The Express. — London, England, 1851-07-02 00:00:00

Isnda4 wits man @A la Ile agreed with the hon. member trio Maidstone par. Hope) that, after all, the building of Marches was net term most important object to be attained; sad the great value of Sir Robert Peel's measure was that the money was applied in the maintenance of clergy in new districts, while the building of churches followed as the result of private contributions. He should meet the motion of the noble lord by moving the previous question. As regarded the amendment, it was necessary Ina to know what the property of the church really was ; and, as it would take a long time to ascertain that, the adoption of the amendment must necessarily be postponed. He confessed himself unable to follow the hon. member for Maryleboue into the revenues rind the conduct of each bishop; hut he must say that for many of the evils eass. planed of prospective remedies had been provided. (Mar.) It was extremely uncertain what the annual income might be, hut, in the act passed last year with regard to the cad e ostical commission, provision was made for the removal of that evil. The clause to which he referred was the lith, which regulated the time, mode, and condition of payment Of the bishops and archbishops ; and he was not aware of any other means which could be devised for regulating the mode of payment of these ecclesiastical functionarice. lie should, therefore, feel bound to object to the addition moved by the hon. member for Montrose, and he should Move the previous question. (Hear, hear.) Mr. S. lIERBERT thought that if any doubt existed Open the subject it ought to have been removed by the tem perate manner and the able advocacy of the noble lord who opened the question. Ile regrettel the determination of Sir G. Grey. He defended the recommendation of the commissioners to sell the chancellor's livings, which were not crown patronage. He should be glad, he said, to see these hying. sold, and the patronage dispersed throughout the country. Ile supported the motion on the ground that there was a great anti lamentable deficiency of religious in struction in England, and because he thought the measure It proposed ',efficiently specific as a remedy for the evil. lie contended that the present crisis in the protestant faith and the aggression of an invading church required every meal, of resistant* to be called into action, among which be assigned the foremast rank to a due development of the powers and resourcee possessed by the established church. Sir It. 11. INGLIS, alter preferring a plea against the col lateral topics that had been introduced into a debate essen tially applying only to the extension of the church, addressed himself to the censures of Sir B. Hall. He relied upon the legal interpretation of the claim which the dignitaries of the church could prefer to the ecelsiastical revenues, and which border a on the character of the titles held by in live' dual , over their private properties. lle therefore questioned the right of parliament to interfere, The English church. he inaiutained, fulfilled its duty, and conferred more essential benefits, especially on the middle clauses and the poor, than any other ecclesiastical system in Europe. He hoped the Isomer would pause before it committed itself to a propos 3 tion which would alienate its patronage front the crown, and perpetrate u legalised spoliation of capitular revenues. After a few observations by Mr. Acmes (who opposed the motion), upon the subject of Chancellor's livings, Parallel: LB C ItN complimented the noble lord on the man ter in which he had introduced the motion ; and hoped he would emulate the example of the noble lord lately a member of the house (the Earl of Shaftesbury) in his philanthropic labours for the welfare of the poor. (Cheers.) Be (Mr. tioulhurn) was quite ready to accord to the hon. baronet opposite (Sir B. Hull) the motive which he bad crowed of a desire to befriend the church—by exposing its abuses and thus procuring their rectification—but he could not allow that the lion. gentleman had shown much judg ment in the selection of his topics. It' the abuses which he had pointed out were existing ones, there might have been snore reason iu commenting on them i but they were such as belonged to a state of thing. which had been Tenn'. shed by 'tannst acts of legislation. (Hear, hear.) The bon. baronet had brought charges against the Bishop of London which he (Mr. Goulburn) felt ashamed, standing as he did in the centre of the right rev. prelate's diocese, to have to defend. (Cheers.) 'I he Bishop of London received no more than the act of parliament hail authorised him, and they ought to blame, therefore, not his lordship, but the law. (Hear, hear) But however large his lord ship's income, it was not spent in selfish indulgence or in a luxurioue expenditure ; but he believed it was laid out principally in the extension of the church, and in en couraging the growth of nligion arucmg.t the pourer classes of his tick. At all events, the power of extracting money for charitable purposes had been admitted by the hon. baronet as a test of a nun's worth ; and he need, therefore, only point to the gnat number of new churches, particularly at It. thnal-green, which had owed their existence to the light rev. prelate, as a practical answer to the charges brought against him. The same remark applied to the of Winchester and Durham—the latter prelate bestow not only voluntarily increased the contribution named in the act, but having within the last seven years given no lie. a sum than 30,000 f. to works of piety and church extension. (Cheers.) Fault had been found with the Bishop of Itocheeter fur nut having si.ited the cathedral ; but it was no part of a visitor's duty to do so unless a corn. plaint was made to him, and then it 'roe his business to in vestigate the matter, and we that justice was dune. (Ileac, bear.) It had likewise been said that there was no instance of a bishop having gineu up anythiug in his own person; but in order to repel this insinuation, it would only he ne. cesesary to refer to what he had stated of the Bishop of Durham. In addition to that, however, he might say the Bishop of Salisbury, who had also been animadverted on, was the very first man who offered to carry out the provision. of a hill which had Teen posed to enable bislitee, to cerey into effect in their life-time the arrange ment. which were to take plant at their deaths. The right bon. member having defended the conduct of several other pre tat,. c spremed himself in (*lour of the extension of the panwhial syetc m ; although he route not consent to pur chase it at the expense of the reduction of all ecclesiastical salaries to rent et the most. Such a step would, in his opinion, deprive the elerey of that just and beneficial in fluence• which they exercised over society generally, and particularly over ON higher classes. (Cheers.) Mr. lIORSMAN said that while we had in this country the must richly endowed church in the world, we had a population perhaps the most selected of any country in Christendom. The revennee of the established clench of England, as they appeared by the parliamentary returns, alone showed something like five millions a year, being more than the revenues of three-fourths of the powers of Marope, and only five exceeding them, and at the same time there was a state of things which was universally acknow kdettil to Is wo destitute and deplorable that all the efforts which hail been made of late, and ell the societies which had taco established, had tailed to mitigate the calamity. That was the fact. What was the cause? (Hear, hear.) There were rcemirces within the established church to re mesly the evil. Why, then, did the church not remedy it? His hon. friend had shown from returns on the table of the house, that it 1.1 . 2.4 the owl-ailministnition and bail distribu tion of those funds that made thrnso insufficient; and when the right how gentlemen came down at a moment's notice With a mass of details of which the house was uninfernied— Mr. GOt'LBL'ItN said that t h ey related to an ante- cadent period. Mr. 11010 NAN.