe had been murdered, and then throwr into the river. Information of the finding of the body, with a full description, has been communicated to the various police statscns, as also to Mr. Payne, the city coroLer, by wcom an icouest will beheld.