—Documents were furnished to met ben who moved fur them, and the house ought to have been supplied with the information from which the right hon. gentleman had quoted. The complaint ought not to tonic from the right hon. gentleman who had enjoyed pecu liar opportunities of gaining information, and was now invested with peculiar duties, involving a peculiar obliga tion to render himself familiar with the subject. Various suggestions had been made. The hon. member for Wiltshire seemed to embarrass himself in tho search more after far-fetched and questionable remedies than those which lay near :Oland, Take the obvi- Cue remedy proposed by his hon. friend. Here were revenues tobuitustereil by ecclesiastical dignitaries of whom the complaint was that they had too much power and ton little responsibility, and of whom the noble lord had said that they had too much of secular and too little of spiritual functions. These dignitaries of the church were the admi nistraton of these revenues, and they administeml them in as to intercept them in their way to the poor. (Hear.) Me thought his hon. friend had :clearly proved that statement. What was the income of the Arch bishop of Canterbury from parliamentary authority ? It was 15,000/. a year, and besides that he had two palaces, and it had cost the country 20,0001. or 30,01101. for his taking possession of them. The patronage attached to his see was to the amount of between 70,0001, and 00,0001. The question was of remedying the deficiency and adding to the spiritual instruction to this poor man's church, and they had been told that they might sell the Chancellor's livings and run out the leases of the lessees, and there had been a bill introduced to let the fee; sittings away from the poor to the rich for hire. Those were the remedies which one after another had been suggested, Instead of the plain and simple plan of taking off the super fluity. He believed that every sane man had made up his mind that 15,0001. a year for a bishop was more than the rest of the world furnished an example of. (Hear.) Then came episcopal incomes, some of 10,0001. a year and others with 6,000/. a year, and the episcopal bench had received during a period of seven years the sum of 60,000 f. in tines alone. The first and most obvious remedy was to take away this superfluity, and to distribute it among the poor who wanted it. Not very long ago the question of tithes was one of much contest and acrimony in that house. Some came forward and denounced that system, and professed themselves the dear friends of the church, but whose conduct showed them to be enemies to the church. (Hear.) So with church rates also. Many persons thought them injurious to the church and a friend to the church proposed to get rid of church rates. The time was, when out of the clergy of the church of England 10,000 were non-residents, and a bill having been introduced to change that system the promoters were denounced as enemies to the church. The same happened in the case of pluralities, and he who attempted to reduce them was denounced as an imprudent friend to the church by making a statement of such facts. It was not in the statement of these abuses, but in becoming the champions of these abuses, that the evil lay. For the enacting of the law Sting their incomes the prelates were not responsible. The right hon. gentlemen had said that the Bishop of London had taken his income from parliament, and that he had nothing to do with the amount ; but the right hon. gentleman was one of the commissioners who had reported what the incomes should be, and the Bishop of London recommended that the income of future bishops of that see should be 10,0001. a year. But he himself retained a much larger income than be said was necessary for his successors. (Hear, hear.) He bad no disposition to dispute the encomiums p assed by the right hon. gentleman on the Bishop of London. The Bishop of London might be a moat generous man, but it should be borne in mind when the generosity of a prelate was con cerned, that not what he gave should be considered, but what he retained. If, for example, he gave 10,000/. a year out of an income of 16,000/. a year, he certainly deserved credit, although that was not quite so much as might be ex pected from a bishop ; but if, out of an income of 50,0001. be gave but 10,0001. a year, then he should be judged, not THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 2, 185' NEW WORK BY ALBERT Plant sad 10111 LRECIT. This thy le publithed, Woe Ow •lellhag Re be coulthued Monthly). No. I. of • Derr PetiodkaL TH E M 0 N T H. A Wk., of Pawing 11 .d., Renew% ROTOR and Yowl ;a, Soda! and Reseral. Ey A LLLLL NalTu. 1111041fitel by JO3S LISCH. Publiehed at the caw of The Month. 80. 3. B hhefriat,stroet. by what he bad given, but by what he had retained. And if he had retained 40,0001. to himself after having said that 10,000 should content all future bishops, then he (Mr. Horsman) should be disposed to express a very different opinion. Hie hon. friend near him had said that greater ' abuses could be shown than he felt justified in publicly stating, and bringing before that house. But he (Mr. Horseman) would give an instance of a very flagrant kind which existed at this time. He would state an oc currence which he thought required some explanation, and which even after the statements of the noble lord, and the strong representations made by his honourable friends near Innt, he ventured to say the house would pronounce to he see of the most extraordinary proceedings that hail ever been sanctioned by any public assembly. Such en enquiry as that proposed by his honourable friend win the only way to arrive at such facts. The right bon. gentleman had been very severe upon him in respect M a case upon which he had put a question to the noble lord—the case of Horfield—one he had brought forward on more than one occasion without success. The ease of Hoc field was this—an estate near the city of Bristol was let on a lease of three lives by the then Bishop of Bristol in 1817. Two of the lives dropped in In3l, in the time of Bishop Grey. Lie did nut renew the lease. When the first life dropped he intended to renew it, but could not come to term+ with the lessee ; and he then said he would not renew it at all, and declared that he would let that estate fall in, rather than benefit his own family be the fines. Bishop Grey shortly afterwards died, and Bishop Allen succeeded to the see of Bristol. When the deter mination of Bishop Grey was made known to Lord Mel bourne, that noble lord said to Mr. Allen, with respect to the estate of Horfield, that as Bishop Grey had not re• newed the lease, Mr. Allen must follow his ex ample, or he would not present hint to the bishopric. Mr. Allen gave a pledge to Lord Melbourne that he would fulfil the intentions of his predecessor, and he was translated front that see in 1830, when he wrote a letter which was left on record, and from which an extract was read before the committee, in which his opinion was set forth that, in accordance with the desire of Bishop Grey, the estate ought to be allowed to lapse. After the translation of Bishop Allen, the new bishop took pos session of the united secs of Gloucester and Bristol in 1836. Therefore, it was then understood that the lease had not been renewed, and it was understoon by the commissioners that it would not be renewed. Nothing was done from 1830 to 1812, when the old person, who was the sole remaining life, was taken ill, and it was rumoured that the bishop, Dr. Shailwell, was about to renew the lease, and a letter was written to hint by the commis sioners expressing their hope that this report was not correct. The reply of the bishop was to the effect that he felt insulted by the suspicion against him—that if he re newed the lease he should be a disgrace to the bench of bishops and a lasting reproach to his family ; and he said he was sorry he could be supposed capable of acting so apart—and here the extract broke off. The commissioners replied, and expressed their regret for having wounded his feelings, and apologised for their first letter. This was in 1812. In 1817 the commissioners had to make an arrangement about the future income of the see, and finding that it would be richer than was necessary, they determined on taking possession of Hortield, and passed it to the ecclesias tical commissioners at the next vacancy. At the com- ....,,cement of 1848 they received a eonno._,ation from the Bishop of Gloucester, telling them it was his intention to renew the lease, and giving them the refusal of it on pay ing down a sum of 11,500/. (Hear, hear.) They wrote to espostulate, urging the moral obligation. The bishop's answer was that he knew nothing of moral obligation— (hear, hear)—be had a legal right to renew the lease, and should do so, and thereby alienate the property from the church. unless the commissioners consented to the payment named. They did o, and wished to conduct the business in a secret way, but their attorney, Mr. Buggies, would not carry out the treaty because it required an order in council. It was within twenty-four hours of being completed when the facts came to light ; he brought them before the house ; and the government, he was happy to say, had refused to ratify the agreement. (Hear.) But the worst was to come. Last year Dr. Sluulwell hod died. Now, they had it on positive record that the Bishop of Gloucester had renewed that lease, his own secretary being the lessee, and his children the lives put in, (Hear, hear.) Was there any other de ent in which such a transaction would be permitted ? ould any one but a dignitary of the church have dared to perpetrate such a thing ?'The bishop was convicted on his town evidence, having declared that he should be ashamed to be suspected of such a thing. Mr. Finlayson had stated that putting three new lives into a lease took away 90 per cent. of tho value of the pr9perty. (hear, hear.) Ile was thankful to the noble lord for having brought forward this motion. On all questions affecting the church there had of late years been a creditable unanimity both in the house and in the country ; and the feeling out of doors would soon enforce either a reformed episcopate and church establishment, or none at all, anal men would make up their minds to have religion independent of en establishment rather an establishment administered so as to be indepeadent of religion. (Hear, hear.) Mr. GOCLISURN said a few words in explanation, which were received with loud cries of " llortield," the right hen. gentleman not alluding to that subject. Mr. WltiltAM prot , sted against the injustice of bring ing these charges against individuals without notice, and which tended to draw the house into a collateral ilisetnsion. If Lord Itlandford did not think his object was tufficiently answered by the opinions elicited by his motion, he should vote with him. . . Mr. BOOKER urged the house to suspend its opinion respecting the Bishop of Gloucester, whose character afforded a strong presumption ugain.t the charge prekrred by Mr. •• - The Marquis of BLANDFORD replied, and expressed a wish that the hon. member for Montrose would not persist in moving his amendment in conjunction with the motion submitted by him. Mr. HL ME said that, as he was anxious to forward the object of the noble lord, he would withdraw his amend ment for the present. (Hear, hear.) Sir G. GREY said that, as the government were not pledged to introduce any measure by the proposition then before the house, he would not put hon. members to the trouble of dividing. (Hear, hear.) The resolution was then agreed to without a division. NATIONAL REPRESENTATION. Mr. 111.:1E postponed his motion on this subject to Tuesday, the Bth inst. - I1G:4)1 ON CARRIAGES. ....... _ Sir D. L. EVANS moved fur leave to bring in a bill to reduce the duty on carriages. Instead of the 13 classes he proposed that there should be only three to pay 3/., 21., and ' U., in proportion to the number of wheels and hones ; and that all carriages employed for purposes of trade should be exempt, as they were now. Ile concluded by moving for leave to bring ins bill. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER hoped the house would not agree to the motion of his hon. and gal lant friend, though he admitted that the subject was one which deserved consideration, and that the tax on car riages might be beneficially modified. (Hear, hear.) But that alteration could not be nada at least in the present year. Mr. HUMS - said that he did not want the government to lose any revenue, but when it was a fact that the re venue from carriages was not more now than it wax ten years ngo, it must be evident that frauds were committed. (Hear.) Mr. I'. HOWARD said that he thought the tax was unjust, but ho thought that in the present financial state of the country, it would be wise if the hon. gentleman did not press his motion. (Hear.) The motion was then withdrawn. CaoFifiATRiEDLE. Mr. HUME rose to propose an address to her Majesty, that she will be pleased to give directions, that the granite obelisk, given by the late Mehemet Ali to the British nation (which obelisk is now lying on the beach of Alex andria), might be brought to England, and that this house would grant such funds as might be requisite to bring it to and erect it in an appropriate situation in England. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought there ought to be some further inquiry on the subject, before they agreed to the motion of the hon. gentleman. There were different opinions on this subject. Sir Gardner Wilkinson said that the obelisk was so injured, and the inscription upon it so obliterated, that it would not be worth the expense of removal. (Hear, hear.) There were also doubts whether it could be removed for the sum men tioned by the hon. gentleman. Mr. HUME said he would guarantee its removal for the sum he bad mentioned. (Laughter., Colonel DU NNE said the cost of removal would suppo r t the Dublin Hospital for one year. (Laughter.) lie thought it was quite barbaric in desiring to see these monu ments brought from their proper localities. (Hear.) Mr. HUME said the hon. and gallant gentleman knew nothing of the subject. The obelisk was now buried in the sands. After a few words from Sir De Licv EvAxs, the motion was withdrawn. The School Sites Acts Amendment Bill was read a second time. The Highway Rates Bill went through committee. The report on the Advances for Public Works, &c. I as received. The house adjourned at a quarter to 1. INDESTRIAL RELIEF OF HIGHLAND DEsTrrrnoN. A meeting of the directors of the Royal Patriotic and In dustrial Society of Scotland was yesterday held in the hall of the Scottish Corporation; Captain Charles Forbes, of Aalown, in the chair. The meeting was attended by Cluny Macpherson, George Bain, Earls. Very distressing accounts were received of the progress of destitution in the High lands. Captain Forbes, the treasurer of the " Special Hifiltland Industrial Relief Fund," reported the receipt of venous contributions, and the despatch of remittances to several destitute districts. The meeting empowered him to remit without delay such sums u might be forwarded to him for the relief of destitution, accompanied by urgent re commendations to the committee of the society's Hebridean branch, that consistently with the primary object of pre serving life, they should seek, by employing the recipients in the trenching of land for model school farms, and of females in knitting, to secure some useful returns, and avoid the evils induced by former systems of relief, in exact ing a grinding test, or the demoralisation attendant upon the dispensation of eleemosynary aid. THE VCLCAN, SCREW STEAMER, AND THE 74TH Rxonimsr.—Having repeatedly heard the unfounded re ports relative to the supposed accident to the Vulcan, we have hitherto abstained from noticing them, but willingly quote the following from the United Serrite Gazette : Are regret to see that some of our contemporaries have most in judiciously lent themselves to the propagation of the report that the ulcan, on her way to the Cape, has been lest. It is superfluous to reiterate that those who can calculate the length of a voyage to the Cape, under all circumstances, have not the slightest leas foe the safety of the ship." the erpreoli. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Sewed &Mien rf " The Ezprees," containing the ume cunieg's . Gazette,. Is pabilsiied every Tuesday and Friday night, In time for post. Adeausemenblntended foe The Emus," London Evening paper, must be at the Oboe, 10, Bouverebetteet, by Two o'clock on the day of publisetioa. 111011 WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE . T■is WT—Morning,ilts. luf. .Aficraxat. 4b. 23m. To•uoaauw—Yornlaa, 41. Wm. .Afternaoa, U. Ilia. LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 2. Mr FILED drums are the appropriate music of fu nerals. When the battle is over and the survivors arc drawn out in doleful array in order to bury their dead, the stirring trumpet call is heard no more, and the inciting tones that formerly preluded victory are forgotten. To such subdued harmonies were the retiring pro tectionists doomed to listen on Alonday evening last. Preparatory to the breaking up of their camp at the end of the campaign and their dispersion for the rest of the year, they were ordered to appear on parade for the but time, and compelled to listen to a financial variation of the " Dead March in Saul,"compmed and principally performed by Mr. DISRAELI. With the exception of some striking passages, that sounded very much as if they had been written for some much more cheerful occasion and had been flung in to relieve the monotony of the dirge, nothing could be more dull or dreary than the long-protracted strain. There was a smart bit about Mr. l'usEv, to avenge the Philippic of the independent member for Berkshire. Then there were oriental airs and Russian melodies introduced rather inartistically, which would havo been more suitable after a I public dinner, when the toast of the Crystal l'aLice was associated somehow or other with the member for Buckinghamshire's name. And finally, there were a few freaks of fancy intended to amuse the listeners by caricaturing the exultant tones of the enemy. For the rest, all was inexpres, sive, and apparently devoid of purpose—sad, stupid, and superfluous. So thought the hearers, for tiny broke their ranks in considerable numbers, and sulkily walked away, leaving their great and once respected conunandcr with but half his accustomed force to follow his retreating banner front the field. As was truly said by the CHANCELLOR of the ExeitEurtat, the motion of Mr. DisnAtal and his speech said not only different, but quite opposite things. The resolutions contained a decla ration that, pending the inquiries of the Income Tax Committee (that is, in other words, during the pre sent session), it would not be "consistent with a due regard to the maintenance of the public credit, and the exigencies of the public service, to make any ma terial sacrifice of public income." This, moved as an amendment to the house Tax Bill, admits of no other meaning than that which the public, through organs of opinion, had put upon it. The remission of the window duty, already realised by anticipation, was understood to be placed in jeopardy; and the constituents of even Mr. DISRAELI'S personal friends had intimated their wishes and expectations in terms so unmistakeable, as to render their defection On the occasion inevitable. The abandonment of the window-tax formed, in point of fact, us every one is well aware, the only "material sacrifice of public income" proposed by government during the present session. If the motion, therefore, meant anything, it meant that. By way of breaking the force of the wave of unpopularity which was rising against him, Mr. DlsittELl boldly assured the House of Commons that against the desired remission ho had nothing whatever to say; that he was himself strongly in ' favour of it ; and that it was wholly a misapprehen sion to suppose that he wanted to retain fiscal hin drances to the popular enjoyment of air and light. What ho did mean, however, Ito abso lutely declined to say. lie feared for the pub lic credit, and for the budget of next year ex ceedingly. Should the income-tax be pronounced incorrigible by the committee now sitting in judg ment on its sins, we should want all the existing surplus and as much and a half beside to make both ends meet in 1852. The surplus in hand and the surplus hoped for would be both absorbed by the deficit left by abolishing the tax on property and income; and the tax on windows must consequently • remain, unless some other impost yielding an equiva lent sum could be pointed out as more unexception able. But the latter alternative Mr. Disr,AELI did not indicate, and the former he energetically dis claimed. Mr. GLADSTONE, it mast be owned, was far morn candid and courageous. In the event contemplated by the resolutions of Mr. Disgutl, he hinted plainly that, in his opinion, the want must be sup plied by resorting to new or newly modified forms of direct taxation. Mr. GLADSTONE would place the house-tax on a wider basis, so as to constitute an available resource in case of need, for raising a con siderable revenue. lie would include houses of a much more numerous class than those denoted in the schedules of Sir CHARLES \Wiwi's present bill ; and then, should the income-tax be abandoned, lie sug gested that the means and appliances would be ready ut hand for the purpose of raising, in the shape of an augmented house-tax, a large amount of revenue. There can be little doubt, we think, that this was not the expedient which the protec tionist chief had in reserve, if indeed he had any. " A moderate fixed duty on corn" has already been avowed as the grand panacea for the sorrows of land lordism ; and to this complexion tho whole debate must come forthwith were his vague and unexplana tory propositions carried. Against any supposed complicity in such a purpose Mr. GLADSTONE seems to have been determined to guard himself. lie had no objection to vote for the motion, but it must be on his own terms ; and those terms may briefly be stated thus—if you take off five millions of direct taxation because the mode of levying it is oppressive or unjust, you must be prepared to replace it by some better form of tax on property, but not by the re-im position of any of the old burdens upon industry and labour. The division may be taken as conclusive of party controversy for the session of 1851. Instead of 250 with which the member for Bucks opened the cam paign in February ►ast, he is only able to bring 129 into the field on the last day of June. His defeat was, in truth, so evident and so utter, that he tried to make merry with his fate, and ball• castmOir fakiiotiul suls.L.io.4 sal their nfErinl immortality. Without wishing anybody ill, we are very little in the mood to wish to see the whigs confirmed even in jest in the unfortunate be lief of their infrangibility. They are giddy and rash enough under the salutary sense of danger, but in proportion as they relapse into the pleasing dream of being indispensable to the welfare of the state, we should fear deeply for the state and them. GREAT CENTRAL GAS CONSUMERS' COMPANY.— The shareholders in this undertaking assembled yesterday evening in the City of London Tavern, for the purpose of considering the provisions of a deed of amalgamation be tween the City Gas Company and the Great Central. Mr. Dakin prodded. Mr. Alderman Wire read the directors' report, front which it appeared that the bill of the Great Central had passed both houses, and is to receive the royal assent on Friday next. The terms of amalgamation were in conformity with the pledges given to the consumers by the Great Central. The value of the plant of each com pany is to be determined by two arbitrators chosen by the companies, and their decision to be governed by an um pire of their own selection. Mr. Hiudwicke read the in denture of amalgamation, and both it and the report were approved of. 1,0001. a year for the last two years, and the t of the meeting, were unanimously voted to the direc tors, and a special vote of thanks to Mr. C. Pearson, for his services on behalf of the company. LONDON, BIRMINGHAM, AND Buckis RAILWAY.— On Monday, before Master Kindersley, Mr. Harnett, the former secretary, Captain Darrell, the chairman, were exa mined at considerable length relative to the liability of Viscount Curzon, who was also examined, to be placed on the list as a member of the provisional and acting committee. LAUNCH OF A STEAM-SHIP FOR THE PACTIA OF SW Court. Her Majesty and Prince Albert, accompanied by his Majesty the King of the Belgians, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred, and Princess Alice, and the Due de Brabant, the Comte de Flandres, and the Princess Charlotte of Belgium, left Osborne at half-put nine o'clock yesterday morning. Her Majesty and Prince Albert, and their illustrious guests, were attended by the Viscountess Canning, Lady inWaiting, the Hon. Lucy Kerr, Maid of Honour in Waiting, the Comtesse do Montanclos, Lady in Waiting to the Princess Charlotte, Colonel do Muerkerke, Count Albert de Brier, and by Lord Chs. Fitz roy and Colonel Bouverie, Equerries in Waiting, Lieut.- Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps, Major-General Bowles, Master of the Household, Sir Robert Carswell, Mr. Birch, and Miss Ilildyard. Th 2 Royal party and suite em• barked at Osborne pier on the Fairy royal steam yacht, commanded by Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, crossed to Gosport, and travelled to town by a special train on the South-Western Railway. On arriving at the Nine Elms Station, the royal party and suite entered six of the Queen's carriages, and escorted by a detachment of the Bth Hussars, proceeded to Buckingham Palace, where the arrived at ten minutes past 1 o'clock. Her Majesty and Prince Albert, and His Majesty the King of the Belgians, were received at the palace by the Countess of Gainsborough, the Muter of the Horse, the Lord Steward, the Lord Cham berlain, the Vice Chamberlain, the Earl of Morley, Mr. R. Ormsby Gore, and Lieut.-Colonel Francis Seymour. The Duchess of Kent visited Her Majesty soon after her arrival at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty and Prince Albert, aceompaniedby the King of the Belgians, with the Due de Brabant and the Comte de Flandres, honoured Her Majesty's Theatre with their presence lass owning. The royal suite consisted of Viscountess Canning, lion. Lucy Kerr, the Earl of Morley, Lord Charles Fitzroy, Colonel Bouvecie and Colonel Maerkerke. The Duchess of Kent, attended by Lady Augusta Bruce and Lord James Murray, also honoured Her Majesty's Theatre with their presence yesterday ev Welbichess of Gloucester visited the Duchess of Kent yesterday. The Duke and Duchess Augustus of Saxe Cobourg Gotha also visited the Duchess of Kent yesterday, at her residence, Clarence-house, St. James's. The Chairmen of the Juries of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of the Works of Industry of 6.11 Nations had a meeting yesterday at the Exl.ibition. Colonel W. L. Freestuit, M.P., had an interview with Sir George Grey at the Iloutc•office. Captain George Evans, R.N., had also an interview with the Right Hon. Baronet. Sir Dc Lacy Evans, M.P., and Mr. Hutt, M.P., had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday at the Colonial-office. Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office from the Governor of Hong-Kong. Despatches were sent off from the Colonial-office yesterday to the Governors of the West India Islands. (nom last Night's Gazette.) WurrEOALT., JUNE 25.—The Queen has been pleased to grant the office of Solieitor•General for Scotlend to George Demi, Esq., Advocate, in the room of John Cowan, Esq., appointed a Lord of Session also been pleased to appoint Thomas Mackenzie, Esq., Advocate, to be Sheriff of tha shirts or sheriffdom of Ross and Cromarty, is the room of George Deas, Esq., Advocate. WHITEHALL, JeNE 30.—The Queen has been pleased to present the Rev. Willi: on Furdie Dickson to the church and parish of Cameron, in the presbytery of St. Andrew's, and county of Fife, vacant by the resignation of the Rev. lloctor William Brown ; also been pleased to pre sent the Rev. James Somers to the church and parish of Barry, in the presbytery of Aberbrothock, and county of Forfar, vacant by the deposition of Mr. William Simpson, late Minister there. WIIIYEItALL, JULY I.—The Queen has been pleased to nominate the Rev. George livezard to the per petual curacy of St. James's Chapel, in the parish of St. Marylebone, in the county of Middlesex, and diocese of London, the same being raid by the death of the Um Stewart William Hanna. _ _ _ CROWN -OFFICE, JUNE 28. Member returned to serve in this present Parliament, fin' the borough of Green wich: David Salomous, of Great Cumberland-place, Hyde park, in the county of Middlesex, Esq., and Alderman of the City of London, in the room of Edward George Barnard, DUI., deceased. COMMISSION SIGNED Ily TILE LORD LIEUTENANT or liEntronmotini:.—The Right llou. William Bateman Lord Bateman to be deputy-lieutenant. AFFRAY BETWEEN THE MILITARY AM) FRANCE. PARIS, TVEBDAY EVBNING. The President started this morning, at half-past six, for Poitiers. The train which was bringing the government engineers and representatives of the Orleans and Bordeaux Company from Poitiers to Tours, after the ceremony of delivering over the ►ine to the com pany, met with an accident near Dange. The loco motive came in collision with a paviour's club which lay on the rail, and ran off the line. Fortunately it was only followed by one carriage, the chains having broke. Ko one was hurt; hut the 50 passengers were detained eleven hours at Dange. M. Meroy, a Paris tradesman, has presented to Colonel Vaudrey, in order to be laid before the As sambl, a mass of petitions in favour of the pro longation of the President's powers, signed by 11,433 tradesmen and workmen of the department of the Seine. The price of bread is fixed from this day at 30c. the kilogramme. The Monitcur contains the monthly table of the price of corn. District of Ntarr. alles, Lyons, and Toulouse, 15.16 per hectolitre ; Bordeaux, 14.74 ; Strasbourg, 15.76 ; Nantes, 14.22 ; Metz, 12.!X1; Quimper, 13.77. After brisk fluctuations, during which the Fives attained the figure of 91.20, this stock closed at 93.90, with a rise of 10e. The Threes closed at the prices of yesterday. ITALY. SARDINIA. Letters from Turin of June 2R, state that the treaty of commerce with Switzerland has been adopted by a majority of 110 votes against 4, in the Chamber of Deputies. The debate then re commenced upon the treaty with Fiance. The po licy of France towards Italy was commented upon by several speakers. GERMANY. PRUSSIA. Accounts from Frankfurt state that Austria in re ply to Prussia's demand for the disineorporation of her non-German states, expresses her determination only to concede the point if the unanimity of all the German states with which the incorporation was passed is obtained for the reversal of that measure. POLICE AT LIVERPOOL. LIVERPOOL, Jtmir 1. Since nine o'clock last night this city has been thrown into the utmost alarm and excitement in conse quence of a military riot, which broke out at that hour be tw, en the soldiers of the 91st regiment, commanded by Colonel Campbell, and the police of Liverpool. In conse quence of some punishment inflicted on three soldiers of the 91,t regiment, at the instance of the police on duty, they vowed vengeance on the " blue-bottles," as they termed the constables ; and the latter, on their part, scent to have been on the qui rice to meet promptly any aggressive act. At 2 o'clock this afternoon, twenty-seven soldiers of the the 91st regiment were placed at the lint. of the court ;meet for the Nisi Prins sittings during the assizes. There were present, John Crosfield, Esq., chairman, and a full bench of magistrate?. Colonel Campbell, Major Gordon, and some other officers of the regiment, occupied seats adjoining the bench ; and during the whole day, the court, with all its avenues, was more densely crowded than on any oc casion whatever that we can remember for many years past. Mr. Dowling, the commissioner of Liverpool police, as soon as the usual charges had been disposed of (in which was included one aghast Private John truster, of the same regiment), addressing the bench, said that he had upwards of thirty witnesses iu the present case, whom lie should proceed to cull in the following order:—Mr. Rufus Pugh, Mr. Richard Lewis, Mr. John Smith, Messrs. W. Bickerton, Thomas Me Cann, Edward Dooley, Wm. Barstow, R. Spurr, It. Poole, Isaac llollimon, and John Doan, all re spectable inhabitants of the town; together with Dennis Dwyer, Anne Walsh, Mary Gordon, and, some other disin terested spectators; and police officers 400, 302, 3i7, 17, 557, 393, 43, 86, 61, 513, 181, 7t ; and probably about ten or a dozen others, if deemed requisite. The following is the substance of the facts elicited. About nine o'clock last night a number of men belonging to the 91st Regiment had assembled at Mr. Ilea,gue's public-house, in Dak-street, one of the principal thoroughfares of Liver pool, in order, as some of then, were heard to express them selves, to wipe off the disgrace to the regiment which had been inflicted on Saturday and Sunday night by the police. The apprehension of some of their comrades fur an affray in which a policeman and a respectable civilian, Mr. W. Yates, warehouseman, were both seriously injured, seems to have given deep offence to the soldiers, and many of them were heard to say that last night would not pass over with out the blood of some of the police being spilt. Issuing from the public-house above named into the streets, where were a considerable number of other soldiers belonging to the same regiment, some of them made up towards Duggan, 419, who was at the time on duty in Dale-street, and un fastening their cross-belts, they made a desperate attack with them upon the poor fellow, who it is stated by the police was wholly unconscious of the feeling of animosity existing against the force amongst the soldiers, and who was wounded so severely about the head and body that he was considered in very great danger when our reporter left. On the other hand, it is alleged that the soldiers were first provoked by a policeman asking " How that chap of theirs was that was in the hospital , " alluding to one who was out ruing from some injuries received in a previous con flict with the police. Be this as it may, after severely and dangerously beating Duggan, they proceeded in a body up Dale-street, and Shaw's Crow, attacking every policeman with whom -.vie in contact. But word was passed to they came _ ves - passed t. the Rose-hill Police-station, where a number of officers were in waiting, and these being joined by others, dispatched from the central station, and commanded by Mr. Inspector Towerson, speedily came to the spot, and a scene ensued which wholly bathes description. The soldiers had by this time spread themselves in skirmishing parties of tens, civil authwiti , q elr^rtu ll ‘ ''t pro bably not expecting the concentrated movement of the police. Attacking the military, however, thus in detail, the AM a Aetinn pf the %tete, opium parties, anti although the conflict was kept up wit desperate re sistance, as each fresh band was attacked, and the whole neighbourhood was for nearly two hours kept in a state of the greatest apprehension, captures to more than thirty of the soldiers were effected, by the aid of all the re inforcements of police, which, under the personal direction of Mr. Commissioner Dowling were even tually brought to the scene of the riot. At length a demand was made at Egerton-barracks, for assistance from the officers df the regiment, who promptly despatched several picqueta of 30 men to aid in quelling the disturbance. Notwithstanding this, however, many of the soldiers within the barracks, hearing what had occurred, scaled the wall, andprocceded to the rescue of their comrades : about 25 of whom had by this time been lo4oi in Rose-hill Dridewell, previous to their being conveyed to the more secure prison of the borough. Watching, how ever, the absence of the piequets, who had been engaged in clearing the streets, the scattered soldiers win aseasa, bled at Rose-hill just as the van in which theCr comrades were placed was being driven off, and a renewed conlict ensued, in which the police would beyond doubt have suf fered the loss of many of their number, as the soldiers were using their side-arras with horrible imprecations, just as those of three picquets were recalled and ended the affray. The van was then driven off with great speed, accompanied by a large body of police at double quick time, sad the prisoners were ultimately lodged in the main gaol of the town. Throughout the night, however, considerable crowds might be seen in the line of streets where the affray had been carried on, and even up to this hour the interest has not subsided in the locality. Upon the application of the commissioners, the men were remanded until to-morrow, when the state of the wounded police officers, as well as those of the military at present in the hospital, will be more accurately sewer tamed. A r petition, very numerously signed, has been got up, -- --p--_-, .. . • r. EoYrT.—Yesterday the Kasseid Heir, s t ew ...y ac ht, b u ilt p ra y in g for the instant removal of the regiment from Liver- and yet, in this uncertainty, a _daring spirit was . ~ who houses were wholly or putially erected in ten days after for the Puha of Egypt , was launched from the premises of pool, it being quite certain that manylives will be lost, walked into the building already in flames with two more wards. The whole number of buildings going up in the Mega , . Joyce and co., opposite the Dreadnought Hospital and renewed conflicts of frequent occurrence will take casks of powder, fired the fusee, and retreated coolly. In city at the same time was six hundred. In spite of tha Ship. Her dimensions are—Length, 180 feet ; beam, 18 place between that regiment and the police, should the for- less than a minute after the huge building crumbled into terrible blow to the business of the city, the courage and feet ; depth, 11 feet, builders' measure. Old measure, mer be permitted to remain in their preseas. The fragments. The shipping in the harbour escaped providen- perseverance of the sufferers does not seem to have flagged 239 52-74 tons. She is to be fitted with a screw prope ll er appearance of the soldi er . bey.. e the magistrates to-day t i a ll y th e f a t e w hi c h for hours seemed inevitably to await for a single day, and the San Francisco papers confidently and a pair of vibrating engines of the collective power of certain y showed that th e y h ave me t w i t h cons id era ble in- them. But by breaking up the wharfs and cutting off predict that in two months the buret district will be entirely 89 hones. jury, whatever may be the " set off" on the other side. the connection, the progress of the km eras checked at rebuilt. We know of no parallel to such indomitable enter- AMERICA. ARRIVAL OF THE PACIFIC. The steam tender Sam.son last night landed at Liverpool the despatches brought by the United States (Collins) steam-ship Pacific, Captain Wye, which was detained at the Bar, waiting for tide to arrive in the Mersey. The Pacific brings 151 passengers, about a million dollars in specie, a fine general cargo, and the usual mails from the United States and British America. She left New York on the 21st June, at noon, and has therefore made a very good passage, though not quite so rapid as that performed by the Asia, which ' arrived here on Saturday last. The news from California, which had been tele graphed only, by the Asia's arrival, was fully con firmed by the arrival at New York of the steant-ship Crescent City, which lett Chagres and canoe red Kingston, Jamaica. 'I he loss is estimated at 12,000,000 dollars (but on this point it will be seen authorities differ). About 1,000 buildings were destroyed, and three-fourths at the business districts had been consumed. An earthquake had been felt but no damage resulted. Over 600 buildings had been recommenced to be built. With the exception of the fire at San Francisco of which we give details, the files are almost destitute of general news. The presidential struggle still continued, and Mr. Webster's chances were spoken of as more than re spectable. There had been great losses of property at St. Louis and on the Mississippi river by fire ; as also the loss of several lives by the burning of stores and a steamboat. The cholera continued to be very prevalent in the south-west, and apprehensions were entertained of its spread to New York. A Roman catholic priest had been tried, and cast in 1,600 dollars damages, for seduction. Regarding the fire and earthquake at San Fran cisco, we glean the following details : The Alto California says : About eleven o'clock, on the night of May 3rd, the cry of " Fire" startled every one like an earthquake. The fire bad just commenced in a paint shop on the west side of Portsmouth-square, adjoining the Bryant-house, for merly called, but more recently the American. It was but a slight blaze when that seen, but in five minutes the whole upper story was full of flame. Before the engines could . get upon the ground and commence playing, the American on one side, and a store occupied by Messrs. Rhodes as a furnishing establishment, were in flames. The buildings in the vicinity being all of wood and extremely combustible, the fire spread up Clay-street back towards Sacramento, and down Clay toward Kearny, with fearful rapidity. It soon had full command, and the fire depart ment could only work upon the borders, and endeavour to cheek its progress by anticipating it. In this they succeeded on the north side before it reached Dupont-street. But in every other direction in which it could spread it took its own course. To the south it spread to Bush-street, and to the east, at the time of writing this live o'clock, A.M. it has passed Jackson-street, sweeping rverything from a little cast of Dupont to the wharfs. The blocks between Dupont and Kearny-streets, west of Portsmouth-square, as fur as Bush-street, three in number, arc in ashes. Between Bush and Jackson, Kearny and Montgomery-streets, five in number, all down. Between Montgomery and Sansome ' Bush and Jackson-streets, live in number, all down. Be yond Sansome, towards the shipping, we do not know how great is the destruction, for the smoke is so dense, and the fire intervening, it is impossible to tell. Beside these 13 blocks, almost every building of which is destroyed, there are many others. It is impossible even to guess at the number of buildings or the amount of property destroyed. A thousand buildings is within the bounds of truth, we judge, and ten millions of dollars could not replace the terrible de struction. Some place it twice or three times us high. It is sufficient to say that more than threc-fourths of the busi ness part of the city is nothing but smouldering cinders. Scarce a fire-proof building in the whole burnt district has stood the test. Such as have are the California Exchange, El Dorado, Verandah on Portsmouth-square, , and the buildings of Captain Howard, in which was the United States Assaying-office, of Moffat and Co. on r-street. This building was saved _,.. Montgomery-street. so.. only at the risk of their lives by Messrs. Moffat, Perry, and Ward, of that firm, who remained within the building throughout the conflagration and extinguished the fire re peatedly. Thelarge United States bonded warehouse, erected by Cross and Co., containing about 2,000 tons of merchan dise in bond, was saved through the exertions of Mr. An derson, the inspector. When Burgoyne's safe was opened 1,500,000 dole. was taken out not singed or damaged in the least. The books and all the papers, deposits, tee, came uat 111:311 4444 Silt; 14,14 att. UM' 11/Lti, IP lieu of water, used 80,000 gallons of vinegar in preserving their warehouse. It was entirely saved. While endea vouring to save Naglce's building ten persons had their re treat cut off by the surrounding flames enveloping the building. There they remained several hours in a most perilous and forlorn situation, expecting every moment to be buried in the rains and consigned to a dreadful fate. While in this predicament one of the party looked through a window or small aperture, and saw a man endeavour ing to escape from a neighbouring building. Ile became enveloped in flames—he fell, exhausted, and was consumed. The books, papers, and specie of the Custom-house were placed in the substantial vaults built under the direction of Collector King for that purpose, and were all found to be entirely safe. The El Dorado stood proof against the fire which raged round two sides of it. It is a very substantial brick building, with all its window frames, shutters, doors, and verandahs of iron. The Verandah, also a brick build ing at the opposite corner of Washington and Kearney streets, escaped consumption. The fire tooks its course down Kearney-street, consuming everything before it on the eastern side, down to Jackson-street, and then sweeping all the intervening blocks from Kearney to Battery:streets. The west side of Kearney : street was raved by the influence of the strong wind blowing from that quarter, and the well-directed efforts of the fire department and their en gines. Toleeward it was impossible, with the limited means and imperfect appliances at command, to stay the progress of the conflagration. Onward it swept on its devastasing career until it reached the waters of the bay. Jones's Hotel, at the foot of California-street—a new and splendid establishment—was saved by the intervention of a brick building on the ono side and an iron one on the other. The brick building is occu pied by Evans and Carter, Siegmund, T. Mayer and Co., J. Seligman and Co., and Hostler, Baines and Co.; the iron house is unoccupied. In blowing up the Sacramento hotel, Broadway, the first explosion was ineffectual, and it was thought that only one of the casks planted had ignited, -st, in 0 --- found, v" Battery-street. The only vessels burnt were the Niantic, the Apollo, and General Ilarrison store-ships, which were a long time ago hauled in and built upon close to high water mark. The city has since extended far beyond them, and left them, as it were, in the heart of the town. Almost everything seemed to combine to effect tho ruin of the city. The chief engineers and numbers of firemen were at Sacra mento; there was almost an interregnum in our city go vernment; the old council had adjourned, and felt no dis position to assume any responsibility in tearing clown buildings; tho new council had not been sworn into office, and had no power; some of the engines lacked sufficient hose, water was not abundant, the winds blew like furies, and in various directions, and then. was generally a great want of concentrated effort. Ilad the staging in front of a new brick store on the east able of Kearns street been pulled down, the fire would not have crossed Kearney, be tween Clay and Sacramento, perhaps not at all. By tear down two or three smal buildings sn the rear of the Cali fornia Exchange, the fire could have been prevented from crossing Clay-street, and the whole range of the devasta tion to the north of it probably been prevented. When we went to press yesterday morning the tire was still ex tending towards Clark's Point. It crossed Broadway, taking everything on the north side of Battery, except two build ings on the corner of Vallejo-street, and on the south side leaving two or three buildings, beside Colonel l'oore's built over the bay. Here was the last struggle. The building was saved, the front pretty much burned off. Neatly every building within a distance of over a mile north east and south-west, by a half wile from north-west to south east, was destroyed. Eighteen larg, squares,except jug a few buildings, and large portions of live or six others, have been completely destroyed. The plank streets aro ruined, and in many places entirely impassible, except on foot. Several persons fell dead front over-exertion and excitement during the lire. The following is front the Pacific News of May I I: Although a week only has elapsed since the destroyer *wept over a vast portion of our city, still like magic do the buildings rise upon the burnt district. Thu wonderful stories of the fabled gourd could nut have been more sur prising. True, we have not the substantial brick blocks that were so much an ornament to our city previous to the fire; but the energy with which our business men arc again at work, will soon restore even these monument. of our progress and enterprise. Through M'asbington-street, from Montgomery to lieurney, the space is nearly filled with new buildings, already occupied, or in an advanced state of pro grets. On Montgomery-street a number have already been erected, and many inure are going up with rapidity. Clay street presents a very animated appearance in the building way. A number of tenements are already occupied, and several others will be ready in the course of two or three days. The sound of the busy hammer and saw is heard through Sacramento, Commercial, Sansone, Merchant, and several other streets that were laid waste by . the destroyer. Indeed, every portion of the burnt dist rict is alive with mechanics, who ore reaping a harvest by this visitation. Instead of gaging at the ruins and mourning their losses, our business men generally have again entered the lists of competition fur trade with all the energy of former times. The appearance of our city was never more animated, though the his is of a somewhat different cha racter from that which marked it ten day. since. Out wo ass going forward, and but a few months will elapse before nearly every trace of the recent disaster will have disap peared. The mass of shipping that crowd our harbour was in imminent danger of taking lire ou Saturday night. Had one vessel caught the flames, so close together are they all anchored, and sn hopeless the idea of moving, that the en tire Meet would have, iu all probability, been consumed. Aa it was, the captains and crews hail to be constantly on the alert to preserve their vessels. 'the ship Susan Drew, Captain flelbrouk, took fire three times front the burning brands that were driven upon her by the wind, but by prompt application of water she was each time saved. Several others were also on lire at various times but none, we are happy to say, were burned. The Audubon, after being in flames several times, deliberately put up her helm and wound her way among the fl, et. and succeeded in reaching a place of safety without a collision or accident of any kind. The whole maanuuvre was ad mirably executed. At one time, from the course the tiro was pursuing, the high wind setting toward the bay, and the utterly powerless efforts of the firemen to stay the flames, the shipping seemed inevitably doomed. had tho Me continued down Long-wharf much Luther, nothing on earth could have saved the fleet. But stopping, as it did, sat Battery-street, alltseyond was preserved. As to the newspapers, the Public Balance has ceased its publication. Thu Picayune office 'AU entirely destroyed; nobs ag saved The True Standard shared the same disaster; it Isms:Ling a efforts to re-appear. The Courier lust everything; will ap pear on Monday next. The Pacific News and the Herald, though great losers, made their re-appearance on Wednes day. The correspondent of the it ekly Herald, dating his letter San Francisco, May 15, 4 p.m., says : The mail steamer Northerner, and the steamer New Or leans, arc about putting out into the bay. Both go loaded with passengers, and notwithstanding the confusion conse quent upon the recent calamity, truth carry nearly the usual srmianonthly shipments of treasure. The two take an ag gregate of about one million and a quarter. The whole city was startled about twenty minutes past S o'clock thisaanm nig, by a low rumbling sound, accompanied by a sit:skins and trembling of the buildings, caused by a severe shock of an earthquake. Some of the houses waved back and forth a distance of one foot. For a minute the central part of the city presented a scene of confusion. Thou sands ran from the buildings into the street, hatless, and many with but little clothing. The Plaza was covered with persons front the surrounding buildings, many of them in their drawers and shirts. The boarders at Jones's Hotel, some two or three hundred, were at breakfast, and so violent was the shaking of the building, that all made a simultaneous rush fur the street, upsetting chairs and tables in their flight. A similar scene was wino:as...slat the Oriental. Both buildings are very large and of 'need. Many of the brick houses also were viuleatly shaken, as were the adobes. The shock was felt most sensibly at the Lagoon, a distance of nearly two miles. In some instances, so great was the vibration, that persons iu attempting to run found the same difficulty as is usually experieneed On shipboard at sea. Particularly was this the ease with the wharfs. Your readers will scarcely credit me when 1 say that I counted yesterday on the learnt district no less than six hundred and eighty-three buildings either op and occu pied, or iu process of erection. The fire occurred ten days ago, with two Sundays intervening, and yet the number of buildings I have named are going up like magic. Who will say that Sau Francisco is prostrated with such mani festations of energy ? One reason of such prompt re building is found m the fact that ground rents have fallen nearly one hundred per cent. since the lire. Lots that before rented fur from 300 dots. to 1100 doh., are now in the market at from 1711 doh. to 300 dub. Kent of buildings, immediately after the lire, for business purposes, went up tram fifty to one hundred per cent. • but they will soon find their former level, and evetigo below previous rates. The Columbia came in from Oregon yesterday, bringing dates to the 10th inst. There is nothing of particular late rest from the coast above the Klamath mines, which, al though supposed to be more visionary than real, tiro said to be yielding satisfi.ctorily. In commercial matters accurate quotations cannot be given, as prices are still very much unsettled. Nearly every article in market has advanced. Bleached and brown sheet ings and calicoes have gone up 110 per cent. 'the supply is small, particularly of the two termer. Sale rates advanced ta 12c.; very little in market. Immense quantities of dried apples were burned. Before the fire they were a drug at lc. ; since they have been sold at 15c. to tOc. ; tobacco advanced from 34.1 c. to 37e. to 75c. to 80c. Lard and butter advanced 50 per cent. Fitly thousand pounds of the former sold yesterday at 14c. Nails are scarce, out few wrought ones i n the market. All kinds of liquor have advanced; Monongahela whiskey 75 per cent. Fur two or three days after the fire two or three hundred per cent. advanee was paid for liquors, but as supplies were brought from Olt board ships in the harbour, prices fell ME Large quantities of jewellery were either burned or In - instance no watches wee- damaged. one ..... destroyed. i Nothing remained but the cases that was of value. Thera is, however, sufficient supply in the market to prevent an advance, even though we were as Hush with money as before the fire. The New York Tribune has the following : If ever any people earned u rightful claim to final success, those people arc the Californians. During the brief period of their organised existence, their history has been a con stant succession or enceas anti catastrophes, all of which they have undergone and overcome, with a patient energy which nothing seems able to subdue. With the exception, perhaps, of the great tires in New York and Hamburg, no tire which has occurred in the present generation has been so destructive in its consequences as the recent conflagra tion in San Francisco. N't bile in extent it nearly equals the two former, the inordinate value of property swells the actual loss to a much greater amount. The private ads ices received yesterday by some of the principal mer cantile firms of this city, arc at variance with the newspaper accounts, the latter estimating the loss at front seven to twenty millions, while the former place it at about twelve millions. The list of individual homes amounts to more than six millions, and this sum, we presume, is somewhere near the truth. The conflagration raged ten hours, and the scene is described as having been ono of the moat appalling magnificence. A large proportion of the houses being frame, they caught like tinder, and the immense mass of flames, fanned by a strong wind, shrivelled up and consumed everything in its path. The rapidity with which it spread, leaping from street to street, and hemming in with its relentless barriers those who had lingered in the hope of rescuing their pro perty, till they fell nod perished before the eyes of the spectators, gives the catastrophe a tragic and terrible interest. Instances are related where the victim, who hail forced his way through that sea of fire, turned again as if impelled by a horrible fascination, and madly rushed into the flame. While these scenes were enacting, and a small band of citizens was perilling life to stay the devastation, thousands of spectators—as we learn from the letters of our correspondents—looked on supinely and refused to lend their aid, except on the most exorbitant terms. The main body of the conflagration was only arrested by the water, and its force being thus scattered, it was at length prevented from extending further in other directions. On the smoking and blackened dis trict, covered with charred timbers, like tho re remains of a burnt forest, three hundred and fifty-seven